Baseball Canada announces roster for U-18 world qualifier
Junior National Team veteran Noah (Bo) Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) will be part of the Canadian Junior National Team that will compete in the COPABE U-18 Pan Am Championships from November 23 to December 2 in Santiago and Chitré, Panama. Photo Credit: Baseball Canada
November 21, 2018
By Adam Morissette
Baseball Canada
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida – Baseball Canada is pleased to announce the names of 20 athletes that will represent Canada at the COPABE U-18 Pan Am Championships from November 23 - December 2 in Santiago and Chitré, Panama. The top four of 15 nations competing at the event will qualify for the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup in Gijang, South Korea.
The roster was revealed following the team’s selection camp held at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches that featured a five-game exhibition series during the past week.
“We are pleased with the blend of athleticism and experience on our roster and are looking forward to the challenge that awaits our club in Panama,” said Head Coach Greg Hamilton. “Selection Camp was extremely competitive making roster decisions difficult for our staff. I’d like to thank all of the players for their efforts in camp.”
Cleveland Indians first-round pick Bo Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) heads a roster that includes RHP Ben Abram (Georgetown, Ont.) and OF Denzel Clarke (Pickering, Ont.) who all represented Canada at the 2017 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in Thunder Bay.
Hamilton leads an experienced coaching staff that includes national team alums Chris Begg and Hyung Cho along with Robert Fatal.
The 15-nation event will see Canada compete in Group B with Bahamas, Colombia, Cuba and Venezuela. Group A features Brazil, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Peru and the United States while Group C consists of Argentina, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua and host Panama.
The top two seeds in each group will advance to the Super Round to be followed by bronze and gold medal games on Sunday, December 2.
Canada will open the tournament on Friday, November 23 against Colombia at 4 p.m. E.T. in Santiago.
Follow @baseballcanada on Twitter for the latest news and information on Team Canada at the COPABE U-18 Pan Am Championships.