Can someone make Ramstein feel a bit less royal?

The Ramstein baseball team seems like a well-oiled machine.

After losing a chunk of its two-time DODEA Division I European title-winning squad, the Royals haven’t missed a beat. They sit at 12-0 and 10-0 in the league, outscoring opponents 172-22 and posting seven shutouts.

Ramstein enters the 2026 DODEA European baseball championships, held Wednesday through Friday at Pulaski Park and the Southside Fitness Center in the Kaiserslautern Military Community, as Division I’s No. 1 seed and the favorite to collect a third consecutive crown.

Catcher Will Schmiedel, who joined the program ahead of his junior year after transferring from Japan, credited Alfredo Rios and his coaching staff as the main reasons the Royals reloaded so easily.

“They constantly preach to us: execute, execute, execute, grind day in and day out,” he said. “We’ve been instilled with enough of that mentality, and we’ve been able to exemplify that through our play that we’ll be able to stay consistent with that through Euros.”

That seemingly unstoppable force awaits the rest of the Division I field, including second-seeded Lakenheath.

The Lancers (11-3, 9-3) are experiencing their most successful season in years. They ended the season on an eight-game winning streak, beating opponents by an average margin of victory of 13.

Three players – Graham and James Arthaud and Jaykob Kreider – are hitting better than .500 at .581, .567 and .517, respectively. Graham Arthaud has driven in 22 runs, while Kreider and Oskar Feletar have chipped in with 21 RBIs.

More importantly, Lakenheath has proven it can hang with the top seeds. On April 11, the Lancers lost 8-7 to the Royals in the first game of the doubleheader, before dropping the late contest 17-0.

Earlier in the season on March 21, Lakenheath split a pair of games with the tournament’s third seed, Kaiserslautern, losing 8-6 and winning 9-5.

“It just shows that we can be right there with anybody,” said James Arthaud, who spent his first two high school years at Ramstein before moving to England. “We’re looking to take the next step and not just hang with them but beat ’em in the tournament.

“We’re excited to come in and hopefully make waves in Euros.”

The Raiders (11-3, 9-3) have taken strides forward over the years as well.

Three years ago, Kaiserslautern placed fourth, moved up to third two years ago and finished runner-up last spring. This year, the Raiders are the only team that hasn’t been mercy-ruled by Ramstein in a game this spring, getting swept 9-1 and 12-7 on April 18.

Losing to the Royals in the title game a year ago still sits on the Raiders’ minds, senior James Leonard said.

“It fueled us pretty strongly,” he said. “We really wanted it last year. We’re coming back for it. We’re going for that first place.”

The Royals had praise for the second and third seeds. Senior first baseman Jacob Vinson described Lakenheath’s and Kaiserslautern’s pitching staffs as full of guys who pound the strike zone. That will fit in well with the power Ramstein possesses.

“All hitters like to hit,” Vinson said. “Walking’s not necessarily fun. It’s a part of the game. We’re definitely here to find barrels.”

Still, the Royals aren’t shying away from the favorite tag. Schmiedel said his club’s biggest threat is itself.

“We need to stay focused,” Schmiedel said. “If we’re locked in and playing our game, then no one can beat us. We’ve been able to do that throughout the whole season so far.”

The Aviano Saints aren’t unaccustomed to being in this position.

Naples has dominated the small-schools tier, winning four consecutive European titles. Aviano, meanwhile, has gone through a few down years, including not getting out of pool play in 2025.

The Saints are soaring heading into the 2026 European baseball championships, though. Aviano (9-4, 9-2) holds the top seed ahead of the powerhouse Wildcats.

Those rough times are pushing J.J. Sanchez and his teammates, the pitcher/shortstop/catcher said.

“The last few years have been very difficult,” he said. “This year, it’s a lot different. The energy’s a lot different. We have the more the passion, the energy to come into the tournament to dominate.”

Don’t expect one team to control the proceedings, though.

Aviano split its season series with second-seeded Naples (8-3-1, 8-3-1) and fourth-seeded Sigonella (6-6, 6-4), the latter of which is in the same pool as the Saints.

Third-seeded Spangdahlem (6-4, 5-3), fifth-seeded Rota (5-6-1, 5-6-1) and sixth-seeded Hohenfels (4-9, 4-5) have improved as the season’s gone along and can give the higher seeds a run for their money.

“It’s pretty even this year. It’s not too lopsided,” Naples’ David Manus said. “I think everyone’s got a good chance, and it will make the games interesting. It’ll be a lot of fun.”

The Wildcats haven’t been their usual dominant selves. During a three-week stretch midseason, they dropped four of six games. Among those losses was a swept at the hands of the Jaguars on April 24-25.

Manus credited his teammates for recovering from that bad spell and beating Sigonella three times out of their last four games.

“A lot of people were getting inside their heads at the plate. We had a couple of strikeouts and a couple of errors in the field,” Manus said. “Everyone’s done a nice job working on their weaknesses during practice and not giving up.”

Sanchez, too, expressed his belief that the Saints can better the top seeds in the KMC this week. They must put everything together in those contests, though.

“The series we played against them, we hadn’t played our best,” Sanchez said. “If we bring our best, I guarantee we’d win. I feel great about those matchups.”