Swiss Baseball and Softball season underway

The Swiss Baseball and Softball season opened on Saturday, April 11.

The main baseball league (National Liga Baseball) features 13 participating teams split into two groups.

Group A: Lausanne Indians, Therwil Flyers 2, Luzern Eagles, Zürich Barracudas, Zürich Barracudas 3, Sissach Frogs, Zürich Challengers 2

Group B: Therwil Flyers 1, Zürich Barracudas Academy, Zürich Challengers, Wil Pirates, Zürich Lions, Embrach Mustangs

After the first round, the top three finishers of each group will participate in a playoff round, leading the top four finishers to the semifinals.

The second division championship (Erste Liga) features three Divisions (Central, East and West). The Central Division welcomed the Ticino Rangers. The team, founded in 2024, brought baseball back to the Italian speaking Canton of Ticino.

"It all came as a surprise," commented President Giacomo Moccetti. "When we organised the first training two years ago, three adults and a kid took the field. We couldn't imagine the interest baseball would attract in residents who came to Switzerland from the USA or Latin American countries and what an impact baseball would make on people who grew up in Ticino and had never experienced the sport."

Things happened so quickly that the Rangers didn't have a field meeting the Erste Liga standards. They will play their home game on the Malnate Vikings' field in the Varese Province, Italy.

The top women's softball league (National Liga A) will feature seven participating teams: Zürich Barracudas, Zürich Challengers, Luzern Eagles, Wittenbach Panthers, SG Therwil Flyers/Wittenbach Panthers 2, Bern Cardinals.

SG means Spielgemeinschaft and indicates a combined team between two different clubs.

After a 20-game regular season, the top three finishers advance to the playoffs. The fourth and fifth-place finishers compete for the fourth spot in the semifinals.

The Swiss Federation website

Photo credit: Hans Dübendorfer