Impact’s Gunlock Competes in USA Baseball National Team Identification Series 16U Champion’s Cup in North Carolina

 Dillon Gunlock plays the game of baseball with a fearless brand of unbridled energy and passion. 

 So, it was no big surprise to the Missoula Impact Baseball Club’s rifle-armed catcher when the letter from USA Baseball showed up in the mailbox last summer informing him that he’d been chosen to be on the roster of one of the two USA Baseball National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Northwest Region 16U teams. The unheralded sophomore, playing for a first-year club team in a state with no high school baseball, had been selected as one of 30 kids from player identification events across six states in the Northwest. Another day of hard work, that’s all.

 The selection to the Northwest Stripes team provided Gunlock an opportunity to play in USA Baseball’s 16U Champion’s Cup last August in North Carolina. The NTIS is the most comprehensive player identification program offered by USA Baseball and provides athletes from across the United States an opportunity to compete for a spot on the USA Baseball national team. Gunlock was selected from a pool of over 500 players that participated in USA Baseball’s 14 player identification events in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and northern California last summer. 

 Gunlock’s team was coached by Elliott Cribby, University of Washington, Associate Head Coach in 2022 and now an Assistant Coach at the University of Pacific. Cribby is a highly regarded collegiate pitching coach and recruiter, noted for playing an instrumental role in bringing four Top 25 recruiting classes to Washington during his tenure with the Huskies. Prior to Washington, Cribby coached at Purdue, Seattle University, and Abilene Christian. 

 The five-day event took place at the magnificent USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. The event featured 12 teams per age group and included workouts and a championship-style tournament. Gunlock and his teammates were evaluated by national team coaches and scouts. The first day included an introduction on the field and time together with players and coaches, then the next four days were a mix of skills testing, baseball instruction, batting practice, and games.

 “It was an incredible experience,” said Gunlock. “It was great to meet the coaches and other players from all over the country. I was nervous at first but learned so much over the five days about what it means to play baseball at such a high level.”

 Gunlock started one game at catcher and another at third base, and subbed in as a catcher in two other games. The wiry-framed 5’8”, 155-pound catcher impressed the coaches with his strong arm, good speed, and athleticism. Gunlock reported that the coaches did an outstanding job of instruction and giving advice while also letting the kids play.

 The camaraderie of the players was a highlight of the week, Gunlock explained. His teammates were all very social and got along extremely well together. The players enjoyed meals together and spent time getting to know what playing baseball was like in different parts of the country. Gunlock noted that his teammates were flabbergasted that Montana did not offer high school baseball!

 The event was incredible from a learning and baseball player development standpoint, said Gunlock: “I saw what it means to play high school baseball at the highest level. It was the pitching velocity that struck me the most, but there were so many little things these kids did that I picked up on and will be trying this next season. Some guys had impressive power and most of them had great swings, but I also noticed that so many of these guys were also great opposite field hitters.”

 Gunlock capped his take-home with an impressive bit of intelligence for a 16-year-old: “The kids came off the field and really understood what they were doing. They understood the game in a way that it was like they were their own coaches. I also really picked up on the professional way they went about their routines – warmups, taking swings, pregame rituals – all in a very calm and relaxed manner.”

 Count on much of Gunlock’s insight from this amazing baseball experience carrying over to a very productive season for Missoula Impact. In fact, there’s a high likelihood that what the fiery catcher learned in North Carolina will be shared regularly in the dugout and will positively influence his 15 Impact teammates!

Impact Manager Michael Hutcherson expects nothing less from Gunlock this season: “Your catcher should be the toughest kid on the team and there’s no doubt that Dillon is our toughest player. Yet he’s very humble and a great teammate. Dillon’s experience with USA Baseball will show the other kids what’s possible.”