Canada’s WBC advantage continues after the quarterfinals against the United States.

HOUSTON – It’s a different venue, the same positive vibes for Canada at the World Baseball Classic as the Canadian team adapts from the cozy, unassuming Hiram Bithorn Stadium to the impressive, sophisticated Daikin Park. The day ended with a few rounds of infield ground balls, pitchers throwing outfield balls, and several rounds of batting practice, leaving only the quarterfinals against the mighty United States on Friday.

“Anything can happen in a game,” Michael Soroka said Thursday after being confirmed as a starter for Canada. “The roster gap isn’t going to be as big as it has been in years past. We’re very fortunate to have a lineup like this and a pitching staff that has some depth. We’re going to give it everything we’ve got and just knock it down.”

For Canada’s senior national team, few games have yielded comparable results, so it was vital that they won Group A and escaped the first round for the first time with a 7-2 win over Cuba on Wednesday. But beyond the good times, happy social media posts, and long-sought accomplishments of many who have worked at the company for more than 20 years, the impact of this practice will go much deeper.

“We’ve always talked about when the Jays are doing well, when Baseball Canada is doing well,” said Jason Dickson, former Los Angeles Angels All-Star and CEO of Baseball Canada. “The Jays did their part in the sense of getting to the World Series and we’re doing ours now. They’ve got momentum. It helps us build momentum. We’ve done well here leading into the Jays season and between the two of us, there’s a lot of Canadian kids thinking about baseball.

“There’s a lot of talk about baseball. I don’t think it’s stopped since last year. Yes, there was the Olympics and yes, I was in a hockey uniform for a while, but there’s been a lot of baseball talk for a few months this year, and that’s good.”

Without a doubt, Canadian baseball is certainly enjoying a long run.

It will be a few months before we have any hard data, but anecdotally, interest in participating is surging in places where it is already open, and there is great excitement among communities where it hasn’t started yet.

“The thing to keep in mind here is that you have to develop capabilities across all aspects, not just on the field, but also coaching, volunteers,” Dickson said. “But we have started discussions with the Jays and Jays Care about how we can work together and get these things done.”

Success in the Classic also helps Canada earn a bigger share of the prize money the deeper it goes. Each of the 20 national federations participating in the tournament will receive an initial cut, then advance to the quarterfinals by winning their pool, with bonuses paid for each subsequent win.

That money, now in the seven figures instead of six, is split equally between the federation and the players, benefiting the entire country.

“The piece it provides to our federation is of multi-year significance. It is very impactful and huge,” Dickson said. “Sport Canada funding has been cut for us and many other sports. I’m not just speaking from Baseball Canada’s perspective. I’ve had the same conversation with my counterparts at USA Baseball, and even they have money that translates into grassroots dollars that help build the game.”

If played well, several of the younger players on the current team point to the Blue Jays in 2015-16 as key to their path, and they could take full advantage of all that will come a decade from now.

First, there is the quarterfinal match against the United States. It’s a long-awaited and highly anticipated match, especially after the men’s and women’s Olympic hockey teams lost their gold medals to the United States last month.

Director Ernie Witt said, “It would be nice to get revenge.”

Soroka added: “We’re not chasing results. We’re not chasing a story. We’re going to go out and play our brand of baseball and let it all fall apart.”

The final World Baseball Classic placement will determine the two America’s qualifiers for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The United States is already a host nation, so Canada’s advancement to the quarterfinals would also help on that front.

The Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Puerto Rico are competing against Team Canada as there are still non-American teams remaining, but what the lineups look like there is complicated.

According to a letter sent by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) to national federations on March 3, the final rankings will be determined by how deep teams have reached, grouped by the stage at which they are eliminated.

Ranking within each stage will be determined by priority based on the following tie breaking criteria:

The best approach for the remaining competitors is to keep winning so they don’t have to do the math.

Soroka allowed four hits and one run, struck out two and walked one against Colombia in the opening game of the Canada Classic and is ready for an even tougher task against the United States.

“The game against Colombia was a different game because there were a lot of names in the lineup that I didn’t play against, a lot of names that we didn’t have a lot of data on, and this was just the opposite,” he said. “We will have a good idea, and it will be a little more of a chess match than before.”

He added, “I’m looking forward to it.” “I feel really good. I’m definitely going to take the next step in the startup process and I’m going to give it everything I’ve got.”