The fever for the debut in the Serie A baseball championship for Codogno ’67 is growing, newly promoted last year after the triumphal ride culminating in the victory over Bolzano on 17 September. President Giangiacomo Sello’s club will make its debut on Sunday 16 April on the home diamond in viale Resistenza against Padova, with match 1 at 10 in the morning and match 2 from 3 pm. The Serie A formula includes 5 groups of six teams. The first two of each group qualify for the “scudetto poule”, the other four will have to face the “relegation poule” (another 4 groups of 5 teams with the formations of the other groups). The opponents of Codogno Baseball ’67, in the first phase, will be (in addition to Padua), Fortitudo Bologna, Verona, Oltretorrente Parma, Godo Ravenna. The other home games are scheduled for Sunday 30 April and Sunday 14 May. For the team from Basso Lodigiano it is a return to the top national championship after 21 years (among other things, precisely in the year in which the city is invested with the title of “European Municipality of Sport”).
A few things have changed in the squad since last year’s promotion. First of all, Michele Nani, born in Codogno (and Finetti’s former deputy), who grew up in the club’s ranks from an early age, was promoted to the role of manager (in place of Ettore Finetti from Parma who preferred to move to Collecchio, closer to home). Then the first reinforcements arrived. The first market hit, at the beginning of February, was Luigi Gintili Talon, a 19-year-old Venezuelan with a community passport (Spain) born in Villa de Cura. An emerging talent. He will be the second “catcher” (receiver) of the formation, he will give a hand to his compatriot Carmelo Penaloza and if necessary he can also be used as a winger. Behind him he has participated for two seasons in the international league “Las Americas”, a forge that selects the best South American prospects. The second purchase was the Argentine pitcher Kevin Riello, 26 years old, with a Spanish passport which makes him eligible as a “community”. He has already played in the Italian Serie A in 2018 wearing the Godo shirt and has also come to wear the shirt of the senior Albiceleste national team. The third reinforcement had been the Venezuelan Wilser Enrique Barrios, a pitcher born in Valencia on 21 March 1998, but at the beginning of March the deal fell through as the player preferred to marry a club in his country. In his place, Codogno chose another Venezuelan: 24-year-old Edward Paredes. A further reinforcement for the squad was then the 22-year-old Mattia Caimmi in the role of second shortstop, on loan from the Old Rags Lodi.
“Throughout the winter – declares the president Giangiacomo Sello – we worked hard to prepare for the season and I am very happy with the response from the municipal administration which promised us to reactivate the lighting system in view of an important event with the Italian national team. At the same time we obtained significant help and support from many local companies and businesses in the city who trusted us and were very close and sensitive to us. We strengthened the team with four important players who, in intention, they should allow Michele Nani’s team to be able to play a good championship while maintaining the category. Also for the youth sector it was decided to give a technical guide of experience for the 4 white and blue teams by hiring a Venezuelan coach, the 44-year-old Leonardo Esposito “. The manager Michele Nani, for his part, says he is “satisfied with the squad set up”. “The club – he says – has made incredible efforts given the scarce resources available. We will have a squad of 16 players, 12 or 13 of which from Codogno. Our peculiarity is that we can count on a youth base that many envy us. Let’s not forget that We already have three boys in the Under 23 national team and they are Edoardo Uttini, Tommaso Nani and Francesco Gabbari. Our goal is salvation. I am confident and I believe that if we don’t have injuries we will be able to obtain great satisfaction. In the first phase, the toughest opponents they are Bologna and Godo. We are playing against Oltretorrente and Verona. Certainly, however, our real championship will begin in mid-May with the “salvation poule” and we will have to be in shape at that moment”. “We are a club appreciated throughout Italy and we hope to have even greater consideration, starting this year, also in our city” he concludes. Meanwhile, on 26 March (11.14 am), in viale Resistenza, there will be a luxury friendly match between Codogno and the Germans of Heidenheim (Bundesliga). On Saturday 1st April at 5.30 pm the presentation of the Serie A team to the press and to the authorities at Cascina Piantadella in San Fiorano.
