NZ Junior White Sox
WBSC U-18 WOMEN'S SOFTBALL GROUP A QUALIFIER 2024 RESULTS
| GAME | RESULT | ||
| Wednesday 24 July - 3.00am NZT | NEW ZEALAND vs CHINESE TAIPEI | 4 - 8 | |
| Thursday 25 July - 10.00am NZT | CZECHIA vs NEW ZEALAND | 3 - 8 | |
| Friday 26 July - 10.00am NZT | BRAZIL vs NEW ZEALAND | 8 - 6 | |
| Saturday 27 July - 7.00am NZT | NEW ZEALAND vs GREAT BRITAIN | 13 - 11 | |
| Saturday 27 July - 10.00am NZT | NEW ZEALAND vs COLOMBIA | 11 - 9 | |
| Sunday 28 July (Final) - 7am NZT | NEW ZEALAND vs CHINESE TAIPEI | 1 - 9 | |
| Sunday 28 July (Repechage) - 10am NZT | CZECHIA vs NEW ZEALAND | 7 - 1 | |
NZ JWSX CALIFORNIA TOUR TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT
Softball NZ’s President, Lynda O’Cain is pleased to announce the names of the following athletes who have been selected for a Junior White Sox California Tour team that will travel this Sept/ October. "This is a big year for our Junior White Sox programme with the WBSC Group Stage qualifier in July. This additional team plays a strategic part of developing our elite female pathway. It’s always an honour to represent NZ and we congratulate these young athletes on their selection”. Head Coach Kiri Shaw adds "It is vital that we continue to grow our programme and expose our athletes to international softball. The more players we have touring, the better prepared we will be for future WBSC events. It is a relatively inexperienced group but these players have stood out because of their positive attitudes and/or their performances in club and representative softball. We are excited to see how they grab this opportunity and perform at the next level."
The NZ Junior White Sox Claifornia Tour team is as follows;
Kim-Marie Aurupa - HUTT VALLEY
*Abigail Church - NORTH HARBOUR
Bella Coxson - HUTT VALLEY
*Iris Feng - COUNTIES
Aimee Goodmanson - CANTERBURY
Tiana Graham - AUCKLAND
Oliana Hesp - COUNTIES
*Riana Hill - AUCKLAND
Payton Hiraka Downing - COUNTIES
*Jaimee Hoani - NORTH HARBOUR
Skylah Breeze Joyce - AUCKLAND
Mia Kingi-Hicks - COUNTIES
Shiloh Malo - QUEENSLAND
Matangihau Nuku - HUTT VALLEY
Ava Prescott - AUCKLAND
Bailey Symons - HUTT VALLEY
Non Travelling Reserves
Chrysta Lockington-Marsters - AUCKLAND
Tyla Pita-Kani - WELLINGTON
Safira Shultz - HUTT VALLEY
NB: The four players with asterisks by their names are the non-travelling reserves for the WBSC Group Stage Brazil team. They will tour with this team unless called up into the Brazil team.
NZ JWSX WORLD CUP TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT
Softball NZ’s President, Lynda O’Cain, is pleased to announce the names of the 16 athletes who have been selected to contest the WBSC U18 Group Stage World Cup Qualifier in Sau Paulo, Brazil this July. The selection includes naming four non-travelling reserves. "We congratulate these young athletes on their selection. It’s always an honour to represent NZ and we wish them and our coaching management team every success”.
The 2024 NZ Junior White Sox team is as follows;
Clover Alapaki - AUCKLAND
Mckenzie Bailey-McDowell - CANTERBURY
Siobhan Bolger - WELLINGTON
Savannah-Lee Farrar - COUNTIES
Yvanni Gibson - QUEENSLAND
Caitlin Henderson - CANTERBURY
Angela Harrison - HUTT VALLEY
Maysen Kurene-Iwikau - HUTT VALLEY
Poppy Priddle - WHANGANUI
Kaiyah Ratu - CANTERBURY
Maggie Shields - HUTT VALLEY
Penny Starr - COUNTIES
Waimarie Tawera - AUCKLAND
Maiarangi Waipara - WELLINGTON
Trinity Waiwiri-Toka - COUNTIES
Jayda Walters-Rangitihi - HUTT VALLEY
Non Travelling Reserves
Abigail Church - NORTH HARBOUR
Iris Feng - COUNTIES
Jaimee Hoani - NORTH HARBOUR
Riana Hill - AUCKLAND
Head Coach, Kiri Shaw is delighted to confirm this selection. "It is a mixture of experience, players that have been in the JWSX program for 2-3 years, with some exciting new younger talent that have really stood out this season and been consistent with their performance”.
