Team Italy manager Mike Piazza inspires Club Italia LA28 baseball prospects in Codogno
Despite an 8-3 loss to the local Codogno Serie A team on the Viale Resistenza diamond, Club Italia LA28 showed promise on and off the field. A press conference also took place at the Codogno Clubhouse. Club Italia 28 development director Gianguido Poma said, “First of all I want to thank Codogno, both the club and the community, for the warm welcome. On the field, Mike and I were pleased with the intensity of commitment displayed. We have seen how the players have grown and developed physically. Some have returned from college abroad and have since made important progress. Of course, there is a lot of work to do, particularly in the next two years, but the conditions for this work to bear the fruits we want are all there. I want to underline the importance of having with us two witnesses of the Italian program, Alberto Mineo and Matteo Bocchi. Their presence is a fundamental element to motivate the whole group in the work we are starting."
Joining Gianguido Poma at the press conference was Team Italy manager Mike Piazza, Codogno Mayor Francesco Passerini, Codogno Club President Giangiacomo Sello and pitcher Enrico Zanchi, who also served as translator.
After receiving a greeting from FIBS President Andrea Marcon, who was unable to make it in person due to his appearance at the WBSC Softball World Cup press conference hosted by the Milan-Cortina 2026 Foundation, Codogno Club President Giangiacomo Sello began by welcoming those present and setting the objectives of his team: "We hope to reach far in the championship, even if we have to take into account some stumbles, such as the 15 strikeouts suffered last Sunday as result of Reggiana pitcher Enrico Zanchi.”
Codogno Mayor Passerini took the opportunity to make a crucial announcement for baseball in the city: “The development of the sport comes from the facilities. I see here on the walls posters of great games that we have hosted in the past under the lights. If we want to return to hosting large events, we must return to having a system with adequate lighting and I am confident that this project will be completed within a few weeks."
Guest of Honor Mike Piazza, who worked diligently with the Club Italia LA28 prospects and signed autographs to no end commented on the progress of the Olympic hopefuls: “We have to grow, baseball must grow and we can only do it by starting with young people. I saw the love for baseball very evident here, in the public, in all the children who came in uniform from different cities and in the kids on the field. And since 'collaboration' is the key to improvement, we must exploit all the opportunities that arise.”
Having served as Team Italy manager since 2019, Mike Piazza was asked a series of questions:
What is the difference between the World Baseball Classic and European Baseball Championship considering the two very opposite results last year?
“They are two very different tournaments with different players – replied the Hall of Famer – in Europe we finished third in 2021, coming from a seventh place finish in the 2019 Olympic Qualifier. Then ninth place last year in the Euros after a World Baseball Classic that brought us to the attention of the world. At an international level, tournaments are very short. It's easy for things to go wrong if you don't have room to recover from mistakes.
Before there were no teams like Israel or Great Britain, which emerged quickly because they were essentially made up of Americans. We want the heart of the team to be made up of kids who are born, grow and succeed here. When my experience ends, I would like to leave a change of culture, which arises from the combination of all the opportunities we have.
For now we have to follow the young players, observe them with attention and care and make them grow at every opportunity. The Haarlem Baseball Week will also be a further opportunity to improve for this emerging group and activate all possible collaborations to make them play more. Because only by playing can we improve. This is our plan and objective to qualify for Los Angeles. We must provide quality competition for at least 10 months a year.”
Regarding you post 9/11 home run, some have called you a hero for what you did for America in helping a nation heal after the tragedy. Do you feel like a hero?
“It's hard to describe what New York was like that week, the pain was so great for many families. Hero? I believe it was a gift from God to give me the strength to go out there and play. Baseball is already a difficult sport even under normal conditions, let alone in the midst of all that pain. I'm just grateful, after having been with the whole team to visit the hospitals in those days, that I found myself in the right place at the right time in that game."
What does it mean to be Italian American today?
“What separates Italian Americans from other American ethnic communities is the one great connection we maintain. My father told me 'remember that you are Italian' all the time. We are so proud. For example, there are third or fourth generation kids who want to play for Italy. Coaches who want to help. And since 'collaboration' is the key to improvement, we must exploit all the opportunities that arise.”
Forza #Italia!
by Marco Landi and Roberto Angotti
