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In their second season back in the European Second League, Zaragoza dominated the Western Conference standings at 107-55. It was a 13 game drop to second place with four teams intensely fighting for the remaining three playoff spots. Oslo (94-68) and Cardiff (93-69) both advanced outright. The Octopi earned their second playoff trip since returning to E2L in 2028, while this was the first playoff trip since 2023 for the Crew.

Gothenberg and Liverpool tied for the final spot at 91-71. The Gales won a tiebreaker game to advance for their first postseason appearance in nine years. It was the sixth straight winning season for the Phantoms, but they and Stuttgart (82-80) remained the only original E2L teams yet to get promote at least once. Lisbon was the next closest team in the playoff race at 85-77.

Dresden’s E2L debut failed miserably at 44-118, sending them right back down to European Tier Three. It showed that the brand new ET3 teams were still a long way from reaching E2L levels. Dresden posted the worst record in E2L history and had all-time conference worsts in runs (391), hits (962), and triple slash (.180/.253/.279).

In the double round robin, Cardiff clobbered the field at 5-1 to earn their second-ever promotion, having won the E2L title in 2014. Oslo also advanced by going 3-3, ending their lone E2L run at four seasons. Top seed Zaragoza was denied as they and Gothenberg both finished 2-4. In the Western Conference Championship, the Crew won a seven game classic over the Octopi.



The Eastern Conference was top heavy with Helsinki (111-51) and Thessaloniki (107-55) lapping the field. The Honkers were only the third team in E2L history to win 110+ games and their 769 runs scored was the second-most in E2L history behind their own 771 from 2028. The Finnish capital had gotten promoted that year, but dropped back after one season. The Tritons earned their second playoff trip in three years.

Belgrade was a firm third at 99-63, giving the Bruisers three straight playoff trips since their first relegation for 2028. Vienna grabbed the final spot at 93-69, finishing seven games better than their next closest foes Bucharest and Lviv. Tue Vultures were in the second year of their current E2L run after a brief 2027-29 return to the European Baseball Federation’s Elite Tier.

E2L newcomer Gdansk also was relegated right back to ET3 after one year, although their 58-104 wasn’t nearly as bad as Dresden’s efforts in the WC. Varna (63-99), Yerevan (65-97), and Dnipro (66-96) each were in danger, but escaped demotion. Riga at 68-94 also notably only had 951 hits with a .181 average and .259 OBP; each ranking as the second-worst in conference history.

The top two prevailed in the double round robin with both Helsinki and Thessaloniki at 4-2, while Belgrade and Vienna were each 2-4. The Honkers picked up their third promotion back to the big time, hoping to fare better. The Tritons ended their current E2L stint at six seasons. In the Eastern Conference Championship, Thessaloniki upset Helsinki 4-1 to secure their third appearance in the finale.



Thessaloniki became two-time Second League Championship winners, defeating Cardiff in a seven game classic. The Tritons joined Seville and Valencia as the teams to win the E2L title twice.



Other notes: Zaragoza’s Marc David had the 6th hitting Triple Crown in E2L history with 59 homers, 134 RBI, and a .316 average. Stuttgart’s Alexander Hamann won his sixth Pitcher of the Year; only one other pitcher had even won thrice. Cardiff’s Fritz Gocke set a playoff record drawing 20 walks.



In the third season for European Tier Three, Toulouse quickly made its escape after its 2030 demotion, crushing the field at 116-46. Bordeaux earned the other promotion at 96-66, holding off Florence (91-71), Geneva (90-72), and The Hague (89-73). The Blue Angels notably had finished 74-88 in their first two seasons. Athens was 81-81 in its first ET3 season. In the championship series, the Toads topped Bordeaux 4-2.