The South African U15 Baseball team has wrapped up its preparations in the United States and now heads to Mérida, Mexico, for the 2026 WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup.
During their stay in Atlanta, the team trained, played warm-up games and attended baseball activities while being hosted by John Kelso and the International Sports Federation.
The team also made a two-and-a-half-hour road trip to Tennessee for a night game against Prospect U16. South Africa led 4-0 after three frames before Prospect fought back to take a 6-4 lead by the sixth. South Africa responded in the seventh, scoring twice to level the game at 6-6. Defensively, South Africa was solid, turning a double play and keeping errors to a minimum. The coaching staff also used the game to prepare the pitching rotation, with pitchers given a frame each ahead of the World Cup.
The team now heads to Mérida for the final preparations before the tournament get underway on 25 September.
South Africa will compete in Group A alongside Japan, Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic and Germany.
The 2026 WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup features 12 countries divided into two groups of six. South Africa will play each of the other five teams in Group A during the opening round.
The top three teams from each group will progress to the Super Round, while the remaining teams will move into the Placement Round. South Africa qualified for the World Cup as African champions after completing the continental qualification tournament in Nairobi, Kenya, unbeaten.
South Africa’s Group Matches ( SA Time )
- 25 September 2026
South Africa vs Japan – 18:30 - 26 September 2026
Cuba vs South Africa – 21:00 - 28 September 2026
Mexico vs South Africa – 03:30 - 28 September 2026
Dominican Republic vs South Africa – 23:00 - 29 September 2026
South Africa vs Germany – 18:30
Team Management
Head Coach: Paul van der Merwe
Assistant Coach: Gareth Long
Assistant Coach: Thabang Letsoalo
Assistant Coach: Antonio Alexander
Head of Delegation: Deidrè Marquard
The WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup runs from 25 September to 4 October 2026.
