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The 2025 U-18 World Cup presented by RAXUS begins this week.

Team Australia is on their way to Japan. They’ll acclimatise to Japanese conditions in Okinawa for three days before beginning Pool B play on September 5.

One word keeps popping up when evaluating this group of 20 players. 

Versatility.

“We’ve got some nice pieces. There are a lot of guys who can do a lot of things well,” says Team Manager Jason Pospishil in a podcast interview.

“We ended up picking twelve positions players but three of those can pitch. This was something I wanted to explore. It’s been a long time since we’ve had three genuine two-way players who can compete on both sides at an international standard. That gives me the confidence we can mix and match vs certain teams.”

The squad also features multiple infielders who can play a few different spots around the diamond.

Australia needs to find these hidden advantages if they want to make a run at the Super Round. They’re in a unique position compared to their Group B opponents of Germany, Panama, the USA, Chinese Taipei and China.

All five other nations are in the middle of their baseball season.

Australia is in the middle of winter. Baseball season ended in March.

That’s why how Australia approaches the tournament lead-in is so important.

“The harsh reality is we know if we play USA or Japan or Korea in a 162 game season, we’re not going to win [as many games],” says Pospishil. “But in a tournament, if you prepare the right way, and you’re versatile enough, you can beat any team on any given day.”

Pospishil references a 2015 U18 tournament where Australia defeated a USA that had a team of nearly 20 future professional players.  Australia has defeated Chinese Taipei and Japan at recent U18 tournaments, too.

They’ve medalled at this event on five occasions.

“Overall the balance and versatility is something I really like with this group,” says Pospishil.

Tournament preparation was elevated at a week-long selection camp on the Gold Coast from August 17-23. National selectors invited 34 players and named a 20-man squad by the end of the week. You can read about each player below.

“When you’re going to a World Cup, you’re playing teams that are [very] advanced. That means there are boxes the players need to tick from a preparation to be able to compete especially from a speed point of view,” says Posphishil. “Guys flying up the line in 4.0-4.2 times doesn’t happen too often outside of World Cup. That’s what we’ll see there.”

It means how Australia fields the ball could make or break the tournament.

Australia will use their time in their second pre-tournament camp, a three-day intensive in Okinawa, to go over defensive plays, communication and game strategy while adapting to Japanese conditions.

“I think defensively we are going to catch the ball pretty cleanly which is a positive. We saw that from the group in December [at the U18 Qualifiers],” says Pospishil.

Beyond the speed, versatility and defensive abilities, the U18 national team skipper says he is encouraged by a team bond he saw in camp.

“The energy and the comraderey I saw in [Gold Coast] was outstanding. It’s one of the best groups I’ve been around,” says Pospishil.

U18 HUB: View the schedule and important U18 World Cup links

“These guys were going at each other, two teams each day, but at the end of the day they’d meet on the mound and they were high-fiving each other, picking each other up, celebrating wins. It was really cool to see. I like mentally where we are at,” he adds.

Australia opens the tournament with a Friday tilt vs Germany, a Saturday date with Panama and Sunday clash with China. They finish with the group’s two heavy weights, Chinese Taipei and USA, early the following week.

The objective is to finish in the top three of the Group and advance to the Super Round to play for the medal.

“These first three games are going to be paramount. Then, we evaluate where we are at. Everyone is trying to beat everyone on [any given] day. Knowing you can pivot, have a plan A, B, C, D all the way down to X,” says Pospishil.

“The Aussie way is ‘Let’s go. Let’s go get ’em.’ We don’t take a back seat to anybody. The guys embrace it. When you come to a tournament, anything can happen.

PLAYER INFORMATION – TEAM AUSTRALIA U18

C – Jordan Ellis (VIC) – From Geelong, Ellis built an impressive lead-in to last week’s camp. He was on the radar after he played well with the U16 National Squad at a tournament in Atlanta in 2024. A lower back injury kept him out of the U18 National Championships. But, some hard work saw health return. He can play multiple positions and will be a key cog in the name of versatility.

