The maiden edition of the WBSC U-23 Men’s Softball World Cup is set to begin on Saturday with 12 teams from five continents playing 50 games for the title of world champion. The teams have been split into two groups to open the competition, with the top three teams advancing to the Super Round. The tournament will be played in Parana, Argentina.
Group A promises to be an intriguing battle, with all six teams in the top-14 of the WBSC Men’s Softball World Rankings, and four in the top-10. Argentina, Australia, Czechia, Mexico, South Africa and Singapore must play perfect ball to survive this tight group.
Hosts and world No. 1 Argentina features an experienced team, with two Men’s Softball World Cup winners in Alan Peker and Gian Scialacomo, and a total of 13 players with experience in past U-18 Men’s Softball World Cups. They went undefeated to win the Pan American Championship last year and, with the support of the local fans, appear as one of the favourites to be playing in the medal games on 23 April.
No. 4 Australia is also a strong candidate to win it all next week in Parana. Winners of the WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup last December, the Aussies played the last two finals of the U-18 World Cup, winning the championship in 2018 and grabbing the silver medal in 2020. Rising star Jack Besgrove, who dominated during Australia’s world title campaign in Auckland last year, will be the leader of a decorated roster with 10 WBSC World Cup medallists.
As the top ranked European nation, No. 6 Czechia has showed championship credentials in the recent past, winning a historic bronze medal at the WBSC U-18 Men’s Softball World Cup 2020. The European champions have 10 veterans from the senior team in the last World Cup, and four medallists from 2020, including pitcher Jakub Osicka, in their squad. The Czechs will be a dangerous team for any opponent during the tournament.
The fourth top-10 in Group A is Mexico, an always dangerous team. Ranked No. 10 in the world, Mexico finished runner-up in the Americas qualifier last year. Jordan Solorio, a veteran of Mexico's 2020 U-18 team that finished 8th in the World Cup, was the team's top hitter in the qualifier hitting .414 with 2 HR. The Mexican squad has the potential to be in the Super Round and fight for a spot in the medal games.
World No. 12 South Africa is the only African nation qualified for the WBSC U-23 Men's Softball World Cup. They will play the first game of the tournament against Czechia. Tyler Croft and Lucas Lamola are the two members of South Africa’s senior national team that will lead the African team in the WBSC U-23 Men’s Softball World Cup. Their goal is to be back in the top six and tie their best performance ever in a World Cup (a sixth place finish in the U-19 World Cup 1997).
The lowest ranked team in the group is No. 14 Singapore. The intriguing Asian team will try to build on a ninth-place finish in the U-18 World Cup in 2020, where they stunned Argentina, and keep growing their men’s softball programme. Three Singapore players participated in the Men’s Softball World Cup 2019 in Prague, Czechia: Audric Chia, Aloysius Ong and Jeron Tan.
