In a matchup to determine which of two European nations would advance to the 2027 WBSC Premier12, No. 14 Italy shut out No. 17 Germany and will join Spain in advancing from the Premier12 Barcelona Qualifier. The two will mean Europe has at least three nations across Taiwan and Japan at the fourth edition of the Premier12. The possibility exists that up to two others, Czech Republic and Great Britain, might also land spots in the November Premier12 Zhongshan Qualifier. Multiple players from our Europeans in the Majors and Minors series [link] played crucial roles in the games, putting an exclamation point on the end of their seasons.

Italy – Germany [box score][highlights]
The Azzurri dominated the game, out-hitting Germany 16-8, and young Blue Jays’ prospect Giacomo Taschin was superb on the bump for Italy. Taschin, a 20-year-old who starred at the 2021 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup, struck out seven in four innings, allowing only three hits.

Germany was forced to play a bullpen game. Starter Niklas Rimmel was yanked after the second innings, during which a routine grounder led to a two-base throwing error and run-scoring double by Jhorjan Guevara. Ricardo Paolini and Gabriele Angioi followed with singles to plate a second run, and Germany only got out of the inning on a phenomenal throw home from shortstop by Eric Brenk that veteran Vincent Ahrens used to snare Paolini.

Manager Jendrick Speer used eight more pitchers to get through the game, but fortunately, thanks to the dominant start by Markus Solbach on Day 1 and a complete game by Christian Pedrol on Day 2, there were plenty of options.

Neither side score until the latter third of the game, as Taschin sailed through the German lineup, needing only 58 pitches to complete four frames without allowing a free pass or a run. Astros’ signee Jona Widmann and Simon Gross looked similarly strong for Germany, with the former firing two shutout frames, while Gross punched out three of the four batters he faced.

Italy struck again for a pair in the seventh after Paolini led off for a single and Angioi sacrificed im to second. Andrea Sellaroli followed with a single before another superb throw from Brenk nabbed Paolini at home for a second time, with Noel González taking first. A full-count walk to Taschin’s Toronto teammate, Giaconino Lasaracina, loaded the bases for long-time Italy backstop Alberto Mineo, who drove home two with a single through the right side.

The final run came an inning later, when Sellaroli lined a safety to right field to score Guevara, though a strike from rightfielder Finn Bergmann nailed Angioi at the plate. Germany threatened with two outs in the bottom of inning thanks to a walk to Yannic Walther, a single by Billy Germaine, and a plunking of Simon Bäumer, but closer Claudio Scotti—who entered after the single—escaped the jam unscathed.

Singles by Lasaracina and Renzo Martini put runners on the corners with two outs in the top of the ninth, but Ira Clifton entered to strike out former major leaguer Robel Garcia. It was still 5-0 heading to the final half-frame, and Scotti worked around a walk and a single by Luca Hoerger (Hörger) to get the final three outs and send Italy to Asia for 2027.

A whopping seven Italians had two hits: Angioi, Sellaroli, González, Lasaracina, Martini, Guevara, and Paolini. Germaine and Bäumer joined them with a brace for Germany, while Hörger did one better, collecting a triple and two singles from the seven-hole. Mattia Sireus, Matteo Bocchi, and Scotti all pitched at least one scoreless inning for Italy.

Spain – Colombia [box score][highlights]
Colombia finished the Premier12 Barcelona Qualifier with a win, though the defeat did not affect Spain’s first-place finish. The game, the last of the tournament, was close through seven and one-half innings, before Colombia opened a five-run rally against the host nation in the bottom of the eighth.

Down 8-0 to start the ninth, the Spanish baseball side finally broke through. Rusber Estrada started things with a double and Leopoldo Correa walked. A fielder’s choice put runners on the corners to set up Andres Angulo for a run-scoring single up the middle. Frank Hernández then finished an impressive tournament with a two-run knock to center, with the game ending 8-3.

Angulo joined Colombia’s Diego Contreras with three hits, while Marc Rodríguez and Hernandez each had a pair for Spain, which was out-hit 11-9. Julio Vivas was superb for the South Americans, striking out six over five shutout innings, surrendering five hits and no walks. Pablo Guillén took the loss, permitting three runs over five frames, also without permitting a base on balls. Jorge Balboa tossed two shutout innings of relief for Spain.

Frank Hernández was named Most Outstanding Player of the qualifier. He tied Germany’s Luca Hoerger for the tournament’s highest batting average at .500 and led all players in on-base percentage (.563) and hits (seven). He also scored twice, drove in two runs and played error-free defence across three starts in center field.

Our previous coverage of the Premier12 Barcelona Qualifier includes: Preview [link], Day 1 [link], and Day 2 [link]. Several of the players starring in this tournament are featured in our series, Europeans in the Majors and Minors [link].

World No. 26 Spain became the first team to qualify for the 2027 Premier12 through the Barcelona Qualifier, marking the nation’s first-ever appearance in the world championship. The host side beat world No. 14 Italy 5–2 to secure its debut in the WBSC’s flagship baseball event. Earlier in the day, Germany upset Colombia, keeping its hopes alive and ensuring that two European nations will advance to next year’s event.

Germany – Colombia [box score][highlights]
No. 17-ranked Germany stayed afloat with a consistent and well-executed 6–1 win over No. 13 Colombia. Starter Christian Pedrol pitched a complete game, and third baseman Billy Germaine drove in five runs. The defeat eliminated Colombia.

Germany fell behind in the third inning, but capitalised on a defensive error in the next half inning to equalize. A two-run single by Germaine in the fifth and a three-run shot by the third baseman in the seventh gave Pedrol more than enough run support for the ‘W’. The right-hander allowed one run on two hits and three walks and struck out 10, seemingly growing stronger and more confident over the 126-pitche outing.

“Yesterday we suffered a tough loss,” explained Germaine. “Today I got my chances and put good swings on the ball. What did Yannic Walther tell me before I hit a home run? He told me to stay away from the sweeper and look for a fastball. I got a fastball. Yannic is younger, but I have a lot of respect for him as a player. I like listening to him.“

Spain – Italy [box score][highlights]
Spain played a masterful game behind strong pitching. Five Spanish hurlers combined for 14 strikeouts, while the lineup outhit Italy 10–7. Strong defence completed a performance that earned Spain a place in the fourth edition of the WBSC Premier12.

Starting pitcher José Gómez and catcher Gabriel Lino are Italian Serie A veterans, and Spain used their intelligence to its advantage.

“It was a very good combination,” observed Spain’s manager, Marvin Benard.

Gómez punched out seven in five strong innings, keeping the Italian offense off the board by permitting just two hits and issuing three free passes. Italy had its chances against a cast of four relievers, but struck out a further seven times in the final four frames. Included in this figure were the final three batters in the ninth by Carlos Sierra, after starting the final frame with a run via back-to-back hits by Andrea Sellaroli and Gabriele Angioi.

Most of the timely hitting for the victors was done by Félix Stevens, who drove in three of the five runs. His sacrifice fly in the second followed a RBI-single by Rusber Estrada to give Spain a 2-0 advantage. In the sixth, Frank Hernández and former New York Met Luis Guillorme hit consecutive one-out singles, before Omar Hernández singled home his brother for one run. Stevens then followed up with a base knock to plate two more.

There were still plenty of opportunities for the Azzurri, who left seven runners on base between the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. Moreover, Italy Manager Francisco Cervelli‘s most effective pitching change coincided with this stretch, as Filippo Crepaldi fired 2.2 scoreless innnings of relief after entering in the seventh. One-time Phillie Ramón Rossó struck out two in 1.1 frames for the winning side.

The Hernández brothers both had two hits, as did Estrada, who reached base three times for Spain. Renzo Martini was the only Italian player with multiple base knocks.

Our previous coverage of the Premier12 Barcelona Qualifier includes: Preview [link] and Day 1 [link]. Several of the players starring in this tournament are featured in our series, Europeans in the Majors and Minors [link].

Italy and Spain opened the WBSC Premier12 Barcelona Qualifier with come-from-behind wins at Camp Municipal de Béisbol Carlos Pérez de Rozas. The Azzurri claimed a 4-3 upset over Colombia, ranked one place ahead of them in the WBSC Men’s Baseball poll, on a two-out double, while No. 26 Spain had to overcome a pair of solo shots from No. 17 Germany to force extra innings.

Colombia – Italy
In the midday game, Colombia took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the eighth, but it was Italy who took the lead first. After Ricardo Paolini was plunked to lead off the frame, a stolen base and a passed ball put Paolini on third with two outs, and Blue Jays’ prospect Giaconino Lasaracina lined a ball up the middle for the 1-0 lead. However, Colombia finally solved Italian veteran Matteo Bocchi in the following half inning, knocking him out of the game with three runs in the fourth.

It took another four innings for either side to plate a run, as Italy got to reliever Kevin Escorcia with back-to-back hits by Alberto Mineo and Renzo Martini. Noel González dropped a sacrifice bunt, but Escorcia failed to get the out at first. His throw went wide, and Mineo and pinch-runner Williams Wong scored the tying runs, while González advanced to third.

Ezequiel Zabaleta then finally registered a pair of outs for Colombia, both on strikes. However, Gabriele Angioi roped an RBI-double for the go-ahead run, and Manager Francisco Cervelli turned the ball over to Claudio Scotti, just as he did in the World Baseball Classic, and the big right-hander slammed the door for the save.

Ettore Giulianelli earned the win with a scoreless eighth, and was one of sixth Italian pitchers. Bocchi struck out six in 3.2 innings to start, and allowed three of Colombia’s five hitters. Mineo had two of the Blue-and-White’s hits, with the team combining for six. Lasaracina was 1-for-1 with three walks and a stolen base.

Germany – Spain
Markus Solbach and Yannic Walther stole the show for the first two-thirds of the game, but Germany headed into the seventh with only a 1-0 lead. That single run had come from a mammoth solo shot by Walther, the Brewers’ rising catching prospect, while Solbach had tossed six shutout innings.

Finn Bergmann doubled Germany’s lead in the seventh with a line drive homer that just snuck out of Pérez de Rosas Field, but it was only the third safety for Baseball Deutschland. Spanish starter Elian Leyva departed after 6.1 frames, having struck out five against only five baserunners, but was in position to take the loss.

“I thought we were dominating,” recalled Spain’s Manager Marvin Benard, “but they had the lead, and I felt sorry for our pitchers. They were doing an outstanding job, and we had to find a way to give them a chance to win.“

Solbach finally ran out of fuel with two outs in the seventh, having struck out six of the last seven batters. However, after issuing the first base on balls of the game to former minor leaguer Frank Hernández and then a hit to ex-Met Luis Guillorme, a pitching change turned disastrous. A hit batter loaded the bases for Omar Hernández, who roped a line drive to center to score two.

Both nations had opportunities before the end of regulation, but Spain’s Rubén Menes, in particular, was electric, whiffing six in 2.2 shutout frames in relief of Leyva. Junior Bonilla entered in the tenth and worked around a successful bunt from Tristan Russell with the two tiebreaker runners on. After Walther was intentionally walked, Bonilla then induced a foul pop and a K to turn things over to Spain’s offense, which had put runners on base all game..

Omar Hernández replicated Russell’s sacrifice and Félix Stevens was then deliberately issued first base, before a particularly wild pitch allowed the leadoff tiebreaker runner, Guillorme, to race home with the walkoff run.

“These are the games that can turn someone not interested in our sport into a baseball fan,” explained Benard afterwards. “This is a huge win. It is huge for our fans, it is huge for baseball development in Spain, and it is huge because it takes some of the pressure off us. Starting with a win in a short tournament is very important.“

Spain collected 11 hits, with three apiece from Frank Hernández and Guillorme, while Germany finished with just five. Bergmann added two free passes to his dinger as the top Deutschlander in the lineup.

Germany will take on Colombia in the high noon game tomorrow, while Spain will contest Italy at 7 p.m. Find out more on the tournament in our preview [link], with the full schedule and streaming information here [link].

Several of the players starring in this tournament are featured in our series, Europeans in the Majors and Minors [link].

Photo copyright WBSC.

Host nation Spain will face Colombia, Germany and Italy in the WBSC Premier12 2027 Barcelona Qualifier at the Carlos Pérez de Rozas Baseball Field from 9–11 October. The four teams will meet in a round-robin competition, with the top two securing places in the expanded 16-team WBSC Premier12 2027. Fans can follow the Premier12 Barcelona Qualifier, with all six games available free on the WBSC YouTube channel [link] outside Spain and Italy. The legendary Tyler Maun will be joined by Sam Dykstra on the mic.

Meanwhile, fans of two of the three Europeans countries playing will be able to watch on television. DAZN will stream every game live for subscribers in Spain and internationally, except in Italy. Italian fans can watch Italy’s games on RAI Sport’s digital terrestrial channel.

Find out more about the event with our preview, including a discussion of each of the four nations contesting the Premier12 Barcelona Qualifier [link]. All three European countries played a friendly series in advance of the tournament as well [link].

The full schedule is as follows. Times are in CET.

Oct. 9
12:00 Colombia – Italy
19:00 Germany – Spain

Oct. 10
12:00 Germany – Colombia
19:00 Spain – Italy

Oct. 11
12:00 Italy – Germany
19:00 Spain – Colombia

The Barcelona Qualifier for the 2027 WBSC Premier12 opens in two days, with world No. 26 Spain welcoming No. 13 Colombia, No. 14 Italy, and No. 17 Germany to the Carlos Pérez de Rozas Baseball Field in Barcelona. Two coveted places in the expanded 16-team Premier12 will be at stake as the four nations meet from 9 to 11 October. From former MLB and current Italy slugger Robel García to his teammate, rising slugger and Blue Jays’ farmhand Giaconino Lasaracina, and to MLB catching prospects Omar Hernández (Kansas City Royals, Spain) and Yannic Walther (Milwaukee Brewers, Germany), the Barcelona Qualifier offers a fascinating blend of experience, leadership, and young talent.

More information about the schedule and streaming from the Premier12 Barcelona Qualifier is available here [link]. Additionally, each of the three European countries played a friendly series in advance of the tournament as well [link]. Several of the players starring in this tournament are featured in our series, Europeans in the Majors and Minors [link].

Premier12
The fourth edition of the Premier12 will see a total of 20 men’s baseball programmes involved in the qualification process. The top 12 in the WBSC Men’s Baseball World Ranking at the end of 2025 earned an automatic invitation. To complete the set of 16 participants, the WBSC organised two qualifying tournaments with a total of eight participants.

In the second qualifier, World No. 18 China will host No. 15 Nicaragua, No. 16 Czechia, and No. 20 Great Britain in the second Qualifier from November 26 to 28 in Zhongshang. The top two finishers from each Qualifier will join the 12 teams that secured automatic qualification through the WBSC Men’s Baseball World Ranking at the end of 2025: Japan, Chinese Taipei, U.S.A., Korea, Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Panama, the Netherlands, Cuba, Australia and the Dominican Republic.

The 2027 Premier12 will also represent a key step in the qualification process for the baseball tournament at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Two direct LA28 Olympic berths will be awarded through the tournament: one to the highest-placed Asian team and another to the highest-placed team from Europe or Oceania. Three teams have already secured their place in Los Angeles. Host nation USA qualified automatically, while Venezuela and the Dominican Republic claimed the two Americas qualification places through their performances at the World Baseball Classic 2026.

Barcelona
Baseball returns to Barcelona for another marquee event. The 1992 Olympic Games in the Catalonian city awarded the first baseball medals. Cuba won gold, Taiwan earned silver, and Japan took the bronze. The Municipal Baseball Stadium (Estadi Municipal de Beisbol) in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat was the main venue for the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Baseball Tournament, while the Municipal Baseball Stadium in Viladecans (Camp Municipal de Beisbol de Viladecans) was also used.

“This is the city where baseball’s first Olympic medals were awarded in 1992,” WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari said at the Barcelona Olympic Museum. “Now, for the first time, it will host a Premier12 qualifier. To connect those two milestones in a city with such a strong sporting legacy makes this a historic occasion for our sport.“

The Carlos Pérez de Rozas Baseball Field, home of the WBSC Premier12 2027 Barcelona Qualifier, is located in the Olympic Ring and served as a training ground during the Barcelona 1992 Olympics. The field is named after Carlos Pérez de Rozas y Sáenz de Tejada (1920–90), a renowned sports photographer and passionate baseball advocate. It opened shortly after his death, and Barcelona City Council renovated it in 2002, installing new artificial turf, a water collection system, and irrigation facilities.

The Pérez de Rozas Field co-hosted, together with the Viladecans Municipal Stadium, the 2007 European Baseball Championship, which served as a qualifier for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. In 2009, it hosted Group B of the WBSC Baseball World Cup Opening Round as the sole venue, welcoming Cuba, Puerto Rico, Spain, and South Africa.

Germany
Germany have yet to compete in either the WBSC Premier12 or the World Baseball Classic, but have featured in four World Baseball Classic Qualifiers and hosted two of them in Regensburg, in 2012 and 2022. Deutschland Baseball’s best qualifying performance came on home soil in 2012, ahead of the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Germany defeated Czechia 16-1 and Great Britain 16-7, but were eliminated after losing twice to Canada, 11-7 and 11-1.

Germany went winless against Nicaragua and Czechia at the 2016 Qualifier in Mexicali, Mexico, before hosting another qualifying tournament in Regensburg in 2022. After opening with a 7-1 victory over Czechia, Germany lost the decisive rematch 8-4. They came close to reaching the 2026 World Baseball Classic at the 2025 Qualifier in Tucson but suffered a 6-4 defeat to Brazil in the qualification game.

“Most of our players compete in Germany or other European countries,” said Germany manager Jendrick Speer. “I like the mix we have of young talent and more experienced players. We have never been to the Premier12, so our goal is to take Germany to the main tournament in 2027. Every game counts, and surprises can happen. The road to the Olympics is long, and qualifying will be difficult. But we are really happy to be here; we cannot wait to begin.“

Italy
Italy are the only participant in the Barcelona Qualifier to have previously competed in the WBSC Premier12. The Azzurri, then managed by current Italian Baseball Softball Federation (FIBS) President Marco Mazzieri, appeared in the inaugural edition in 2015 [link].

Italy competed in Group A of the 2015 Premier 12, hosted by Taiwan, but were unable to record a win. They lost 7-1 to Puerto Rico and by the same score against the home side a day later, before suffering a 16-1 defeat to European rivals the Netherlands. Following the rest day, Italy lost 4-0 to Canada before producing their best performance of the tournament against Cuba, narrowly falling 2-1 in a pitching duel.

Italy also boast the strongest World Baseball Classic record among the four teams competing in Barcelona. After receiving invitations to the first two editions in 2006 and 2009, the Azzurri have qualified for every subsequent tournament through their results on the field. They reached the second round in 2013, lost to eventual champions Japan in the quarterfinals in 2023, and advanced to the semifinals in 2026, where they were eliminated by eventual champions Venezuela.

“These players earned their spot on the roster,” explained Italy skipper Francisco Cervelli. “You really need to go day-by-day in this tournament. You don’t really want to lose a game. We are grateful to the WBSC for expanding the tournament. It was really difficult to participate in the Premier12 with the previous format. Hopefully, we can make enough noise to inspire younger generations to dream of the Italy jersey. Making it to the Olympics must be the ultimate goal of every athlete.“

Spain
Spain earned its first World Baseball Classic appearance by winning the 2012 Qualifier in Jupiter, Florida, clinching its place with a dramatic 9-7 victory over Israel in 10 innings. The Red-and-Yellow competed in the San Juan, Puerto Rico group at the 2013 World Baseball Classic, losing 3-0 to Puerto Rico, 6-3 to the Dominican Republic, and 11-6 to Venezuela.