"We have a lot of work to do in our preparation. We know it's going to be incredibly tough to qualify top two in our pool to get to the 2025 World Cup but we are excited about the athleticism and potential of the individuals we have selected. We are familiar with the nature and characters of our experienced players, and from what we’ve seen of the younger ones, there's an attitude and enjoyment in their play. Our hearts obviously go out to those that have not made the final roster, by no means was this an easy team to select. We are really looking forward to bringing this new team together and getting on with the job ahead".
Head Coach: Kiri Shaw
Assist. Coach: Carley Ratu
Battery Coach: Dave Elder
Manager: Judy Elder
JWSX INVITATIONAL TEAM FOR NFC
3 January 2024
The Junior White Sox will field an invitational team at the National Fastpitch Championships in Feburary 2024, with this being only the second time a JWSX team has played at this tournament. "Very excited for this team to play at NFC. This gives this group of young players the chance to showcase their softballing capabilities against our strongest and most experienced teams and players. Plus, we also have a number of age grade players who have made their provincial teams, so it's another group of players we get to see."
Next year is the important group stage qualifying tournament with success at this tournament leading to a spot at the World Cup in 2025. "But that is a long way off as is the group stage qualifying tournament. Right now we focus on the present. The second half of the NZ domestic and rep season, especially, will be important for all players of age to have performances that 'stick their hand up'. Attitude, consistency and the ability to perform under pressure is what we are looking at."
The JWSX Invitational team is as follows;
Siobhan Bolger (Wellington)
Elizabeth Caudwell (North Harbour)
Abigail Church (North Harbour)
Shyla de Lautour (Canterbury)
Yvanni Gibson (Queensland)
Tiana Graham (Auckland)
Angela Harrison (Hutt Valley)
Jaimee Hoani (North Harbour)
Riana Hill (Auckland)
Maddison Parsons (Canterbury)
Maggie Shields (Hutt Valley)
Meagan Stokes (Hutt Valley)
Waimarie Tawera (Auckland)
Maiarangi Waipara (Wellington)
Matangihau Nuku (Hutt Valley) Unable to travel - Injured has been replaced with
Poppy Briddle (Whanganui)
WBSC OCEANIA U-18 WOMEN'S SOFTBALL QULAIFIER 2023 RESULTS
Great result for the New Zealand Junior White Sox qualifying 1st at the WBSC Oceania, U-18 Women's Softball Oceania Championship 2023. Australia 2nd and American Samoa 3rd.
| GAME | RESULT | ||
| Monday 6 November 2023 - 4.30pm NZT | AUSTRALIA vs NEW ZEALAND | 3 - 4 | |
| Monday 6 November 2023 - 7.00pm NZT | AMERICAN SAMOA vs NEW ZEALAND | 3 - 18 | |
| Tuesday 7 November 2023 - 10.00am NZT | NEW ZEALAND vs AUSRALIA | 5 - 3 | |
| Tuesday 7 November 2023 - 1.00pm NZT | NEW ZEALAND vs AMERICAN SAMOA | 5 - 4 | |
| Wednesday 8 November 2023 - 10.00am NZT | NEW ZEALAND vs AUSTRALIA | Rained Out | |
| Wednesday 8 November 2023 - 4.00pm NZT | AMERICAN SAMOA vs NEW ZEALAND | Rained Out | |
Individual Awards:
Defensive Player of the Tournament:
McKenzie Bailey McDowell
MVP of the Tournament:
Kaiyah Ratu
NEW ZEALAND JUNIOR WHITE SOX CONFIRM KANSAS (USA)TOUR JUNE 2023
The JWSX management team are extremely excited to have been invited to the Top Gun Invitational Tournament in Kansas City in June with the tournament being touted as one of the big showcase tournaments in the USA. The JWSX will field teams in the 18U and 16U age grade brackets with an expected 250 teams in attendance. Coach Kiri Shaw, says, "this will be a phenomenal experience for 30 of our best players across these age groups".
