USA Baseball Cancels 2021 National High School Invitational

USA Baseball announced the cancellation of the 2021 National High School Invitational on Tuesday.

The ninth edition of the event, which was originally scheduled to take place in Cary, N.C., from March 24-27 faces the same fate as the 2020 NHSI—both canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“It is disappointing to announce the cancellation of the National High School Invitational for the second consecutive year,” said USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO Paul Seiler in a press release. “The health and safety of the participants, coaches, and fans command our attention during this pandemic, and it remains obvious that instability surrounding COVID-19 continues to linger within every community in the nation. The cancellation of our event aims to protect these athletes and safeguard the integrity of the participating teams’ respective seasons.”

USA Baseball plans to resume the annual event—the country’s premier national high school tournament and annual hotbed scouting opportunity for MLB teams—in 2022.

When the NHSI does return, Orange Lutheran (Calif.) High will return as the three-time defending champions, after having won the event every year from 2017-2019. 

USA Baseball also announced that no USA Baseball-sanctioned events will take place before April 1.