De Wills Baseball Club Retains National Title, Defeats Delta In Super Five Final

De Wills Baseball Club of Bayelsa State have emerged as champions of the 2026 Super Five Baseball Championship after defeating defending champions Delta State in the final at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.

The championship culminated a national league season involving about 17 clubs that competed across centres including Kwara and Rivers before the top five teams advanced to Abuja for the Super Five competition.

President of the Nigeria Baseball and Softball Federation, Uche Odozor, said the championship brings together the leading teams from the national league. Odozor, who also heads the African region of the World Baseball and Softball Confederation, said the competition provided an opportunity to assess players for possible selection into the national team. He said Japanese analysts were brought in to evaluate Nigerian players, with some expected to travel to Japan in November for further training ahead of preparations for Nigeria's qualification campaign for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The federation president said efforts were also being made to expand baseball development through schools and military barracks, while the Baseballership programme was being introduced to strengthen opportunities for young players. Nigeria's national baseball team head coach, Shinya Tomonari, said his immediate objective was to build a competitive Nigerian team capable of challenging at continental level.

Tomonari, who was appointed on June 8, said he had spent about 30 years working in African baseball and had previously managed teams in Ghana, Tanzania and South Sudan.He said players at the Super Five Championship were assessed alongside Japanese analysts Daisuke Hoshikawa and  Takumu Yamada using the TrackMan system to measure their performances.

According to Tomonari, the assessment would be used to select 23 national team candidates and develop individual training plans for them. He added that several Nigerian players would be invited to Japan in November for training with professional baseball teams and university programmes as preparations continue for the Africa Championship scheduled for next July.

Captain of Team Delta, Suleman Abdulrahman Bala, said his team accepted the result but questioned the change in the competition format. Bala said the competition was initially expected to be decided through accumulated league points before the format was changed to championship games. He called for greater sponsorship and participation from more states to support the development of baseball in Nigeria.

Captain of De Wills Baseball Club, Adebisi David, expressed satisfaction with the victory and credited his teammates, coaches and management for the achievement. David said the championship would provide an opportunity for players to be considered for the national team as Nigeria prepares for the 2028 Olympic qualification campaign.

Secretary General of the federation, Robert Anthony, said Nigeria still had qualifying stages to navigate on the road to the 2028 Olympic Games, including the African qualification tournament and a subsequent playoff route. Anthony also said baseball gloves are now being produced locally to reduce costs and support equipment supply to other African countries.

Executive Director of Arnold Sports International Foundation Adeyinka Adewusi said the second phase of the Honour International Baseball Elite competition began in Abuja on September 20, following the first phase in Ilorin. He said the teams played a single round-robin before the semi-finals, with Kwara defeating Niger to claim third place. Adewusi said the foundation was also working with schools and engaging the National Sports Commission to support the development and expansion of baseball in Nigeria.

The 2026 Super Five Championship victory gives De Wills Baseball Club the national title after overcoming defending champions Delta State in the final. Multiple reports independently confirm the result and the key details of the championship.