The 14th WBSC Men’s Softball World Championship opens tomorrow

The 14th WBSC Men’s Softball World Championship opens tomorrow
25/06/2015

SASKATOON, SK (Canada) – The fourteenth edition of the men’s flagship softball event will showcase a total of 73 games, 56 in a round-robin format, followed by 7 placement games and 10 playoff games.

SASKATOON, SK (Canada) – The fourteenth edition of the men’s flagship softball event will showcase a total of 73 games, 56 in a round-robin format, followed by 7 placement games and 10 playoff games.

Below is a preview of each team.

ARGENTINA

Argentina, coming off a silver medal at the Pan American Softball Championship and a 4th place in the 2013 worlds, is determined to show local softball fans they are so much better than their 7th place finish the last time they were in Saskatoon. They’ve won the last two under-19 world championships and start this championship off with the Kiwi’s who they beat in Canada last year. Look for veteran Juan Potolicchio to lead them in the circle. They also expect big things from a pair of young players, Huemul Mata Carabajal and Román Godoy Herbel, who also pitch and are excellent hitters.

AUSTRALIA

Saskatoon has special memories for the Aussie Steelers. They will return to the very diamond that saw them claim their maiden World Championship victory in 2009. Co-head coach Laing Harrow has named a number of athletes who are set to take their World Championship debut, eight in total. Harrow has retained seven players from the bronze medal winning 2013 World Championship team, including recently awarded Top Batter at this year’s National Championship, James Todhunter, outfielder Mark Harris and catcher Andrew Havercroft.

The Aussie Steelers boast world class experience with six players returning from the victorious 2009 World Championship in Saskatoon. Andrew Kirkpatrick, Adam Folkard, Nick Shailes, Zenon Winters, Nick Norton and Aaron Cockman will provide leadership and experience to a team that boasts speed, power, versatility and plenty of youthful energy. Spearheading the pitching duties will be the world-class and highly respected combination of Adam Folkard and Andrew Kirkpatrick.

CANADA

Canada brings a deep and talented squad to this championship. They return 13 players from the 2013 championship where they finished 5th.

John Stuart took over from Don Bates in November and has yet to lead this team in a major competition. With the Pan Am Games immediately following the worlds, it will be a challenge to get his team to peak for both events.

Canada has a habit of excelling in pool play but dropping off in the playoff round. In the last two worlds they have won their pool, only to falter in the playoffs including losing both games in 2013. They repeated that performance at the Pan Am qualifiers last fall.

The final key question is, how will Canada’s relatively young pitching staff (comprised of ace Sean Cleary, Andy Skelton, Devon McCullough and the veteran lefty Paul Koert) do against the likes of Ramon Jones, Juan Potolicchio, Adam Folkard and Andrew Kirkpatrick?

Canada has never failed to medal when playing at home. This year they face the most competitive field ever to keep that string going.

CZECH REPUBLIC

Czech Republic are the reigning European Champions and finished 11th at the worlds in 2013. They are led by veteran head coach, Tomáš Kusý, who is also the head coach of the women’s national team. He’s been coaching Czech national teams for 16 years now. Six of his players return to Saskatoon including pitcher Ales Jetmar and catcher David Mertl.

DENMARK

Denmark returns to the championship this year after not qualifying in 2013. The Danish national team has been one of the top European teams for years under head coach Jens Terkelsen. He attended his first World Championship in Saskatoon in 1988 as a player. In 2010 he took over the coaching of the national team where two of his sons, Frederik and Valdemar, are players.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Dominican Republic returns to the World Championship after not qualifying in 2013. They hope to take advantage of their strong baseball tradition in order to take a step forward in the softball world. They finished 5th at the Pan Am qualifiers where they were led by pitcher Arfi Olivo Ramos. At the plate fans can look for great things from Julio Bautista (outfielder) and Sergio La Hoz (infielder).

GREAT BRITAIN

Great Britain is ranked 4th in Europe after securing that placement in the most recent European Championships. The 9th place finishers from the last world championship will feature three solid throwers in James Darby, Richard Haldane and Kyle Linton. They will throw to catcher Kevin Stockford who fans may remember from the last worlds in Saskatoon in 2009.

GUATEMALA

Guatemala will be making their world championship debut. Although strong pitching kept most of their games close, their sole victory at the Pan Am qualifiers came against Cuba who is not here. They will be led by pitcher Jorge Segura and catcher Rafael Frias.

JAPAN

Japan – who has won more medals than any country in the Junior Men’s World Championships – will be fighting to stay up with the elite teams as they were not satisfied with their 6th place finish in the last 2 championships. Japan has always been well known for their excellent defense and team speed. They will have two players returning to Saskatoon – pitcher Kenji Nakamura and infielder Masateru Matsuoka.

MEXICO

Mexico, who has won two world championship medals, returns following a 13th place finish in 2013. They are a bit of an unknown but did battle the highly touted Venezuela in a 1-0 loss in the gold medal game in the Central American and Caribbean Games. Manager Alfredo Lerma will have a squad void of world championship experience but one that will be ready to upset an unsuspecting opponent.

NETHERLANDS

Netherlands earned a bronze medal at the most recent European Championships losing out to Denmark in the semi-final. They bring back 10 players from the 2013 World Championship where they finished 14th. Returning in the circle will be Arjan Baanen, Jeroen Mulder and Jeffry Visser.

NEW ZEALAND

The mighty Black Sox of New Zealand will be returning as defending champions and are looking to claim their seventh world title. A lot has changed since the last worlds as head coach Mark Sorenson has named seven world championship rookies to his 17-man squad, including 16 year old short stop Coles Evans – the youngest ever to make the Black Sox at this level. They will not be too short on experience as Brad Rona and Nathan Nukunuku will be attending their fifth world championship, both of whom have three gold medals.

Sorenson and assistant coach Carl Franklin have opted for three specialist pitchers and will use outfielders Thomas Enoka and Jovaan Hanley as back-ups. Nik Hayes and 39-year-old left-hander Heinie Shannon will be back from 2013 and 20-year-old Kurt Schollum was also selected after pitching Canterbury club Albion to the national title.

PHILIPPINES

The Blu Boys recently won gold at the South East Asian Games. They failed to win a game in the 2013 world championship but are looking forward to changing that this year. They will have 9 players returning from the last championship including catchers Jasper Cabrera and Isidro Abello, as well as infielders Oscar Bradshaw IV and Ben Maravilles who were also in Saskatoon in 2009.

UNITED STATES

United States is a traditional powerhouse as four time gold medallists, but they will be looking to get back on the podium for the first time since 2000. They were a “middle of the pack” team at the last worlds, placing 8th, but were a strong 4th in Saskatoon in 2009. They will be led in the circle by veteran Gerald Muizelaar. The Americans will look for leadership from veterans Frank DeGroat (catcher), Matt Polazzo (infielder) and Chase Turner (outfielder) who will return to Saskatoon.

VENEZUELA

Venezuela – winner of the Pan American Softball Championships and 5th in 2009 – will be looking to prove to the world that their 2013 world championship silver medal was no fluke. They will be led in the circle by highly regarded ace Ramon Jones who shut out Argentina in the Pan American Championships. Jorge Lima and Luiger Pinto, who will be back for their third World Championship, will provide support for Jones at the plate.