The Tribune

THE Bahamas will have another chance to climb the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) rankings next month.

The Bahamas Baseball Association (BBA) is scheduled to host the sixth edition of the Caribbean Baseball Cup on home soil October 23-28 at the Andre Rodgers National Baseball Stadium. 

The announcement was made yesterday at the baseball facility. 

The Bahamas initially hosted the tournament for the first time at the same venue in 2022 for the fourth Caribbean Baseball Cup. It was the first tourney to be staged at the national facility.

Six countries are expected to compete next month, including no. 8 Cuba, no. 12 Dominican Republic, no. 28 Curaçao, no. 47 host country, no. 65 US Virgin Islands and Saint Maarten (not ranked).

Theodore “Teddy” Sweeting, chief executive officer for the organising committee, said the support from the visiting teams has been tremendous so far.

“We have gotten a tremendous response from our governing body WBSC which is now recognising The Bahamas as the premier destination in the Caribbean for baseball.

“Two of the major countries that are coming, which is Cuba and the Dominican Republic, have an extremely high following for the sport of baseball and with that all are very excited. “They have already started their training and selection of their teams that are coming in to participate in this event. They are looking forward to coming back to The Bahamas. All of the countries are now getting geared up to come and represent to see who is going to be crowned the champion,” he said.

Sweeting outlined the expectations for the home team.

“The goal of our country is to have a strong showing and a strong finish in this cup because the next classic preliminary rounds begin in 2025 and we want our players to represent the 242. That is the goal now and that is the focus of what we are trying to achieve here and the reason why we are getting ready to host the sixth Caribbean Cup,” he said.

The home team has not been officially named as yet but the national team selection process is expected to wrap up within the next two weeks and officials will host a press conference to reveal the team members and coaching staff.

The Bahamas staged the fourth edition of this WBSCsanctioned tourney in December 2022, where Puerto Rico emerged as the victors. At the time, The Bahamas was ranked 59th under the WBSC rankings after a fourth-place finish.

Samuel Rodgers, president of the BBA, said the idea of bringing the tournament back to The Bahamas was first discussed in 2022 along with avid sportsman and Prime Minister Phillip Davis.  Now that the tournament is returning, he is expecting it to be a great event.

“This sixth cup that we are having is very strong. Countries will be attending this cup and we hope that this will be a great tournament. We have some other tournaments that we are looking at to bring to this country…On behalf of the Confederation of Caribbean Baseball, I say thank you all, thank The Bahamas for these tournaments and I just wish all well,” he said

The Bahamas will compete in a feature game every night at 7pm which begins on October 23 against the US Virgin Islands. That matchup will be followed by games against St Maarten, Curaçao, Cuba and the group stage ends against the Dominican Republic.

The medal games will be played on October 28.

Honourable Zane Lightbourne, Minister of State for the Environment, spoke on behalf of the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg and said the government is thrilled to support this regional extravaganza.

“We are immensely proud to host these games on our shores once more and while hosting we are excited to have our own home team to compete in the round robin tournament. Baseball in the Caribbean has seen tremendous growth not only in the number of talented athletes but also in the viewership and support that it garners. 

“We look forward to thrilling games ahead filled with the passion and energy that makes baseball a beloved sport in our region…On behalf of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture we pledge our full support to this event and we are excited for what is to come. We encourage everyone to get their tickets and come out and support the events, not just the events but the athletes who have prepared and will have their first class talents on display,” he said.

The Bahamas has experienced tremendous growth in international baseball this year. The nation has climbed 12 spots to be currently ranked at number 47 in the WBSC Baseball World Rankings which is the highest jump of any country this year.

With that being said, chairman of the Local Organising Committee Rev Harrison Thompson encouraged Bahamians to come out and support the baseball stars.

“I want to encourage all Bahamians to prepare yourselves, the 23rd of October to the 28 will be a fantastic time in this country…We expect that we have some players in the pipeline in the minors that will showcase themselves during this process. We want The Bahamas to come and support them. We have powerhouses like Cuba, Curacao and the Dominican Republic but we can do it if we come together as a family and as a team. I want to encourage all of our Bahamian fans and supporters of baseball to please put that week aside to come and share with our young baseball players. I am looking forward to seeing you and we are going to have a great show,” he concluded.

The event will be supported by the National Sports Authority. The Caribbean Baseball Cup will be broadcasted live via RiLive on pay per view.