C – Cooper Teichmann (QLD) – Teichmann was rock solid behind the plate in the qualifying series vs New Zealand. He has been the Brisbane Bandits bullpen catcher for the last two seasons, trained overseas, and been a leader on Queensland’s U18 state squad.

INF – Ben Nesbit (WA) – Nesbit has starred at every level he’s played at through juniors. He was one of the leading hitters for Western Australia at the U18 Nationals, he helped lead the Eastern Phantoms to the 2024 Senior League World Series International Semi-Final, he played for Australia in Atlanta. All of this culminated in a call-up as a 17-year-old to the Perth Heat in the 2024-25 ABL season where he collected his first hit.

INF – Will Hardy (VIC) – Hardy has been a key part of the Baseball Victoria Performance Pathways program. Hardy was on the Melbourne Aces’ development list in the 2024-25 ABL season. He brings versatility, being able to play all three infield spots.

INF – Josh Nati (NSW) – Australia’s only return player from the 2023 U18 World Cup. He hit over .300 last tournament as a 15-year-old. Nati has already committed to NCAA Division 1 program Oregon State. He was a leader on New South Wales national U18 championship win in January. Nati is a Blue Sox Development Player and holds all of the exit velocity for his age and weight at Driveline facility in Washington.

INF – Eita Samukawa (WA) – A pretty cool moment for Samukawa, who just received his Australian passport and citizenship this season. From Japan, Samukawa grew up in the Western Australian system. He won a silver medal at the 2025 U18 Championships, starred in charter with the Eastern Phantoms and went away to Atlanta with U16 team.

OF – James McFarlane (SA) – A  centerfielder with a high IQ both on and off the diamond. He is in talks with multiple Ivy League schools about playing NCAA Division I baseball in 2026. McFarlane had a big U18 National Championship as South Australia won a Bronze Medal while playing Division I locally.

OF – Devin Leahy (VIC) – A short, quick, outfielder with strong bat-to-ball skills. He is a 2024 U18 National Champion with Victoria. Leahy brings a different style of game play and energy to the national squad.

OF – Christian Lane (NSW) – One of seven return players from the U18 Qualifiers squad. Lane was one of the top hitters at training camp, which helped secure a spot on the team.

UTL – Matt Trainor (NSW) – This is your 2025 Australian U18 National Championship MVP. He won the award because of his ability to affect play in all aspects of the game. He can hit, he can pitch. Expect him to be used in multiple situations at the World Cup.

UTL – Lachlan Vella (NSW) – Vella led the U18 Nationals in homers and was right up there in almost every offensive metric. He can play first base and third base and will pitch some important innings from the bullpen, adding another layer of versatility to this dynamic group.

UTL – Ashton Kennedy (NSW) – Another two-way player for the coaching staff. He has a 90+ mph fast ball and was used as New South Wales’ closer during their 2025 U18 Championship run. He’s a bottom-age player who can impact the game on both sides of the ledger.

RHP – Ethan Bickel (NSW) – He was on the U18 Qualifying squad in December. He played for Team Australia U17 at the Perfect Game Fort Myers tournament in 2024. He can land multiple pitches for a strike and was the best strike thrower at camp.

RHP – Riley Puckett (NSW) – He didn’t give up a run at the U18 Australian National Championships en route to claiming the Pitcher of the Tournament Award. Another player who has confidence to throw a breaking ball in any count. A great competitor.

RHP – Patrick Crotty (QLD) – He just kept trending right direction and pushed his way on the side. While he wasn’t on Queensland’s U18 state team at Nationals, he proved to be the hardest thrower at national camp, sitting around 93mph. He went to Atlanta with the U16 National Squad in 2024.

RHP – Deakin Filko (SA) – A hard-thrower who proved to be the star pitcher for South Australia’s Bronze Medal team at  the U18 Nationals. Filko played for Australia at the U16 exhibition series vs USA U15.

