WBSC Men's Softball World Cup Group C preview: Japan & USA start as favourites in Oklahoma City

The Group Stage of the WBSC Men's Softball World Cup is coming to an end this week, with Group C being contested in Oklahoma City, USA. With two tickets to the Finals 2025 at stake, No. 4 Japan, No. 7 USA, No. 13 Guatemala, No. 17 Colombia, No. 18 South Africa and No. 19 Netherlands will go head to head at OGE Energy Field at Devon Park.

Group C features two medallists - five-time World Champions USA, and three-time medallists Japan (two silvers, one bronze). Both teams will open the competition as the favourites to clinch the two tickets to the Finals next year.

Join us in this preview of the Group C tournament. 

Colombia

• MSWC Appearances: 1
• Highest finish: 10th (2013)
• 2022 finish: N/A
• World Ranking: No. 17

After a fifth-place performance at the Pan American Championship in April, Colombia will play in Oklahoma City their second WBSC Men's Softball World Cup. Their only previous participation was in Auckland 2013, when they finished in 10th place. 

In 2013, they posted a 3-4 record in Group B and were eliminated from the play-offs. Colombia defeated Mexico (5-0), Philippines (4-2) and the Netherlands (7-0). They will face again the orange squad in Oklahoma.

Two of their pitchers from 11 years ago will come back this week for their second WBSC Men's Softball World Cup: Ramiro Escorcia and Elkin Chinchilla. Escorcia finished second in the tournament posting a 1.08 ERA. He worked 26 innings while striking out 41. He only allowed four earned runs. On the other hand, Chinchilla worked 9.1 frames with nine strikeouts. 

Offensively, Jeison Anillo had a great Americas Qualifier, hitting .353 with three runs scored and four RBIs. As a team, they hit .202 for the competition.

Guatemala

• MSWC Appearances: 1
• Highest finish: 12th (2015)
• 2022 finish: N/A
• World Ranking: No. 13

Guatemala earned their ticket to the World Cup as the fourth-place finisher at the Americas Qualifier in April, making the World Cup for the second time in history. Guatemala's debut was in Saskatoon 2015, going 2-5 in Group A with wins against Indonesia (7-) and the Philippines (4-0). During the Placement Round, they defeated Denmark, 3-1, and lost to USA in their last game, 4-0. Six players repeat from 2015: Gerardo Dacaret, Alvaro Dacaret, Pedro Dieguez, Alex Funes, Jorge Segura and Luis Villeda. 

Guatemala will count on an interesting pitching mix with veteran ace Jorge Segura and 22-year-old Juan Diego Morales. Segura pitched 33 innings in 2015, striking out 50 opponents while walking 23. On the other hand, Morales led his team to sixth place in the U-18 Men's Softball World Cup 2020, and 11th at last year's WBSC U-23 Men's Softball World Cup.

During the Americas Qualifier both players carried the heaviest workload, with Segura going 24.1 innings and Morales 18. They posted an ERA of 0.86 and 3.89 respectively.

Offensively, their main threat has been Nery del Cid, who hit .462 in the Pan American Championship and .579 in the WBSC U-23 Men's Softball World Cup 2023. 

Japan

• MSWC Appearances: 17
• Highest finish: 2nd (2000 and 2019)
• 2022 finish: 7th
• World Ranking: No. 4

Japan has participated in every WBSC Men's Softball World Cup but has yet to win the tournament, earning silver medals twice, in 2000 and 2019. They arrived to Auckland in 2022 as one of the main candidates to win the tournament, after losing to Argentina in the 2019 final, but failed to make the Super Round with a 2-3 record in Group B. 

Seven players from the 2022 team return to the National Team in 2024. Tei Hamamoto; Taiyo Kataoka, Seii Kuroiwa, Yusuke Morita, Yusuka Sakuraba, Kazuya Toriyama and Kotaro Yasumi. However, none of the pitchers in the staff are coming back for this World Cup. 

Hiroki Keda, Fuga Nagai and Shota Onodera are listed as the three pitchers in Oklahoma City. Nagai helped Japan win the U-18 World Title in Midland in 2016, while Onodera appeared in the silver medal teams at the U-18 World Cup 2018 and U-23 World Cup 2023.

Japan qualified for the World Cup as the Asia Qualifier winner. The team hit .371, scoring 46 times with no runs against. 

Netherlands

• MSWC Appearances: 6
• Highest finish: 13th (1996 and 2019)
• 2022 finish: N/A
• World Ranking: No. 19

The Netherlands made their debut in this competition in Midland 1996, finishing 13th. Since then, they have played six of the nine World Cups. However, they have failed to get into the top 10, collecting a range of results from 13th to 15th.

They earned the right to participate in this competition after winning a 10-7 drama against Belgium, coming from behind with five runs in the seventh to secure the bronze medal at the European Championship.

During the European Championship, their best pitcher was Emeron Lourens, working 25 innings while allowing 12 earned runs on 16 hits, with 27 strikeouts and 20 base on balls. Lourens is in the roster for the World Cup and is expected to be a factor for the European team.

Offensively, Jefferson Delfina and Eldrick Dijkhoof hit .421 and .412 respectively, carrying the orange squad during the event. 

South Africa

• MSWC Appearances: 11
• Highest finish: 7th (1976)
• 2022 finish: 11th
• World Ranking: No. 18

South Africa will appear in the World Cup for the fourth consecutive time and eighth time in the last nine events. Overall, South Africa has played 11 Men's Softball World Cups, being the African nation with the most appearances in the premiere men's softball competition. In March, South Africa won the African Championship beating arch-rivals Botswana in the final, 2-0. 

Seven players in the roster are veterans from the 2022 World Cup in New Zealand: Mankomoro Chepape, Rowan Ebersohn, Tidima Kekana, Lucas Lamola, Mandla Matswenyane, Tyrone Milne and Mogau Thupudi. Among them, only Kekana and Lamola are pitchers.

During the 2022 World Cup, South Africa's only win was against Denmark in the Opening Round, leaving the Europeans in last place. 

The last time South Africa finished in the top 10 was in Whitehorse 2017 when they ended in 10th position. They finished 12th and 11th in 2019 and 2022 respectively.

USA

• MSWC Appearances: 17
• Highest finish: World Champion (1966, 1968, 1976, 1980 and 1988)
• 2022 finish: 3rd
• World Ranking: No. 7

This will be USA's 18th participation in the competition, being one of only four nations to play in every WBSC Men's Softball World Cup, along with Canada, Japan and New Zealand. USA is second in the medal table with five world titles, one silver medal and four bronzes, the last one in 2022 in New Zealand. USA have never finished less than ninth place in this event.

Their roster includes 12 returners from the 2022 season where USA took home the bronze medal at the WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup to snap an 18-year medal drought. Two players - Freddie Bradford and Marco Diaz - will represent the Red, White and Blue for the first time in their careers. 

With Bradley Kilpatrick absent, two young pitchers will step up: Marco Diaz and Coddy Gibbons. Diaz pitched for Mexico at youth level, while Gibbons pitched USA to a fourth place finish in the U-18 World Cup last year.

USA's two best batters in the last World Cup are back with the team. Jonathan Lynch hit .538 with a pair of homers; while Blaine Milheim went .424 with three dingers and seven RBIs.