Shae Lillywhite has played at more World Cups than any other Australian.
But this legend of Australian baseball has redemption on her mind as the 2018 edition begins next week.
30 minutes before the end of the 2016 World Cup training camp on the Gold Coast, Lillywhite dove for a ball and injured two discs in her neck.
“I was at my fittest in 2016,” Lillywhite said.
“I still went on the trip and played a different role, I felt like I couldn’t contribute on field.”
Lillywhite went 2-for-6 with two RBI in the 2016 World Cup, where the Australian Emeralds finished 5th.
It took Lillywhite eight months to fully recover from the injury, and on the eve of her eighth World Cup, the 33 year old is optimistic about the Emeralds chances.
“We have the depth and skill to match it with the best in the world, it’s just finding that skill in those key moments.”
“The rookies we have this year don’t feel like rookies, as they’ve all been around the high performance programs for a little while now.
“There are a lot of us that were there in 2016, and we’re committed to a better performance this time around.”
Australia’s 2016 World Cup campaign was highlighted by dominant wins over host nation South Korea and baseball powerhouse the USA, however a super round loss to Venezuela meant a fifth place finish.
Lillywhite’s only two hits of the tournament came in that game against Venezuela, and despite this being her eighth tilt at a World Cup, the fire burns deeper than ever to make 2018 a memorable year in Australian baseball.