USA Baseball Announces 2025 Organizational Award Winners

USA Baseball today announced its organizational award winners, recognizing the top athletes, coaches, performances, and staff from its 2025 national teams and development programs. Coleman Borthwick becomes the first player in USA Baseball history to win both the Richard W. “Dick” Case Player of the Year Award and the International Performance of the Year Award after his standout efforts for the 18U National Team en route to a world title.

In addition to Borthwick, Rick Eckstein was named Rod Dedeaux Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year after leading Team USA to a gold medal at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup in Okinawa, Japan. Four-time 18U National Team pitching coach Brad Penny joined Eckstein as an award winner, taking home the “Doc” Counsilman Science Award for his use of scientific data in leading the pitching staff to record-breaking numbers.

The 12U National Team won its third consecutive world title at the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup in August to earn Team of the Year honors. Casey Scott was tabbed Developmental Coach of the Year after guiding the 15U National Team to a gold medal at the WBSC U-15 Pan American – Central and North America Championship, and Kirk Champion earned Coach Educator of the Year for his work at the 18U National Team Training Camp, All-American Women’s Baseball Classic, MLB Draft Combine, and Women’s National Team Development Program.

Wehiwa Aloy (Golden Spikes Award), Rick Delia (Volunteer Coach of the Year), and Aldo Plata (Service Provider of the Year) round out the 2025 awards for USA Baseball.

“This was an incredible year for USA Baseball, and we are excited to celebrate some of the athletes, coaches, and staff who made 2025 so successful,” said USA Baseball CEO/Executive Director Paul Seiler. “We won three gold medals, including two world championships, and saw some unbelievable performances along the way. We also continued our efforts to grow the game at every level and are thrilled to honor some of the people who contributed to that. Before we turn the page to 2026, it is important to highlight the people who made this year so rewarding.”

2025 USA Baseball Award Winners:

• Richard W. “Dick” Case Award: Coleman Borthwick (18U National Team)

• Rod Dedeaux Coach of the Year: Rick Eckstein (18U National Team and Women’s National Team Development Program)

• International Performance of the Year: Coleman Borthwick (18U National Team)

• Team of the Year: 12U National Team

• Developmental Coach of the Year: Casey Scott (15U National Team)

• Volunteer Coach of the Year: Rick Delia (Miracle League of the Triangle)

• Coach Educator of the Year: Kirk Champion (18U National Team Training Camp, All-American Women’s Baseball Classic, MLB Draft Combine, Women’s National Team Development Program)

• “Doc” Councilman Science Award: Brad Penny (18U National Team)

• Service Provider of the Year: Aldo Plata (Collegiate National Team)

• Golden Spikes Award: Wehiwa Aloy (University of Arkansas)

Richard W. “Dick” Case Player of the Year Coleman Borthwick played a key role in Team USA’s gold-medal run at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in Okinawa, Japan, earning Tournament MVP and WBSC Baseball Player of the Year honors. Borthwick made two starts on the mound, going 1-0 with a spotless 0.00 ERA in 10 innings pitched, while also batting .300 with six runs scored and five RBIs in 30 at-bats. The Florida native posted a .417 on-base percentage and finished the tournament with nine hits, giving him the third-most of any player. After collecting four hits through the first four games of the tournament, Borthwick got his first start on the mound in the pool play finale against Australia, where he fired three perfect frames with six strikeouts in an 11-1 U.S. victory. He then had a three-hit game in a crucial Super Round win over Korea to help get Team USA to the gold medal game, following that with a two-hit effort in a Super Round finale win over Puerto Rico. Borthwick saved his best for last, firing a complete game shutout in the title game against Japan, which gave the United States its 11th world title and earned him International Performance of the Year honors.

After leading the 18U National Team to a world championship at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup, Rick Eckstein was named Rod Dedeaux Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year. Eckstein, who was appearing on a national team staff for the eighth time in 2025, guided the stars and stripes to an 8-1 record en route to the program’s 11th world title. The United States led the tournament in nearly every offensive statistical category under Eckstein–who has spent eight seasons as a big-league hitting coach–including total bases (85), hits (73), runs (55), and on-base percentage (.438). The U.S. struck out a tournament-fewest 40 times in nine games and outscored opponents 55-10 in the tournament. Eckstein coached Richard W. “Dick” Case Award winner Coleman Borthwick to a Tournament MVP and helped place four players on the All-World Team. Eckstein, who was also named 2025 WBSC Coach of the Year, joins Scott Brosius and Davey Johnson as the only three coaches to win consecutive Rod Dedeaux Coach of the Year honors. The 2023 Coach Educator of the Year also coached at the Women’s National Team Development Program in October, serving as the hitting coordinator.

