Leannelys Zayas Makes Italian Debut with Reigning Champions Quick Mill Bollate

April 13, 2026

Cuban shortstop Leannelys Zayas Pérez, from Yara in Granma province, made her debut in European softball on Monday, April 13, 2026, playing for Quick Mill Bollate — the reigning champions of Italy's women's Serie A1 — in a 6-3 comeback win over MKF Saronno.

Zayas arrived in Italy after completing her stint with the Diablos Rojos in Mexico's professional women's softball league, where she made history as the first player to accumulate 100 hits in league history and the all-time leader in RBIs.

"Since last year, several Italian teams had expressed interest in signing me, but I couldn't come because I had international commitments with Cuba's national team. So this is a dream come true," Zayas told the Cuban News Agency (ACN) ahead of her debut.

Playing fourth in the lineup of Venezuelan manager Eduardo Jesús Arocha, Zayas helped her new team mount a seventh-inning rally that turned a 2-3 deficit into a 6-3 victory. The two-time Cuban heritage in the club was evident as Quick Mill Bollate opened its title defense with a road win.