26/11/2022 - 04/12/2022

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XVII Men's Softball World Cup 2022 - Official Payoff

XVII Men’s Softball World Cup - Group A Preview: Three world champions set to battle it out

XVII Men’s Softball World Cup - Group A Preview: Three world champions set to battle it out
16/11/2022
With 12 teams from around the world gathering in Auckland from 26 November to 4 December, here's a rundown of what to expect from each team in Group A. The top three teams from each group will advance to the Super Round.

The XVII WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup will be staged at Rosedale Park in Auckland, New Zealand, from 26 November to 4 December with 11 of the top-12 teams in the WBSC Men’s Softball World Rankings set to face each other in a nine-day battle for the title of world champion.

Three world champions, including title holders Argentina, the host team New Zealand and USA, will collide against the Czech Republic, Cuba and the Philippines, in what should be an exciting contest to advance to the Super Round from Group A of the XVII Men’s Softball World Cup.

World No. 1 and defending world champions Argentina will trust in an experienced roster to defend the World Title. A total of 13 veterans from the 2019 World Cup winning team roster will travel to Auckland for the World Cup. Huemul Mata, who recorded a 1.48 ERA in 28.1 innings during the 2019 World Championship (including the 10 innings of the final against Japan), will lead Argentina’s three-man pitching staff in Auckland. 

Aiming for their first-ever medal in a WBSC senior event, No. 5 Czech Republic named a renovated roster for the World Cup in New Zealand. Only three players repeat from the 2019 Czech team that finished in eighth place as host of the World Cup in 2019: Michal Holobradek, Mikulas Klas and Marek Maly. Holobradek and Jackub Osicka will be the main arms in Czechia’s pitching staff. 

Seven-time world champions No. 6 New Zealand will play host trying to win again on home soil, the same they did in 1976, 2004 and 2013. The roster includes seven first-time World Cup players, four of them will wear the Black Sox jersey for the first time. The pitching duo of Daniel Chapman and Josh Pettet will handle most of the workload in the circle, with some help from pitcher/utility player Pita Rona. 

No. 7 USA will look to add to its collection of 10 WBSC Men’s Softball World Championship medals in Auckland, their first since 2000. when they clinched the bronze medal in South Africa. Veterans Erick Ochoa, Jon Gwizdala and Matt Palazzo, who each helped lead the U.S. to a fifth-place finish at the previous World Cup in 2019, return to the team for another World Cup campaign. 

No. 12 Cuba named a veteran pitching staff as part of their final roster. Two veterans from the 2019 World Cup, 44-year old Alain Roman and 47-year old Gusbel Plutin, will be joined by Eduardo Gonzalez in the three-man pitching staff for the World Cup. 

The last nation to qualify for the World Cup 2022 was No. 21 the Philippines, who advanced to their 11th World Cup after finishing in second place in the Asian Qualifier in September. Leo Barredo, who carried the team in 2019 with 27 IP, will lead again the pitching staff. Marlon Pagkaliwagan and Reagan Parco also repeat in the circle from the 2019 squad, with 20-year-old newcomer Juliuz De la Cruz ready to make his debut on the global stage.

WBSC Men's Softball World Cup Historic Results