Managers praise Shaoxing welcome at WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup 2024 Pre Tournament Press Conference

The managers of the 12 participating teams praised the hosts and the venue during the pre-tournament press conference on the eve of the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup 2024, which will be held at the Shaoxing Baseball and Softball Sports Culture Center from 6-15 September.

Master of Ceremony Audrey Mo asked the 12 managers to comment about the host city of Shaoxing. She received enthusiastic feedback about the impressive mix of ancient monuments and modern buildings.

"In that way, it reminds me of London," said Great Britain's Jonathon Cramman.

"The city is beautiful, green and clean," added South Africa's Neil Adonis.

China's manager, Wei Li, confirmed, " Not only is the city beautiful, but it has good people and the best baseball stadium in the country."

Japan, Chinese Taipei, and Venezuela made no mistake about their goal: They came to Shaoxing to win.

"We changed most of the team," said Japan's Tomoyasu Kawaguchi, "but we are still confident we can defend the title we won in 2022."

"We have prepared for a long time and are here to win," added Barcelona 1992 silver medallist Chien-Fu Kuo-Lee, Chinese Taipei's manager. "Of course, the short-term goal is to qualify for the Super Round."

"It is a pleasure to represent our country. We want to do it with pride," said Venezuela's Robert Perez. "Our preparation was short, but the players have just finished a tournament in Venezuela and are ready to play. We are here to win.

Nicaragua's skipper, Anibal Vega, emphasized the government support they received: "We worked eight weeks in Nicaragua and two here in Asia. We had the chance to play local professional teams and Samurai Japan. We never had such a chance and want to make the most of it."

Australia, Colombia and Korea declared they have "high expectations."

"The preparation was short but intense," said Australia's Shayne Watson."Players did a great job coming to camp ready."

"Our preparation was short and focused on this tournament," said Colombia's coach Neder Horta. "We are now concentrated on making the Super Round."

"We worked hard to get ready. We need to qualify for the Super Round first," added Korea's Tae-Won Choi.

"Being here is priceless", said Puerto Rico's Juan Gonzalez. "Our preparation was not long, but we worked hard and are ready to play."

The Netherlands' manager, Sidney De Jong, said his team has prepared for the World Cup since qualifying last summer. "We have worked out with a group of guys in the Netherlands. We have been in Shaoxing for two days and can't wait to play."

Neil Adonis said South Africa's players are in China "to show their passion for baseball and commitment. We want to be competitive. Our preparation was different from everybody else. We are in the winter season in South Africa."

The local press, which includes 33 journalists and 27 photographers, closed the press conference with questions about the game between Great Britain and China, which will mark both countries' debuts in the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup.

"It's an incredible honour," said Cramman. "My players won't forget playing after the Opening Ceremony in a beautiful stadium crowded with fans."

Wei-Li focused on his team's goals: "We want to improve our players and prove we can come together as a team. Of course, we want to win as many games as possible."

Two left-handers will take the mound. Oliver Duthie will start for Great Britain, while Xiang Wang will pitch for China.

In the morning, South Africa's Robert White and Nicaragua's Axel Zapata will start Game 1. The second game will see right-handers Ky Jackson (Australia) and Davis Acevedo (Colombia) take the mound.

The afternoon games will be Netherlands (right-handed Naut Kragt) vs. Venezuela (right-handed José Guzman) and Korea (left-hander Taehyun Kim) vs. Chinese Taipei (right-hander Jia Huei Zeng).

The other night game will see Japan's right-hander Koki Taniwaki face Puerto Rico's left-handed Jorhan Laboy.