TEAM Australia will take their first step in a critically important competition cycle as 35 athletes, including Greenwell Point’s Tim Atherton, undertake a four-day camp in Canberra next month.
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Lead by Team Australia manager David Nilsson, the squad will undergo in-depth testing and benchmarking and will be based at the Australian Institute of Sport from February 7-10.
The camp will serve as the first opportunity for Premier12 preparation, baseball’s flagship international tournament.
Nilsson said the camp is a perfect opportunity to gather high-level data and bring potential Premier12 athletes together.
“This camp will give us an invaluable opportunity to pass on as much information as we can about the Premier12 and the national team program as a whole,” Nilsson said.
“We’ll spend invaluable time together on the field, and work with high-performance staff on individual athlete plans for the next few months.
“Our squad will go through a number of baseline tests, and we will gather as much data on the players as we can to prepare for the Premier12.”
Tim Kennelly (Perth Heat) and Tim Atherton (Brisbane Bandits) will take up the crucial leadership role of team captains as the Premier12 approaches.
A total of nine players with MLB affiliations will attend the four-day camp, including recent San Diego signee Todd Van Steensel and Baltimore prospect Alex Wells.
The Premier12 begins on November 2 with the top 12 national teams drawn into three groups of four to start the global tournament.
Chinese Taipei, Korea and Mexico will each host a group.
Team Australia will have its first chance at qualifying for Tokyo Olympic Games at this year’s Premier12, as Australia must finish above Chinese Taipei and South Korea to book a place to Tokyo2020.
South Korea won the inaugural Premier12 tournament in 2015.
Australian squad: Dean Aldridge, Tim Atherton, Ryan Battaglia, Travis Blackley, Andrew Campbell, Trent D’antonio, Allan De San Miguel, Wade Dutton, Mitchell Edwards, Darryl George, Robbie Glendinning, Josh Guyer, Alex Hall, Sam Holland, Luke Hughes, David Kandilas, Jon Kennedy, Tim Kennelly, Steve Kent, Daniel Mcgrath, Boss Moanaroa, Mitch Nilsson, Kyle Perkins, Robbie Perkins, Dushan Ruzic, Ryan Searle, Zac Shepherd, David Sutherland, Josh Tols, Todd Van Steensel, Logan Wade, Alex Wells, Aaron Whitefield, Luke Wilkins and Jacob Younis.
