Great Britain Baseball Men’s Team Announces Roster for 2022 World Baseball Classic Qualifier

Written By British Baseball Federation

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – The British Baseball Federation and Great Britain Baseball Men’s Senior National Team Head Coach Drew Spencer have today announced the players selected for the 2022 World Baseball Classic Qualifier. The team will compete in Regensburg, Germany from 16-21 September, with the top two teams from the Qualifier advancing to the World Baseball Classic preliminary rounds in Taipei, Phoenix, Miami, or Tokyo next March.


The World Baseball Classic is the preeminent international competition for the sport of baseball, sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The competition has previously taken place in 2006, 2009, 2013, and 2017, with Great Britain participating in the qualification round in 2012 and 2016. The World Baseball Classic features 20 of the top teams from across the globe, with the final competition to be held in Miami, Florida at LoanDepot Park, the home of the Miami Marlins.

The following players will represent Great Britain at the 2022 World Baseball Classic Qualifier:

  • Donovan Benoit

  • Kent Blackstone

  • Shamoy Christopher

  • Daniel Cooper

  • Alex Crosby

  • Kennard Dawson

  • Chavez Fernander

  • Ural Forbes

  • Harry Ford

  • Gunnar Groen

  • D’Shawn Knowles

  • Matt Koperniak

  • McKenzie Mills

  • Akeel Morris

  • Camrin Opp

  • Michael Peterson

  • Chris Reed

  • Michael Roth

  • Jaden Rudd

  • Anfernee Seymour

  • Raul Shah

  • Aaron Singh

  • Matteo Sollecito

  • Tahnaj Thomas

  • Nick Ward

  • Alex Webb

  • Vance Worley

  • Justin Wylie

Great Britain’s roster features four players (Worley, Roth, Reed, and Morris) with previous Major League Baseball experience, as well as top prospects from the Seattle Mariners (Ford) and Pittsburgh Pirates (Thomas). Additionally, four players from the Bahamas – Thomas, Fernander, Seymour, and Knowles- will don the Great Britain uniform, with two representatives (Dawson, Christopher) hailing from the British Virgin Islands. Player eligibility for the World Baseball Classic is determined by citizenship, player ancestry, and passport eligibility.

The Coaching Staff, led by Drew Spencer, consists of:

  • Head Coach – Drew Spencer

  • Bench Coach – Brad Marcelino

  • Pitching Coach – Zach Graefser

  • Bullpen Coach – Conor Brooks

  • First Base Coach – Albert Cartwright

  • Third Base Coach – TS Reed

  • Advance Scout – Jonathon Cramman

  • Baseball Operations Coordinator – Will Lintern

  • Head of Delegation – Gary Anderson

  • Head Athletic Trainer – Alan Dean

  • Athletic Trainer – Jesse Guffey

  • Equipment Manager – Glen Robertson

Great Britain will play in their first game against cross-channel rivals France on 16 September at 19:00 CET (18:00 BST) at Armin-Wolf-Arena, with the winner facing host-nation Germany the next day. A full schedule of games can be found at WorldBaseballClassic.com

The World Baseball Classic Qualifier can be watched on the World Baseball Classic YouTube and Facebook pages, as well as at WorldBaseballClassic.com and on MLB.TV. Games will also be shown in the United Kingdom on BT Sport.

For the latest news and notes from GB Baseball at World Baseball Classic Qualifier and more, make sure to follow Great Britain Baseball on Facebook, and gb_baseball on Twitter and Instagram.

- #LetsGoGB –

Contact:
Chris Knoblock
Press Officer
e. Chris.knoblock@bsuk.com
p. +44 (0) 7376 297751

British Baseball Federation
Previous

Great Britain Baseball Starts World Baseball Classic Qualifier With Win Over France
Next

Announcement from the British Baseball Federation