Scott Sunley has being appointed as Australia Men’s National Softball Team head coach ahead of the WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup. The defending world champions will open the tournament in Group A, to be played from 12 to 16 June in Hermosillo, Mexico.
“I’m incredibly excited and privileged to be joining the Aussie Steelers family as head coach. Following Laing is an honour and something that I don’t take on lightly. I have always had an incredible respect for Laing and his commitment to excellence,” said Sunley. “If we continue to work hard, make smart decisions, and understand that you can always learn from the game then we can continue the success that has been built over the past few years. I’m extremely excited for what’s to come in 2024 and beyond.”
World No. 1 Australia will play the Group Stage of the WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup in Hermosillo, Mexico, where they will face No. 5 Czechia, No. 9 Mexico, No. 14 Philippines, and two teams coming from the Americas Qualifier.
Sunley has experience in international softball, including his time as assistant coach for the world-championship winning team at the U-23 Men’s World Cup in 2023 along with the U-18 Men’s World Cup team in Hermosillo last year.
“If we continue to work hard, make smart decisions, and understand that you can always learn from the game then we can continue the success that has been built over the past few years. I’m extremely excited for what’s to come in 2024 and beyond.”
With a career spanning 33 years (and eight as a national team player), Sunley has a wealth of knowledge in men’s softball. His coaching experience is spread across every age group, with significant contributions at all levels of the sport. In 2014 Sunley was inducted into the Softball Queensland Hall of Fame.
With the wild card, Hong Kong, China becomes the fourth Asian squad in the WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup, along with world No. 2 Japan, Singapore and No. 14 the Philippines.
A total of 11 teams out of 18 have been confirmed for the group stage:
- Africa (2) TBD
- Americas (5) TBD
- Asia (3) No. 2 Japan, No. 11 Singapore, No. 14 Philippines
- Europe (2) No. 5 Czechia, No. 17 Netherlands
- Oceania (2) No. 1 Australia, No. 8 New Zealand
- Hosts (3) No. 3 Canada, No. 6 USA, No. 9 Mexico
- Wild Card (1) No. 24 Hong Kong, China
The 18 teams will participate across three groups in the first phase of the World Cup. Group A will be hosted in Hermosillo, Mexico (12-16 June); while Group C will be played in Oklahoma City, USA (17-21 September).
The final composition of the groups will be announced after the completion of the two remaining continental qualifiers. The African Qualifier will take place in South Africa from 29 February to 2 March, and the Americas Qualifier is scheduled to be played in Sincelejo, Colombia, between 7 and 14 April.