British umpire selected for WBSC Europe’s Confederation Cup

The British Baseball Federation (BBF) is proud to announce that John Baxendale has been selected to umpire at the 2023 WBSC Europe Confederation Cup in Karlovac, Croatia.

The tournament, which is the second highest level competition in Europe, takes place from Wednesday 7th June until Sunday 11th June and will feature seven of the top teams from the continent.

“Being invited to umpire at the Confederation Cup is not something I expected in my 2nd year as an international umpire but I am excited about the opportunity and can’t wait to be on the field with my colleagues,” said John. “It’s always an honour to get a prestigious umpire assignment, whether it’s a doubleheader between the top teams of the BBF National baseball League, the BBF national finals or a top European competition.”

BBF Umpire Director Gabor Erdos added: “John’s assignment is a huge credit to the hard work he has put into his own development over the past three years.

“As one of our most recent graduates from a professional umpire school, he has quickly become part of the elite group of British umpires, regularly officiating NBL games.

“The Confederation Cup is another step forward for him after last year’s assignment at the Women’s European Championships in France. I am confident it will be the first of many in a successful international career.”

Watch John on the field live through the Confederation Cup - WBSC Europe Youtube channel