Indians players crucial to team, says coach

National U23 baseball coach Neil Adonis emphasised the importance of the four Benoni Indians players in the SA team bound for the World Baseball and Softball Confederation (WBSC) U23 World Cup in China, next month.

The quartet, Corbin Greenslade, Kyle Schwartz, Cullen Pieterse and Robert White, are part of Adonis’ 24-man squad that will compete in the sixth edition of this biennial tournament at the Shaoxing Baseball and Softball Sports Culture Centre from September 6 to 15.

Best in the country

Adonis said the players are some of the best in their positions in the country, adding that Greenslade‘s experience, maturity and leadership are key while Schwartz and White added depth and excitement to the team.

“Corbin is one of the leaders in the team. He’s a talented young man and very mature for his age. I believe he’s going to do well for us.

“Kyle is a newbie in the team. However, he’s very talented. He’s considered one of our best shot stops in the country right now. He’s got the tools to do well in China.

“Robert is one of our best pitchers. I’m excited to see how he plays against some of the top teams. He’s going to do well,” he said.

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Adonis is excited to see prospect, Pieterse in action. He said the 17-year-old Boksburg resident will learn a lot from this experience.

“He’s our baby in the team. I’m excited to see him play and compete at the level we are going to be playing at. We’ll see how he goes and I expect him to do well for his age.”

Preparations

With just under a month left before the start of the tournament, Adonis explained the preparations are going well, adding that the team will be ready on September 6.

“We’ve got players across the world that are preparing for the world cup. We have some players in the USA playing in the summer leagues. We have a player in Australia and the rest are in Gauteng and Cape Town. The preparations are going better than expected. We will be ready when the tournament starts,” Adonis said.

He said the squad is the best the country has had for many years and expects the players “to show up and challenge every team they face”.

Spending some time with the Gauteng players has increased Adonis’ confidence that the team will do well in China.

He is confident the experience brought by the eight overseas-based players will help his team better their 2022 world cup record, where they finished the competition without a win.

“It helps us tremendously. The experience they’ve gained from their college coaches has seen them develop quicker compared to what we have here in SA. I’m excited to see them play and produce what they’ve been taught there.”

Adonis’ charges start their tournament against Nicaragua on September 6.

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