Germany Names Premier12 Qualifier Roster

On Tuesday, Germany announced its roster for the Premier12 qualifier, scheduled for Oct. 9-11 in Barcelona, Spain.

The roster features 11 players from Germany’s European Championship roster from last September.

Players to watch

Yannic Walther- The only active German minor leaguer on this team, Walther will lead the offense. The 22-year-old catcher played his fourth season in the minor leagues in the Milwaukee Brewers organization in 2026.

Walther spent time at the Single-A and High-A levels in 2026. With High-A Wisconsin, he hit .238/.342/.356 with two home runs and 12 RBIs.

He last played for Germany at the 2025 European Championship. In six games, Walther posted a 1.144 OPS with two home runs and six RBIs. He will provide power in Germany’s lineup and is likely to be the team’s starting catcher.

Markus Solbach- The 35-year-old right-hander has been Germany’s longtime ace and nearly became the first pitcher born and raised in Germany to reach the major leagues when he reached Triple-A in 2021 and 2022.

He has since returned to his home country to play in the German Baseball League. The Bonn Capitals largely saved him for the postseason, and he delivered in the final against the Regensburg Legionäre, pitching eight innings and allowing three runs as the Capitals won their third championship in five years.

Solbach threw 56 innings with a 2.25 ERA and 57 strikeouts for Bonn in 2026. His most recent experience with the German national team came at the 2025 European Championship. He made two starts, pitching 14 combined innings with 14 strikeouts while allowing one unearned run.

He is expected to serve as Germany’s ace.

Niklas Rimmel- The former Minnesota Twins minor leaguer will be one of Germany’s top pitchers. He pitched for Bonn in the German Baseball League in 2026 and was a workhorse.

His 124 2/3 innings between the regular season and postseason ranked second in the league. He led the league with a 1.80 ERA and ranked second with 148 strikeouts.

Rimmel will help lead a rotation that should be one of the team’s strengths.

Germany will open the tournament Oct. 9 against host Spain. The team will then face Colombia on Oct. 10 before finishing pool play against Italy on Oct. 11.

The top two teams will advance to the 2027 Premier12 at the conclusion of pool play. Germany, Spain and Colombia have never played in the Premier12.

The European teams can clinch a place in the 2028 Olympics, with Europe and Australia competing for one spot.

Germany and Czechia prepare for Premier12 qualifiers with exhibition series

As both teams prepare for their respective Premier12 qualifiers, Germany and Czechia will play a three-game exhibition series in Czechia. Game 1 will be played in Třebíč, with Games 2 and 3 in Olomouc.

While Germany is preparing for the Premier12 qualifier in Barcelona, Czechia will prepare for its qualifier in Zhongshan, China, from Nov. 26-28 against China, Nicaragua and Great Britain.

Full roster

Pitchers- Ira Clifton, Tim Fischer, Simon Gross, Mark Harrison, Jacob Hilton, Philipp Kleehaupt, Noah Lindt, Christian Pedrol, Niklas Rimmel, Markus Solbach, Titus Von Kapff, Duke Von Schamann, Jona Widmann

Catchers- Yannic Walther, Vincent Ahrens, Maurice Bendrien

Infielders- William Germaine, Eric Brenk, Simon Bäumer, Darrion Richards, Tristan Russell

Outfielders- Finn Bergmann, Luca Hörger, Nino Sacasa