THE RED SOX recently won the Sala Baganza International Baseball Tournament in Parma Italy. The team, coached by North Reading residents Marco Vittozzi, Serge Coviello and Gianna Griffith, had four players from North Reading: Gavin Griffith (catcher), Harry Agganis (shortstop and third base), Brandon Levine (second base) and Charlie Cooper (first base). (Courtesy Photo)
By STEPHEN MARTELLUCCI
PARMA, Italy — Marco Vittozzi, who coaches the North Reading Northeast Baseball League summer team, made his tenth appearance in Italy at the start of the month to coach in the Sala Baganza Tournament in Parma.
This is the 37th-year of the tournament that is for players 14 and 15 years old.
Vittozzi has taken a team from 2011 to 2019. The next three years were canceled due to the Covid pandemic but Vittozzi returned last year.
His roster had 13 total players with 10 players from Massachusetts and three players from Italy. Four of the players were from North Reading. Those four are Gavin Griffith (catcher), Harry Agganis (shortstop and third base), Brandon Levine (second base) and Charlie Cooper (first base).
Two of the assistant coaches are also from town: Serge Coviello and Gianna Griffith, Gavin’s older sister.
The tournament went from July 31 to Aug. 4 and the team played seven games.
There are 12 total teams in the tournament split into two divisions. The top two teams in each division qualify for the playoffs as the top team played the second place team in the other division in the semifinals and the two winners meet in the finals.
THE U.S. Red Sox pose with a team from Italy at the Sala Baganza International Baseball Tournament. (Courtesy Photo)
Along with Vittozzi’s US squad, there was a team from the Netherlands and a team from the Czech Republic.
The other nine teams were from Italy.
Vittozzi’s team ended up winning the tournament going a perfect 7-0. In the semifinal game, they shut out Skatch Boves, 12-0 to advance to the finals.
In the championship game, they defeated the Cerlgnano Tigers by a final score of 15-8.
“Everybody had a great time,” stated Vittozzi. “It is eye-opening for the players to learn another culture and experience another country.”
Vittozzi acknowledged that it was extremely hot but that the team was still able to flex its muscles on offense despite the heat and humidity.
“Everybody produced on offense at one time or another,” said Vittozzi.
GIANNA GRIFFITH, North Reading resident and bench manager for the U.S. Red Sox, holds the championship trophy of the Sala Baganza International Baseball Tournament after the team went 7-0 to win it all. (Courtesy Photo)
Vittozzi has seen the improvement and the growth of baseball in a country where soccer rules the sports landscape.
“The talent in Italy has gotten much better over the years,” he pointed out.
This fall, Vittozzi will have tryouts for players who are interested in competing next summer.
