NEW YORK -- Japan was first in the men's baseball rankings released by the World Baseball Softball Confederation on Dec. 31, a spot it has held since 2014. Samurai Japan will compete in the World Baseball Classic international tourney in March.
Taiwan held onto second place, while the United States jumped two spots to third. South Korea, Japan's first-round opponent in the WBC's Group B, dropped from third to fourth place. Australia was 10th, the Czech Republic 15th and China 30th.
In women's softball, the U.S. ranked No. 1 while Japan took second. Japan was third in men's softball.
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