Team Italy competes in the U12 European Baseball Championship in Paderborn from July 2-6, 2024. After a training camp in Cupramontana a few weeks ago and four intensive days of workouts and exhibition games in Trento, Azzurrini manager Stefano Burato said, "The preparation went according to our expectations, playing in excellent conditions thanks to the hospitality of the Trento Baseball club. The work was intense and put us in a position to grow. We tried to give the group as many situations as possible to face in order to arrive united and ready for the competition. The response has been positive."
The team left Trento on Sunday morning and drove over 400 km towards Paderborn, in Westphalia, where the Ahorn Sportpark facility will host the eight national teams. This is the first ever U12 European Baseball Championship hosted by Germany.
The Azzurrini squad played an exhibition game against France today in preparation for their U12 Euro Group B debut against Austria in Group B on Tuesday July 2, 2024 at 3:30 pm. Team Italy returns the following day for a clash against Lithuania on Wednesday, July 3, 2024 at 3 pm before taking on their biggest challenge with a battle against the Kingdom of the Netherlands on Thursday, July 4, 2024 at 1 pm.
Group A includes Ukraine, France, the Czech Republic and hosts Germany. Weather uncertainties aside (bad weather is expected during the week), the games will be played on the Ahorn Ballpark artificial turf. The U12 Euro semi-finals will be played on Friday, July 5, 2024 to determine which teams will compete for medals on Saturday, July 6, 2024.
SCHEDULE, RESULTS AND PLAY-BY-PLAY
Germany, European champions in 2022 and 2023, and the Czech Republic, which shares with Team Italy the top of the Euro U12 titles (9), will be among the favorites rivals along with the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The two top European teams will qualify for the 2025 U12 Baseball World Cup.
Built just two years ago, the Ahorn Ballpark and its synthetic surface will be a new experience for Team Italy. Italian skipper Stefano Burato commented, “We are playing in a beautiful structure and on a different field than we are accustomed to so we will certainly have to be ready to adapt. The final objective is to get to the end, even if we know that the other teams are growing year after year and the competition is fierce. We hope to get the best results from our players."
Team Italy U12 manager Stefano Burato will be assisted by bench coach Simona Conti, pitching coach Alessandro Rosa Colombo, coaches Deborah Zanetti and Christian Tosini, team physician Dr. Jacopo Kowalczyk, physiotherapist Francesco Gandini and delegation manager Gaetano Cristiano.
LIVE STREAMING
The U12 European Championship games will be broadcast live on the baseballeurope.tv website. To watch the games, you will need to register on the platform and then purchase a season ticket for the entire competition for 24.99 euros or purchase a single game for 6.99 euros.
LINK TO SITE
Forza #Italia!
by Kevin Senatore and Roberto Angotti
Read also: Team Italy U12 baseball squad revealed for Euro Championship
