Coach Ophir Katz will lead 18 players to Macerata, Italy, for the U18 European Baseball Championship next week, marking the first time that Israel will play at that level. Nine teams will compete at the event, which was rescheduled from 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Israel will compete against the Netherlands, Lithuania, Italy and France in Group A. Group B features Austria, the Czech Republic, Spain and Germany.

Israel qualified for the European Championship by winning the U18 qualifier in 2019 in Sweden. Only two players, pitcher Ivri Margolin and outfielder Uri Shani, remain on the roster from the 2019 squad.

The team is comprised of Aviv Bobrov (Misgav), Oren Bobrov (Misgav), Noah Cohen (IMG), Tomer Erel (Tel Aviv), Kai Friesem (Lev Hasharon), Jake Goodman (Tel Aviv), Ariel Lambert (Jerusalem), Nadav Machlin (Lev Hasharon), Ivri Margolin (Misgav), Noam Moore (Jerusalem), Akiva Moss (Jerusalem), Yedidya Rabinowitz (Jerusalem), Avinoam Sachs (Hashmonaim), Aviad Schechter (Ra’anana), Michael Segal (Modiin), Uri Shani (Tel Aviv), Dovid Solomon (Jerusalem) and Itai Spinoza (Fayetteville Manlius, NY).  

Michael Maiocco and Natan Bash are assistant coaches. Yoav Shani is the Team Manager and David Friesem is the Equipment Manager.

The games can be live streamed at www.baseballsoftball.tv.

Schedule