Softball team battle-ready
Calistus Kolantsho | Saturday February 4, 2023 06:00
Tawina and the team target to qualify for the next stage of the competition.
All eyes are on Tawina after the selection of the team raised eyebrows. “Preparing a team is not an easy task, it takes a lot of commitment and passion for the sport, but all I can say is preparations are ongoing,” Tawina said.
He said the mood is positive in the camp and players are responding to instructions.
He said the players are aware that they are stepping into a high-level intensity competition and they know what is at stake if they want to beat the best. Tawina said together with his technical committee, they have done everything they could to sharpen the team. Onkokame Tlhakoyakgomo, 22, who will earn her first senior national team cap, is among Tawina's rising stars.
Tlhakoyakgomo started playing softball at junior school. “Something that caught my eye is how softball was played, batting, and running bases. I am currently playing my club softball at Titans. I am a shortstopper.
I field between second and third base. The position is considered to be amongst the most demanding. But I do not mind playing everywhere except pitching because my coach, Disang Selemogwe believes I am a utility player,” she said. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who were typically poor at batting and were often placed at the bottom of the batting order. Today, shortstops are often able to hit well and many are placed at the top of the line-up.
Tlhakoyakgomo said playing for the national team is not an easy thing. “But to me, it is a big achievement because I was part of the Under-19 team.” While Tlhakoyakgomo's career is only taking off, at the other end of the spectrum is 40-year-old veteran, Nametsegang Passman. She said her teacher dragged her to the softball ground because of her height and her body structure. “We used to watch college softball videos during weekends and at the same time, we were taught the game.
I started as a catcher and when I was doing Form Three I was taught to pitch. I was the only player with a bit of skill in the game at that time in the school,” she said. Passman currently plays for Police IX as a first base player. In the last Africa qualifiers, they lost to South Africa in the round-robin stage. “It was a short game, which we did not expect but we went and prepared for them; we walloped them in the final. The important thing for us right now is to qualify for the World Cup, of which we have to win the qualifying games first,” Passman said. She said the most important area in the team is pitching, as it is the first line of defense while the offence will see Botswana moving to the next stage of the qualifiers. The squad Pitchers: Gotlamang Sixpence (Vikings), Onneetse Ribbin (Police), and Wangu Gondo (Titans).
Catchers: Magdeline Mmapitsa (Police) and Bafedile Dube (Vikings). Infield: Nametsegang Passman (Police), Onkokame Tlhakoyakgomo (Titans), Otsile Moshabe (Police), Kedibonye Mogatusi (Vikings), Charity Isaac (Police), and Lereng Mokgotlhe (Titans). Outfield: Maitumelo Serumola (Titans), Bonolo Molefhe (Police), Keletso Mogale (BDF), Lesego Rankwaila (Panthers), and Tina Kagiso (Police).
Alternatives: Kesego Segwe (infield, BDF) and Ndapiwa Mothakaja (catcher, Carats).
About the qualifiers Number of countries: Four Host city: Gaborone Venue: National Diamond Seating capacity: 5,000 Slots to be filled: Two
Opening fixtures Game One: Botswana vs Lesotho Game Two: Lesotho vs Kenya Game Three: South Africa vs Kenya Game Four: Botswana vs South Africa