by Ty Eriksen
On Sunday, the Deggendorf Dragons of the German 3rd league hosted the Haar Disciples of the Bundesliga and the Laufer Wolves of the Bavarian league in a friendly warm-up tournament. In cloudy yet warm conditions, the teams knocked off the rust of the winter in their first games of the preseason.
Haar, who made the Bundesliga playoffs for the first time in club history last year, used the games to give multiple players their first appearance in the black and yellow. German national team pitcher/infieler Nils Hartkopf, junior national team pitcher Michi Wöhrl, Bavarian select team pitcher Tony Bauschat, and former Regensburg import and Freising coach Paco Garcia all made their debuts for the Disciples.
Deggendorf, a club still recovering from a massive storm which caused major damage to their field and facilities in 2009, was promoted to the Regional League Southeast Division after winning the Bavarian league. With the class advancement, they had a chance to compare against the Wolves who were relegated from the Regional League back into the Bavarian league. In a strange twist, the Disciples faced their former teammate Philipp Dresel, who made the move to the Laufer Wolves over the winter in order to help the team jumpstart their success after a poor showing last summer.
Things are looking up for the Dragons’ field and facilities, with renovation and improvements in the works. With the team moving up in terms of competition, they look to match their improved park with a successful product on the field.