The South African senior men’s softball national team, the Proteas, will start their world cup campaign against unpredictable Guatemala in a breakfast pool fixture on Thursday morning.
They will then have a mammoth task when they trade bats with Japan and Columbia on Friday.
South Africa will wrap up their pool fixtures over the weekend when they play against the Netherlands and the host nation, the US.
The side jetted off to America yesterday ahead of its opening match on Thursday.
The event is organised under the auspices of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), the global governing body for baseball and softball.
The 18th edition of the senior men’s tournament takes place from September 17 to 21 in Oklahoma, US.
The tournament is held on a biennial basis and is the international game’s Holy Grail.
SA qualified for their 12th WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup appearance, which will mark their fourth consecutive participation.
The reigning African kings booked their berth for this world cup edition after beating arch-rivals Botswana and Lesotho during the continental championships.
The green and gold brigade has played in eight of the last nine world cups with their only absence during the 2015 championship in Canada, interrupting a streak of five consecutive appearances.
Softball South Africa president Mash Matsetela said the world cup would be the perfect platform for the team to improve its international rankings since it is in a more competitive group.
“Our international rankings declined due to our non-participation at the under-18 tournaments because this age group is a key feeder of the senior team,” said Matsetela.
“We have progressed fairly well over the years and as African champions, we hope to make a significant contribution on the global stage,” he said.
South Africa’s head coach, Lemo Raphasha, has selected most of the regular squad members whose longevity spans over a decade.
“We have made a few changes in the pitching department but the majority of the players who have been in the team are still here. They have vast international experience and understand what is required at this level. They have been in the team for years during African qualifiers, junior and senior world cups.”
Raphasha, the first-ever South African coach to win the National Championship seven times in succession with the Limpopo provincial team, Dinare, added that the game had undergone a tremendous improvement.
Raphasha and his charges understand the gravity of the world cup.
Although South Africa is the top-ranked team in Africa, they are the second-lowest in their group. They are pitted against some of the world superpowers in Group C. Ranked 18th in the world, they will face stiff competition against Japan, the US, Guatemala, Colombia and The Netherlands.
