Duncan Mount is you’re typical 11-year-old boy. He likes playing with his brother, he likes playing sports, and he likes playing video games.
But when it comes to the game of baseball, the soon-to-be sixth grade student at Cherokee Middle School in Kingston is anything but average. He’s far above average, words like phenomenal might best desribe Mount’s ability on the baseball diamond.
That ability is paying off in a big was as Mount was recently selected as one of 18 baseball players to represent the United States in 2025 WBSC U-12 World Cup in Taiwan.
Mount’s journey to Taiwan actually begins later this week as he flies to Los Angeles for four days of training camp from July 18-21. From there, it will be onto Taiwan where Team USA opens play against Panama on Friday, July 25 at 2:30 am local time.
“It’s pretty exciting to go to all these places and represent my country against all these other teams,” Mount said.. “You get to play in this big, packed out dome. It’s gonna be fun.”
Mount’s road to Team USA began last year.
“I went to the Futures Tornament first and my team won,” Mount said. “I did well in that and was selected to do a private workout, which was mostly drills to see what you already knew.
“I then got selected to go to training camp in September, which was a week-long. I did well. I pitched well and I hit it pretty good.”
While competing against the best the United States has to offer, Mount wasn’t surprised he made the 18-player roster than features players from Washington and California to Florida and New Jersey.
“I was expecting it because pitching is my stong suit and I pitched pretty good,” he said. “I didn’t give up any hits or walks; nobody got on. I was very happy with myself that week, especially in front of all those big coaches.”
Being good in sports comes as no surpise to those who know Duncan’s parents.
His father, Jonathan, was a member of two state championship golf teams and Kingston and played in college for the University of Tennessee.
Duncan’s mother, Laura, was a Miss Basketball finalist during her career at Oliver Springs before being a four-year starter at Chattanooga, and even having a tryout in the WNBA.
“Both my parents were really competitive,” Duncan said. “They don’t like to lose and that’s passed down to me, I don’t like to lose.”
Jonathan and Laura agree that watching their son play is tough, no matter how good he is.
“I don’t know what it is, but it’s completely different than you being out there doing it yourself,” Laura said. “I have all the confidence in the world in him, but sitting in the stands is way more difficult.”
“When you’re growing up playing, you don’t have kids and don’t what that love for your kid means,” jonathan added. “Wanting that success for them is nervewracking, but we’ve put in the work and the hours, and usually that will prevail at the end of the day.”
And while Duncan knows he’s good, he said it can slip away quickly if he doesn’t continue to work hard.
“You can’t get a big head,” he said. “You got to keep pushing; keep your head down and keep grinding. You can’t be cocky about it; you’ve got to keep grinding.”
Duncan spends much of his time playing baseball, but baseball is not his whole life. He enjoys time with his family and playing other games as well.
“I like to get out in the yard and play with my little brother, I made the varsity basketball team for Cherokee so I’m looking forward to that, and I like to play video games,” he said.
But from now until the 2025 WBSC U-12 World Cup in Taiwan ends on August 3, his focus is baseball and a third straight U-12 world title for Team USA.
“Those guys are as good as you are,” he said of the competition. “It’s going to be hard. We’ve got to pitch and hit well, be aggressive on the basepaths. You got to steal, you got to bunt; you got to do whatever it takes to win.
“But it’s going to be really fum, especially when I’m out there with my buds playing. When you’re winning and playing a good game, it’s fun. It’s not fun when you make outs, but that’s going to happen, especially the level I’m on, but it’s a good time.”