02/08/2018 - 12/08/2018

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XVI Women's Softball World Championship 2018 - Official Payoff

Australia names rosters for 2018 WBSC Softball World Championships

Australia names rosters for 2018 WBSC Softball World Championships
17/02/2018

Softball Australia announced its rosters for the WBSC Women’s and Jr. Men’s Softball World Championships 2018, the two most important tournaments of the year for the sport.

Sydney, Australia – Softball Australia announced its rosters for the WBSC Women’s and Jr. Men’s Softball World Championships 2018, the two most important tournaments of the year for the sport.

As a preparation for the WBSC Women’s Softball World Championship, to be held in Chiba, Japan, from 1-12 August, world No. 4 Australia started the year with a second place in the Asian Pacific Cup, losing the final game against No. 2 Japan by 3-0.

After that competition, Head Coach Fabian Barlow made the final adjustments to his roster. The 2018 Aussie Spirit team consists of 17 players, seven of whom did not play in the previous WBSC World Championship in Canada in 2016.

Along with USA, Australia is the only country to win a Softball Medal in each Olympic Games where softball was featured, with three Bronzes and one Silver. The green and yellow team is kicking off their campaign to reach their fifth consecutive Olympic podium in Tokyo 2020.

In 2018 their main goal will be the WBSC Women’s Softball World Championship. The Aussie Spirit will arrive to Chiba with one objective in mind: to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. To achieve that, they need to win their second World Championship in history, after crowned champions in 1965, as the host team of the first Women’s Softball World Championship.

As part of the preparation for the Women’s Softball World Championship, Australia will also play the upcoming season of the National Pro Fastpitch, the USA professional softball league.

2018 Australia Women’s National Team

  • Amelia Cudicio
  • Chelsea Forkin
  • Leigh Godfrey
  • Stacey McManus
  • Kaia Parnaby
  • Samantha Poole
  • Stacey Porter
  • Ellen Roberts
  • Justine Smethurst
  • Carmelle Sorensen
  • Tarni Stepto
  • Taylah Tsitsikronis
  • Jade Wall
  • Clare Warwick
  • Belinda White
  • Tamieka Whitefield
  • Melinda Weaver

 

Australia Junior Men’s

Softball Australia (N°5 team in the world) also announced the 2018 Junior Steelers (Australian Under 19 Men’s) team, for the WBSC Junior Men’s Softball World Championship, to be held in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada, from 7-15 July.

The team has four players returning for their second junior men’s world championship, with Blake Jackson, Shaun Lanaghan, Michael Ludkin and Jett Wright all playing for the Junior Steelers at the 2016 WBSC Junior Men’s Softball World Championship, held in Midland, USA, where Australia finished sixth.

Australia is the most successful Junior Men’s program ever with four (consecutive) World Championships.

2018 Australian Under 19 Men’s Team

  • Josh Bond
  • Jacob Donaldson
  • Jarred Garland
  • Matthew Harrow
  • Blake Jackson
  • Riley James
  • Bradley Kilpatrick
  • Ryan King
  • Shaun Lanaghan
  • Michael Ludkin
  • Bolton Nussbaum
  • Christopher Plain
  • Layton Reid
  • Keenan Smith
  • Dawson Summers
  • Jeremy Waters
  • Jett Wright

Team Officials

Head Coach: Laing Harrow

Assistant Coach: Darrin Hebditch

Assistant Coach: Adam Rindfleish

Team Manager: Mike Titheradge

Video Analyst: Tony Mackie

Physiotherapist: Bernie Simai