Story by Raynald Ngwarati
THE Zimbabwe Under-23 Baseball Team has entered camp as it intensifies preparations for the World Baseball and Softball Confederation (WBSC) Regional Qualifier, scheduled for May at a yet-to-be-confirmed venue.
The national side has initiated training as it sets its sights on progressing to the African Championships, a crucial step that will also serve as the final qualifier for the Baseball World Cup.
Despite the players’ enthusiasm and commitment, officials have raised concerns over Zimbabwe’s poor baseball infrastructure, which they fear may affect the team’s chances of qualifying.
The team is set to face stiff competition from regional powerhouses such as South Africa and Zambia, but morale remains high.
“This is my first qualification tournament and as team Zimbabwe, we are very excited. We are preparing well, and I believe we have a real chance to qualify,” player Clayton Mpofu said.
“This is our second camp. We have been doing team-building exercises, yesterday we had a game night as a team. We are growing stronger both on and off the field, and that is helping us become one mentally and spiritually united team,” another player, Panashe Kuwanda said.
While preparations on the pitch are taking shape, the spotlight has shifted to the urgent need to upgrade baseball facilities in the country. The lack of proper infrastructure is viewed as a serious impediment to the team’s ambitions.
“This is my first-year qualification tournament. And as Zimbabwe, it is a very, very good tournament, and we are very well preparing, and we are preparing very, very good, and I am hoping that we are going to qualify,” player, Clayton Mpofu said.
“This is our second Camp, and we have been doing team building practices. Yesterday we went out for a game night as a team and played. We are also building as a team off the field as well as building it in the ground which is helping us to form one team that is fit mentally and spiritually,” another player, Panashe Kuwanda said.
While, it is shaping up on the field of play, the need to spruce up baseball facilities in the country has come under the spotlight, posing a threat to the qualification campaign.
“If we can get a proper field, because right now we have been going in and out playing different countries, so we would also like to match their kind of facility so that when we go out there they will not be surprised with proper facilities. We want to face them here,” gead coach U23, Yasser Simango said.
The country only has one functional baseball facility at Callies Sports Club in the capital built ahead of the 1995 All Africa Games, but the facility is at risk of being converted into a mainline sport code facility, suffering a similar fate with the one that used to be at Alex and Belgravia Sports Clubs in Harare.
The infrastructure gap has plagued the sport from reaching its maximum potential, with the leagues across various provinces of the country relying on soccer and rugby fields.