Coleman Borthwick took the mound amidst a crowd of 16,693 fans in the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup title game against host Japan and tossed a complete game shutout, securing a gold medal and USA Baseball’s International Performance of the Year. Making his second start of the tournament, Borthwick was dominant from the first pitch at Okinawa Cellular Stadium. He struck out three batters in the first two frames, working around a pair of singles, before coaxing a crucial 6-3 double play in the third to keep the contest scoreless. The U.S. grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth and it was all Borthwick needed, as the 6-foot-6 right-hander breezed through the following three innings to get to the seventh and final frame. With a two-run lead in hand, Borthwick induced a fly out, a pop out, and another fly out to right field to put the finishing touches on his epic performance. Borthwick’s final line of seven innings, three hits, zero runs, and six strikeouts cemented his Tournament MVP campaign.

The 12U National Team is USA Baseball’s Team of the Year after winning the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup in Taiwan to capture the program’s third consecutive World Cup title. Featuring 18 athletes from 11 states, the star-studded roster posted an 8-1 tournament record en route to claiming the program’s sixth world championship and ninth gold medal. Following a strong 3-0 start, the 12U National Team suffered a hard-fought loss to Korea–the team’s only defeat of the tournament. From that point forward, Team USA rattled off five straight wins, including an electric, come-from-behind win against tournament-host Chinese Taipei, in which the U.S. scored five unanswered runs capped by Christopher Chikodroff’s walk-off hit in the sixth inning to keep the team’s gold medal hopes alive. The stars and stripes concluded the tournament in fashion after defeating Japan on back-to-back occasions; first by tossing an 8-0 shutout to secure a berth in the championship, followed by a 7-1 victory in the title game. Over the nine-game stretch, the red, white, and blue outscored opponents by a 77-19 margin and led all nations in numerous statistical categories including batting average (.381), hits (86), and RBIs (71). In addition, the pitching staff owned a tournament-best 1.62 ERA, tallied 62 strikeouts, and held opposing batters to a mere .145 batting average. This year marks the third time the 12U National Team has won Team of the Year, as the program earned the achievement in 2022 and 2023.

15U National Team Manager Casey Scott was named Developmental Coach of the Year to conclude an already remarkable year for the first-time USA Baseball national team manager. Scott is bestowed the prestigious award recognizing a coach’s profound dedication to preparing players for the next level of baseball and their future. This past September, Scott spearheaded the squad’s gold-medal run in the WBSC U-15 Pan American Championship – Central and North America held in Mexico, and qualified next year’s cohort for the 2026 WBSC U-15 World Cup. The stars and stripes outscored opponents 42-6 en route to going 4-0, posted a tournament-best .408 batting average, and owned a 1.35 ERA as a staff while allowing only 12 hits in 26 innings of work. Scott oversaw star outfielder Jason Marll Jr., who earned Tournament MVP distinctions while three Team USA athletes were named to the All-Tournament Team. Scott’s dedication to player development is seen in his service in four past 15U National Team Training Camps and three previous coaching appearances in USA Baseball development programs. This year marks the fifth time a 15U National Team coach has won Developmental Coach of the Year and third time since 2022.

Rick Delia was named USA Baseball’s Volunteer Coach of the Year for his significant contributions as a volunteer coach with the Miracle League of the Triangle. Since 2015, “Coach Rick” has served as a volunteer coach on a weekly basis for the Miracle League of the Triangle, pitching during games and coaching players in every facet of baseball. Delia coaches the Senior Advanced Player Academy (APA), which offers athletes an opportunity to advance their game skills and play competitive games. The Miracle League of the Triangle, whose mission is to create positive life experiences for individuals with special needs and rewarding volunteer experiences through baseball, began in 2006 and has more than 600 players with nearly 200 coaches in the Triangle area. Overall, Miracle League features over 350 leagues across the country and serves 450,000 children and adults.