Shaw is under no illusion that the JWSX have a lot of work to do in their preparation for the Kansas City tournament and subsequent games in California. "You would have to say, American girls’ softball is the best in the world and we are lucky enough to get this opportunity to see and compete against the best. I hope our players are going to come away from this tour with lots of learnings in terms of the players and the teams we will come up against, how they carry themselves, the attitude they take on the field, their level of skill. This whole experience is going to be massive, I can't think of anything better than throwing ourselves into the firing line, so to speak, as we look for players that are 'up for it', mentally, physically and as team members, for our ever important regional qualifier in 2024".
"With the 18U team we have mostly gone with experience combined with some younger players. A lot of the players in the 18U team were in the first team we took to Australia in July in 2022. This team exceeded our expectations, coming together both on and off the diamond and consequently they played some really good ball against some pretty good women's competition. We are going to need that experience and level headedness in the 18U age bracket given that we expect opposing teams to be littered with college prospects.”
"With the 16U team, some of the player selections have not solely been about ability, rather attributes we like ie power, speed, potential, we want to see what these players can add to an offensive or defensive game plan. I'm really excited to see how these younger players respond to the challenges this tournament and tour will provide them."
Non travelling reserves and a wider training squad have also been named. Coach Shaw wants to reinforce that the door is not shut on future selection for players not named in these two groups. The domestic 2023/24 season is going to be a big one.
18U Team
Charlotte Graham (North Harbour), Innika Hapuku-Lambert, Skylahbreeze Joyce, Ellazay Utanga-Fletcher, Jade Calverly (Auckland), Penny Starr (Counties), Mesha Shaw-Wallace, Raine Menzies, Rylee Watt (Hutt Valley) Maiarangi Waipara (Wellington), McKenzie Bailey-McDowell, Caitlin Henderson, Kaiyah Ratu, Sophie Yarham, Sydelle Sipiki-Samuelu (Canterbury)
Non Travelling Reserves
Eden Jennings-Netzler (Auckland), Sierra Tai (Hutt Valley), Trinity Mackley-Flutey (Canterbury), Anahera Wilson (Southland),
16U Team
Clover Alapaki, Waimarie Tawera (Auckland), Deija Perkinson, Iris Feng (Counties), Wikitoria Tamati (Hawkes Bay) Maysen Kurene-Iwikau, Bailey Symons, Matangihau Nuku, Aayla Toman, Emily McCormick (Hutt Valley), Maddison Parsons, Katerina Sumner (Canterbury), Tyla Pita-Kani, Siobhan Bolger, Nahlia Tagatauli-Tolova’a (Wellington)
Non Travelling Reserves
Chrysta Lockington-Marsters (Counties), Jess Wairau (Wellington), Shyla de Latour (Canterbury)
Wider Training Squad
Abigail Church (North Harbour), Ava Prescott, Payton Hiraka, Hayley Abbot, Rianna Hill, Sian Marsters (Auckland), Chrysta Lockington-Marsters, Oliana-Pearl Hesp, Savannah-Lee Farrar (Counties), Ashlee Hatzen (Manawatu), Meagan Stokes, Aria Webster-Pahina, Maggie Shields, Angela Harrison, Jayda Rangatihi-Walters (Hutt Valley), Jessica Wairau (Wellington) Shyla de Latour (Canterbury), Teremaia Johnson, Nikiah Rouse (Southland)
RATU APPOINTED JWSX ASSISTANT COACH
Softball New Zealand is excited to welcome Carley Ratu as the new Assistant Coach for the Junior White Sox. With a proven track record of success, Ratu brings a wealth of experience to the team.
Under Ratu's leadership, several Canterbury age group teams have seen success, including a win at the U17 National Girls tournament last month and two national U15 girls’ titles. In 2020, Ratu led the Canterbury U15 Baby Hawks to the Asia Pacific Little League Regional Qualifier in Indonesia.
Ratu takes on the role from Breanna Gibson, who has stepped down for personal reasons. Softball New Zealand would like to express its gratitude to Gibson for her dedication and commitment to the team since 2019. We wish her all the best for her future endeavours.
