World No. 1 and host Argentina unveiled this past weekend their final roster for the WBSC U-23 Men’s Softball World Cup, to be played at Nafaldo Cargnel Stadium in Parana, Argentina, from 15-23 April. Senior world champions from 2019 Alan Peker and Gian Scialacomo lead the squad managed by Kevin Bolzan.
Argentina’s team includes 15 of the 16 players that won the Americas Qualifier last year:
- Juan Cruz Bambozzi
- Luciano Biondi
- Matías Etchevers Larraburu
- Juan Cruz Garolini
- Khalil Luna
- Lautaro Tomas Machuca
- Alejo Martin Muñoz
- Alan Javier Peker
- Juan José Pepe
- Ramiro José Pintos
- Juan Ignacio Platner
- Lucio Gabriel Retamar
- Franco Nahuel Saenz
- Martín Gabriel Schonfeld
- Gian Marcos Scialacomo
- Conrado Zanuttini
Along with Peker and Scialacomo, Retamar is the third player with senior world cup experience. All three helped Argentina to a fourth place finish last December in the WBSC Men's Softball World Cup 2022 played in Auckland, New Zealand.
A total of 13 players have previous experience in a Junior Men’s Softball World Championship. Peker played in 2014, winning the title for Argentina; Platner and Zanuttini competed in 2016; Machuca, Muñoz, Pepe, Retamar, Saenz, Schonfeld and Scialacomo in 2018; while Biondi, Etchevers, Pintos and Saenz helped their country to a fourth place finish in 2020.
Argentina will open their WBSC U-23 Men’s Softball World Cup participation in Group A, along with No. 4 Australia, No. 6 Czechia, No. 10 Mexico, No. 12 South Africa and No. 14 Singapore.
This will be the second time Argentina has organised a Softball World Cup. In 2012, the Nafaldo Cargnel Stadium hosted the Junior Men’s Softball World Championship, where the host country went undefeated to claim their first-ever softball world title.