Spain subsequently participated in the 2016, 2022 and 2025 Qualifiers. It fell 3-1 to Czechia in the decisive game of the 2022 tournament in Regensburg, Germany. In Taipei in 2025, Spain opened its campaign by defeating hosts Chinese Taipei but lost the decisive rematch 6-3, narrowly missing out on qualification once again.

“We tried to assemble a roster with players who can cover different positions,” commented Spain skipper Marvin Benard. “It is a pleasure and an honour to be here. What is different in a tournament where you can play very well but your qualification depends on one run scored or allowed… Here, every run counts. We are not looking at the Olympics yet, but for sure playing in the Games is everybody’s dream.“

Colombia
Colombia missed out on qualification for the 2013 World Baseball Classic but have competed in each of the three editions since. The South American nation secured a tournament debut by winning the 2016 Qualifier in Panama City, defeating hosts Panama twice, 6-3 and 2-1. Colombia then recorded its first World Baseball Classic victory in 2017, beating Canada 4-1 in Miami to secure automatic qualification for the 2023 edition.

Colombia opened its 2023 Classic with a memorable 5-4 victory over Mexico in 10 innings. However, defeats to Great Britain (7-5), Canada (5-0), and USA (3-2) left the Yellow-and-Blue at the bottom of the Phoenix group. They returned to the Qualifiers in 2025 and went undefeated in Tucson, U.S.A., beating Brazil 5-0, China 8-1, and Germany 10-0. Colombia did not advance beyond the opening round of the 2026 World Baseball Classic, but its 4-3 victory over Panama secured a place in the next edition.

“We have a very young team,” said Colombia manager Gio Urshela. “We are here to earn our place in the Premier12, since Colombia has never participated, and to showcase the congress of the game in our country. We have a lot of respect for the other three teams, and we know every game will be a do-or-die moment.“

Photo courtesy of WBSC.

All three of the European nations involved in the upcoming WBSC Premier12 2027 Barcelona Qualifier held multi-game warm-up series against high-level international opponents. World No. 17 Germany swept No. 16 Czechia in a three-game warm-up series split between Třebíč and Olomouc. World No. 25 Spain won three of four games in the Serie Amistosa (Friendly Series) against No. 26 France, which they hosted at the Carlos Pérez de Rozas Baseball Field ahead of the Premier12 2027 Barcelona Qualifier.

Finally, No. 14 Italy landed in Barcelona, Spain, after completing a training camp at the New York Mets Performance Centre and Development Facility in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic. The games against Escogido were scheduled for the Yankees’ Dominican Complex, where the Leones held pre-season training, while the location of the others unknown. Contrary to published reports, Italy drew two and lost three.

All games were nine innings unless noted by an alternate number in parentheses.

Results
Sept. 26
Italy 1 – Estrellas Orientales 1

Sept. 29
Italy 0 – Toros del Este 0 [video]

Sept. 30
Italy 4 – Leones de Escogido 11 [Escogido recap]

Oct. 1
Italy 2 – Tigres del Licey 5

Oct. 2
Germany 9 – Czech Republic 1
Italy 0 – Toros del Este 6 [video]

Oct. 3
Germany 5 – Czech Republic 3
Italy – Leones de Escogido (cancelled)

Oct. 4
Czech Republic 0 – Germany 1 [recap]
France 0 – Spain 3 (7) [French recap]

Oct. 5
France 2 – Spain 8 (7) [French recap]

Oct. 6
France 1 – Spain 6 (7?)
France 4 – Spain 4 (7?) (Originally scheduled for Oct. 7) [French recap]

Photo Courtesy of WBSC.

With the lower minor league seasons complete, this will be the last 2026 update. We dive into more detail on the four active African players in the minors, who are evenly split between the Pirates’ and Dodgers’ organizations. Thank you for tuning in all season, and our series will continue next year.

Key
Name (age*), organization, country, team.
*Age is as of Sept 1, 2025 (playing age this season).
Team Prospect Rankings: BA (Baseball America): #; FG (Fangraphs): #; MLB (MLB.com): #.
“NR” denotes not ranked (only included for players listed in other rankings).

Single-A (1)
David Matoma (20), Pittsburgh Pirates. Uganda. Bradenton Marauders. BA: NR; FG: 38; MLB: NR.
Luweero’s Matoma finished his fourth season in the Pirates organization with a repeat performance at Single-A Bradenton. In 38.1 innings, the righty allowed 44 hits and 48 walks. He finished with a 2-5 record and 8.69 ERA and 2.40 WHIP. His 44 punchouts were a career high, and a .390 BABIP, 59.7 percent strand rate, and 6.35 FIP indicated some amount of bad luck.

On the surface, it is hard to regard the season as anything other than difficult, but there were several positive signs. First was a small uptick in strikeouts from his first year in the Florida State League (FSL), as he went from 20.6 percent to 22.1 percent (21.9 across all levels). Second is that groundball percentage remained strong at 51.4 percent, almost the exact same figure. Third is a big jump in infield flies (17.6 percent to 41.7 percent) from the previous year. Finally, his average fastball velocity mid-season was 97.3, fourth-best among all Pirates prospects, and rated by Fangraphs as a current 60 value (out of 80), with a peak projection of 70, both of which are strong figures. The key for 2027 will be iron out his command, as he threw first pitch strikes to only 49 percent of batters and walked 11.3 percent of those he faced. Considering that he is still only 20, two years younger than the average FSL player, there is every reason to continue dreaming on Matoma’s right arm.

Rookie League, U.S. Complex Leagues (1)
Armstrong Muhoozi (19), Pittsburgh Pirates. Uganda. FCL Pirates.
Due to injury and sickness, Muhoozi played only 15 games in 2026 before the complex season ended — 4 in the Dominican and 11 after promotion to Florida. The center fielder hit .196 in 46 at bats, stealing two bases. With only 52 plate appearances across 18 games, it is hard to draw many  conclusions, but Muhoozi’s walk rate remained strong at 9.6 percent, and he avoided hitting too many grounders (38.7 percent) while putting the ball in the air frequently (48.4 percent.)
Rookie League, Dominican Complex Leagues (2)

Allen Ajoti (22), Los Angeles Dodgers. Uganda. DSL LAD Bautista.
Ajoti finished his 3^rd season with the Dodgers, but his first as a pitcher (he signed as a catcher/outfielder). He pitched 14 games and 18.2 innings, compiling a 3-2 record with one save. He struck out 14, walked 13, and allowed 22 hits, finishing with an 8.68 ERA and 1.88 WHIP. A .344 BABIP and very low 43.4 strand rate, added to a 5.92 FIP suggested that his first season pitching was a bit better than it looks on the surface.

Joseph Deng Thon (19), Los Angeles Dodgers. South Sudan/Uganda. DSL LAD Mega.
Deng pitched 11.1 innings in 13 games this season with an 0-1 record and one hold. He gave up 12 hits and 25 walks while striking out seven, leading to a 17.47 ERA and 3.26 WHIP. While these are not great results, they are(a significant improvement over the 31.91 ERA and 6.27 WHIP in his first eight games in 2025, when he walked 66.7 percent of hitters. Standing at 6-foot-7, and armed with a fastball that could hit 95 or 97 at signing, depending on the source, the South Sudanese trailblazer may yet receive a chance to continue his career.

Articles in This Year’s Series
April [link].
May [link].
June [link].
July [link].
August [link].

Additional statistical analysis by Gabriel Fidler.

September is also a time for roster trimming and, alas, Germany’s Max Kepler and Spain’s Peter Bonilla were released. There are several rumored European signings expected to be official by the start of the 2027 season, which we will cover, along with any off-season contracts.

With only a few days of Triple-A remaining, this will serve as the last update for 2026. As such, we dive behind the numbers for quite of few of the 29 players featured here, focusing on some of the more intriguing seasons compiled by players on the list. With lengthier analysis, this update will be formed of two parts: players in the upper levels of professional baseball in the U.S. (MLB down to Double-A) and those in the low minors. Thanks for reading along this year.

The first half of the final update of Europeans in the Majors and Minors can be found here [link].

Key
Name (age*), organization, country, team.
*Age is as of Sept 1, 2026 (playing age this season).
Team Prospect Rankings: BA (Baseball America): #; FG (Fangraphs): #; MLB (MLB.com): #.
“NR” denotes not ranked (only included for players listed in other rankings).

High-A (2)
Tyriq Kemp (23), Kansas City Royals. Netherlands. Quad Cities River Bandits.
Kemp, after being drafted out of Baylor University in 2025, has 378 at bats in his first full pro season. The shortstop and his Quad Cities squad just won the Midwest League championship. Kemp finished with 13 home runs and a .230 batting average, with 33 stolen bases in 45 attempts. He struck out 88 times and walked in 58 plate appearances, resulting in a batting line of .230/.336/.394 despite a very low .264 BABIP.

Yannic Walther (22), Milwaukee Brewers. Germany. Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.
Walther is in his fourth pro season as a catcher, wrapping up his second consecutive season with at least 235 plate appearances. In 67 games this year, Walther is hitting .204/.335/.299. He has 11 extra base hits, 79 strikeouts, and 40 walks and has stolen two bases himself. Walther has thrown out 48 attempted base stealers, good for a 26 percent success rate, and has been charged with only six passed balls and seven errors, resulting in a strong .990 fielding percentage.

Single-A (5)
Peter Bonilla (21), Los Angeles Dodgers. Spain. Ontario Tower Buzzers.
Bonilla was released last month after five seasons in the Dodgers organization. He moved to Single-A in late June and, in nine innings at the new level, the lefty allowed 18 hits and 14 walks while striking out 11. He had a 1.52 WHIP in rookie ball while striking out more than 1.5 batters per inning, but that WHIP ballooned to 3.44 in Ontario with an ERA of 17.00. The left-hander finishes his career—at least for now—with a 17-4 record, a 3.98 ERA, and a 1.48 WHIP in 89 games and 134.1 innings. Bonilla punched out 171 in that time (11.5 strikeouts per nine innings), walking 94 (6.3 per nine).

Brandon Herbold (23), Kansas City Royals. Netherlands. Columbia Fireflies.
The Rotterdam lefty is in his fourth pro season, and his first in full-season A-ball. He finished the year with a 2-3 record, 7.50 ERA, and 2.10 WHIP in 30 innings. Herbold recorded two saves and one hold, striking out 38 and walking 33. His career line stands at 5-6 with a 5.98 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 10.0 strikeouts per nine innings, and 6.3 free passes per nine in 64 games and 105.1 innings.

Giaconino Lasaracina (23), Toronto Blue Jays. Italy. Dunedin Blue Jays.
Lasaracina concluded his first pro season with a .292 average and .386 OBP while primarily playing catcher. He had 24 extra base hits in 50 games played, striking out 54 times and walking 26. He started the season by raking in the Florida Complex League, slashing .365/441/.788 in 14 games. Challenged with a late-June promotion from rookie ball to the Florida State League, the catcher and first baseman put up a very solid .262/.365/.500 line.

Had Lasaracina accumulated enough plate appearances to qualify for the leaderboard, his combined slugging mark of .584 would have been ranked No. 21 among all minor leaguers. Meanwhile, his .865 OPS would have ranked ninth among all players in low-A leagues, and his overall OPS of .971 would have been just inside the top fifty for the entire minor leagues. One caveat to his performance is that—in an admittedly small sample size—the percentage of his flyballs to leave the park was higher all but two other players at any minor league level (38.9 percent), double the rate of what would be considered excellent in the big leagues. Coupled with a high groundball percentage (48.7 percent), some regression to batted ball results could be in order.

On a more positive note, the underlying metrics show he actually improved his plate discipline after his promotion from the lower level. Lasaracina dropped his strikeout percentage from 30.5 percent to 24.3, and nudging his already stellar walk percentage from 11.9 percent to 12.8. Although he was playing against younger competition (2.6 years older than average in the FCL, 1.1 years older in the FSL), given his late start to professional baseball, the fact that he signed out of Europe, and his position, Lasaracina had a stellar debut.

Dominic Scheffler (22), Cincinnati Reds. Switzerland. Daytona Tortugas.
Scheffler finished his season with a 5.03 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, and a 4-1 record with two saves and one hold. He struck out 50 and walked 40, allowing only 13 extra base hits and 41 hits overall. Although his FIP (5.63) and average BABIP (.289) are not terribly encouraging, Scheffler—who was young for the level—posted one eye-opening statistic: a 61.6 ground ball percentage, meaning that more than three of five batted balls against him resulted in a grounder. Had the lefty thrown enough innings, this would have led all of minor league baseball. Similarly, his ratio of ground balls to fly balls (GB/FB) of 2.57 would have ranked No. 3 overall. Given that Scheffler managed a groundball mark above 51 percent and a GB/FB above two in his previous two seasons, this skill is clearly a calling card.

Giacomo Taschin (19), Toronto Blue Jays. Italy. Dunedin Blue Jays.
Taschin allowed 10 runs in his last two starts (6.2 innings), bloating his overall season numbers, but still finished his first pro season in full-season A-ball at only 19 years old. For the year, across two levels, Taschin pitched 52.1 innings, striking out 65 and walking 24. He had a 5.16 ERA and 1.30 WHIP, finishing with a 1-4 record with one save and hold apiece.

The left-hander had above-average marks for limiting damage on batted balls in the air, inducing an infield fly on a whopping 36.2 percent of balls in play (41.2 percent in the FCL) and allowing line drives on only 19.4 percent of batted balls. The latter figure would have been second in the minor leagues with enough innings pitched. Coupled with a few more fly balls leaving the yard than might be expected (19.0 HR/FB ratio overall, and a 26.5 mark in Single-A), the overall picture is of a successful debut.

Rookie League, U.S. Complex Leagues (4)
Fabio Bundi (22), Florida Marlins. Switzerland. FCL Marlins.
Bundi played in Switzerland, took part in MLB European camps, and has represented his national team. He went to California to attend a junior college, and he was playing this summer for Hamburg in the German Baseball Liga when he was drafted. He was assigned to the rookie complex league, but did not make an in-game debut, though he has likely competed unofficially while making the adjustment to pro baseball.

Tijn Fredrikze (19), New York Yankees. Netherlands. FCL Yankees.
The Neptunus lefty signed, then spent the entire season on the injured list. He has yet to debut.

Mathis Nayral (22), Toronto Blue Jays. France. FCL Blue Jays.
Nayral, a right-handed pitcher from Montpelier, attended a two-year program at Cochise College in Arizona before transferring to the NCAA Division I University of Kansas for one season. He was drafted in July 2026, but has yet to appear in an official professional game.

Gijs van den Brink (21), Kansas City Royals. Netherlands. ACL Royals.
The Dutch left-hander has been able to pitch only once in the last two seasons, logging two innings in 2025 and spending all of 2026 on the injured list. He has 24.1 career innings pitched since signing in July 2023.

Rookie League, Dominican Complex Leagues (9)
Tom Apfelbaum (17), Los Angeles Dodgers. Germany. DSL LAD Bautista.
Apfelbaum started 11 games and pitched 29.2 innings in his first pro season. The Cologne lefty struck out 26, walked 27, hit another 13, and gave up 23 hits for a 5.46 ERA and 1.69 WHIP. Still, taking a regular turn in the starting rotation at his age, particularly given his nationality, is an accomplishment, as were his batted ball percentages of 56.3 ground balls and 29.4 infield flies induced.

Kenny Fermin (19), West Sacramento Athletics. Germany. DSL Athletics.
Fermin’s debut season ended with a .211 batting average and .392 OBP. He stole nine bases in 10 attempts and struck out 29 times while drawing 17 walks and knocking three extra base hits. He logged time at every position except pitcher, catcher, and left field.   

Paul Hoff (19), Milwaukee Brewers. Germany. DSL Brewers Gold.
Finally healthy after missing all of the 2025 season, Hoff pitched to a 2.01 ERA and 6-0 record across 44.2 innings. He struck out 45 while walking 21 for a 1.14 WHIP. His advanced statistics suggest some luck involved (.240 BABIP, 4.16 FIP), but some very real reasons for positive assessment (45.7 ground ball percentage, 26.8 infield fly ball percent). Given that he averaged almost 4.5 innings per appearance, he may well be given the chance to start or work in bulk relief in 2027.

Juan Holmann (17), Minnesota Twins. Germany. DSL Twins.
Holmann had a strong season, although he did not play over the final four weeks. Thus, his first year in pro ball concludes with a .314 average, .538 OBP, and 14 stolen bases. He had 10 extra base hits (.535 slugging percentage) and walked 31 times while striking out 31 times.

Over a full season, his superb numbers would have ranked among the very best performances in the Dominican, with his .533 OBP second-best, his 1.069 OPS ranked No. 8, and more advanced metrics painting a picture of him as one of the top prospects in the league (a wOBA of .530 would have been No. 2, a wRC+ of 170 as third, a 29.8 line drive percentage at No. 4). The Twins gave him almost equal time at each of the infield positions to the left of first, while also giving him four games in left field, another factor that may help him move up the ladder more quickly.

Celwin Hurkmans (19), Toronto Blue Jays. Netherlands. DSL Blue Jays Blue.
The DSS and TalentTeamNL lefty had a 12-inning first taste of professional life at the end of the summer, appearing in four games. He allowed 16 runs on 16 hits, 11 walks, and 11 strikeouts.

Jordan Ouanyou (18), Cincinnati Reds. France. DSL Rojos.
Originally from Paris and passing through the academies in Montpelier and Toulouse, the first baseman concluded his first full pro season with a .264 average and .427 OBP in 91 at bats. He tallied seven extra base hits (for a .396 slugging percentage) and a stolen base. Ouanyou finished the season with 24 hits, 24 walks, and 24 strikeouts. He drew a free pass in a very good 20.5 percent of at bats which, had he appeared in enough games, would have ranked in the top 17 percent of players in the DSL.   

Ricardo Pulles (17), Los Angeles Dodgers. Russia/Spain. DSL LAD Bautista.
The catcher/first baseman from Moscow hit .161 with a .315 OBP in 87 at bats. He stole two bases, had four extra base hits, and walked 17 times against 35 strikeouts. He threw out 28% of attempted base stealers when catching.  

Filippo Sabatini (19), Philadelphia Phillies. Italy. DSL Phillies.
The Nettuno righty, signed two years ago, finally made his pro debut after elbow surgery. In 20 innings across 10 games in his inaugural DSL season, Sabatini won six games with a 7.65 ERA and 1.85 WHIP. He struck out 18, allowing 16 free passes and 25 hits.

Patrick Silva (17), Philadelphia Phillies. Italy. DSL Phillies.
Silva played mostly third base, logging additional time at first and at DH. He concluded the season with 70 at bats, hitting .271 with a .393 on-base percentage. He had three extra base hits (resulting in a .343 slugging) and walked 12 times versus 18 strikeouts. Perhaps not coincidentally, he was on the field for the first three games that his teammate and fellow Italian Sabatini was on the mound, and seven of his 10 total appearances.

Articles in This Year’s Series
April [link].
May [link].
June [link].
July [link].
August [link].

Additional statistical analysis by Gabriel Fidler.

September is also a time for roster trimming and, alas, Germany’s Max Kepler and Spain’s Peter Bonilla were released. There are several rumored European signings expected to be official by the start of the 2027 season, which we will cover, along with any off-season contracts.

