Defending champs Mexico look to repeat at WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup on home turf

Mexico's manager Enrique Reyes was the star of the Group A pre-tournament press conference at the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup, which opens Thursday, 23 September.

"You are asking if we are here to repeat as U-23 World Champions," Reyes said. "My answer is of course we are."

Reyes, who is nicknamed El Che in Mexican Baseball, showed a lot of respect for the opponents: "I don't like naming (tournament) favorites. Every game is difficult in baseball, and I respect every other team. Of course, I'm aware some teams have a stronger name in baseball."

The Mexican National Team roster is the result of a long selection process.
"We had a list of 180 players and we cut it down to 24," Reyes told media. "So I would say these players represent the best of the best of U-23 Mexican players. Half of them play in the Mexican leagues, half of them are under contract with Major League Baseball organizations."

Amongst the strongest opponents for world No. 5 Mexico would be No. 3 Chinese Taipei, No. 6 Dominican Republic and No. 11 Cuba. The three managers couldn't make it to the virtual press conference.

Vladimir Chlup, the manager of the Czech Republic, said his team is ready to compete on the world stage: "We enjoyed a great season and we are ready to play."

World No. 16 Czech Republic is aware that they will have to play great baseball to make a into the Super Round: "We can't set the bar too high," Chlup said. "We come next to the last in the rankings. We still can take the field and compete against everybody."

No. 18 Germany is the lowest-ranked team in the group.

"We are a growing baseball nation," said German U-23 National Team manager Steve Janssen, who led the Netherlands to multiple European titles. "Still, selecting this team was a challenge. This is the third tournament Germany plays in a row and some of our players couldn't be on the road for eight weeks. The preparation was not easy, but we are here to do our best."

Janssen answered a question about a potential re-match of the U-23 European Championship 2018 against the Czech Republic: "There are no secrets between us and we respect each other a lot. But it won't be a re-match. In baseball every time you take the field you play to win, no matter who the opponent is."

Group A opens at Estadio Yaquis in Ciudad Obregon with Germany and Chinese Taipei at 10.30 am local time. The second game is Cuba and the Dominican Republic at 3 pm local time. Czech Republic and Mexico is scheduled for 7.30 pm local time, following the opening ceremony.

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