WBSC Men's Softball World Cup 2024 Group C Head Coaches: "We're here to win"

With one day remaining before the WBSC Men's Softball World Cup 2024 Group C tournament starts in Oklahoma, USA, the head coaches of the six participating teams talked to the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) about their teams, their strengths and their goals for the event, which opens on Tuesday, September 17.

USA are hosting a Men's Softball World Cup after 28 years, which makes this opportunity very special for the host team. "It's amazing for us any time we have the chance to put this jersey on and represent our country, and it's even more special now that we get to do it here in Oklahoma City," said head coach Ron Hackett, who guided USA to a bronze medal in 2022. "This hasn’t happened during any of our careers. The last time the Men's World Cup was played in the US was in 1996 in Michigan. So at the end of the day we are really excited, not only to represent our country, but also USA Softball, and right here in the home of USA Softball."

All six coaches emphasised that their teams are here with one shared goal - to earn a place in Saturday’s final.

⁠"The team has been prepared in the best way, both technically and tactically, to face each game and achieve a positive result," said Wilmer Bustillo, head coach of Colombia. "We want to take it day by day towards our objective, which is to win the group and reach the Finals of the World Cup [next year]."

Guatemala head coach Jose Alberto Gandara echoed that sentiment, stating that his team arrived in Oklahoma City with the goal of reaching the Finals 2025. "The first step is to qualify for Saturday's Play-Offs, we're confident that we can do it, and we're ready. Once we are in the Play-Offs, anything can happen," he said.

Both Eric Raphasha from South Africa and Shinji Eguchi from Japan were very succinct when asked about their expectations for the tournament. "Our main goal is to advance to the World Cup Finals 2025," they said.

Netherlands head coach Norman Ames knows the challenges ahead. "We're officially the lowest ranked team in the group," he noted. "For us is not to finish third or fourth. We know that the only way we can go to the Finals next year is to finish in the top two, because we're not ranked high enough for a wild card. So we have to go all in every game."

"Expectation is without a doubt to walk out with the first ticket punched," said USA's Hackett. "Not just to get a ticket punched, not just to be here and be happy, it's to win."

The head coaches also talked about the teams' main strengths heading into the tournament.

"I think pitching is one of our main strengths. We're a team that depends on the pitchers. As they go, we go," said Gandara. "Jorge Segura is a veteran for the Guatemala National Team, he's renowned internationally. We place a lot of trust in him. And we also have Juan Diego Morales and Gian Paolo Ferrari, who are under-23. It's a good mix."

Raphasha said that South Africa is ready to go. "We're only looking for the tournament to start. I cannot mention a particular strength, we're ready in any aspect of the game. We have a good pitching staff, they are all young boys, but we're positive they can get the job done. We have a talented pitching staff," he mentioned. 

For Japan's Eguchi, speed is the word that best describes his team. "Half of our roster has previous World Cup experience, and the other half is new. So we have a mix of young, hungry players with some veterans. We're ready to go and ready to win this year," he said.

Ames mentioned that the Netherlands’ strengths lie in offence and defence. "Pitching has always been a weak spot, but we can surprise. But our hitting and especially our defence are always looking good," he said.

USA head coach Hackett declared that his team does not have many weaknesses right now. "I think we're a very well rounded team," he said. "I would say in the past, people probably knew us more for defence and hitting, but I think now our pitchers have caught up to that level."

Bustillo also said that Colombia has a good mix of veterans and young players. "⁠⁠We are coming with a multifunctional team, to complement the experience with speed. We are ready to face each game situation," he said.