Premier12 champions South Korea have risen to a historical high of number three in the updated World Baseball Softball Confederation world rankings ©WBSC

Premier12 champions South Korea have risen to a historical high of number three in the updated World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) world rankings, which have been released today.

The Koreans won the inaugural edition of the flagship Premier12 tournament in November of last year, winning the final 8-0 at the expense of the United States who remain second in the rankings.

Premier12 bronze medallists Japan have preserved their number one ranking following a second-place finish at the Under-15 Baseball World Cup, which the country recently hosted in Iwaki.

The nation's total ranking points have been increased from 5,154 to 5,515, putting them 62 ahead of the US whose under-15 team had to settle for bronze.

With points expiring from a third-place finish at the 2012 Under-15 Baseball World Cup, Chinese Taipei have dropped to fourth.

Former world number one-ranked nation Cuba have held their position at number five in the rankings, but the two-time defending Under-15 world champions have moved closer to the number four position while increasing their lead over the number six spot.

Canada have moved up two places in the rankings to number six, bypassing Venezuela and Mexico, both of whom have fallen one spot to seventh and eighth respectively.

Italy, at number nine, remain the highest-ranked country in Europe ahead of The Netherlands in 10th.

Australia, the top-ranked nation in Oceania, have moved within four points of the Dominican Republic in 12th, which is the cut-off for qualifying into the next edition of the Premier12 in 2019.

Japan remain top of the world rankings ©Getty Images
Japan remain top of the world rankings ©Getty Images

Elsewhere within the top 20, Czech Republic and Panama have each risen two spots to number 14 and number 15 respectively.

Colombia has made the biggest jump within the top 20, advancing three spots to number 17 following a sixth-place finish at the Under-15 Baseball World Cup.

The biggest mover overall is Serbia, who have gone from unranked to making their debut in the 2016 rankings at number 51 having won a European C-Level Championship this year.

Georgia have also made their first appearance in the 2016 rankings at number 66.

The WBSC world rankings weigh a country's entire national team programme from Under-12 to professional in international competition.

They reflect a four-year cycle and a data set of more than 1,000 international contests dating to mid-2012.

The rankings are next due to be updated following the Under-23 Baseball World Cup in November, when the largest amount of ranking points on the 2016 international calendar will be awarded.

The web-based version and methodology of the rankings can be found by clicking here.