PORTLAND, Ore. --- Portland Pilots baseball head coach Geoff Loomis was named one of four managers for the 2019 Prospect Development Pipeline League, which will serve as a primary identification opportunity for the USA Baseball 18U National Team. The PDP League will take place at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., this summer.
 
The PDP League will feature 80 of the top 2020 MLB Draft eligible high school prospects from around the United States, who were invited to participate in the inaugural season and will compete on teams. By the end of the three weeks, that 80 will we be down to 20 as USA Baseball completes is 18U National Team.
 
"It's a great honor to be invited to coach and manage the top eighty 18U players in the country as part of Team USA and their new PDP League," said Loomis. "As a player, I had the dream of representing our country through our great game, so this opportunity to be involved with Team USA is something I'm very much looking forward to."
 
The PDP League, scheduled for June 13th-July 4th, will provide the participating athletes with an unprecedented experience, including weekly practices and competitive gameplay, individualized instruction from MLB Club representatives serving as on-field coaches, evaluations using modern technologies tailoring individualized development curriculums for each player, as well as off-field leadership, skill-building, and educational seminars. Athletes will also have access to the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, located on the campus of IMG Academy and one of only three such facilities in the world. 
 
The PDP League will serve as a primary identification opportunity for the USA Baseball 18U National Team, slated to compete in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup in Busan, South Korea in early September. Additionally, the League will serve as a feeder for a new MLB All-Star High School Prospect Game for the best high school baseball players, taking place in Cleveland as part of MLB's All-Star Week festivities in July.
 
The daily itinerary, skill-building, and gameplay responsibilities of the PDP League will fall on its Coordinators and Coaching Staffs, which includes former and current players as well as coaches on various levels of the game (Major League, Minor League & Collegiate). 
 
Baseball legends Ryan Howard, Derek Jeter, Chipper Jones, and Barry Larkin will act as team captains.
 
Loomis, a UP Athletics Hall of Fame member, is in his fourth season as head coach at his alma mater. Loomis (1990-92) still holds the school's career record for batting average (.372), and he was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 1992 MLB Draft.