Written By: Dominic Stearn
A little over 75 days away from professional baseball returning to Wisconsin Brewing Company Park, Lake Country is starting to get the itch for the great American pastime. The Lake Country DockHounds were last seen rattling off wins left and right en route to an improbable postseason berth, the first in franchise history.
For those longing to watch DockHounds baseball again, a sample will be available. Two members of the 2024 squad that made the Miles Wolff Cup Playoffs, Alan Carter and Samuel Benjamin, will be representing China in World Baseball Classic qualifiers starting Sunday in Tucson, Arizona.
Carter pitched twice for China in the 2023 World Baseball Classic at the Tokyo Dome, but this will be Benjamin’s first time playing for China.
“One of my goals my whole life is to be able to represent a country playing baseball,” Benjamin said. “It really is surreal, and it makes me thankful for the DockHounds.”
Benjamin joined the DockHounds following the American Association’s all-star break in late July and was only rostered in Lake Country for 40 days, his first and only taste of pro baseball. In that little time, the Texan was able to make strong impression on Carter to prompt his recommendation to China’s coaching.
“He has the most power of any Chinese man on the face of the earth,” Carter said.
Finishing in last place of Pool B in the 2023 World Baseball Classic – oddly enough to a future teammate on the DockHounds, Marek Chlup and Czech Republic – China must win the four-team qualifier in Tucson or its second-place game on March 6 to make the tournament in March 2026.
China’s ten runs in four 2023 contests in Tokyo ranked 18th out of the 20 teams in World Baseball Classic pool play. The addition of Benjamin is a step in the right direction for China’s hopes to improve its offense. He put it on display immediately for his new teammates at batting practice.
“Every single one of our teammates went ‘ooh and ah’ when he swung the bat,” Carter said.
Both Benjamin and Carter are American, but having Chinese mothers allows them the incredible opportunity to play international baseball. Instead of typically playing for a team and a community, the two get to more so honor their family and culture.
“There’s a different level of respect for the game,” Benjamin said. “In Asia, baseball is taken very seriously. Some of my teammates are hometown heroes in China.”
International baseball is taken in a different light, often with more emotion playing less for a paycheck or brand, but an entire country united in support. Benjamin is fortunate to have Carter by his side, who can give advice to a familiar teammate.
Little can be done to simulate the feeling of stepping onto the field in a World Baseball Classic game. Palm Springs and the California Winter League hosted China in January and February to get them in game shape.
China finished the California Winter League’s regular season with the best record, while Carter averaged two strike outs an inning and Benjamin batted cleanup.
“I feel like I’m in midseason form,” Carter said. “We’ve done all we can do to get ready for this tournament.”
In preparation for their time in Palm Springs, the two former DockHounds will embrace their experiences in Lake Country, primarily utilizing the 2024 playoff race against the higher levels of competition they see in the American Association, to match the intensity of the WBC qualifiers.
Benjamin, with the DockHounds, only knows professional baseball from 2024. What he learned under manager Ken Huckaby and bench coach Dave Pano will be felt across the Pacific Ocean by his family and hundreds of millions.
“My mom’s side of the family still lives in China,” Benjamin said. “It will be cool for them to watch me after what I’ve learned professionally and to display my richer understanding of the game.”
China opens play Sunday against Germany in Tucson at noon CT. It will then play Colombia Monday night and Brazil Tuesday afternoon with a potential win-or-go home contest Thursday. All of China’s games for DockHounds fans to watch Carter and Benjamin can be streamed online for free.
Photo Credit to Anne Marie Soleta – California Winter League
