Top Tier Taiwan is set to debut this weekend at the Prep Baseball Kansas City World Series at the 16u age division.

The group from Taiwan is set to compete in its first-ever international competition with four pool play games, beginning Thursday at 10 a.m. CST against the Mid-MO Gamers.

"We are very pleased to represent Top Tier in this event," said Feng-Yue Chen, team manager. "I believe the players are well-prepared for the competition. Upholding the honor and reputation of Top Tier, we are ready to challenge for the championship."

Todd Fine, CEO and President, is no stranger to the international stage, being a long-time staffer of USA Baseball. In 2015, Fine helped lead the 12U National Team to a gold medal in Taiwan.

“Since then, it’s been a vision of mine to combine the talents and tradition of Top Tier Baseball and Taiwanese baseball together,” said Fine. “To finally see Top Tier Taiwan take the field will be an immense honor for us at Top Tier and a great opportunity for the boys from Taitung City.”

The roster, mostly comprised of players from Taitung City, will double as Team Taiwan in the Babe Ruth World Series in Branson, MO. after the PBKC World Series. When Top Tier Taiwan steps onto the field this Thursday, it will mark the first time in travel baseball history that an organization has compiled a team of international players.

For most of the roster, this will be the first time traveling to the United States, and the first time these players will compete at a baseball complex, as such things aren't common in Taiwan.

"Our players, for the most part, are visiting the United States for the first time, and for some, this is their first time traveling abroad," said Chen. "This competition is very important to them. Firstly, it marks their debut in a competition in the United States. Secondly, they hope to gain attention from international scouts or college scouts through this event. Lastly, we hope this competition will raise awareness and encourage more participation from Taiwan."

With two tournaments and a scout day hosted by Prep Baseball, Team Taiwan has a busy schedule from the moment they land in the States. Chen is aware of some of the hurdles the team faces once landing.

"Coming to the United States requires adapting to both the environment and the time difference," said Chen. "We have guided the players on how to adjust their training and sleep schedules. We hope they can quickly acclimate during the competition process."

Often overlooked is the behind-the-scenes work to make this possible. Fine makes sure to point out the contributions of Po-I Lee.

“The efforts of Po-I can’t go unrecognized,” said Fine. Po-I, well-known as “Po” will serve as the team administrator throughout Team Taiwan’s trip to the States. He also served as the operations coordinator intern at USA Baseball, which is how he got to know Fine. “Po has been instrumental in making this happen being boots-on-the-ground in Taiwan. We’re excited for him to be part of this monumental moment in our organization’s history.”

SCHEDULE

Thursday, July 25

Top Tier Taiwan vs. Mid-MO Gamers - 10 a.m. CST
Top Tier Taiwan vs. Stix 2026 Black - 12:20 p.m. CST

Friday, July 26

Top Tier Taiwan vs. KC Elite White 16u - 10:20 a.m. CST

Saturday, July 27

Top Tier Taiwan vs. Prime 27:17 Scout 2026 - 3 p.m. CST

ROSTER

Kun-Fang Wang
Yuan-Lin Liao
Jin-Ming Jhuang
Chun-Han Yu
Yen-Ting Lee
Jing-Jhe Huang
Sheng-Yi Li
Yu-Che Tang
Yi-Hsun Lin
Ting-Kai Hsu
Yen-Cheng Chang
Yu-Hao Huang
Chao-Kai Chen
Tzu-Ang Chiu
Cheng-Yu Lin
Ting-En Yen
Pai-Ting Chien

Coaches: Feng-Yue Chen, Jia-Yu Wu