Australia v Italy

Manager Jon Deeble knows his team has a difficult road ahead in the World Baseball Classic

Competing in 'Pool D', Australia will play the powerhouse teams from Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, Thursday and Friday, respectively
But, before the Aussies get to the Goliaths of the group, they must face Team Italy on Tuesday

With several Major Leaguers, including Mike Piazza, who had 19 home runs and 62 RBIs in 113 games for the Mets last season, and Frank Catalanotto, who hit .301 and slugged .451 for the Blue Jays in 2005, Deeble is taking nothing for granted

"I saw their roster" Deeble said
"They've got a good ballclub
It's going to be tough, but we're expecting to win
Whether that happens or not, I'm not sure
But our aim is to win
We want to win all three games
But I think we match up pretty good against them"

While every member of the Australian team grew up Down Under, Deeble is dismayed that is not the case for all teams
"I think that's disappointing" he said
"Guys that have never been to Italy playing on their team
But, anyway, that's not our problem
All the guys on our roster are true Australians, and you're playing Italy and they've got a group of Major League guys that have never been to Italy
But we can't control that, so you can't worry about things you can't control
Our job is to go out there and try and beat them
We're going to give them a competition"

Right-hander John Stephens, who joined his teammates here Sunday afternoon after staying, with Deeble's permission, in camp with the Orioles, gets the start against Italy to open the Classic
Stephens, 26, was signed by Baltimore as a non-drafted free agent in 1996, when he was just 16
He has also spent time in the organizations of the Red Sox and Cubs, and was the starting pitcher in the 2002 MLB All-Star Futures Game
He was also a member of the 2004 Silver Medal-winning team at the Athens Olympics, and is expected to open the season with Baltimore's Triple-A Ottawa Lynx

"I'm expecting to just go out there and get a good performance" Stephens said
"We need to win the first one, because it's going to be tough against Venezuela and the Dominican Republic
That first game is going to be key for us"

While Stephens is looking forward to facing Team Italy's lineup, he has not yet had a chance to study it
"I'll get together with pitching coach Phil Dale later on and we're going to go over it" he said
"It'll be good
I've thrown against a few of them before so I've got some experience
It'll be interesting to see how everyone else does, if we can pull it together with just being together this short time
I think we'll be okay"