Batting against the "Big Three" on the continental stage, though, has been a much-needed learning curve, according to head coach Wang Wei.

"I think the overall experience so far at the Asian Games has been nothing but positive for our young players," Wang said after Team China's 4-1 defeat to Chinese Taipei in its first super-round game on Thursday at Shaoxing Baseball and Softball Sports Centre.

"I am particularly happy with the quality of our pitchers and our overall defensive play, which prevented opponents from getting hits and runs.

"Our batters, however, still need more high-level games at this level and beyond to get used to the power, velocity and finesse from pitches of a quality they don't normally face."

Team China's overall score of five runs from 19 hits across 27 innings, compared to the total 16 from 28 scored by opponents in the final three games — including an 8-1 rout by the ROK on Friday and Saturday's narrow 4-3 defeat to Japan — has underlined that the lack of consistent quality competition has taken a toll on the young squad's progression over the past four years.