Alonso High’s Brandon Johnson said he couldn’t stop smiling for about a week after he heard the news that he was selected for the U.S. 16-under national baseball team trials. Now that the time for the trials has come, Johnson is still having trouble keeping that smile under wraps.

“I’m real excited,” he said. “I’m so happy that they picked me out of all those thousands of players that went to the tournament.”

Johnson and Alonso High teammate Thomas Dorminy leave Saturday for Miami for the weeklong trials, where they will compete along with 34 other players from around the nation for a spot on the 16-under national team. They are the only high school teammates among the 36 players invited to the trials.

Both players were selected following their performances at the USA Baseball 16-under Championships – East in Palm Beach County in June. During the tournament, they competed for the Ravens Baseball club.

The trials, which begin Sunday and will be held at Florida International University, will consist of a series practices and intrasquad scrimmages. Both Johnson, an infielder, and Dorminy, a left-handed pitcher, will compete for the Red team.

The roster will be trimmed to 18 players on Sept. 5. Those selected will then compete at the COPABE ‘AA’ Pan Am Championships, which will be held the following week.

“I’m just going to try my best and hopefully I’ll make it,” Johnson said.

Both players said the possibility of playing international competition is among the most appealing factors associated with this opportunity.

“When I saw the video [of the U.S. Olympic baseball team at the 2000 Sydney Games], it made me realize how much I loved the game,” Dorminy said.