The senior national baseball teams of Germany and France will face off in an exhibition series set for May 18 and 19, 2024. The two-game series will take place in Saarlouis, Germany.
The matches are scheduled for May 18, 2024, at 3:00 PM and May 19, 2024, at 12:00 PM, and will be held at the Ballpark des Hornets de Saarlouis.
During the last European baseball championship, Germany finished 4th and France 7th.
The two national teams are no strangers to each other. During EuroBaseball 2023, they faced off in a memorable match on September 28, 2023, in Blansko, Czech Republic. The game ended with a narrow victory for Germany, 6-5 in the 10th inning.
Here are the highlights from that match
For this doubleheader, here is the lineup:
Some names are missing due to commitments in foreign leagues (Japan, USA, Quebec…) and injuries (Couvreur…). The teams from Sénart, La Rochelle, and Rouen provide 11 players out of the 18. No players from Metz or Montigny, but one from Nice in Division 2 (Bamberger). It’s also worth noting that not all are JFL (De la Rosa…)
Questions for France’s head coach Keino Perez
BTVF: How did you experience the different performances of the French players in the France Challenge?
I had very positive impressions of most of the French players, but I can’t draw a negative or positive conclusion after a Baseball France Challenge. The season is more precise about their level; a series of five games can never be a final indicator of a player’s level.
BTVF: What are the goals sought for these matches in Germany?
Regarding Germany’s objectives, they are always the same: win and prepare a collective France for future competitions. We have unavailability of regular players, but that can also happen in a year of the European Cup, so I make decisions accordingly in managing my group. I take the best of the available players; some will, as usual, be the leaders of the group, and others will have to show what they are capable of and potentially earn a spot in a future France 23U and/or senior team. We have obviously worked on the list, and as usual, I had to make decisions on the final selection, but in the end, winning, regardless of the collective, will be the goal to pursue.
Photo Credit: Greg Avalancic