RHP – Kristian Haeusler (WA) – A story of resilience. Haeusler played for Australia at the U12 World Cup in 2019. But, later he had shoulder surgery causing him to miss last year’s nationals.  He has a solid breaking ball he can land for strikes while also generating swings and misses on his change-up.

RHP – Nate Quigg (ACT) – Canberra’s only player on the team. Known for his work ethic, Quigg has spent 2025 working out and throwing bullpens with Team Australia catcher Robbie Perkins. Quigg made his ABL debut in 2025 with the Canberra Cavalry.

LHP – Mitch Evans (SA) – The team’s lone player who has already signed a professional contract. Evans velocity keeps increasing and he throws an off-speed for strikes. It’s one of the reasons the Detroit Tigers signed him. Evans allowed just one run in an epic start vs USA’s U15 squad in a series in 2024.

LHP – Damien Wilson (NSW) – A lefty who pitched well for Australia at the U18 Qualifiers. He was a key innings eater and delivered some big moments for New South Wales at the U18 National Championships.

Australia’s roster for the 2025 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Under 18 World Cup presented by RAXUS is locked in.

National selectors finalised the 20-man squad on Saturday evening after a week-long selection camp on the Gold Coast.

The camp, which was proudly supported by Invest Gold Coast, saw 34 athletes from across the country take part in an evaluation in advance of next month’s World Cup in Okinawa, Japan.

Team Australia named eight pitchers and twelve position players to the team.

“We have a very versatile team,” said manager Jason Pospishil after the camp.

U18 WORLD CUP HUB: Follow Team Australia in Japan 

“Any time you wear an Australian jersey it’s an honour and a privilege. When you stand on that foul line and they play the anthem that’s when it hits you that what you’re doing isn’t done by everybody and there’s a responsibility for it.”

All seven state representative teams at the Australian Youth Championships (NSW, NSW Country, ACT, SA, WA, QLD, VIC) have players named to the U18 national squad.

The roster includes one return player from the 2023 U18 World Cup (Josh Nati) and one pitcher who has signed professionally with an MLB club (Mitch Evans, Detroit Tigers).

There are seven players who helped Australia qualify for the World Cup last December in a five-game series vs New Zealand.  These players are Ethan Bickel, Mitch Evans, Deakin Filko, Damien Wilson, Cooper Teichmann, Ben Nesbit and Christian Lane.

“We want to see guys who are consistent in their performance. There are bench marks we need guys to be able to achieve but we also highlight that if a guy has a bad camp it doesn’t define them as a baseball player, they still have ample opportunity to develop later on down the road and potentially represent the country at 23U or the senior team level,” says Pospishil.

The 20 players will return to their home states for a week before flying to Okinawa Japan on August 31.

The U18 World Cup is scheduled to begin on September 5.

The likes of baseball superstars Yu Darvish, Francisco Lindor, Clayton Kershaw and Aroldis Chapman have all played in this tournament. Team Australia World Baseball Classic players – such as Rixon Wingrove, Jack O’Loughlin and Alex Hall to name a few of many – have also participated in the Under 18 global event.

Australia’s first game is against Germany. You can view the schedule via our World Cup Hub.

Broadcast details in Australia will be revealed in the next fortnight.

“Once we get on the plane our focus is on winning the world championships but in the background we are trying to instill those fundamentals and values that will help these kids represent Team Australia in the future, says Pospishil.

“There’s a systematic approach to how we want to develop players and for the behaviour and the bench marks and the standards we want to see is going to be consistent across all our national teams and I think that’s what leads to good culture.”

PLAYER INFORMATION – TEAM AUSTRALIA U18

C – Jordan Ellis (VIC) – From Geelong, Ellis built an impressive lead-in to last week’s camp. He was on the radar after he played well with the U16 National Squad at a tournament in Atlanta in 2024. A lower back injury kept him out of the U18 National Championships. But, some hard work saw health return. He can play multiple positions and will be a key cog in the name of versatility.

C – Cooper Teichmann (QLD) – Teichmann was rock solid behind the plate in the qualifying series vs New Zealand. He has been the Brisbane Bandits bullpen catcher for the last two seasons, trained overseas, and been a leader on Queensland’s U18 state squad.

