The British Baseball Federation announced their final roster for Team Great Britain at the European Championship 2016 in Hoofddorp, Netherlands. It’s a mix between players from the British National Baseball League and other leagues worldwide. 25 players are on the list, one needs to be cut before the tournament.
This could be Cincinnati Reds Triple-A catcher Chris Berset, who is hoping for a big league call-up this September. New British champion Southampton Mustangs is represented by seven players including Maikel Azquy, Jordan Edmonds and Rei Martinez. Richard Klijn, Cody Chartrand, Brett Rosen and Nateshon Thomas are currently playing in the German Baseball-Bundesliga, Elliot Berger in the Swiss Nationalliga A.
“Firstly, being based here doesn’t give any of the players within our programme any more right to represent Great Britain than those living and playing elsewhere,” head coach Liam Carroll said on the British Baseball Federation website. “Selection to a Euros roster must be earned. Secondly, a big challenge at the international level is getting guys who play together infrequently on the same page as soon as possible. With this group we have a tremendous balance of domestic and overseas guys, all of whom are very excited to represent our Federation and country.”
The coaching staff is led by Liam Carroll, who is also going to manage Great Britain at the WBC Qualifier in Brooklyn, New York following the European Championship. Also on the staff are Zach Graefser, Will Lintern, future ABCA Hall of Famer Bill Percy, Alan Dean and Glen Robertson.
Prior to the European Championship the team will travel to Hoofddorp on September 4 for a short training camp. They will face the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Germany, Sweden and Russia in Group A during first-round play.
Complete Roster and Staff:
| PLAYER | POS | CLUB |
|---|---|---|
| Maikel Azcuy | INF | Southampton Mustangs |
| Elliot Berger | LHP/INF | Zurich Barracudas |
| Chris Berset | C | Louisville Bats |
| Conner Brown | C/RHP | Herts Falcons |
| Cody Chartrand | RHP | Munich-Haar Disciples |
| Daniel Cooper | RHP | Orange County Bulls |
| Conrad Cornell | OF/RHP | London Mets/Mercer University |
| Gary Davison | INF | Southampton Mustangs |
| Jacob Dean | OF/RHP | Brighton Jets |
| Juan Diaz | INF | Southampton Mustangs |
| Jordan Edmonds | OF/RHP | Southampton Mustangs |
| Greg Hendrix | LHP | Atlanta Reds |
| Richard Klijn | INF | Munich-Haar Disciples |
| Spencer Kreisberg | RHP/OF | Southampton Mustangs |
| Matthew Maitland | RHP | Essex Arrows |
| Rei Martinez | RHP | Southampton Mustangs |
| Callum Murphy | INF | Laurier University |
| Phil Owen | RHP | Kitchener Panthers |
| Ben Pearson | RHP/OF | Cartmel Valley Lions |
| Brett Rosen | C/INF | Hamburg Stealers |
| Julian Somers | OF/LHP | London Mets |
| Nateshon Thomas | INF/RHP | Bad Homburg Hornets |
| Callum Vinall | C | Southampton Mustangs |
| Sam Wiley | C/INF/OF | LA Baseball League/Brewers |
| Zach Wiley | INF/OF | LA Baseball League/Brewers |
Coaching Staff:
Liam Carroll — Head Coach
Zach Graefser — Pitching Coach
Will Lintern — First Base Coach
Bill Percy — Third Base Coach
Alan Dean — Sports Science Director
Glen Robertson — Operations Director
Photo by Gregor Eisenhuth, www.eisenhuth-photographie.de