More than 1,000 children have participated in seven tournaments in Africa over the past six months, marking the rise of this form of baseball, with the Olympafrica Foundation organising seven tournaments in seven countries during this period.

The right-handed pitcher will be one of the six players representing Italy in the European team. They will compete in the Carnext Samurai Japan Series in Osaka, Japan, from 6-7 March.

The bullpen coach will be Aritz García, who attended the MLB European Academy and has experience in the United States and Japan. "I am available to do whatever is necessary," García said.

The WBSC Europe celebrated the international growth and innovation of baseball / softball at the Benalmádena Congress on the coast of Andalusia, Spain, last weekend.

Born in Brazil, he is of Italian descent and holds dual citizenship. He has represented both countries internationally as a left-handed hitting catcher and now he manages the Austrian Champions Diving Ducks and will be part of Team Europe's coaching staff.

The former ExtraLiga star outfielder became the first manager to lead the Czech Republic to the World Baseball Classic. He will serve as manager Marco Mazzieri's first base coach. "World baseball needs European baseball to be strong," he stressed.

A total of 18 teams will open the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Women's Softball World Cup in three groups of six teams at three different venues in Monteria, Colombia, in in Pingtan, China and in Dallas, USA.

The Tigres del Licey won the Dominican Professional Baseball League (LIDOM) with a 4-3 victory over Estrellas Orientales in the seventh and deciding game of the final. They also qualified for the Caribbean Series in Miami, which starts on 1 February.

The Tiburones de la Guaira have been crowned Venezuelan baseball champions after a wait of almost 40 years, beating Cardenales de Lara 3-0 in the fifth game of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League final. They have also qualified for the 2024 Caribbean Series to be held in Miami.

The Caguas Criollos won the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (LBPRC) for the 21st time. They triumphed in front of their home crowd, defeating the Carolinas Gigantes 4-1 in the eighth game of the best-of-nine series. They will now compete in the Caribbean Series in Miami from 1-9 February

The announcement was made by the organisers of the Intercontinental Series, scheduled to start on 26 January, due to the lack of approval from the Colombian government.