One of the most recognisable faces in Austrailian baseball
hung up the cleats at the end of the 2015 ABL season, but for former MLB-er and
Australian star Trent Oeltjen, the temptation of representing Australia for the
third time at a World Baseball Classic was simply too great.
Oeltjen’s first foray back into top-level baseball was
Australia’s 2016 Honkbalweek campaign, where Oeltjen was one of the team’s top
hitters, as well as taking home the ‘Most Popular Player’ Award at a tournament
where Australia took home a bronze medal.
“Getting back on the field with the guys was fantastic,”
Oeltjen said.
“Honkbalweek was a great way to get back into the swing of
things, and everything since then has been geared to get back to the World
Baseball Classic. It’s great to be back in the national team setup.”
Between running a successful coaching business with fellow
Team Australia star and best mate Ryan Rowland-Smith, Oeltjen has been
preparing for the Classic under the watchful eye of one of the best hitters
Australia has ever produced, David Nilsson. Oeltjen has been an impactful
player on a Brisbane Bandits team lead by Nilsson that has won 13 out of 19
games with Oeltjen in the lineup.
Speaking about his storied career and the upcoming Classic,
Oeltjen reflected on his Olympic career, and the balance of youth and
experience on the 2017 roster.
“The two things I’ve always wanted to do is win an Olympic
medal and make the big leagues, and I’ve been lucky enough to do both,” Oeltjen
said.
“Putting the green and gold on is always an amazing feeling,
we’ve got a lot of MLB experience on this roster, and with some of the best
young talent we’ve had in a long time, the balance is great and I’m excited to
see what we can do.”
Oeltjen knows that at a World Baseball Classic there are no
easy games, but anything can happen in tournament play.
“Any pool at a World Baseball Classic is tough, but you
never know what can happen in tournament play,” Oeltjen said.
“Everyone is confident and looking forward to the challenge
of taking on the best in the world.”