Indians players to represent SA at U23 World Cup

Benoni Indians catcher Corbin Greenslade believes there’s enough talent and depth in the national squad that will represent the country at the U23 World Baseball and Softball Confederation (WBSC) World Cup in China in September.

It will be Greenslade’s second U23 World Cup appearance after turning out for SA at the 2022 event in Taiwan.

The catcher, along with his Indians teammates Robert White, Kyle Schwartz and Cullen Pieterse, is part of the 24-man travelling squad announced recently by South African Baseball.

“It’s special to play for my country and make everyone proud. It’s awesome to see the competition around the world and how everybody plays baseball,” Greenslade said.

This time, the catcher goes into the tournament better prepared and knows what to expect after his experience from the previous tournament.

“I know what kind of preparation I must do. The main thing is that I know what I’m getting myself into. I know what I must do better.”

Though SA ended the previous tournament winless, Greenslade, who attends Bethel University in Indiana, USA, is confident they will do better this year.

The 22-year-old is aware of SA’s shortcomings and knows it will be tough competing against powerhouses like defending champions Japan and Chinese Taipei but believes the experience of the overseas-based players, including White and Schwartz, will be valuable.

“It’s hard competing against them because they play high-quality baseball daily, whereas our quality here is not strong. But we have eight guys who study and play baseball in the US. We also have a guy who plays in Australia. He’s a good pitcher. We hope he can assist us.

“We have some talented guys who can do well. Overall, we are a team that connects well and plays hard. We’ll give it our best,” Greenslade said.

He said their primary goal is to get some wins and improve SA’s world ranking.

Schwartz and White said the experience they gathered while playing college baseball in the US in the past 12 months helped improve their game.

It will also be the pair’s second successive World Cup appearance for SA after representing the country in the 2022 U18 World Cup.

“It’s always an honour to represent my country. Going to the States, learning new skills and bettering my game is a big thing for me. It has helped me tremendously to be where I am today,” said middle infielder and Judson University student Schwartz.

White, who plays as a pitcher and attends the Central Christian College of Kansas, gave a frank assessment of the level of the game in the country compared to the US.

“My experience in the US gave me the knowledge of what’s expected because when you play SA baseball, you don’t expect much. Our good players aren’t good there. When you play college baseball and see what can happen in a game of baseball, you start expecting new things. The more exposure you get, the better you will become,” said the St Dunstan’s College alumnus.

The tournament will take place at the Shaoxing Baseball and Softball Cultural Centre from September 6 to 15.

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