WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL B - JAPAN VS AUSTRALIA

March 12, 2023

Dave Nilsson

Eli Nilsson

Tokyo Dome

Team Australia

Pregame Press Conference

DAVE NILSSON: Well, the team is very prepared. We are ready for tonight's contest. We are just going to go out and compete and battle the best we can against the best team in the world.

Q. (No translation.)

DAVE NILSSON: The starting pitcher for tonight is Will Sherriff, another young left-handed pitcher. Our third young pitcher that I've had start while we're here. It will be a great experience for him to experience Tokyo Dome and everything that it offers.

Q. (No translation.)

DAVE NILSSON: Well, I want him to enjoy the moment, and Will has been a strike thrower. He throws lot of strikes. I just hope that he can control his emotions during this experience and work really hard. I think he's going to have good success out there. I look forward to seeing how he does.

Q. (No translation.)

DAVE NILSSON: Yamamoto is a very good pitcher, obviously. Good velocity. Good second stuff, and it's going to be a wonderful battle for our team. You know, he's had a lot of success in the last two years, MVP and I expect him to be on his game and hitters will be ready for him tonight.

Q. (No translation.)

DAVE NILSSON: Well, we are playing the best team in the world, and my prediction is we're going to play well. We're prepared. I don't know what's going to happen but all I can do is prepare my players. I know they are prepared. I predict that they will enjoy the game. I predict that they will give it a good effort. We are just going to have to wait a few hours to see what the outcome is.

Q. (No translation.)

DAVE NILSSON: Well, that was very good preparation for us. Our team had not been together for two years because of the pandemic, so going up to Sapporo gave us a great chance to start to prepare for this campaign. We were under-prepared in Sapporo and I think that showed in the outcome of game, but we are ready now and we have taken that experience and are prepared for this time right now.

Q. (No translation.)

DAVE NILSSON: Yeah, thank you, I think the improvement is our preparation. The improvement is after not being together for two years, and seeing the talent we are playing against, preparing as a team, and I think that's where you're going to see the improvement.

Q. What are you most looking forward to in tonight's game?

ELI NILSSON: Hopefully I'm looking forward to win this game but it would be a great experience just whatever going to happen in this game.

Q. How do you think your dad's been doing as the manager, and do you ever give him lineup advice?

ELI NILSSON: I don't do much. I normally let him do all the work. I just chillax back, not do much. Just let him do all the work.

Q. You have a good chance to get to the quarterfinals, do you have an impression of the teams playing Taiwan?

DAVE NILSSON: I see the results but I don't normally pay too much attention now. My hand is full trying to get through to the second round of Pool B, so that's where my attention is, but I think it's such a wonderful event that you see on MLB.com the results, and as a baseball fan, I follow that, and that's exciting. But I don't give it too much thought.

Mr. Onishi (ph) no questions today? My friend, every day, ask question, not today?

Q. (No translation.)

DAVE NILSSON: Thank you for the question. My main focus is on preparing my team and I think the players have prepared very well. We got a result so I'm very pleased with that. I can only put all my energy into preparing the players and making sure they are physically and mentally prepared, and again, we are today and we'll see what happens. Thank you.