Portland man playing for USA Softball Men’s National Team

Jon Gwizdala of Portland recently competed in the WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup in Oklahoma City as a member of the USA Softball Men’s National Team.  Originally from Bay City, Gwizdala is a pitcher for the national team and currently calls Portland home.

Last week the team began play in in the WBSC Group Qualifying Round Group C for the 2025 World Cup.  On Tuesday the team kicked off the tournament with a 3-0 Win over Columbia. Pitcher Marco Diaz pitched a complete game allowing 2 hits while striking out 16.

On Wednesday, Diaz was back on the mound for game 1 of a double header vs. Guatemala where he pitched 4 innings and got the win. Diaz struck out 8 allowing 2 hits and 0 runs. Cody Gibbons pitched the 5th and closed out the 7-0 win.

In Game two of the double header USA defeated the Netherlands 11-0, USA hitters tallied 17 hits on the day while Cody Gibbons and Javier Caballero pitched a combined 3 hit shutout. Erick Ochoa, Blaine Milheim, Jonathan Lynch, Tyler Johnson and Frank Kimlinger each hit homers on the day.

On Wednesday, team USA mounted a dramatic comeback to defeat Japan by a score of 9-5 and remain undefeated in the tournament.  Marco Diaz (Ensenada, Baja, CA) continued his dominant performance in the tournament adding another 15 strikeouts and picking up the complete game win. Jeff Lewis (Amboy, MN) went 3-3 on the day with a home run, tallying 3 runs and 3RBI. Jonathan Lynch (Cape Girardeau) went 2-3 with a home run, and 2 RBI

On Saturday, they clinched a place in the 2025 World Cup Finals which will take place from 8–13 July 2025 in Prince Albert, Canada.  Marco Diaz (Ensenada, Baja, CA) remained steady in the circle for the Eagles, tossing five K’s while allowing only three hits through four innings.

After 57 games in the Group Stage, the eight teams for the WBSC Men's Softball World Cup Finals 2025 are confirmed: No. 1 Argentina, No. 2 Australia, No. 3 Canada, No. 4 Japan, No. 5 Venezuela, No. 7 USA, No. 10 New Zealand and No. 14 Dominican Republic will compete for the world title next year in Prince Albert, Canada.

According to Gwizdala’s LinkedIn page, his coaching resume includes assistant coach stops at Davenport University (2019-2021), Western Michigan University (2021-2022), and the University of Toledo (2022-2024), and he was named the head softball coach at Jackson College in July of 2024.

Photos from usasoftball.com