28/08/2024 1 Minute Read

Nicaragua announce manager Anibal Vega and 24-man roster for WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup

The head coach (pictured above) is a former Nicaraguan German Pomares National Championship star. The roster is a selection of the National Championship, with 11 players who have already debuted in the professional Winter League.

Nicaragua's manager Anibal Vega announced his 24-man roster for the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup 2024.

Eleven players on the roster have already debuted in the professional Nicaraguan Winter League: pitchers Axel Zapata, Angel Canales, Bryan Torres (who pitched in the US minor leagues in 2018 and 2019), Carlos Gazo, Francisco Robleto, Jared Albir; first baseman Emanuel Trujillo; shortstop Cristhian Moreno; second baseman Odlanyer Matamoros and outfielders Godwin Bennett, Roger Leyton Every player on the roster is active in the German Pomares National Championship.

Catcher Enmanuel Aburto represented Nicaragua in last year's WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup qualifier - the U-18 Pan Am Games.

Right-handed pitcher Samuel Guadamuz is a sophomore at Talladega College in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

Vega, who turned 55 today (Wednesday, 28 August), is a former outfielder and was one of the all-time top hitters in the German Pomares Championship. His left-handed bat collected 1,183 hits, including 117 home runs and a career .342 batting average, the second in the league's history. He represented Nicaragua in the 1996 Athens Olympics, the WBSC Baseball World Cup 2004, the Intercontinental Cup 1991, 1993, 1995, and 1997 and the 1991 and 1995 Pan American Games. He later became a Cincinnati Reds scout.

He coached Nicaragua in the 2010 Intercontinental Cup and the 2017 Central American Games, leading them to gold.

Vega's coaching staff includes two pitching coaches, Lenin Picota, a former professional pitcher in the KBO, CPBL and LMB leagues, and Mario Peña. Dorian Garcia will serve as the first-base coach, while Eddy Talavera will be the third-base coach.

World No. 20 Nicaragua will compete in WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup 2024 Group B and face No. 4 Korea, No. 5 Chinese Taipei, No. 6 Venezuela, No. 7 Netherlands and No. 34 South Africa.

Group A includes No. 1 Japan, No. 11 Australia, No. 12 Puerto Rico, No. 13 Colombia, No. 18 Great Britain, and No. 24 China.