Last week, the German 1. Bundesliga South had the scoop of being the first league to start the season in Europe. This weekend, three other countries will start their baseball season.
In Germany there is this curious situation that only the Southern Division has started play. In the North, local corona rules do not allow to start play yet.
But this weekend three other countries will start their baseball season.
Tonight the Czech Extraliga will take off with three games: Reigning champion Draci Brno will host the promoted Blesk Jablonec, Olympia Blansko will host Hrosi Brno and Eagles Praha (Prague) will host recently promoted Sokol Hluboka. For first time, each team will play three games per weekend.
Notable feat: This year will be the last season with ten teams in the Extraliga. Next year that number will be reduced to eight.
No specators can attend the games yet but games of the Czech Extraliga can be watched through https://tv.baseball.cz/
Spain will also start its season tomorrow with six matchups, all doubleheaders. The RFEBS, the Spanish Baseball and Softball Federation overhauled the highest league of Spanish baseball. The Divisòn de Honor was renamed Spanish Baseball League and the number of teams was extended from ten to twelve.
Tomorrow’s matchups are: CBS Barcelona vs CBS Toros, CBS Rivas vs Miralbueno Zaragoza, CBS Gavà vs Viladecans, Tenerife Marlins PC vs San Inazio Bilbao Bizkaia, Beisbol Navarra vs CBS Sant Boi, and the Valencian derby Astros Valencia vs CBS Antorcha (Torch) Valencia.
Games of the Spanish Baseball League can be watched through https://www.rfebs.com/sbl
The third country that will start its baseball season this weekend is Austria. Perhaps one of the lesser known baseball countries in Europe but baseball is on the rise in the Alpine country. Even that much that the Austrian managed to stay in the A group of the European Championship in 2019.
The 2021 season will take off tonight with a matchup in which the Diving Ducks Wiener Neustadt will host last year’s runner up Traiskirchen Grasshoppers. There is a Dutch twist to this matchup as Dutch pitcher Rick van Dijck will be part of the Diving Ducks.
Tonight’s game can be watched through https://www.baseballsoftball.tv/en-int/playerpage/536029
Other games that will be played in the Austrian Bundesliga are:
Dornbirn Indians vs Attnang-Puchheim Athletics
Hard Bulls vs Feldkirch Cardinals
Schwechat Blue Bats vs Vienna Metrostars
Dutch Baseball Hangout 