WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: POOL B - BRAZIL VS GREAT BRITAIN

March 9, 2026

Brad Marcelino

BJ Murray

Daikin Park

Team Great Britain

Pregame Press Conference

Q. BJ, can you talk a little bit about being one of the Bahamaian players on the team and kind of what it means for you all as a contingent to represent Team GB and what you hope for the sport to do in the Bahamas as a whole?

BJ MURRAY: It means a lot to just represent something bigger than myself and representing my country.

It's cool to play with guys that I've played with growing up and getting to do it on the biggest stage. It means a lot. I hope it inspires a lot of kids in the Bahamas and Great Britain. So it's cool to just represent something that means more than just playing as BJ Murray.

Q. Brandon's going to start the game today. I assuming basically from then onwards it's just all hands on deck, depending on the scenario?

BRAD MARCELINO: Yes. All the arms that we had, Game 1. We're going to empty the tank today. So everyone's in besides a couple guys that threw yesterday.

Q. BJ, in the past there have been several Bahamaian players who have played in the majors. Are there any of them that inspire the young up-and-coming baseball players in the Bahamas?

BJ MURRAY: Yeah, we have one on our team. Albert played in the minors. But Antoan Richardson, Andre Rodgers, and now we've got Jazz on the team.

It's cool knowing that where we come from, that you could make that happen. And they've made that clear, that it's possible for any one of us. So it's cool just being around guys that -- I mean from the Bahamas -- but just big leaguers in general, they let you know that it's possible for anyone.

Q. Brad, a few of the guys have hit well. Some of the lineup has struggled. Is there any change mentally going into this game, or are you just going to tell the guys to do what they do best?

BRAD MARCELINO: We just talked about this. Play whiffle ball. Whiffle ball mentality. Go have fun.

I think as hitting coaches, I've done it for so long, too, I'm guilty as well. And it's not necessarily that part of it. I think today we've done a really good job of preparing the guys. We've faced -- the arms these guys are facing is ridiculous.

So it's not easy. And they're not trying to get out. So I think it's just being as free as possible and having that fun whiffle ball mentality today, I think is kind of our theme.

Q. Jazz kind of got off to a slow start here, maybe picked it up after the last game. Do you expect him to step up again here, trying to get that win here for you guys?

BRAD MARCELINO: Yeah, I just want Jazz to be who he is. I think that's when you get the best out of Jazz, just allow him to do his thing, and he knows what we expect.

But, yeah, he is starting to find better rhythm. Even a couple balls that he missed, you can see that he's trying to get on time.

It's still March for a lot of these guys, right? It's not like we're in mid- or end-of-season form. So as you go on, you see the at-bats start to get better. So, yeah, he's going to be fine.

Q. Brad, this weekend I chatted with some of the Great Britain youth players who have kind of made the trip and are here as fans from around the country and around the world, really. What does it mean to have them here supporting you y'all? And what does it show for the future of baseball in Great Britain?

BRAD MARCELINO: Yeah, I had a conversation with a few of them yesterday. And it's cool that they are taking an interest, not only in the players that we have -- BJ, some of the other Bahamians, some of the other guys on the team -- but also just the program in general.

And I think some of them are probably kind of -- it's cool when you can kind of visualize it and see it. And I think when you are able to see it in person and talk to these guys and interact with them, then I think they feel even more closer to the program.

So it's a huge deal. We're still a program that needs a lot as far as we're underfunded still. But I think that's why today's important, because we talked about that in the room, is that it allows us to continue building momentum for the program. And we're setting not only ourselves up but whoever's the future of wearing this uniform.

So it's an important day. We're all in on what we have to do here to help those kids out that came and supported us.

Q. Brad, a couple years from now we'll see your sons playing for GB. What are some things that you're going to take away from seeing this crop of GB players that you want to instill in your kids?

BRAD MARCELINO: Yeah. WBC master Shawn right there. You should probably vouch for a job for the WBC, I feel like.

You hear guys like BJ talk, right, and you hear, they're all such good dudes. And it's hard, the difficult part about this tournament is you have, like, hey, how are you doing? Okay, let's go win. It feels like two minutes type of thing.

So it's important that you have these certain characteristics of players within the clubhouse. So I just hope that he, my son who has been around for a couple of the games, hears how the guys interact as teammates, how good of teammates they are, how they play on the field, the passion they have on the field, the pride they have on the field, not taking anything for granted.

So I think all those things are, I'm hoping, he's picking up. He's 14, so I don't know if he's going to listen to me. But that's kind of the idea, right?

And I talked to John Rossi about this, but yesterday he had a 15-minute conversation with Ken Griffey Jr. It's, like, the nuggets he's picking up is amazing. So I'm hoping it translates, not only to him, but our future, the future of our program.

Q. You just touched on building momentum. What do you wish more people in Britain understood about Team GB and what y'all need the most kind of in the years ahead?

BRAD MARCELINO: Yeah, that's a good question. The program -- I was talking to a few alums about this, one of my old coaches who coached me in the program, Stephan Rapaglia -- and it's night and day.

But we're on the upward directory. But there's a lot of pieces primarily on the funding standpoint that would help us tremendously to be able to to put together a more sound infrastructure within the program. Part of that is investing in our youth, in our future.

So I think, ultimately, that's what we want is to grow the game so kids have an opportunity when we're done to leave the program in a better place, ultimately. That's the goal. So I think that's what we're trying to accomplish here besides winning.