JWSX GAMES SCHEDULE - BRISBANE, JULY 2022
| DATE | TIME (NZT) | VENUE | GAME | RESULT | STREAMING |
| Thursday 14 July | 8pm | Redcliffe | JWSX vs Softball Queensland Elite Squad | ||
| 10pm | Redcliffe | JWSX vs Redcliffe Open Women’s Team | |||
| Friday 15 July | 8pm | Redlands | JWSX vs Redlands Rep Team | ||
| 10pm | Redlands | JWSX vs Redlands Rep Team | |||
| Saturday 16 July | 4pm | Redlands | JWSX vs Mariners/Scorpions | ||
| 6pm | Redlands | JWSX vs Scorpions/Mariners | |||
| Sunday 17 July | 12pm | Logan | JWSX vs | ||
| 2pm | Logan | JWSX vs | |||
| 7.30pm | Redlands | JWSX vs Redlands Rep Team |
JWSX 2022 SQUAD
Upon the completion of the recent Northern U17 regional tournament, Junior White Sox Management have finalised their squad for 2022. Coach Kiri Shaw attended most of this season’s regional tournaments and was excited to see players back out on the diamond. “Firstly, it was just awesome to see softball being played and even better that our younger players got to play some representative ball. It was obviously important for me to get around to these tournaments to see where our current squad members are at, to observe younger players who are on our radar, and to identify any new players coming through.”
As part of the JWSX campaign, two trips to Australia have been planned for this off season. Player commitment to regional trainings and individual preparation for the Australian trips (for those involved) will be of particular interest to management as they continue to identify players in contention for the all-important Oceania Qualifier in 2023.
A number one ranking at the Oceania Qualifier is pivotal to determining a more favourable route via the regional qualifier in 2024 to reach the goal of qualifying for the WBSC 18U World Cup in 2025. The JWSX management are under no illusions that regardless of the ranking attained and the subsequent regional qualifier pool New Zealand compete in, qualifying for the world cup is going to be a mammoth task.
“We are itching to get more softball exposure for our JWSX players. We have had so many postponements, cancellations and change of plans over the past two and a bit years, it’s been bloody frustrating. We feel for the players who missed out on the opportunity to wear the silver fern at the last 18U world cup. But we reset. And we focus on the next group of players coming through that we look to represent New Zealand at major international tournaments over the next two years.”
Players not selected for this year’s squad are encouraged to stay positive and continue to work hard on building their game. JWSX management are keeping their options open in regard to final selection of the Oceania qualifying team. Strong performances on the domestic scene in the up and coming 2022/2023 by players outside of the squad are obviously players we want to know more about.
The JWSX squad:
Hayley Abbott, Clover Alapaki, Jade Calvery, Eden Jennings-Netzler, Sian Masters, Waimarie Tawera, Ellazay Utanga-Fletcher (Auckland) McKenzie Bailey McDowell, Trinity Mackley, Kaiyah Ratu, Sophie Yarham (Canterbury) Innika Hapuku-Lambert, Tia Mataira, Wikitoria Tamati (Hawkes Bay) Alana Brown, Emily McCormick, Raine Menzies, Maysen Kurene-Iwikau, Mesha Shaw – Wallace, Bailey Symons, Aayla Toman, Rylee Watt (Hutt Valley) Ashlee Hatzen, Aria Webster-Pahina (Manawatu) Emily Cleal, Charlotte Graham (North Harbour) Anahera Wilson (Southland) Tyla Bull, Nahlia Tagatauli-Tolova'a, Maiarangi Waipara (Wellington)
JWSX teams to Australia are as follows:
*July - Clover Alapaki, Jade Calvery, Ellazay Utanga-Fletcher, McKenzie Bailey McDowell, Kaiyah Ratu, Innika Hapuku-Lambert, Raine Menzies, Maysen Kurene-Iwikau, Mesha Shaw – Wallace, Aayla Toman, Rylee Watt, Charlotte Graham, Maiarangi Waipara (1-2 players to be added)
*September/October - Hayley Abbott, Eden Jennings-Netzler, Sian Masters, Waimarie Tawera, Trinity Mackley, Sophie Yarham, Tia Mataira, Wikitoria Tamati, Emily McCormick, Bailey Symons, Ashlee Hatzen, Emily Cleal, Nahlia Tagatauli-Tolova'a (1-2 players to be added)
JWSX NAME SELECTION TEAMS FOR KEY TOURNAMENTS
Junior White Sox management are excited to name three selection teams to play in key tournaments in the up and coming softball season.
