Jayden Portes, a North Fort Myers baseball player, is aiming to elevate his skills this summer and represent his country on the 12U National Team.
"It would be a blessing and an honor to play for Team USA at a young age," said Portes, a North Nation Alpha 12U pitcher and third baseman.
His ambition was fueled by watching the 12U National Team clinch its second consecutive World Championship last summer.
Portes said, "Seeing all those Instagram clips of the kids just hyped up. Just seeing them play baseball the way they want to, having fun."
For the past year, Portes has been preparing himself for Team USA Camps while also playing with his Cal Ripken League team, North Nation Alpha, in North Fort Myers.
"He's grown leaps and bounds. He's just different than everybody else. He can play any position on the field. He's actually one of the best players I've ever had the privilege to coach," said Mike Tamulionis, North Nation Alpha head coach.
Juan Portes, Jayden's father, said, "I tell him, I said hey, you have to respect the game. Every day you go out, you have to work hard and you have to be sure that you're humble because this game will humble you."
The journey to making Team USA involves several steps. Athletes from across the country attend National Team Identification Series tryouts, and USA Baseball progressively narrows down the roster.
"It's about a year-long thing, and he just kept making it every step," said Tamulionis.
Portes excelled at the National Team Training Camp in June and has made the cut for the top 24, a significant achievement.
Tamulionis said, "Unbelievably hard. Florida is a place where basic baseball players are just naturally grown. But you're going up against California and Texas and Oregon and Louisiana and Georgia and Tennessee."
Juan Portes said, "It's been an emotional roller coaster going out to North Carolina and we're just so thankful that they believe in him."
The group will be further reduced, with the final roster of 18 players selected at an Extended Training Camp in the fall. For Portes, the hard work continues.
Portes said, "Work hard, make sure I'm humble, play different tournaments, get myself out there, just be better. I haven't made the cut yet, but hopefully. That's the dream."