09/09/2026
- Team Australia
Team Australia Stories | Jaylin Rae brings “just win” mentality wherever he goes
Jaylin Rae is bringing back valuable college lessons back to Australian baseball.
“I really just learned how to win,” says the 23-year-old infielder, who just won the Australian Baseball League Rookie of the Year.
The do-it-all utility man from Sydney built up quite the resume in his four-season career in the USA.
He helped Central Arizona win a Junior College National Championship in 2022.
He slashed .357/.449/.911 at Charleston Southern in 2023.
He finished ninth nationally in sacrifice bunts in 2024 with Eastern Kentucky.
He helped Australia finish fourth at an U18 World Cup and make the super round at an U23 World Cup.
Rae parlayed success to the Sydney Blue Sox hitting .292, playing six different positions and winning Rookie of the Year.
“That’s what I wanted to bring back to Sydney in my first year. I just like being a utility guy, a guy who helps out wherever is needed. I can fill a gap wherever the team needs,” says Rae. “I can play small ball when I have to. I’m not the biggest guy so I use my tools where I can.”
His team-first, and win first, mentality should factor in well in a national team setting.
Rae says his college experience really helped develop his sense of self, figuring out how he best fits in on a field.
“I figured myself out through college. That system suited me well. Just being able to play the small ball, fit in, steal a base, do what I can to get on base and be a spark plug,” he says.
Now, he’s impressed national selectors enough to have a look at this weekend just twelve months out from a World Baseball Classic.
But Jaylin says he doesn’t want to get caught up in the future.
“I think [the WBC] is always on our mind but the important thing is to have fun and don’t put pressure on yourself because when you do that you don’t really have too much success,” he says. “I’ll just show how I’ve progressed and what I can do for the team.”
Making the series special is playing in front of loved ones – an experience he hasn’t had too often at World Cups.
“It means the world to me,” says Rae. “Putting on the green and gold…there’s nothing like it. Be