With only a few days of Triple-A remaining, this will serve as the last update for 2026. As such, we dive behind the numbers for quite of few of the 29 players featured here, focusing on some of the more intriguing seasons compiled by players on the list. With lengthier analysis, this update will be formed of two parts: players in the upper levels of professional baseball in the U.S. (MLB down to Double-A) and those in the low minors. Thanks for reading along this year.

Key
Name (age*), organization, country, team.
*Age is as of Sept 1, 2026 (playing age this season).
Team Prospect Rankings: BA (Baseball America): #; FG (Fangraphs): #; MLB (MLB.com): #.
“NR” denotes not ranked (only included for players listed in other rankings).

MLB (2)
Max Kepler (33), Arizona Diamondbacks. Germany.
Kepler joined the D’backs after serving an 80-game suspension to start the year. This is his 12^th consecutive year in the major leagues. It did not go particularly well though, with Kepler hitting .205 in 41 games. He struck out 32 times and drew 11 walks while hitting a pair of home runs and seven doubles.

Kepler was released on Sept. 5. As he is ineligible for the postseason due to his drug suspension, it seems likely that he is finished for 2026, at least in the U.S. After all, he is eligible to play for Germany in the Premier 12 qualifier next month, as he is no longer on an MLB 40-man roster.

Looking to next year, he carries a .234/.314/.421 line through 1240 games over parts of 12 seasons, an exactly league average batting line by measure of OPS+. His counting stats include 19.9 WAR, 181 doubles, 38 stolen bases, and a career defensive WAR of 1.9. In 168 games since the start of 2025, however, he has hit only .213/.291/.370 (80 OPS+) and been worth -0.6 WAR. At one point a well-above average hitter against right-handers (career .761 OPS), he has only a .209/.292/.370 line with the platoon advantage over the past two seasons.

Adam Macko (25), Texas Rangers. Slovakia/Ireland. BA: 23; FG: 17; MLB: NR.
Traded from the Blue Jays to the Texas Rangers at the MLB trade deadline, Macko has pitched seven games for his new big league club, adding to the 22 appearances he had for Toronto before the trade. In total, he is 2-0 with a 5.23 ERA and 1.68 WHIP, striking out 32 in 31 innings, with 14 base on balls. Advanced metrics (a .367 BABIP and 4.87 WHIP) suggest he has been somewhat unlucky. With 72 days on the active roster, not including his callup today, Macko has exhausted his rookie eligibility, a major accomplishment for someone born in Slovakia.

The southpaw also has six appearances in Round Rock. Over nine innings, he has given up 11 hits and 4 walks while striking out 9. Macko has a 4.59 ERA and 1.44 WHIP at Triple-A, also his first season as a reliever. In 33.1 innings, he has 38-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Triple-A (5)
Sam Aldegheri (24), Los Angeles Angels. Italy. Salt Lake Bees.Aldegheri has been up and down a few times this season, but he has remained on the Triple-A roster since July 5. He is 4-7 with a 7.21 ERA there with a 1.62 WHIP. Barring a return to the majors in the last few days of the season, the left-hander will finish the MLB campaign with a 3-4 record in nine games, including six starts. He has a 5.08 ERA and 1.43 WHIP, compiling 22 strikeouts and 17 free passes in 33.2 innings.

Omar Hernandez (24), Kansas City Royals. Spain. Omaha Storm Chasers.
Hernandez has played nine games since his Triple-A promotion, accumulating eight hits and five strikeouts in 35 at bats. He hit .279 in 247 ABs in Double-A with 14 extra base hits and 20 stolen bases. He has thrown out 15 percent of base stealers in his primary position of catcher.

Mathias LaCombe (24), Chicago White Sox. France. Charlotte Knights. BA: 16; FG: 28; MLB: 18.
LaCombe appeared to be finishing the season with Double-A Birmingham, but not only is he not done pitching for 2026, but he received two separate pieces of good news. First, LaCombe was selected for the prestigious Arizona Fall League, a tremendous vote of confidence for the French right-hander. Second, only two days before going to press, LaCombe was promoted to Triple-A.

Across three levels this season, the Toulouse academy product has a 3-0 record, 3.88 ERA, and 1.22 WHIP in 35 games. He racked up 66 strikeouts in 48.2 innings (12.21 per nine innings), walked 23 (4.25 per nine) and hit another seven batters.

However, over his last 12 outings, which cover the start of August through Sept. 16, LaCombe registered a 1.12 ERA, 0.75 ERA, and 18 strikeouts in 12 innings. Once the Triple-A season ends on Sept. 26, France’s top pitching prospect will head to Arizona for additional work against other prospects and major league-ready players that need more playing time.

Ernesto Martinez, Jr. (27), New York Yankees. France. Scranton Wilkes-Barre Railriders.
Martinez has a .243 batting average and .331 OBP with 17 home runs and 14 stolen bases. He has logged 387 at bats as the primary first baseman with 113 strikeouts, 51 walks, and 38 extra base hits.

Sem Robberse (24), St Louis Cardinals. Netherlands. Memphis Redbirds.
In his return from Tommy John elbow surgery, Robberse made five rehab appearances across two levels in mid-summer, pitching nine innings, allowing 12 hits, striking out nine while walking no one. He has not pitched since July 10 and, according to his minor league transactions, has not been activated from his rehab assignment. It would appear his season is finished.

Double-A (2)
Alessandro Ercolani (22), Pittsburgh Pirates. San Marino/Italy. Altoona Curve.
The righty finished the season on the injured list – his last appearance was June 25.  Ercolani had a 4-1 record in 2026 in 18 games and 25 innings, albeit with a 1.76 WHIP and 7.56 ERA.

Nicolò Pinazzi (25), Los Angeles Angels. Italy. Rocket City Trash Pandas. BA: NR; FG: 37; MLB: NR.
Pinazzi was promoted to Double-A on Aug. 3, just after our last update, and has since cracked his first team prospects list (Fangraphs), evidence of his incredible comeback thus far. In the six weeks he spent at the new level before the regular season concluded, Pinazzi’s success continued. In 16.2 Double-A innings, he struck out 24 and allowed nine hits, leading to two wins and a loss, with an eye-popping 0.54 ERA. Across four levels (including a one-game cameo in Triple-A), the lefty compiled a 7-2 record and four saves to go with a 0.84 ERA and 1.22 WHIP, alongside an astonishing 103 strikeouts in 64 innings (14.48 strikeouts per nine, 38.9 strikeout percentage). Batters have hit an anemic .200/.317/.244 off the rejuvenated Italian, whose four-seam fastball maxed out at 97.3 this year. 

Along the way, Pinazzi ran off the longest scoreless innings streak in the entire minor leagues since 2016, though it has been 20 seasons since a lefty managed a longer stretch than his. The run began on May 21, and only ended on Sept. 4, with the southpaw going 31 games and 43 innings (across three levels) between runs allowed, according to MLB.com. In that span, he had 76 whiffs and batters hit only .169 against him. Both Fangraphs [link] and MLB.com [link] have run articles on the left-hander, who heads to the Southern League Championship Series this Sunday.

The second half of the final update of Europeans in the Majors and Minors can be found here [link].

Articles in This Year’s Series
April [link].
May [link].
June [link].
July [link].
August [link].

Additional statistical analysis by Gabriel Fidler.

Four European teams that competed at the Baseball5 Mediterranean Cup 2026 in Taranto, Italy [link], made gains in the WBSC Baseball5 World Ranking following the latest update, led by Greece, which climbed four places, while medallists Türkiye, France, and Spain all moved up one position. Kosovo, making its baseball5 debut, entered the poll at No. 70 out of 77, the first time it has ever been ranked in a WBSC discipline.

Türkiye’s 330 points gained moved it ahead of fellow WBSC Europe baseball5 power Lithuania, and the Bosporus-straddling nation is now closer to No. 7 Venezuela than the Baltic nation. Although France was favored to win, the Mediterranean Games silver medal boosted it past Japan by 251 points, which it formerly trailed by 10 points. Spain switched places with South Korea, securing four of the top 11 spots for WBSC Europe teams. Tunisia’s 184 points for its fourth-place finish puts it only 53 points behind Mexico, and it is the top-ranked African nation.

Cuba remain at the top of the WBSC Baseball5 World Ranking with 5,827 points, ahead of Taiwan on 4,801 and France on 4,636. Japan has 4,385, while Mexico is fifth with 3,843 points, followed by Tunisia with 3,790 and Venezuela with 3,324, while Türkiye’s rise to eighth means three Mediterranean Cup teams now feature inside the world’s top eight.

The next international event in baseball5 is the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, beginning on 30 Oct. France and Türkiye will represent Europe, while Kenya and Senegal are the teams from Africa. Cuba, Mexico, Syria, and Taiwan round out the field.

In mid-December, Carolina, Puerto Rico will host 16 teams for the 2026 Baseball5 World Cup. France, Spain, and Türkiye qualified from last year’s European Baseball5 Championship, while Kenya, South Africa, and Tunisia are Africa’s representatives.

The full world rankings can be found here [link]. See also our coverage of baseball5 at the Mediterranean Games [link].

The Romanian Baseball and Softball Federation announced the passing of professor and coach Mihai Blaj, one of the pioneers of Romanian baseball and someone who dedicated his entire life to the development of the sport.

At the age of 77, professor Mihai Blaj leaves behind an impressive legacy. Founder of the Romanian baseball movement, formed generations of athletes at CS Biruin inda Gherăesti and LPS Roman, contributing decisively to the growth and affirmation of Romanian baseball. From 1991, he was part of the technical staff of the national team, assisting with the training of many players who represented Romania in European competitions and participating in numerous international competitions.

Among the most important results of Blaj’s career are the title of European vice-champion with the Under-12 National Team at the 1995 European Championship in Prague and the bronze medal with the Under-15 National Team at the 1999 European Championship at Ostrava. He also contributed to the Under-12 competition in the National Championship of Romania.

‘Through his professionalism, passion and devotion, Professor Mihai Blaj influenced destinies and inspired generations of athletes and coaches,‘ noted the federation. ‘The Romanian baseball and softball community will keep his memory alive and honor his special contribution to the development of this sport.‘

‘May God rest his soul! Thank you, Professor, you made many baseball championships happen when it was hard to get money for a sport that many people didn’t believe existed in Romania,‘ added former played Ciprian Olaru. ‘I remain grateful for the kindness with which you treated me, your unique humor and your determination to fight for the Baseball & Softball Community!‘

We add our sincere condolences to the bereaved family, friends, former students, and all those who knew and valued him.

Translation by Google.

At the recently concluded Mediterranean Games at Villa Peripato in Taranto, Italy, baseball5 debuted as a competition sport, and eight countries fielded teams, including three of the top eight-ranked nations in the world. In a hard-fought final, World No. 8 Türkiye upset No. 3 France, gaining a measure of revenge for a French semifinal victory at the 2025 European Baseball5 Championship last November and a Super Round defeat at the 2023 Youth Baseball5 World Cup. Spain continued its meteoric rise in the sport in the bronze medal game with an upset of Tunisia, rated sixth in the world and first in Africa.

The Mediterranean Games is a multi-sport event birthed from the olympic movement, held every four years. Countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea in Africa, Asia, and Europe all send athletes, with almost every eligible country represented. The first Mediterranean Games were held in 1951 in Alexandria, Egypt, while the most recent edition was the 20th. This event marks the first at which one of the disciplines governed by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC)—baseball, baseball5, fastpitch, or slowpitch softball—has been included, with baseball5 listed as a demonstration sport.

Of the 26 nations that participated, 15 compete in WBSC sports, and more than half of those send squads. Like all baseball5 events, teams are mixed, with a ‘game’ consisting of a best-of-three set. The teams were split into two four-team pools that played a round robin before the top two in each group advanced to the semifinals. It is worth noting the stories of two teams, as Kosovo made its WBSC debut at the event, while the continued efforts by WBSC to use baseball5 to promote social inclusion and integration of refugees at refugee camps in southwest Asia bore fruit with the Azraq Refugee Team [link] representing Syria.

Round Robin Play
Spain and France were each undefeated in pool play, with the former surprising Tunisia with a defeat for the first of two times. The French, meanwhile, set down Türkiye en route to the top seed on Group B, with only the group winners progressing to the semifinal. On the way, however, Syria earned its first-ever win in a WBSC discipline, beating Greece convincingly in two sets in Group B. Italy bested Kosovo in Group A to finish third in the round robin portion.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” said team captain Ahmed Hadroos. “This is the first game Syria has ever won. Today I truly felt like I represented all Syrians. Now, with such a young team, this success is an unbelievable feeling. It has become part of my daily routine. I’ve learned sportsmanship, gained experience and developed as a person. Representing Syria and the refugees here in Italy is a great honour. I hope everyone will support us and stay with us.“

Playoffs
The second- and third-ranked teams from opposing groups then played each other for the right to advance, with Tunisia sweeping Syria and Türkiye doing the same to Italy. The losers of those two games then played the fourth-ranked team in the placement round, with Syria again defeating Greece and Italy topping Kosovo.

This left only the semifinals to be contested, with France overcoming Tunisia, 11-3, 7-6, to progress to the final. The other path was a thrillride, however, with Türkiye opening with an 11-0 win, Spain equalizing with a 13-1 victory, and an even more high-scoring final set resulting in ‘W’ for the eastern Mediterranean country.

Medal Games
Greece had a fairly easy go of it in the seventh-place game against Kosovo, while Syria gave Italy a run for its money in the match-up for fifth, ultimately falling short in two games. Then, in the battle for the bronze, Tunisia and Spain were evenly matched, but the Spanish five claimed a pair of 5-4 victories for the medal.

The championship was a memorable one, with Türkiye ekeing out a 9-7 result in the first game, before France tied things up with a 4-2 nail-biter. Both sides then scored plenty in the final, but Türkiye came out on top, 11-6.

Awards and Leaders
Yağmur Bozdağ (Türkiye) was the Female MVP and Lucas Dedieu (France) the Male MVP. Jesús Cortez (Spain) led the tournament in hitting at .913, while Omar Diodene (France) led the tournament in runs (23), hits (39), and at bats (44), finishing second in batting average (.886) and RBI (18). Jade Aubard (France) was No. 1 in RBI (20). Muhammed Alkan (Türkiye) was second in runs (19) and hits (30).

“I’m so happy to have won the championship in this tournament,” Bozdağ, the second-youngest player on her team, told the WBSC after the Awards Ceremony. “I’m so happy that we’re champions. I’m also very happy to have won the award for best female player. This is a source of pride for me and for my family.”

Representatives from each country also played an “All-Star Game” during the Opening Ceremony, marking a major coup for baseball, softball, and baseball5.

Results and daily recaps can be found at the tournament website [link].

Spain gained promotion to the next Under-23 European Baseball Championship in 2027 in the friendly confines of Camp Municipal de Beisbol i Sofbol de València, but several other countries in the U23 Baseball Euros Spain Qualifier put on offensive showcases, with several good pitching performances mixed in as well. We take a look below at the leaderboards and awards cabinet for the tournament.

Offensive Leaders
Minimum two plate appearances per team game.

• Nadav Machlin (Israel) put on one of the most impressive displays of any European national team tournament this summer, ripping four home runs in five games and hitting .533/.588/1.400, adding two stolen bases. He was tops in the tournament in total bases (21), home runs, slugging percentage, and OPS, finishing No. 2 in RBI (10) and stolen bases (tied).
• The MVP, however, was Eusebio Salas (Spain), which is what a two-homer game in the final and a tournament-leading 11 RBI and three stolen bases (tied for first) will do. The second baseman was second in OPS and third in slugging and home runs (3, tied), posting a .400/.684/1.300 mark.
• Jakub Križan’s name has been everywhere the past few weeks for Slovakia, and he finished No. 1 in triples (3), No. 2 in slugging (1.333), and third in RBI (9) and total bases (16, tied). His OPS of 1.980 was only eight points off the lead, and he did not strike out in 17 plate appearances.
• Jake Arnow (Israel) was second in home runs (3, tied) and total bases (18) and fourth in slugging, hitting .467/.579/1.200.
• Teammate Aviad Schechter posted similar numbers at .500/.632/1.143, finishing second in runs (10).
• Marco López (Spain) took home the “Leading Hitter” award after posting the second-best average overall, at .636, and the highest if one does not include the final day of play (which WBSC, for whatever reason, does not): .857.
• Dovid Solomon (Israel) ended the tournament with the best average and slashed .857/.917/1.000.
• Markos Lagios (Greece) was just behind him at .818/.733/.909.
• Jakov Belošević (Croatia) made the most of limited playing time, notching a .500/.667/1.250 mark.
• Marc Willi (Switzerland) was his team’s top hitter at .400/.600/.600.
• Yağız Aksoy (Türkiye) did not strike out in his 10 plate appearances, registering a .286/.500/.286 line.

Pitching Leaders
Minimum four innings.

• Maxim Samson (Slovakia) led the tournament in wins (2-0), strikeouts (13)
• Aidan Murray (Greece) was second in WHIP (0.98) and third in batting average against, with hitters managing a .158/.261/.158 line against him. His eight Ks in 5.1 innings were tied for second.
• José Piméntel (Spain) was tops in WHIP (0.60) and tied for No. 1 in ERA (0.00 in five innings).
• Akiva Epstein (Israel) also kept opponents off the board in five innings, taking home “Best Pitcher” honors. He struck out six.
• Fynn Himmelsbach (Switzerland) was the third hurler with a blank sheet over five frames, also whiffing half a dozen.
• Süleyman Çolpan (Türkiye) pitched the most innings of any player (11.2), tying for the lead in games (4) and starts (2).
• Bartol Bosanac (Croatia) was his team’s top moundsman, whiffing five in 4.2 innings with a 3.86 ERA and 1.29 WHIP.

Previous coverage includes: Day 5 [link]. Coverage of the U23 Baseball Euros Germany Qualifier can be found here [link].

Final Standings

Germany and Sweden each put together complete team performances in the Under-23 European Championship B-Pool in Paderborn, Germany, and the leaderboards feature multiple players from each. The other five teams, though, all had their standouts, which we take a look at today.

Offensive Leaders
Minimum two plate appearances per team game.

• Kilian Redle (Germany) led the tournament in OPS (1.722) and slugging percentage (1.222), tying for the lead in home runs (2). He tied for third in total bases (11).
• Jakob Lindkvist (Sweden) was tops in runs (7, tied), RBI (9), total bases (15), home runs (2, tied with Redle), and doubles (2, tied with seven others). He slashed .467/.571/1.000.
• Yevhenii Dmytriiev (Ukraine) was named Leading Hitter with a .625 average, finishing with a 1.417 OPS and no strikeouts.
• Two-way player Fred Rasmussen (Denmark) equalled Dmytriiev’s batting mark and had a 1.261 OPS.
• Elias Huber (Germany) was second in OPS (1.667), hitting .500/.667/1.000. He did not strike out once in 13 plate appearances.
• Alessandro Carrasquilla (Germany) was named MVP after leading in triples (2) and finishing third in OPS (1.615) and in average (tied), at .545.
• Bohdan Lucheiko (Ukraine) was No. 1 in steals (4) and tied for second in runs (6).
• Felix Hill (Sweden) led in walks, drawing a free pass in a whopping 10 of 20 plate appearances.
• Zach Titas (Lithuania) led his team with a .375/.444/.750 triple slash and stole the team’s only base.

Pitching Leaders
Minimum four innings.