INF – Ben Nesbit (WA) – Nesbit has starred at every level he’s played at through juniors. He was one of the leading hitters for Western Australia at the U18 Nationals, he helped lead the Eastern Phantoms to the 2024 Senior League World Series International Semi-Final, he played for Australia in Atlanta. All of this culminated in a call-up as a 17-year-old to the Perth Heat in the 2024-25 ABL season where he collected his first hit.

INF – Will Hardy (VIC) – Hardy has been a key part of the Baseball Victoria Performance Pathways program. Hardy was on the Melbourne Aces’ development list in the 2024-25 ABL season. He brings versatility, being able to play all three infield spots.

INF – Josh Nati (NSW) – Australia’s only return player from the 2023 U18 World Cup. He hit over .300 last tournament as a 15-year-old. Nati has already committed to NCAA Division 1 program Oregon State. He was a leader on New South Wales national U18 championship win in January. Nati is a Blue Sox Development Player and holds all of the exit velocity for his age and weight at Driveline facility in Washington.

INF – Eita Samukawa (WA) – A pretty cool moment for Samukawa, who just received his Australian passport and citizenship this season. From Japan, Samukawa grew up in the Western Australian system. He won a silver medal at the 2025 U18 Championships, starred in charter with the Eastern Phantoms and went away to Atlanta with U16 team.

OF – James McFarlane (SA) – A  centerfielder with a high IQ both on and off the diamond. He is in talks with multiple Ivy League schools about playing NCAA Division I baseball in 2026. McFarlane had a big U18 National Championship as South Australia won a Bronze Medal while playing Division I locally.

OF – Devin Leahy (VIC) – A short, quick, outfielder with strong bat-to-ball skills. He is a 2024 U18 National Champion with Victoria. Leahy brings a different style of game play and energy to the national squad.

OF – Christian Lane (NSW) – One of seven return players from the U18 Qualifiers squad. Lane was one of the top hitters at training camp, which helped secure a spot on the team.

UTL – Matt Trainor (NSW) – This is your 2025 Australian U18 National Championship MVP. He won the award because of his ability to affect play in all aspects of the game. He can hit, he can pitch. Expect him to be used in multiple situations at the World Cup.

UTL – Lachlan Vella (NSW) – Vella led the U18 Nationals in homers and was right up there in almost every offensive metric. He can play first base and third base and will pitch some important innings from the bullpen, adding another layer of versatility to this dynamic group.

UTL – Ashton Kennedy (NSW) – Another two-way player for the coaching staff. He has a 90+ mph fast ball and was used as New South Wales’ closer during their 2025 U18 Championship run. He’s a bottom-age player who can impact the game on both sides of the ledger.

RHP – Ethan Bickel (NSW) – He was on the U18 Qualifying squad in December. He played for Team Australia U17 at the Perfect Game Fort Myers tournament in 2024. He can land multiple pitches for a strike and was the best strike thrower at camp.

RHP – Riley Puckett (NSW) – He didn’t give up a run at the U18 Australian National Championships en route to claiming the Pitcher of the Tournament Award. Another player who has confidence to throw a breaking ball in any count. A great competitor.

RHP – Patrick Crotty (QLD) – He just kept trending right direction and pushed his way on the side. While he wasn’t on Queensland’s U18 state team at Nationals, he proved to be the hardest thrower at national camp, sitting around 93mph. He went to Atlanta with the U16 National Squad in 2024.

RHP – Deakin Filko (SA) – A hard-thrower who proved to be the star pitcher for South Australia’s Bronze Medal team at  the U18 Nationals. Filko played for Australia at the U16 exhibition series vs USA U15.

RHP – Kristian Haeusler (WA) – A story of resilience. Haeusler played for Australia at the U12 World Cup in 2019. But, later he had shoulder surgery causing him to miss last year’s nationals.  He has a solid breaking ball he can land for strikes while also generating swings and misses on his change-up.

