University librarian to play for Team GB in Women’s Baseball World Cup qualifiers

A Learning and Teaching Librarian at the University of Suffolk will play for Team GB in the Women’s Baseball World Cup qualifiers in Taiwan next month, a year on from helping the team win the European Championship.

Oona Ylinen, who is originally from Finland and now lives in Ipswich, has been a part of the national squad since its inception five years ago, and will head to the women’s team’s first ever appearance in the world cup qualifiers in August.

Over five days from Sunday 23 to Thursday 27 August, the squad is due to face Venezuela, Japan, Cuba, the Philippines and Chinese Taipei.

Oona, who plays for Essex Archers in Division 3 at club level, will fly out on Saturday 15 August following one final training camp with the squad in London at the start of August before the tournament.

Following an invitational tournament at the start of June, Oona was officially told she would be part of the Team GB squad this summer.

“Getting to represent the country, wear the flag, do something really cool and that none of us has ever done before – we have never sent a team to the world cup – so getting to do that is really scary and really exciting,” Oona said.

“We have really no idea what to expect, considering the team started five years ago and we are now building to our first world cup is tremendous, but ultimately we want to play the best baseball that we can.

“It’s one of those things that you think it isn’t going to happen. It’s such an honour really.”

The qualifiers will feature two pools of six teams, and the top three teams from each pool will progress to the finals in 2027.

The tournament means Team GB, whose players all have regular day jobs, will be facing off against some teams with professional players.

Oona said, “it is like a chef or a plumber facing off against Lionel Messi in football!”

The competition also comes with the added pressure of games being televised.

Oona’s regular training includes weight exercises three or four times a week, running and other cardio activities, as well as weekly training sessions and games with the Essex Archers.

Her regime also includes lots of stretching and mobility exercises to prevent common injuries among baseball players, particularly around the shoulders and elbows.

The 30-year-old played a key role in the squad winning its first ever gold medal in last summer’s European Championship, taking to the pitching mound in the finals against the Czech side.

Following a surge in popularity in the UK for American football, baseball is also enjoying steady growth nationally in clubs and teams in the UK.

“There is a real community spirit within the sport, and I think that is something I have really gravitated to and that’s why I’ve ended up sticking around for nearly 11 years,” she said.

But her entry to the sport was entirely by accident.

“I had a half-American housemate who was actually from Ipswich while I was at uni at UEA, and that’s where I started playing,” she said. “He wanted somebody to go with, so I went thinking I would only go for a couple of weeks. I turned up and had a really great time with it, and the rest is history.”

The squad doesn’t get any significant external funding, meaning the players all have to fundraise to make sure the team can make it to the tournament.

To support Oona on her journey, you can donate at her online donation page here.