Longtime USA Baseball coach Kirk Champion was named Coach Educator of the Year after serving as an evaluator at this year’s MLB Draft Combine and All-American Women’s Baseball Classic (AAWBC) powered by USA Baseball, and a pitching coordinator at the 18U National Team Training Camp and Women’s National Team Development Program (WNTDP). Champion crossed paths with more than 500 players this year during his involvement with USA Baseball programming and the Draft Combine. He was able to use his expertise, which consists of nearly 30 years in the White Sox organization and as a coach for six different Professional National Teams, to provide unique on- and off-field instruction to those players in addition to his fellow coaches. With the 18U National Team Training Camp, Champion played an integral role in helping to determine the final 20-man roster that won a gold medal at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup. Additionally, with the AAWBC and WNTDP, he aided in the development of many of the top women’s baseball players and provided in-depth scouting reports to USA Baseball staff as the Women’s National Team prepares for its WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup Group Stage run in 2026.

Four-time 18U National Team pitching coach Brad Penny was named the recipient of the 2025 “Doc” Counsilman Science Award after using scientific techniques and equipment as an integral part of his coaching methods in helping lead Team USA to a gold medal at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup. Utilizing data provided by PDP Performance Assessments and Rapsodo, Penny led the pitching staff to record-breaking numbers at the World Cup. The stars and stripes allowed just 25 hits, the fewest in 18U National Team history, and only two of them were for extra bases. The starting pitchers tossed 47.0 innings and allowed just one earned run, giving them a 0.14 ERA, while the team’s 0.57 overall ERA was the second lowest in program history. The United States posted six shutouts in nine games at the World Cup under Penny’s watch, tying the 2017 team for the most shutouts in a single tournament. In four stints with Penny as the pitching coach for Team USA, the pitching staff owns a 29-2 record with a 1.33 ERA and 293 strikeouts in 231 innings pitched.

Aldo Plata, the Service Provider of the Year, served as the certified athletic trainer for the 2025 Collegiate National Team when it competed in the 45th USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Series this summer. Plata spent 18 days with the program, starting in Cary, North Carolina, for Training Camp, and ending in Tokyo for the final game of the series after making stops in Sapporo and Niigata as part of the team’s international trip to Japan. This year’s roster comprised 14 pitchers and 12 position players, and Plata played a vital role in ensuring all 26 players were ready to compete physically each day. This 2025 stint was Plata’s fourth time serving as a certified athletic trainer for a USA Baseball national team, as he previously worked with the 2011 and 2018 18U National Teams and the 2023 15U National Team. Plata is currently an Assistant Athletic Trainer at Duke University, a position he has held since 2013, and primarily works with its baseball team.

Arkansas’ Wehiwa Aloy was named the 47th winner of the Golden Spikes Award earlier this year. Created in 1978, the Golden Spikes Award honors the top amateur baseball player in the United States based on their athletic ability, sportsmanship, character, and overall contribution to the sport. He became the third winner from the Razorback program to win the award behind Andrew Benintendi (2015) and Kevin Kopps (2021), and was the 12th winner from the Southeastern Conference (SEC), which is the most of any conference in the nation. The reigning SEC Player of the Year, Aloy was one of college baseball’s most electrifying all-around players in 2025 and turned in one of the best offensive campaigns in Razorback history. He led the team in nearly every major category, including slugging percentage (.673), on-base plus slugging (1.107), hits (93), runs scored (81), doubles (19), home runs (21), extra-base hits (42), multi-hit games (30), and total bases (179). He also finished second on the team in batting average (.350), RBIs (68), and multi-RBI games (18). Aloy’s numbers in total bases (third), home runs (fourth), runs scored (fourth), extra-base hits (fifth), and hits (sixth) all rank among the top 10 in the program’s single season record book. Defensively, he dazzled with just five errors in 229 total chances (.978 fielding percentage) while helping turn 31 double plays. Aloy was taken 31st overall in the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft by the Baltimore Orioles, becoming the 40th Golden Spikes Award winner to be selected in the first round of the MLB Draft.