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