The Reds hired Italian American and former IABF honoree Terry Francona as their new manager.
Francona, 65, who stepped down as Guardians manager after the 2023 season, returns to the dugout having managed three teams over a 23-year career. He has a 1,950-1,672 record with the Phillies (1997-2000), Red Sox (2004-2011) and Guardians (2013-2023). He led the Red Sox to World Series titles in 2004 and 2007.
Good luck, Terry! 🇮🇹 ⚾️ 🇺🇸
To further connect to the Italian baseball landscape, the Italian American Baseball Foundation has launched a new “Italian Baseball Advisory Board” to bolster baseball development, college pipeline alignment, and scholarship potential for Italian natives.
Former Team Italy Manager Marco Mazzieri leads this advisory board, which includes other well-known veterans from Italy who have a deep love of the game and long resumes serving at the local and national levels in Italy.
IABF Italian Advisory Board
More people will be added to the board in the coming weeks and months.
The advisory board is already hard at work developing new programs and collaborative efforts to increase participation on Italian soil. IABF will soon promote these efforts more extensively.
The Italian American Baseball Foundation will double down on its efforts to give Italian players opportunities to play college baseball and softball in the United States.
IABF has established a new international strategic plan for its growing college pipeline for the 2024-2025 school year and beyond.
The process involves bolstering international leadership and partnerships, fostering communication and external relations efforts, further investing in the IABF Scholarship program, and building a revitalized college pipeline with mobility for Italians to play in all regions of the United States.
IABF will distribute more information about the strategic plan in the coming weeks. The primary goal is to provide educational opportunities and resources for Italians interested in playing in the United States while building a pipeline of talented players who will one day sign professional contracts.
Samuel Aldegheri made history this season becoming the first Italian bord, raised and developed pitcher to play in the big leagues. For that, he will be recognized as a 2024 Italian American Baseball Foundation Future Star Award honoree.
Aldegheri, who hails from Verona, Italy, debuted with the Los Angeles Angels in September and is a model for Italian kids who dream of playing Major League Baseball one day.
This year, other IABF Future Star honorees include Spencer Jones (Yankees) and Sal Frelick (Brewers).
CASTIGLIONE DELLA PESCAIA—In a transformational moment for the Italian American Baseball Foundation and the Francisco Cervelli Baseball Academy, the two organizations have combined efforts to enhance the baseball facility and focus on youth baseball development in Italy.
Simone Piani Stadium in Castiglione della Pescaia will now be the home of the Francisco Cervelli-Italian American Baseball Foundation Academy. IABF will help support the facility’s infrastructure and baseball development needs. The Academy will also serve as a hub for European and American travel baseball teams and be an Italian home base for IABF.
“This is a major step for IABF in our quest to help grow the game in Italy,” said IABF President Joe Quagliano. “We are beyond excited to partner with Marco Mazzieri and Francisco Cervelli on this project because it’s about kids and provides a great place to learn the game. We believe in the value of partnership when both sides work together for the greater good.”
“All of us at Francisco Cervelli Academy are still trying to understand the magnitude of merging with the Italian American Baseball Foundation on this project,” said Marco Mazzieri, former longtime Team Italy manager and current candidate for President of the Federation of Italian Baseball and Softball. “Our dedication and commitment toward the kids have been second to none since the beginning. We teach the kids all the right values of playing a sport. Sportsmanship, punctuality, respect for the opponents, respect for the umpires, respect for the coaches, respect for the field.
“We were so excited last year when Francisco offered us to give his name at our academy after seeing in person what we do and how we work that we thought it could have been a turning point. The same thing happened last July when IABF Executives traveled to beautiful Castiglione della Pescaia and witnessed the same thing. Now, we have the chance to grow even more with this cooperation that sees the kids and their development, not only as baseball and softball players but also as human beings, right in the middle of the project. We can’t wait to get started and have as many kids as possible joining our camps. Thank you, Italian American Baseball Foundation and all his Board Members and stakeholders!”
IABF officials were at Simone Piani in July 2024 to host a clinic with U15-18 and were captivated by Mazzieri and his staff’s leadership. They also met with Cervelli, a former longtime big league catcher, in New York to discuss the idea. All parties were aligned on the vision and mission from the beginning of their conversations.
The Academy will celebrate its opening day on September 21 in Italy and organize several travel team camps, tournaments, and cultural programs for the rest of 2024 and early 2025. IABF officials are scheduled to return to Italy in 2025 for a proper ribbon cutting and unveiling of new signage and stadium enhancements. IABF, Mazzieri, and Cervelli are also talking about additional academy locations.
