Eugene. Older brother Andreas and Mundo Duplantes had already made that choice.
Now the middle brother, Antoine, also chooses the Swedish national team – in baseball.
– I feel some jealousy. “When I get a little older and stop jumping, maybe I can play for the national team as well,” Mundo Duplantes says.
Last night, Mondo Duplantis was all set for the WC Final as planned.
But in Swedish sport, there was encouragement for another Duplantis as well. Late Friday night, the Swedish Baseball Association released the news that Antoine Duplantis had been selected to play for the Swedish national team.
“Breaking news! The captain of the national team and the coaching staff is pleased to announce that Antoine Duplantis has agreed to represent Sweden during Tenerife Week and during the European Championship in September 2023.” He writes in a press release.
History books at LSU
Great promotion for a rather small national team.
While Mundo Duplantis was a freshman at Louisiana State University, LSU, his three-year-old brother was a huge star at the same university. When he left LSU, he had the most hits in the school’s history.
When he finished there, he was recruited New York Mets But he has not yet played in MLB. At the latest in mid-June, he signed for the Staten Island Ferry Hawks in the so-called Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. There he had the role of a midfielder.
‘It’s hard to take the next step’
Now he will play for the national team as well. After Mundo qualified for the WC Final, he talked a little bit about baseball with Sportbladet.
– It’s crazy fun. I feel a little jealous because I love baseball so much. He says that when I get older and stop jumping, I can play in the national team too.
Will you be elected to the Swedish national team, do you think?
– Yes, I really think so. I was pretty good when I was younger, so it seems like a good plan.
Can’t you time a little more with postseason games then?
– We’ll see, maybe I can be there and cheer anyway. I don’t know if I can play now…
You have a little more..
– Yes, one more thing.
“small world”
Antoine Duplantis previously represented Sweden at P15 and was in Sweden in 2020 trying to spread his knowledge in different training environments.
Baseball is a really small world here in Sweden where everyone knows everyone. There are good players in Sweden but it is difficult to take the next step when it is not possible to play such a long season and there are not such big demands in the environment, for example only the regular season in MLB is 162 games and I play the games mostly all year round. There is a need for indoor facility and greater opportunity in Sweden, because I believe baseball will continue to grow here. “I hope to be able to come and share my experiences as a professional player in the USA,” he told Sportbladet at the time.
In addition to Mundo, older brother Andreas also represented the Swedish national junior athletics team as a pole vaulter. Younger brother, Joanna, is also jumping on the podium but has not yet represented Sweden.