RHP – Nate Quigg (ACT) – Canberra’s only player on the team. Known for his work ethic, Quigg has spent 2025 working out and throwing bullpens with Team Australia catcher Robbie Perkins. Quigg made his ABL debut in 2025 with the Canberra Cavalry.

LHP – Mitch Evans (SA) – The team’s lone player who has already signed a professional contract. Evans velocity keeps increasing and he throws an off-speed for strikes. It’s one of the reasons the Detroit Tigers signed him. Evans allowed just one run in an epic start vs USA’s U15 squad in a series in 2024.

LHP – Damien Wilson (NSW) – A lefty who pitched well for Australia at the U18 Qualifiers. He was a key innings eater and delivered some big moments for New South Wales at the U18 National Championships.

Team Australia Baseball is on the Gold Coast for a landmark week.

From August 15-16, Baseball Australia is running a coaches conference. From August 17-23, Team Australia is hosting 34 athletes at an Under-18 World Cup Selection Camp.

Both events are proudly supported by Invest Gold Coast.

Here is what you need to know:

COACHING CONFERENCE

Fifty coaches from across the country will be in attendance at the Crowne Plaza for a two-day conference.

Many of the attendees were coaches at Australian Youth Championships and Australian Women’s Championships over the past year.

The focus of the conference is to teach coaches how to create engaging learning environments and explore modern trends of coaching and development.

The principal presented is Dr. Jeff Simons, a Professor of Kinesiology at California State University, East Bay who specialises in the psychology of sport and physical activity.

The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) will also be in attendance.

U18 WORLD CUP SELECTION CAMP

33 of Australia’s best young baseball players will work out at Surfers Paradise Baseball Club and stay at the Crowne Plaza over the next week.

The six-day camp will be used to select the players on the final roster for the 2025 Under 18 World Cup in Okinawa, Japan (Sept 5-14, 2025). Players were selected based on performance at the 2025 Australian Youth Championships.

The selection camp will feature a series of work-outs, exhibition games and evaluations.

Of the 33 players selected, 21 were on Team Australia trips to the USA last year. There are 23 players in their second year of eligibility and ten are in their first.

A national team will be announced on August 24.

The squad will fly out to Okinawa, Japan on August 31 for a three-day training camp before the tournament begins.

You can view the player list below.

The team will be led by manager Jason Pospishil 

Stay tuned to Team Australia Baseball social media for updates during the camp.

The training camp is proudly supported by Invest Gold Coast.

Australia is back in the top ten of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Men’s Baseball World Rankings.

Australia picked up 104 points after their record ninth place finish at the U12 World Cup this week, improving their standing from 11th to 10th in the world.

It’s the first time Australia has been in the top ten since October, 2023.

It edges our ranking above traditional baseball powerhouses like Dominican Republic (11th) and Cuba (12th).

WORLD RANKINGS: View the full list from WBSC 

Australia reached as high as sixth in 2019 but COVID limited the national team’s ability to play meaningful international games for a two year stretch.

However, Australia picked up meaningful international ranking points with a quarter-final appearance at the 2023 World Baseball Classic and a seventh place at the 2024 Premier12.

Australia has collected ranking points at the U12 World Cup, U18 World Cup, U23 World Cup, Premier12, World Baseball Classic, and multiple qualifying events.

The top twelve teams at the end of 2025 gain automatic entry into the 2027 Premier12 tournament.

Australia’s next major tournament is the Under 18 World Cup in Okinawa, Japan in September.

Two Australian national Under 16 teams will compete in tournaments in baseball-crazed Japan in August.

In March 2025, Team Australia named 34 players to a national squad selected off the backs of their performance at the Australian Youth Championships.

The squad has since been split into one team of 18 and one team of 16 based off their date of births and school year.

One squad will compete at the 15U Perfect Game Pacific Baseball Championships in Sapporo, while the other will play against some of the top Japanese junior teams – including a double-header vs the Tokyo Giants U15 Team – in Tokyo.

Here’s what you need to know: