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U18 WORLD CUP ROSTER ANNOUNCED

Baseball Victoria
24 August 2015

Baseball Australia are pleased to announce the final 20-man roster for the Under 18 team that will participate in the upcoming World Baseball Softball Confederation U18 Baseball World Cup in Osaka, Japan 28 August to 5 September. 

The roster was selected from a group of players participating in the MLB Australian Academy Program in Surfers Paradise, Queensland. Team manager Steve Fish described the players as "scrappy," praising them as the kind of baseballers who execute the fundamentals of baseball - namely pitching and defence - and get the job done every time they step onto the field.

"We've been able to do all the little things right so far," Fish said. "They battle and battle and scrap and scrap and come away with a win. As long as we continue to execute the little things, we have the ability to outlast against anyone in the world."

Australia has executed the little things very well so far in their eight-game WBSC sanctioned friendly series against Canada. The series, intended to be a pre-Baseball World Cup warmup for both sides, began 17 August and concludes this afternoon. Australia leads Canada 7-0, and those seven wins ranged from a 13-1 blowout win in Game 2 to comeback walk-off wins in Games 3 and 7. Most recently, the Aussie side swept a doubleheader yesterday, beating Canada 6-0 in the first game and coming away with a 3-2 walk-off win in the second game.

At the plate, Australian hitters sit atop the series leaderboards in most offensive categories. Outfielder James McCallum (NSW) is hitting .400 with six RBIs in seven games, while infielder Dean Frew (NSW) leads the pack with 10 RBIs. Western Australian Tristan King is tied for the lead with two home runs, one of which was a walk-off shot in Game 3.

On the mound, NSW's Alex Wells has dominated the Canadian hitters, striking out 19 batters in his 10 innings pitched in the series so far and holding opposing hitters to a .125 batting average. In his most recent start on Sunday, Wells wowed by striking out 10 batters in five innings, including five in a row sent down looking.

"I don't think I've ever seen anyone in my entire baseball career strike out five batters in a row looking," Fish said. 

Wells' twin brother Lachlan, a fellow pitcher currently playing professionally in the USA with the Minnesota Twins organisation, will also join the team in Osaka, adding another experienced arm to Australia's arsenal.

In addition to giving the team a pre-World Cup tune up on the field, the series against Canada also gave the players the chance to bond off the field.

"I'm extremely proud of how they've come together," Fish said. "They're like a band of brothers now."

The series against Canada wraps up this afternoon, and Australia will play its first World Cup game on Friday, 28 August at 10:00am AEST against Mexico. Follow the series and the World Cup here.

Last Name

First Name

Position

Bat/Throw

State

Barrett

Max

Pitcher

R/R

VIC

Callil

George

Infield

R/R

VIC

Deeble

Jye

Pitcher

R/L

QLD

Enciondo

Jack

Pitcher

R/R

VIC

Frew

Dean

Infield

R/R

NSW

Hendrickson

Joshua

Pitcher

L/L

WA

Holding

Mitch

Catcher

R/R

VIC

Kift

Ryan

Outfield

R/R

WA

King

Tristan

Catcher

R/R

WA

MacDonald

Lachlan

Pitcher

R/R

QLD

McCallum

James

Outfield

L/L

NSW

Neunborn

Mitchell

2/Way

R/R

WA

Percival

James

Outfield

R/R

NSW

Rawlinson

Joshua

2/Way

R/R

WA

Steedman

Rhys

Pitcher

R/R

WA

Tsui

Ben

Outfield

R/R

NSW

Vankan

Nate

Outfield

L/R

QLD

Wells

Alexander

Pitcher

R/L

NSW

Wells

Lachlan

Pitcher

L/L

NSW

Williams

Jess

2/Way

L/R

WA

 

Last Name

First Name

Position

State

Fish

Steve

Manager

WA

Lloyd

Graeme

Pitching Coach

WA

Shanahan

Damian

Assistant Coach

VIC

Williams

Glenn

Assistant Coach

NSW

Onofrio

Ben

Physio

SA

Barrowcliff

Neil

EO

NSW

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