Sports -> Baseball
The Preview for WBC49
South Newlandia has been drawn into Group 3 of the World Baseball Classic, with the games due to begin soon. We will take a look at the South Newlandian group opponents today, and discuss if the Elephants have any chance to advance from this group. We will be looking at the teams from bottom to the top, starting with the Pot 6 team.
From Pot 6, Torisakia was drawn into Group Three. While they are currently not ranked, they have quite a bit of history in the World Baseball Classic, but the last appearance of the Ice Birds dates back a long time. They seem to be back with full force now, and they will host the Elephants on MD9 in the biggest stadium they will see in the group stage, the Parque Nacional. They might be the most dangerous team from the pots below, and South Newlandia will have to be careful not to slip in those games.
The Pot 5 team is Quebecois Acadiana. We don’t know anything about them yet, except that they aren’t ranked. History teaches us that teams that don’t announce their players usually don’t do to well, but we shouldn’t underestimate them either.
From the fourth pot, Drunk People at the Local Tavern were drawn into Group 3. South Newlandia will play their first series there, and the players are already underway. The series will apparently be held in a back yard, and the players will have to use nearby houses as changing rooms. The team is currently ranked 45th, and they participated in the 48th WBC, but failed to make the playoffs. We like one of their relief pitchers, named “South Newlandia” which might end up being confusing for both teams. In any case, the Elephants need to take as many wins from this team as they can get, as there is much more dangerous opposition ahead.
The Pot Three team are the Elephants themselves. After surprisingly reaching the knockouts in WBC48 and their U22s taking fourth place in the International Baseball Slam, the Elephants are back to playing baseball, and currently ranked 31st.
From Pot Two, The Greater Nordics were drawn into the group. Currently ranked 11th, they reached the Round of 16 in the last Classic, only losing out against the later champions from Nova Anglicana. They are known to be an aggressive team, and they have a decent amount of experience playing baseball, certainly more than the Elephants. They might be the team South Newlandia has to beat to reach the knockouts, and with the series between the teams scheduled on Matchdays five and ten, it might come down to this last series, to be played in Newport, in the end.
The team from the first pot will be Hampton Island. They are currently ranked 8th, and they reached the Quarterfinals of the last World Baseball Classic. The Golden Bears feature an interesting Left Fielder, Midnight, and actual black bear. We don’t know how or why, but he seems to be the most dangerous player of the squad. The pitchers are already debating what they can do against him. The other players are good as well, and the team from Esportiva is the natural favourite in the group. To challenge them, the Elephants will have to play their best.
In summary, it will not be an easy task to reach the knockouts in Newmanistan. Now is the time to prove that the 2nd place last time wasn’t a fluke, but the group won’t make that easy for the South Newlandians. Here is our, as always, pessimistic prediction for the final standings in the group.
1. Hampton Island
2. The Greater Nordics
3. South Newlandia
4. Torisakia
5. Drunk People at the Local Tavern
6. Quebecois Acadiana
All there’s left for us to do is to wish the Elephants good luck. We hope for a fun series against the Drunk People, maybe with the better end for the Elephants.