Israel’s Under-19 National Baseball Team came close to accomplishing the improbable against Team USA at the 2026 Maccabiah Games at Ezra Schwartz Memorial Field in Ra’anana. Before this year’s series, Israel had defeated the Americans only once. This year, Team Israel raced to a surprising 3-1 series lead before dropping the final four games.
Despite the heartbreaking finish, Team Israel had plenty to celebrate. Both teams acknowledged just how far the Israeli program has progressed since the last Maccabiah they faced each other in 2022.
Freddy Bain, Team Israel’s manager, who represented Israel as a player at the 2017 Maccabiah, was understandably disappointed that his team could not close out the series. He said the players shared that feeling.
“The players were disappointed—but the experience was not a disappointment,” Bain told JNS.
“You show up to win—even though the odds are against you,” he added, noting that Israel had beaten Team USA only once before this year. “We played really well.”
Building a stronger program
Wayne Stofsky, head coach of Team USA, admitted he was far from certain his team would prevail.
Stofsky, who played twice in the College World Series, coached Team USA at the 2022 Maccabiah, serves as director of athletics at the David Posnack School in Davie, Fla., and has helped numerous players reach the professional ranks through Cannons Baseball University, said, “I didn’t expect to win. I knew it would be competitive.”
He said his players were “ecstatic,” especially since an estimated 80% of them will not continue playing baseball in college.
“If this is their last baseball experience, it was a pretty good one,” he said.
Stofsky described the winding path that brought his team to Israel.
“We picked two teams in June 2024—a top team and a second team—with 18 players each,” he said.
When the 2025 Maccabiah was postponed because of the war in Gaza, Team USA lost 12 players from its top squad, two from the second team and two assistant coaches. Rather than hold new tryouts for 2026, Stofsky rebuilt the roster from players he had already evaluated during tryouts in four U.S. cities.
Then came the war with Iran.
“We lost 19 more players,” he said. “At that point we decided not to bring a second team.”
The tournament had originally been scheduled to include four teams—one from Israel, two from the United States and one from Canada. In the end, only Team Israel and a single American team competed.
“Instead of having two teams of 18, we had one team of 17,” Stofsky said. “But it felt good. Everyone wanted to be here and be part of the journey.”
For Stofsky, baseball is only part of the Maccabiah experience.
“I tell them baseball is just the avenue that gets you here,” he said. “The experience is much more than baseball.”
The two teams spent hours together both on and off the field, including a postgame pizza party and a visit to a shawarma restaurant.
Arnie Fielkow, Maccabi USA’s baseball chair, a former Maccabiah basketball player and sports attorney, agreed that assembling the team had been particularly difficult because of the postponement and the changing roster.
Now that the delegation is in Israel, he said, the experience has exceeded expectations.
“The opening ceremony was so special, and we got to see the Nova site,” he said. The team also visited Sderot and continued “connecting with Israel” through educational tours.
Both Fielkow and Stofsky praised the remarkable improvement of Israel’s baseball program.
“I am very proud of Israel Baseball,” Fielkow said. “Their improvement in play is unbelievable.”
Stofsky pointed to Israel’s deeper pitching staff, stronger infield and several players capable of competing in NCAA Division III baseball.
“They are advancing the sport,” he said.
He also believes the two-team format ultimately made for a better competition.
“Each game was competitive,” he said, noting that several contests were decided by one or two runs. “It was good for us and for the Israeli kids. It gave them a sense of how to compete and what to do.”
More than baseball
The seven-game series also served as ideal preparation for Team Israel’s next challenge.
Bain spoke with JNS as the team prepared to board a flight from Ben-Gurion Airport for the Under-18 European Baseball Championship, to be held in Trieste and Ronchi dei Legionari, Italy, from July 13-19.
“It is a quick turnaround and not a lot of time to be sad,” he said.
Looking back on the Maccabiah, Bain believes the experience extended well beyond the results.
“Within a game, it is hard to see the big picture,” he said. “Afterwards, you can see what it is all about—it is a celebration of world Jewry.”
He said many Israeli players were already chatting with their American counterparts on FaceTime from the airport.
“The American kids are a great group of kids,” Bain said. “It is nice seeing the kids interact and trading gear—even after seven intense games.”
Stofsky, who also spoke with JNS from Ben-Gurion Airport after a two-hour wait in the security line, was delighted to hear that his players were already keeping in touch with the Israelis.
“That is pretty cool. I didn’t know that,” he said. “The players got along really well. They got to the stadium two hours early, so they had time to hang out. They had pizza and shawarma together, and they were trading uniforms and hats. Maybe they were making friends for life.”
While grateful for the friendships and the opportunity to strengthen Jewish connections, Stofsky admitted there was still room for a little competitive satisfaction.
“It is not just about baseball,” he said with a smile, “but winning makes the trip a lot more fun and exciting!”
