USA Baseball reveals 2022 National High School Invitational field

Ninth annual NHSI to be held from April 6-9 in Cary, North Carolina

CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball recently announced the 16-team field for the 2022 National High School Invitational (NHSI) presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance and the Town of Cary. The ninth annual event will be held from April 6-9 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

The field is highlighted by three past champions, including three-time defending champion Orange Lutheran High School (Orange, Calif.), as well as The First Academy (Orlando, Fla.) and Huntington Beach High School (Huntington Beach, Calif.).

“USA Baseball is thrilled to put the national spotlight on high school baseball with the ninth National High School Invitational,” USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO Paul Seiler said. “This event traditionally plays host to the country’s best prep baseball players and programs, offering an unparalleled baseball experience for these elite teams, as well as their families and fans. We look forward to another competitive tournament, and we cannot wait to welcome these sixteen incredible programs to Cary in April.”

Orange Lutheran returns in 2022 looking for its tournament-record fourth consecutive title. The Lancers have won 13 consecutive games at the NHSI dating back to 2014 and hold a 15-4 all-time record at the event. The program will make the trip to Cary for the sixth time (2012, 2014, 2017-2019) after most recently defeating Harvard-Westlake School, 6-2, to claim the 2019 trophy. In 2021, the Lancers reached the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section Division 1 Championship Semifinals.

The First Academy and Huntington Beach will also each look to claim another title in 2022 after winning the tournament in 2014 and 2016, respectively. The First Academy returns to Cary for the third time, and the first since 2016, after winning the 3A Florida State title in 2021, while Huntington Beach will make its fourth appearance at the event this April.

In addition to the three returning champions, the 2022 field also features a familiar foe to many of our local CIF Southern Section baseball teams, Yucaipa High School (Yucaipa, Calif.), who will be participating in the event for the first time.

In total, ten different states will be represented in this year’s tournament, led by California and Florida with four teams apiece.

“The NHSI has established itself as the premier event of its kind in the nation, and the GRSA is proud to be on board once again as a host partner,” Scott Dupree, Executive Director of the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance, said. “We have always valued our relationship with USA Baseball, and we appreciate its tireless efforts to bring first-class events like this to the National Training Complex in Cary each year.”

The USA Baseball National Training Complex (NTC), in partnership with the Town of Cary, has been the official home of USA Baseball since 2007. Many of MLB’s most-accomplished players have played at the complex in their careers, including four-time American League (AL) MVP Mike Trout and two-time National League (NL) MVP Bryce Harper.

Since 2012, the NHSI has hosted some of the nation’s most talented players, many of whom have gone on to illustrious careers in professional baseball. The NHSI is a single-elimination championship tournament, with each participating team guaranteed to play four games. The 2022 championship game will be played under the lights on Coleman Field with the first pitch scheduled for Saturday, April 9, at 6 p.m. ET. The bracket and full schedule will be announced at a later date.

The complete list of 2022 NHSI participants, as well as game information, can be found by visiting www.USABaseball.com online, or follow @USABEvents on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia.com.