The South African U18 Baseball team went unbeaten at the recent WBSC Africa Youth Championships in Polokwane, Limpopo, and were crowned the Africa Southern Region Champions. The three days of action were filled with drama as the teams displayed immense spirit, giving their all in every match. With Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and Botswana also in action, every match was a significant challenge. Zimbabwe emerged as South Africa’s biggest contender for the gold medal after two days of competition, with Lesotho and Botswana predicted to battle it out for third and fourth place.
The final day saw the semi-finals between South Africa and Lesotho, and Botswana and Zimbabwe. South Africa won the first semi-final 2-0, securing their place in the final. Zimbabwe also booked their spot in the final with a 2-0 victory over Botswana. This result set up a bronze medal playoff between Lesotho and Botswana. The day ended on a high note for Lesotho, who, despite being new to the game of Baseball5, made an incredible comeback to beat Botswana and secure the bronze medal.
In the finals, South Africa continued their winning momentum, defeating Zimbabwe 2-0 to secure the gold medal and the title of WBSC Africa Southern Region Champions.
The event, broadcast live on SuperSport Schools, showcased the potential of Baseball5, with all eyes now on the Junior Olympics in Dakar 2026. The Best Male Player of the Tournament award went to Ihsaan Slamdien, and the Best Female Player of the Tournament was awarded to Zay-yaan Moose, both from South Africa.
For Baseball5 in South Africa the attention now moves to the senior team who will be competing in the WBSC Baseball5 World Cup in Hong Kong from 7-10 October 2024. This will be the second Baseball5 World Cup with South Africa having successfully competed in the inaugural Baseball5 World Cup in Mexico.
The South African Baseball5 team is raising funds to support team costs and donations are welcome, big or small. You can support the team by making a donation to their Back a Buddy campaign ( Click here ) which sees all costs shared equally through the team.
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