Wellington, NZ - -Â Enoka brothers to make Black Sox history in upcoming Challenge Cup
The Enoka brothers, who will become the first sibling-trio in history to play on the same Black Sox team. From left, Ben, 27, Thomas, 25, and Campbell, 22.
For the Enoka family, softball runs in the blood.
Thomas Enoka, 25, along with his older brother Ben, 27, and younger brother Campbell, 22, will have a special place in Softball New Zealand's record books when they all take to the field in this week's Challenge Cup at Rosedale's AWF Sports Stadium.
While they've all been a part of the wider Black Sox setup, it's the first time they'll grace the pitch simultaneously.
Black Sox head coach Mark Sorenson said it's an amazing opportunity and a testament to the Enoka family.
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"It's a great story, and I look forward to them building a bit of legacy for the Enoka name in softball,"Â Sorenson said.
As an added bonus, Thomas has been named as the side's permanent captain - having first been named as captain on the Black Sox tour of Argentina last year.
For him, family is what helped foster his success, so it's an exciting opportunity to play alongside his siblings.
"Three brothers in one team, you couldn't ask for anything more as a family," Enoka said.
"It makes things a lot easier, having family around to help me out."
Thomas' story is slightly different to that of his brothers. He made the Black Sox squad back in 2009 at just 17 years old, but was dropped just before the world series - something he admits affected him mentally.
"I went through a crossroad where I thought maybe softball wasn't for me and I didn't like being cut at the time," Enoka said.
"Some people take the challenge on, and some people shy away from continuing.
"I used it as fuel to drive me to be a lot better and prove why I should have been there."
Sorenson praised Thomas for his resilience and said that while he was just a kid back in 2009, he's grown into one of the side's most mature players.
"He could have thrown his toys and tossed everything in," Sorenson said.
"But he's got a passion for the game, he's got good family support, he's with a good club and he's bounced back."
Older brother Ben has been a stalwart in the Black Sox and currently captains the Auckland United side which dominates the local competition and is coached by father Duncan.
Younger brother Campbell made the Black Sox for their Argentinian tour late last year, but with Ben being in Europe, he was only able to play alongside Thomas.
"He's a special piece to the puzzle and I'm pretty happy to have him in the team," Thomas said.
The Black Sox, arguably one of New Zealand's most successful national teams with six world titles and currently ranked number one in the world, will face off against world number two Japan, number three Argentina, number five Australia, number eight Czech Republic, and number 12 Samoa - with the first game kicking off at 10am tomorrow morning.
It will be good preparation for the upcoming World Championships, to be held in Whitehorse, Canada in July, in which the Black Sox will be gunning for a record-breaking seventh world crown.
 - Stuff.co.nz
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