• In one of the easiest decisions of any European national team baseball tournament this summer, Jona Widmann (Germany)—who inked a contract with the Houston Astros a few months ago—was named “Best Pitcher” of the Germany Qualifier. The left-hander topped the charts in all Triple Crown categories: wins (2), strikeouts (13), and ERA (0.00). He was a narrow second in WHIP (0.42) and third in batting average against, as hitters struggled to a .045/.125/.040 line across 7.2 innings (the highest total of scoreless innings).
• Sam T’siobbel [also written ‘Tsiobbel’](Belgium) permitted a single unearned run six innings over two games, whiffing eight, posting a 0.67 ERA and a .100/.217/.150 batting line.
• Linus Ritzen (Sweden) had a 0.00 ERA, 0.40 WHIP, and opponents hit .067/.125/.067 in his two starts (five innings).
• Fred Rasmussen (Denmark) earned his team’s first win at the Under-23 level and registered a 2.70 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and eight strikeouts over 10 innings.
• Braydon Titas (Lithuania) had a 1.29 ERA and matching WHIP in seven innings in his only appearance on the mound.
• Szymon Dwojakowski (Poland) did not allow a hit or run over four innings in his one start.
• Yevhenii Rozhko (Ukraine) piled up eight strikeouts against just two hits and a run in his five innings. Batters mustered a .118/.250/.176 mark against him.
• Gustav Öijen (Sweden) similarly did not surrender a safety, in his case in five innings over two relief appearances. Although he allowed only one earned run, he did, however, walk 11.

Previous coverage includes: Day 5 [link]. Coverage of the U23 Baseball Euros Spain Qualifier can be found here [link].

Final Standings

Faced with a formidable Israel team that had outscored oopponents 60-4 in four games, Spain put on its own offensive showcase to earn the Under-23 European Baseball Championship B-Pool title at Camp Municipal de Beisbol i Sofbol de València. Earlier in the day, Slovakia claimed the consolation prize of third place in a close game with Switzerland, and Greece finished with back-to-back wins, though it had to set down an increasingly scrappy Türkiye to do so.

Championship Game
The title bout was a classic baseball story, where the final score does not at all tell the full tale. After two innings in Valencia, the score was 1-0 Israel. Marc Rodríguez then doubled home the first run, with Eusebio Salas later following up with a three-run shot. Aviad Schechter led off the bottom of the frame with a round-tripper to right and, two batters later, Jake Arnow mashed a tater himself.

Another Rodríguez double in the fourth led to a run, and Spain took a 5-3 lead into the fifth. At this point, the wheels fell off for Israel. The first six Spanish hitters reached, beginning with three extra-base hits, and the first out was a long sacrifice fly. Eusebio Salas then crushed another three-run shot before Anderson Pena singled to set up Wendell Burguillos for his own dinger. And, from there, Spain kept scoring, amassing 13 runs in one devastating inning.

Spain piled up 16 hits, nine for extra bases, eight walks, and a hit batter in only five innings. Salas drove in six with his brace of four-baggers, while Rodríguez went 4-for-5 with three runs and three RBI. Burguillos had a triple and a homer and Miguel Blanco two doubles. Harold Barbuena scored four runs on the back of a hit and three free passes.

Dayan González gave up some hard contact, with four of Israel’s six hits going for extra bases, but did not walk anyone and struck out six in four innings for the win.

Third-Place Game
Maxim Samson helped Slovakia find its groove in the quest for bronze, pitching brilliantly to start the game. His club held a fragile 1-0 led through four innings against Switzerland before finally breaking through against the latter’s Xavier Scheffler on back-to-back singles by Matej Rudohradský and Matej Škerlec with one out in the fifth set up Ján Fančovič, who doubled home both runners, scoring on a base knock by Michal Suchoň.

Nicholas Siemers led an immediate response by Switzerland, slashing a two-bagger to start the bottom of the frame and scoring later in the inning on an error. A second miscue gave Switzerland its third run. Erratic play continued in the bottom of the frame, with Slovakia loading the bases on a single by Mário Miklovič, a hit batter, and a walk. Miklovič and Rudohradský then scored on an errant pickoff throw before Škerlec drove home another with a single.

Škerlec then took over Samson on the bump, working around two hits and two walks to close out the game with a pair of shutout frames despite Switzerland’s best efforts. He struck out three in the successful save, adding to Samson’s eight Ks in the first five innings. In addition, Škerlec went 4-for-4 to top Slovakia’s offense, with Miklovič adding a trio of hits from the leadoff spot. Nils Brüderli had two hits for Switzerland.

Placement Game
Greece off to a running start in the first game of the day, plating three runs in the first on a mixture of errors and wildness around a hit from Markos Lagios, with John Spivey whacking a double as well. The next inning followed a similar script, giving Greek baseball a 5-0 lead.

In its final game as debutants at the Under-23 level, Türkiye showed surprisingly pluck and discipline at the plate, however, stringing together a series of free passes and a Rahim Duran single to create two runs. In the fifth, it added another without the benefit of a base knock, narrowing the margin to 5-3.

The second rally lit a fire under the Greeks, though, who scored three more in the bottom of the inning, adding the same number in the sixth. Nicholas Kreatsoulas ripped a solo shot in the latter frame, before Aidan Murray clamped down the final inning to finish a 2.2-inning save. The right-hander retired all eight batters he faced, striking out six of them.

Lagios had three hits, while Constantine Coines, Spivey, and Aki Stamoulis each added two. Süleyman Çolpan was solid in middle relief for Türkiye, allowing one earned run in 3.2 frames, striking out three.

Tomorrow, our coverage of the Under-23 European Championship B-Pool continues with a discussion of the awards and top performers from Valencia.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage includes: Day 4 [link]. Coverage of the U23 Baseball Euros Germany Qualifier can be found here [link].

Playoffs Results
Aug. 8
Placing: Türkiye 3 – Greece 11
Third: Slovakia 7 – Switzerland 2
Final: Spain 18 – Israel 3 (5)  

Final Standings

The powerful offense of Sweden and Germany’s superb pitching staff met in the final of the Germany Qualifier of the Under-23 European Baseball Championship B-Pool, with the result a low-scoring game that kept the fans in Paderborn on the edge of their seats until the very end. Earlier in the day, Belgium claimed third place convincingly over Poland, while Denmark earned its first win of the B-Pool in a matchup with Lithuania. The result ensured promotion to the next U23 Baseball Euros for Germany.

Championship
Both Philipp Kleehaupt for Germany and Sweden’s Olle Jerfsten were strong in the early innings, with the latter’s lone mistake in the first three innings a 1-2 pitch to Kilian Redle, which the German catcher deposited over the left field fence to start the second. A bout of wildness by Kleehaupt set up Simon Horne for a game-tying single an inning later, but the game was still 1-1 until the bottom of the fourth.

In that inning, Germany mounted a two-out rally after Darrion Richards daryingly laid down a bunt, beating out the throw from third. Recent Detroit Tigers’ signee Emilio Götz then loaded the bases on an another infield hit, before Elias Huber worked the count well and drew a free pass for the run.

That was all for either team until the sixth, by which point the Houston Austros’ Jona Widmann was the pitcher opposing Jerfsten. Moritz Köhler led off the bottom of the inning with a solo shot to almost the same location as Redle. Alessandro Carrasquilla then lashed a triple to the alley in right center, scoring on a wild pitch. Widmann then finished the game—and his fourth frame in relief—with his best inning of work, striking out the side on 11 pitches.

The 18-year-old professional was aces on the mound, firing four shutout innings after entering with the score 1-1. Widmann surrendered just a single hit and a free pass, punching out four. Kleehaupt was solid himself, whiffing six in three frames, allowing three hits and two base on balls. Jerfsten took the loss, throwing 5.2 innings. Huber and Carrasquilla both finished with two hits, as did Victor Vahlberg (formerly Wahlberg).

Third-Place Game
Belgium set the tone early, with Nando Mostaert doubling home Adam Troch, who had reached on a single, and scoring himself on a wild pitch. Poland would get one back in the third on a Wojciech Zagawa double and a two-single by Adam Sarota, but that was all the Polish baseballers could managed against Sam T’siobbel (also written “Tsiobbel”) and the Belgian pitching staff.

T’siobbel allowed only an unearned run in 3.2 innings, striking out three. Jonas Belmans then got the next four batters in order, and Arthur Gonthier finished with a two-inning save, permitting no hits and two walks, punching out three. Mostaert and Troch each had two hits, the former scoring three runs and the latter crossing home twice and stealing two bags.

Placement Game
Fred Rasmussen fired a three-hit shutout for Denmark, and the Danish baseball squad managed just enough offense against Lithuania’s Braydon Titas to earn the Scandinavian country’s first-ever win at the Under-23 level. Competing in its first tournament, most of Denmark’s U23 squad would be eligible for an Under-16 tournament, and have improved as the event progressed.

Rasmussen struck out six in the win, scattering three hits and three walks. In two starts in the event, the left-hander registered a 2.70 ERA and 1.30 WHIP, surrendering only a .200/.304/.225 line to opposing hitters. At the plate, he added two hits, finishing with a team-leading .625 average. Max Gamarra added two hits of his own, swiping two bases, and Oliver Lindtner notched a triple and a walk. Titas allowed only one earned run on six hits and three walks, striking out five.

Tomorrow, we break down the awards and statistical leaders for the U23 Baseball Euros Germany Qualifier.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage includes: Day 4 [link]. Coverage of the U23 Baseball Euros Spain Qualifier can be found here [link].

Playoff Results
Aug. 8
Placing: Denmark 3 – Lithuania 0
Third: Belgium 8 – Poland 1
Final: Sweden 1 – Germany 4  

Final Standings

Marc Rodríguez homered and José Piméntel tossed a three-hit shut-out as Spain advanced to the final of the Under-23 European Baseball Championship B-Pool at home. Earlier in the day, MVP favourite Nadav Machlin smashed his four home run in as many games and Aviad Schechter went 2-for-2 with a double, two walks, four runs, and three ribbies to help Israel answer a 2-0 Switzerland lead and advance to the title bout.

In the morning game at Camp Municipal de Beisbol i Sofbol de València, Spain, Greece came-from-behind three times against Croatia to win a placement game. Akili Carris homered, Nicholas Kreatsoulas doubled twice, and Tommy Stathopoulos finished with three shutout innings, whiffing four for the Greek baseball squad. Šime Vrbanović had two hits for Croatia.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage includes: Day 3 [link]. Coverage of the U23 Baseball Euros Germany Qualifier can be found here [link].

Playoffs Schedule and Results
Aug. 7
Fifth: Croatia 6 – Greece 9
Semifinal: Switzerland 2 – Israel 12 (5)
Semifinal: Slovakia 0 – Spain 14 (5)

Aug. 8
Seventh: Türkiye – Greece
Third: Slovakia – Switzerland
Final: Spain – Israel

Jonathan Schäffer and Noah Lindt combined on a one-hit shutout, and Tobius Maul homered and triple, driving in four as Germany advanced to the title game of the Under-23 European Baseball Championship B-Pool in Paderborn, Germany. Deutschland Baseball joined Sweden, which had earlier defeated Poland thanks to a relentless offense that included three hits from Tobias Glimmerud and yet two knocks—including yet another extra base hit—from Tournament MVP candidate Jakob Lindkvist. Earlier in the day in a placement game at Ahorn Ballpark, Mykyta Liabakh pitched a complete game for Ukraine, supported by three hits and three runs from leadoff hitter Mykyta Burmistrov.

Belgium and Poland will do battle for third place tomorrow, followed by the title game between Sweden and Germany. The winner will earn promotion to the 2027 Under-23 European Baseball Championship.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage includes: Day 3 [link]. Coverage of the U23 Baseball Euros Spain Qualifier can be found here [link].

Playoffs Schedule and Results
Aug. 7
Placing: Lithuania 1 – Ukraine 12 (5)
Semifinal: Poland 2 – Sweden 11
Semifinal: Belgium 0 – Germany 6

Aug. 8
Placing: Denmark – Lithuania
Third: Belgium – Poland
Final: Sweden – Germany 

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) has published the schedule for the Baseball Champions League (BCL) Europe Final Four [link], which is scheduled for 26–27 September in Brno, Czech Republic. The BCL Europe playoffs will feature Curacao Neptunus, Draci Brno, Parma 1949, and Tenerife Marlins, representing the national leagues of the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Italy, and Spain, respectively.

The semifinals will be contested on 26 September Serie A club Parma Baseball squaring off against Tenerife Marlins of the Spanish Baseball League’s División de Honor. The nightcap see the hosts, Draci Brno, represent Baseball Czechia’ Extraliga against Curaçao Neptunus Dutch Hoofdklasse. The Championship game follows the third-place contest a day later.

The BCL Europe, which is celebrating its inaugural season in 2026, started in May with Group Stages in Regensburg, Germany [link] and Rotterdam, Netherlands [link]. At these tournaments, 1949 Parma Baseball Club and Curacao Neptunus emerged as winners of their respective group play, while Draci Brno and Tenerife Marlins finished second in each pool to advance to the Final Four. The league replaces the Champions Cup, Baseball Europe’s top club competition, which ran from 1963–2023 [link].

The first edition of the BCL Europe follows the launch of the BCL in 2023 as a ‘new concept for baseball,’ as explained by WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari. ‘It’s an international tournament of champions with teams around the world representing their club, their city and their fans on the world stage.‘

The first BCL Americas in September 2023 [link] was won by the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (U.S.A.), – served as a model for what the WBSC planned for other continents and leagues in the future as part of a global Baseball Champions League. A six-team BCL Americas took place in 2025 [link], won by Diablos Rojos (Mexico City), while in March this year, the Mexican Baseball League hosted this year’s BCL at the Alfredo Harp Helù Stadium in Mexico City [link]. It featured four teams from the Americas and CTBC Brothers from Taiwan, and was won by Kane County Cougars (U.S.A.).

Greece and Spain matched up for a wild one to determine the playoff teams for Group B of the Under-23 European Baseball Championship B-Pool at Camp Municipal de Beisbol i Sofbol de València, Spain, while Aviad Schechter homered for Israel and Matej Chrvala did the same for Slovakia, as both cruised to the semifinals from Group A.

The Greek baseball squad totalled more hits than the host nation, and collected all the extra-base knocks, but Spain took advantage of walks and errors to force seven lead changes in the game, only tying the game for good in the bottom of the seventh. The eighth—extra innings at the Under-23 level—was an absolute rollercoaster, with Greece first scoring four, then Spain walking off after plating five of its own. Constantine Coines homered for the Greeks, while Markos Lagios had three hits, including a two-bagger, and he and Nick Sullo both drove in three. Marco López was 3-for-3 for Spain, scoring two runs, while Miguel Blanco had two hits and Eusebio Salas had a hit, four walks, and two stolen bases.

Akiva Epstein tossed a shutout for Israel in its win, finishing the U23 Baseball Euros Qualifier with five scoreless innings and six strikeouts across four innings. In fact, over two U23 tournaments in his career, he has yet to allow a run in eight frames, striking out 17 and permitting only four hits. Nadav Machlin and Jake Arnow led the offense as usual, the former notching a double and a pair of singles, and the latter going 2-for-2 with a two-bagger.

Jakub Križan continues to impress for Slovakia, ripping a pair of triples, while Matej Škerlec and Maxim Samson had three hits. Chrvala, Mário Miklovič, and Richard Jaslovský all had two hits, as did Türkiye’s Yağız Aksoy. Jakub Holekši punched out six in four shutout innings.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage includes: Day 2 [link]. Coverage of the U23 Baseball Euros Germany Qualifier can be found here [link].

Group A Results
Aug. 6
Croatia 0 – Israel 15 (4)
Slovakia 11 – Türkiye 1 (6)

Group B Results
Aug. 6
Greece 13 – Spain 14 (8)

Playoffs Schedule
Aug. 7
Fifth: Croatia – Greece
Semifinal: Switzerland – Israel  
Semifinal: Slovakia – Spain

Group A Standings

Group B Standings

Poland defeated Lithuania in a de facto playoff game, clinching a spot aside Germany in Group A in the semifinals of the Under-23 European Baseball Championship B-Pool at Ahorn Ballpark in Paderborn, Germany, while Belgium eased past Ukraine and Sweden and Denmark played a surprisingly tight game to determine the other two spots in the semis.

Szymon Dwojakowski fired four no-hit innings for Poland, during which the Polish baseball squad scored eight runs, with two hits coming from Hubert Zgórzyński collecting another two hits following a strong performance for the senior national team in Poland last week.

Nando Mostaert went the distance for Belgium, supported by a double and a single apiece from Adam Troch and Len Kilmek, with Yevhenii Dmytriiev doing the same for Ukraine. Denmark out-hit Sweden, with Fred Rasmussen and Jonas Bak both collecting two hits and Ford Schröder doubling for the third-straight game, but Tobias Glimmerud, Jonas Sjölund, and Kasper Laufke kept Denmark off the scoreboard for the first six innings and Jakob Lindkvist homered for the second game in a row.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage includes: Day 2 [link]. Coverage of the U23 Baseball Euros Spain Qualifier can be found here [link].

Group A Results
Aug. 6
Poland 11 – Lithuania 1

Group B Results
Aug. 6
Belgium 15 – Ukraine 3 (6)
Denmark 2 – Sweden 9

Playoffs Schedule
Aug. 7
Placing: Lithuania – Ukraine
Semifinal: Poland – Sweden
Semifinal: Belgium – Germany

Group A Standings

Group B Standings

Nadav Machlin homered twice, driving in six, and Jake Arnow and Tal Dean also went yard for Israel, as it moved to the pole position in Group A of the Under-23 European Baseball Championship B-Pool in Valencia, Spain, while Jakov Belošević launched a round-tripper for Croatia, which had to come from behind against Türkiye, which had a two-run double from Muhammed Alkan. In the day’s other game, Switzerland jumped out to a 6-0 lead with Fynn Himmelsbach firing five shutout innings with six strikeouts, but Greece mounted a big comeback that features a double from Constantine Coines in the bottom of the final frame, falling just short of the upset.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage includes: Day 2 [link]. Coverage of the U23 Baseball Euros Germany Qualifier can be found here [link].

Group A Schedule and Results
Aug. 5
Türkiye 4 – Croatia 10
Israel 15 – Slovakia 2 (5)

Aug. 6
Croatia – Israel
Slovakia – Türkiye

Group B Schedule and Results
Aug. 5
Switzerland 6 – Greece 4

Aug. 6
Greece – Spain

Group A Standings

Group B Standings

Germany clinched a spot in the semifinals of the Under-23 European Baseball Championship B-Pool in Paderborn, Germany, while Sweden also moved to 2-0 and Ukraine won its first game.

Elias Huber and Moritz Jödicke both homered for Deutschland Baseball, while Lasse Nixdorf fired three shutout innings for the win. Olle Jerfsten struck out five in four innings, permitted one run on just three hits and no walks for Sweden, and Jakob Lindkvist continued his scorching start to the U23 Baseball Euros Qualifier. Axl Roef doubled for the second day in a row for Belgium in a tight game. Finally, Ukraine scored in every inning after the first, with Mykyta Burmistrov, Bohdan Lucheiko, Yevhenii Dmytriiev, and Matviy Stieklov all notching two hits. Yevhenii Rozhko struck out eight in five two-hit innings. Ford Schröder ripped another double for Denmark in the loss.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage includes: Day 1 [link]. Coverage of the U23 Baseball Euros Spain Qualifier can be found here [link].

