2006 Financial Wealth Baseball Challenge Team Announcement

2006 Financial Wealth Baseball Challenge Team Announcement

The Australian Baseball Federation is pleased to announce the 2006 National Senior Squad who will compete in the 2006 Financial Wealth Baseball Challenge between the Australian and Chinese Taipei Senior National Teams on February 4 through 14 in Perth and Melbourne.

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The inaugural eight game series is an initiative of the Australian Baseball Federation in conjunction with the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association and will be utilized as a preparation series for both teams in the lead up to the 2006 Inaugural World Baseball Classic which is to be held in Florida in March. 

The World Baseball Classic, a 16-team tournament sanctioned by the International BAseball Federation (IBAF), will feature players from around the world competing for their home countries and territories for the first time ever.  The games will be played from March 3-20 at sites throughout the United States as well as Tokyo, Japan and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Australian Baseball Federation High Performance Manager, Brett Pickett, feels that the 2006 Financial Wealth Baseball Challenge will be a great opportunity for Australian Baseball to strengthen their ties with their Chinese counterparts.

“This series is sure to be not only a great preparation exercise for both teams in the lead up to the World Baseball Classic, but it also provides us with the opportunity to form stronger relationships with the Chinese Taipei fraternity.”

The 2006 Australian National Team Roster will be announced on January 30 upon completion of Australia’s Premier Senior Baseball Championships, the 2006 Financial Wealth Claxton Shield. Selected players will receive a five (5) day break upon completion of the Claxton Shield before departing their home states for Perth as they begin the most intensive domestic schedule the national team has experienced in many years.

“The Australian National Team has not played this many games on Australian soil in a very long time. We anticipate that this series will help build team comaraderie and synchronism before they go to Florida and compete against some of the most elite baseball nations in the world,”  said Pickett.

”Being that the two teams have not competed against one another since the 2005 World Cup in Holland, where Chinese Taipei defeated Australia 11-4, it is sure to be an exciting event.”

Games will be played in Perth on February 4, 5 and 6 before both teams travel to Melbourne on the February 7. Games against Chinese Taipei commence in Melbourne on February 9 through 12.  Melbourne will then host a two game series between Australia and the 2005 Nippon Professional Baseball Champions (Japan), the Chiba Lotte Marines on February 13 and 14.

The game schedule is as listed below.

NB: Chinese Taipei will play two games against Perth Heat prior to commencement of the 2006 Financial Wealth Baseball Challenge on February 2 and 3 at Baseball Park, Perth.

February 4               Australia v Chinese Taipei @ 7pm (Baseball Park, Perth)

February 5               Australia v Chinese Taipei @ 7.30pm (Baseball Park, Perth)

February 6               Australia v Chinese Taipei @ 7pm (Baseball Park, Perth)

February 7               Teams travel to Melbourne

February 8               Chinese Taipei v Australia @ 7.30pm (Geelong)

February 9               Chinese Taipei v Australia @ 7pm  (Altona)

February 10             Chinese Taipei v Australia @ 7.30pm  (Altona)

February 11             Chinese Taipei v Australia @ 7.30pm  (Altona)

February 12             Chinese Taipei v Australia @ 7.30pm  (Geelong)

February 13             Australia v Chiba Lotte @ 7.30pm  (Geelong)

February 14             Australia v Chiba Lotte @ 3pm  (Geelong)

For ticket information for the Perth games please contact Baseball WA on 08 9383 7735.

For ticket and game information on the Melbourne series please contact Baseball Victoria on 03 9360 0766.