Australia’s Layton Reid feels: “Astonished, amused, proud” #2018jrworlds

Australia’s manager Robert Harrow credits his players for the success: “We have an overall good group of players and they are very close to ano another. These are good kids and they deserved the win.”
Getting to the last day with more rest than Japan probably helped: “We could go through our regular routine. We knew we had to get to the ball park ready to play at 3. This surely helped”.
Also getting a great pitching performance by Reid did help: “I was fortunate enough to have 2 top level pitchers on the roster. One was Reid, but also Lanaghan had a very good performance yesterday against Japan”.
Will this win help Men’s Softball downunder? “This is our fifth World Title, but we had been away from the podium for a while…”.
Why do you think that happened? “Simply because other Countries ran very good programs”.
So, back to Men’s Softball in Australia: “The numbers are not as big as they used to be, but the softball community is really strong. Softball gets teams and families together.”

Manager Robert Harrow and infielder Matthew Harrow

Layton Reid wasted no time to express how he feels: “Astonished, amused and proud”.
You really overpowered Japan: “Well, speed is my best weapon as a pitcher.”
A Brisbane native, Layton Reid was originally a baseball player: “Then I followed my brother into softball. That’s the whole story.”
It’s not common for a kid to pick softball over baseball: “The kids love the idea of being on TV. At least, it was for me as a kid. And there’s a lot more baseball than softball on TV.”

Layton Reid pitched a no hitter in the Juinior Men’s Softball World Championship Final

Japan’s Head Coach Yukihiro Tanaka expressed no regrets: “Not at all. We did all we could do to win. This is a group of talented young players, they will improve”
Reid was really too much for your lineup? “Well, he is a pitcher with a lot of power. I honestly think he didn’t play as well in the round robin. But with players of this age, ups and downs are normal. Credit to him.”
What’s the situation of Men’s Softball in Japan? “It’s not as popular as Women’s Softball, but our win in the 2016 World Championship attracted more interest. We have the potential to grow.”

WBSC Softball Division Chairman Tommy Velazquez during the closing ceremony

WBSC Softball Division Chairman Tommy Velazquez closed the World Championship crediting the Local Organizing Committee: “Prince Albert will be forever part of Softball History”.
Velazquez then addressed the players: “This is only the beginning of your international career…Keep training, playing, enjoying every pitch and every game. And most importantly, keep respecting the game. You are the future of our sport.”