Ramstein pitcher William Schmiedel threw heat and played with fire Wednesday, May 21, 2025, on the opening day of the DODEA-Europe Division I baseball championships at Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein and Naples have ruled the DODEA European baseball scene for most of this decade.
The Royals have claimed three of the last four Division I titles, while the Wildcats grabbed the last four Division II/III crowns.
The question for the 2026 season: Can anybody put an end to either program’s reigns?
Kaiserslautern lost a chunk of its runner-up squad but has enough firepower coming back to reload for another deep run. Stuttgart suffered a down season in 2025 and looks to bounce back as well.
As for the small-schools tier, numerous teams are rebuilding, but contenders have the potential to emerge. Rota took a big step forward last year, while Alconbury and Sigonella could be dark horses for the title.
Whether DODEA-Europe will see new representation at the top of the podium will be seen at the end of the European championships, held May 20-22 in the Kaiserslautern Military Community.
Here’s a team-by-team breakdown, based on coach responses:
Division I
The Raiders continued their climb up the ranks by reaching the title game last spring, falling in an 8-4 contest against their crosstown rivals.
In his 10th season as head coach, Justin Bates said his players are hungry to taste ultimate victory.
While losing a pair of All-European honorees to graduation, the team’s nucleus will be playing together for a third consecutive year.
That includes a group of five seniors – Jonny Brown, Andy Etchell, John and James Leonard and Nick Sullivan – and three juniors – Adrian Carrasquillo, Jakob Bell and Noah Deweese. James Leonard was named second-team All-Europe as a pitcher and shortstop, while Sullivan made the all-tournament team.
Sophomore Lucas Sullivan also returns after making the starting lineup as a freshman.
Two newcomers are expected to make an impact are Daniel Carroll, a junior transfer from Vilseck, and senior Josh Kim.
The Lancers took a step forward last season, with seventh-year coach Gabe Feletar saying they were more competitive than in years past by going 10-7 overall.
Lakenheath has a good chunk of that squad back and could thrust itself into contender status.
Leading the way is James Arthaud. The senior outfielder/pitcher made the all-tournament squad and All-Europe first team in 2025.
Other seniors coming back are infielder/pitcher Hunter Weekly, utility players Wesson Roney and Tyler Chiappetta and infielder Kyle Vogt.
A pair of sophomores in infielder/pitcher Jaykob Kreider and utility player Oskar Feletar have experience as well.
Two junior transfers bolster the lineup. Utility man Vance Cooper moved from California, while infielder Hunter Winkler joined from Wyoming.
Freshman utility player Graham Arthaud should see some playing time as well.
It might not matter that the program lost three first-team All-European selections to graduation. The Royals just reload.
Ramstein brings back eight players from last year. Senior catcher/outfielder/pitcher Jaxon Lundell and the Schmiedel brothers – senior catcher/outfielder/pitcher Will and sophomore pitcher/shortstop Michael – earned second-team All-Europe honors last spring.
Three seniors – first baseman/pitcher Jacob Vinson, outfielder Nathanael Levingston and second baseman/outfielder Eiji Carpenter – junior first baseman/pitcher Kevin Joyce and sophomore outfielder/third baseman Alex Gonzalez round out the team’s vets.
New to the squad are junior pitcher/outfielder Lincoln Bump and three freshmen – Hank Lundell (catcher/outfielder), Evren Risvanoglu (outfielder/pitcher/second baseman) and Cooper Yost (middle infielder/pitcher).
The Spartans canceled their 2025 season due to a lack of eligible players.
The program is back in 2026, and first-year coach Tim VanZant expressed his hope to build excitement around baseball with a mostly European student population.
SHAPE has a trio of players who played for the team before in seniors Gavin Procknal (pitcher/center fielder/catcher) and Eugy Zermeno (pitcher) and junior middle infielder Floyd Garcia.
Freshmen Cameron Bell (left infielder) and Michael Mahoney (outfielder) are expected to have an impact.
Considering the graduation of seven players as well as a new staff, the Warriors could be excused for having a down year.
New head coach Marcus Hernandez disagrees with that assessment.
He said tryouts were the most competitive he’s seen since he joined as an assistant under former coach Jon Ring five years ago.
The Warriors have a roster of nine returners, nine freshmen and three baseball converts.
Among the veterans are senior Gunner Blackmon and junior Canyon Hunter. Blackmon (.412 batting average) and Hunter (.276) also combined for a no-hitter during Euros last year and are expected to lead the pitching staff.
Nathan Deich, Liam Hernandez, Randall Redeen, Khalil Riso and Nicklaus Sunstrom will slot in the starting lineup as freshmen.
Division II/III
The Dragons took their lumps last spring as the baseball program returned after a three-year hiatus.
New coach Edison Vega said those struggles aren’t forgotten and his players are using them as fuel heading into the 2026 campaign. Above all, he said he expects Alconbury to be competitive in every game.
