Czech talent Krystina El Ghannam charts a unique path to softball’s global stage

Krystina El Ghannam’s journey to the WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup 2024//2025 has been anything but ordinary. Although this tournament marks her debut on the softball world stage (she played the Group Stage in 2024 and the now the Finals in Oklahoma City), her WBSC career started years earlier — not on a softball field, but on a baseball diamond.

The Czech athlete represented her country in the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup 2019 in Taiwan and again in the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup 2022 in Hermosillo, Mexico.

Born in Brno, Czechia, on 19 December 2007, El Ghannam began playing baseball at the age of nine. “I started because my friend played baseball, and I was interested since it was such a unique sport,” she recalled while sitting in the bleachers of Devon Park’s Field 4.

Only a year or two later, she received her first call-up to the Czech National Baseball Team. “I think I was 10 or 11 years old. I was a bit nervous, but I really enjoyed it,” she said.

Her first taste of World Cup competition came in Taiwan at the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup 2019. “It was a long time ago, but I remember it was a really nice tournament, and we played very well,” she said. 

Not only did she represent her country, she shined — finishing as the tournament’s batting leader with a .692 average (tied with Japan's Shinsuke Kuwamoto). “It was a nice feeling, but I played for the team, not for myself,” she noted. “I remember the game against Chinese Taipei — thousands of fans, and the atmosphere was crazy.”

Four years later, she wore the Czech uniform again, this time at the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup 2022 in Mexico. “I was the only girl in the tournament, and I did a lot of [media] interviews because of that,” she said with a smile.

As she grew older, competing with boys in baseball became more difficult. “They were stronger than me, and the field felt so big. I had to work three times harder than the guys to keep up,” she admitted. “I’m really glad I’m playing with girls now. It’s easier for me, and I really like being part of a girls’ team.”

El Ghannam recognizes the similarities between baseball and softball but also points out the differences. “Hitting is a bit different, but it was easier for me to switch from baseball to softball,” she explained. “Baseball is more about strength, while softball is about the details and how cleanly you can hit the ball.”

Now a key part of Czechia’s National Softball Team programme, El Ghannam has set her sights on the biggest dream of all — the Olympic Games. “It’s my dream. I’ll try my best, but I don’t know if I’ll make it for 2028,” she said. “Our whole programme is training very hard to reach the Olympics for the first time at LA28. We don’t know yet, but we’re working really hard to get there.”