Matt Shaw’s first full season of professional baseball had already been a rousing success. The Brimfield native and former Worcester Academy star was quickly rising through the Chicago Cubs system, and by season’s end the 2023 first-round pick had already reached Triple-A and cemented his status as a top-25 prospect in the sport.

Shaw’s performance turned heads around the game, and late in the season the 23-year-old infielder received an amazing offer.

How would he like to play for USA Baseball in the WBSC Premier12 Tournament?

“Hearing about the opportunity to play for the United States was unbelievable,” Shaw said. “So I made a quick phone call to my fiancé, we talked about it and I got back to them very quickly that I was 100% in and ready to rock and roll.”

Held every four years, the Premier12 features the world’s 12 highest ranked national teams and is regarded as the top international tournament outside of the World Baseball Classic and the Olympics. Shaw is among the 28 players selected to Team USA’s roster, which is comprised of the best American players who are not currently on an MLB club’s 40-man roster.

Shaw isn’t the only local leading Team USA. The American roster also includes Rich Hill, the Milton native and 20-year-MLB veteran, along with Millbury’s Ryan Ward and ex-Central Catholic standout Cam Devanney, who originally hails from Amherst, N.H.

“It’s been awesome,” said Devanney, a 27-year-old infielder who plays for the Kansas City Royals’ Triple-A affiliate. “I think most baseball players look at it as one of those bucket list opportunities, and wearing USA across my chest has been really cool.”

Last week Team USA became one of four teams to advance out of group play to the Super Round, which will be held in the coming days at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. The team played five games in Mexico, going 3-2 to finish as runner-up in Group A, and Saturday the team traveled to Tokyo, where it has spent the past few days practicing and adjusting to the time difference in advance of their first Super Round game against Japan Thursday.

The locals played a huge role in helping the team advance. Shaw was Team USA’s most productive hitter, going 11 for 19 (.579) with two home runs, 12 RBI and a 1.662 OPS in five games, and Ward led the team with four home runs, including two in the team’s 12-2 win over Mexico to clinch a trip to Tokyo.

“He’s been crushing it,” Shaw said of Ward, a former Bryant University standout who is now an outfielder and first baseman with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Triple-A club.

Team USA’s most accomplished player by far, however, is Hill, who at 44 is more than two decades older than many of his USA teammates. Hill did not allow an earned run over 6.1 innings in two group play outings, and he’s also been an invaluable clubhouse asset for a group that largely grew up watching him pitch.

“Oh it’s been so cool, he’s such a great guy and it’s just crazy seeing him still doing this. I’m by no means the youngest guy here and he’s still got 15-16 years on me,” Devanney said. “It’s crazy to think just how long he’s been doing this and the fact that he’s still driven to do an event like this is really cool.”

“He’s a huge presence for our team, just his focus and intensity when he’s pitching but also just a great teammate,” Shaw said. “Growing up I obviously watched him play with the Red Sox plenty of times, and now we get to play together and starting to build a friendship, which is really awesome.”

Given that New England isn’t generally considered a hotbed of baseball talent, the fact that Team USA has such a strong northeast flavor has become a point of pride. Devanney said he was shocked when he realized how many of his teammates hailed from New England, and that it’s been great to see the contingent contribute so much early on.

“It’s usually pretty rare, so it’s cool that a lot of northeast guys are compiling what are considered the best non-40-man guys they can find in the U.S.,” Devanney said. “Wardo and Shaw have been awesome for us this tournament. They’re not just on the team, they’re some of our best players, so it’s been very cool being with guys from the northeast.”

Team USA’s first Super Round game against Japan will begin Thursday at 5 a.m. ET, which is a 7 p.m. start in Tokyo. The team will also play games against Venezuela and Chinese Taipei, and the top two finishers in the round robin will advance to the championship, with the third- and fourth-place teams vying for a bronze medal.