30/08/2017 1 Minute Read

Italy U18 Juniors travel to Canada for Baseball World Cup

Team Italy U18 manager John Cortese along with coaches Rolando Cretis, Stefano Cappuccini and Gianluca Marenghi have been working diligently to prepare their squad for the 2017 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U18 Baseball World Cup (formerly known as the World Junior AAA Baseball Championship)

Team Italy U18 manager John Cortese along with coaches Rolando Cretis, Stefano Cappuccini and Gianluca Marenghi have been working diligently to prepare their squad for the 2017 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U18 Baseball World Cup (formerly known as the World Junior AAA Baseball Championship). The internationalL'Italia U18 pronta a partire per la Coppa del Mondo WBSC 2017 (ML Oldman) tournament takes place in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada at Port Arthur Stadium and Baseball Central from September 1-10, 2017. The 12 national teams representing the baseball playing continents of the world include: Italy (ranked #12), the Netherlands (ranked #9), the United States (ranked #2), Canada (ranked #10), Mexico (ranked #6), Cuba (ranked #5), Nicaragua (ranked #15), Japan (ranked #1), Korea (ranked #3), Chinese Taipei (ranked #4), Australia (ranked #8) and South Africa (ranked #29).

Team USA is the three-time defending World Cup champion and will look to become the second country to win four-straight gold medals in the tourney. Japan has captured the silver medal in the last two U18 Baseball World Cups (2015 and 2013). Never to be underestimated, Cuba leads all nations having won the junior world title 11 times. The 2017 U18 Baseball World Cup will be contested over 50 games and in three stages: Opening Round (Group Stage), Super Round and World Championship Medal Round.

Italy kicks off the opening game of the tournament against Nicaragua on September 1, 2017. The Italians return the following day to face Australia. Watch the live stream of the Team Italy and Chinese Taipei game on September 3 at 9 am here: Team Italy then takes on Canada on September 4. Italy concludes its opening round action on September 5 with a battle against Korea, which will be streaming live at 2 pm here:

Based on the team’s overall record, Italy will be placed accordingly in the U18 Baseball World Cup Super Round from September 7-9, 2017. The top four nations will compete in the U18 Baseball World Cup Championship Medal Round on September 10, 2017. Forza #Italia #U18WorldCup #ThunderBay2017.

by Roberto Angotti