The third annual European Winter League (EWL) has commenced in Tenerife, Spain, with 52 athletes from 13 European countries practicing and competing under the Spanish sun between Nov 18 and Nov 26. The week-long event, organized by WBSC Europe with the co-operation of both the Royal Spanish Baseball and Softball Federation and the local Canary Islands Baseball and Softball Federation, will see the players dividied into three teams, with a series of practicies followed by seven games.
As is to be expected, Spanish prospects are the most numerous at the event (17), with Bulgaria a surprising second in terms of participants (7). While suprising at first glance, the Winter League was created specifically to provide young players from countries with limited baseball infrastructure additional training and competition.
In addition to Bulgaria and Spain, the EWL’s other participants, all born between 2001 and 2007, hail from: Austria (4), Czechia (4), Italy (4), Croatia (3), Germany (3), Poland (2), Serbia (2), Slovenia (2), Switzerland (2), the Netherlands (1), and Romania (1).
The range of countries is an improvement on 2022, when 54 players from ten countries suited up on Tenerife.
The full list of 2023 participants can be found at the WBSC Europe website.