Diamonds across Europe are springing back to action after two long years of pandemic purgatory.

The vast majority of the 19 DODEA-Europe schools fielding baseball and/or softball teams are in action this weekend as the organization conducts its first official regular-season games since the 2019 tournament. The 2020 and 2021 spring seasons were canceled or extremely curtailed due to COVID-19.

The obvious consequence of that long hiatus is a lack of game experience. Coaches reached for preseason comment were nearly unanimous in that sentiment, though they were also generally pleased with the enthusiasm and early progress they’ve seen since practice started.

“We don’t have a lot of experience, but we have some solid athletes who are soaking up everything our coaches have to offer,” Kaiserslautern baseball coach Justin Bates said. “Seeing how far we’ve come in just three weeks of practice is very encouraging.”

Teams will need to make several such leaps in quick succession to peak by the end of this quick six-week season and make noise in European tournaments.

“We are overall a young team with some talent around the field,” Vilseck softball coach Shannon Laliberte said. “We look to hone that talent so that we are hitting on all strides by the time the tournament comes around.”

While every team would love to seize a long-deferred title, this season is largely about getting back into the swing of spring. Naples baseball coach Jim Davis pointed out that many underclassmen making their DODEA-Europe debuts this year have not even played on a regulation high-school field.

“We are working on getting the rust off,” Davis said. “But after two full seasons off, we are just glad to be back on the diamond.”

Baseball

Traditional Division I powers Stuttgart and reigning champion Ramstein have plenty of challengers for big-school supremacy this spring, and they’ll each get an early look at one on opening weekend. Ramstein hosts Kaiserslautern, while Stuttgart travels to Wiesbaden.

New Wiesbaden Warriors head coach Jon Ring has four players who are not entirely new to the program, a healthy number by the league’s currently skewed standards. Ring wants the Warriors to be “a team of character” that takes pride in its on-field effort and off-field example. If they lose, Ring said, “it will not be because we did not do our best.”

SHAPE coach Scott Burgess has nine incumbent Spartans spearheading his squad, including “some strong hitters and decent fielding,” giving the Belgian school a shot at disrupting the usual Germany-heavy power structure in Division I.

Italian schools Naples and Vicenza, who face off this weekend, will contend for the small-school crown this spring after years at the Division I level. The Cougars bring in fresh championship pedigree in the form of new head coach Osvaldo Garcia Carrillo, last seen leading Ramstein to the 2019 Division I crown.

Carrillo said the Cougars have already “developed good hitting and pitching fundamentals,” though he allows that this season’s fortunes rest heavily on the shoulders of freshmen and sophomores.

“Our team is looking forward to the challenges in front of us,” Carrillo said.

Naples and Vicenza will find familiar Italian foes in the small-school ranks in 2019 breakthrough champion Aviano and former dynasty Sigonella.

Softball

The Wiesbaden Warriors pulled off one of the most memorable underdog title runs in DODEA-Europe history in 2019, breaking out of a No. 8 seeding in a nine-team division to beat heavily favored Ramstein for the Division I crown. Now, head coach Jenny Yalden is eager to lead her team’s title defense.

“We have an excellent team all around,” Yalden said. “Our coaching staff is extremely knowledgeable and the girls come every day willing to put in 100 percent effort.”

Ramstein and Stuttgart, the division’s traditional powers, will attempt to oust the upstart Warriors from their new position. Vilseck and 2018 champion Kaiserslautern, meanwhile, will look to build on 2019 semifinal appearances.

“We are inexperienced,” Kaiserslautern coach Ken Robinson said. “But we plan on being able to make things happen offensively, throw strikes and play solid defense.”

Reigning small-school dynasty Sigonella has no carryover from its 2019 title-game roster, but coach Kendra La Rocca is optimistic about the new-look Jaguars.

“Our players are eager to learn and are supportive of one another,” La Rocca said. “We’re looking for steady improvement.”

Vicenza is a strong candidate to disrupt Sigonella’s title streak. The Cougars have six program veterans on the team, and coach Anna Sansone said the team already boasts “strong offense and aggressive baserunning” as it looks to develop its pitching staff and get its players proficient at multiple positions.