Nine players are back from last season. Seniors Grant Cummings and Kieran Quigley set the tone in the outfield.
The juniors bring versatility and firepower, according to Vega. Andrew Barbee will man both ends of the battery at pitcher and catcher. The coach’s son also named Edison Vega shifts from shortstop to third base and will get starts on the mound. Thomas Flynn returns to the outfield, while Daniel Scavola adds depth on the right side of the infield.
Of the sophomore returners, Evan Houser will slot at first base and designated hitter. Darian Payton transitions to second base and will pitch on occasion, and Anderson Steele will act as plug-and-play utility option.
Joining the Dragons this year are juniors Elijah Teston (pitcher) and Jeremy Stein (outfielder). Freshman Leonardo Vega has previous baseball experience and will start at shortstop mixed with a few pitching appearances. Fellow freshman Issac Gain could see time in the outfield.
New coach Joshua Fannin has high hopes that the Saints could upset stronger teams in the division.
That will depend on how quickly the pitching staff develops.
Back for Aviano are pitcher/catcher/shortstop Jonathan Sanchez, pitcher/shortstop Alex Cereceres, pitcher/first baseman Brylee Hillis and outfielder Liam Larson.
Most of the rest of the squad, especially the newcomers, are underclassmen. One transfer, Tristian Sauceda, will be a key asset for the team, Fannin said.
First-year coach Chris Story anticipates the Wildcats will continue their winning ways this spring.
Naples has 10 players coming back from last year’s title-winning squad. Senior David Manus earned second-team All-European honors from his play as a pitcher and corner infielder in 2025, and sophomore Ryan Hernandez made the all-tournament team.
Other veterans are seniors Julian Parker, Jeramiah Robinson and Andrew Serrano, junior Carlos Bailey and sophomores Jayden Ferguson, Parker Langton, Hayden Schmall and Grayson Wall.
New to the squad are junior John McGrath, sophomores Daniel Alcivar and Gabriel Brown and freshman Asher Kane.
The Admirals will look like an almost entirely new ball club in 2026, one year after advancing to the semifinals.
Rota’s starting rotation was decimated by graduation, forcing coach Luis Dominguez to rebuild the staff from scratch. He will turn to sophomores Will Stewart (also an infielder) and Lucius Rentz (also a third baseman) and freshman Ethan Baldwin (also a third baseman) to fill the void.
On offense, the Admirals will try to use their speed via a small-ball approach. Dominguez highlighted veteran catcher Joseph Jaindl and sophomore newcomer Isaiah Diaz as two players who should have breakout seasons at the plate.
Jonathan Valenzuela, a sophomore pitcher/first baseman, made the all-tournament team last spring.
Other returners include second baseman/left fielder Ayden Taylor, right fielder/designated hitter Anthony Rodriguez, center fielder/relief pitcher Quinton Harper and middle infielder/relief pitcher Julian Habor.
Newcomers include Ethan Xiz (outfielder); sophomores Brayden Kocher (left fielder/first baseman/relief pitcher) and Karson McCarver (outfielder); and freshman Zander Buchanan (center fielder/relief pitcher) and Madden Pierce (outfielder).
Longtime coach Matt McKown isn’t hiding his team’s championship aspirations.
The Jaguars placed third in Division II/III in 2025, and six starters and 11 total players are back from that squad.
Six senior veterans will lead the squad, starting with 2025 all-tournament selection Jacob Maloney in the outfield and on the mound. Outfielder/pitcher Ryan Miniard and James Stinyard, second baseman/pitcher Keiron Cayton, first baseman/pitcher Cooper Harrison and catcher/pitcher Chase Wise round out the class.
Outfielder Matthew Merritt is the lone junior veteran, while Max Kinney (third baseman/catcher/pitcher), Talis Fukuora (utility player/pitcher), Liam Phifer (outfielder/pitcher) and Evan Thompson (outfielder) make up a strong sophomore class.
Senior A.J. Harpel (outfielder/third baseman/pitcher) transferred from E.J. King in Japan. Other transfers are junior Gage Keck (shortstop/pitcher/first baseman/outfielder) and sophomore Caiden Roche (outfielder).
Freshman Braedon Doss could see time at second base and on the mound.
Fifth-year coach Stacy Kelly has a project in his hands, as Vicenza has just two returning starters – catcher Philip Cirilo and center fielder Austin Perry – from last season’s runner-up squad.
Despite being young and inexperienced, Kelly said he’s excited to see how much the team grows.
Along with Cirilo and Perry, Aedan Lee, Evan Sipsas, Jacob Leon and Michael Gillett return.
New to the team are Braxton Gouteriez, Clark Wood, David Spencer, Gehrig Sutton, Jackson Greene, Bentley Westbrook, Josue Rivera and Russel Casper.
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