The 2017 season will definitely be the toughest season in the history of the ESSL because more top teams entered the league and other teams combined to be a stronger competitor. However, if you want to be the ESSL champion there will be no way around than winning against the double ESSL champion Guzzlers.

Let’s have a closer look at the teams of the ESSL 2017 season.

BeBe Kidz,  Germany
The team from Germany enters the ESSL for the first time. As the level of slowpitch in the ESSL is really high they will need some time to adopt their game to it. However, the BeBe Kidz have an interesting roster that includes some Czech national team players that already played for the Grizzlies in the Supercup.

Bulldogs,  Slovenia
The Bulldogs from Slovenia managed to improve their roster by adding some Austrian and US players. The team never gives up and has a lot of fun on the field. They are very strong in the middle but they miss some power at the corners.  But after the 2016 season the Bulldogs are back to climb up the league standings like they did in 2014.

DNT,  Netherlands
This is the team to watch. They already showed their talent at the Supercup when they only lost the game against the vice champion Brovaria by one run.  Their chances to be the first European ESSL champion are very high, especially, by having the last ESSL tournament in Almere, Netherlands. Will the European power house surprise everybody in their first year?

D.R.,  Dominican Republic
A new strong contender in the ESSL. The team is a combination of former Los Coyotes, Titanes and Buffalo players. This season they will focus on finding the right mixture in their team. As we know the Dominican spirit, we know that they are on the field to win. If they find their mojo they will be difficult to beat.

Dream Team,  Slovenia
The best European ESSL team 2016 wants to know it this year. The Dream Team is a well-respected team and is well-known for its consistent development of their playing level. For them the future is bright because they also have a good chance to be the ESSL champion one day.

Eagles,  USA
Last year they were so close to win the ESSL. At the end they won the silver medal in the league and the bronze medal at the Supercup. If they manage to stay focused the whole season they will definitely be a championship contender for the ESSL this year. It’s a well-coached team and you never know when they explode on the field by hitting some bombs.

Guzzlers,  USA
The reigning ESSL champion will try to win it a third time after 2014 and 2016. This team is definitely hard to beat because they never give up. Even if you think they are on a losing track they will still find a way to free themselves and to win it at the end. So, if you want to win the ESSL you have to pass the Guzzlers.

Q: Why did you choose the name Bulldogs?
A: The team Bulldogs was founded in 2006. Initially only our little league U12 team played under this name. However, as the club grew and as we were getting more involved in slowpitch our senior team played under the name, too.  From that time on all our teams called themselves Bulldogs. The official name of the club is KRPAN Little League Novo mesto club. Since 2007 we use the name Bulldogs.

We have no restrictions on gender or age of players. The first team consists of male and female players of all ages and the youngest player is only 12 years old. Our players are from different baseball clubs around Slovenia. But on the field they play with the spirit of the Bulldogs.

Q: What do you expect from this season in the ESSL? Do you have any additional players?
A: Our plan is to be competitive. For the ESSL our goal is to rank among the top five teams. However, most important for us is to meet and socialize with the other players. It’s always a great experience for us to meet other cultures, especially, when we all share the same passion – slowpitch.
This season we focus on the development of our game and we will start with some new players. One of our new players has some experience in major competitions and his advantage is speed. We’ll probably get stronger during the season with another new player.

Q: How would you describe your team and playing philosophy?
A: The team consists of players of all levels, ages, genders and backgrounds. On the field we act as a well-tuned team. We are aware of our weaknesses and we want to achieve the best possible results. Our goal is to give our best on the field and we plan to surprise even teams with more experience. We want to learn the “slowpitch spirit” from teams with longer tradition.

Q: Which team/s do you expect as the favorite/s for the 2016 season?
A: It is impossible to say which team is the favorite this year. Teams with players from the USA are definitely the strongest. All other teams are fairly equal. We expect an interesting and close season where the outcome will also depend on having some luck. This year each team can win or lose.
We hope that the Bulldogs will finish among first five teams

Q: Anything else you want to say?
A: The ESSL is making a great job on developing slowpitch in Europe. Thank you.

It was the first time an US team from Aviano participated in an indoor tournament. Despite the early troubles with the ceiling (out: if a ball hits the ceiling) the Dragons had a lot exciting games and fun. Aviano’s coach: “For us it was a great experience and we already plan to participate in the next indoor tournament in December”.

For all 5 teams the tournament was a big success. Unfortunately, the team from Croatia wasn’t able to attend this time. However, for the next tournaments other teams from Europe already line up to travel to Ljubljana. At the indoor tournaments you can play, socialize and meet great people and everything is in one place – field, accommodation and party area.