Coach Kiri Shaw is excited to see the results of an off season training programme squad members have undertaken in their preparation for the 2021/2022 season.
The season is an important one for the JWSX campaign as selectors look to identify players for a possible overseas tour in 2022 and with an eye to the Oceania Qualifier (if required) in 2023, that being the first qualifier in the JWSX's bid to make the World Cup in 2025.
The ongoing involvement and exposure of JWSX players playing in women's tournaments will continue to foster the development and playing experience of squad members. The Quad Series tournament will be an opportunity for players aging out of the JWSX age bracket to showcase their capabilities to Sky Sport New Zealand White Sox selectors for possible future selection in WSX squads. "The team is a relatively inexperienced one, so for these players to come up against the best women's players in New Zealand, on SKY TV, it will be a massively, valuable learning experience. The other two club tournaments will continue to allow more squad members valuable playing time against stronger, experienced opposition."
The three JWSX teams are as follows.
Tri-series Tournament (Colquhoun Park, Palmerston North)
Shyann Wairau, Maysen Iwikau-Kurene, Innika Hapuku-Lambert, McKenzie Bailey-McDowell, Sarahnaruth Pauga, Kuratangi Ronaki, Tyarn Bromhead-Lemalu, Karstein Fuimaono, Mesha Shaw-Wallace, Gabrielle Murare, Hope Maaka, Raine Menzies, Kaiyah Ratu, Meeki Cooper Nicola, Arene Landon-Lane, Rylee Watt
Saints Tournament (6 - 7th November, Fraser Park, Hutt Valley)
Sian Marsters, Charlotte Graham, Trinity Mackley, Naia Elisara, Hannah Symons, Clover Alapaki, Anahera Wilson, Wiki (Kei-Leigh) Tamati, Ocearn Matthews, McKenzie Bailey-McDowell, Margaret Alatofa,Taimane Reid, Jade Calverley, Tatiana Kutu, Toni Elers (subject to clearance)
Bev Smith Tournament (26 - 28th November, Meadowlands Park, Auckland)
Sophie Yarham, Maysen Iwikau-Kurene, Rylee Watt, Innika Hapuku-Lambert, Ashlee Hatzen, Mesha Shaw-Wallace, McKenzie Bailey-McDowell, Clover Alapaki, Trinity Mackley, Kaiyah Ratu, Nia Pirini, Arene Landon-Lane, Raine Menzies, Jade Calverley, Sammy Fawcett-Kay, Hannah Symons
2021 JWSX SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT
After a month of regional trainings, Junior White Sox Coach Kiri Shaw and her coaching staff have finalised their 2021 JWSX squad. Shaw was impressed with the attitudes of the players selected to attend the trainings and felt the opportunity to get a closer look at a smaller group of identified players was a worthwhile exercise.
"This is the start of a new JWSX campaign, and a range of ages have been considered for this squad as a result of the decision from the WBSC to move to a four-year World Cup cycle with Regional qualifying events from 2021.
Alongside this group of girls are players we are targeting to be part of our teams for the Oceania qualifier in 2023 and the Regional qualifier in 2024. Where we place at these tournaments will be crucial to our goal of competing at the 2025 World Cup.
We have an exciting domestic season ahead with a number of opportunities for squad members to demonstrate the results of an off-season softball specific conditioning programme. We are very lucky in that there are a lot of people around the country who are keen to assist with the development of these young athletes.
The first team’s selection process will happen later in the year with Coach Kiri Shaw naming tournament teams to attend an October fixture (TBC), Saints (November) and Bev Smith (December) tournaments.
