Australia aiming for record sixth title as WBSC U-18 Men’s Softball World Cup begins on Saturday

Five-time champions Australia are looking to extend their record at the top of the medal chart of international junior men's softball when the WBSC U-18 Men’s Softball World Cup begins on Saturday at the Fernando M. Ortiz and Mundialistas Hermosillenses stadiums in Hermosillo, Mexico.

The world No. 2 is the most successful team in the tournament having claimed five gold medals - 1997, 2001, 2005, 2008 and 2018 - one silver (finishing second to Japan in the last edition in 2020) and a bronze in 2012.

Australia is also looking to hold the world champion title at all three WBSC Men's Softball World Cups, having won the WBSC Men's Softball World Cup 2022 in New Zealand and the U-23 edition in Argentina in April earlier this year. Form which is particularly exciting for the sport of softball in the country with the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games on the horizon.

During the pre-tournament press conference on Friday, Australia coach Adam Rindfleish made it clear they want to represent their country in the best possible way. “We are very proud of our traditions and our culture, and the people who came before us that have represented us in the best way,” he said. “So we’re going to represent our country with pride and passion, but also with sportsmanship at all times. Our guys are incredible athletes that are ready to take on the world.” 

Australia can expect plenty of strong competition, with almost every team also aiming to win a medal.

Mexico’s head coach, Horacio Berrones, said their main goal is to battle for a medal, especially being the host team. “We want to demonstrate to our people and our country that we can win a medal in this World Cup,” he said. “We have a balanced team. Generally, pitching is the key to be in the finals, but we have a good team. Our defence is great, and we have a good group of hitters. So if pitching is at its best, we’ll be ok.”

Mexico have only medalled once in 12 appearances at this level, in the inaugural edition in 1981 when they finished third.

Czechia, the European champions and World Cup 2020 bronze medallists, are also in Hermosillo to reach the podium. “We want to play the last day of the tournament. We’ll see,” said Ondrej Stroner, Czechia head coach. “We won a bronze medal in 2020 at the World Cup in New Zealand, and the guys want to win a medal in this tournament, but of course every team wants a medal from the tournament. So I think we’re going to the Super Round, and then we’ll see what happens next.”

The European team is also looking to claim only their second medal after stepping on the podium for the first time in Palmerston North 2020.

USA, the winners of the Americas qualifier for the World Cup, are here to continue that winning form again, looking to improve on their collection of two silver medals won in the first two editions of the tournament. “Our goal is to represent USA Softball and compete against the best the world has to offer,” said head coach Anthony Aresco Jr. “The ultimate goal is to win a gold medal.”

Canada’s head coach Mark Quinn, whose team has a gold, two silver and five bronze medals (the last in 2016) to their name, is aware that the competition will be fierce. “Obviously the first thing is we need to qualify for the Super Round. We’re looking at strong competition in our group,” he said. “And once we’re in the Super Round, obviously we’re looking to competing for a medal. But we know there are a lot of excellent countries, and a lot of good teams out there.”

World No. 1 Argentina have established a player development system that put them in the men’s softball elite having won this tournament in 2012 and 2014, their only medals to date. Head coach Rafael Salguero wants to keep it going. “We cannot set our goal on a number or a position at the end of the tournament. We must keep in mind that we’re working with young athletes, developing into high performance athletes to feed the senior national team,” he said. “For us would be great to finish the process with this group of players with a medal.”

Luis Russo, head coach of the Venezuelan National Team, whose best finish was fifth in 2008, shares the view with his colleagues. “We have the same goal as the rest of the teams: To win the championship.” He added that their good performance during the Americas Qualifier (finishing second place behind USA) was very important because it’s an experience they’ve never had in the past.

Colombia, the tournament debutants, have a clear goal for this week: To gain some positions in the World Rankings where they're currently ranked 24th. “We need to win two, maybe three games in the tournament to put our country in the top-15 in the rankings,” said head coach Alberto Florez. “This is Colombia’s first participation in this age bracket, and these boys are the future of the Colombian softball. This is the first step of a bigger process.”