Gauteng baseball team excels at nationals

The Gauteng U18 men’s A team clinched their first National Baseball Championships (NBC) trophy since 2019 after a narrow 6-5 victory over the Western Cape A side during the nationals in Cape Town last week.

This was celebrated as an “outstanding achievement” by the team after ending a seven-year drought and stomping the Western Cape’s dominance.

The provincial U12B team finished third, with the U15A side coming second in the U15s tournament, while the U15 girls’ added another gold to mark “a proud moment for Gauteng baseball” and “further solidified Gauteng’s dominance in junior baseball”.

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“We are immensely proud of the young players who represented Gauteng in Cape Town. Their hard work, dedication and sportsmanship made this a historic win for the province.

“We extend our gratitude to the coaches, players and parents whose support and determination played a crucial role in this success,” said GPBC president Dean McKinnon.

It was also a successful championship for the Benoni Indians as two of its U18 pitchers, Caelum Stroberg and Connor Steyn were selected in the elite training squad in preparation for the World Baseball and Softball Confederation (WBSC) U18 world cup in Japan in September.

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Stroberg and Steyn played a crucial role for Gauteng, with the former pitching the province to victory in the final while the latter secured Gauteng’s spot in the final with an exceptional performance in the knockouts.

Stroberg, meanwhile, was selected into the team of the tournament for the best U18 relief pitcher, thus earning him a black cap for being the outstanding performer overall in the U18s tournament in his position.