Today we’ll continue with Pool C in our preview series for the upcoming Baseball World Cup. Just a short reminder on the format: The first round in the BWC consists of five pools with four teams apiece. The top two countries of each group advance into the second round, joined by the four best third-ranked squads. More info on 2009BaseballWorldCup.com
Venue
The ballpark in Sundbyberg nearby Stockholm, Sweden was newly built for the 2009 Baseball World Cup with dimensions of 98 m at the foul lines and 122 m in center field and a capacity of 2,500 overall. The stadium is also the home field for the Swedish Elitserien club Sundbyberg Heat. The opening ceremony will start 45 minutes before the start of the opener between Sweden and the Netherlands Antilles.
Sweden
The team of Sweden suffered its first two losses before even throwing a first pitch, as American pro leaguers Bryan Berglund and Christian Staehely will not play for the team of head coach Karl Knutsson. With these two players missing it is going to be difficult for Sweden to win a game in their third Baseball World Cup. They have two wins so far. During training camp they played two exhibition games against a Swedish all-star team (8-6 win) and pool C opponent South Korea (1-6 loss). Most of their players should be in good enough game shape, as the season in Sweden ended just a few days ago.
South Korea
South Korea upset Cuba in the gold medal game at the 2008 Olympics and also reached the final at the 2009 World Baseball Classic. They also finished in second place in the 2005 Baseball World Cup and captured fifth in the 2007 tournament in Taiwan. With these good results Korea is ranked in second place in the IBAF World Rankings, right behind Cuba. We don’t know anything about the South Korean roster besides the fact that no MLB-affiliated players are aboard. They probably will send an amateur squad, but should be good enough to advance into round two.
Canada
Canada was eliminated by Italy in the most-recent 2009 World Baseball Classic after having finished in ninth place in the past two Baseball World Cups in the Netherlands and Taiwan. Manager Ernie Whitt has an interesting team under his helm, led by Major League experienced Adam Stern, pitcher turned outfielder Adam Loewen and R.J. Swindle. Also on the team is the highly touted prospect Brett Lawrie. Hall of Famer Larry Walker highlights the coaching staff as hitting and first base coach. During training camp, Canada played a four-game series against Team USA in North Carolina, but lost the first three games. Still, they should make the jump into round two.
Netherlands Antilles
The Netherlands Antilles will play in their first Baseball World Cup since 1988 after having qualified during the 2008 Americas Baseball Cup. Their roster is headlined by a corps of European elite league players. The Italian Baseball League runner up and 2008 champion T&A San Marino is represented by Johannes Gregorius Jr., Randolph Kirindongo, Ulrich Snijders and Ardley Jansen. Ludwin Obispo, Rafael Jozefa, Eldrion Regina and Andley Simmons all are on Dutch Hoofdklasse clubs. Raywendley van Gurp of the GCL Mets is the lone current pro player on the team, who is affiliated with a Major League organization. It is going to be interesting, how the Netherlands Antilles will fare in the tournament.
Schedule
Wednesday, September 9:
19:00 Sweden – Netherlands Antilles
Thursday, September 10:
19:00 Canada – South Korea
Friday, September 11:
14:00 South Korea – Sweden
19:00 Netherlands Antilles – Canada
Saturday, September 12:
12:00 South Korea – Netherlands Antilles
17:00 Sweden – Canada
Tickets
Tickets are available on www.ticnet.se