Group A Schedule and Results
Aug. 5
Germany 15 – Poland 1 (5)

Aug. 6
Poland – Lithuania

Group B Schedule and Results
Aug. 5
Ukraine 15 – Denmark 3 (6)
Sweden 7 – Belgium 2

Aug. 6
Belgium – Ukraine
Denmark – Sweden

Group A Standings

Group B Standings

The second of two qualifiers for the Under-23 European Baseball Championship commenced this morning in Valencia, Spain. Two of the four total groups in the B-Pool will be contested at the Camp Municipal de Beisbol i Sofbol de València, with the other pair in Germany. Group A in the Spain qualifier consists of Croatia, Israel, Slovakia, and Türkiye, while Group B features Greece, Spain, and Switzerland. The top two teams in each pool will advance to the semifinal.

The day opened with a bang, as Akiva Espstein (1 IP), Adam Ilan (2 IP), and Michael Savino (1 IP) tossed a combined no-hitter for Israel against Türkiye, with Nadav Machlin and Jake Arnow both smashing home runs. Arnow was 3-for-3 with four runs and a quartet of ribbies, adding a double to his longball.

Young Jakub Križan carried on where he left off for Slovakia at the Baseball Euros B-Pool last week, mashing two doubles and a single, driving in five. Only 16, the lefty-swinging first baseman hit .571/.667/.810 against adult competition in Poland, playing a crucial role in qualifying Slovakia for the European Baseball Championship. Maxim Samson pitched a four-hit shutout for the ‘W’.

Switzerland scored in three different innings, but Spain’s offense was just too powerful, and the Iberians pulled away late. In the seventh inning—the final frame at the Under-23 level and all youth levels in WBSC tournaments—both Eusebio Salas and Andrés Peña homered. The former had an unusual day, going 1-for-1 with four runs, three RBI, and a walk, also hitting a sacrifice fly and draw three plunkings, resulting in a 1.000/.833/4.000 line for the day.

Box scores are available here [link]. Coverage of the U23 Baseball Euros Germany Qualifier can be found here [link].

Group A Schedule and Results
Aug. 4
Türkiye 0 – Israel 18 (4)
Slovakia 12 – Croatia 0 (5)

Aug. 5
Türkiye – Croatia
Israel – Slovakia

Group B Schedule and Results
Aug. 4
Spain 16 – Switzerland 3

Aug. 5
Switzerland – Greece

Group A Standings

Group B Standings

David Matoma seems to have turned the corner after a rough couple of months, recording three shutout appearances in a row. All the while, his sinker continues to impress, sitting at around 97 mph, fourth-best in the system in June [link] and holding up well as the summer goes on. In a recent game, the right-hander threw multiple pitches over 100 mph, topping out at 101.1. Additionally, Matoma’s groundball percentage continues to tick up, now sitting at an eye-popping 55 percent thanks to the sinker. This figure ranks No. 14 among all Pirates minor leaguers. Relatedly, he is allowing only 0.65 home runs per nine innings (two in 27.2 frames). The results among the three other African minor leaguers, are evidence of the sharp learning curve in professional baseball.

Key
Name (age*), organization, country, team.
*Age is as of Sept 1, 2025 (playing age this season).
Team Prospect Rankings: BA (Baseball America): #; FG (Fangraphs): #; MLB (MLB.com): #.
“NR” denotes not ranked (only included for players listed in other rankings).

Single-A (1)
David Matoma (20), Pittsburgh Pirates. Uganda. Bradenton Marauders. BA: NR; FG: 40; MLB: NR.
Matoma has three consecutive scoreless outings, two of them without a walk, and has climbed back on to Fangraphs’ prospect rankings. In 26 games and 27.2 innings, he has recorded 30 strikeouts while allowing 39 walks and 32 hits. He has an 8.78 ERA.

Rookie League, U.S. Complex Leagues (1)
Armstrong Muhoozi (19), Pittsburgh Pirates. Uganda. FCL Pirates.
Due to injury and sickness, Muhoozi played only 15 games in 2026 before the complex season ended. He is getting additional game time outside of the public realm now as the complexes play unofficial games through the rest of the summer (and potentially the fall). The center fielder hit .196 in 46 at bats, stealing only two bases after pilfering 24 in 36 games last season.

Rookie League, Dominican Complex Leagues (2)
Allen Ajoti (22), Los Angeles Dodgers. Uganda. DSL LAD Bautista.
Ajoti has appeared in 11 games in his first season as a pitcher. He was a catcher-outfielder in the 2024-25 seasons. Ajoti has a 3-2 record and a save in 15.2 innings, striking out 12, walking 11, and allowing 18 hits.

Joseph Deng Thon (19), Los Angeles Dodgers. South Sudan/Uganda. DSL LAD Mega.
Deng has walked 16 batters in his last 7 innings, striking out five. He’s allowed nine hits and 20 runs in that time. He is 0-1 with a 16.20 ERA for the year.

Articles in This Year’s Series
April [link].
May [link].
June [link].
July [link].

One of two qualifiers for the Under-23 European Baseball Championship began today in Paderborn, Germany. The B-Pool has four total groups, with two in Germany and another pair in Spain. Group A in the German qualifier consists of Germany, Poland, and Lithuania, while Group B features Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, and Ukraine. The top two teams in each pool will advance to the semifinal.

In Group A action, the hosts got off to a good start, with the Houston Astros’ Jona Widmann no-hitting Lithuania for 3.2 innings, punching out 9 of 12 hitters, a walk the only blemish against him. Finn Niemeyer finished off the shutout, while Kilian Redle homered for Baseball Deutschland.

Linus Ritzen went four hitless frames for Sweden against Ukraine, whiffing four, while senior national team veteran Victor Wahlberg scored five times in a 1-for-1, three-walk, three-RBI day, with his only hit a triple. Jakob Lindqvist drove in four with a double and two singles, and Oliver Markström completed the combined no-hitter. In the other Group B game, Belgium had a 6-0 lead by the time Denmark scored, with four pitchers combining on a one-hitter with 11 strikeouts, led by Sam T’siobbel (also written “Tsiobbel”), who punched out five in 2.1 innings. Axl Roef had three hits, including a two-bagger, scoring twice and notching two ribbies.

Box scores are available here [link]. Coverage of the U23 Baseball Euros Spain Qualifier can be found here [link].

Group A Schedule and Results
Aug. 4
Lithuania 0 – Germany 10 (5)

Aug. 5
Germany – Poland

Group B Schedule and Results
Aug. 4
Sweden 21 – Ukraine 1 (5)
Denmark 1 – Belgium 11 (6)

Aug. 5
Ukraine – Denmark
Sweden – Belgium

Group A Standings

Group B Standings

Italy’s Nicolo Pinazzi is currently riding a more than two-month scoreless streak; Slovakia and Ireland’s Adam Macko was traded at the MLB trade deadline; and Germany’s Tom Apfelbaum made the DSL All-Star Team. Elsewhere, recent signings Giaconino Lasaracina and Juan Holmann are raking. On a less celebratory note, two players were released — Netherlands’ Keegan Pieternella and Italy’s Ettore Giulianelli. The Florida and Arizona complex seasons are finished, while the Dominican complex regular season ends Aug. 18. The full-season leagues have four-to-five weeks left.

Key
Name (age*), organization, country, team.
*Age is as of Sept 1, 2026 (playing age this season).
Team Prospect Rankings: BA (Baseball America): #; FG (Fangraphs): #; MLB (MLB.com): #.
“NR” denotes not ranked (only included for players listed in other rankings).

MLB (1)
Max Kepler (33), Arizona Diamondbacks. Germany.
Kepler has 83 at bats since his mid-season return to the big leagues. His average is up to .229 and he has two homers, six doubles, and eight walks. It seems that the veteran is starting to get on track, as he has a .237/.356/.395 line over the past fortnight, and has cut back drastically on the strikeouts. Early returns on his fielding metrics suggests that his defense in left field has been above average, perhaps significantly so (1.000 fielding percentage, but a league-leading nine in Total Zone Total Fielding Average (Rtot).  

Triple-A (4)
Sam Aldegheri (24), Los Angeles Angels. Italy. Salt Lake Bees.Aldegheri has split time between the big league club and Triple-A. He has been in the starting rotation in Salt Lake for the last month, walking nine and striking out 21 in four starts and 19.2 innings, allowing 25 hits and 20 runs.

Adam Macko (25), Texas Rangers. Slovakia/Ireland. TBD. BA: 20; FG: 17; MLB: 20.
Macko returned from Toronto to Triple-A a few days ago. He has pitched 22 games in the majors and 19 in the minors this season. On Aug. 3, Macko was traded to the Texas Rangers for Josh Smith and a prospect. In composite between the majors and minors, the southpaw has pitched to a 4-2 record in 46.1 innings with 52 strikeouts. He has a 4.07 ERA, 27.6 percent strikeout rate, and 10.5 percent walk rate in the minors, with those figures at 4.91, 23.2, and 10.1 in the bigs.  

Ernesto Martínez Jr. (27), New York Yankees. France. Scranton Wilkes-Barre Railriders.
Martinez has 16 home runs and eight stolen bases in his first season as a Yankee. He has played mostly first base while also seeing some time in the corner outfield. Wrapping up his first decade as a pro, Martinez is seeking one more promotion. He is hitting .241 with a .325 OBP.  

Sem Robberse (24), St Louis Cardinals. Netherlands. Memphis Redbirds. BA: NR; FG: 22; MLB: NR.
In his return from Tommy John elbow surgery, Robberse made five rehab appearances across two levels, pitching nine innings, allowing 12 hits, striking out nine, while walking no one. He remains on the 60-day injured list, and has not pitched since July 10.Double-A (3)

Alessandro Ercolani (22), Pittsburgh Pirates. San Marino/Italy. Altoona Curve.
The righty remains on the injured list — his last appearance was June 25.  Ercolani has a 4-1 record in 2026 in 18 games and 25 innings, albeit with a 1.76 WHIP and 7.56 ERA.

Omar Hernández (24), Kansas City Royals. Spain. NW Arkansas Naturals.
Hernández is in his seventh professional season (eighth counting the COVID year with no minor league play). He had not hit above .231 since 2019, and yet, in 63 games played into the 2026 season, he is hitting an even .300, with 19 stolen bases in 24 attempts. The catcher, who also been receiving additional at-bats as a designated hitter, has 13 extra base hits, 17 walks, and 46 strikeouts. He has caught 11 of 75 potential base0stealers.  

Mathias LaCombe (24), Chicago White Sox. France. Birmingham Barons. BA: 15; FG: 30; MLB: 15.
LaCombe has appeared in five games since his promotion to Double-A. He has continued to strike batters out at a very high level (11 Ks in 5.2 innings), but for the first time in his pro career, he is getting hit. Noting the small sample, opponents have hit .370 off him, with 10 hits and five walks. However, even within his short period in Birmingham, the French righty has two separate scoreless outings.

High-A (3)
Tyriq Kemp (23), Kansas City Royals. Netherlands. Quad Cities River Bandits.
Kemp is 90 games into his High-A career, the first full pro season of his career. He is splitting time between shortstop and second base while hitting .239/.355/.392. He has stolen 25 bases in 35 attempts.

Nicolo Pinazzi (25), Los Angeles Angels. Italy. Tri-City Dust Devils.
Pinazzi has not allowed an earned run since May 17.^. He has pitched in 20 games since then with 19 hits, 56 strikeouts, and 12 walks. He has a 5-1 record and 0.95 ERA in 47.1 innings with 79 strikeouts and 26 free passes. Pinazzi pitched 3 seasons (2021–23) in the Reds system, then bounced around independent leagues until signing with the Angels last offseason.

Yannic Walther (22), Milwaukee Brewers. Germany. Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.
Walther’s played 50 games this season, every one of them at catcher. He is hitting .183/.339/.282 across Single-A and High-A. He has two stolen bases himself without being caught, and he has thrown out 28 percent of potential thieves.

Single-A (6)
Peter Bonilla (21), Los Angeles Dodgers. Spain.  Ontario Tower Buzzers.
Bonilla moved to Single-A in late June. In nine games and nine innings at the new level, the lefty has allowed 18 hits and 14 walks while striking out 11. He had a 1.52 WHIP in rookie ball while striking out over 1.5 batters per inning, but that WHIP has ballooned to 3.44 in Ontario with an ERA of 17.00. This is the Barcelona native’s fifth season in the Dodgers organization.

Ettore Giulianelli (23), Cleveland Guardians. Italy. Hill City Howlers.
Giulianelli’s second act has come to an end, as he was released in late July after 24.2 innings, during which he totalled 26 hits, 38 free passes, and 34 strikeouts. This was his fifth season in the minors, having pitched in the Cardinals’ system for four years before spending 2025 out of affiliated baseball. He has a career 4.92 ERA, 1.92 WHIP, and 112 walks to 138 strikeouts in 93.1 frames.

Brandon Herbold (23), Kansas City Royals. Netherlands. Columbia Fireflies.
Herbold opened the season with five scoreless outings and, at last check-in, he had pulled the trick again, pitching the entire month of June with a 0.00 ERA. He walked 15 in 7 innings throughout July, however, leading to a 13.50 ERA for the month. Overall, the southpaw is 2-3 with a 6.59 ERA in 26 games, striking out 35 and walking 32 in 27.1 innings.

Giaconino Lasaracina (22), Toronto Blue Jays. Italy. Dunedin Blue Jays.
The Venezuela native signed out of Italy last season. He hit the ground running in the complex league, and full-season baseball has only slowed him down a bit. The catcher-first baseman is hitting .253 with seven extra base hits in 21 games at the higher level. He is hitting .299/.392/.575 overall for the year.

Dominic Scheffler (22), Cincinnati Reds. Switzerland. Daytona Tortugas.
Scheffler has completed at least three innings in his last two appearances, a first in the 2026 season. Since June 1, he has given up only 11 hits in 21 innings. He has had 20 free passes and 21 strikeouts in the same period — still too many walks — but his season ERA has steadily decreased and is now 5.19 after sitting at 9.64 at the end of May. This is the Swiss lefty’s third pro season after signing out of the Regensburg Academy and having elbow surgery before his first pro pitch.

Giacomo Taschin (19), Toronto Blue Jays. Italy. Dunedin Blue Jays.
Taschin has started seven games since his promotion to Single-A six starts into his debut season. He has pitched 23 innings with a 5.87 ERA, 18 hits, 18 walks, and 24 strikeouts. Add that to his dominant rookie league showing, and his total season (and pro career) line is a 1-3 record, 3.94 ERA, and 1.25 WHIP in 14 games.

Rookie League, U.S. Complex Leagues (5)
The US complex league season is finished for 2026, so minus any individual promotions over the next month, the players here are done with official play (although many will continue to play in unofficial “bridge league” games while they await the unofficial “instructional league” work and games in September.

Fabio Bundi (22), Florida Marlins. Switzerland. FCL Marlins.
Bundi played in Switzerland, took part in MLB European camps, and has represented his national team. He went to California to attend a junior college, and he was playing this summer for Hamburg in the German Baseball Liga when he was drafted, becoming the second-ever Swiss minor leaguer. The right-hander is assigned to the rookie complex league, so he may not make his official debut until next year.

Tijn Fredrikze (19), New York Yankees. Netherlands. FCL Yankees.
The Neptunus lefty has yet to debut, as he is on the injured list.

Mathis Nayral (22), Toronto Blue Jays. France. FCL Blue Jays.
Nayral, a right-handed pitcher from Montpelier, attended Cochise College in Arizona and advanced to the University of Kansas for one season before being drafted in July. He has yet to debut.

Keegan Pieternella (18), Toronto Blue Jays. Netherlands. FCL Blue Jays.
Pieternella played 16 games in the U.S. this season, hitting .220 with two extra base hits and 0-for-1 in stolen base attempts. He was released at the conclusion of the FCL season. He played two years with the Blue Jays, one in the Dominican and one in the U.S., finishing with 51 games under his belt, 131 at bats, and a .206/.354/.244 career slash line.

Gijs van den Brink (21), Kansas City Royals. Netherlands. ACL Royals.
Gijs made just one appearance last season, dealing with a shoulder injury. He has been on the 60-day injured list for the entire season to date.

Rookie League, Dominican Complex Leagues (10)
There are two weeks of the DSL regular season remaining. Here’s the latest on the Europeans on the first rung of the formal professional ladder.  

Tom Apfelbaum (17), Los Angeles Dodgers. Germany. DSL LAD Bautista.
One of the younger players in the league, Apfelbaum was selected as a DSL All-Star. He has pitched 25 innings over games, striking out 23, walking or hitting 32, and allowing 20 hits with a 4.68 ERA.

Kenny Fermin (19), West Sacramento Athletics. Germany. DSL Athletics.
Moving around the infield — though he has played mostly shortstop and first base— Fermin has 60 at bats in 26 games, hitting .200/.395/.267 with a pair of extra base hits and four stolen bases. He has walked 11 times and struck out in 22 plate appearances.  

Cayro Hazel (18), Toronto Blue Jays. Netherlands.
Has yet to debut.

Paul Hoff (19), Milwaukee Brewers. Germany. DSL Brewers Gold.
Hoff is off to a strong start, with 5-0 with a 2.08 ERA in eight games and 34.2 innings. He has 37 strikeouts and 16 walks with a 1.15 WHIP.

Juan Holmann (17), Minnesota Twins. Germany. DSL Twins.
Holmann has continued with his hot start, maintaining an average over .300 (.314) and OBP over .500 (.538) while stealing 14 bases in 18 attempts. He has 10 extra base hits and has walked 31 times while striking out 31 times.  

Celwin Hurkmans (19), Toronto Blue Jays. Netherlands. DSL Blue Jays Blue.
Hurkmans pitched two innings in his pro debut with two hits, two walks, and three strikeouts. He reported to the Dominican following the Under-18 European Championship.  

Jordan Ouanyou (18), Cincinnati Reds. France. DSL Rojos.
The French lefty has more walks than strikeouts (21 to 19) and six extra base hits while hitting .291/.440/.418. The first baseman has played 27 games.  

Ricardo Pulles (17), Los Angeles Dodgers. Russia/Spain. DSL LAD Bautista.
The switch-hitting catcher has 12 hits, 26 strikeouts, and nine walks in 26 games and 71 at bats. In 13 games behind the plate, he has caught 14 baserunners stealing.

Filippo Sabatini (19), Philadelphia Phillies. Italy. DSL Phillies.
The RHP is on the injured list and has yet to make his debut.

Patrick Silva (17), Philadelphia Phillies. Italy. DSL Phillies.
Silva hit .381 in the month of July, raising his line in his first pro season to .288/408/.339. He has 10 walks, 15 strikeouts, and a pair of extra base hits in 23 games.
Articles in This Year’s Series

April [link].
May [link].
June [link].
July [link].

Baseball Czechia continues to demonstrate that it is the heart of Little League baseball in Europe. For the fourth consecutive year, South Czech Republic Little League (LL) faced down the best in the continent in Kutno, Poland, and—as it has every year since 2023—earned a spot in the Little League World Series. This year, the Czech boys won all six of their games, outscoring opponents 53-8. It is the sixth overall appearance for Czech Republic in the Little League World Series, following a two-year run in 2013 and 2014.

Eleven teams faced off across two pools at Kutno’s youth baseball facility over the past week, following the Little League Europe & Africa Qualifying Tournament the week prior [link], in which Central Lithuania LL and Switzerland West LL claimed spots in the main continental compeition. The two groups played a round robin, with the top two squads advancing to the playoffs. South Czech Republic and South-West Germany advancing to the semifinals from Pool A, while Catalunya (representing Spain) and Belgium Region 3 joined them as the top two nines from Pool B.

