By Alexander Franco, September 9, 2025
With the help of Cal Poly Pomona right-handed pitcher Andrew Campbell, Great Britain was crowned champions at the 2025 U-23 Euro Baseball Championship. The tournament was held in the Czech Republic Aug. 4-9.
Campbell was able to compete under the Great Britan Flag as his father was born a Scotland, as Scotland is one of the three countries that make Great Britain.
Campbell appeared twice throughout the tournament, posting an overall ERA of 1.00 and WHIP of 1.14 over seven innings, striking out seven, all while under a total of 110 pitches. This performance earned Campbell the Pitcher of the Tournament title.
Batters struggled any time Campbell was up on the mound. Out of 25 batters, only six produced a hit and only one was an extra-base-hit, a double. That alone gave hitters who faced Campbell a mere .240 batting average.
“I would say my biggest qualities is my mentality,” Campbell said. “I do a really good job of, say I throw a bad pitch, I just get to the next one, not dwelling on the past a whole lot and then also like my competitiveness of not worried about who’s in the box.”
Ending the tournament with a record of 4-1, their only loss coming from pool play to host country Czechia, Great Britain was on a mission to prove its world rank of No. 17, according to WBSC Europe, was just a number and didn’t define the team.
Great Britain’s campaign started off with a dominant 7-0 shutout over Isreal Aug. 5 where Campbell logged two flawless innings, allowing two hits while striking out two batters.
Great Britain lost to tournament host Czechia the next day with a score of 0-3 but bounced back with a win over France the next day with a score of 4-3, securing a spot in playoffs.
All that stood in Great Britain’s way to a championship bid was a semi-final match against the Netherlands, the country favored to win the tournament. The Netherlands was up 2-0 after the first inning, but when Campbell came in for relief at the start of the second inning, he put on a masterclass.
Allowing only one run through five innings, he gave his team a chance to come back. Great Britain rallied back with two runs in the second, one in the sixth and a whopping four in the seventh and final inning, winning with a score of 7-4 and Campbell earning the game win.
“As a coach, I was super excited for him,” said head coach Randy Betten. “I want him to go out there and represent himself and Cal Poly Pomona and his family on the national stage. Hopefully he brings that to Pomona this year as well.”
The championship match was set for Saturday, Aug. 9, and how poetic it was for Great Britain to face Czechia, the only team that beat Great Britain in the tournament. Czechia had gone a perfect 4-0, only having allowed five runs throughout the entire tournament in its opening match against France Aug. 5.
With home field advantage, Czechia were clear favorites heading into the championship match.
Czechia came out swinging, going 6-0 after the second inning, but Great Britain responded with five runs of its own the next inning.
Czechia bat in another run, making the score 7-5. But in the bottom half of the sixth inning, Great Britain took command of the game, scoring four runs, sealing a score of 9-7.
Great Britian’s win marked the country’s first-ever gold in the European Baseball Championship. The win for Great Britain automatically entered the team into the 2026 World Baseball Softball Confederation World Cup, which will take place on Nov. 6-15, next year, in Nicaragua.
Campbell is hopeful to once again compete on the world stage next year and that his success on the world stage will lead to future call-ups to the national team.
“He is so competitive and wants to be in every single big role possible to help the team win and shows that as a friend wanting the very best for you,” said CPP senior pitcher Dylan Esquival. “Andrew is what every person wants in a teammate and what every team wants in a player.”
Now a senior, Campbell looks to dominate the mound this spring and wants to leave CPP on a high note with no regrets.
“I want to win a national championship,” Campbell said. “We have great group of guys here. I’ve only known them for two weeks, but I can tell that we’re very talented, so the biggest goal I think we all have in mind is winning the whole thing.”
Feature image courtesy of Andrew Campbell
