Macerata hosts Juniors U18 European Baseball Championship

The Executive Committee recently met during the WBSC Congress in Sakai, Japan and announced that the Juniors U18 European Baseball Championship will take place in Macerata, Italy from July 13-19, 2020. Campo di Baseball, home to ASD Macerata Angels, will play host to the 10 European countries vying for the Euro Championship title.

Kingdom of the Netherlands will defend the throne after going undefeated in the 2019 Juniors U18 European Baseball Championship in Grosseto. Team Italy placed fourth in the competition after suffering losses to runner-up Spain, and Czech Republic in the battle for the bronze medal. Other countries competing in the 2020 Juniors U18 European Baseball Championship include: Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, and Lithuania.

The 2020 Juniors U18 European Baseball Championship takes on special significance as it serves as a qualifier for the 2021 WBSC U18 Baseball World Cup. The two top finishers in the 2019 Juniors U18 European Baseball Championship, Kingdom of the Netherlands and Spain, qualified for the 2019 WBSC U18 Baseball World Cup in Korea. The Dutch placed seventh while the Spaniards took eighth place in the 12-country tourney.

Team Italy Juniors U18 manager John Cortese promises to have his young and talented Azzurri squad ready to dethrone two-time defending champion Kingdom of the Netherlands and regain control of the elusive Euro title after five long years. Since the competition began in 2007, Italy has leads all European countries with four gold medals. However, Kingdom of the Netherlands leads all Euro nations for the most amount of medals won (7) with three gold, two silver, and two bronze. Forza #Italia!

by Roberto Angotti