North Carolina Programs Represent at 2025 National High School Invitational

Each year, USA Baseball hosts the prestigious National High School Invitational (NHSI) at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, NC. The event features a tournament-style competition among some of the top high school baseball programs in the nation, with teams vying for the coveted NHSI championship.

This year, two programs from North Carolina earned the honor of representing the state: Holly Springs High School and Wesleyan Christian Academy. Wesleyan Christian returns to the NHSI for the second consecutive year, while Holly Springs is making its debut appearance at the event.

Both teams dropped their opening-round games on Wednesday and moved into the consolation bracket—though the level of competition remained elite. Holly Springs matched up with Granada High School (CA), a program loaded with Power 5-caliber hitters, while Wesleyan Christian took on The Stony Brook School (NY), a talented and athletic group.

Below is a look at Holly Springs’ contest and player highlights from the scout blog:

---

Granada (CA) 1, Holly Springs (NC) 0

National High School Invitational – Consolation Bracket

A classic pitcher’s duel unfolded on Field 4 as Holly Springs' Anthony Zezza turned in a stellar performance on the mound. The right-hander tossed 6.0 innings, allowing 5 hits, 1 earned run, and 1 walk, while striking out 5. Zezza matched Granada’s pair of arms pitch-for-pitch throughout the contest.

Offensively, Holly Springs struggled to generate scoring opportunities against a dominant Granada pitching staff that struck out 13 batters. Liam McNierney was a bright spot, collecting two of the Hawks’ four hits, including a double in his second at-bat.

Both teams played clean, error-free baseball, with strong defense complementing the impressive pitching. While Granada recorded a high strikeout total, the Hawks' defense accounted for 13 outs across their six defensive innings.

---

Stony Brook (NY) 12, Wesleyan Christian (NC) 1 (F/6)

National High School Invitational – Consolation Bracket

In a challenging matchup at the 2025 National High School Invitational, Wesleyan Christian Academy squared off against a talented and balanced squad from The Stony Brook School (NY). The Trojans turned to ace right-hander Sam Cozart in hopes of slowing down the Bears’ potent offense.

Cozart delivered a clean first inning, but Stony Brook’s offense found its rhythm in the second and began to square up the baseball consistently. The Bears plated seven earned runs over Cozart’s four innings of work, then continued the offensive onslaught with three runs in the fifth and four more in the sixth to close the game out via run rule.

On the offensive side, Wesleyan struggled to get anything going against Stony Brook’s starter, who went the distance, allowing just four hits, one walk, and striking out five. The Trojans’ best scoring opportunity came in the second inning when Blake Goff roped a triple to right-center, but the offense couldn’t capitalize beyond that threat.

---

Scout Blog

Anthony Zezza, LHP, Holly Springs HS, 2026

Lean, athletic frame on the lefty. Strong lower half. Showed an advanced ability to pitch and control the game. Working from the stretch, it is a repeatable delivery, working level and on-line with a stable head. Medium to long arm swing. Elbow lead in the back as the elbow works above the shoulder line to a high-¾ slot. Solid arm speed and direction. Fastball played