It's Monday morning, the 24th of April, 2023. On the east coast of Australia, families are getting ready for a week of work or school, having breakfast, getting lunchboxes ready, and hurrying out the door.

Half a world away in Argentina, history was being made on a Sunday night at the Estadio Mundialista de Sóftbol, Paraná. The Under 23 Men's Softball World Cup final has just come to an end, with Australia beating Japan 1-0 in a pitchers duel to claim the trophy.

Jeremy Waters' hit a single to left field in the top of the seventh inning to score the run and the U23 Men's World Cup MVP Jack Besgrove pitched the team to victory, shutting out the opposition on four hits and eleven strikeouts.

The win signalled to the world that the 2022 Men's World Cup win by the Aussie Steelers wasn't an aberration.

Australia was no longer the up-and-comer.

It was the reigning champion of two World Cups.

After the Under 18 Men's Softball World Cup in November, the WBSC Men's Softball Program World Rankings are released.

For the first time, sitting alone at the top, is Australia.

There is no debate: without that win a year ago, on a Sunday night in Parana, we'd be in second place, with Japan on top.

Today we recognise and celebrate the first anniversary of that achievement by our champion Under 23 Men's team.

Relive the win here: https://www.wbsc.org/en/events/2023-u-23-mens-softball-world-cup/news/live-updates-australia-and-japan-play-for-the-title-of-world-champions-at-wbsc-u-23-mens-softball-world-cup