It’s with great pride that the Italian American Baseball Foundation names Marco Mazzieri as an IABF Ambassador Award honoree. He will be recognized at the 2024 IABF Gala at Marina Del Rey in the Bronx.
Mazzieri, who is running in an election to be President of the Federation of Italian Baseball and Softball, managed Team Italy at the World Baseball Classic in 2007, 2013, and 2017 and led Italy to back-to-back European titles in 2010 and 2012 and an Intercontinental Cup bronze medal in 2010. He was also the European manager in the Global Baseball Games against Samurai Japan in March 2024.
In recent years, he has partnered with former big leaguer and Team Italy catcher Francisco Cervelli at a youth academy in Castiglione della Pescaia.
As a player in Serie A, he helped Grosetto win Campionati Italiani in 1986 and 1989 and the Coppa Italia in 1981 and 1999.
Mazzieri has committed to youth baseball and player development and has traveled to several Italian cities to explain his vision for the future of Italian baseball. Through a press person, Mazzieri said he would release a statement about the IABF endorsement soon.
The IABF Ambassador Award was created to honor those who have gone above and beyond for the game of baseball in Italy or domestically to support IABF.
The following statement is from the international executive board of the Italian American Baseball Foundation (IABF):
“The IABF is endorsing Marco Mazzieri for president of the Federation of Italian Baseball and Softball in the upcoming election. Marco’s extensive experience as a player and coach and his proven leadership skills make him the ideal candidate to guide the federation into a new era of success.
His dedication to the growth of baseball and softball in Italy will be unmatched, as seen through his numerous accomplishments with the national team. Marco’s vision for fostering talent, expanding the sport’s reach, and promoting a strong sense of community among players, coaches, and fans will undoubtedly drive Italian baseball and softball to new heights.
His commitment to excellence, innovation, and teamwork ensures that the future of the sport in Italy is in great hands.”
Thanks again for our record number of golfers who attended the outing this year. Relive the day with photos from Cono Corvino:
https://bit.ly/4dYQpU1 Remember … next up: The IABF Gala on December 5. Get tickets today!
We are bullish on the impact of these Italian Heritage Games. No organization in the country has organized as many heritage-based games in as many cities and tied them directly to a scholarship fund that benefits college baseball and softball players.
We also appreciate the relationships IABF continues to make in the process.
Joining IABF’s Joe Quagliano and Chris Vaccaro at Fenway last night was Red Sox Hall of Fame broadcaster Joe Castiglione, who we will honor with the IABF Media Award in December. We were also happy to reconnect with NFL agent, Massachusetts native, and proud Italian American Sean Stellato. We did not expect to see Italian American NASA Astronaut Mike Massimino, a big baseball fan, but we did, and it was a nice addition to an already perfect evening.
The Red Sox paid a special tribute to the club’s Italian American employees and invited their Employee Resource Group to play on the field with IABF. Everyone received a special Red Sox pin.
The Red Sox continue to sell the most Italian heritage night tickets of any MLB team. We appreciate their support and partnership as proceeds from the game help with the IABF scholarship fund.
We continue to grow every day, and moments like this help us succeed in growing the game in Italy and honor Italian Americans domestically in the game.
For his contributions to baseball in Italy, Italian American Don Landolphi is being recognized as an Italian American Baseball Foundation Ambassador Award honoree. He will be honored at the annual IABF Gala on December 5 at Marina Del Rey in the Bronx.
Don began his journey to Italy in 1973 as a coach selected to help coordinate baseball clinics. Later, he was asked to return to the Italian National Team as an assistant.
He began his coaching career in 1962 at Brooklyn College in baseball and basketball. He had winning records at BC and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and finished his career as an assistant at St. John’s University with Joe Russo. Landolphi is the author of two books on baseball fundamentals.
As an assistant with Team Italy in 1975, the Azzurri won the European Baseball Championship for the first time, beating Holland.
He is an inductee of the Brooklyn College Hall of Fame and the American Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame. He is also a coach for the visually impaired, a game initiated by Italian ball players in 1998. He helped the U.S. team to a bronze medal in the first International Baseball for the Blind Tournament.
IABF established its Ambassador Award in 2022 and present the annual honor to people who make significant contributions to growing the game in Italy. Last year’s recipients were Dan Bonanno and Sal Varriale. Landolphi and Riccardo Fraccari, the president of the WBSC, will be honored.
Get tickets and sponsorship opportunities for the IABF Gala today!
