Sylvester “Zuzu” Maredi in action.
Sylvester Maredi is just a humble rural chap and similarly to his namesake, American actor and filmmaker, Sylvester Stallone, the man from Mentz village is one of the promising wunderkinds the South Africa sport fraternity is bound to embrace.
Applauded by baseball development guru, Thabang Letsoalo as the greatest outfielder of the modern era, Maredi began his sporting career in 2015 at Mentz Spartan Softball Club in the outskirts of Mankweng.
One of the most difficult questions Maredi has to answer is: between baseball and softball, where do find your maximum excitement?
“During my formative years, my introduction to softball was the kind of emotion association with love at first sight but the taste of baseball to my sporting diet has changed my sporting life in a manner undreamed-of. I always have mixed feelings when priorities coincide because it’s always difficult to choose between the two ballgames. Nonetheless, I’m glad because my flexibility in both baseball and softball allows me to explore things without limits” Maredi explained.
His formative years have given observers glimpses of brilliance mainly as a utility fielder while his batting consistency has been a great deal of debate.
The nimble-footed bloke nicknamed “Zuzu” remains the archetypal modern baseballer and the softballer whose explosiveness has been the recent talking points.
The precautious youngster sends out such a positive message about the future of Limpopo baseball and softball as he becomes the embodiment of a phenomenon that, from a provincial perspective, makes for exciting times ahead.
Maredi’s rapid rise from club level, provincial selection and national call-ups and the impression he’s been making is that stuff of sporting brilliance.
He burst onto the scene in Nigeria in 2019 for the African Qualifiers for the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) and when the tour to New Zealand was reality, his game peaked to epic proportions.
In New Zealand Maredi staged a daring confrontation against heavyweights like Australia, America, Singapore and the Czech Republic. In 2022, he jetted to Tanzania for the Baseball 5 African Qualifiers where after obtaining position one, went to Mexico for the World Cup where they faced off the host nation, Japan, Cuba, Kenya, France and Lithuania.
In February this years, he went to Cape Verde for the Baseball 5 African Qualifiers where the booked for their berth for the World Cup to be staged in Hong Kong in October.
Youthful confidence and ebullience have been the blueprint of his game plan and when he executes his magic with precision and clinical efficiency, spectators often give him the standing ovation rarely witnessed at baseball and softball diamonds.
“The attributes and congratulatory messages I’ve getting from various coaches, spectators and my newfound fan base have been motivational for me to raise the bar and ensures that my graph remains on an upward trajectory. Fortunately, I still have age on my side and this factor will definitely guarantee my longevity on the field of play” says the birthday boy to celebrates his 21st anniversary of May 7.
On a good day in the batter’s box, Maredi plays his shots with full flourish of the bat and knows only to attack with belligerence, and his breathtaking, dead-eye fielding is a force in the game by itself.
A gambler and a buccaneer, he is a natural sportsman with hard and quick hands.
In his pitch dark complexion, the epitome of African athleticism, Maredi’ sporting future looks brighter and provides an overwhelming aura of euphoria.
Sylvester “Zuzu” Maredi has become a phenomenal feature in baseball and softball scenes.