The Italian Baseball League (IBL, Italian: Campionato italiano di baseball), officially known as the Serie A (Italian pronunciation: [ˈsɛːrje ˈa]), is the top-level baseball league in Italy. Founded in 1948, it is governed by the Italian Baseball & Softball Federation (FIBS), which has its headquarters in Rome.
 | |
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| First season | 1948 |
| President | Riccardo Fraccari |
| No. of teams | 33 |
| Country |  Italy San Marino |
| Most recent champion(s) | UnipolSai Bologna |
| Most titles | Nettuno BC 1945 (17 titles) |
| Relegation to | Serie B |
| Official website | www.fibs.it |
Many of the teams are based in the northern Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, which has historically been the hotbed of baseball in the country; a team from the Republic of San Marino also plays in Serie A.
Like most professional sports leagues in Europe, and unlike professional baseball leagues in North America and Asia, the IBL uses a promotion and relegation system; the bottom five clubs are relegated to the Serie B minor league. Winners of the league are awarded a scudetto, and earn the right to represent Italy in the European Champions Cup.[a]
History
Until 2010, the IBL featured a promotion-and-relegation league format that demoted the last place finisher to the minor leagues (Series A2), while the Serie A2 (baseball) champion would be promoted into the IBL. This was changed in late 2009, when FIBS approved the decision to introduce a fixed-team franchise format (similar to that found in Major League Baseball) starting with the 2010 season.
However, in 2018, the promotion-and-relegation system was reintroduced.[1]
In 2021, the Italian Baseball League was rebranded as Serie A, bringing together the previous eight-team Serie A1 and the second-tier Serie A2. The new league was structured into 33 participating teams in 8 divisions, or gironi (lit. "groups"). The 8 gironi winners compete for the league championship (the scudetto), while the remaining 25 will fight to avoid being among the five relegated to Serie B.[2][3] In 2023, the league size was reduced to 30 teams, divided into five gironi; the top two in each group of the first phase (prima face) advance to the poule scudetto (and then to the playoffs), while those not qualified fight to avoid relegation.
Teams
As is the practice in Asian baseball leagues like Japan's NPB and South Korea's KBO, many of the official team names in the Serie A include the team's corporate sponsor — though unlike Asian baseball, a sponsorship name does not necessarily indicate ownership.
2023 poule scudetto teams
Of the 33 teams participating in the 2023 Serie A season, ten qualified for the poule scudetto (the championship pool). The top eight teams in the poule scudetto qualify for the postseason.
| 2023 Team | Location | 2023 prima face position (Group) | First season in Serie A | No. of seasons of current spell in Serie A | Scudetto titles | Most recent Scudetto | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Girone F | ||||||||
| Hotsand Macerata Angels | Macerata | 1st (A) | 2020 | 4 | — | — | ||
| Godo Baseball | Russi | 2nd (C) | 2006 | 5 | — | — | ||
| Nettuno BC 1945 | Nettuno | 1st (D) | 1950 | 3 | 17 | 2001 | ||
| Comcor Modena | Modena | 1st (E) | 1966 | 3 | — | — | ||
| New Black Panthers | Ronchi dei Legionari | 2nd (B) | 1969 | 3 | — | — | ||
| Girone G | ||||||||
| Fortitudo Bologna | Bologna | 1st (C) | 1963 | 26 | 14 | 2023 | ||
| Senago BC | Milan | 2nd (E) | 2021 | 3 | — | — | ||
| BSC Grosseto | Grosseto | 2nd (D) | 1999 | 9 | 5 | 2014 | ||
| Parma Clima | Parma | 1st (B) | 1950 | 59 | 10 | 2010 | ||
| San Marino Baseball | San Marino | 2nd (A) | 1985 | 38 | 6 | 2022 | ||
Defunct teams
Champions
Single-table era (1948–85)
Playoff era (1986–present)
Notable former players
- Jason Simontacchi: Pitcher for Novara Baseball and retired Major League Baseball pitcher
- Chuck Carr: Centerfielder for Rimini and retired Major League Baseball outfielder
- Junior Guerra: Pitcher for T & A San Marino before joining the Milwaukee Brewers
- Robel García: Infielder for Fortitudo Bologna before joining the Chicago Cubs
- Abraham Núñez: Outfielder for The Nettuno Baseball Club and retired Major League Baseball outfielder
Notes
References
External links
- FIBS Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball website
- Italian Baseball League Encyclopedia and History Baseball Reference website