Manager Hiroki Kokubo announced a familiar-looking squad on Monday for Samurai Japan's March games against a team of players from Europe.
The noticeable changes from Kokubo's team that faced touring major leaguers in November are with the pitching staff, where none of the aces who led Japan to the series victory will be back.
Instead, Chunichi Dragons reliever Katsuki Matayoshi, who finished second to Hiroshima's Daichi Osera in the voting for last year's Central League Rookie of the Year Award, received his first national team call-up.