The tournament is the pinnacle for local softball players due to its incentives. All the way from Sir Seretse Khama Barracks, BDF IX teams are fired up and targeting a double from the competition. The men’s coach, Tebogo Makacana has the experience to win the extravaganza, something that he has done before with his previous team, Police IX. He told MmegiSport that the journey started from the South region eliminations where his charges displayed brilliance, good offence, and scored a lot of runs. Makacana said he is all fired up because he has not won the tournament in two years, which feels like forever and it is now time to be on the podium.
“Our defence was not quite on point and that led to us giving away easy runs to our opponents, something which we rectified. We only took a short break after the league championship for recovery and then got back to training, preparing for Extravaganza tournament qualifiers. The boys have been working really hard,” he said. Makacana said one player has left BDF IX during the current transfer window, and one replacement has been added to balance the team. He said Phikwe Softball Extravaganza is the biggest tournament in the country and everyone wants to put their hands on the trophy but BDF IX is going there to win it. BDF IX women’s team captain, Ethel Mongwewarona said they are going to Phikwe to defend the title they have been winning since 2023. She said over the years, there has been a lot of player development. “My players have grown and have bonded as a team. We have had sessions to work on players' mental strength because sometimes a player can feel overwhelmed when they are not mentally sharp. Extravaganza is a big stage, with a lot of attendance and this time around we expect more people due to the Makgadikgadi Epic cancellation,” she said.
