The White Sox are set to take on Olympic champions Japan (ranked 2nd), in the opening game of the Group C competition.

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This will be the first international game for the New Zealand team, who haven’t taken the field since before the Covid pandemic. Consequently, their ranking has dropped to 29th in the world. The team finished 13th at the 2018 WBSC Softball World Cup and were world champions in 1982.

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White Sox Team Manager Lunn-Hing Matai says the team are mentally prepared and determined to ‘leave everything out on the diamond.’

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“We know we have a big job ahead of us, and we are going to have to produce something special to make the top two, but on the day this team is capable of great things,” says Lunn-Hing.

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Commentary and post-game interviews and analysis will be provided by popular softball personality Jason ‘Chopper’ Gerbes who says the Group C action, where NZ will battle it out on the diamond, will be hot and fast with the world’s best international teams in the middle of some of the hottest weather Italy has experienced.

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“The great thing is that New Zealand has a mixture of youth and experience that make them an unknown quantity,” says Gerbes.

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“Third base woman, Lara Andrews, now in her 18th year, brings a wealth of experience to the captaincy while Katrina Nukunuku, playing in her fifth World Cup, provides pivotal guidance,” he says.

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“Throw into the mix the youth of exciting power-hitter Shyah Hale on debut and New Zealand should be ‘tutti bene’.”

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“This historic hosting of the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup, is the first time we have seen this two-stage format, where 18 nations are competing for the title of World Champion through three Group Stages,” says Jason Gerbes.

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Group C includes Japan (ranked 2nd ), Philippines (26th), Venuzuela (22nd), Canada (5th), and Italy (8th).

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Australia and the United States have already won through to the WBSC Women’s World Cup finals by winning their Group A competition. The Group B competition is currently being played in Barcelona.

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The White Sox will play five round robin games, with the top four teams then qualifying for the playoffs. The top two from each group, plus two wild cards will qualify for the 2024 World Cup finals, also to be played in Italy.

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THE WHITE SOX ARE:

Lara Andrews (capt)

Amy Begg

Loran Parker

Tyla Morrison

Tyneesha Houkamau (Ngāti Porou)

Otila Tavite

Emma Francis

Rebecca Bromhead

Katrina Nukunuku

Shyah Hale (Ngāti Raukawa, Hamoa)

Pallas Potter

Mikayla Werahiko

Nerissa McDowell (Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Porou)

Brooke Whiteman

Meeki Cooper-Nicola (Ngāti Amaru, Ngāti Mahuta)

Erin Blackmore

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Schedule: NZT

SUNDAY 23 JULY AT 12.00 AM: New Zealand v Japan

SUNDAY 23 JULY 9.00 PM: Italy v New Zealand

TUESDAY 25 JULY AT 03.00 AM: Venezuela v New Zealand

WEDNESDAY 26 JULY AT 9.00 PM: New Zealand v Canada

WEDNESDAY 26 JULY AT 3.00 AM: Philippines V New Zealand

The playoffs will commence from Thursday 27 July.

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