Shawn Shipton III might only be 10 years old, but the Bear Creek School rising fifth-grader has already made an impression internationally. He is one of just 22 baseball players in his age group across the country to be chosen to represent the United States at the Latin American Baseball Conference (LABC) happening in the Dominican Republic July 31 through Aug. 6.

"I'm excited to go, but I'm nervous," Shawn said. "I've never been on an island before." In fact, Shawn, who lives with his grandparents Shawn Shipton Sr. and Patty Shipton of Elizabethtown, has never been on a plane or left the country.

He's confident in his baseball skills, however. He's been playing the sport since he was 7 years old, and he currently plays for both the Elizabethtown Boys Club and the Keystone State Bombers in Manheim.

"Ten thousand kids tried out across the country for ages 10 to 17, and they took roughly 12 kids to a team," explained Shawn Sr., adding that his grandson will be playing on one of two U10 teams.

The younger Shawn tried out in February at Keystone's Manheim facility, and he did well, although he gave his grandparents a surprise.

"We expected Shawn to catch, because he is both a catcher and a pitcher," Shawn Sr. recalled. "We were expecting him to come out in his catcher's equipment with the other players, but we didn't see him."

Instead, Shawn III lined up with the pitchers.

"I wanted to show them my arm, and I wanted to show them that I'm a good pitcher," he said simply.

At one point, one of the coaches spoke to Shawn III, who then threw a few pitches while the instructor took notes.

"I asked him later what that was about and Shawn said, 'He told me to throw it high and inside, so I threw it high and inside,'" Shawn Sr. recalled. " 'He told me to throw a curveball, so I threw a curveball.'"

"And I hit the spot," Shawn III said with a smile.

Players found out at the tryout if they made the next round of the competition.

"I was thinking, 'Please call my name,'" the pitcher shared. He heard his name, and he moved on to the next step, a two-hour Zoom interview with Jim Parque, a former White Sox pitcher.

A few days after the call, the Shiptons received an email.

"I was on the PlayStation, and Grammy called me out to her and I thought, 'Oh, I must be in trouble,'" Shawn III remembered with a laugh. He wasn't in trouble; he had made the LABC team.

Shawn III will compete as a pitcher on a team against other players from Caribbean entities such as the Virgin Islands and Curacao, as well as the United States and Canada. Team composition will be determined by on-site scrimmages, and the tournament will ultimately crown a gold medal winner.

The Shiptons are excited to travel with their grandson to the Dominican Republic, although Patty admits it's nerve-wracking to watch Shawn play.

"These two get nervous when I'm pitching," the younger Shawn said. "I try to feel cool. I know I have other fielders behind me. I remind myself, 'Let the batter hit it and let the fielders do their job.'"

Although he's only in elementary school, Shawn said he hopes to pursue baseball as a professional career, noting that he got his first baseball glove when he was 3 years old. His favorite Major League team is the Yankees, and his favorite player is Aaron Judge.

"I'm going to do my best in the Dominican Republic," Shawn said. "I'm ready."