Mission 18U National

Mission 18u National is a college prep team that will help players become physically and mentally ready to make an impact at the collegiate level. This team is meant for players who have serious aspirations to play in college or are already committed and want to continue to learn and grow. 

This team will compete at a high level in national tournaments. 

Coaches

Head Coach Nikki Caicedo

Coach Nikki brings over 10 years of coaching experience at the club and collegiate levels. An alumni of Macalester College, she currently is an assistant coach there as well. 

Assistant Coach Jody Gabriel

Coach Jody is the current head coach at Macalester College. She brings decades of experience of collegiate coaching, having previously won Coach of the Year for her time at River Falls.

Assistant Coach Katja McKiernan

Coach Katja is an alumni of Macalester College where she was a multi-sport athlete in softball and soccer. She brings over five years of coaching experience, both in softball and other sports as well. 

Recruiting

Our coaches have an extensive coach network that we leverage to help place our athletes at the school that is the best fit for them. 

ALL our graduating seniors who want to play at the next level have committed to playing in college! In the past 4 years, our team has helped over 30 players find their dream home!

Our program name and reputation is growing, making this a great place to be for college recruitment.

Some of our recruiting commitments:

  • We have a 10 part virtual meeting via Zoom to learn all parts of the recruiting process

  • In the fall and summer, there are weekly recruiting hours before or after practice for all uncommitted kids to ask questions, get help with writing emails, gather video clips, etc. 

  • Our coaching staff works hard to leverage our network to help connect players to the right schools.

Some schools that attended our games throughout the past two seasons:

Pitt, Indiana State, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, Alabama, Northwestern, Eastern Tennessee State, UW Green Bay, Miami Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, Southern Illinois, Missouri, Purdue, Memphis, Murray State, Evansville, Rhode Island, Bradley, Loyola Chicago, Western Michigan, Lindenwood, Mankato, St. Cloud, U of Minnesota Duluth, Winona, Minnesota Moorhead, Xavier, Quincy, UW Stout, UW Eau Claire, UW Whitewater, Macalester, St Olaf, St Ben’s, Augsburg, Bethel, Wheaton, Berry, Northwestern St Paul, North Central College, Beloit, UW La Crosse, Monmouth, Aurora, Susquehanna, Davis & Elkins, Wisconsin Lutheran, Fayetteville CC, Southern CC, Newberry, Carleton, St. Mary’s, Buena Vista, Lakeland, Benedictine, Marian, UW Steven’s Point, UW Oshkosh, St Kate’s

Schools Mission players have committed to:

MIT, Drury, St. Cloud State, U of Sioux Falls, SMSU, St Ben’s, Northern State, Concordia - St Paul, UW Superior, UW Stout, Gustavus, Occidental, Berry, Bates, Viterbo, Iowa Lakes CC, St Cloud Tech, Kirkwood CC, Luther, Grinnell, Minnesota State– Moorhead, Ryder, University of Minnesota - Duluth, Brandeis, Augsburg, Walter's State

Schedule

We build our schedule around the tournaments that best match our players’ target schools and our skill level. Our coaching staff is very knowledgeable about which schools tend to attend which tournaments, and sign up accordingly. Our program has earned invitations to some of the biggest showcases around.

That being said, we will do 4-6 of the following tournaments based on team competitiveness and recruiting needs:

Fall

  • Potential Local Tournaments -  (1-3 tourneys, pending team needs)

    • Sept 4 - 6, S&C Labor Day Showcase  

    • Sept 18-20 PG MN Showcase

    • Oct 2-4 Top Tier State

  • Potential Out of State (3-4 pending team needs)

    • Sept 11-13 Triple Crown Super 72, Orland Park, IL

    • Oct 18-20 Easton Invitational, OFallon, IL OR Team 1 Elite Fall Invite 

    • Oct 24-26 LP4U Strike Out Cancer, Peoria, IL

    • Oct 30- Nov 1 Top Gun Invitational

    • Nov 6-8 Alliance Fall Championships

Summer

Pending team needs, we typically have 2-3, out of town tournaments, and 2-3 local tournaments. 

  • Potential Local:

    • Lexi Krestch Invitational 

    • S&C Summer Showcase

    • Top Tier State

  • Out of state:

    • June: Top Gun Maverick or WI Border Battle

    • Mid July: Triple Crown Nationals, St Louis MO. 

    • End July: National Tourney - Alliance Nationals OR Alliance Open Nationals OR PGF Midwest Regional

Past Showcases Attended:

  • Fall:

    • Scenic City –Chatnooga, TN

    • LP4U Strike Out Cancer — Orland Park, IL

    • Team 1 Elite Fall Invite — St Louis, MO

    • S&C Labor Day Showcase

    • PG MN Showcase

    • Alliance Fall Championships — St Louis, MO

  • Summer

    • Team 1 Elite Summer Invite — Kansas City, MO

    • PGF Qualifier— Crown Pointe, IN

    • Badger Summer Showcase— Watertown, WI

    • WI Lightning Border Battle — Beloit, WI

    • LP4U Stars and Stripes — Orland Park, IL

    • Triple Crown Nationals — St Louis, MO

    • PGF Midwest Regionals — Peoria, IL

    • Alliance Open Nationals

Team Needs

  • We anticipate a roster of 13-14 players

  •  Looking for 1-2 national level pitchers, 1 catcher, and 1-2 strong utility players

  • We anticipate 3-4 open spots on the roster