Belgium then hung tough against South Czech Republic in the first semifinal, losing a nail-biter, 1-0. Spain and Germany, similarly, played things quite closely, with the former triumphing 5-3. The final delivered more good baseball, with the Baseball Czechia boys earning a tight 4-2 victory.

There are 10 international region tournaments and the same number in the U.S., with the winners advancing to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., from Aug. 19-30. South Czech Republic’s first game will be on Aug. 21 at 11 p.m. CET in Volunteer Stadium against the winner of Canada vs. Asia-Pacific. In 2025, South Czech Republic lost to Japan, before falling to Australia in a close game.

See also: Lithuania, Switzerland Advance from Little League Europe & Africa Qualifier [link].

In a title game to remember, Poland went round-for-round with southern neighbors Slovakia at the European Baseball Championship B-Pool at the Wrocławska Arena Sportu Baseball Field, with the winner only determined in extra innings. Slovakia’s extra-inning triumph earned the country qualification to the 2027 European Baseball Championship in Regensburg, Germany, which will mark the second time it has appeared in the tournament’s top tier, following 2021. It is another devastating loss for Poland, a baseball federation clearly on the rise, as it falls in a one-run game at home in a qualifier championship for the second attempt in a row.

Championship Game
Poland scored runs at the B-Pool Baseball Euros with ease, and had allowed only 13 runs across the three round robin games against teams other than Slovakia. After the latter cruised undefeated to the title bout and Poland had to use additional pitching a strong Ireland nine, the final game from Wrocław seemed as if it might be a back-and-forth affair. The 600-strong crowd were not disappointed, as Poland and Slovakia rewarded them with a rollercoaster game.

It took two batter for the Slovaks to score, as Matej Grendža-Donský led off the bottom of the first with booming double down the left field line and Jakub Križan doubled him home. Slovakia would leave the bases loaded in the inning after Matej Škerlec and Filip Zrubec singled, which felt for most of the game like a crucial moment.

Sam Mieszkowski-Lapping led off the third with a solo shot for Poland, and Connor Bowie did the same in the fifth to give the host nation a fragile lead. To this point, Slovakian ace Samuel Deák had been cruising, as had Polish starter Adam Alexis, but the latter ran into trouble in the inning as well, with Križan and Mário Gottschall slapping back-to-back two-out singles. Matej Rudohradský then doubled both home, putting Slovakia on top once more.

The Polish baseballers, however, started to show some real fight in their next at bat. With a runner on first, Mieszkowski-Lapping went yard again. Then, an erorr led to a pitching change, and Hubert Zgórzyński greeted the new huler with a a base knock, setting up Joey Kalafut for a big two-bagger to center that scored both.

Alexis finished his final inning well, punching out two to bring his total to 10, before Poland’s offense got going again. Filip Sarota launched a rocket over the wall in right center for one, and two walks, a hit batter, and a single led to another.

With an 8-3 lead and a supportive home crowd, Poland appeared to be cruising, but the tide quickly turned with two outs in the bottom of the eighth. With a run on first, Grendža-Donský, Križan, Gottschall, and Rudohradský each singled, scoring two. A passed ball brought home a third run, but the next batter cleared the bases anyway, as Škerlec sliced a triple to right field. Suddenly, the game was tied.

Neither club could do anything in the ninth, with Slovakia’s closer, Jakub Ižold, dealing his third inning of relief and Deven Pietrzak working around a single. In the tenth, with tiebreaker runners placed on first and second, Ižold induced a groundball that erased the lead runner, struck out the next batter, and served up a weak grounder to first.

Faced with the same scenario, Adam Zacko and Grendža-Donský stole second and third, but the former erased on a groundball, setting up an intentional walk. That set up Slovakia’s eighth-inning hero, Škerlec, with the bases loaded, and the leftfielder delivered again, driving a single to right as the Slovaks erupted from the bench, leaving Poland stunned.

Ižold earned the win with four innings out of the bullpen, striking out two. Škerlec, Križan, and Gottschall all had three hits, with Škerlec and Rudohradský driving in three. More than half of Poland’s hits went four extra bases, with two safeties apiece from Zgórzyński, Mieszkowski-Lapping, and Bowie.

With the walk-off victory, Slovakia will return to the European Baseball Championship in 2027, hoping for a better finish than 2016, when it finished No. 16.

Offensive Leaders

• Jakub Križan (Slovakia) was named “Leading Hitter” after topping the tournament in average (.571), tying for first in hits (12), finishing second in OPS (1.477) and on-base percentage (.667) and third in slugging (.810).
• Hubert Zgórzyński (Poland) was tops in runs (13), hits (12, tied), doubles (4), and total bases (18), finishing third in average, with a full slash line of .462/.516/.692. He was one of a long list with three stolen bases, tied for second overall.
• Mieszkowski-Lapping (Poland) led in OBP, slugging, and OPS, finishing second in hitting, with an overall line of .500/.733/1.250. He drew a whopping five hit by pitches in 15 plate appearances, and was one of five players with two home runs, though, of course, both of his came in the championship game.
• Joey Kalafut (Poland) was one of the other players with a brace of longballs, led in RBI (13), tied for second in total bases (17), and finished third in OPS (1.321), totalling a batting line of .409/.548/.773.
• Colin Walsh (Ireland) had two dingers and was second in slugging and four in OPS (1.300), finishing at .353/.476/.824.
• Matej Škerlec (Slovakia) was second in doubles (3) and fifth in OPS (1.269), hitting .500/.542/.727.
• Lars Liguori (Norway) had two homers and hit .267/.429/.733. Alexander Deutsch also had an OPS over 1.000 for the Scandinavians, slashing .462/.533/.538.
• Viacheslav Babii (Ukraine) led the tournament in walks (7) and hit his team’s only home run, finishing at .267/.500/.533.
• Martin Brunegraf (Slovakia) was named MVP. He finished fifth on his hot-hitting team in average (.368) and fourth in OPS (.929), the latter figure No. 17 overall.

Pitching Leaders

• Brendan Flaherty (Ireland) was named Best Pitcher, throwing 8.1 innings without permitting a free pass or an earned run over two games, striking out 13. In addition to leading in ERA, he had the best WHIP (0.37) and batters hit an anemic .103/.103/.138, the lowest OPS allowed of any pitcher.
• Michael Sosna (Poland) was fourth in ERA (1.17) and struck out 11 in 7.2 innings over two games, permitting just a .080/.207/.080 line.
• Adam Alexis (Poland) struck out 13 (tied for second) over 11 innings with a 3.27 ERA.
• Andrii Kostashchuk (Ukraine) also had 13 Ks, but did it in just 9.1 frames with a 3.86 ERA.
• Dovydas Neverauskas (Lithuania) led the tournament in strikeouts (17) and was second in innings (11), though his ERA was 9.82.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage includes: Preview [link], Day 3 [link]. See also coverage of the Baseball Euros Bulgaria Qualifier: Day 4 [link].

Results
Aug. 1
Final: Poland 8 – Slovakia 9 (10)

Final Standings

Although Slovenia took an early lead against Bulgaria at Blagoevgrad Buffaloes Stadium, the championship game of the European Baseball Championship B-Pool was all Bulgaria thanks, in part, to Evgenii Chernozemsky, who homered, drove in five, and pitched 8.2 innings of relief. The victory not only gave the host nation the tournament title, but earned Bulgaria its first-ever appearance at the main body of the European Baseball Championship in 2027. A breakdown of the title bout follows, as done a breakdown of the top performers at the Baseball Euros Qualifier from Bulgaria.

Championship Game
Panayot Zhaltov started for Bulgaria on only two days’ rest, having thrown eight innings on the penultimate day of pool play. Slovenia took advantage of wildness from the beginning, scoring two runs with the bases still loaded without a hit. With a tremendous amount on the line, Chernozemsky swapped with Zhaltov, coming in from third and immediately ending the inning with a strikeout.

Zhaltov led off the bottom half of the frame with a walk, moving to second on a Michael Tchavdarov single before both swiped a base. Dimitar Nassapov lifted a sacrifice fly to get Bulgaria on the board before Chernozemsky singled a second run home.

Chernozemsky was just what the doctor ordered, and Bulgaria kept rolling on the offensive side. Tchavdarov started the scoring again, doubling home Martin Andonov, and the bases were loaded when Bulgaria’s pitcher stepped to the plate two batters later. On a 1-1 pitch, Chernozemsky connected, driving the ball deep to left field for a grand slam and a 7-3 lead.

From that point on, Bulgaria was in control. By the time that Slovenia scored again, it was already 10-3, and when the Slovenes posted two runs in the seventh, the score was narrowed, but only to 13-7, where it remained at game’s end.

Bulgaria’s two-way star stayed on the mound until the game’s final out, chalking up 8.2 innings of six-hit relief, allowing four runs and four walks while striking out seven for his second win in the tournament. Chernozemsky finished with two hits and five ribbies, and even stole a bag. Zhaltov and Tchavdarov each had three hits, including a double apiece, with the latter stealing three bags. Both of Nikolay Karashtranov’s hits were two-baggers, and he drove in two.

Although it had been the tournament’s top offensive team through the first four days, Slovenia put together only six hits, a pair for two bases, and was 1-for-2 in swipes. Rok Čuček and Luka Koplan had the doubles, while Žan Primožič drew two free passes and scored twice.

Chernozemsky was, quite rightly, named MVP. At the plate, he hit .438/.560/.750 and finished second in walks (7), while he was the only pitcher to win two games, also topping the charts in games (4), innings (14.2), and strikeouts (13). Among pitchers with at least five innings, he was fourth in WHIP (1.13) and opponents’ batting average (.196).

Offensive Leaders

• Andrew Rajkovich (Serbia) was named “Leading Hitter” after finishing first in average, first in OBP, and second in slugging, with a line of .529/.619/1.000. He was second in total bases (17) and tied for third in stolen bases (5).
• Nikola Prodanovich (Serbia) led the tournament in home runs (4), total bases (22), slugging percentage (1.158), and OPS (1.682).
• Michael Tchavdarov (Bulgaria) was No. 1 in runs (11), hits (10), doubles (3, tied with four others), and stolen bases (7), while he was third in total bases (16). He finished in the top five in triple slash categories, hitting .476/.577/.762.
• Žan Primožič (Slovenia) was first in RBI (10), tied for first in doubles (3), and hit .474/.577/.789. He did not strike out once during the tournament in 23 plate appearances.
• Nooa Määttä (Finland) was third in slugging and OPS (1.375), hitting .438/.500/.875.

Pitching Leaders

• Žan Primožič (Slovenia) was named Best Pitcher after allowing only an unearned run in nine innings against Romania, striking out 10.
• Stefan Živić (Serbia) was No. 2 in ERA (1.00), appearing in the second-most games (3).
• Eduard Pîrvu (Romania) was second in innings (12) and tied for second in strikeouts (11), recording a 3.75 ERA.
• Julius Hovila (Finland) struck out eight in 4.2 innings, permitting just one hit, finishing with a 3.86 ERA.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage includes: Preview [link], Day 5 [link]. See also coverage of the Baseball Euros Poland Qualifier: Day 6 [link].

Results
Aug. 1
Final: Slovenia 7 – Bulgaria 13      

Final Standings

Slovakia finished round robin play at the European Baseball Championship B-Pool in Poland with an easy win, while a de facto semifinal between Ireland and Poland was initially much more one-sided than expected before things tightened up. Earlier in the day, Lithuania earned its first win, setting up a three-way tie for fourth place.

Slovakia – Norway
There was never any doubt that Slovakia would claim its fifth win in as many tries at Wrocławska Arena Sportu Baseball Field, Poland, leaping out to a four-run first and never letting up, scoring in every inning on the way to a big victory. Samuel Holekši went the distance for Slovakia, surrendering just a single hit and one free pass with six Ks in the shutout. Samuel Chrvala went 4-for-5 from the leadoff spot, while Damon Atkinson, Maxim Samson, and Michal Suchoň each posted a double and a single, with Atkinson scoring four times.

Ireland – Poland
Although the Irish started well, with Colin Walsh smashing a two-run shot to deep right center in the first. However, Hubert Zgórzyński had his own retort in the bottom half of the inning, leading off with a triple and, eight batters later, smacking a two-run double. Jakub Wojtczak then followed with a longball as Poland posted a nine-run inning. After six more runs in the following frame, Poland coasted through the remainder of the game, though Ireland did muster a five-run fifth.

Zgórzyński was a homer short of the cycle in a 3-for-3 day, scoring thrice and driving in three. Wojtczak added a double to his dinger, plating four. Finally, Dominik Grzecicha was a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs as Poland’s catcher. Walsh later ripped a double and a single, driving in three for Ireland. Brendan Flaherty continued a strong B-Pool with 1.1 shutout frames to close, whiffing three. However, Poland’s bullpen was more than equal, as Łukasz Krzemienowski fired two shutout frames with a pair of strikeouts and Markos Romo sent down another two in a final scoreless inning.

Lithuania – Ukraine
Although Ukraine plated four in the sixth, by this time, Lithuania already had a 9-1 lead and was fresh off a four-run sixth of its own, with Martynas Sadzevičius smacking a solo shot to start the inning. The final result involved 15 hits for Lithuania, with Zach Titas recording four of them, Braydon Titas pitching in three, and Kanus Janušauskas notching a double, a single, and three RBI. Former Pittsburgh Pirate Dovydas Neverauskas did double duty, striking out nine in six innings for the win and adding two hits at the plate. Viacheslav Babii homered for Ukraine, while Dmytro Limarenko had three hits.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage includes: Preview [link], Day 3 [link]. See also coverage of the Baseball Euros Bulgaria Qualifier: Day 4 [link].

Results and Schedule
July 31
Lithuania 11 – Ukraine 6
Slovakia 16 – Norway 0 (6)
Ireland 7 – Poland 17 (7)

Aug. 1
Final: Poland – Slovakia

Standings

Slovenia took care of business in a win-or-go-home against Serbia, and Bulgaria finished an unbeaten run through round robin play in a drubbing of neighbors Romania. Tomorrow, the two face off to determine who will play in the 2027 European Baseball Championship

Slovenia – Serbia
The B-Pool in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, entered its final day of round robin play with a matchup between two teams at 2-1. For the first five innings, Slovenia and Serbia continued to look evenly matched, with the former ahead 4-3. From that point, however, Slovenia shifted into high gear, scoring multiple runs in every remaining inning, including four in the ninth.

The two sides combined for 32 hits, including 12 for extra bases, along with six errors and 11 walks. Highlights included a pair of home runs and four ribbies from Bejzbol Srbija’s Nikola Prodanovich; and, for Slovenia, four hits, including a dinger and two doubles from Žan Primožič, who drove in six; four hits and three runs from Mark Rudolf; and five runs, two doubles, a single, and two base on balls by Matic Lešnjak.

Tevž Gantar, pitching on one day’s rest, was solid in the start for Slovenia, punching out four in 3.1 innings, surrendering one run on six hits and a walk.

Bulgaria – Romania
The host nation quickly got on the board, adding five runs to its 1-0 advantage in the third and holding a 9-0 margin heading to the bottom of the fifth. A bout of wildness by a relief pitcher led to five runs crossing the plate, but Bulgaria immediately retorted with a 10-run six and cruised from there.

Bulgaria pounded out a whopping 15 hits in seven innings, drawing 11 walks. Panayot Zhaltov and Michael Tchavdarov led the way with three safeties, three stolen bases, and four runs scored each, with the latter adding two walks and four RBI. Yordan Peychovski had the team’s only extra-base hit, a double, tacking on a single, two free passes, and a pair each of runs and ribbies. Petyo Petkov was exceptional as Bulgaria’s starting pitcher, striking out five in four shutout innings, the only baserunner against him a lone hit. Two relief pitchers allowed only three more base knocks the rest of the way.

Today’s winners will gun for a spot in the 2027 Baseball Euros tomorrow. Slovenia appeared in all three European Baseball Championships between 1995 and 1999, but has not appeared this century. Should Bulgaria win yet again, it would qualify for the first time ever.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage includes: Preview [link], Day 4 [link]. See also coverage of the Baseball Euros Poland Qualifier: Day 5 [link].

Results and Schedule
July 31
Slovenia 17 – Serbia 6
Bulgaria 22 – Romania 7 (7)

Aug. 1
Final: Slovenia – Bulgaria

Ukraine gave undefeated Slovakia a thrill in the middle game of the tripleheader at Wrocławska Arena Sportu Baseball Field, Poland, but it remained at the top of the pile as qualification for the next Baseball Euros moved another day closer to resolution. Ireland and Poland reach recorded one-sided victories, setting up a showdown between the two for a spot in the Poland B-Pool championship game.

Norway – Ireland
The day opened with another strong performance from Ireland, which jumped out to a four-run lead in the second and never looked back. David Gallagher, Seamus Brown, Joe Cosgrove, and Brendan Flaherty each had a pair of hits, while Fionn Gallaher-Hall joined Cosgrove with a double.

William Siwinski, Josh Suda, and Isaiah Smith split the pitching duties for Ireland, combining on a two-hitter with seven strikeouts. Charles Conrad had both of Norway’s hits, a double and a single.

Ukraine – Slovakia
Slovakia put a ‘5’ on the scoreboard in the third, but then had to hold off its neighbor to the east, which had narrowed the gap to 5-3 in the sixth. Both teams then posted three-run innings in their next at bats, after which the bullpens locked things down. Kostiantiyn Chukhas was excellent for Ukraine, allowing only one hit, no walks, and no runs over the final 2.2 innings. Juraj Bartók stuck things out for six innings for the victory, allowing two runs on seven hits and a walk with no strikeouts, and closer Jakub Ižold went 1-2-3 in the ninth for the save.

Jakub Križan continued his scorching pace for the winners with three hits, including a double, scoring twice. Mário Gottschall, and Matej Škerlec had two hits apiece for Slovakia. Denys Brechko posted a double and two singles for Ukraine, scoring twice. Ihor Lukin and Chukhas chipped in a pair of safeties as well.

Poland – Lithuania
Although the Lithuanians held a 2-1 lead after two, it was quickly forgotten about Poland piled up 10 runs in the third and another seven in the following frame. Kevin Soltys pitched three one-run innings for the win.

Filip Sarota and Joey Kalafut went yard for the Polish baseball nine, each adding a single and another run to their tallies. Kalafut had four ribbies and Sarota three, while Dawid Korzekwa had a double, two walks, three runs, and two RBI and Hubert Zgórzyński notched a double, a walk, a stolen base, and three runs from the leadoff spot. Domas Kamandulis had two of Lithuania’s six hits.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage includes: Preview [link], Day 3 [link]. See also coverage of the Baseball Euros Bulgaria Qualifier: Day 4 [link].

Results and Schedule
July 30
Norway 2 – Ireland 12 (7)
Ukraine 6 – Slovakia 8
Poland 18 – Lithuania 3 (5)

July 31
Lithuania – Ukraine
Slovakia – Norway
Ireland – Poland

Standings

Three countries are still in the hunt for a spot in the playoffs of the European Baseball Championship B-Pool in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, but the host nation remained in the pole position after the penultimate day of round robin play against a continually scrappy young Finland team. Earlier, Slovenia were tested by Romania, but its powerful offense delivered consistently in a win.

Finland – Bulgaria
As it did yesterday, the Finnish baseball team jumped out to a big early lead and, once again, Nooa Määttä was a key part of the action, lining a two-run single in the first. Another vital cog in the Suomen Baseball linuep, Ben Bové, who hits in front of Määttä, singled home a run in the second, with Akio Huovinen later making it 5-0 with a base knock to score two.

