Defending 17U champion California Baseball Academy USA (CBA) is one of several veteran organizations at the 2016 National Team Championships. Represented by 17 teams across all age levels at this year's event, CBA will look not only to continue its pattern of success in the event itself, but also to build upon its fruitful history of producing players for Team USA. Over 40 CBA players have participated in USA Baseball events at all age levels, including six players on the 2015 18U National Team that won the WBSC U-18 World Cup.

CBA will field seven teams in the 17U tournament, including the 2015 champion CBA Marucci. The organization will also field six teams at the 15U level and four teams at the 14U level, in which CBA Bulldogs took the bronze medal last year.

Based in Ontario, Calif., CBA benefits from the high volume of amateur baseball talent in the Southern California region.
"We're in a baseball-rich area," said General Manager Jon Paino. "We're just lucky enough to be in the right area with a lot of really, really good players."

In an area with such a high volume of talent, CBA has still found a way to stand out and be competitive in attracting the region's best players.

"With our program's philosophy, I think a lot of players are drawn to it," Paino said. "We are extremely loyal to our guys who come into our program. We allow them to play the game free from failure in an environment where we teach them and prepare them for the next level."

Paino, who is also a regional scout for the Atlanta Braves and works side by side with USA Baseball on the National Team Identification Series (NTIS) program, looks for very specific qualities in the players he recruits to join his teams. He believes that the personality traits a player brings to the team are just as important, if not more important, than the baseball skill itself.

"I would say first and foremost, it's that positive energy that a kid brings to the game and to life in general." Paino said. "We look for a kid that displays passion for the game, that plays with some energy, and that plays with a true love of the game. I think kids like that have a true passion for life and a zest for life, and they're the kids that we love to work with."

Because Paino values the development of the whole person in baseball, he is adamant about giving his players the opportunity to play for USA Baseball National Teams. Playing for Team USA, he says, broadens their horizons and makes them not only better baseball players, but better people.

"We've had quite a few kids in the last four or five years who have played on national teams, and when they come back, they come back different people," Paino said. "They come back more responsible. They come back with a different view of the world than their situation where they live in Southern California. It's something that we believe wholeheartedly in and want to see our kids participate in."

Paino believes, therefore, that the National Team Championships provide players with an invaluable opportunity to advance not only in their baseball careers but also in their personal growth and development.
"[The National Team Championships] are not only a top notch event, but also an evaluation process with so many eyes and so many people on the field," Paino said. "It allows the player to be seen by so many different people with so many different connections."

CBA values baseball as a tool to help develop the characteristics necessary to be successful not only on the field, but more importantly, in life. This player-centric philosophy is integral in the establishment of organizational goals both in the National Team Championships and in all the other events in which the program participates.

"Our goals are always the same," Paino said. "We want our kids to go out and play in front of USA Baseball evaluators and colleges. It's a chance for them to be identified and to play the game at the next level in college… Putting our kids in a position to succeed is first and foremost our goal, and the rest just kind of falls into place."

CBA Marucci will look to defend its gold medal in the 17U National Team Championships beginning June 18 at 8 a.m. with a matchup against OC Premier 17U Navy at Indians 3 in Goodyear.