When the World Baseball Classic officially kicks off Thursday, Will Cresswell will be making WSU history as the first Cougar baseball player to take part in the tournament.
Until being selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2026 MLB Draft, Cresswell had spent his entire life in Washington. What is the connection to England?
“My dad’s from England,” Cresswell said. “He was there for the first 20-25 years of his life, and then he moved over to the States.”
Cresswell said he got his first experience with team Great Britain last fall.
“Back in September, I actually went down to Amsterdam and played with that team in a tournament, the European Championship,” he said. “So that was kind of like my first foot in the water… and then they liked me enough to have me back on the team for the WBC.”
Great Britain went 3-3 in that tournament, finishing in sixth place. Cresswell caught all six games for Great Britain, going 2-for-24 with three RBIs and two runs scored.
This time around, Cresswell is joined at the catcher position by former Seattle Mariners first-round draft pick Harry Ford, who will likely be the team’s starting catcher. Cresswell could also be in the mix to get at-bats as a designated hitter, after getting a pinch-hit opportunity at DH in an exhibition game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday.
Cresswell said he is excited to play with teammates like Ford and MLB All-Star Jazz Chisholm Jr.
“It’s awesome…a lot of those guys have been around baseball for a while,” he said. “Jazz especially, and there’s a couple of pitchers who have pitched in the bigs that I’m excited to catch for…I’m excited to work with Harry Ford…he’s a young rookie in the big leagues…it’ll be cool to work with him and meet him.”
Great Britain’s roster is almost exclusively made up of players born in the USA or the Bahamas, which was once a part of Great Britain. Players whose parents were born in the Bahamas as British citizens are eligible to compete for Great Britain, which is how Chisholm and other infielders on the team, like Lucius Fox and B.J. Murray, are on the team. Only one player, outfielder Matt Koperniak, was actually born in the United Kingdom.
Cresswell described the practice process as hectic. He went to spring training with the Toronto Blue Jays and did not even join Team Great Britain until earlier this week. After two exhibition games, the tournament begins Thursday.
“We have a little training camp, couple practices [and a] couple spring training games,” he said. “And then we fly down to Houston to start the tournament on the 5th.”
In pool play, Great Britain takes on Mexico, USA, Italy and Brazil. They are considered long shots to win the tournament, at 250-1 odds, according to ESPN. Cresswell said he is excited to take on Team USA.
“That Team USA team is just stacked,” he said. “It’s gonna be fun, but I’m with Great Britain for the weekend.”
Cresswell said his time at WSU was instrumental in his baseball journey.
“It wasn’t an exact, you know, ‘I went to Washington State and that’s the reason I’m in the WBC’,” he said. “But it definitely helped going to Washington State, working with that coaching staff and learning the gritty baseball.”
In 2025, Cresswell exploded for the Cougs, batting .329 with 13 doubles, five home runs, 43 RBIs and 23 runs scored. It is what helped him earn an MLB draft selection, and likely what caught coach Brad Marcelino’s eye when he invited Cresswell to join Team Great Britain.
Cresswell said he was honored to be the first Cougar to compete in the WBC.
“That’s a fun little stat to have,” he said. “It’s surprising, actually…I mean, Washington State has been around for a while, and they have a lot of great players in the past [and a] great history, so that’s actually pretty cool.”
