THUNDER BAY – The teams are set for this summer’s Under-18 Baseball World Cup.
And there will be a new flavour to the event last staged in Thunder Bay seven years ago. Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua and South Africa are joining the 12-team field, joining returning teams Canada, the United States, Chinese Taipei, Korea, Cuba, Australia, the Netherlands and Italy.
Tournament director Warren Philp said that’s about as good as it gets in baseball.
“The World Baseball/Softball Federation tells us they’ve been holding this event since 1981 and this clearly the strongest field that they’ve ever had in this tournament,” Philp said on Wednesday.
“Nine of the top 10 countries in the world are going to be here in Thunder Bay for this tournament.”
Japan, which was not in the field in 2010, finished in the runner-up position to the three-time defending champion United States in 2013 and 2015 and will give the 2017 event an added boost it didn’t have in 2010.
It will also help to broaden its interest, Philp said.
“It’s nice that it’s available to the locals, but from an economic impact standpoint, having visitors here from out of town, out of region, out of province and out of country is really where it starts to add up,” he said.
“With Japan coming we’re going to be making some targeted efforts to attract Japanese fans, not only from Japan, but also from Japanese fans elsewhere in the world – around Canada, around the U.S. and making efforts to bring in some of those fans who are watching high school baseball.”
Although the event won’t start until Sept. 1 at Port Arthur Stadium and Baseball Central, some teams have already started putting some of the pieces in place.
Canada, who has named 29 players to its junior national team spring training roster, will once again be coached by Greg Hamilton. The United States has named former Montreal Expos infielder Andy Stankiewicz as its skipper.
There will be plenty of interest in the 2017 U-18 Baseball World Cup, Philp said, reminding fans that full tournament packages for reserved seating will only be on sale through April 5.
After that, single-game will be the only way to get through the gates and into the stands.
That’s a hassle potential attendees can avoid, Philp said, adding they set the deadline so far in advance to get a handle on what type of support they might have come Sept. 1.
“Hopefully people remember the lineups for tickets and the challenges getting seats for Canada’s games and important games in the tournament in 2010,” Philp said.
Host Canada will play in Group A, alongside Korea, Chinese Taipei, Australia, Italy and Nicaragua. Group B will consist of Japan, the United States, Cuba, Mexico, the Netherlands and South Africa.
The top three teams in each group advance to the Super Round group stage and a shot at the championship.
Tickets are available at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium box office.
