IX Women’s Baseball World Cup: Chinese Taipei looks to dethrone Japan as veteran roster announced

The Chinese Taipei Baseball Association (CTBA) has revealed its Chinese Taipei Women’s Baseball Team 20-player roster, following the conclusion of the CTBA Women's Baseball Championship Cup.

The island’s best female baseball players include eight veterans who competed in the last WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup (2018), while nine suited up for Chinese Taipei in the Baseball Federation of Asia (BFA) 2019 Women’s Baseball Asian Cup.

“Their experience in international tournaments will be an advantage [at the next WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup],” the CTBA said in a press release. “It could help them to have better chance to win [it all].”

Chinese Taipei earned second-place in the 2018 WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup, falling to top-ranked Japan, 6-0, in the final. The two squads also met in the final of the 2019 Women’s Baseball Asian Cup, with Japan narrowly defeating Chinese Taipei, 2-1.

Star Pitcher-Catcher Battery Returns

HUANG Qiao-Yun and LEE Shi-Yun, the pitcher-catcher duo of the last Women's Baseball World Cup, will headline Chinese Taipei’s 2021 World Cup Team.

CTBA called the duo “must-have players”.

Two-way star Huang was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2020 Chinese Taipei Women’s Baseball Championship. Huang went 3-0 with a 3.10 ERA in the last Women’s World Baseball Cup, where she was named to the 2018 WBSC Women’s Baseball All-World Team.

Lee batted .500, or 8-for-16, and threw out three runners attempting to steal in the 2018 World Cup.

The Chinese Taipei Women’s Baseball Team, currently ranked third in the world -- behind No. 1 Japan and No. 2 Canada -- will begin training together at the end of January, CTBA announced.

The next WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup is currently scheduled for 1-9 March 2021 in Tijuana, Mexico.