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Australia is going to the 2024 U23 World Cup of Baseball in China.

The Green & Gold swept Guam in a best-of-three series in Sydney from November 9-11, securing their place in the WBSC-run event.

Australia followed up Thursday’s 1-0 game one victory with a massive 15-2 victory on Friday. On Saturday morning, they used strong pitching to win 2-0.

Australia will now fly to Tokyo on Sunday morning in preparation for the 2023 Asia Professional Baseball Championships against Japan, Korea and Chinese Taipei. All games will be broadcast on Baseball+.

Scroll down for match recaps of both games. Photos by Mick Goddard.

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Game 3 – Australia 2 def Guam 0

Five Australian pitchers combined for a shutout of Guam on Saturday morning.

Australia’s pitching staff – Zak Elvy, Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis, Kieren Hall, Dylan Clarke and Tom Stancic – tossed 7.0 innings and allowed just two hits. They combined for seven strike-outs.

Elvy pitched the lion’s share of work, going 3.0 innings, allowing one hit, one walk, while striking out four.

Tyson Zamora led the charge offensively. The Queenslander went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

He drove in the winning run in the second inning on a two-out RBI single which drove in Jake Burns.

Liam Bull had the other RBI in the bottom of the fifth.

Nolan Cruz was particularly strong on the mound for Guam. He allowed just two runs on four hits in 4.1 innings of work.

Yatar pitched the last 1.2 innings for Guam, holding Australia scoreless.

Game 2 – Australia 15 def Guam 2

After a dormant offensive performance in Game 1, Australia had a much more patient approach at the plate.

Eleven different Australians reached base, while the bats delivered in critical early moments. In total, the Aussie attack combined for 12 hits and eight walks in a complete 15-2 victory.

The Green & Gold took advantage of seven Guam errors in the field.

Clayton Campbell had a standout day at the plate. He went 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs. Luke Smith was excellent from the lead-off spot, going 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and four runs scored. Bradley Griffin led all Australians with four RBI.

Liam Evans pitched the lion’s share of innings, throwing 3.1 innings of one-hit, one-walk, shutout baseball.

Australia was opportunistic, patient and in a run scoring mood from the get-go.

Luke Smith and Rixon Wingrove opened the game with a walk each, allowing Detroit Tigers’ prospect Clayton Campbell to open the scoring with an RBI single. Alex Skepton drove in a second run to give the Australian’s an early 2-0 edge.

Australia added three more runs in the third inning, thanks to a Luke Smith RBI-double, a Chris Burke sacrifice fly, and another Clayton Campbell RBI-knock.

5-0 Australia, just like that.

Guam pushed back in the bottom of the second inning, when J Pangelinan drilled a two-out, two-RBI triple off of Australia’s starting pitcher Jack Bushell.

Bushell pitched 2.2 innings, conceding six hits, two runs, and three walks.

Australia ran away with it in the fourth inning. Australia started the big inning by extending their advantage to 6-2 off a Guam error.

Then, the explosion.

With two-outs and the bases loaded, Tyson Zamora singled to left-field, scoring Wingrove and Campbell.

The next batter, Brad Griffin quickly turned on a ball and knocked it to score two more runs.

10-2.

Liam Evans kept things settled for Australia on the mound. He pitched the remaining 4.1 innings for Australia in relief of Bushell, with

Australia pressured again in the fifth. They had bases-loaded and nobody out with Clayton Campbell up-to-bat. The Tigers’ prospect had his third RBI at-bat with a sacrifice fly, but Australia left them stranded after that.

Australia blew out the game in the seventh and final inning by cashing in four more runs.

Jake Burns scored Campbell off a sacrifice fly for the first run of the seventh. Brad Griffin had a two-RBI triple, and Daniel Bannon had an RBI single in the big inning.

Tom Stancic closed out the game for Australia pitching a clean seventh inning.

