Joel Evans, the Black Sox's home run hero in the world championships final, will get to play Australia again at the Challenge Cup in February.

 

ORIGINAL STORY

The Black Sox are set for a re-match with Australia - the team they beat to win the world men's softball championships gold medal.

Softball New Zealand chief executive Tony Giles said Australia had accepted an invitation to the TAB Challenge Cup tournament at Auckland's Rosedale Park in February.

"We're delighted to have the two world championships finalists at the Challenge Cup," Giles said.

The Czech Republic have also confirmed their entry for a second successive season, but Giles said Canada had declined because of commitments to the 2018 Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic.

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He was still waiting to hear from Japan, but was confident they would take part.

The New Zealand Major Sox under-23 squad would also be in the field for the February 7-11 tournament, Giles said.

"We think it's important to have our next generation of players on the diamond, playing against the seven-time world champions and other international teams."

Meanwhile, SNZ are staging a celebration dinner at Auckland's Alexandra Park conference centre on September 16 to honour the Black Sox's world title success in Whitehorse, Canada.

Giles said all the players and their partners would be present. Most of Mark Sorenson's squad returned home last week after beating Australia, 6-4, in the final. The last of the 17-strong group return from playing for North American clubs at the International Softball Congress tournament in Michigan in mid-August.

Wellington's Wayne Laulu and Auckland catcher Zane van Lieshout are playing for Circle Tap from Wisconsin, outfielder Campbell Enoka and pitcher-utility Karl Gollan for the Can Am Twins from Ontario and Canterbury third baseman Tyron Bartorillo is turning out for the Bloomington Stix from Illinois.

Meanwhile, Softball New Zealand have appointed a new high performance manager to replace Darren Smith, the new New Zealand Black Sticks men's hockey coach.

High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ) will take up the Auckland-based role on September 11.

White, a former rugby player and track and field athlete, does not have a softball background, but Giles said Smith had also come from outside the sport yet had brought fresh ideas to the softball role.

White has worked at HPSNZ for over four years as the manager of its investment and support programmes, supervising areas such as performance enhancement  (PEG) grants and Prime Minister's scholarships.

He was formerly a zone manager with the New Zealand Rugby League and started his sports sector career at Sport Wanganui.

White said he had "spent some time at head office from a government agency point of view" and it was now time to "get some experience at the coal-face in a sport that's got a good standing in New Zealand".

 

 

 - Stuff