PARMA -- Two Yale baseball alums helped the Israeli National Team make history this past weekend by winning the Europe/Africa Olympic Qualifier Tournament, earning Israel a spot in the 2020 Olympics. Benny Wanger '19, playing DH, had two hits and an RBI as Israel beat South Africa 11-1 in Italy on Sunday to win the tournament. Right-handed pitcher Eric Brodkowitz '18 was also on Israel's roster.

Both Bulldogs obtained dual Israeli-American citizenship to play for Team Israel. Wanger, who played first base in three games of the five-game tournament, totaled three hits (two doubles) in 13 at-bats. He also pitched 4.1 innings, allowing only one hit while striking out five.

Israel beat Spain 3-0 in the opener Sept. 18, then beat the Netherlands 8-1 and Italy 8-2. After a 7-4 loss to the Czech Republic this past Saturday, Israel bounced back to beat South Africa to claim the tournament championship.

Brodkowitz, one of 12 pitchers on Israel's roster, went 12-5 over his final two seasons with the Bulldogs.  In 2018, he was a unanimous first team All-Ivy League selection after he led the league with six victories without a loss in Ivy games. 

Wanger was an All-Ivy League selection both as a hitter (first team in 2017, second team in 2018) and as a pitcher (first team in 2018). He and Brodkowitz were part of Yale's back-to-back Ivy League Championships in 2017 and 2018. The 2017 team won a pair of games in the NCAA Tournament.

This is the first time Israel will field a team in any team sport at the Olympic Games since 1976 (men's soccer). Six national teams will compete in baseball at the Olympics. Japan, as the host nation, qualified automatically. The other four teams will be determined by upcoming competitions.