Former NPB All-Star pitcher Yoshitaka Katori to manage Japan at WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup

Former Yomiuri Giants and Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) All-Star pitcher Yoshitaka Katori will manage Samurai Japan at the fifth WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup, scheduled from 16 August to 4 September in Hermosillo, Mexico.

Katori, who managed Japan to their first participation in the U-15 Baseball World Cup in 2010, will return after Japan finished third in the fourth edition in 2018.

Samurai Japan will consider the whole 54,000-player pool in the age bracket. All players registered under the High School Baseball Association, Youth Baseball Federation (both Boys and Young leagues), Pony Baseball Association, and Kyushu Youth Baseball Association will be able to apply through a digital challenge.

Players willing to be part of the U-15 Japanese National Team will have to upload their videos to Samurai Japan website. The digital challenge opened on Friday, 20 May.

Six National Teams have already qualified for the WBSC U-15 Baseball:

Africa (1): No. 26 South Africa
Asia (2): No. 1 Japan, No. 2 Chinese Taipei
Europe (2): No. 14 Czech Republic, No. 22 France
Oceania (1): No. 38 Guam

The five teams from the Americas are to be determined in a qualifier scheduled from 3 to 12 June in the Carabobo State, Venezuela. A wild card will be the 12th participant.