WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL B - AUSTRALIA VS KOREA

March 8, 2023

Jack O'Loughlin

Aaron Whitefield

Tokyo Dome

Team Australia

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. You'll have the opening game for tomorrow, finally. What is in your mind? Aaron, first, please.

AARON WHITEFIELD: First game of the WBC is, you know, going to be exciting for us, Team Australia, the work we've put in. We just came off our season and the guys are raring to go. You know, to get to play Korea against Game 1 is a big game for us, so to get out there in front of the fans is going to be exciting.

JACK O'LOUGHLIN: Yeah, definitely going to be something that's super special for the team. Everyone has been working hard in the Fuchu camp. And now that we're here, it's starting to get upon everybody and it gives them a special time to come forth and show what we've been working hard on and go at it on game day.

Q. You've been here for two weeks in Japan. How are the conditions, spending two-plus weeks in Japan and how is your condition?

AARON WHITEFIELD: You know, for me, I got here probably a week ago, coming from camp in the States. But to meet up with the guys who were in Fuchu and see the hard work they have put in and for a couple of us guys coming from the states to join in, you know, we've enjoyed it. Always love coming to Japan.

It's always a lot of fun, exciting. The fans are always exciting and I feel like the morale, especially this year, having Show come back the energy flying around here is through the roof and I felt that when I first came in here. I feel like for us, it's game time, we always love to go out there and put on a show, so I think that's what it's going to be like for us.

JACK O'LOUGHLIN: Yeah, definitely been a new experience for us arriving about two weeks ago, and Fuchu, it was something that opened our eyes to a little bit of everything, showing us a different part of the world. Now definitely once we got going, it's going to be an exciting time for all the guys and everyone is looking really forward to it.

Q. Tomorrow you'll have a big opening game against Korea. What is the impression generally speaking for team tore I can't, and if you have a specific game plan, can you tell me, please?

AARON WHITEFIELD: I think the game plan for us is to control our game and the small things in the game. Especially these international tournaments, same as like Premiere 12, a lot of the games, the games happen quick. Some could rely on one error or one big hit.

So for us, it's just trying to play great defense, pitch to the guys, score a couple runs and whether it's Korea, China, Japan, Czech, we take one game at a time and we worry about ourselves. The clean play in the field, clean pitching and hitters doing their jobs and if we do that I think we'll come out on top.

JACK O'LOUGHLIN: I would definitely have to agree. We are going to go out there and control the controllables. Pitchers are going to go out there and do their job and fill up the zone. Hitters are going to do what they do. We go out there and we play solid defense, then we have a really good chance to play some good baseball and go out there and see if we can move on to the next round.

Q. Do you have any specific aim personally of this tournament or if you have any thoughts, let us know, please.

AARON WHITEFIELD: I think for us, it's to show the world that what baseball is all about in Australia and how we play, and you know, to go out there and put on the jerseys, you know, means something special to us. And it's something that we're going to show a lot of people back home that it's a big thing and we can keep pushing forward.

I feel like a lot of Premiere 12, for example, last time we kind of got together, we upset some teams that I feel like the world didn't think that we could beat, and I think we're going to grow on that, and then this tournament, keep showing the world that, you know, Australia has got some great baseball players and that we're here to play. You know, make it very interesting.

JACK O'LOUGHLIN: Yeah, definitely going to go out there as a team and just show the world what we can do. Definitely for a lot of us, it's going to be the first time representing Australia at the national level, and we are going to go out there and just show the world what we can do and how we can play baseball in Australia and the way that we've been raised to play baseball.

Go out there and do our best to show it to the teams that for a long time have been a little bit better than us, and we're going to show them that we've come to play.

Q. Going up through the various levels in baseball what does it mean to you to get the ball in this game?

JACK O'LOUGHLIN: The day I found out I was getting the ball in Game 1 against Korea was extremely exciting. It's something that I've worked very hard on and worked towards being the best pitcher I can be, and of my time playing in America and Australia, it is starting to show that I've put the work in and I was fortunate enough to get the ball for Game 1.

