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2008 Women's World Cup

Coming fourth can be agonising at the best of times, but spare a thought for the Australian Womens National Baseball team which has finished one step off the dais at each IBAF World Cup held since 2004.

 

In exactly two weeks, the 20 best female baseballers in Australia will be out to capture that elusive medal when they head to Venezuela to contest the fourth IBAF Women's Baseball World Cup from August 12-22, 2010.

 

The 20-member Australian team features nine from New South Wales, seven Victorians, three West Australians and one Queenslander.  

 

It boasts an impressive list of experienced players including the only four Australian players who will have contested all four World Cups held in Katie Gaynor (NSW), Samantha Hamilton (VIC), Shae Lillywhite (VIC) and Amy McCann (VIC). 

 

And the quartet will be hoping to capture previous World Cup form which has seen them either named to "All World Teams" (Gaynor '04, Lillywhite '06 and McCann '06) or take home the Stolen Bases Award (Hamilton '06).

 

Christina Kreppold (WA) and Tahnee Lovering (NSW) also add tremendous talent and experience, with ten players in all from the 2008 World Cup team returning in 2010.

 

Eight players will make their international debut including teenagers Natalie Rawlings (WA), the 2010 national championships MVP, plus hard throwing lefty Melinda Latimer (CNSW) and speedstar Bronwyn Gell (VIC).  In all, seven teenagers have been included in the list.

 

The pitching staff has been bolstered with 2008 team members Lauren Murphy (NSW), Laura Neads (NSW) and Jacinda Barclay (WA) joined in the rotation by Latimer and fellow debutants Sinead Flanigan (VIC), Kathy Welsh (VIC), while the offensive line up is also improved with the return of hard hitting Brooke Shiels (nee Maclean) (NSW) after a four year absence.

 

Australia will be joined by 11 other countries at the Cup, including defending champions Japan and two-time champions USA, who are both predicted to perform strongly.

 

The twelve teams have been separated into two qualifying groups, with Australia placed with Group A with 2008 runners up Canada, Hong Kong, India, plus debutants Netherlands and hosts Venezuela. 

 

Group B includes Japan, USA, Chinese Taipei, Cuba, South Korea and the Dominican Republic. The top three from each group progress to further finals rounds.

 

The team departs Australia on August 5 and heads to a training camp in North Carolina, USA, before arriving in Venezuela on August 9.

 

John Gaynor, returning for his second stint as Head Coach at the World Cup, is happy with preparations and excited about the team's prospects ahead of their departure.

 

"I definitely believe 2010 is our best chance of a medal as have all our bases covered so to speak with the a short, a running and a long game," he explained adding, "Combined with our tuned up pitching rotation with numerous hard ball throwers including Latimer, our hard throwing lefty who is also our youngest player.

 

"We definitely have a good shot at wearing some bling around our necks at the end."

 

For results, reports and photos during the World Cup, please see links below.