SEATTLE -- 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.

He convinced then-manager Jim Riggleman and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre that he deserves a shot at the five-man rotation in 2009. But neither of them are returning, so the lefty now must convince new skipper Don Wakamatsu and pitching coach Rick Adair.

"I take a lot of pride in representing my country," he wrote in the e-mail, "but it is also very important for me to develop a working relationship with my new coaches and teammates."

Rowland-Smith wrote that he has looked at Team Australia's World Baseball Classic schedule and it appears possible that he could do both.

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."

But Rowland-Smith wrote that he wouldn't make a final decision until he had first talked to Wakamatsu and Adair.

Rowland-Smith was on the Australian roster for the 2006 World Baseball Classic, but a left elbow strain sidelined him. The Aussies finished last in the Pool D competition, losing, 2-0, to Venezuela and 6-4 to the Dominican Republic.

Missing the Classic was a tough blow for Rowland-Smith, who had helped his country capture the silver medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Rowland-Smith entered the gold-medal game against Cuba with his team trailing, 6-1, and shut down the international powerhouse, blanking them for three innings on two hits and a walk while striking out two.

Cuba won the game, but Rowland-Smith went 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA during the Olympics.

The Mariners could have several players in the Classic. Right fielder Ichiro Suzuki and catcher Kenji Johjima have accepted invitations to play for Team Japan, which won the inaugural 16-team event; third baseman Adrian Beltre probably will play for the Dominican Republic; pitcher Felix Hernandez and second baseman Jose Lopez are potential Team Venezuela members; and outfielder Wladimir Balentien figures to play for The Netherlands again in '09.