Team Italy U15 manager Roberto De Franceschi announces roster for European Baseball Championship in Nettuno from July 16-20, 2019
In an attempt to win the U15 European Baseball Championship on Italian soil, Team Italy manager Roberto De Franceschi will summon twenty of his best players for four days of intensive training prior to going to battle in the international competition at Steno Borghese Stadium in Nettuno from July 16-20, 2019. From the first days of spring, the Italian Baseball Hall of Famer has conducted baseball camps at the Olympic Training Facility at Aqua Acetosa in Rome as well as mini-camps in Collecchio, Reggio Emilia, and Nettuno in search of the country’s finest youth players to represent the Team Italy U15 squad.
To the delight of the hometown crowd, all the Team Italy’s Pool A games in the European Baseball Championship will be played under the lights at 8 pm (local time) beginning with a contest against France on Tuesday, July 16. Team Italy will return for its most challenging feat in Pool A action when Germany takes the field on Wednesday, July 17. The Italians conclude division play against Russia on Thursday, July 18. The two top teams from Pool A will face off against the two top teams from Pool B (Austria, Czech Republic, Netherlands, and Slovakia) in the U15 Euro semifinals on Friday, July 19. The U15 European Baseball Championship final will take place on Saturday, July 20 at 7 pm (local time), while the battle for the bronze begins at 10 am (local time).
Italian skipper Roberto De Franceschi will be assisted by coaches Leonardo Mazzanti, Claudio Corradi, Alberto Furlani, Mario Mascitelli, and pitching coach Luca Martignoni as well as physiotherapist Graziano Abbate and delegation team manager Alessandro Cappuccini. The following players have been selected to represent Team Italy in the 2019 U15 European Baseball Championship: Tommaso Adorni, OF/P (Crocetta B.C.); Alessandro Beccari, INF/P (San Marino B.C.); Leonardo Belardi, P (Lions Baseball Nettuno); Nicholas Bertoldi, INF (New Black Panthers / Europa B.C.); Vincenzo Bruno, P (Staranzano Ducks B.C.); Simone Carnevale, P (Bergamo Baseball Softball); Sebastiano Catellani. P/1B (Oltretorrente B.C.); Matteo Colalucci, P/INF/OF (Academy Nettuno); Andrea Di Siero, C/INF (Academy Nettuno); Alessandro Ercolani, P/C (San Marino B.C.); Matteo Giovanelli, OF/P (Junior Rimini); Cristian Laghi, OF/P (Cral Enrico Mattei / Forli S.C.); Lorenzo Lambertini, C (Fortitudo B.C. 1953); Zeno Marcoaldi, C/OF (Grosseto B.S.C. 1952 / Red Jacks B.S.C); Niccolo Funzione, INF (Grosseto B.S.C. 1952 / Red Jacks B.S.C); Riccardo Nepoti, P (Bologna Athletics); Elia Sartini, 1B/P (Torrepedrera Falcons B.C.); Nicola Spagnolo, OF/C (Oltretorrente B.C.); Filippo Venditti, INF (Academy Nettuno); and Diego Luciani, P/INF (Grosseto B.S.C. 1952 / Red Jacks B.S.C). Forza #Italia! #LetsMakeItHappen
by Roberto Angotti
