The German Baseball and Softball Federation (DBV) announced the league lineup for the 2013 season in its baseball and softball leagues. While the Baseball-Bundesliga will be at full strength with eight teams apiece, the Softball-Bundesliga is in trouble.
Just six teams in the northern division and three in the south will compete for the national championship in 2013. Defending champion Wesseling Vermins, vice champion and Germany Cup title holder Neunkirchen Nightmares, Hamburg Knights, Kiel Seahawks, Cologne Cardinals and the Brauweiler Raging Abbots will compete for first place in the north. Only the Mannheim Tornados, Haar Disciples and Karlsruhe Cougars are left in the south.
The southern division had eight teams in 2010, seven in 2011 and five in 2012. It is expected that the north will play a triple round robin, while the south is going to play tournament game days with all three teams (18 games total). The DBV will decide about the format in the beginning of December. A special work shop to help solve the crisis in German Softball is scheduled for the weekend of November 24 and 25 in Darmstadt.
In the Baseball-Bundesliga the Tuebingen Hawks returning to the stage, bringing the southern division back to eight teams after last winter’s withdrawal of the Gauting Indians. In the northern division the Dohren Wild Farmers remain in the top division despite losing the playdowns series against the Berlin Sluggers due to the lack of willing teams to promote from the second division.