By Jon Sargalis
The 2026 World Baseball Classic is underway and will feature four former Mohawks. These four players will represent four different countries in the twenty-team tournament that will last from March 5th to March 17th.
Mel Rojas Jr. (Team Dominican Republic) played for the Amsterdam Mohawks in 2009 and 2010 from Wabash Valley Community College. He hit .314 and .298 in his two seasons for the Mohawks before leaving the team to sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates as he was drafted in the third round of the 2010 MLB Draft while he was playing for the Mohawks. Rojas made it to Triple-A in the Pirates system before being traded to the Atlanta Braves. He was released and went to Korea where he stared for the KT Wiz in the KBO and was named the league MVP in 2020 after hitting .349 with 47 home runs and 135 RBI. The Dominican Republic added Rojas to the roster on March 3rd and this is the third time representing the country as he was a part of the team in 2017 and 2023.
Joe La Sorsa (Team Italy) pitched for the Amsterdam Mohawks in 2017 from St. John’s. He went 5-1 with a 2.72 ERA for the Mohawks. The Tampa Bay Rays selected La Sorsa in the eighteenth round of the 2019 MLB Draft and made his MLB debut with the Rays in 2023. After stints in the Majors with the Washington Nationals and Cincinnati Reds, La Sorsa signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates this past offseason. This is the second World Baseball Classic for La Sorsa as he pitched for Team Italy in 2023 and played alongside his Mohawks and St. John’s teammate, John Valente, that year. La Sorsa had 2 notable outings in the last go-round as he recorded huge inning ending strikeouts against the Netherlands and Cuba to get Italy out of a jam as he banged his chest while heading back to the dugout.
Eric Cerantola (Team Canada) pitched for the Amsterdam Mohawks in 2019 from Mississippi State and was part of the National Championship team in 2021. For the Mohawks, Cerantola went 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA before departing the team to join Team Canada in the 2019 Pan American Games. The Kansas City Royals selected Cerantola in the fifth round of the 2021 MLB Draft. He finished this past with the Royals Triple-A affiliate, the Omaha Storm Chasers.
Jack Seppings (Team Great Britain) pitched for the Amsterdam Mohawks in 2023 From Brown University. He was 2-0 for the Mohawks with a 0.00 ERA, recording 28 in 12.1 innings. He signed with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2024 and finished this past season in High-A with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Before going to the Mohawks, Seppings was a part of Great Britian’s roster in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He appeared in the spring training games but did not pitch in the actual tournament that year.
The twenty team are broken into four different pools with games being played in San Juan, Houston, Tokyo and Miami. Pool play will run through March 11th with the top two teams in each pool playing in the single elimination Quarterfinals on March 13th and 14th in Houston and Miami. The Semifinals will take place in Miami on March 15th and 16th with the Final taking place in Miami on March 17th.
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