Dedication paves the way for baseball star

From running onto the local pitches of Boksburg to competing against top talent in Japan, Dean du Plessis from the Boksburg Cardinals has been immersed in baseball almost as long as he can remember.

“I started playing when I was three. My dad’s side of the family is really big on baseball – my grandpa even coached my dad. My dad has always coached me and taught me things about baseball and life in general. I loved baseball from the moment I started playing, and I’ve just never been able to lose interest,” he said.

Dean’s dedication and natural talent have earned him the honour of representing South Africa at both U15 and U18 level.

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“It meant the world to me as I represented my country in the sport I love playing. It had been my dream all my life, and when the teams were announced I was so happy because I put in a lot of effort to make it there.”

Competing internationally opened Dean’s eyes to the discipline needed to succeed at the highest level.

“I realised immediately that it’s way more competitive than the tournaments we have in South Africa, so we couldn’t stay up all night and mess around till early hours in the morning. I learnt that in order to achieve good results in baseball, you have to constantly put in that effort of hard training and going to the gym.”

Family support has played a crucial role in his journey. “They’ve supported me throughout my entire journey and encouraged me to never give up and always try my best. They took me to every training and got me a personal trainer. They never missed a game.”

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Known for his versatility on the field, Dean is exploring new positions while continuing to rely on his strengths. “I’ve recently started playing first-base. I’m still very new to it, and I’m looking forward to improving in that position. But I think my strength lies in second-base, as I’ve played there for most of my life. A defining moment came during an international tournament in Japan. I played first-base most of the time, even though I was full of nerves as it isn’t my main position. I feel like I did a good job. This showed me that I am able to perform at other positions if I just trust myself.”

Playing alongside and against some of the world’s best young players has taught Dean both humility and hard work. “Being a great baseball player doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be humble. I could see by the size difference that these guys trained extra hard every day.”

Despite the challenges of pursuing a sport that is still growing in South Africa, Dean has remained committed. “Because South Africa isn’t very big in baseball, we only have one big provincial tournament once a year. We only train twice a week, but a few of my friends and I usually go down to the fields on days we don’t train.”

Balancing academics and elite sport is another challenge Dean has faced head-on. “Last year was a really big challenge, with me being in matric and trying to focus on the World Cup. I had prelims the day after I got back from Japan. But I followed a schedule that balanced out my studies, training, and gym,” said the former Woodlands International College learner.

Looking ahead, Dean has big ambitions both on and off the field. “One thing I would love to do is help improve baseball in South Africa. I’ve started coaching this year, and I would love to go on coaching courses overseas to get more baseball knowledge to bring home to teach every child in South Africa that plays baseball. I would like to continue representing my country in the World Cup and hopefully play in the Baseball World Classics one day.”