10th Anniversary IABF Gala

DECEMBER 10, 2026 @ 6:30 PM
IABF NEWS

News

IABF Selected for NYS Baseball Hall of Fame

The Italian American Baseball Foundation will be inducted into the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame in November 2024. The honor recognizes its board’s work building a scholarship fund, running clinics in Italy, organizing Italian heritage games, partnering with Italy’s federation, and hosting a major gala.

Italian American, Red Sox Broadcaster Joe Castiglione Named Ford C. Frick Award Honoree

HOF: Congratulations to Italian American broadcaster Joe Castiglione on being named the 2024 Ford C. Fick Award honoree by the National Baseball Hall of Fame. This legendary Boston radio man has been in the booth for 41 seasons and is still going strong. Congratulations on a legendary career, and welcome to Cooperstown!

Relive the 2023 IABF Gala

Thank you to all 450 people who made this year’s IABF Gala a historic and memorable event. We are blessed to have so many people who believe in our mission and share in the love of both Italian heritage and the great game of baseball. Congratulations again to our honorees, Terry Francona, Torey Lovullo, Chris Russo, Sal Agostinelli, Jac.

2023-2024 Italian American Hot Stove Report

There will be several moves in the MLB off-season, including Italian American players. Use this list to keep track! Dom Fletcher traded to White Sox from Arizona Diamondbacks Adam Ottavino re-signed one-year deal with New York Mets Matt Festa signed minor league deal with San Diego Padres Trey Mancini signed minor league deal with Miami.

John Viola Joins IABF Advisory Board

Italian American Baseball Foundation appoints John Viola to its Advisory Board. Viola brings philanthropic and humanitarian leadership tied to Italian heritage, along with experience at NIAF, the Italian American Podcast, sports organizations, cultural institutions, and charitable foundations.

Mission Classic Film Premiers at Milan Sports, TV Film Festival

The Italian version of Mission Classic premiered at Milan’s 40th annual FICTS Fest, where audiences joined a Q&A with Team Italy coach Michele Gerali. Produced by the Italian American Baseball Foundation and FIBS, the project followed a year of filming and editing across four countries and 10 cities to create a feature film and docuseries.

Full Mission Classic WBC Documentary Released

The Mission Classic documentary is available in a full-length one-hour release. The full running debuted during a sports film festival in Milan, and the film is available for worldwide distribution via YouTube. This project was produced by the Federation of Italian Baseball and Softball and the Italian American Baseball Foundation.

Mission Classic Italia Baseball film will premiere at Milan Film Fest on November 8

The full-length Mission Classic Italia Baseball documentary will debut November 8 at Milan’s 40th annual FICTS Fest, with an introduction by Italian coach Michele Gerali. Produced by the Italian American Baseball Foundation, it chronicles Italy’s 2023 World Baseball Classic run, which ended in a historic fifth-place finish.

Dan Bonanno Named 2023 IABF Ambassador Honoree

Dan Bonanno has played an integral role in the growth of baseball in Europe and Italy for more than 20 years. He will be honored with an IABF Ambassador Award during IABF’s annual gala on November 30. The Racine, Wisconsin native played ball at Grand Canyon University in Arizona before making his journey to play professionally in Italy.

FIBS and IABF Partner on Between The Lines’ Junior College Softball Showcase

The IABF and Federation of Italian Baseball and Softball expanded their strategic partnership with a College Pipeline Softball Showcase in Bollate, Italy. Organized by Between the Lines, the event connected academically qualified high school players with exposure to U.S. college coaches. Mike Candrea supervised the showcase.