21 May 2026
Australia unveils 2026 U15 Baseball World Cup Roster
Australia’s U-15 National Team for the 2026 WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup has been announced, with 19 players selected following strong performances across the country throughout the past 12 months.
The squad was selected based on performances at the U16 Australian Youth Championships (AYC), assessments within local training and competition environments, and opportunities through previous World Cup qualifying events.
Team Australia U15 Manager says there were tough decisions to make with the group, but there is a lot of flexibility at his disposal.
“I believe this playing group shows versatility. We have a lot of players that we can throw on the mound and be comfortable with them attacking the zone,” he says. “In this age group with tournament baseball, two-way players are extremely important and most importantly we need to catch the baseball. We have chosen a squad around these priorities.”
The Australian Youth Championships again proved a key part of the selection process, giving national selectors the chance to evaluate the country’s top young talent against elite opposition in a tournament environment.
Andy Kyle was there watching it all unfold.
“I think it’s been exciting to see the majority of this group over the past 6 months in different contexts. We have had the qualifiers in Guam, the AYC’s in January and then evaluation sessions,” he said. “I feel this has provided a solid baseline of information for each athlete. We now have an opportunity to work with each Performance Program and prioritise areas we need to focus on during this Winter with individuals.”
Australia qualified for the World Cup by winning the WBSC Oceania Qualifier in Guam last December, going undefeated across the event to secure a place on the world stage.
Kyle says that tournament helped bring the group together. He’s excited to see 15 players return from that squad.
“I think consistent touch points with the players has and will provide a better chemistry within the group and direction around our Team Australia foundations,” he says.
The WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup will now be held in Mérida, Mexico from September 25 to October 4 after the tournament was moved from its originally scheduled host nation of Italy earlier this year.
Before heading to Mexico, the team will take part in a five-day training camp in the United States as part of final preparations for the tournament.
Australia will compete against some of the world’s top baseball nations at the event, including World No. 1 Japan, No. 2 Chinese Taipei, No. 3 USA, No. 5 Venezuela and host nation Mexico, ranked No. 6 in the world. Cuba, Dominican Republic, Czechia, Germany, Nicaragua and South Africa have also qualified for the tournament through their respective regional pathways.
The groups have yet to be decided.
The coaching staff will be led by manager Andrew Kyle, alongside pitching coach Kai Meuronen, assistant coaches Kelii Zablan and Scott Meager, and Executive Officer Michael Crooks.
Victoria leads the roster with six players selected, followed by New South Wales and South Australia with four apiece.
Queensland has three representatives, while Western Australia has two.
There are 15 players who overlap between Australia’s 2025 U15 Oceania Championships roster and the newly announced 2026 U15 World Cup roster. The four new players added to the 2026 U15 World Cup roster are: Chase Crew (QLD), Felix Oliver (SA), Tom Skinner (VIC) and Seb Watts (SA).
The team also features nine players who were on Australia’s 2023 U12 World Cup Roster (Thomas-McLean, Tayler, Petersen, Morris, McCabe, Leigh, Evans, Crew, Chase).
Further information on the tournament can be found on the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup website.
