Federation Name: Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball (FIBS)
Federation President: Riccardo Fraccari
Elite League: Italian Baseball League
Team Manager: Marco Mazzieri
Federation Web Link: http://www.fibs.it
Italian Ticket Webshop: http://www.listicket.it/
Italy 2009 IBAF Baseball World Cup Roster
Current world rank: 15
Best World Cup result (year(s)): 4th place (1998)
Most recent World Cup (result): 2007 (10th place)
How it advanced to World Cup: Host nation
Most recent international competition (result): 2009 World Baseball Classic (10th place)
Italian 2009 World Cup Preliminary Roster
Sandy Patrone
Michele Quattrini
Tiago Da Silva
Mauro Schiavoni
Grifantini
Roberto Corradini
Alessandro Ularetti
D'Amico
Chris Cooper
Riccardo De Santis
Junior Oberto
Brandon Camardese
Franklin Torres
Juan Pablo Angrisano
Luis de Camargo
Davide Dallospedale
Alex Sambucci
Francesco Imperiali
Dean Rovinelli
Juan Carlos Infante
Joe Mazzuca
Jack Santora
Lorenzo Avagnina
Mario Chiarini
Filippo Crociati
Andrea De Santis
Leonardo Zileri
Alex Liddi
Alessandro Maestri
Luca Panerati
Matteo D'Angelo
Italian Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Marco Mazzieri
Assistant Coaches: William Holmberg, Alberto D'Auria, Claudio Vecchi, Gianni Natale and Mike Piazza.
History:
1884 - Sailors from the ships Lancaster and Guinnebaug dock in Livorno on January 23rd and play a game attracting the interest of the daily paper "La Gazzetta Livornese"
1889 - Professional american teams on a tour organized by Albert G. Spalding, play exhibition games in Florence, Naples and Rome from February 22nd to 27th. The King and Queen of Italy stop to watch "for a moment or two"
1919 - Son of emigrants Max Ott moves back to Italy and introduces the game in Torino
1929 - The Farnesina Academy sends students to the USA to learn the game of baseball
1930-31 - The Farnesina Academy students come back to Italy and form teams playing exhibition games. After this, the Fascist Regime bans baseball as an American game
1947 - Baseball is re-introduced in Italy by the allied soldiers at the end of World War. Guido Graziani founds the Lega Italiana Softball (LIS). Fastpitch male tournaments are played
1948 - In Milan Max Ott founds the Lega Italiana Baseball (LIB) which later becomes Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball (FIBS) after a merge with AIB
1948 - In Roma Prince Steno Borghese founds the Associazione Italiana Baseball (AIB)
1948 - On June 27th at the Giuriati field in Milano the first game played by Italians is played in front of a 2000 people in attendance. Libertas Bologna wins the very first championship
1949 - LIB (represented by Bruno Beneck) and FIBS (represented by Steno Borghese) merge. Steno Borghese is elected president. The Olympic Commitee refuses the new association amongst his Federations
1950 - In Bologna Presidente Steno Borghese chenges the name of the entity to Federazione Italiana Palla a Base (FIPAB). The new Federation tries again to enter the Olympic Committee (CONI) but with no success
1952 - For the third time CONI refuses to recognize FIPAB as a sports federation
1952 - Team Italy plays the first ever international match in the country against the national team of Spain. Italy loses 7-3, Gary Cooper attends the game together with at least 10.000 people at the 'Flaminio' stadium.
1953 - With 14 votes against 4 CONI recognizes FIPAB as a Federation "aderente"
1954 - Italy participates in the first ever European Cup in Germany and wins it
1956 - The European cup is played in Italy however the 'azzurri' make it only to third place
1957 - With unanimous consent CONI, run by legendary president Giulio Onesti, admits FIPAB amongst its members
1968 - The name of the Federation is changed to the original Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball (FIBS)
1969 - Torino wins the first ever women's fast pitch softball
1970 - Italy participates for the first time to a baseball World Cup in Colombia
1973 - Italy organizes the first Intercontinental Cup
1977 - Italy wins the baseball European Championship in Holland for the first time
1978 - Italy is the first European Country to organize a Baseball World Cup
1984 - Italy participates in the Los Angeles Olympics.
1988 - Italy organizes another baseball World Cup
1992 - Italy participates in the Barcelona Olympics
1998 - Italy organizes baseball World Cup
2000 - Italy participates in Sydney Olympics both in baseball and Softball
2004 - Italy participates to the Athens Olympic Games both in baseball and softball
2006 - Italy participates in the first World Baseball Classic, winning the inaugural game against Australia