After the award ceremony all players enjoyed the player’s party until the bar closed

Final Rankings

1. Bulldogs Novo Mesto
2. Aviano Dragons
3. Dream Team Ljubljana
4. Bombers Ljubljana
5. Bloody Bats Ljubljana

Link: Game Results

Next Tournaments

• Saturday, 12th of December 2015
• Saturday, 16th of Januray 2016
• Saturday, 13th of February 2016

Place: Sports BIT Center, Litijska 57, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Last year the Guzzlers (USA/GER) won the ESSL league championships followed by the Los Coyotes (DOM/AUT) and Linz Grizzlies (AUT). This year new teams take the stage and old teams improved. For this season it appears as though the cards are being reshuffled.

Read about the first power ranking of the season:

1. Bad News Bombers
Last ranking: –
Tendency: –

Coach Drew Chesser formed a team with a lot of new players. Additionally, he strengthened the team with the power of Jason Parker (ESSL hitting champion 2014). We will see if this team really has some bad news for the other teams in the league. But remember last year the Grizzlies already showed that hitting long balls is not always the receipe to win every game.

2. Guzzlers Europe
Last ranking: 1 (season 2014)
Tendency: –

Will the Guzzlers be able to repeat their title? Will they also be able to answer the “bad news” from the other US-team? At the moment this is something that is difficult to answer but we think that the missing of the Rhino (Jason Parker) might have weakened the Guzzlers a little bit. That’s why they are placed as second for the first ranking. But there is a simple way to proof that the crystal ball is wrong by winning the ESSL Germany tournament in Reutlingen.

3. Los Coyotes
Last ranking: 2 (season 2014)
Tendency: –

The Dominican team always looks for challenges when the play the game and they have one goal – to be #1. Their strength is that they grow with the challenge. The stronger the opponent, the more they are concentrated. However, this is also the weak point. Because they need emotions for winning they sometimes struggle when everything is too relaxed.

4. Dream Team
Last ranking: 5 (season 2014)
Tendency: –

It looks like Dream Team learned from last year and added two important players to their roster. One is Tomo Zezlina a great pitcher and a smart hitter. With his experience he can lead the team to a succesfull way up to the top. The second player is an outfielder with power as long as he keeps concentrated – Jerman Matic. After the first tournament we will see if Dream Team lives up the expectations.

5. Bulldogs
Last ranking: 4 (season 2014)
Tendency: –

It seems like the Bulldogs have some changes in front of them. Last year it was a team that were very close to beat the Guzzlers and they already won against the Los Coyotes. This team is very smart and can fight until the end. However, this year there are several new players involved and it’s a big question if the new players wil be able to achieve a breackthrough. Their goal is to be at least the #1 of the Slovenian teams. At the moment it looks like a close race.

6. PGS
Last ranking: –
Tendency: –

On the paper it’s a new team but the core players are from the Grizzlies, last year #3 in the ESSL. However, the team has to deal with several injuries and it seems like that their main goal will be the Super Cup in September. Their playing style is hitting line drives and using their speed to create pressure on the bases.

7. Los Titanes
Last ranking: –
Tendency: –

It’s another new team that enters the scene. Last 2 years the Titans played in the Austrian league and are well known for their unpredictability. There are games when it seems that they give up the control but suddenly the hit the ball everywhere and score a lot of runs. Their weakness is still their lack of concentration and experience. It’s a pretty young team.

8. Toros
Last ranking: –
Tendency: –

Toros are a big unkown team this season. They are rumours that they have the potential to be one of the top four teams but on the other side it’s a question mark if they will be capable to get their strongest players together. For Germany the team will not show the true face because they miss some players with real power. With their full squad we expect a strong defensive team.

RANKING #1

1. Bad News Bombers
2. Guzzlers Europe
3. Los Coyotes
4. Dream Team
5. Bulldogs
6. PGS
7. Los Titanes
8. Toros

When was your team founded?
Team Bulldogs was founded in 2005 by Matjaz Rogelj.

In which city is your team located?
We are located in a small city called Novo Mesto. The city is about 70 km south of Ljubljana and about half way between Ljubljana and Zagreb.

Give us a short history of your team
The team was founded as a baseball Little League team. In the beginning we offered youth baseball and fastpitch softball for girls. In 2007 we started to play Slowpitch and were excited about it. Our players are from different parts of Slovenia and even from Croatia. We don’t have our own field. Therefore, we always have to play as a guest.

What do you expect from this season and what are your goals?
In 2015 we expect a lot of games on the highest possible level in Europe. For this season we have some new players with less experience. Unfortunately, we lost three of our old players. Our goal is to win some games against the US-teams and to be the best team from Slovenia.

What do you think of the ESSL?
The ESSL is a great opportunity for teams who want to play slowpitch on the highest possible level in Europe.

How do you see the future of the ESSL?
I believe, in the future, European teams will be strong enough to play Slowpitch on the same level as the American teams.