Black Sox face All-Stars

January 25, 2013

 

Black Sox face All-Stars in first outing For the Black Sox, it will be their first competitive outing on the road to the Tradestaff ISF World Softball Championship in March. For some of their players – especially captain Rhys Casley – it looms as a chance to ease some of the injury concerns around the roster just over a month out from the first pitch. This weekend’s Vic Guth Tournament in Auckland will see all of the national men’s roster in action for club teams. But on Monday afternoon, the squad will also come together for their first game, as the Black Sox take on an Auckland United All-Stars side. “This is the 50th anniversary of the United club, one of the very special clubs in Auckland and one of the special tournaments, so we’ll help honour that occasion by playing an exhibition game as the national team,” says coach Eddie Kohlhase. “But it’s also a chance for us to start putting our combinations together under game conditions.” For Casley, who badly injured a shoulder last year and needed major surgery, this could be an important step towards passing fit to play at the world tournament. Two weeks ago, at the team’s first training camp at his home club, the Hutt Valley infielder was out on the diamond, working hard on footwork and fielding skills, but still under-arming his throws. He’s obviously itching to get back into action, but can’t afford to push things too quickly. Kohlhase has given his walking wounded until the first week of February to prove their readiness. Veteran infielder Jarrad Martin has already achieved that, fully recovered from a serious calf injury that jeopardised his participation in a fifth world championship. But there are still a couple of others awaiting clearance. US-based pitcher Jeremy Manley arrives in New Zealand today after minor knee surgery and is expected to get a full workout over the weekend. Casley, though, has the most to gain from his participation. “Obviously, he’s a key part of our team, not just as captain, but also as the second baseman in our defence,” says Kohlhase. “He’s made good progress to the point he can now lift a bat. “As long as he doesn’t suffer any setbacks, we're hopeful he will prove his fitness and we’ll certainly give him every opportunity to do that.” The game against the Auckland United All-Stars will take place at Fowlds Park, Mt Albert, at 2.45pm Monday.