Press Release Baseball Australia
GOLD COAST– Team Australia Baseball has confirmed it will tour South Korea in preparation for the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
Team Australia, who will finalise its roster in the first week of February, will boast a number of Major League Baseball players, Australian Baseball League stars as well as a string of Australia’s best young talent, who recently won a silver medal at the U23 World Cup.
The playing group will travel to Seoul, South Korea on 24 February. The team will work out on the 25 and 26 February before taking on an unconfirmed Korean club team on 27 February.
Australia’s tour will conclude on the 28 February, where they will take on the world #3 South Korean national team at the Gocheok Skydome in Seoul. South Korea will provide stiff opposition for Team Australia; having beaten Team Australia 6-0 in the first round of the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
Team Australia then travels to Osaka, Japan on 1 March, before practice games against the Hanshin Tigers and Orix Buffaloes, two teams in the top flight of Japanese baseball.
Team Australia Manager Jon Deeble is excited to hit the ground running in Korea.
“This tour will be ideal for our preparation heading into the World Baseball Classic,” Deeble said.
“The tour gives us an opportunity to get up north and test out some combinations leading into the tournament. Playing Korea will be a great experience. We go out and try to win every game we play, and we’re treating this tour to Korea no differently.”
Australia will take on Cuba, China and host nation Japan when the 2017 World Baseball Classic begins on March 8 at the world-famous Tokyo Dome.