Game 1 – Australia 1 def Guam 0

Australia’s pitching staff nearly threw a combined no-hitter as the Green & Gold edged past Guam in Game 1 of the U23 World Cup Qualifiers in Blacktown on Thursday morning.

Australia’s pitching was brilliant. Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis, Kai-Noa Wynyard, Kieren Hall, Will Sherriff and Dylan Clarke combined for seven innings of one-hit baseball, striking out 10 batters and walking only two.

The five Australian pitchers needed to excellent because Guam’s starting pitcher Franklin Ninete Jr threw the game of his life.

He used a wide pitch arsenal, including a fork-ball, to keep Australian batters off-balance. He allowed just one run in his six innings of work with four hits and one punch-out. Guam also turned two double-plays to take away prime Australian opportunities.

Of Australia’s four hits, Chris Burke’s was the timeliest. With two outs in the bottom of the third, Burke doubled to centrefield, cashing in Tyson Zamora for the game’s only run.

Liam Bull, Alex Skepton and Daniel Bannon had the other hits for Australia.

Guam pressured for the tying run in the last inning. They broke Australia’s no-hit bid with a blooper to left field off Dylan Clarke. One walk later, and Guam had runners on first and second with just one out.

Clarke kept his composure to tie the game.

Texas Rangers’ prospect Kai-Noa Wynyard was impressive in his U23 appearance. He pitched one inning and struck out the side. World Baseball Classic pitcher Will Sherriff struck out four batters in his two innings of work.

Australia’s defense was also on song during the contest. Good pitching and good defense usually paves the way for an big result.

Australia will play Guam in Game 2 of the best-of-three series Friday afternoon at 2:30PM AEDT. Australia is one win away from punching their ticket to the U23 World Cup in China next year.

Australia will face Guam in a three-game series from November 9-11 in Sydney with a spot in the 2024 Under-23 Baseball World Cup on the line.

Australia, who finished sixth in the 2022 version of the event, will need to win two games to secure a spot.

The roster includes seven players who were on the 2022 team. It also has eight players who have experience as a professional MLB-affiliated player in the US minor leagues.

Of this squad, 14 of them will go to Toyko to play in the 2023 Asia Professional Baseball Championships from November 16-19.

Many of them have NCAA college experience, and 19 players have played in the Australian Baseball League or are under contract for the upcoming season.

While the games will not be broadcast, fans will be able to follow along the action via game changer and read a game recap on Baseball.com.au following each game.

The game times are:
– Thursday 9 November @ 2:30PM AEDT
– Friday 10 November @ 2:30PM AEDT
– Saturday 11 November @ 10:30AM AEDT

If Australia qualify, they will go to the 2024 U23 World Cup in China.

Let’s meet the squad. The team will be coached by David Nilsson, Graeme Lloyd and Trent Durrington.

RHP – Tom Stancic: A 19-year-old talent who made his debut with the Sydney Blue Sox in the ABL last season.

RHP – Kai-Noa Wynyard: MLB-affiliate player with the Texas Rangers. He had a 2.38 ERA at the Rangers’ Low-A affiliate this season. Wynyard is on Australia’s APBC roster.

LHP – Will Sheriff: A 20-year-old with experience in the Detroit Tigers’ minor leagues, at the 2023 World Baseball Classic and as a three-year reliever with the Perth Heat. He’ll be in Tokyo at the APBC.

RHP – Dylan Clarke: Breakout season with the Sydney Blue Sox in 2023, establishing himself as a top reliever. He pitched in the 2022 U23 World Cup and earned a spot on Australia’s APBC roster.

RHP – Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis: Sensationally made his ABL debut as a 15-year-old out of Canberra in 2017 before flying off to Grand Canyon University in the NCAA college system for five years. He is on Australia’s APBC roster.

LHP – Ben Walmsley: 18-year-old who just finished his first year abroad in the Cincinnati Reds minor league system. He is also on Australia’s APBC roster.

RHP – Jack Bushell: He impressed enough at the recent 2023 U18 World Cup in September to be named to Australia’s APBC roster.

RHP – Kieren Hall: Western Australian returning from college, who will also get a look at the APBC.

RHP – Liam Evans: Part of Australia’s 2022 U23 World Cup Roster, the 22-year-old has pitched previously with the Melbourne Aces in the ABL.

RHP – Zak Elvy: 20-year-old pitching in the US college system. Just finished a summer pitching with the Yakima Valley Pippins.

C/UTIL – Jake Burns: 20-year-old who has a few years experience in the St. Louis Cardinals’ system.

1B – Rixon Wingrove: Rixon is coming off his most successful calendar year to date. He hit a homer in the World Baseball Classic, won a championship with the Adelaide Giants, and got promoted to Double-A in the Phillies’ system. Experience at WBC, U23 World Cup, in the minor leagues and ABL. He’ll be in Tokyo at the ABPC.

INF – Daniel Bannon: An intriguing name coming back from college. He spent time at Cook Community College and Jackson St. In 2022, he hit .407 in 51 games  in 2022 with five home runs and 51 RBIs. Bannon also scored 66 runs and stole 18 bases.

INF – Bradley Griffin: Part of U18 programs in the past, Griffin has been turning heads at Blue Sox training lately.

INF – Clayton Campbell: Highly esteemed junior career landed him a contract with the Detroit Tigers. He can play a variety of roles around the diamond. Campbell was on the 2022 U23 World Cup squad and will go with Australia to the APBC.

INF – Luke Smith: Part of past U18 National teams and currently with the Brisbane Bandits, Smith will go to Tokyo in November following the qualifiers.

3B – Liam Bull: 20-year-old South Aussie just finished his rookie season with the Adelaide Giants where he helped them to a maiden title.

OF – Alex Skepton: Queenslander who was on Australia’s 2019 U18 squad and has been training with the Bandits. He’ll go to Tokyo for the APBC.

OF – Tyson Zamora: Brings experience from the 2022 U23 World Cup and with the Brisbane Bandits in the ABL to the fold.

OF/C – Chris Burke: Experience at the U23 World Cup and an ABL Champion. Burke has been affiliated with the Phillies and Royals in the past. He’ll go to the APBC.

Four’N Twenty, one of Australia’s most iconic food brands, has today announced a brand-new partnership with National Sporting Organisation, Baseball Australia.

Through this partnership, the food giant will be supporting Team Australia in their upcoming Asia Pro Baseball Championship in Japan from 16-19 November, taking the Great Australian Taste overseas.

The iconic Australian snack has been hitting home runs in Japan since 2019, with baseball fans enjoying the classic Four’N Twenty meat pie at the Tokyo Dome.

“We’ve been keeping Aussie sports fans fed and happy for 76 years. Teaming up with Baseball Australia is a whole new ball game for us and we are so proud to be sharing The Great Australian Taste with fans all over the world,” says Anand Surujpal, Chief Marketing and Growth Officer at Patties Food Group.

“We are thrilled to bring the ritual of the game to the baseball community, and to celebrate the all-year-round fan favourite with Team Australia in Japan,” says Surujpal.

Baseball Australia’s Chief Executive Officer, Glenn Williams says Baseball and Four’N Twenty make a lot of sense together.

“Four’N Twenty and sport have had a long history. Sport and pies go hand-in-hand,” says Williams. “It’s a quintessential Australian food served in local canteens in baseball clubs all across Australia. We are excited to share Four’N Twenty with the baseball world.”

Four’N Twenty and Baseball Australia are driven by a mutual and strong commitment to grassroot sports.

There are over 40,000 active playing members young and old in the baseball community. Like so many sports, an army of passionate volunteers at the core of the sport. Australian baseball has seen particular growth in the women’s game in recent years, while baseball continues to be an expanded pathway for players to go to school abroad.

The partnership is testament to both sides’ dedication to fans and to community sport. For years, Four’N Twenty has been supporting grassroots footy with the Mark of the Week competition, open to players of all levels and ages.

Both Four’N Twenty and the Australian baseball team have tasted success on the global stage, with this partnership set to take both to the next level. Four’N Twenty has ingrained itself in sports across the world, being sold at basketball games and securing the spot of a true Aussie icon across the globe.

Ranked number 10 in the World and ahead of traditional powerhouses like Puerto Rico and Canada, Team Australia is coming off a quarterfinal appearance at the 2023 World Baseball Classic and have finished in the Top 6 at the 2019 Premier12 (World Championship) and U23 World Cup.

Team Australia’s star catcher Alex Hall said the partnership couldn’t be better matched.

“We’ve all grown up on the classic meat pie, at games as kids and on the way home from training sessions, so the whole team is pumped to have the backing of Four’N Twenty moving forward. Here’s to many more slices of success for Team Australia,” said Hall.

Fans in Australia can watch the English language commentary of the upcoming Asia Professional Baseball Championships on Baseball Australia’s streaming app ‘Baseball+’. The games will be broadcast live, free and on-demand.

Australia has unveiled a roster with a mix of World Baseball Classic experience, professional pedigree and emerging Aussie talent for the upcoming 2023 Asian Professional Baseball Championships.

Australia will travel to Tokyo to take on Japan, Korea and Chinese Taipei at the WBSC-sanctioned event from November 16-19. All games will be broadcast live & free on Baseball+.

There are 17 players on the roster who have professional experience in the United States. All players have strong connections to the Australian Baseball League.

Rosters from all competing countries were selected with the following criteria:

• Must be Under-24; or
• Have three years or less of professional experience; or
• Be one of the three overage players allowed (but not older than 29)

Team Australia General Manager Russ Teichmann says the staff wanted to select the best available players to go and win the event. 

“We have a busy tournament cycle for the next few years. There’s the Premier12, U23 World Cups, a World Baseball Classic and Olympic qualification. This age group is part of a larger group who will be playing important games for Australia leading up to the 2028 Olympics and beyond,” he says.

Teichmann says he is looking forward to seeing Australia compete with some of the best professional players from Japan, Korea and Chinese Taipei.

“This playing group is a good mix of guys who have been part of World Baseball Classics and World Cup squads. We’re also excited to see new players make their debut at this level,” he says. “The expectation is that we are going to perform well, with our constant objective of being the best tournament team in the world.”

The tournament gets underway for Team Australia with clash against Korea on November 16 – a thrilling rematch of the game won by Australia in the WBC Group Stages.

Australia will follow with a game vs Chinese Taipei the next day. The pool stage culminates with a colossal match against reigning champions and world number one ranked Japan, on November 18. The top two teams from round robin play will advance to the Gold Medal Game on Sunday.

“Our objective is to win every tournament we play in,” says Teichmann.

There are eight members (five position players, three pitchers) from Australia’s World Baseball Classic side that reached the quarterfinals at the 2023 event in March. There are seventeen players who have experience playing professional baseball in the United States.

Aaron Whitefield is one of the three overage players on the squad, and the only one with Major League game time.  He is joined by Dan McGrath and Sam Holland as the other overagers of the group.

Briley Knight and Billy Parsons will make their Team Australia debuts.

“We pick these guys because we believe they could play a big part in our success,” he says. “They’re here for a reason.”

Dave Nilsson will remain the head coach of the program. In Tokyo he will be joined by assistants Graeme Lloyd, Trent Durrington, Jim Bennett, Shayne Watson and Damian Shanahan.

Nilsson says there is a list of over 130 Australian players that is constantly evolving and being evaluated. But when it comes to roster construction, there is one thing in mind.

“This program is not about participation – it’s about winning,” Nilsson says. “Every event we go to we have that in mind. Young players will learn that by being part of events like this.”

For the latest updates, comprehensive coverage, and an insider’s perspective on Team Australia’s journey to the Championships, stay tuned to the official Baseball Australia website.

It’s official: Baseball is back in the Olympic games.

The International Olympic Committee confirmed Monday that Baseball & Softball – along with Flag Football, Squash, Cricket and Lacrosse – will be included on the roster of sports for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

Baseball Australia Chief Executive Officer Glenn Williams – a two-time Olympian and 2004 Olympic Silver Medalist – says he believes this could have major implications for the sport in Australia.

“We’re obviously excited,” says Williams. “We’ve been working under an assumption that baseball will be included but there was still an element of uncertainty.

“It makes planning for our next tournament cycle real and tangible. All the hypothetical plans are gone – they are now concrete.”

Inclusion in the Olympics not only means increased visibility for the sport, but a chance for the national program to deliver against a lofty national high-performance strategy set by Baseball Australia.

Baseball had a 12-year hiatus from the Olympics after it appeared in the 2008 Beijing Games. It was in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games but Australia was unable to get to their qualifiers due to pandemic travel restrictions. It is not on the bill for next year’s games in Paris.

“Team Australia is a tournament team,” says national team head coach David Nilsson. “Our objective is to be the best tournament team in the world.”

Tournament play – like what would happen at the Olympics – is much different than your traditional baseball season format where teams can play upwards of 162 games in a season. It happens fast, with a series of critical elimination games and on-off showdowns against baseball superpowers.

The news comes exactly one month before the Australian Baseball League, the competition where the best Aussies play, is set to begin.

“We may not have the overall depth of other baseball super powers, but we have a lot of good players who battle hard and understand that tournament baseball is different,” says Williams. “It’s about being prepared, having a strategy, and being able to execute it on the day.”

Australia’s goal of being the “best tournament team” in the world isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds. There’s a track record of success.

The senior men’s squad is coming off a historic quarter final appearance at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, a sixth place showing at the 2019 Premier 12 (World Championship), and a Super Round finish at the 2022 U23 World Cup.

In that stretch, Australia has toppled traditional baseball powerhouses like South Korea, the United States and Canada. They lost their quarterfinal World Baseball Classic game vs Cuba by just one run.

There’s an Olympic silver medal in 2004 and an Intercontinental Cup in 1999 in Australia’s sneaky history of success on the world stage.

“At the highest level, the Team Australia program is not about participation – it is about winning,” says Nilsson. “Every event we go to we have to have that in mind.” 

Australia had over 30 players play professional baseball in the United States in 2023. This includes two major leaguers – MLB All-Star Liam Hendricks and 22-year-old rookie sensation Curtis Mead.

There are also 100+ players in the USA college system.

That number is expected to grow in the coming months, with the International Signing period opening and college recruitment in full swing.

Travis Bazanna, a NSW standout at Oregon State, could become the first Australian selected in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft in 2024. 

Williams says Australia has been achieving goals against their high performance pathways strategy set in 2020, including a relationship with the Australian Institute for Sport (AIS).

“The AIS has supported us, knowing that baseball in 2028 was always a prospect,” says Williams. “We’ve been delivering against the strategies. We’re excited to keep working with the AIS and to enhance our relationship to see if we can make our ambitious goals a reality.”

The visibility of an Olympic Games can do wonders for the sport, too. It’s a chance for Baseball to be included in the mainstream sports and media discussion.

It also puts baseball in the conversation for inclusion at the 2032 Olympic games on home soil in Brisbane.

The allure of playing in such a prestigious event keeps high performance players engaged in the game for a little bit longer, says Williams.

“As a former athlete who played in two Olympic games, I’m grateful for the experience,” he says. “I was in a similar boat where I tried to go for a third at the 2008 Beijing Games. It kept me and some of the veteran guys in the game longer trying to push for that goal.”

The inclusion of baseball in the Olympics cements a busy tournament schedule for the next five years.

Australia is expected to play in the 2023 Asian Professional Baseball Championships, the 2024 Premier12, the 2024 U23 World Cup, the 2026 World Baseball Classic, and now seek qualification for the 2028 Olympic games.