African Champs Hold World Cup Dreams: The Inspiring Growth of South African Women’s Baseball

The South African Women’s Baseball team has achieved significant success this year, including a five-match series win over Zimbabwe to clinch the Women’s Baseball African Championship. Earlier, the team competed in the 4th National Baseball Championships in Cape Town and participated in the inaugural Women’s African Championships.

According to national team coach Hayley Scott-Maree, the sport has seen growth in various provinces around the country.

“In Gauteng, the number of women’s club teams has increased from three to seven, adding 50 to 100 new athletes. We have also seen growth in U15 and U18 programs, which is helping to build a strong foundation.”

SA Women’s National Baseball Team Coach, Hayley Scott-Maree

The South African women are currently working on their road to the Baseball World Cup, the competition takes place in 2026 in the USA. Scott-Maree explained what the team has to do in order to have a chance to participate in the World Cup. 

“Africa is very new to the world stage, with regards to women in baseball. Last year, we played Zimbabwe in order to get onto the rankings roster, and for every win that you receive or you get on an international series that have been approved by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, your rankings improve. So at the moment, we have ten wins, which will help our world ranking. Our Under-18 girls have nine wins, which will also help our world ranking rating. It allows you to show a presence on the international stage, if they haven’t got an official competition where you can compete.”

“The reason why we want to play in more international competitions against the European teams like France, the Czechs, the Dutch, and the British is that they play in what’s called the European Championships, and that winning team gets an automatic entry into the World Cup. We don’t have an African equivalent yet that’s an automatic entry into the World Cup, because we are still a growing continent in women’s baseball.”

The World Cup is seen as the pinnacle of achievement, akin to the Olympics for men, and Scott-Maree highlights what it would mean for her team to take part in the global event. 

“There is no Olympics for women in baseball. The Olympic cycle is only for men, in baseball; and women, in softball. So for us to get to the World Cup, it’s equivalent to our World Championships being our Olympic version, or the highest level we can achieve.”

“And the reason we want to be in that event is that we want to see where in the world we would fit in, based on our standards. And the only way that you can see where you fit in is if you make it to the top of your program, and the World Cup is the top of the women’s baseball programme.”

Additionally, a new Women’s Professional League starting in 2026 offers global recruitment opportunities, Scott-Maree says.  

“The second unique introduction that starts in 2026 is that for the first time ever, there will be a Women in the Baseball Pro League, based in the US. They have recruited athletes from all around the world, and if we are to be seen, we might have an opportunity to have one of our South African ladies be recruited into the women’s professional league. This would be a huge achievement for us, and equivalent to being a Major League Baseball player in the circuit. So it’s the highest achievement we could try for.”

“The women in baseball program has been working tirelessly since COVID-19 to get their program to be taken seriously, to be seen as an event, to be reckoned with, and to showcase that our athletes are extremely talented and athletic and committed and worthy of their national representation.”

“So what it would mean is that everyone who said they couldn’t do it because it’s a boys’ sport, a lot of naysayers who claim baseball is for boys and not for girls: It will just prove to everyone that women can be empowered in any area of their life if they put their mind to it and do the work to be the best that they can be.”

On the junior front, there is great interest in the sport, and Scott-Maree says this will only aid the senior team in becoming more competitive. 

“The interest has grown in leaps and bounds since we have shown the girls there is a pathway, and you can also represent your country at Baseball. Our U18 Team travelled to Zimbabwe, and in 2026, we have a USA invitation to attend an event in July 2026.”

The federation is also making good on its promise to develop the sport as its first-ever U15 team will be travelling to Uganda in January. Scott-Maree shared how thankful she is for the support from SA Baseball President Mark Moreau for his support in growing the game for women and girls. 

“We are very lucky to have our South African Baseball Union, the president, Mark Moreau, behind all of the women in baseball initiatives, and we are actively looking to partner with companies, or a company that wants to join our quite recent journey, but has the platform to really explode into an international platform where we can really compete.”

“And we are very excited,” continues Scott-Maree, “Because we are about to launch our Under-15 team as well, to go to Uganda on their first international, so we have an Under-15, Under-18 and a senior program actively playing African baseball, to start to create a platform for them to compete internationally.”

The South African Women’s team is still in its infancy, having come together a year ago, and this means the players are self-funded. Scott-Maree hopes that with the team showcasing their talent and the federation’s professional setup will catch the eye of potential sponsors. 

“Sadly, all our athletes and coaches are self-funded, and we have not been lucky enough to be picked up by a corporate sponsor. We do fundraisers like golf days and fun days. Costs are huge, especially when local comps and internationals fall into the same part of the year. We really need sponsors for travel and accommodation.”

She added that a sponsor would significantly ease pressure off the players and coaches. 

“This would allow our team to train more together, to get more competition, and to be able to work more closely with key service providers to develop themselves more. Most of our players work full-time, and this would help that process too.”

On a personal front, Scott-Maree has had quite a storied career in softball and baseball, but says being the national team head coach is really a dream come true for her. 

“I started out as a softball coach and was a national coach for the Under-19 Women’s Program and travelled to two World Cups. Prior to this, I lived and worked in the United Kingdom for Baseball Softball UK, developing and teaching the game. After Covid, I decided to try to give women more opportunities and created a league for women to play baseball, we called it a League of Their Own.”

“I worked for Major League Baseball for five years, and my passion for baseball in Africa grew. I still have a lot of growth to develop in my game of coaching, but we have a dynamic squad of coaching staff who enhance and develop all our players while I work on developing, growing, and branding.”

As the year comes to a close, Scott-Maree says she hopes 2026 will be a year of more triumph for women’s baseball from the national team down to the youth level. 

“The dream is for the SA Women’s team to be invited to represent Africa at the World Cup Qualifiers and be the 1st African Women’s Baseball team to qualify to play in the World Cup event in 2027. Another dream is to have a South African Women in Baseball player get signed for the new WIB Pro League.”

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Main Photo Caption: The South African Women’s Baseball team achieved significant success this year, including a five-match series win over Zimbabwe to clinch the Women’s Baseball African Championship 2025 in Cape Town. Photo: Supplied

Photo 2 Caption: The SA Women’s Baseball team secured a five-match series win over Zimbabwe to clinch the Women’s Baseball African Champs title.

Photo 3 Caption: The SA Coaches are looking to qualify SA for the European Champs, as a route to gain entry to the Women’s Baseball World Cup.

Photo 4 Caption: SA Women’s National Baseball Team Coach Hayley Scott-Maree proudly presents South Africa’s Africa Champions trophy.

Photo 5 Caption: International recognition may allow SA women to compete in the Women’s Baseball Pro League, to be launched in 2026 in the USA.