Indians players ready to rock the diamond at World Cup

They are part of the 20-men travelling squad while teammate Liam Pieterse is on the non-travelling reserves list.

August 1, 2022

Lebohang Pita 1 minute read

Caelum Stroberg is a pitcher and batter and will offer South Africa coaches many options at the World Cup.

Caelum Stroberg and JP Samouhlian will travel to Mexico to represent the country at the WBSC U15 Baseball World Cup from August 26 to September 4.

The Benoni Indians players are part of the 20-men travelling squad while their teammate, Liam Pieterse, is on the non-travelling reserves list.

Caelum is the pick of the Indians contingent and will likely make a big impact in Mexico. His all-around performances last season saw him walk away with the best pitcher, batter and MVP awards at the Indians’ end-of-season awards ceremony.

JP Samouhlian says he has finally realised his dream.

He started his journey in the sport in 2018 and made an immediate impact after being selected for the provincial U10 team for that year’s National Baseball Championships (NBC) in KZN.

His potential and commitment impressed the national coaches as he was picked for the elite SA training squad in 2019. His performances earned him a provincial U12B side call-up for the NBC in Port Elizabeth and 12 months later he was promoted to the U12A team. These achievements earned him the coach’s choice award at his club’s end-of-season banquet.

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He enjoyed another successful year this year with a provincial call-up for the NBC in Cape Town in March and another national training squad call-up, which ultimately earned him his full U15 national colours.

Liam Pieterse is part of the South Africa U15 world cup’s non-travelling reserves.

JP, an up and coming Indians pitching prospect, stated that it was always his dream to represent his country since the age of nine when he was selected for the U12 national training squad.

“My dream has eventually come true and it’s an honour to represent South Africa. Thank you to my parents for always believing in me and getting me to the training sessions.

“A big thank you to my coaches at Benoni Northerns and Gauteng Provincial Baseball Council for all their guidance, training, hard work and belief in me. Without them, this wouldn’t be possible,” he said.

Liam has been playing baseball since the age of three after joining the Benoni Indians U6 development side. The catcher has been part of the provincial set-up from the age of 10 and has represented Gauteng for the past five years.

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