We are less than three weeks away from the World Baseball Classic Qualifier in Taipei, Taiwan. The four teams—Spain, Nicaragua, Chinese Taipei, and South Africa—will compete from February 21 to 25 to determine which two will advance to the 2026 World Baseball Classic. All four teams have revealed their rosters for the upcoming action. Here is who will represent South Africa.
Pitchers:
- – Brandon Smith
- – Jaryd White
- – Lloyd Stevens
- – Dean Jacobs
- – Damian Perkins
- – Josh Tribe
- – Justin Erasmus
- – Vince Deyzel
- – Jared Elario
- – Damon King
- – Rowan Ebersohn
- – Anthony Sayers
- – Dylan Unsworth
- – Daniel Mendelsohn
Catchers:
- – Tyrone Milne
- – Dayle Feldtman
- – Luke November
Infielders:
- – Tyler Smith
- – Josh November
- – Matthew Diedericks
- – Tlou Ngoepe
- – Jonathan Phillips
- – Anthony Phillips
Outfielders:
- – Brandon Edmunds
- – Christiaan Beyers
- – Jason Carelse
- – Brandon Bouillon
- – Joshua Wentzel
South Africa’s roster does not include players with MLB experience, though some players have played in the minor leagues. Every player on the roster was born in South Africa. During the 2022 Qualifiers, they had infielder Josh Hendricks on the roster, who was born in Vermont South, Victoria, Australia. South Africa went 0-2 in the Qualifiers in 2022, losing to Spain and Germany.
On the mound, Dylan Unsworth could certainly provide a huge impact for South Africa. Unsworth made his minor-league debut at 17 in 2010 in the Seattle Mariners organization. He spent 2010-17 in the Mariners organization and 2018 in the Los Angeles Angels organization. Since then, Unsworth has pitched in the Australian Baseball League (ABL), Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL), Liga Mexicana de Béisbol (LMB), and Liga Venezolana Béisbol Profesional (LVBP). He last pitched in LVBP with the Bravos de Margarita during the 2023-24 season, going 2-5 in seven starts, posting a 4.11 ERA, picking up ten strikeouts, and walking three batters in 35 innings pitched.
Tlou Ngoepe, the brother of South African former MLB player Gift Ngoepe, will be featured on the roster. The middle infielder played in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization with his brother from 2016 to 2019. Ngoepe only reached Low-A in his minor league career, playing in 186 games. He hit one home run, had nine RBIs, and stole 26 bases. He also had a career .223 average.
Another player that fans will have their attention drawn to is outfielder Christiaan Beyers. Beyers, 29, had represented Dhahran during the 2008 Little League World Series, picking up their lone hit against Japan. He made his debut in Germany with the Paderborn Untouchables in 2021, where he hit .340 in his first season and finished with a .407 average in 2022. Since then, Beyers was selected by the Arabia Wolves in the inaugural Baseball United Draft and appeared in Baseball United’s All-Star Showcase in November 2023. Beyers also represented the United Arab Emirates during the Arab Classic held in Dubai. He was named as the shortstop on the Arab Classic 2024 All-Tournament Team.
South Africa will start the competition, as they will play in the tournament’s first game against Nicaragua. Following that game, they will face Chinese Taipei and Spain as they look to make their first appearance in the World Baseball Classic since 2009.
