The South African Baseball 5 side this weekend concluded the Southern Africa Regional Baseball5 Youth Championships 2026 with silver medals and qualification for the 2027 African Youth Baseball5 Championships, achieving the team’s primary objective.
South Africa made an excellent start on Day 1, winning all three matches, including two victories against Botswana and one against Zambia. The unbeaten opening day put the team in a strong position heading into the next round of matches.
Day 2 saw South Africa continue its campaign against regional opposition, including Lesotho and Zambia. The team gained valuable international experience in challenging hot weather conditions and secured a place in the semi-finals.
In the concluding matches, South Africa won its semi-final to advance to the championship final against Zambia.
The final was a tough and physical encounter, with both teams competing strongly for the championship title. Zambia eventually secured victory to claim the gold medal, with Team South Africa finishing as runners-up.
Following the final, South Africa also played a friendly match against Kenya, assisting the Kenyan team with its preparations for the Youth Olympic Games.
The main objective of the tournament was qualification for the African Youth Baseball5 Championships in 2027, where South Africa will compete for one of Africa’s two available places at the WBSC Youth Baseball5 World Cup 2027.
Guided by coaches Americo Juma and Hayley Scott-Maree, with the help of John Danks and congratulations to Talent Rhikitso for representing South Africa well as a Game Official Team South Africa completed the tournament with silver medals, qualification for the next stage and valuable international experience as preparations begin for the African Championships.
