Baseball Australia has today announced the players and coaching staff that will represent Australia at the upcoming U18 Baseball World Cup in Thunder Bay, Canada.
Baseball Australia’s Head of High Performance Glenn Williams said the coaching staff were challenged during the selection process.
"This has been one of the most difficult teams to select in recent memory, which is a credit to the hard work that the players and state based staff have put in leading into the MLBAAP,” Williams said.
“We have been fortunate to have had ample opportunities to see players throughout a variety of programs to gather the information needed to finalise this team.”
“We feel we have a very versatile club which will have the advantage of playing eight quality lead up games in Canada prior to the World Cup. I’m excited to see how they fare throughout the entirety of the program and have no doubt they will give it everything they have.”
Long-time Team Australia coaching members Steve Fish, Graeme Lloyd and Damian Shanahan will this year be joined with two men coaching an Australian team for the first time.
David Kandilas has been a long-time member of the Australian Men’s National team, including two appearances at the World Baseball Classic. More recently, Kandilas was a member of the 2017 MLB Australian Academy Program coaching staff, as well as beginning a Player/Game Development role for the ACT Baseball Association.
Tyler Anderson is a former Perth Heat representative that has had international experience at the 2011 Asia Series. Anderson has also spent time playing in the college system in the US, and is currently an Assistant Coach at St. Louis University, in Missouri. Anderson has been involved in a mentorship role for Australian athletes looking to play College baseball in the USA.
Australia’s performances in Thunder Bay have been excellent, with a silver medal at the 2010 World Junior Baseball Championship, which included a memorable 2-1 win over Cuba in the Semi-Final.
Team Australia - U18 World Cup
Jake Amos – NSW
Nic Anderson-Vine – NSW
Jordan Barnett – VIC
Josh Bedggood – QLD
Jackson Boyd - VIC
Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis – ACT
Jarryd Dale – VIC
Mitchell Edwards – ACT
Dermot Fritsch – QLD
Jake Green – ACT
Alex Hall – WA
Ky Hampton – SA
Liam Holm - NSW
Duane Johannsen – QLD
Jack O’Loughlin – SA
Lochlan Southee – WA
Jess Williams – WA
Rixon Wingrove – NSW
Jett Wright – WA
Jamie Young – VIC
Coaching and Support Staff
Steve Fish – Manager
Graeme Lloyd – Pitching Coach
Damian Shanahan – Assistant Coach
David Kandilas – Assistant Coach
Tyler Anderson – Assistant Coach
Greg Castle - Physiotherapist
Neil Barrowcliff – Executive Officer
Team Australia - U18 World Cup
Jake Amos – NSW
Nic Anderson-Vine – NSW
Jordan Barnett – VIC
Josh Bedggood – QLD
Jackson Boyd - VIC
Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis – ACT
Jarryd Dale – VIC
Mitchell Edwards – ACT
Dermot Fritsch – QLD
Jake Green – ACT
Alex Hall – WA
Ky Hampton – SA
Liam Holm - NSW
Duane Johannsen – QLD
Jack O’Loughlin – SA
Lochlan Southee – WA
Jess Williams – WA
Rixon Wingrove – NSW
Jett Wright – WA
Jamie Young – VIC
Coaching and Support Staff
Steve Fish – Manager
Graeme Lloyd – Pitching Coach
Damian Shanahan – Assistant Coach
David Kandilas – Assistant Coach
Tyler Anderson – Assistant Coach
Greg Castle - Physiotherapist
Neil Barrowcliff – Executive Officer
To stay up-to-date with the Australian U18 World Cup team’s progress, stay tuned to the Team Australia Baseball Facebook page, as well as baseball.com.au.