By Femi Atolagbe

Head Coach of Ondo State Baseball and Softball, Mr Ajayi Adekunle, has appealed to the government and private organisations for support to develop the game in the state.

Adekunle noted that there are numerous opportunities in sport for players, adding that it would be a thing of joy for the government at all levels to support the Baseball and Softball Association to further develop the sport.

The coach stated this during the ongoing 2025 Softball League match between Ondo and Led Warriors of Lagos at Oyemekun Grammar School, Akure.

The Ondo State Softball team defeated their visitors by 11 runs to 5 in the first match, while Led Warriors overturned the early defeat with an 11–8 victory in the second match.

The coach said he would not blame the girls for their less-than-satisfactory performance, noting that the majority of them were new to the game.

According to him, some of the players were just about two or three days old in the sport and yet featured in the league.

“Some of our players have gone for exams, and we can’t use our own to disturb their academics, so we had to quickly assemble these new players to enable us participate in the game.

“For us to get the best from them, we have to camp them for at least two weeks or a month; that will give us a better performance than what we played today,” he said.

Team Manager of Led Warriors, Taiwo Olabiyi, thanked God for a safe game, saying that the softball game is improving every day in the country.

Olabiyi said he was able to win the second match because he capitalised on the lapses of their hosts.

“Generally, the overall performance of the players was top-notch. It’s a grassroots programme, and they are playing like professionals.

The event still remains amateur despite the high performance of the girls,” he said.

The Development Secretary of the Baseball and Softball Federation, Mr Omotosho Adeola, commended the Ondo State Government and the management of the state sports council for their hospitality.

He disclosed that they were in Ondo State to scout for talents while also monitoring the 2025 Softball League across the South West region.

He said: “What we are doing is a proactive preparation to assemble players for the African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.”