ABL: Ayami Sato will play for Adelaide Giants in Australian Women’s Baseball Showcase
Australia Women’s Baseball showcase will see a number of international stars this year, when it takes place in the following month in Geelong. Adelaide Giants just announced a huge name that will represent them in the tournament. It will be Japanese pitcher Ayami Sato, who is considered the best female pitcher on the planet.
Sato has an impressive career so far. Player, who had her World Cup debut with Japan in 2010 was in the team every time her country won the cup since. She currently holds 5 medals, but her numbers are even more extraordinary. In her first year she had ERA 0.53, two years later it was 0.72 and in 2014 it was incredible 0.00. She also led JWBL in number of strikeouts in three of past 4 years.
In Adelaide she will join a duo from Japan, pitcher Mizuki Bando and catcher Yukina Izumi. All three are currently training in Japan under Giants manager Risa Nakashima.
However, the showcase itself will have a number of international stars. Canada will be represented by pitcher and outfielder Claire Eccles, infielder Alexane Fournier, and pitcher and infielder Allison Schroder, who became the first woman to play Canadian university league in 2021-2022 season. They will then be joined by American utility player Anna Kimbrell.
There will be three teams in the showcase this year, Adelaide Giants, Brisbane Bandits and Victoria Aces. The tournament will be played between 5th and 8th of May and it’s another step towards professional women’s baseball league in Australia. It will be interesting to see whether the international players from the showcase remain in the country once it’s established.
