All in the hunt for the Fortitudo Bologna White Sox
Championship kicking off
In keeping with long-standing tradition in advance of other leagues by a few weeks, the 28° Italian Baseball Championship for the Blind will begin next weekend, March 16-17. All chasing the Fortitudo Bologna White Sox.
It starts Saturday afternoon with two interesting early games in the heat of the islands in Iglesias (with a balanced Thurpos-Leonessa) and Messina, where è the historic home debut of the new SSD UniMe team against the experienced Thunder’s Five Milano.
The program of the first round of the LIBCI (Italian League of Blind and Visually Impaired Baseball) will continue on Sunday with the other three challenges, among which inevitably stands out the one in Bologna, which already offers on the first day the replay of the final-scudetto 2023 between Fortitudo Bologna White Sox and CISV Hurricane Varese, the latter reinforced by some ex-Umbria Redskins.
Completing the program are the absolute debut of the other newcomer of 2024, the Blind Karalis, in Bergamo against the Lampi Milano, and the return, after a one-year hiatus, of the Tuscan Blind Fighters, who will be on stage in the afternoon at Acquacetosa against the Roma All Blinds.
The 2024 championship will thus be played with the now-established formula of a single round of one-way matches (with single 9-shot games) and semifinals and finals in a single match between the top 4 of the regular season, but with 11 teams instead of 9 (with the debut of Blind Karalis and SSD UniMe and the return of the Blind Fighters, in place of the dissolved Umbria Redskins).
Also this year’s theme will be to see if anyone interrupts the dominance of the Fortitudo Bologna White Sox, winners of the last three championships: Lombardy’s CISV Hurricane Varese, Lampi Milano, Thunder’s Five Milano and Leonessa Brescia, Tuscany’s Fiorentina BXC and Blind Fighters from Sesto Fiorentino, Rome’s All Blinds, Cagliari’s Thurpos and Blind Karalis and “new entry” SSD UniMe Messina will try.
The championship will then conclude at the end of June with the final, which will be played in a single match at the home of the best-placed finalist.
After the traditional summer break, the BXC competitive season will then resume in September with the All-Star Game and Italian Cup being held on dates yet to be determined.
