The U12 Juveniles secured the first wins for the Challengers organization of the 2025 season. The youngest Challengers team won both of its games on Opening Day in Bulle.
The Zurich team’s first opponent was the Geneva Dragons, who have celebrated several junior titles in recent years. It was therefore exciting to see how the blue and reds would fare. The French-Swiss team won the first inning 3-2. But then the Challengers turned things around. In the second inning they scored five runs to make it 7-3 and ultimately won decisively 13-5. Starting pitcher Len Blickenstorfer earned the first win of the season.
In the second game of the day, the Challengers faced their cantonal rivals, the Rümlang Kobras. The blue and reds carried the momentum from their opening game and were already ahead 5-1 after the first inning. They extended their lead to 10-3 by the third inning, ultimately winning 14-3. This time, starter Roy Gonzalez was credited with the win.
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Two wins on Opening Day for the juveniles
NLB-Team to open in Therwil
The NLB-Team will be the Challengers’ first senior team that will begin to play in 2025. The Challengers’ second team will play their Opening Day game on Sunday, April 13, in Therwil. They will face the Therwil Flyers’ second team at the Känelmatt. Games begin at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Continue Reading » NLB-Team to open in TherwilJuveniles’ Opening Day in Bulle
The U12 Juveniles Championship has been reorganized by the Swiss Baseball and Softball Federation. In 2025, there will be two divisions within the U12 age group: the Competitive League and the Development League. Both divisions are divided into an Eastern and a Western group, with teams competing across regional borders as well.
The Challengers begin their season on Saturday, April 12, in Bulle, Fribourg. There they will face the Geneva Dragons at 10:00 a.m. before playing the Rümlang Kobras at 12:30 p.m.
Cadets lose local derby
The Cadets suffered two losses on opening day. In their duel against their cantonal rivals, the Rümlang Kobras, the Challengers were largely without a chance.
After various indoor tournaments, the outdoor season finally kicked off this weekend. The Challengers hosted the Rümlang Kobras in Hünenberg in the Canton of Zug. In glorious sunshine but with a nasty breeze, the Challengers never really got going. While their pitchers visibly struggled with the strike zone, their offense didn’t come through against the Kobras’ strong defense. Ultimately, the Zurich Unterland team prevailed twice, winning 15-6 and 12-2.
Opening Day for the Cadets
The Swiss Baseball and Softball Federation will resume play next weekend. For once, the juniors will be the first to start. Among the teams kicking off the new season on Sunday, April 6, are the Zurich Challengers U15-Cadets. They will host the Rümlang Kobras in the first game day of the 2025 season. The doubleheader begins at 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. at Hünenberg Rony.
Continue Reading » Opening Day for the CadetsCadets win the C’s indoor tournament
On Sunday the 9th Challengers Junior Indoor Tournament took place in the ETH Hönggerberg sports hall in Zurich. While the Challengers’ Juveniles were mainly interested in gaining experience, the Cadets won the tournament on home soil.
In the U12 Juveniles age group the Challengers recorded a pleasing increase in members over the winter. Accordingly, many new players made their baseball competition debut on the Hönggerberg, so the focus was on gaining experience for the youngest players.
The U15 Cadets went into their home tournament with completely different goals. And the blue-reds delivered. The Challengers won all their games and also had the upper hand in the final against Wil with 7-4.
Byrne, Heimgartner honored at the SBSF Awards Night
At the Swiss Baseball and Softball Awards Night, which took place on February 22nd at the Crown Plaza in Zurich, the Swiss Champion teams of the 2024 season were honored and the winners of the individual awards were announced. Among the honored players were two members of the Challengers.
Ryan Byrne was chosen as MVP of the Baseball NLA. The Swiss national team player had a strong season with a batting average of .585, 31 hits, 1 home run, 28 runs and 9 RBI as well as an ERA of 1.91 with 38 strikeouts in 33 innings pitched and a 2-2 record. His offensive statistics also earned him the award as Best Batter in the NLA.
Meanwhile Karen Heimgartner was named the best pitcher in the softball league. She had a 4.99 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 26.2 innings and a 2-3 record last season. Heimgartner has 913 strikeouts in her 19 seasons with the Challengers, 16 of which she also pitched.
Andrea Girasole new President of the SBSF
The 43rd General Assembly of the Swiss Baseball and Softball Federation (SBSF) took place in Zurich on Saturday, February 22nd. Andrea Girasole was elected as the new president, succeeding Dagmar Voith Leemann.
The former Challengers player Andrea Girasole was unanimously elected as the new president. The long-time Swiss national player, who grew up in Italy, wants to work for better infrastructure and international relations. Mark Cole, Barbara Meierhans, Roger Savoldelli, Monique Schmitt and Sebastian Zwyer were unanimously re-elected as members of the Executive Board. Benjamin Molner and Andreas Knecht were newly elected to the Executive Board. The outgoing president Dagmar Voith Leemann was confirmed as ethics officer. Benjamin Molner will take over the grassroots sports department following the resignation of Christof Rissi, while Andreas Knecht will be the liaison with the clubs in French-speaking Switzerland.
The association was also able to welcome two new members. New members of the SBSF are the Nexus Mavericks from Cheyres and the Ticino Baseball Rangers from the Lugano region, making them the first club from the canton of Ticino to do so in almost 40 years.
Juniors Indoor Tournament at the Hönggerberg
The 9th Challengers Juniors Indoor Tournament will take place on Sunday, March 2nd at the Sports Centre of the ETH at the Hönggerberg. The kids will participate in two tournaments for the U12 Juveniles and the U15 Cadets. The tournament will start with the Juveniles at 9.30 a.m. where each team plays against each other team. The tournament of the Cadets starts at 12.45 p.m., first pitch for the final will be at 3.45 p.m.
Participants U12 Juveniles (09.30 a.m. – 12.30 p.m.)
Rümlang Kobras
Therwil Flyers
Devils/Pirates
Zürich Challengers
Participants U15 Cadets (12.45 p.m. – 4.15 p.m.)
Rümlang Kobras
Therwil Flyers
Wil Pirates
Zürich Challengers
SBSF GA and Awards Night on Saturday
The Swiss Baseball and Softball Federation’s Annual General Meeting will take place next Saturday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Zurich. The aim is to replace President Dagmar Voith Leemann, who is stepping down from her position after two years at the top of the federation. Christof Rissi, who is responsible for grassroots sport, is also stepping down.
In the evening, the Swiss Baseball and Softball Awards Night, which has become a tradition, will take place, at which the champions and the winners of the individual awards from the 2024 season will be honored.