PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland baseball assistant coach Jake Valentine has been selected to coach at the USA Baseball National Team Identification Series (NTIS) later this week. Valentine will coach the Northwest region 15U and 16U teams playing in Cary, N.C. from Aug. 11 to Aug. 15 in the NTIS Champions Cup. It is the fourth time Valentine has been named a coach for the event.

"Anytime you get to wear your country's colors it's humbling," Valentine said. "I am both excited and thankful to be given the opportunity to again coach the best 15U and 16U players from our region in such a prestigious event. USA Baseball is the top of the mountain for amateur baseball, so being able to have some part in the growth of the future's best players is an extreme honor. We've been able to bring back a couple gold medals the last few years so hopefully we can continue that trend."

The NTIS began back in 2009 and was created to give athletes across the country a chance to compete for a spot on a USA Baseball National Team. The Champions Cup is held at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, with the event featuring 12 teams per age group. The teams will compete in a variety of workouts as well as a championship-style tournament where they will be evaluated by national team scouts and coaches. USA Baseball will invite at least 72 athletes after the Cup to partake in different National Team Development Program (NTDP) events with the national team over the course of the next calendar year.