Six time defending World Champions Japan hold camp for Women's Baseball World Cup Finals
World No. 1 Japan opened camp for the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup Finals 2024 presented by CARNEXT at Nakaei Shinkin Stadium Hadano in Kanagawa Prefecture. Madonna Japan played a seven-inning friendly game against the Shonan Boys, a Junior High School men's team. The warm-up game finished in a draw, 4-4.
"We swung the bat well," commented manager Risa Nakashima. "We were able to handle the bunts well against fast male players, so I think that will give us confidence. We were able to check what we wanted to check, but we also made some mistakes with signs, so we want to share what we need to be thorough about."
Japan's 2024 roster will include seven players who didn't participate in Group B last year in Miyoshi City. Four of them are pitchers: Natsuki Kubo (born in 1999), Wakana Mori (1998), Miyu Shimizu (1998), and Yuna Tsuchiya (2002). Kana Onodera, who won two games for Japan in Group B and is recovering from an injury, didn't make the team.
The other newcomers are 23-year-old infielder Yuzuha Nakamura and catchers Misaki Namai (born in 2001) and Ayaka Osada (2000).
The full roster
PITCHERS (7) Ayami Sato, Mika Tai, Akino Tanaka, Miyu Shimizu, Natsuki Kubo, Yuna Tsuchiya, Wakana Mori
CATCHERS (3) Nanako Hanabusa, Misaki Namai, Ayaka Osada
INFIELDERS (6) Ayaka Deguchi, Akari Hoshikawa, Kae Iwami, Yuki Kawabata, Haruna Tadano, Yuzuha Nakamura
OUTFIELDERS (4) Iori Miura, Miwa Naraoka, Miu Shiraishi, Miwa Tanaka
Nakashima's coaching staff includes Mitsuharu Yokoi, Katsuhiko Kido, Hiroki Fukutome.
Japan dominated Group B in 2023, going 5-0 and outscoring their opponents 47-5.
The No. 1 programme in the world, Japan has also been on top of the world rankings since they were introduced in 2012.
The Japan Women's Baseball League, born the Girls Professional Baseball League in 2009, was discontinued in 2021. Despite that, Women's Baseball has thrived in Japan. There are approximately 25,000 registered players.
There are 50 High School teams and 13 University teams active. The 28th Girls High School Baseball National Championship is underway, and the final will be held at Koshien on August 3. The 10th Girls Junior High School Baseball National Championship is scheduled from July 27 to August 1. The 15th Youth High School National Championship is scheduled from August 19 to 28. The 14th University National Championship will start on August 20 and run through August 24.
Three Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) clubs, Seibu Lions, Yomiuri Giants and Hanshin Tigers, have a women's team.
The Women's Baseball Federation of Japan (WBFJ), a Baseball Federation of Japan branch, has run the Women's Club Championship for 19 years. NPB, company and amateur teams participate in the championship. The 19th edition is scheduled from August 9 to 13.
The top teams from the Club Championship, the top Regional Teams, the College Championship, and the High School Championship will compete in the Women's Baseball Japan Cup from October 11 to 25.