Japan name coaching staff for XXVIII U-18 Baseball World Cup 2017 in Canada

Osaka – Japan High School Baseball Federation announced the coaching staff that will guide the Japan’s U-18 National Team at the 28th U-18 Baseball Cup in Thunder Bay, Canada from September 1st to September 10th. Thunder Bay will see fifty games played between Port Arthur Stadium and Baseball CentralTakamitsu YONEZAWA , manager of Kanto Daiichi High and Teppei AZUMA, manager of Tsuruga Kehi High, have been named as coaches of the Japan’s U-18 squad . The team’s manager, Morimoto KOEDA of Takudai Koryo High’s manager and head coach Toshiyuki OHFUJI of former manager of Chukyo Univ. Chukyo High, have already been named earlier. All members of the coaching staff are the same as for U-19 Asian Championship in 2016Ten nations of twelve have secured their place in the 2017 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup, the pinnacle youth international competition, with the Africa and Oceania representatives yet to be decided:rnrnAmericas (5): No. 2 United States, No. 5 Cuba, No. 6 Canada, No. 8 Mexico and No. 18 NicaraguarnAsia (3): No. 1 Japan, No. 3 Korea and No. 4 Chinese TaipeirnEurope (2): No. 9 Italy and No. 10 NetherlandsrnrnrnAn unprecedented 9 of the 10 nations that have qualified are currently in the Top 10 of the Baseball World Rankings. All twelve teams should be officially announced by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in March 2017