Baseball harnesses community role in year of pandemic

Despite the lingering Covid-19 pandemic, 2021 has been a big rebound year for baseball activities and a banner year for semi-professional opportunities.
The positive growth signs indicate team effort and the ingenuity of Uganda Baseball and Softball Association (UBSA) president Felix Okuye. His effort to focus on growth is paying off.

Early this year, the association returned to the diamond with activities like the Mt Elgon Series against Kenya, Regional Series, the Corporate Slow Pitch and a coaching session and the prestigious Jackie Robinson Legacy baseball clinics.
Okuye says the common agenda was to create a recovery path for the sport ahead of the highly anticipated activities in 2022.

Getting to work
Okuye says baseball has made great strides. But the highlight of his efforts is the conclusion of Isaac Odongo’s move to the US.
The 21-year-old will play college baseball with an eye on a professional contract.
Odongo was flagged off last week with Okuye saying “only the sky’s the limit” for the young pitcher.
Odongo has been part of the national team set up since 2019 when he made his debut during the pre-Olympic qualifiers in South Africa.
Although Uganda fell short of the journey to Japan, where baseball is a big hit, Okuye is now plotting for the 2028 Olympic Games.

Baseball will not be included in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, but it is expected that it will be included along with softball, in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The first outing at the Uganda Japan National Baseball Friendship Stadium in Gayaza attracted fair competition from Northern, Central, Eastern and the Elite Dodgers Academy.
When action returns in February for the second quarter, West Nile will be added on the roster.
The rest of the events will be determined on the situation surrounding schools re-opening.
Secondly, the chosen players must represent the national team with honour. There are icebreaker activities lined up for 2022.

The first will be the World Cup qualifiers in February in South Africa and the International Softball Canada Cup in July – a preserve of the top 20 playing countries. 
Obviously, Uganda is outside that list but the tournament offers five wildcards and a special invite landed that leads into the tournament.
Baseball may not be part of the programme during the All Africa Games in Ghana as the country does not have sufficient facilities.

Opening pathways
But getting the best players takes more than playing at the big stages.
To broaden the catchment area, UBSA, in conjunction with Tom Glaspie, a renowned scout, trained 25 grassroots coaches for three days.
Only players above 25 years were targeted with an aim of furthering their careers.
Okuye says that Covid-19 has shown how important communities can be and they will not take it for granted.
[email protected]