Awarding Ceremony concludes WBSC Congress in Bangkok

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Congress concluded in style with a festive Gala Dinner and Awarding Ceremony, celebrating the achievements of players, coaches, umpires, and scorers from the 2022 to 2025 seasons.

The event, held following the closing session of the 6th WBSC Congress, brought together delegates, officials, and guests from around the world to honour outstanding individuals and to mark the successful conclusion of a landmark gathering in Bangkok.

The evening opened with remarks from Mr. Nithee Seeprae, Deputy Governor for Marketing and Communications at the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), who welcomed delegates and guests on behalf of the host nation.

WBSC Awards 2022–2025

The WBSC presented awards to the most outstanding players, coaches, umpires, and scorers over the past four seasons, recognising excellence across all disciplines of baseball and softball.

2022 WBSC Awards

• Players of the Year: Bryce Eldridge (USA), Marshall Kronk (Australia)
• Coaches of the Year: Alexander Urquiola (Cuba), Laing Harrow (Australia)
• Umpires of the Year: Alessia Cicconi (Italy), Scott McLaren (Canada)
• Scorer of the Year: Cindy Chan (Hong Kong, China)

2023 WBSC Awards

Japan swept the player and coach categories:

• Players of the Year: Ren Ogata (Baseball), Ryuki Tsuda (Softball)
• Coaches of the Year: Shiro Mabuchi (Baseball), Yukihiro Tanaka (Softball)
• Umpires of the Year: Keith McConkey (Canada, Baseball), Mike Burwell (USA, Softball)
• Scorer of the Year: Gabriel Almaraz (Mexico)

2024 WBSC Awards

Chinese Taipei earned three distinctions:

• Baseball Player of the Year: Chieh-Hsien Chen
• Baseball Coach of the Year: Hao-Jiu Tseng
• Scorer of the Year: Yu-Wei Horng

Japan continued its success in softball:

• Softball Player of the Year: Yukiko Ueno
• Softball Coach of the Year: Reika Utsugi

The Umpires of the Year were Angel Campos (USA) in baseball and Mariana Prins (Netherlands) in softball.

2025 WBSC Awards

USA led the honours in 2025 with three major awards:

• Baseball Player of the Year: Coleman Borthwik
• Baseball Coach of the Year: Rick Eckstein
• Softball Player of the Year: Patty Grasso

Other award recipients included:

• Softball Coach of the Year: Liam Potts (New Zealand)
• Umpires of the Year: Victor Torres (Mexico), Michal Zidek (Czechia)
• Scorer of the Year: Susanna Santos (Spain)

The Gala Dinner marked a memorable conclusion to the WBSC Congress in Bangkok — a week defined by collaboration, progress, and celebration of global unity through baseball and softball.

As the WBSC looks ahead to the 2025–2029 term, the ceremony not only honoured excellence on the field but also reaffirmed the Confederation’s commitment to recognising and supporting those who elevate the game worldwide.