It will be a particularly busy season for the Team Italy staff, who will begin working with players in preparation for the U18 European Baseball Championship from August 14-21, 2022 in the Czech Republic and the U18 Baseball World Cup from September 9-18, 2022 in Bradenton and Sarasota, Florida.
Team Italy U18 manager Francesco Aluffi said, "We will be working with the players for 45 to 46 days as a result of the commitment my staff has made with the added support of senior national baseball coordinators Bobby Cramer and Gianmarco Faraone. Beginning with our first official workout on March 5 and 6 reserved exclusively for up-and-coming 16-year-old players, we will be building for the future and focusing on the younger group once we have completed our scheduled activities in September."
Azzurri manager Francesco Aluffi will be joined by bench coach John Cortese, pitching coach Massimiliano Masin, hitting coach Stefano Cappuccini, infield coach Davide Sartini and athletic trainer Fabrizio Goracci. The Team Italy U18 skipper commented, "There will be room on our roster for new prospects. When we get together as a group in April, we will invite 50 players that we have been scouting for the past year. They will be put to the test and the best 40 will remain until our final cut of 25. Those chosen will join us in May to prepare for a preseason tourney in Germany and ultimately the Euros in the the Czech Republic."
Team Italy U18 manager Francesco Aluffi is optimistic that the Azzurri squad has the potential to dethrone Kingdom of the Netherlands and win the European Baseball Championship. He said, "We are confident that we the right talent starting with Williams Wong, who earned himself a starting spot at second base. We are in good shape in the pitching department and have good defense to back us up." Forza #Italia!
by Roberto Angotti
(Photo of Team Italy U18 managerFrancesco Aluffi by Gianluca Calcagni)
