Athlone's Taariq Adams aims for third Baseball World Cup appearance

Taariq Adams is well on his way to a third Baseball World Cup after being announced in the South African under-23 squad that will take part in the Africa World Cup qualifiers starting on October 28 in Boksburg.

The SA side will go into the qualifiers as favourites, having appeared in the last four editions of the World Cup. The 21-year-old from Silvertown, Athlone, is one of the key players expected to help secure qualification, having been part of the national baseball setup since his early teenage years.

Adams first earned his South African colours when he was selected for the under-15 World Cup. He then followed that achievement with a call-up to the under-18 World Cup squad. Given that steady progression through the youth ranks, it’s fair to expect that a promotion to the senior national team is only a matter of time.

Sharing the news of his inclusion in the qualifying squad, Adams described it as a “pleasure and a massive honour” to wear the green and gold, explaining that he doesn’t just play for himself, but for the country as a whole.

“It’s always an honour to represent your country in any sport, because you’re also playing for a lot of other people that you may not even know,” he said.

The Athlone A’s player, who has been involved in the game for 16 years, says the opportunity to travel the world with his national teammates has been one of the highlights of his career. He’s now working toward realising that same dream at a senior level, despite the financial hurdles that face the sport.

Baseball does not have a professional league in South Africa, which leaves players having to fund their own participation in many cases. For Adams and others, this means dipping into their own pockets to help cover travel and competition expenses, often at great personal cost.

“My highlight was going to the under-15 World Cup and also when I was featured on ESPN for a play I was involved in during the under-18 World Cup,” Adams said.

The young athlete says baseball is the only sport he’s ever truly loved and that the discipline and mindset it instilled in him have also shaped how he approaches life off the field.

“There’s a lot of challenges,” he says. “but hard work has always proved to yield positive results.”