Q. Could you explain to us how popular baseball is in Australia and how you got started playing? Because most people, when you think of Australia, you think of cricket rather than baseball.

AARON WHITEFIELD: Everyone's got a different story for that reason because cricket, rugby, AFL are the big sports, especially rugby where I'm, from and in school, we didn't play, we didn't have baseball teams. You had to go out of your way to play baseball. I didn't pick it up until I was 17, 18. I was a real late bloomer.

I had a couple friends that were in and I picked it up. I want to show Australian kids that it's also -- because it's not big doesn't mean there's no future in that for you, especially being 17, 18, I played a lot of sports before that.

For those kids who didn't know baseball is there, it doesn't matter if you start, especially in Australia, 10, 15, 16, 17. We have got great programs coming up, and I think we are going to try with these world competitions put out a name for ourselves so that baseball in Australia keeps growing and going in the right direction. As you said, it's probably top -- maybe Top 10 in Australia, but towards more of the bottom than what it is toward cricket.

JACK O'LOUGHLIN: Growing up for me, my parents were big into software and when I was younger, my dad kind of got the idea that baseball had a little bit of a future to it.

So when I was around eight or nine years old, that's when I started playing baseball, and that was kind of the only sport that I ever knew. So I was fortunate enough to grow up playing and something that I fell in love with and just continued playing.

Now I'm fortunate enough to represent Australia and just be able to pass on and show that there is a future in baseball for Australian younger kids.

Q. Studying the Korean team, any hitter that stuck out for you, or if you don't want to name any names, what did you notice about Korean hitters overall, their tendencies compared to maybe some other hitters that you've faced in the past?

JACK O'LOUGHLIN: The Koreans are definitely a team that everyone has an idea about. They are a team that has been world-renowned for a very long time. So singling out one individual on that team would be very hard to do. They are a very well-respected team and it is a team that you would definitely go up against and expect all hitters one through nine and go about it one batter at a time.

Q. Since arriving in Japan, what kind of treatment have you felt throughout the two-week experience in Japan?

JACK O'LOUGHLIN: The experiences that we've been fortunate to have has been incredible. Being from Australia, it's not necessarily a main sport. So the treatment isn't as nice, and since we've been here, it's been an incredible feeling to have the experiences that we have not had in the past.

Having, you know, just the small things like bags being delivered to your room and taken on and off the bus is just something that, you know, we would not get back home, as we are not one of the major sports. So it's been incredible to have this experience that more of the higher-level teams would get normally.

AARON WHITEFIELD: I feel like coming to Japan is always an exciting, grateful time because no matter what, if it's Australia, China, Korea, Czech, the way the fans interact with the players, everyone is respectful and everyone is exciting for us.

Even a lot of Japanese, I was watching a couple of the games that they played in Fuchu and even in Miyazaki, the fans were so supportive and excited for us to play their teams, their local teams and to be in their local cities, so to have that excitement for not necessarily their own national team and another national team that their team will be playing is very cool special and I'm looking forward to these next couple games. I think it's going to be a fun and exciting time out there and I can't wait.

Q. How is the atmosphere of the Australian team for the match against South Korea?

AARON WHITEFIELD: The excitement and the, how do you say, the boys are ready to go out there and as you say, go to war. It doesn't matter, Korea is our first game so we are going to take one game at a time but tomorrow once the game starts, we are trying to take every advantage, we are trying to score as many runs. We are trying to leave and make a statement each game at a time. So for us, it's Korea tomorrow and it's -- we are going to go out there and play hard.

The guys are excited, you know, raring to go. I think we are going to come out of the gates hot and hopefully we keep pushing that way all the way to the end.

JACK O'LOUGHLIN: Definitely it's going to be something for our team morale, everyone is up and about and they are going to be up and they are ready to go. As they said, it's definitely going to be like waging war there. It's going to be everyone all hands on deck, go out there, compete, one pitch, one batter, one out at a time, and do our best to just keep everything on the table and just keep going hard and till the very end.