Rowland-Smith reporting for Australia

He hopes.

There will be a place on Australia's World Baseball Classic team for Mariners left-hander Ryan Rowland-Smith if he can work it into a schedule that allows him to compete for Seattle's 25-man Opening Day roster during Spring Training.

"I am still unsure whether or not I will be playing," Rowland-Smith wrote in an e-mail from his home in Australia. "I want to wait and talk with my new pitching coach and manager to see what they think."

Rowland-Smith made a strong impression as a starting pitcher the final five weeks of last season, recording eight consecutive quality starts, from Aug. 21-Sept. 27, finishing the season with a 5-3 record and 3.42 ERA.

Rowland-Smith was a Rattler starting pitcher in 2002 and a reliever in 2003. He's taken a look at the schedule...

Australia opens Pool B play in Mexico City on March 8 against Mexico and Rowland-Smith conceivably could pitch that game. Other teams in Pool B are Cuba and South Africa. Two teams would advance to Round 2, scheduled for March 15-19 at PETCO Park in San Diego.

"[The schedule] looks accommodating enough that I might be able to miss about three days of camp, fly to Mexico City and pitch, and fly back [to Peoria, Ariz.]," he wrote. "Coach [Jon] Deeble understands my situation and is happy with me to pitch and then fly back to Peoria."