Despite having claimed the Silver Medal in the 2004 Olympics, Australia enters the inaugural World Baseball Classic as a definite underdog

Their first round pool includes the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, who are two of the favorites to win the entire tournament

Still feeding off the Olympic momentum gained two years ago and looking to prove they're an underrated nation in regards to baseball talent, the Australians will come to Florida confident that they can make some noise

The top two teams from each of the four pools will advance to the second round

Two standout pitchers from the 2004 Olympics - Chris Oxspring and Jeff Williams - are playing professionally in Japan and won't participate

But with long-time Major Leaguer Dave Nilsson and rising star Justin Huber, the club has definite star power

While the Dominican Republic and Venezuela have many more recognizable players, Australia has its fair share of players currently employed by Major League organizations
Infielders Glenn Williams (Twins), Trent Durrington (Red Sox) and left-handed pitcher Travis Blackley (Mariners) have all spent time in the big leagues during the past two seasons
Former big leaguers Damian Moss and John Stephens are also part of a pitching staff that includes Adrian Burnside, who is a non-roster invitee with the Blue Jays this year

Australia also will boast a talented catching trio
Michael Collins is a non-roster invitee with the Angles
Andrew Graham (Tigers) and Matthew Kent (Red Sox) are currently working their way through the Minors

Baseball in Australia

Historical accounts claim that gold miners from the United States introduced baseball to Australia in the 1850's
Nilsson, who starred on the 2004 Silver Medal-winning team, has been the nation's most accomplished baseball player
After winning the Intercontinental Cup in 1999, expectations were high heading into the 2000 Olympics, which were held on their home turf in Sydney
The wounds from the seventh-place finish in those Games were healed when they fell short of an Olympic Gold just four years later

Projected Lineup

Projected Rotation

Paul Mildren, Philip Brassington and Damian Moss

Strengths

With Huber and Nilsson in the middle of the lineup, the Australian team boasts a couple of experienced veterans who have had success in previous international competitions
They could receive a number of run-producing opportunities with the speedy and talented Oeltjen serving as the lineup's catalyst
Both Oeltjen, who is a promising prospect in the Twins' farm system, and Durrington, who has played 948 games in the Minors, possess good speed and the capability of getting on base with regularity
Adding to the lineup's strength is Williams, who hit .425 in 13 games before Minnesota had to place him on the disabled list with a season-ending shoulder injury last year
There are plenty of potential offensive weapons on the Australian team with Huber likely being the most potent
The 23 year-old first baseman was named MVP of last summer's Futures Game
One of Kansas City's top prospects, he has hit .293 and produced a .493 slugging percentage in his five-year Minor League career

Weaknesses

With pitch counts being used during the WBC, the lack of depth on Australia's pitching staff will become a definite detriment
Moss, who pitched for the Braves, Giants and Devil Rays, is the staff's most recognizable member
Mildren and Brassington join Moss as the club's top three starters, and each is very capable of providing some productive early innings
Mildren, a 21 year-old southpaw, went 10-3 for Florida's Class A team in Jupiter, Fla
Burnside, a 28 year-old southpaw who reached the Triple-A level last year with the Blue Jays, appears to be the club's top reliever
In 50 appearances with Syracuse last year, he was 4-4 with a 2.98 ERA
Stephens, a 26 year-old right-hander who made 12 starts for the Orioles in 2002, could provide some valuable long relief outings
But as a whole, the pitching staff is much weaker than the ones that the Dominican Republic and Venezuela will be utilizing

Big question

There is certainly a chance that Australia will score a lot of runs
But will their pitching staff be able to take a bend-but-not-break approach and emerge victorious in what could be some high-scoring games?
They'll need to hope their pitchers are able to take advantage of some of the early-season struggles offensive players experience

Keep an eye on

Williams was once thought to be one of the game's top prospects
But after receiving a seven-figure signing bonus from the Braves, he began a career burdened with a multitude of injuries
The 28 year-old infielder made his Major League debut with the Twins last year and immediately began a 13-game hitting streak
But he then suffered a season-ending shoulder injury

Quotable

"Competing in this is going to be great
We're under no illusions
It's going to be tough"
Manager Jon Deeble

They'll advance if...

Venezuela or the Dominican Republic teams fall far short of lofty expectations and fail to take advantage of Australia's lack of pitching depth
At the same time, the Australian offense will need to be at its best and combine an upset of one of these countries with another strong showing against Italy, the Pool's weakest team