The Philippine national women’s baseball team came home from its historic World Cup debut convinced that its breakthrough performance is only the beginning.

Hataw Pilipinas captain Veronica Velasco said the Filipinas will use the lessons from their campaign in Tainan, Chinese Taipei last August as motivation to improve and earn another shot at the world stage.

The Philippines made a strong statement in its first-ever Women’s Baseball World Cup appearance, finishing fourth with a 2-3 win-loss record.

“It was a great feeling. We were very happy when we came back to the Philippines because even though it was our first time competing in the World Cup, we knew that we were able to show something good,” Velasco said in an episode of Off the Court, the weekly online sports show of DAILY TRIBUNE.

“Based on our results, I think we need to continue working on our offense. We also need more exposure.”

Hataw Pilipinas stunned Cuba, 6-0, before following it up with a 6-2 victory over Great Britain.

They, however, fell to powerhouse Japan, 0-3, hosts Chinese Taipei, 2-8, and Venezuela, 0-10.

Still, the experience gave the team a clearer picture of what it needs to do to become a consistent force internationally.

First baseman Martine Francisco believes the next step is building a stronger grassroots program.

The inclusion of women’s baseball in this year’s Batang Pinoy in Bacolod City is a major step forward, but Francisco hopes the sport will eventually find its way into the Palarong Pambansa and the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.

Both competitions currently feature baseball for men, while women compete in softball.

“Maybe someday we can have women’s baseball in the UAAP (University Athletic Association of the Philippines). That would provide another pathway for young athletes. A few of our teammates are trying to put together teams that can compete in Batang Pinoy,” Francisco said.

“For now, I think the best thing we can do is play and show young athletes that there is a future in baseball — that you can achieve something if you continue along this path.”