Global Sports Partners, the Pakistan Baseball Federation, and Forman College hosted a training and tournament—titled the GSP Chief Minister Punjab Baseball League—in Lahore Pakistan for male and female baseball players from all over the country. The GSP team of experts included former Major League Baseball player, Mickey Weston, GSP’s founder, Steve DeVoss, Justin Rhodes, Rebecca Pack, Allie Furches, and Brian Furches.
The event ran from April 15 to April 21 and consisted of two and a half days of training and four days of tournament-style competition. Approximately 60 male players and 60 female players attended the training, along with about 10 umpires, 15 coaches, and 10 Pakistan Baseball Federation personnel. The event was hosted at the recently completed baseball field built by GSP representative Brian Furches at Forman College. The player development training included pitching instruction, fielding and position work, hitting and swing analysis, and baserunning instruction. The event provided the players an opportunity to improve all aspects of their game.
““Events and opportunities like this are critical for baseball development in Pakistan. Baseball has been played in Pakistan for many years and the skills demonstrated by many of these male and female players is impressive. A chance for these players and coaches to receive expert instruction not only elevates their skills and knowledge, but it also lets them know that they are not alone in their baseball development journey—GSP and Coach Furches are in their corner and are excited to see how high they can climb.” ”
At the end of the final training day, players were split into three female teams and three male teams to compete against one another, culminating in a championship game on the last day. During the games, the GSP experts worked with the national coaches and umpires discussing game strategy and rule interpretation in different situations.
There were many talented players that attended the event, and the level of play in Pakistan is rising. There were several strong pitchers among the men, hitting speeds in the upper 80s. These players, as well as the other participants, worked hard to learn and maintained a good attitude throughout the event. As they have more opportunities for game experience, their skills will continue to improve, along with their ranking in the international baseball community.
GSP and Coach Furches are already working towards planning a second training event later this year at Forman College.