by David Burns | Feb 23, 2019 | Blog, Podcasts
Jimmy Jensen went from cut from his high school baseball team, to NAIA All-American, to men’s league baseball before he decided to give overseas a try. Little did he know that signing his first overseas contract in 2015 would change his life forever in multiple...
by David Burns | Sep 7, 2018 | Blog, New Zealand, Podcasts
Baseball New Zealand CEO Ryan Flynn returns for the third time, this time to provide an update on the exciting times going on in the world of Baseball New Zealand, in particular the new Australian Baseball League professional franchise team that will based in Auckland...
by David Burns | Jun 29, 2018 | Australia, Blog, Colombia, Podcasts, Tips
After being released from pro baseball, former AA pitcher Arik Sikula started the regular 9-to-5 and fell into the rat-race that all pro ball players dread. It didn’t take long before this former Blue Jay prospect laced up the cleats again, starting with state...
by David Burns | Oct 12, 2017 | Blog, Japan, Podcasts
Three years ago on IBC Podcast Episode #26, I interviewed Zak Colby who was fresh off of his first season playing independent professional baseball in Japan in the Shikoku Island League. Zak has continued to play there working his way into a foreign recruitment role...
by David Burns | Mar 17, 2017 | Australia, Blog, Podcasts
Recently, one of the top pitchers in independent professional baseball decided to give up the lifestyle that comes with playing pro baseball in the U.S., which he said he loves, in order to play club baseball in the Czech Republic which play mostly on weekends. Sound...
by David Burns | Feb 24, 2017 | Blog, Podcasts, South America, Spain
Daniel Catalan had a successful college career playing with Holy Name University where hit a very respectable .282 and a very nice OBP in his senior year of .410. He also led HNU in triples in both his seasons there and did not commit a single error in the outfield....
by David Burns | Dec 2, 2016 | Austria, Blog, Podcasts
Overseas professional import pitcher Jimmy Jensen tells his story how he made his way up from cut from his high school baseball team travelling the world playing baseball. This first episode is the story of his constant struggles with being underestimated and how his...
by David Burns | Oct 3, 2016 | Blog, France, Germany, Podcasts
Josh Wyant grew up playing baseball in North Carolina and was never the standout player but always had a passion for the game and worked hard at getting better. He was a three sport athlete between cross country, baseball and swimming and as college grew closer, he...
by David Burns | Sep 23, 2016 | Australia, Blog, Podcasts
In 1995 Ryan Schurman was a 10th round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves. Twenty years later he is married with a baby boy and living in Germany and coaches cricket. Ryan is another remarkable story of how playing baseball overseas can not only be a way of extending a...
by David Burns | Sep 15, 2016 | Australia, Blog, Germany, Podcasts, South Africa
In 2012, Tanner Leighton, the #4 ranked NAIA prospect in the country from The Masters College in California, was one of many players in the independent ball system who had been in contact with scouts during his college tenure, yet had no luck come June. After a season...
by David Burns | Jun 20, 2016 | Australia, Austria, Germany, Podcasts
Will Thorp grew up playing baseball in British Columbia, Canada where he also started his college career at a local junior college. After a successful freshman year, he earned a chance to play at Lewis-Clark State College, one of the top NAIA baseball programs. In...
by David Burns | May 23, 2016 | Australia, Blog, Podcasts
This podcast interview is with Graham Vickers who is the president of the Ainslie Bears, a club who have utilized the website to import players over the past couple of seasons. Here is an earlier interview from 2015 with Andrew Medeiros, an IBC member and former...
by David Burns | Apr 4, 2016 | Australia, Blog, Other, Podcasts
Sam Siddall is a graduate from the Midland University (NAIA) where he spent three years as a relief pitcher with limited action. Post college, in 2013, he was playing in a mens league in Alberta, Canada when a friend presented him with an opportunity to coach youth in...
by David Burns | Feb 17, 2016 | Blog, Germany, Podcasts
After finishing up the 2010 season with Almere and Hamburg and achieving his long term goal of pitching in the Dutch Head Class, Boomer was undecided about what to do with his baseball career and was leaning towards focusing on finishing law school and getting a job....
by David Burns | Feb 2, 2016 | Australia, Blog, Netherlands, Podcasts
In IBC episode 58, Justin “Boomer” Prinstein walked us through the beginning of his international professional baseball story which was a wild one with lots of ups and downs with stops in Belgium and Israel. This was all in the span of one season as well....
by David Burns | Jan 19, 2016 | Australia, Belgium, Blog, Podcasts
Listen to the interview now and/or read the shorter version below. Justin “Boomer” Prinstein has been involved in baseball overseas since he first came to Europe in 2006 as an import pitcher. The former George Washington University pitcher spent his junior...
by David Burns | Jan 5, 2016 | Blog, Podcasts
The Euro League Baseball (ELB) is a new professional baseball league in Europe set to launch in 2016. There has been a lot of hype over the league during the offseason as players and imports anticipate something that has a lot of potential to be great. As the new year...
by David Burns | Nov 30, 2015 | Blog, France, Podcasts
With all the violence that has taken place in France as of late, I can understand why someone may be hesitant to consider playing baseball there in 2016. However, when considering the alternative of staying and playing in the U.S. (for most of you), is France really...
by David Burns | Nov 10, 2015 | Blog, Czech Republic, Podcasts
Born in Montana, Kris Richards spent most of his life in North Carolina where he grew up playing baseball. After high school he remained in North Carolina as he signed on with the NCAA D1 University of North Carolina at Greensboro where he played ball from 2008 to...
by David Burns | Oct 20, 2015 | Blog, France, Podcasts
Born in Annemasse, France, Owen Ozanich at a young age moved to the U.S. where he grew up in South Burlington, Vermont. Like many boys his age growing up in the U.S., he fell in love with the game of baseball. He found success early on as a little leaguer as...
A former import player myself, I started this website in late 2012 to help others do the same.
As a father of two, I am grounded (in Austria) and use this blog to live vicariously through our members. I hope you enjoy their adventures and stories as well. 
