Baseball Champions League Europe Group Regensburg set to showcase elite pitching and Japanese star power

Compiled from a release issued by the World Baseball Softball Confederation.

The Armin-Wolf-Baseball-Arena in Regensburg, Germany, will be the stage for the Baseball Champions League Europe Group Regensburg, with four of Europe’s top clubs set to compete for two places in the 2026 Finals.

The tournament opens on Friday, 22 May, with Czech champions Draci Brno (Czech Extraliga) taking on Italy’s ASD Parma (Italian Serie A Gold) at 14:00 local time, before hosts Guggenberger Legionaere Regensburg (German Baseball League) take on the Oosterhout Twins (Dutch Hoofdklasse) at 19:00.

The three-day Opening Round will follow a round-robin format, with each team playing each other once. The top two finishers will advance to the Baseball Champions League Europe Finals, scheduled for 26-27 September at a venue to be announced.

Here’s a detailed look at the participating teams in Regensburg.

The Guggenberger Legionaere enter the tournament in strong form after convincing 7-2 and 17-0 victories over the Gauting Indians in a Bavarian derby in the German Baseball League this past weekend. Regensburg currently sit second in the southern division standings with a 9-3 record.

Managed by former infielder Matt Vance, who has been part of the organisation since 2009, the Legionaere feature a balanced roster combining experienced leaders and emerging young talent. Nine players on the 24-man roster were born in 2004 or later.

Veterans Alexander Schmidt, Elias von Garßen, Eric Harms and Devon Ramirez Beaver headline the core of the squad, while Japanese outfielder Kohei Sasagawa — a former Samurai Japan representative at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2012 and the inaugural WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup in 2014 — is expected to play a key offensive role alongside Daniel Patrice.

For the Baseball Champions League Europe campaign, Regensburg strengthened its roster with Japanese right-hander Ryoto Konno, Italian pitcher Matteo Marelli — a former New York Mets signee who represented Italy at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2021 — and utility player Pietro Verzin.

Pitching is expected to be one of Regensburg’s biggest strengths, with Christian Pedrol, former Los Angeles Dodgers minor leaguer Tim Fischer, Nicolas Antoine, Quentin Moulin, Konno and Marelli leading a deep staff.

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Italy’s ASD Parma arrives in Regensburg with the same national league record as the Guggenberger Legionaere, at 9-3 in the Serie A Gold league, currently leading Group A of the Italian championship.

Parma split a doubleheader against BSC Grosseto last weekend, narrowly losing the opener 5-4 before responding with a dominant 7-0 shutout.

Former Chicago Cubs infielder Robel Garcia headlines the Parma roster. The Dominican Republic-born slugger, who later acquired Italian citizenship, represented Italy at the 2023 World Baseball Classic and also played professionally in the Korea Baseball Organisation with the LG Twins.

The Italian club also features several national team standouts, including Alberto Mineo – a former minor league catcher with the Chicago Cubs who also won two titles in Nicaragua – Claudio Scotti, Matteo Bocchi, Yomel Rivera and Gabriele Angioi. Top prospect Juan Carlos Infante Jr., son of former Italian national team star Juan Carlos Infante, is another player to watch.

On the mound, Parma will rely heavily on Cuban pitchers Naykel Cruz — who starred at the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup 2020 — and Raymond Figueredo, a member of Cuba’s WBSC Premier12 2024 presented by RAXUS roster.

Adding a historic touch to the season, Parma is competing in retro uniforms inspired by the club’s first championship-winning team from 1976, when the organisation – then sponsored by kitchen furniture company Germal – captured the title with a remarkable 51-3 record.

 

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The Oosterhout Twins enter the tournament looking to build momentum after an inconsistent start to the Dutch Hoofdklasse season, where they currently hold a 6-8 record and sit in fifth place in the standings.

The Twins showed encouraging signs last weekend by sweeping Hoofddorp Pioniers 1-0 and 14-8 on the road before travelling to Regensburg.

The Dutch club is led on the mound by former Nippon Professional Baseball standout Ayumu Ishikawa. The veteran right-hander spent 12 seasons with the Chiba Lotte Marines, posting an ERA of 3.49, earning Pacific League Rookie of the Year honours in 2014 and receiving two NPB All-Star selections. Ishikawa has continued to impress in Europe, posting a 2.82 ERA across 22 1/3 innings this season.

He anchors a pitching staff that also includes Curacao’s Nelmerson Angela and Misja Harcksen, who represented the Netherlands at the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup 2018.

Additional depth comes from Simon Gross, who played for Germany at the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup 2021, along with Wyatt Lankford and Belgian prospect Zane Hendrickx.

At the plate, Belgian two-way player Nando Mostaert has emerged as one of the team’s offensive leaders with three home runs this season. Mostaert has represented Belgium in both baseball and men’s fastpitch softball. Israeli Olympian Rob Paller, who competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, also adds international experience to the lineup.

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Czech powerhouse Draci Brno enters the BCL Europe leading the Czech Extraliga standings with a 12-4 record, despite dropping a series against city rivals Cardion Hrosi Brno last weekend. After opening the series with a 4-3 win, Draci suffered 7-1 and 9-2 defeats in the following two games.

The club’s roster is built around a strong core of Czech national team veterans, including Jakub Hajtmar, Milan Prokop, Tomas Ondra and Martin Cervinka.

Japanese veteran Takashi Ogino adds further international pedigree to the tournament. The 40-year-old spent 16 seasons with the Chiba Lotte Marines and won the Japan Series during his rookie campaign in 2010.

Ogino joins Prokop, Hajtmar, Jakub Winkler and Lukas Urbanek among the team’s key offensive contributors.

On the pitching side, Luis Moncada, Ondra and Filip Capka have carried the workload throughout the domestic season, while Jose Colina, Damon Zak Atkinson and Aliangel Lopez Guerra will reinforce the staff for the Baseball Champions League Europe campaign.