Softball Australia announced the 2024 Aussie Steelers team to start their world championship defence at the WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup Group A in Hermosillo, Mexico. The group will take place from 12 to 16 June at Fernando Ortiz Stadium and Mundialistas Hermosillenses Stadium. Australia, ranked No. 1 in the world, included 10 world champions in their roster, including ace Jack Besgrove.
This is the first team to be named by newly appointed head coach, Scott Sunley, who is excited about the direction of the team. “I’m thrilled with the maturity and discipline of this group of men who are now heading off to Mexico. The team features 10 of the original 2022 World Cup winning Steelers team, and we also get to welcome two new faces to be part of Steelers history. I have a group of quality players with the right mentality who will do everything to make Australia proud on the world stage.”
2024 AUSTRALIAN MEN’S “STEELERS” TEAM
- Callum Beashel
- Mathew Beckett
- Jack Besgrove
- Jarrod Bradbury
- Jack Burt
- Thomas Cass
- Ethan Field
- Mark Harris
- Matt Harrow
- Riley James
- Hayden Mathews
- Brendon O'Byrne
- Scott Patterson
- Jerremyah Selu
- James Todhunter
- Matt Wickham
Beashel, Besgrove, Burt, Harrow, James, Mathews, O'Byrne, Patterson, Selu and Todhunter are the 10 veterans from the 2022 Australian team that won the country's second Men's Softball World Championship, with a 5-2 win against Canada in the final match.
The XVII Men's Softball World Cup will be played for the first time under the two-stage format, which starts with the group stage this summer and the World Championship Finals in 2025. Group A will be staged in Hermosillo, Mexico; Group B will be hosted in Prince Albert, Canada, between 10 and 14 July; while Group C will take place in Oklahoma City, USA, from 17 to 21 September.
The top two teams in each of the three groups, plus two wild cards, will advance automatically to next year's Finals.
“We have a group of world-class softballers to be able to choose from and the selectors have picked an exciting mix of youth and experience. Congratulations to all players named in the team”, said Softball Australia National Pathways Manager, Clare Humberstone.
Players who will be making their debut in the Steelers team include Thomas Cass and Ethan Field, who join recent debutants Matthew Beckett, Jarrod Bradbury and Matthew Wickham who pulled o the Steelers short for the first time at last years Oceania Qualifiers.
Additionally, Australia have named an extended squad with some big names like two-time world champion Nick Shailes and WBSC Men's Softball World Cup 2022 MVP Marshall Kronk.. These players will be invited to train with the team as they prepare for the World Cup, and may be called upon if any of the Steelers team members are forced to withdraw from competing at the tournament due to injury or illness. The additional members of the 2024 Softball Australia squad are:
- Jeremy Garland
- Ashlee Goffer
- Joel Goodall
- Ryan King
- Marshall Kronk
- Michael Ludkin
- Nathan Lynch
- Joshua McGovern
- Harrison Peters
- Jye Robinson
- Joseph Scaramella
- Nick Shailes
- Cody Smith
- Peter Wards
