WBSC Congress elects Executive Board for 2025–2029 term
The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Congress has elected the members of its Executive Board who will serve under the leadership of President Riccardo Fraccari for the 2025–2029 term.
President Riccardo Fraccari, who was re-elected on 7 July, 2022, will continue to guide the WBSC through 2029 as the organisation pursues its mission to grow and strengthen Baseball, Softball and Baseball5 worldwide.
Executive Leadership Confirmed
With 161 National Federation voting members present, the Congress unanimously confirmed the following Executive Board members, all elected unopposed:
- Secretary General: Beng Choo Low (Malaysia)
- Treasurer: Angelo Vicini (San Marino)
- Executive Vice President, Baseball: Jeffrey Koo Jr. (Chinese Taipei)
- Executive Vice President, Softball: Craig Cress (TPE)
In addition, delegates ratified the nomination of Francesco Ricci Bitti as WBSC Vice President.
A former tennis player, Ricci Bitti served as President of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) from 1999 to 2015 and currently holds the title of Honorary Life President of the organisation. He is also a Member of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) and served as President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) from 2013 to 2025.
Members at Large
The Congress elected three new Members at Large (Baseball) following a ballot among five candidates:
- Lucie Zawada (Czechia)
- Chen Xu (China)
- Aracelis León (Venezuela)
They were elected ahead of Ernest Danso (Ghana) after Mette Nissen Jackobsen (Denmark) used her speech to delegates to withdrawal her candidacy.
The three Members at Large (Softball) were elected unopposed:
- Taeko Utsugi (Japan) — confirmed for a new term
- Garibaldy Bautista (Dominican Republic)
- Juan Reynaldo Pérez Pardo (Cuba)
Athletes’ Representation
The Congress ratified the four Athlete Representatives on the WBSC Executive Board:
- Randolph Oduber (Aruba) – Baseball
- Ayako Rokkaku (Japan) – Baseball
- Stacey Porter (Australia) – Softball
- Josh McGovern (Australia) – Softball
All were elected unopposed.
Prior to the ratification of Porter and McGovern, the WBSC Legal Commission presented a motion of urgency — approved by the Congress — to temporarily waive the Statutes and Election By-Laws provision stating that “all members of the Executive Board elected by the Congress must be from different Member Federations, Associations, or Organisations.” This exception applied exclusively to the 2025 elective Congress.
Continental Representation
The Congress also ratified nine of 10 Continental Representatives:
- Paul Seiler (USA) – WBSC Americas Baseball
- Kruno Karin (Croatia) – WBSC Europe Baseball
- Gabriel Waage (Czechia) – WBSC Europe Softball
- David Hynes (Australia) – WBSC Oceania Baseball
- Rex Capil (New Zealand) – WBSC Oceania Softball
- Yamanaka Masatake (Japan) – WBSC Asia Baseball
- Art Phainpanitporn (Thailand) – WBSC Asia Softball
- Saber Jlaila (Tunisia) – WBSC Africa Baseball
- Tirelo Mukokokami (Botswana) – WBSC Africa Softball
The WBSC Americas Softball representative will be elected in November 2025.
A Leadership Team for the Future
The newly elected WBSC Executive Board (2025–2029) reflects the Confederation’s commitment to global diversity, governance excellence, and athlete representation. Under President Fraccari’s continued leadership, the WBSC will build on its strong foundation of innovation, inclusivity, and international collaboration — shaping the future of baseball, softball, and Baseball5 around the world.
