Mark Sorenson in Sports Hall of Fame as he confirms Black Sox's Venezuela tour

February 19, 2016

---

 

ORIGINAL STORY by Tony Smith

Softball's newly inducted New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame member Mark Sorenson has confirmed the Black Sox will tour South America this year.

The Black Sox head coach, one of four new Hall of Fame inductees honoured at Thursday's Halberg Awards function in Auckland, told Fairfax his team will play in a "virtual mini-world series" in Venezuela in November.

They will take part in the Las Americas Cup tournament from November 12 to 20, against Venezuela, Canada, the United States, Mexico, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Japan and the Czech Republic.

"All the top teams in the world, with the exception of Australia, will be there," Sorenson said.

READ MORE: 
*Baseball in Canada looms for Black Sox softballer Cole Evans
*Black Sox veterans overlooked for national softball camp
*Black Sox into gold medal game at world softball championship

The Black Sox also had an opportunity to play in Europe this winter, their traditional off-season touring period.

But Sorenson said the Venezuela tournament offer was too good to turn down. 

"We wouldn't normally tour during the New Zealand [domestic] season, but all the best sides will be there [in Venezuela], so we have to be there too.

Sorenson said the Black Sox management want to "test the resilience" of their players and playing in Venezuela - where they have never before toured. The European trip "didn't present the same challenge that turing to South America would pose". 

"We are also about trying to explore new frontiers. Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Argentina are three of the fast improving nations in world softball so playing against them over there won't be a bad thing."

Travel details are yet to be finalised but Sorenson expects the Black Sox would arrive "five or six days before" the start of the tournament to acclimatise.

Meanwhile, Sorenson said he felt honoured to join former New Zealand pitching greats Bill Massey and Kevin Herlihy, former national women's team captain Marilyn Marshall, double softball and netball world champion Rita Fatialofa and the world championship winning 1982 New Zealand women's team as softball's representatives in the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame.

The Hutt Valley stalwart played for the Black Sox for the best part of 20 years and captained the team for over a decade. The former catcher was the first Black Sox player to win four world championships gold medals and was hailed throughout his career as one of the best players and foremost hitters in the softball world.

Sorenson said it was humbling to be invited into "an exclusive club without our sport, and also within New Zealand sport."

"After the presentation the four of us [champion ex-jockey Lance O'Sullivan, former Silver Ferns netball skipper Lesley Rumball and the widow of rowing legend Don Rowlands] had a photo taken with [Sports Hall of Fame director] Ron Palenski and [former champion athlete] Dick Quax, who's in the Hall of Fame himself, jumped up to take the photo.

"That sort of thing adds a litte bit to the honour."

Sorenson said his induction was "great recognition, first and foremost, for Mum and Dad [Maureen and Dave Sorenson], who are staunch softball people who have been around the game for a long time, then there's my kids and direct family.

"But I think it's also recognition of the sport as a whole and then the Black Sox.

"I've had a bit of time to reflect and I think it was good to have our sport up in lights a bit, outside our normal sphere of influence.

"You start playing the game because you want to play with your mates and you love it. You never think this far ahead and you never think that years later accolades and recognition like this would come. It's quite humbling, really."

Sorenson, who is immensely proud of the Black Sox's record of six world championship victories, enjoyed the chance to "mix and mingle with other coaches and athletes" and discover they all had "similar challenges".

 - Stuff