An unprecedented eight players are set to make their international debuts and join some of Australia’s longest serving stars as the Australian Baseball Team prepares for their toughest ever Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Taiwan later this week

The 24-man squad, officially released by the Australian Baseball Federation today, is headlined by five members of Australia’s 2004 Silver medal winning team in addition to boasting some prodigious new talent set for their senior debuts

Former Major League player and two-time Olympian Glenn Williams is one of the more experienced members of the team who will need to play a key role in the Qualifier – a Tournament some pundits have already referred to as Australia’s “Mini-Olympics”
“We knew coming in that it was going to be a tough road to Beijing” Williams said
“But when three of the eight teams have already won Olympic Medals (Korea, Australia, Chinese Taipei), and two others (Canada, Mexico) consider baseball as one of their major sports, you know the bar is going to be set pretty high” he said

Australian Head Coach Jon Deeble, who guided the Aussies to their greatest ever performance in Athens four years ago, echoes the sentiments of his senior players but also sees the Final Qualifying Tournament as a genuine opportunity for Australian Baseball
“There is no escaping the fact that we have faced some real challenges in preparing for this tournament” Deeble said
“The (March) timing of the event meant that many of our players were committed to their Major League clubs in the US, and the fact that it’s our one and only opportunity to qualify means there is an enormous amount on the line
Personally, it’s been the most challenging program in my seven years as the Coach of the National Team, but I also think we are witnessing the birth of our next generation of Australian stars” Deeble said

That “next generation” Deeble refers to includes thirteen players under the age of twenty-five, three of whom have not yet seen their twentieth birthdays
But don’t let their ages fool you – 19-year-old Liam Hendriks is fresh off his 2008 Claxton Shield 'Rookie of the Year' campaign, 18-year-old Steve Kent won the 2007 ABF Youth Player of the Year, and James Linger who is set to become the first 17-year-old to play for his country since current Major Leaguer Chris Snelling won Gold with the Aussies at the 1999 Intercontinental Cup, continues to exceed all expectations every time he graces the field

Australia must place in the top three teams of the eight-nation Final Olympic Qualifying Tournament matching up against Korea, Canada, Spain, Germany, South Africa, Mexico and Taiwan

The seven-game round robin tournament gets underway March 7 in Taichung when Australia takes on Germany in their opening game