You may have heard or watched my episode about the Baseball United League based out of Dubai, and a mention about the leagues’ inaugural draft back on October 23rd of 2023. Of the 80 men drafted, one young man, draft pick #79 overall, 22-year old Ernest Ohandza Jr. from the capital and second largest city in Cameroon, Yaoundé, stood out. I quickly looked up videos of him on YouTube, as he had been drafted as a right-handed pitcher for the Wolves. Our talk below will help you get to know this starry-eyed young man as I get more in-depth about his life and experience playing baseball in a country that does not embrace the game as much as other countries do.
Randy Nuñez: How did you get into Baseball? Was there a person in your life who taught you, or did you watch others play it, and want to play it yourself?
Ernest Ohandza Jr: In fact, my father passed away when I was just 3 years old. So, finding that it is wise for a young boy to grow up with a father figure who is a sign of authority, my mother decided to entrust me to her older sister who lived with her husband and their 6 daughters. It was therefore my aunt’s husband who became my guardian by the name of Jean Mvondo Nyina, who is one of the pioneers of Baseball in Cameroon and founder of my training club The Wonder Dream Baseball And Softball Club, who introduced me to Baseball. It was he who passed on to me this love and this passion for the game. This passion and this love quickly developed while admiring players such as David Ortiz, Aroldis Chapman, Adrían Beltré and Mike Trout, to name but a few.
RN: Was Jean Mvonda Nyina, your aunt’s husband, your personal trainer by default, since he is family? And if he was, how did you go about practicing these different positions? I noticed that you list yourself as a Pitcher, Infielder, and Outfielder.
Ernest (middle, no hat) with his coach (#34) and the seniors of his league, ready to play
EOJ: No, Jean Mvondo Nyina was not my personal trainer; he never made a difference between me and the other players on the team. He applied a training method whereby each player had to learn to play all positions during the first three years of training, and in the fourth year each player was assigned the position where he performed best and with two other additional alternative positions, this with the aim of being a useful player for his team in times of urgent need. In my case, the very first position I played when I was learning baseball as a kid was Catcher, then Outfielder, then RHP and Infielder.
RN: I know that Baseball is not popular in Africa, what are the playing conditions like? I have read that there aren’t any fields/diamonds to play on, but there are still people who play. How do you do it?
EOJ: Baseball has existed in Cameroon since the end of the 90s, and all this time it has not been popular, particularly because of the lack of a real baseball stadium. To play we very often use soccer stadiums that we materialize for give our diamond shape [sic]. We also have difficulty having sufficient funds, because operating these soccer fields is expensive. But the biggest difficulty we encounter is obtaining baseball equipment, in Africa and Cameroon in particular it is very difficult, almost impossible to find baseball equipment, and when you succeed in finding it some, these are super expensive [sic]. For my little anecdote, I wore my very first real baseball shoe in 2021 [sic], it was given to me by my mentor and former teammate now living in the USA, before that I played with my sneakers intended for school. This is just to show you how the lack of baseball equipment is a real obstacle. Nevertheless, despite these difficulties, new people continue to take an interest in the game.
RN: I had an interview with Kash Shaikh, President & CEO of Baseball United, how did you land on their radar, and join the player pool?
EOJ: My first contact with the League dates back to September 2022, when Mr. AJ Kool was kind enough to respond to my request for an opportunity and put me in contact with Mr. John Miedreich of the league’s [sic] baseball operations. Mr. John in turn did not fail to be very kind to me by agreeing to watch my videos that I sent him in his WhatsApp DM. He gave me a lot of advice and tips to improve my game. Despite all the time it took for the league to get structured, my interest in it did not wane, I continued to share with them the evolution of my training day after day and I redoubled my enthusiasm during the opening of the Player Pool in May 2023. I was contacted by the League a few days before the Draft, in this message it was said that the League and the baseball operations office have reviewed [sic] my videos and they appreciate my self-sacrifice and my perseverance, and that they are delighted to announce to me that I am eligible to join the Player Pool.
RN: You were drafted by the Dubai Wolves with the 79th pick, listed as a RHP and 21-years old. Do you intend to pitch only in the Baseball United league, or hit also?
EOJ: For correction I am 22 years old, it is a small error which was made during the live broadcast of the Draft but was corrected. Indeed I was listed as RHP but I also fully intend to hit because I also play in [sic] the 2B and RF position. But everything will depend on how the Manager wants to use me.
RN: If there is anything that you would like to say to the people who will be reading this, please feel free to let them know. A message to the fans, your family, perhaps.
EOJ: I will start with thanks [sic] to all those who have always supported me and who have contributed directly or indirectly to the development of my game, I am thinking of my charming mother, my training coach, coach Mike André Akifack from the Christ Royal Academy, to Arsel Giowouo from the Harmony Baseball Academy, Mr. John Brown who made me participate in his Your Goal Mapping Mental Training program, without forgetting my mentor and former teammate Emmanuel Mbang, etc. I also say [sic] a big thank you to those who have supported us for several years by donating some equipment, and I invite other people to do the same. I would also like to thank Mr. Kash and his team for this great opportunity they are granting me. To all young African Baseball Players I would say to believe in yourself, never give up on your dreams, be determined in your work and in achieving your goals, despite our stadium, financial and equipment difficulties. To the fans I will say thank you for their continued support, I read and see all their different gestures of encouragement on social networks, Thank you very much!
RN: Is there anything about yourself, your background, or your future that you would like me to add to this piece, Ernest?
EOJ: Baseball United is already helping to realize my biggest childhood dream of playing in a professional league. Now my objectives are to do well by making an excellent performance during the upcoming 2024 season, and actively participate in the development of Baseball on the African continent and in Cameroon. This is also why I created the Bastos Baseball Academy last year, to transmit and popularize Baseball to young children. I would like to very soon attend and participate in the construction of a real baseball stadium in Cameroon.
RN: If you are getting a paid contract with the BUL, do you plan on putting some of that money towards the Bastos Baseball Academy that you created in the form of equipment as well as creating a baseball diamond/field to play on?
EOJ: Obviously if I manage to have a paid contract at BUL, I will undoubtedly invest in the development of the Bastos Baseball Academy and in the construction of a real baseball stadium in Cameroon.
RN: Thank you for answering my questions, Ernest! It was a pleasure talking with you.
EOJ: You’re welcome, thank you for your kind attention!
