The Steelers start their campaign at 2:30pm AEDT this afternoon against Denmark in their quest to lift the World Cup at Rosedale Park, New Zealand.

In what promises to be one of the most hotly contested world cups in recent history, the Steelers are packed with talent and over 500 international caps of experience, and carry huge momentum from their win in the recent Tradestaff Invitational Series as they look to get on the podium for a fifth World Cup medal.

Nick Shailes, James Todhunter and Adam Folkard highlight the 16-man roster for the event, competing in their fifth, fifth and sixth WBSC Men's Softball World Cups respectively. Shailes and Folkard were integral in the 2009 World Championship winning squad and have been appointed as vice captains, while Softball Macarthur product Todhunter has been selected to lead the Steelers as captain heading into the event. 

The four WBSC Men's Softball World Cup debutants for the Steelers include Jack Besgrove, Riley James, Jack Burt and third-generation Steeler Matthew Harrow. The Harrow name is synonymous with Australian softball and the addition of Matthew to the 2022 squad continues the tradition handed down from Bob and Laing. Laing is still heavily involved, serving as the current Steelers Head Coach after coaching the Australian women's national team to fifth place at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The Steelers finished seventh at the 2019 WBSC Men's Softball World Cup however with the mix of youth, experience and talent they'll be looking to finish much higher to improve their world ranking from fourth. 

Experience and talent runs deeper than the playing group, with the coaching group all bringing significant history into the event. Apart from Laing Harrow, the officials going over with the team include Nathan Jones (Assistant Coach), David Metekingi (Assistant Coach), Adam Rindfleish (Specialist Coach /Scouting), Mike Titheradge (Team Manager and Softball Australia Hall-of-Famer), Anthony Mackie (Video Analyst), Chris Trengove (Statistician), and Bernie Simai (Physiotherapist).

“The Aussie Steelers are the pinnacle of men’s Softball in Australia, and this Steelers team is littered with familiar names in the sport,” Head Coach Laing Harrow said. “I’m also excited about the energy our new players will bring during the tournament. The Steelers have a proud tradition of success, I’m confident we have assembled a team that will figure in the late stages of the World Cup.”

Live streaming for the tournament is available exclusively via GameTime.Sport. Supporters can follow the team's progress via the Softball Australia website and social media accounts or via Aussie Steelers Facebook page.

Schedule:

Saturday November 26 at 4:30pm NZDT v DENMARK (Ranked 10th)
Sunday November 27 at 6pm NZDT v JAPAN (Ranked 2nd)
Monday November 28 at 4:30pm NZDT v VENEZUELA (Ranked 9th)
Tuesday November 29 at 1:30pm NZDT v CANADA (Ranked 3rd)
Wednesday November 30 at 12pm NZDT v SOUTH AFRICA (Ranked 11th)