Errors and walks proved to be an ongoing problem for Finland, however, and Bulgaria took advantage in the bottom of the second, with Viktorio Velichkov driving in the second of two runs with a hit. Down 6-2 in the bottom of the fourth, Bulgaria finally broke out, though only after loading the bases on a dropped fly and two walks. Enter pinch hitter Dimitar Nassapov, who crushed a ball dead up the middle that kept carrying, leaving the park for game-tying grand slam. Michael Tchavdarov then stepped up, and went back-to-back with a round-tripper to right field.

It took an inning, but Finland tied the game back up on a two-out double by José Mesa (no, not THAT José Mesa!) and a single by Bové.

As Blagoevgrad Stadium became increasingly restless, the game remain knotted into the bottom of the eight, when two walks and a misplayed grounder loaded the bases. All havoc broke loose after what ought to have been a sacrifice fly was dropped, two runs scoring in the process. A single from Martin Andonov then gave Bulgaria a three-run lead. Although Määttä followed a Mesa safety with a run-scoring double, closer Evgenii Chernozemsky buckled down and finished with back-to-back strikeouts for the save.

Määttä went 3-for-4 with a walk and four ribbies, while Mesa and Bové had two hits and a stolen base apiece. Mesa also drew a free pass and scored a quartet of runs, while Bové added two RBI. Juho Saarvo was plucky in relief in the middle innings, denying Bulgaria a hit or an earned run over 3.2 frames, though he did walk five.

Teodor Dimitrov was just what the doctor ordered for the home side, entering in the second and delivering 6.1 innings of two-run ball with half a dozen strikeouts, earning the win.

Romania – Slovenia
Matic Lešnjak opened the scoring in the bottom of the initial frame with his first triple of the day, scoring leadoff hitter Žiga Verbek, who had singled. Romania immediately equalized, a dropped flyball the main culprit.

From there, both sides had their chances over the rest of the game. However, although Romania had a runner on base in all but one remaining inning, it could not push across a run, whereas Slovenia scored in four consecutive frames beginning with the third, and came out the other side as winners. The result eliminated Romania from contention for the B-Pool championship game and qualification to the European Baseball Championship, something it has never achieved.

Žan Primožič was superb for Slovenia, allowing only the unearned run in a complete game effort, needing 115 pitches for the nine frames. He allowed eight hits but no walks, and sent down 10 on strikes. Eduard Pîrvu matched him over the final frames after entering for Romania, striking out two in three shutout frames. Radu-Alexandru Frangu and Ionut Cioabă had two hits for Romania, while Lešnjak had two triples. Martin Godnič joined him as the other Bulgarian with two base knocks.

The final day features an all-important showdown between Slovenia and Serbia, the winner of which will almost certainly punch a ticket to the title bout. Should Bulgaria continue its unbeaten run against Romania, it would advance to the playoff game as the home team. A loss, however, would result in a two-way tie, to be determined by total quality balance (run differential by out rather than inning).

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage includes: Preview [link], Day 3 [link]. See also coverage of the Baseball Euros Poland Qualifier: Day 4 [link].

Results and Schedule
July 30
Romania 1 – Slovenia 6
Finland 8 – Bulgaria 10

July 31
Slovenia – Serbia
Bulgaria – Romania

Standings

In a matchup of undefeated teams, Slovakia put itself in the driver’s seat for qualification to the 2027 European Baseball Championship, putting on a complete performance against Ireland at the Baseball Euros B-Pool in Wrocław, Poland. In the nightcap, Poland recovered quickly from its own loss to Slovakia the night before, besting Ukraine by mercy rule at Wrocławska Arena Sportu Baseball Field. Earlier in the day, Norway mounted a dramatic comeback in its game versus Lithuania to earn its first win.

Slovakia – Ireland
Already up 2-0 after two, Matej Rudohradský doubled Slovakia’s lead with a round-tripper to dead center field, and the Central Europeans coasted from there. Daniel Just walked six in six frames for the victors, but permitted just two hits and whiffed five. Adam Zacko, Jakub Križan, Mario Gottschall, and Rudohradský each had a pair of base knocks, with the latter’s other hit a double. Križan and Rudohradský both drove in three. Seamus Brown walked all three times of Ireland

Ukraine – Poland
Hubert Zgórzyński led off the first with a double and later stole home, setting the tempo for a Polish baseball squad that simply did not let up. After two walks and a hit by pitch, Arthur Kowara drove in another. Two innings later, he doubled Poland’s lead with a big fly to left, and Michael Sosna made the lead stand up. The right-hander struck out eight in six shutout frames, permitting a single hit and two walks. Poland scored five in the fifth and sixth to end the game early. Zgórzyński later added another double, a single, and two stolen bases, driving in three.

Norway – Lithuania
Domas Kamandulis crushed a two-run homer in a five-run first for Lithuania as the Baltic nation got off to a strong start in its third game. Justinas Račkauskas also looked strong in the early going, with Norway finally breaking through for single runs in the fourth and the fifth. By the end of the eighth, though, Lithuania held a 7-3 lead, and looked like it would coast to the win.

In the ninth, however, Lars Liguori and Benjamin Davis went back-to-back against Račkauskas, prompting a pitching change. After a single sandwiched around two outs, though, Norway just kept hitting, with four of the next five batters all hitting singles, the other drawing a free pass. By the time the dust settled, Norge Baseboll had a 10-7 lead heading into the bottom of the frame. Although Kamandulis ripped a two-base hit and scored, that was all for Lithuania, and Norway claimed its first victory.

Liguori had a monster game, blasting two home runs and a double, drawing two walks, and scoring three times. Steffen Torgersen, Charles Conrad, Liguori, Davis, and Alexander Deutsch, the top five hitters in the Norwegian lineup, each had at least two hits, while Teddy Deutsch did as well. Davis hung on to throw 7.2 innings, with Torgersen recording the save.

Kajus Janušauskas had four hits and a stolen base for Lithuania, with Kamandulis and Braydon Titas adding a pair apiece.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage includes: Preview [link], Day 2 [link]. See also coverage of the Baseball Euros Bulgaria Qualifier: Day 2 [link].

Results and Schedule
July 29
Norway 10 – Lithuania 8
Slovakia 11 – Ireland 0 (7)
Ukraine 0 – Poland 14 (7)

July 30
Norway – Ireland
Ukraine – Slovakia
Poland – Lithuania

Standings

Fans at Blagoevgrad Stadium were treated to an exciting doubleheader on the third day of the European Baseball Championship Bulgaria Qualifier. By the end of play, two teams had two wins, though only one was defeated, and Finland had been eliminated from contention for a spot in the final.

Finland – Serbia
In the opener, Finland took a 6-1 lead after two innings before Serbia stormed back with four in the third and two in fourth. Down 8-6 after five, Suomen Baseball managed one, but Serbia plated two and held on for the win.

Nikola Prodanovic homered for the second time in three games as part of a 3-for-5 effort Serbia, while Andrew Rajkovich continued to former a lethal combination in the three-spot behind Prodanovic, also finishing 3-for-5 and adding two stolen bases. Cleanup hitter Alex Rivera also settled on that figure and, like the two in front of him, scored twice, though he added two ribbies. Nikola Vasić had a double, a single, and two RBI. Nooa Määttä had a triple and a walk, scoring two runs, while Ben Bové had two singles, a pair of stolen bases, and two runs.

After coming in from right field, Määttä was nigh unhittable over the last two innings for Finland, registering all six of his outs by K and keeping Serbia off the board. Meanwhile, Dušan Karić and Aleksandar Stefanović formed a two-headed monster out of the bullpen for Bejzbol Srbija, with the former going 3.2 innings and the latter 3.1, both permitting just one run. Karić earned the win and Stefanović the save.

Bulgaria – Slovenia
In a back-and-forth contest that befitted two undefeated teams, the host nation took a 3-1 lead in the third. It then alternated single runs with Baseball Slovenia until near the end, before tacking on a couple of insurance runs.

Panayot Zhaltov was excellent on the mound for Bulgaria against the hot-hitting Slovenes, allowing on three runs on seven hits and a walk in eight innings. The right-hander threw 128 pitches and struck out nine, adding two hits and a stolen base from the leadoff spot. Nikolay Karashtranov also had two hits, while Michael Tchavdarov and Evgenii Chernozemsky—who closed out the game with a scoreless ninth for the save—both had doubles.

Tevž Gantar pitched a complete game in the loss. Žiga Lešnjak had two hits for Slovenia.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage includes: Preview [link], Day 2 [link]. See also coverage of the Baseball Euros Poland Qualifier: Day 3 [link].

Results and Schedule
July 29
Finland 8 – Serbia 10
Bulgaria 6 – Slovenia 3

July 30
Romania – Slovenia
Finland – Bulgaria

Standings

The second day of play at European Baseball Championship B-Pool in Wrocław, Poland, finished with a rollercoaster, as Slovakia and the host nation grappled in a thrilling quest for a second win. Earlier in the day, Ireland and Ukraine posted commanding victories to make it four countries with a win in the Polish Baseball qualifier at Wrocławska Arena Sportu Baseball Field.

Slovakia – Poland
Slovakia took a 5-0 lead after two in the nightcap, before Carlos Romo entered in relief, completely shutting down the Central Europeans. After Dominik Grzecicha smashed a two-run shot to dead center, Romo took the team fully on his back, capping a five-run outburst in the third with a two-run triple, adding a moonshot over the center field wall in the seventh to add a run to what was, by then, a 7-5 lead.

Romo exited after 5.1 scoreless innings of relief during which he permitted a mere three hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Jakub Križan immediately took advantage, launching his own rocket over the wall in center on the first strike he saw from Poland’s second reliever. An inning later, Slovakia’s offense fully reawakened, with the first four batters in the ninth reaching. This set up Križan for a booming double to left, after which the ball was chucked around, and all four runners crossed home.

Deven Pietrzak retired the next three batters, but Poland suddenly found itself in an 11-9 hole. Closer Jakub Ižold entered, and a one-out error put a runner on second. Arthur Kowara then laced a double to the wall in right and Ižold plunked a pinch hitter, putting the winning run at the plate. However, the Slovakian southpaw punched out the next two on strikes and Poland lay stunned after the dramatic loss at home.

Križan finished 3-for-5 with a walk, three runs, and three RBI for Slovakia, while Matej Škerlec added a double, a single, and a stolen base, with Matej Rudohradský and Martin Brunegraf joining him with a pair of hits. Hubert Zgórzyński joined Romo with a pair of hits for Poland.

Ireland – Lithuania
In the morning game, the Irish already had a substantial lead by the end of the fourth, and with Brendan Flaherty on the bump, there was little that Lithuania could manage in a complete performance by Ireland. Flaherty was utterly dominant, permitting a single unearned run on just two hits, whiffing 10 in seven innings without walking a batter. Matthew Dutton and Colin Walsh each crushed big flies, the latter adding a double as the two combined for half of Ireland’s eight hits. Isaiah Smith scored two runs and pilfered three bags for the winners.

Norway – Ukraine
Despite the final scoreline, Norway looked excellent in the early going, taking a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the fourth. After Ukraine opened with a run in the first against Emil Fjellvang, Steffen Torgersen put a charge in a ball to right, clearing the fence for a solo shot in the third. Were it not for a nifty pickoff by Ihor Lukin, two runs would have scored.

An error and a passed ball scored two for Norway in the fourth, but Ukraine answered immediately in the exact same fashion, turning a leadoff single by Yevhenii Poliakov into a run thanks to a walk, a passed ball, and an error. From there, Ukraine just kept scoring, adding at least one in every inning until the game concluded.

Poliakov led the way with three safeties, while Viacheslav Babii had three walks, a hit, a stolen base, and two runs. Andrii Kostashchuk was aces in relief of Lukin, finishing the game with 5.2 scoreless, sending down seven on strikes. Fjellvang lasted 5.1 innings, allowing three earned runs, clearly tiring through unncessarily long innings. Alexander Deutsch had a double and two singles for Norge Baseboll, while Aidan Brødsjø had two hits and two walks.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage includes: Preview [link], Day 1 [link]. See also coverage of the Baseball Euros Bulgaria Qualifier: Day 2 [link].

Results and Schedule
July 28
Ireland 11 – Lithuania 1 (7)
Norway 3 – Ukraine 11
Slovakia 11 – Poland 9

July 29
Norway – Lithuania
Slovakia – Ireland
Ukraine – Poland

Standings

Slovenia showed that it will be a force with which to be reckoned in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, when it became one of four teams with a win in the European Baseball Championship B-Pool, while Serbia evened its record after a ninth-inning comeback saw it eke out a win against Romania.

Boasting a squad much of which has played together for a half-decade, Slovenia notched 15 hits, including 5 doubles, adding 10 walks and eight stolen bases in a blowout victory that was already in the books before a nine-run ninth. Žan Primožič led the way with four hits, including a two-bagger, a stolen base, three runs, and two ribbies. Rok Čuček had a double and two singles, driving in three, while Žiga Verbek started the day in center, roping a double, drawing three walks, swiping a pair of bags, and scoring three runs. With the score 9-4, he then came in to close out the game, punching out two in a pair of perfect frames. Jaka Smolnikar was solid as the starting pitcher, firing 4.1 shutout innings. Ben Bové and Samu Ropo had two hits for Finland.

In the earlier game, Serbia held a precarious 3-2 lead heading into the ninth, having earlier overcome a 2-1 advantage by Romania through four. Still, with the top of the order due up for the Blue, Yellow, and Red, a bit of insurance would come in handy. Serbia started with three consecutive singles to score one before Andrew Rajkovich stepped up and launched a two-run bomb to left center. An error and another base knock would plate two more, and Serbia held off a rally after Romania finally got to Stefan Živić, who did a hero’s work by throwing 7.1 innings of relief without allowing an earned run, striking out seven. Sava Dupor came in from the bullpen for the save, getting two quick outs to end the frame.

Rajkovich blasted a single and a double in addition to his longball, plating four and scoring twice. Nikola Prodanovic had a two-bagger and a pair of bingles. Razvan Ivan came up clutch for the second-straight day for Romania, knocking a two-base hit and a single, driving in two of his team’s three runs. A day after going yard twice, Eduard Pîrvu saw almost nothing to hit, but collected a single and three walks, scoring twice. The right-hander went the distance for Romania, tossing 154 pitches over nine innings, issuing five earned runs on just one free pass and 11 hits, registering nine Ks.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage includes: Preview [link], Day 1 [link]. See also coverage of the Baseball Euros Poland Qualifier: Day 2 [link].

Results and Schedule
July 28
Serbia 8 – Romania 3
Slovenia 18 – Finland 4

July 29
Finland – Serbia
Bulgaria – Slovenia

Standings

Starting today, six national teams face off in Wrocław, Poland, in the B-Pool European Championship, with the winner qualifying for the 2027 Baseball Euros. The first day of play at Wrocławska Arena Sportu Baseball Field saw Slovakia overwhelm Lithuania, Ireland hold off a spirited Ukraine, and Poland overcome a sluggish start to defeat Norway.

Lithuania – Slovakia
Lithuania started off with its long-time ace, ex-big leaguer and NPB pitcher Dovydas Neverauskas, on the mound. Slovakia was in no way stymied, collecting nine of its 14 hits against the southpaw, though Neverauskas did strike out eight in his five frames. Veteran Martin Brunegraf had three base knocks on the day, including a double, driving in five. Mario Gottschall and Matej Rudohradský each had a pair of hits, while Samuel Deák struck out nine in seven innings for the win. Adomas Aleksandravičius was the only player for Lithuania with two hits.

Ukraine – Ireland
Kealan Smithers was superb for Ireland, punching out six in five shutout innings, allowing four hits and no base on balls. David Gallagher, Brendan Flaherty, Joe Cosgrove, and Fionn Gallahar-Hall each had two base knocks. Sergii Shtapura gave Ukraine a chance with 2.1 innings of solid relief.

Poland – Norway
Norway held a 3-2 lead through six thanks to the pitching of Lars Liguori, an RBI-double by Benjamin Davis, and two walks and two runs from Magnus Johnson. Poland finally got its offense going in the late innings, tying things up on a Joey Kalafut solo shot before taking a perilous 5-3 lead in the eighth before adding six in the final frame. Filip Sarota had three hits, Kalafut added a two-run double, and Carlos Romo and Connor Bowie each had a pair of safeties.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage includes: Preview [link]. See also coverage of the Baseball Euros Bulgaria Qualifier: Day 1 [link].

Results and Schedule
July 27
Lithuania 1 – Slovakia 11 (8)
Ukraine 2 – Ireland 6
Poland 11 – Norway 3

July 28
Ireland – Lithuania
Norway – Ukraine
Slovakia – Poland

Standings

Qualification for the the 2027 European Baseball Championship officially began today at B-Pool in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, where Bulgaria, Finland, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia will play a round robin and a final to determine who advances to the next Baseball Euros.

Day One offered a convincing win for Romania in its matchup with Finland, with Eduard Pîrvu launching a solo shot in the fourth and a two-run homer in the sixth. Razvan Ivan struck out 10 over seven two-hit innings for the victory, adding two ribbies on a double and single. Nooa Määttä did his best for Finland, driving in a run and scoring another on a double, a one-base hit, and stolen base.

Later, Bulgaria started off well against Serbia before having to mount a rally to pull off the victory. Veteran Evgenii Chernozemsky was crucial to Bulgaria’s victory, moving from third to the mound in the sixth and finishing the game with four scoreless, two-hit frames. He added two hits, two walks, and three runs at the plate. Michael Tchavdarov had a two-bagger and a single. Nikola Prodanović hit a solo shot for Serbia, which managed only three hits against Chernozemsky and Martin Mitev, who struck out seven in five innings as the starter.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage includes: Preview [link]. See also coverage of the Baseball Euros Poland Qualifier: Day 1 [link].

Results and Schedule
July 27
Romania 13 – Finland 3
Serbia 5 – Bulgaria 10

July 28
Serbia – Romania
Slovenia – Finland

Standings

Over the next week, 11 countries will look to claim one of the two remaining spots in the 2027 European Baseball Championship as the Baseball Euros B Pool begins play in Bulgaria and Poland. Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, will play host this week to five national teams, one of which will qualify for next year’s European Baseball Championsip, while Wrocław, Poland, welcomes six more countries, who will contend the second spot. This year, WBSC Europe has reverted to the “B Pool” label that was common through 2019, rather than the “Qualifier” or “Qualification” that had been mostly used since the Baseball Euros were expanded to 16 teams and the B-Pool and C-Pool combined in 2019.

Blagoevgrad Baseball Stadium will host Bulgaria, Finland, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia. Wrocławska Arena Sportu Baseball Field, meanwhile, is the site of competition for Ireland, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine. In both B Pools, the top two teams in the pool will advance to the semifinal, and the winner of this game then qualifies for the top tier of the continental chamionship. Hungary was due to compete in the B-Pool—likely in Poland—after relegation from the 2025 European Baseball Championship, but its sport ministry did not offer sufficient funding for the federation to compete.

The two winners will join the 14 teams that qualified from the last Baseball Euros: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Qualification in 2023 consisted of three tournaments, and the finalists for each were Hungary over Slovakia in Belgrade; Lithuania over Poland in Kutno, Poland; Austria over Ireland in Ashbourne, Ireland. Lithuania is the highest-ranked team in the qualifiers at No. 44 in the world and No. 14 (of 27 ranked countries) in Europe. Poland (No. 54), Slovakia (No. 61), and Norway (No. 68) are the next three-highest.

