06/02/2024 2 Minute Read

Luis Camargo representing Austria, Italy and Brazil at Global Baseball Games

With one month to go until the Global Baseball Games between Japan and Team Europe, we meet Luis Camargo. The Brazilian-born has Italian heritage and is a dual citizen. He represented both countries internationally as a left-handed hitting catcher. He manages the Austrian Champions Diving Ducks and will serve on Team Europe's coaching staff.

Luis Ricardo Serafin de Camargo is the head coach of the Austrian Champions Diving Ducks. He was born in Brazil in 1976 and, as he states on Linkedin, "Since I was 11 years old, I have travelled the world with baseball."

Camargo is a dual citizen (Brazil and Italy) and represented both countries internationally as a left-handed-hitting catcher. He played in the Italian Baseball League.

He will serve on Team Europe's coaching staff and also as the batting practice pitcher and bullpen catcher. After Francisco Cervelli replaced Steve Janssen on the roster, Camargo was named the third-base coach.

"Being a Brazilian-Italian person and being part of this select group is an honour. It's not a National Team. It's a Continent's National Team. I'm really happy about this.

"Head coach Marco Mazzieri trusts me," he said in an interview with the Diving Ducks channel. "I've played for him before. We have an excellent connection and share the same work ethic. When people recognize how hard you work, it's a great honour.

"Since Marco invited me, I had no doubt I wanted to be part of this. He also wants me to throw BP, hit fungoes, help the guys in the bullpen, serving as the bullpen coach. This opportunity is generating enthusiasm in my life. If they need me to throw 1,000 balls, I'll be there. It's not so different from what I do with the Ducks. Also, I love the opportunity to go to Japan. It's a place where I love to play. I have good friends there."

At the beginning of his playing career, Camargo was in the Japanese Industrial Leagues.

"I will be back in Japan after 22 years. I'm thrilled I will have a chance to see my friends. The main difference [with Austria] is the popularity. There, you have everyday news about baseball, and people in the streets talk about baseball. Somehow, we need to make our team more popular also here."

Now, with his baseball life in Austria, he's hoping his role as part of Team Europe will help take baseball to another level across the country and internationally.

"We can take Czech Baseball as an example," he said. "They built their programme, keep following it, and have also built an outstanding youth programme. They also have a strong National Team. They've had the chance to play against Japan [World Baseball Classic], making them more popular. We, as the Diving Ducks, are doing that. We are not far behind and need to believe in what we are doing."