The Australian Baseball League (ABL) has named the country's first Major League All-Star Dave Nilsson as Team Australia's new manager.
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Nilsson was selected after a two-month selection process, Baseball Australia said on Wednesday in a statement.
The former catcher moved into managerial roles on his retirement from the game after the 2006 World Baseball Classic, winning three consecutive ABL titles from 2015 with the Brisbane Bandits.
He was assistant national coach for the 2018 Japan Series, and said he was grateful to return to international baseball.
"The positive culture, the energy and the passion is there, and our players have the ability to achieve what we want to achieve," he said.
Nilsson's main goal will be qualifying Australia for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The 2004 Olympic silver medallist finished his career with a .284 batting average, 105 home runs and 470 RBIs.
In 1999, Nilsson made history when he became the first Australian to be named a MLB All-Star after finishing with a .309 batting average in 115 games for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Australian Associated Press