Of the 11 national teams, only Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine have ever played in the “A-Pool.” Lithuania made its debut in 2025, while Slovakia’s only appearance came in 2021. Slovenia appeared in three consecutive Euros between 1995–99, while Ukraine was a regular fixture between 1995 and 2023, appearing in 8 of 14 championships during the period. Most of the remaining were fixtures of the former “C-Pool,” held three times between 2014–18, which included all teams outside the then-12 in the A-Pool and a dozen more in the B-Pool. In late 2019, WBSC Europe rearranged these tiers into 16 in the top level and all remaining teams in the qualifying round, though according to its “Baseball Competitions Regulations 2026,” if there are more than 16 national teams that apply for a European Championships B-Pool at any level, “the WBSCE Baseball technical commission has the right to create a C-Pool competition of the respective European Championship.“

Other nations registered with WBSC Europe not competing in this cycle of the European Championship include: Belarus, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg (which has never fielded a national team), Moldova, Portugal, Russia, and Türkiye. Of the inactive nations, only Hungary and Türkiye fielded a team in the 2024 qualifiers, and it has been years since most of the others have entered.

We will have daily recaps of each tournament, along with a breakdown of the leading players at the end of each qualifier, so check back regularly for much more.

As it has done day after day at the Under-15 European Baseball Championship B Pool Ukraine left no doubt it was the undisputed champion of the Zottegem, Belgium qualification tournament, defeating the host nation in a closely contested game and advancing the U15 Baseball Euros. The other two games completed what was the best-played day of action in Zottegem, with Poland rallying in its last at bat and surviving Israel’s attempt to equalize in the bronze medal game, while Lithuania scored in every inning and just about contained Sweden in the fifth-place game.

In the second of two U15 Euros qualification games following the Austria B Pool’s conclusion a day earlier, Mil de Quint offered a herculean effort to Belgium in its attempts to advance to the main draw of the U15 European Baseball Championship, going 4-for-4 with a stolen base from the leadoff spot and starting the game with two scoreless innings, swapping to centerfield after 3.1 innings of two-run ball. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s explosive offense was denied an extra-base hit, relying instead on production up and down the lineup to produce two big innings in the victory. Andrii Vasiuk struck out six in the win.

Dawid Skarżycki started the game on the bench for Poland but ended up saving the day for the Polish baseball squad in the bronze medal game. In a rollercoaster of a third-place game, Poland scored six in the first and held a 7-4 margin after four. Israel then scored seven in the fifth before each team scored a single run, Poland’s coming on a double from Skarżycki, who had entered in center in the top of the inning. With the margin at 12-8 in Israel’s favor in the sixth, Poland then fired up the offense, taking advantage of three errors before Skarżycki stepped up and drilled a two-run to left for what would be the game-winning runs. After Israel scored and had the bases loaded, Skarżycki then came in to pitch, inducing a fly out for the save and a dramatic victory for Poland.

Gal Salzman did a little bit of everything for an Israel Baseball squad that came up a run short in its final at bat for the second day in a row. He led off the second with an inside-the-parker for Israel’s first marker, later taking two pitches the hard way, also drawing a walk. Caleb Cohen drove in three with a double and a single, walking twice, and getting plunked an eye-watering three times.

Domantas Kucinskas had three hits, including a double, for Lithuania, while Augustas Jonikavičius had a double and a single. Anton Hoback came off the bench for Sweden to go 3-for-3 with a double.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage of the Belgium U15 Baseball Qualifier: Day 5 [link]. See also coverage of the Austria U15 Baseball Qualifier: Day 6 [link].

Offensive Leaders (two plate appearances per team’s game minimum)

• Ukraine’s ‘Two Illias’ were the two top hitters in the tournament, tying for the final lead in batting average at .714. Illia Kolomoiets was named “Leading Hitter” with an .818 average going into the final day, and slashed .714/.800/1.429 to lead (or tie) all qualified hitter in triple slash categories. The centerfielder and pitcher tied for the lead in doubles (3), triples (2), and home runs (1), finishing second in runs (11) and RBI (14). He also swiped three bags. Illia Maksymenko, meanwhile, led in RBI (15), slashing .714/.737/.929 with no strikeouts in 18 plate appearances.
• Ford Schröder (Denmark) was second in OPS (1.875) and slugging to Kolomoiets and hit .625/.750/1.125.
• Teammates Mil de Quint and Sid van den Branden (Belgium) tied for the lead in hits (11), with the former hitting .688/.750/.938, his average third-best at the event. Van den Branden was third in slugging and OPS and fourth in hitting, finishing at .647/.682/1.118.
• Caleb Cohen (Israel) tied for the lead in stolen bases (7), hitting .500/.591/.778.
• Wout Frijns (Belgium) led in walks (8), leading to a robust .615 on-base percentage.

Pitching Leaders (four innings minimum)
Note that ERA figures are incorrect on tournament page, but have been listed correctly here.

• Thor Schelfaut (Belgium) was named Best Pitcher after leading the tournament in ERA (1.50), WHIP (0.83) and batting average against (.143), striking out 11 (second-most) in six innings over four apperances. He walked only two and did not give up an extra-base hit.
• Andrii Vasiuk (Ukraine) earned MVP honors after striking out 10 with a 2.57 ERA over two starts.
• Erikas Mordas (Lithuania) was the only pitcher with two wins, also strking out nine in six innings. Mordas also tied for the tournament lead in stolen bases (7) as well, hitting .308/.471/.462.
• Yair Tako (Israel) led in strikeouts (12) and innings pitched (7.1). The SS-P-1B was one of Israel’s top hitters, too, slashing .444/.565/.556, stealing six bases, and tying for the lead in HBP (3).

Playoffs Results
July 25
Fifth: Lithuania 15 – Sweden 8
Third: Israel 13 – Poland 15
Final: Belgium 3 – Ukraine 6

Final Standings

Spain qualified for the U15 Baseball Euros by winning the Schwechat, Austria, B Pool title in a convincing championship game victory over the host nation. Earlier in the day, Russia claimed third with a big win over Slovakia, and Croatia took fifth with a simmilar result against Hungary as the first of two Under-15 European Baseball Championship qualifiers came to an end.

Gonzálo Herrero collected his second-straight two-hit game for Spain in support of Urbez Diarte, who allowed only one hit over five scoreless innings, racking up six Ks. Tomo Pietraszkiewicz had a pair of singles for Austria.

Iaroslav Lukin had a double and a single for Russia, one of four players with a two-hit game for the bronze medallists. Stepan Kolobaev, Kirill Shubin, and Ilia Khrulev also joined in the hit parade. Sergei Podolian was effectively wild in the win.

Vito Vlatković notched four hits, three stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI for Croatia, with Matej Bauk turning in one of the finest pitching performances of the U15 Baseball Euros B Pools: five innings, two hits, one unearned run, one walk, and 14 strikeouts. Gábor Farkas was the unlucky loser, striking out six in 4.1 innings, allowing two earned runs.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage of the Austria U15 Baseball Qualifier: Day 5 [link]. See also coverage of the Belgium U15 Baseball Qualifier: Day 5 [link].

Offensive Leaders (two plate appearances per team’s game minimum)

• Roman Aksenov (Russia) was named “Leading Hitter” for the tournament after topping qualified batters in average, on-base percentage, and OPS, tying for the lead in walks (6). He hit .667/.846/1.167.
• Cedrik Moczkowski (Austria) led in slugging percentage and total bases (13), and tied for the lead in hits (7), doubles (2), triples (2), slashing .636/.692/1.182.
• Luka Blanuša (Croatia) was one of three players to hit a home run and tied for second in total bases (10), hitting .545/.583/.909.
• Vito Vlatković (Croatia) led in stolen bases (9) and slashed .400/.455/.400.
• Jass Vargas (Spain) was tops in runs (9) and RBI (9), tying for second in swipes (7).
• Eli Reinoso (Hungary) tied for the lead in triples (2) and hit .556/.556/1.000, finishing fourth in OPS.
• Jamie Chen-Blešić (Austria) was third in OPS, posting a .600/.714/1.000 slash line.

Pitching Leaders (four innings minimum)
Note that ERA figures are incorrect on tournament page, but have been listed correctly here.

• Matej Bauk (Croatia) was undisputedly the most impressive pitcher, leading the tournament with 21 strikeouts in only eight innings, winning two games (one of three), and posting a 1.12 ERA (fourth), 0.88 WHIP (third), and .156/.250/.156 opponents’ batting line.
• Urbez Diarte (Spain) claimed MVP honors after some excellent work of his own, leading the tournament in ERA after failing to allow a runner to score in 8.1 innings. He struck out 14 (fourth) and surrendered a tournament-leading .133/.212/.133 triple slash to opposing hitters, with hit 0.86 WHIP coming in second.
• Artsiom Nasinski (Belarus) was second in strikeouts (16), leading in innings (9.1), and registering a 1.93 ERA and .133/.297/.200, with opponents’ average tying for the lead.
• Gábor Farkas (Hungary) was third in strikeouts (15), firing 8.1 innings of 3.24 ERA-ball.
• Sergei Podolian (Russia) was third in ERA (1.04) and fifth in strikeouts (13).
• Patrik Tietz (Slovakia) had the best WHIP (0.83) and was the third pitcher with two wins. Hitters managed a .158/.238/.158 mark with eight whiffs in six innings, spread across three games.
• Oskar-Time Kampichler won “Best Pitcher” honors, though he did not appear in any Top 10 lists of pitching statistics with the exception of ERA, with four shutout innings in his only game.

Playoffs Schedule and Results
July 25
Fifth: Croatia 13 – Hungary 1 (5)
Third: Russia 14 – Slovakia 1 (5)
Final: Austria 1 – Spain 7

Final Standings

Denmark finished its time in Zottegem, Belgium, on a real high note, earning its first win with a strong offensive showing in the seventh-place game of the Under-15 European Baseball Championship B Pool. In the semifinals, Ukraine posted an impressive result against a very strong Polish baseball squad, while Belgium needed a seventh-inning comeback to force extra innings against Israel, after which the host nation squeaked into the final in a nerve-wracking finish.

Ford Schröder had a day to remember for Denmark, slashing a triple and two doubles from the leadoff spot, stealing a base, scoring three times, and driving in five. Rasmus Dinesen finished a four-bagger short of the cycle while striking out six in a two-hitter for the win. Caleb Cohen had two hits and two swipes for Israel, making four position changes as well. Sid van den Branden launched a two-run homer in the first for Belgium on the way to a 4-for-4 day with a walk, two runs, and a pair of ribbies. Finally, Ukraine’s offense continued to benefit from “the Illias,” as Illia Kolomoiets read based three times, including a double and a triple, while Illia Maksymenko went 3-for-3 with a walk. Yehor Tatachenko whiffed nine in the victory.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage of the Belgium U15 Baseball Qualifier: Day 2 [link]. See also coverage of the Austria U15 Baseball Qualifier: Day 6 [link].

Playoffs Results and Schedule
July 24
Seventh: Denmark 18 – Estonia 3 (4)
Semifinal: Poland 4 – Ukraine 14 (5)
Semifinal: Israel 10 – Belgium 11 (8)

July 25
Fifth: Lithuania – Sweden
Third: Israel – Poland
Final: Belgium – Ukraine

Belgium and Ukraine won their respective groups as round robin play concluded in Zottegem, Belgium at the Under-15 European Baseball Championship B Pool. Belgium dispatched Lithuania, which could have claimed its own spot in the playoffs with a one-sided victory, while Ukraine did the same to a Swedish team that had posted 25 runs a day prior. Israel took care of business against Denmark to claim the other spot in the semifinals, setting up Baseball Danmark to contest seventh place against Estonia.

Mil de Quint drove in five with a single, a double, and a triple for Belgium. Illia Kolomoiets had a two-run double and a run-scoring single in a 13-run first for Ukraine, smacking an inside-the-park homer to plate a pair in the second, finishing an eye-popping eight-RBI day with a bases-clearing single in the fourth. Meanwhile, Yair Tako went 4-for-4 with three runs and four ribbies for Israel, drilling a duo of two-baggers. Caleb Cohen went yard for Israel Baseball.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage of the Belgium U15 Baseball Qualifier: Day 3 [link]. See also coverage of the Austria U15 Baseball Qualifier: Day 4 [link].

Group A Schedule and Results
July 24
Lithuania 4 – Belgium 14 (6)

Group B Results
July 24
Ukraine 23 – Sweden 3 (4)
Denmark 3 – Israel 18 (4)

Playoffs Schedule
July 24
Seventh: Denmark – Estonia
Semifinal: Poland – Ukraine
Semifinal: Israel – Belgium

Group A Final Standings

Group B Final Standings

Belarus finally cracked the win column with an impressive win over Bulgarian in the seventh-place game of the Under-15 European Baseball Championship qualifier in Schwechat, Austria. Later, the contenders for the U15 Baseball Euros B Pool title were reduced to two after Spain jumped out to a 9-1 lead after three and then survived successive big rallies from Russia and Austria made the most of its opportunities against neighboring Slovakia.

Dzmitry Hryntesvich drove in five with a double and two singles for Belarus and Ivan Mokhart had a triple and a double, driving in two. Artsiom Nasinski sent down 12 batters on strikes in a six-inning two-hitter.

James-Renan Leal had Spain’s only extra-base knock in a 2-for-3 day, while Gonzálo Herrero had two hits and two stolen bases from the leadoff spot. Russia countered with a trio of two-hit games from Stepan Kolobaev, Gleb Garbuzov, and Iaroslav Lukin. Garbuzov was solid out of the bullpen, whiffing six in 4.1 innings and allowing only one earned run.

Slovakia had three hits and four stolen bases from Ondrej Kotlárik, but left eight on base, with the first of its three runs coming home when Adam Serdel stole home and its final marker on a wild pitch. Austria, on the other hand, only managed seven walks and four hits, with two of them coming from Ben Preissl, who also swiped two bags. Oskar-Tim Kampichler struck out four in four frames for the win, permitting only an unearned run.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage of the Austria U15 Baseball Qualifier: Day 4 [link]. See also coverage of the Belgium U15 Baseball Qualifier: Day 4 [link].

Playoffs Schedule and Results
July 24
Seventh: Belarus 17 – Bulgaria 2 (6)
Semifinal: Russia 8 – Spain 9
Semifinal: Slovakia 3 – Austria 7

July 25
Fifth: Croatia – Hungary
Third: Russia – Slovakia
Final: Austria – Spain

Spain joined the host nation in advancing to the semifinals of Under-15 European Baseball Championship B Pool in Schwechat, Austria, with perfect records, while Croatia and Slovakia faced off for the right to join them in the semifinals. Russia claimed the third spot thanks to a 14-run fourth inning.

Three Spanish pitchers combined on a one-hitter, striking out nine in four innings against Belarus. Raúl Chapman was 3-for-3 with a double, four runs, and two RBI, while Miguel Fernández had three hits, and Iván Cabrera, Jass Várgas, and Mathias Zambrano all drove in a trio of runners.

In a back-and-forth thriller that saw runs scored in all but one half-inning, Slovakia became the second team from Group to advance to the playoffs thanks, in part, to Gabriel Hečko, who went 2-for-2 with a double, two stolen bases, four runs, a ribbie, a walk, and a HBP. Luka Blanuša had a double and a single for Croatia.

Roman Aksenov had a triple among three hits, stealing two bags and scoring three times as Russia’s leadoff man, while Viacheslav Taiurskii drew four walks and scored three times. Petar Ganchev did what he could for Bulgaria, which scored five runs in the first and held a 6-3 lead until the third. The Bulgarian backstop went 3-for-3 with a double, a pair of swipes, two runs, and three RBI.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage of the Austria U15 Baseball Qualifier: Day 3 [link]. See also coverage of the Belgium U15 Baseball Qualifier: Day 3 [link].

Group A Results
July 23
Bulgaria 9 – Russia 19 (5)

Group B Results
July 23
Croatia 15 – Slovakia 16
Spain 22 – Belarus 0 (4)

Playoffs
July 24
Seventh: Belarus – Bulgaria
Semifinal: Russia – Spain
Semifinal: Slovakia – Austria

Group A Final Standings

Group B Final Standings

Ukraine made a statement in Group B of the Under-15 European Baseball Championship B Pool in Zottegem, Belgium, scoring 16 runs in three innings—including a 13-run second—to go to 2-0. Illia Maksymenko drove in six with a double and a single for Ukraine. Meanwhile, Poland pounded 17 hits, including two doubles by Michał Dadacz—who also struck out five in 2.2 scoreless innings in the win—in its own offensive showcase. The other game in Group A saw Sweden and Denmark combine for 36 runs on 12 hits, 22 stolen bases, 37 walks, and 12 errors, with Swedish leadoff hitter Frieda Steuernagel driving in five and swiping two bags. Rasmus Dinesen had a triple and four RBI for Baseball Denmark.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage of the Belgium U15 Baseball Qualifier: Day 2 [link]. See also coverage of the Austria U15 Baseball Qualifier: Day 4 [link].

Group A Schedule and Results
July 23
Poland 20 – Estonia 2 (5)

July 24
Lithuania – Belgium

Group B Schedule and Results
July 23
Israel 2 – Ukraine 16 (5)
Sweden 25 – Denmark 11 (6)

July 24
Ukraine – Sweden
Denmark – Israel

Group A Standings

Group B Standings

Austria and Spain left no doubt that they are contenders for the U15 Baseball Euros B Pool title in Schwechat, Austria, after scorching performances from their respective lineups. These two remained perfect on the third day of the Under-15 European Baseball Championship qualifier, while Croatia responded to a drubbing in its first game with a big showing itself, keeping it in the running for a semifinal spot. With one more day of round robin, however, seven of eight squads still have something for which to play.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage of the Austria U15 Baseball Qualifier: Day 2 [link]. See also coverage of the Belgium U15 Baseball Qualifier: Day 2 [link].

Group A Schedule and Results
July 22
Austria 23 – Hungary 1 (3)

July 23
Bulgaria – Russia

Group B Schedule and Results
July 22
Slovakia 4 – Spain 16 (5)
Belarus 4 – Croatia 16 (5)

July 23
Croatia – Slovakia
Spain – Belarus

Group A Standings

Group B Standings

The Zottegem, Belgium qualification tournament for the Under-15 European Baseball Championship continued today with three rollercoaster games. The day started with a Group B game between Sweden and Israel, with the Scandinavians holding a 3-1 margin into the bottom of the fifth. Israel responded with five runs in the bottom of the fifth, repeating the feat an inning later to ice the win.

In Group A, Lithuania plated six runs in the first against Estonia, but three separate rallies gave the pesapall-players a lead in the middle of the fifth. Both squads then scored four apiece in their next inning, with Lithuania tying the game at 11 after six. The southern Baltic nation then won on walk-off, claiming its first win in the process. The nightcap was plenty exciting as well, as Belgium jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third, which Poland immediately answered with two runs. From there, the hosts piled on the runs, containing a late Polish comeback.

Box scores are available here [link]. Previous coverage of the Belgium U15 Baseball Qualifier: Day 1 [link]. See also coverage of the Austria U15 Baseball Qualifier: Day 3 [link].

Group A Schedule and Results
July 22
Estonia 11 – Lithuania 12
Belgium 9 – Poland 3

July 23
Poland – Estonia

Group B Schedule and Results
July 22
Sweden 3 – Israel 11

July 23
Israel – Ukraine
Sweden – Denmark

Group A Standings

Group B Standings