Georgia’s baseball team seeks European Championship promotion

Georgia will field a team of 15 players at the European Baseball Championship qualifying stage in Poland this week. Photo from press office of the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs of Georgia.

Agenda.ge, 25 Jul 2016 - 16:03, Tbilisi,Georgia

Georgia's National Baseball Team will launch their bid for honours at this year's European Baseball Championship qualifying stage with a game against Estonia today.

The match will open the European Championship Pool C tournament, involving Georgia and four other European teams all vying for promotion to the upper Pool B tier.

Held from July 25-30 in Polish town Miejska Gorka, the Pool C tournament will involve Georgia, Estonia, Poland, Hungary and Romania.

Georgian players staged a demonstration training in Tbilisi on Saturday before their departure to Poland. Photo from press office of the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs of Georgia.

The five teams will face each other over 11 matches to reveal the two top-placed nations who will progress into Pool B for next year's European Championship.

Georgia's team for the Polish qualifier event includes 15 players aged 17 to 27 under manager Giorgi Datunashvili, head coach Nugzad Kapanadze and coach Ketevan Nikoleishvili.

The six-day competition will also feature Georgian referee George Shubladze serving on the five-person umpire team observing all the matches.

The Tbilisi practice session hosted Georgia's Minister of Sport Tariel Khechikashvili and reporters from local media. Photo from press office of the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs of Georgia.

Qualifying for Pool B is a coveted target for Georgia and other Pool C teams, as the upper tier represents the final stepping stone towards competing at the main European Baseball Championship.

This year's principal event will be held in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands from September 9-18 and involve 12 European nations including Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy and France.

Before departing for their Pool C qualifier tournament, members of the Georgian team organised a demonstration training in Tbilisi on Saturday.

Georgia will play four matches in the Pool C competition. Photo from press office of the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs of Georgia.

The training session was attended by Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs of Georgia Tariel Khechikashvili and reporters from Georgian media outlets.

The full calendar of Pool C games can be found on the official European Championship website here.