By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

From Canada to the United States to Europe and back again, McGill University Redmen head coach Casey Auerbach has experienced a lot in the game of baseball.

Auerbach now hopes to pass on what he has experienced, both on the field and culturally, by taking a group of college baseball players to Switzerland, Germany and Austria.

“I was fortunate enough to play and coach in Switzerland for two summers back in 2011 and 2012,” Auerbach said. “It was a unique way to combine my two passions of baseball and travel. I wanted to expose and share the baseball and cultural opportunities available overseas with other Canadian players who could benefit from the experience like I did.”

The roster for the trip is made up of university and college players from across the country. From the CCBA North and Atlantic, as well as from the Ontario University Athletic and the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association.

“We have players from Quebec and Ontario all the way out east to New Brunswick, as well as a number of American-born players going to school and playing their college baseball in Canada.”

Auerbach brings a wealth of experience to lead the team into competition. He began his career as a youngster playing in Montreal before playing his high school baseball in the United States. He then returned to Canada to suit up for McGill University before eventually finding his way overseas. For Auerbach, coming back to Canada to play at McGill was the best situation.

“I was focused on finding the best academic institution I could play baseball at and McGill was the perfect fit academically, socially and for extracurriculars,” Auerbach said. “I was offered a contract with the Embrach Mustangs, a team in the top league in Switzerland and played and coached there for two years.”

The trip will take place May 11th-23rd. The team will play eight-to-10 games against national teams and top division league teams in Switzerland and Germany.

“I want the players to get an introduction to the European baseball community,” Auerbach said. “I hope they learn about and embrace new cultures.”

This group of players will get a special opportunity to attend Finkstonball in Austria. Finkstonball is a baseball and softball tournament and music festival that has attracted more than 2500 players from 23 countries over the past 20 years. Auerbach’s squad was the first to represent Canada in the tournament in 2018.

This trip offers a great opportunity for players to combine baseball and travel. The baseball portion of the trip is important but Auerbach wants his players to take more away from the experience than just their performance on the field.

“Baseball is what gives the trip purpose,” he said. “But there is much more to it than that. This will be a baseball and cultural experience of a lifetime. We will experience some of Europe’s most amazing places, take in a new culture and make friendships that will last a lifetime.”