On Friday, May 3, junior Tim Manning was honored by Major League Baseball and USA Baseball for accepting his invitation to participate in the Prospect Development Pipeline League during a ceremony held in the Cardinal Gibbons gymnasium.

Manning, a University of Florida commit, was one of approximately 80 high school athletes invited to participate in the Prospect Development Pipeline League, which is an expansion of the Prospect Development Pipeline program, sponsored by MLB and USA Baseball. During the ceremony, a representative from MLB presented Manning with an official Prospect Development Pipeline League jersey. The Prospect Development Pipeline League is an invitation-only event, which will take place for three weeks between June and July 2019 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

Following his participation in the Prospect Development Pipeline League, Manning will be eligible to compete in an All-Star Week showcase game or be selected to represent the USA Baseball 18U National Team at the U-18 Baseball World Cup, which will be held in Busan, South Korea. 

Manning was thrilled to be considered one of the nation’s top high school players. He said, “It’s an incredible honor to be chosen for this, and I hope I’ll be able to represent my country again, playing the greatest game in the world.”

Varsity head coach Jason Hamilton mirrored Manning’s excitement and expressed how proud he was of Manning’s accomplishments. “It’s not very often that MLB is on our campus, and we are very proud of Tim and excited for this new opportunity for him to compete, and not only represent himself well, but also his team at Cardinal Gibbons,” Hamilton said. 

The left-handed pitcher has been no stranger to success in the amateur baseball scene. In December of 2018, Manning pitched for the United States as a member of the USA Baseball U18 National Team, where he won gold at the COPABE U18 Pan-American Championship held in Chitre, Panama.