Baseball showcase attracts clubs from all over Gauteng

The showcase included junior and senior matches.

January 25, 2022

Lebohang Pita 2 minutes read

The Benoni Indians u-12 team in action against Palm Ridge.

The Benoni Northerns Sports Club was a hive of activity as the Benoni Indians hosted the baseball Grand Slam Showcase to kick off the second half of the baseball season on January 23.

Red, purple and green raglan T-shirts were all on show as players from different clubs in Gauteng took to the diamond to showcase their skills.

According to Clifford White of the Benoni Indians, the showcase was held in an attempt to attract sponsorship for the baseball league.

Louis van Zyl of the Alexandra Baseball Club told the City Times if they get sponsorship, it will not only help in running the league but also assist clubs from previously disadvantaged communities, like Palm Ridge and Alexandra where this sport is popular.

Baseball 5 is being introduced at a grassroots level so that the young players can master the basics of baseball.

“We are driving clubs from previously disadvantaged communities to get equipment. Just to get the Alexandra Baseball Club here costs R2 000. We don’t have any sponsorship and we have to get that money from somewhere.

“We also have a national tournament in Cape Town coming up in March where players from Palm Ridge and Alexandra have been selected. Just the costs to get to Cape Town will be about R5 000 per person. so we really need funds for that.”

Baseball 5
Also on show was the new short version of baseball known as baseball 5, which has been predicted to become an Olympic sport.

The South African Baseball Union baseball 5 commissioner, Americo Juma, told the paper that while baseball 5’s objective is to make the sport accessible and appealing, the intention is to help players master the fundamentals of baseball.

“Baseball 5 is a version of baseball and softball that was put in place by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) for the development of the game. It’s an instrument to master the fundamentals of baseball.

“We don’t use any equipment. We only use a rubber ball and we hit with our hands. You can play it anywhere, the field dimension is 18 by 18 metres and you only need five players to play.

“It’s one of the sports that supports social cohesion and promotes women in sports,” Juma said.

Although this version of baseball has been a global phenomenon in the USA and some countries in Europe, it was only introduced in South Africa two years ago.

“We started to introduce it two years ago. There is no real competition or league but the federations are driving it.

“It doesn’t cost much and you only need a small space to play it. The future plan is to get it to the senior level as it’s envisaged to be any Olympic sport,” said van Zyl.

Juma, who has been promoting baseball 5 around Gauteng, explained that the reception has been exceptional.

“The reception has been good. We have thus far run 18 coaching clinics and we have been to areas in Gauteng where people haven’t heard about baseball.

“The objective is to spread the baseball 5 footprint in all the corners of the nation. We are also targeting to go into areas where people often say baseball equipment is expensive. We will start introducing them to the sport through baseball 5.”