Limpopo Softball Association Super League pitches off

Limpopo Softball Association Super League pitches off

An action-packed Limpopo Softball Association Super League season blasts off this Sunday at Lebowakgomo and Ga-Mashashane diamonds. Pitch-off for the fixture is at 09:00.

The commencement of the league season comes at the back of a successful Mamonkoe Holdings Top-8 Tournament. The Tournament was celebrated amid boundless fanfare at Polokwane Cricket Grounds last weekend.

The competition, which was a season precursor, became the springboard from where the domestic calendar of events was launched. Paving a way for the upcoming 2023 National Provincial Championships in Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal from March 21 to 25.

ALSO READ: Limpopo Softball Association top 8 takes center stage 

LIMPOPO SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION SUPER LEAGUE PROMISES TO BE A BANGER

Softball fans will be treated to exhilarating action as 12 teams will be in action on Sunday. Welcoming newly-promoted Botlokwa Trailblazers and Nchabeleng Lions.

Moletlane Texas, inarguably the team of the future. Will saunter onto the pitch with a swagger after winning the inaugural tourney in all genders.

The men in meroon and white from the citrus hub of Zebediela will trade bats with Mamaolo Rebels in a breakfast fixture and wrap their day with Mankweng Pioneers.

Apart from the reigning champs, the home side, Wild Beasts will welcome Motlolo Roots in the morning. Further lock horns with high-riding Texas in what promises to be a blockbuster sporting spectacle.

Trailblazers will begin their long and arduous journey in the premier league when they cross paths with Pioneers and Roots.

Elsewhere in rural Jupitar, dust will hardly settle when the hosts, Naledi Spiders, renew their rivalry with Seshego Raiders and Mahwelereng Spikes.

Raiders, who are still celebrating their runners up finishing during the Top-8 competition, have a date with Spikes in a midday slot.

DEMANDING SEASON AHEAD

The 2023 season has been described as the most demanding. It features provincial events, Softball South Africa’s NPC and myriad international tournaments.       

Limpopo will be in the coastal city of Durban solidly entrenched as the reigning champions having comprehensively won this tournament six times in a row.

ALSO READ: Trailblazers, Lions conquer Limpopo Softball playoffs

Dinare will embark on this journey with renewed hope following sweeping changes in the playing personnel and the technical staff.

Head coach Koloi Kekana remains optimistic that the looming tournament will be the dawn of a new era for Limpopo softball.

“This year’s NPC is going to open doors for the new players who have shown glimpses of brilliance during the league. We are currently building a new team that will keep the Limpopo flag flying,” said Kekana.

RELATED POST: Moletlane Texas ace pitcher Suen Aphane expcted to lead his side at Limpopo Softball Association top 8

Limpopo Softball Association top 8 takes center stage 

Limpopo Softball Association top 8 takes center stage 

A battle royal is looming large as more and more brilliant young players challenge the monarchs of the game at the Limpopo Softball Association top 8 Tournament.

The inaugural tournament is billed for Saturday, 25 February at the Polokwane Cricket Grounds in Limpopo. A total of 16 teams from both genders will trade bats in this flagship tournament. 

Sponsored by Mamonkoe Holdings, the tournament will also reward winners with medals, trophies for individual performance. The prize money is yet to be announced.

The competition is long-overdue after it was initially postponed following heavy rains that left the playing surface overwhelmingly drenched in recent weeks.

TOP TEAMS TO BATTLE IT OUT AT LIMPOPO SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION TOP 8

The competition will have top teams who finished in the top-eight bracket of the domestic league season.

Leading the pack is table toppers, Moletlane Texas, Lebowakgomo Wild Beasts, Mamaolo Rebels, Mahwelereng Spikes, Naledi Spiders, Seshego Raiders, Motlolo Roots and Mankweng Pioneers.

Women’s sport, softball included, has become a every marketer’s dream, according to LSA Head of Marketing and Publicity, Moyahabo Mabeba.

“Similarly to golf and tennis, even in softball you can still get a glimpse of those extremely gorgeous ladies who can play the game with unrivalled intensity, vigour and valour. Their bravado and bravura is the hallmark of their combination of being brainy and brawny,” said Mabeba.

TOURNEY TO BE USED AS PREPARATION FOR PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 

With the 2023 edition of the National Provincial Championships approaching later in March. The boom time is likely to be reflected in this one-day masterpiece.

“This event will provide our teams in the province with preparations for the NPC. We are gearing up for this national assignment. So this Top-Eight event will also be the perfect platform for showcase our provincial fortitude. Determination to defend our title as the undisputed softball kings,” Mabeba added. 

ALSO RELATED: Trailblazers, Lions conquer Limpopo Softball playoffs

Trailblazers, Lions conquer Limpopo Softball playoffs

Trailblazers, Lions conquer Limpopo Softball playoffs

After winning the Limpopo Softball Association promotional play-offs, Botlokwa Trailblazers and Nchabeleng Lions embark on what threatens to be a challenging journey in the Super League.

The newcomers to the Limpopo provincial first tier will replace relegated Seshego Cannons and Diphale Blues. The two teams finished at the tail end and second from bottom of the standings.

Given the manner in which Trailblazers and Blues earned their promotions, it was crystal clear on that rainy Sunday in Seshego that their campaign in the Super League will not be a walk in the park.

Trailblazers still looked a bit fragmented while Lions seemed to have lost their aggressive roar. This is despite having two players with international experience,

ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR LIMPOPO SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION

The Super League is always a battle of the titans. The newbies are just about to venture into a cutthroat business of belligerent batting and fast pitch softball.

Brian Lechokgohla and his charges should know by now that maintaining a softball legacy the softball community of Botlokwa have been longing for, will be a mammoth task.

“Our campaign in the Capricorn District League was not a smooth road leading to the promotions. It was filled with equipment challenges, financial constraints and on-field tribulations,” explained Lechokgohla. 

In a club with an unfledged mentor to a fledgling team of upstarts, every individual in the team will be compelled to take this assignment by the scruff of their necks.

“Now that we have qualified for the Super League. We need to focus on the highest level of development and getting our players ready to face experienced pitchers. Luckily we have players with international experience at junior national levels. Matter factually speaking, we need to invest in both our psychological and physical strength. This to ensure that we remain in the top flight league,” added Lechokgohla. 

Softball Masters games in Polokwane, Limpopo
Softball Masters games in Polokwane, Limpopo

FAMILIAR FACES AT BOTLOKWA TRAILBLAZERS 

Trailblazers will pin their faith on the duo of Khomotso Mokgawa who participated in the 2022 U/15 World Cup in Mexico. Lebo Rahaji also just returned from Uganda for the U/18 World Cup African qualifiers.   

Lions are expected to roar back to the senior league having campaigned in the Great North Softball Association in the 1990s.

ALSO READ: Winners of the 2022 Limpopo Sports Awards revealed

By Moyahabo Mabeba

*Mabeba is the head of Marketing and Publicity at Limpopo Softball Association. He is also the Public Relations Officer of Capricorn District Sport Confederation.