Team Australia lived in the present at the Asia Professional Baseball Championship at Tokyo Dome last week.
But at a tournament centered around players age 24 and under, the team also used the opportunity to look to the future. That is something especially important for a nation like Australia, which is trying to raise its profile internationally while also growing the game at home in a crowded sports landscape.
“A tournament like this is great,” Australian infielder Rixon Wingrove, told The Japan Times. “We’re getting a lot of the kids that haven’t been over here before into the experience. Heading into the 2026 WBC or the 2028 Olympics, these are the guys who are going to be on the roster. Getting this taste early on is something you can’t replicate anywhere.”