Weather permitting the 2009 season in the Nationalliga A starts on Sunday among the other Swiss leagues with a big Opening Day in Hünenberg, celebrating their new ballpark. In a rematch of the 2008 Swiss finals the BERN CARDINALS will host the LAUSANNE INDIANS. The format of the NLA was slightly changed during the winter, as there will be just one pool of eight teams, instead of two. After a round robin regular season with 28 games on 14 game days, the top four clubs will advance into the playoffs. The EMBRACH RAINBOWS are the lone new team, replacing the WIL DEVILS.
| Time | Home | Visitor | Field | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates and Times are subject to change! In case of doubt check with the responsible national federation! | ||||||
| Sunday, April 05 2009 | ||||||
| 14:00 | Bern Cardinals | Lausanne Indians | Hünenberg Rony |  |
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Past Champions since 2000
2000 Zurich Challengers
2001 Bern Cardinals
2002 Zurich Challengers
2003 Therwil Flyers
2004 Zurich Challengers
2005 Bern Cardinals
2006 Bern Cardinals
2007 Bern Cardinals
2008 Bern Cardinals
Team-by-team previews by John Baum
BERN CARDINALS
2008 Swiss champion. Regular season record 15-5.
The Cardinals, despite losing several key players look poised to once again compete for the Swiss crown. Player/coach John Baum returns for his fifth season in Bern, and will take the field with a new look team. The Cards will be without the services of four national team players this year, but have filled this void with the signing of Rudi Vargas and Alexander Ruiz. Along with the promotion from the second team of Philip Kanel, Baum feels confident that the team he will put on the field will be a very competitive one. Tobias Imboden will assume the number two spot in the team’s rotation; along with Chris Beyeler taking the vacated number one pitching spot. This duo has the makings of keeping the Cardinal pitching staff at the top of the hill for another year. Offensively the Cards shouldn’t miss a beat. Vargas and Ruiz should provide an immediate spark.
LAUSANNE INDIANS
2008 vice champions. Regular season record 11-9.
The Indians will once again make a run at the playoffs this season, relying heavily on outscoring opponents. The left-arm of Nicolas Jaquemet is once again key to the success of the team from Lausanne. He will be relied on to be the number one Swiss pitcher, and to pitch plenty of innings. The top offense in all of Switzerland last year was forced many times last year to outslug its’ opponents, and this should once again be the case this year. The Indians have the ability to beat anybody, any day; but which team shows up to the field has always hurt them.
THERWIL FLYERS
Semi-Finalist 2008. Regular Season Record 18-2.
The Flyers come off an incredible regular season that ended in bitter disappointment in the semi-finals vs. the Lausanne Indians. This should provide all the motivation a talented team should need to push for the championship in 2009. With what would be considered by many the best pitching staff in the league, Therwil goes into the 2009 season as a lock to once again be a dominant team. The offense does its’ part to help the team win, boasting a robust .316 team batting average, along with scoring nearly 10 runs a contest. The Flyers bring in a new player/coach this season, replacing John Alexander. Sam Faeder comes in to fill the vacancy, and will look to help the Flyers take the next step this season.
ZURICH BARRACUDAS
Semi-Finalist 2008. Regular Season Record 12-8.
The Barracudas have become a mainstay in the playoffs since 2003, making six straight appearances. Unfortunately for them, their success has been limited. The ‘Cudas have appeared in just one final over that time. This year may prove tough on the perennial power from Zurich, as their top Swiss pitcher, Jeff Mottl, will be playing abroad. The team has decided to replace their two import players from last year, J.T. Schroeder and Charles Brown, with Kyle Patrick. You can never count out a team that knows how to make it to the post-season! Second year coach J.P. Mottl will surely do all he can to put his team into their seventh straight title race.
ZURICH CHALLENGERS
5th Place in 2008. Regular Season Record 9-11.
After failing to make the playoffs for the first time in a decade, the Challengers look to be a much improved team on the field for the 2009 season. Key offseason acquisitions, along with James Sanders as player/coach, should help them find their place back in the running as a title contender. The loss of one of their top two Swiss pitchers may be the only weakness on a team full of good hitters. Sanders solidifies game two on the mound, but can he duplicate the leadership shown by departed head coach Andy Fleischacker? The Challengers will be a team no one will want to face later in the season, and may surprise some people as to how quickly they turn the disappointment of last season around.
SISSACH FROGS
6th Place in 2008. Regular Season Record 6-14.
The Frogs are looking to build from within this season as they return coach Teddy Figueroa, instead of picking up a player/coach. This will give them a lot of opportunity to develop some of the younger talent that has been waiting in the wings. It will be great for their future, but undoubtedly won’t help them find their way back to the playoffs. They are capable of giving any team a tough day at the ball field, but are just too short on pitching and offense to really challenge over the 28 game schedule.
EMBRACH RAINBOWS
Played in Nationalliga B in 2008.
The Rainbows are my dark horse this season. They have acquired four foreign-born players for the 2009 season, and will surely be better because of this. The level of ability of the new players is questionable though, as I was not able to find much on their past playing history. They may not be “studs”, but will solidify a team that had flashes of what may be to come last season, handing the Cardinals a surprise defeat. The ‘Bows found a way to win last year, and should do more of the same this season.
REUSSBUHL EAGLES
8th Place in 2008. Regular Season Record 3-17.
The Eagles are in for what appears to be another long season. They have decided to go the same route as the Frogs, and not bring in a foreign player. This, along with the departure of their two best hitters, leaves me wondering how they will score, and how they will stop their opponent from scoring. This is a recipe for a lot of long days at the field. Perhaps if they get off to a decent start, develop some confidence by staying in, and or winning some games early, they will decide to bolster their roster then.
2009 WIN/LOSS PREDICTIONS
- THERWIL FLYERS: 22-6
- BERN CARDINALS: 21-7
- ZURICH CHALLENGERS: 19-9
- EMBRACH RAINBOWS: 16-12
- ZURICH BARRACUDAS: 16-12
- LAUSANNE INDIANS: 12-16
- SISSACH FROGS: 6-22
- REUSSBUHL EAGLES: 2-26
Photo: © Bern Cardinals
