Squad for World Baseball Qualifiers
Local baseball player to represent South Africa in Australia
Four players from Gauteng have been selected into the final 28-man team of the South African Baseball Union.
Kyron Bibis, Cuan Bergman, Liam Vincent and Hein Robb made the final team and the announcement was made by the union on their website last night.
The players and a bull pen catcher will be traveling to Australia to participate in the World Baseball Classic Qualifying Tournament.
The qualifying tournament takes place from 11 to 14 February. South Africa are in the same group as Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
Riegaana Wings said the Gauteng Province Baseball Council (GPBC) is ecstatic to have representatives in the South African team.
“On behalf of the federation, we are proud to have these four phenomenal players represent Gauteng alongside players from other provinces to play in the Classics qualifier. This is a great achievement for us as the GPBC,” said she said.
Wings is the newly appointed public relations of the GPBC and is the communications manager of local baseball club Dragon Wings.
Bergman is a 26-year-old right handed catcher. He plays for the Edenvale Giants and in the Major A Gauteng league. The Maraisburg resident started playing in 1995 at the age of 5 at Marks Park Mustangs until he moved to Edenvale Giants in 2008. He has also briefly made appearances in the Cape Town league during the 2011-2013 seasons for Blauuwberg.
Bibis is a 23-year-old right handed outfielder. He started playing baseball at the age of 10 at the Junior Club of Edenvale Giants called Imps. He played junior baseball for nine years at Imps as well as starting his Major A career at Giants at 16 years old. Bibis made his first provincial junior team at 10-years-old and played each year thereafter until 18- years-old.
23-year-old Robb was signed out of the European Baseball Academy in 2008 by the Minnesota Twins. He was on the South African roster for the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Robb was the country’s worst hurler in the 2009 WBC, giving up 4 runs in 1/3 of an inning for 108.00 ERA. Robb also pitched in the 2009 Baseball World Cup, allowing six runs in two innings. He gave up three runs in one inning against both Spain and Puerto Rico. He made his pro debut with the 2010 GCL Twins, throwing a scoreless inning against the GCL Rays, walking one.
Squad
Kyle Botha (BAWP) , Brandon Bouillon (Easterns), Garth Cahill (Jackson State University), Kieran Cree (Easterns), Rowan Ebersohn (Minnesota Twins), Shannon Ekermans (BAWP), Jared Elario (BAWP), Kyle Ettisch(BAWP), Kyle Gaddin (Easterns), Wesley Hoskins (College, USA), Dean Jacobs(BAWP), Robert Lewis-Walker (KZN), Carl Michaels(BAWP), Russel Olivier(BAWP), Callan Pearce (Minnesota Twins), Anthony Phillips(BAWP), Jonathan Phillips(BAWP), Allan Randall (BAWP), Benjamin Smith (BAWP), Lloyd Stevens (BAWP), Keegan Swanepoel( Australian Baseball League), Dylan Unsworth (Seat, Brett Willenburg(BAWP) , Damian Wood( KZN) and Gift Ngoepe (Pittsburgh Pirates)
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