He watched with wide eyes as the national flag was lifted into the air and the Australian side stood on the podium, holding their silver medals with pride. He saw what it meant to those players, a feeling he's yet to experience in his career.

Baseball will make its Olympic return at the Tokyo Games next year, but for the now 30-year-old pitcher, it could be his last chance to fulfill his dream.

"It's certainly something I've striven for my whole life and this is probably my last chance at it," Kent said.

"It's something I'd be really proud of because my kids are at an age now where they can understand it and be able to watch me.

"For them to see their dad as an Olympian is something which really motivates and drives me to get there and hopefully win a medal for my country."

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Kent and the Australian side missed out on their first chance to qualify for the Tokyo Games when they finished seventh at the Premier12 baseball tournament last month.

Australia will have a second bite of the cherry at the Oceania baseball championship in Perth next month, with the winner progressing to the final qualifying tournament in Taichung City.

Kent says the national side are confident heading into next year's qualifiers, despite only winning two out of seven matches in the Premier12.

"It was certainly a tournament where we gained a lot of confidence," Kent said.

"Although we didn't win many games, we were right in most of them. We had a chance to win all those games.

"It gives us a fair bit of confidence going forward, especially for the younger guys who have more recently broke into the team.

"We are good enough to beat those other teams who have full time professionals. When we go to these tournaments, the Aussie spirit comes out and the never say die attitude."

It's expected Australia will face American Samoa and New Zealand in the Oceania Championship, potentially leaving the Australian Baseball League without some of it's best domestic talent.

The Canberra Cavalry are looking to bounce back against Auckland Tuatara in New Zealand this week, having won just three out of eight matches so far this season.

The Cavalry sit third above the Tuatara in the north-east conference, but Auckland will be bolstered by the arrival of Venezuelan Yonny Hernandez for their third series clash.

"We've had a couple of tough weeks and we're aware of that but have a lot of confidence," Kent said.

"We're too good to not turn around, but we're certainly not going to underestimate them.

"I think getting in those reinforcements will help strengthen their team. I'm not sure their record at the moment is any indication of the type of team they are."

Kent was one of Canberra's four starting pitchers last season but has transitioned into a ball-pen role with the addition of JJ Hoover, Philip Pfeifer, Dushan Ruzic and Kosuke Sakaguchi on the Cavalry roster.

Hoover, who played with Kent at the Atlanta Brave, has pitched 14.0 innings with an earned run average of 0.64.

"Hoover goes out there in the first game of the series and basically sets the tone for us," Kent said.

"He pitches really well but it's more than his performances out on the field. When he's not pitching he's such a great mentor to the guys.

"He's happy to have them pick his brain. He's a great addition to the team and we're happy to have him."

ABL round three:

Thursday: Canberra Cavalry v Auckland Tuatara in New Zealand, 5pm.