The 2021 JWSX squad is as follows:
*Clover Alapaki, Margaret Alatofa, Tyarn Bromhead-Lemalu, Jade Calverley, Meeki Cooper Nicola, Karstein Fuimaono, Shyah Hale, Innika Hapuku-Lambert, Hope Maka, *Sian Masters, Ocearn Matthews, Gabrielle Murare, Saranaruth Paunga, Kuratangi Ronaki (Auckland) *McKenzie Bailey-McDowell, Naia Elisara, Sammy Fawcett, Trinity Mackley, *Kaiyah Ratu, *Sophie Yarham (Canterbury) Taimana Reid (Counties) Chloe Rayner (Florida)
*Maysen Kurene-Iwikau, Raine Menzies, Mesha Shaw-Wallace, Rylee Watt (Hutt Valley) *Ashlee Hatzen, Nia Pirini (Manawatu) Charlotte Graham (North Harbour) Toni Elers, Hannah Symon, Anahera Wilson (Southland) *Kei-Leigh Tamati (Tairawhiti) Arene Landon-Lane, Tatiana Katu, Shyann Wairau (Wellington) *Players that have been selected for both the DXS and JWSX squads in the 2021/2022 season
REGIONAL TRAININGS PRIOR TO NAMING OF THE 2021 JWSX SQUAD
After the recent successful Easter Classic tournament in Auckland, JWSX coach Kiri Shaw has decided to delay the naming of the 2021 JWSX squad until regional trainings have taken place over the next month or so.
"The Easter Classic allowed us to have a good look at the younger players involved with the three Developing Sox teams and we liked what we saw of the talent coming through. With regional tournaments taking place this year instead of our normal national age grade tournaments, we have had few opportunities to observe and make comparisons of the different aged players that could potentially be involved in our programme. With the WBSC implementing qualifying tournaments for attendance at a world cup, and over a four-year cycle, we are having to ensure we have players of specific ages in mind to prepare for the yearly qualifying tournaments and hopefully for the World Cup in 2025. It's been a bit of a headache to get our heads around to be honest. Seeing the DSX players in action at the Easter Classic allowed us to see the majority of the better players at that younger age group and now we want to see how they cope alongside and against older girls who are also in the running to make this year's JWSX squad. We have also identified a couple of really young 'bolters', kids that are very 'raw' but something about their presence on the diamond makes you want to have a closer look at them. These players have been selected to attend the regional trainings."
"For players that have previously been involved with the JWSX and are still of age but have not been selected to attend a regional training or will not be named in the 2021 squad, we are interested to see how these players respond. The door is not shut to future involvement with the JWSX. All going well, we have a pretty exciting calendar ahead. The Trans-Tasman bubble opening up this month is very encouraging in regard to our plans and looking ahead to next year, we are hoping to take a large squad to the USA. Touch wood. The priority for this off season once players have had a decent rest will be to prepare players for firstly the Quad Series in October and then subsequent tournaments on the Softball NZ calendar. This JWSX management team have become very good at planning, we would like to think, this time around, there will be no disruptions to our plans, and the JWSX will get to play a lot more ball in our build up for the first qualifying tournament, the Oceania Qualifier in 2023."
Selected athletes & dates for the regional trainings are as follows; (venues to be confirmed)
CENTRAL - Sunday 18th April at Wgtn/HV ground or Colquhoun Park, Manawatu (tbc)
Alana Brown, Maysen Kurene-Iwikau, Raine Menzies, Mesha Shaw-Wallace, Maggie Shields, Trinity Tauaneai, Aayla Toman, Rylee Watt (Hutt Valley) Ashlee Hatzen, Nia Pirini, Aria Webster-Pohina (Manawatu) Kei-Leigh Tamati (Tairawhiti) Siobhan Bolger, Arene Landon-Lane, Tatiana Katu, Kyera Kie Nafatali, Bailey Symons, Ngapera Uden McFarlane, Maiarangi Waipara, Shyann Wairau (Wellington)
NORTHERN - Sunday 2nd May at Warren Freer Park, Auckland or Rosedale Park, North Harbour (tbc)
Clover Alapaki, Margaret Alotafa, Tyarn Bromhead-Lemalu, Jade Calverley, Meeki Cooper Nicola, Karstein Fuimaono, Shyah Hale, Innika Hapuku-Lambert, Rianna Hill, Skylahbreeze Joyce, Hope Maka, Sian Masters, Ocearn Matthews, Gabrielle Murare, Saranaruth Paunga, Kuratangi Ronaki, Joan Sutcliffe, Waimarie Tawera, Apryl Trego (Auckland) Taimana Reid (Counties) Charlotte Graham (North Harbour)
SOUTHERN - Saturday 8th May (pm) and Sunday 9th May (am) at Mizuno Park, Christchurch
McKenzie Bailey-McDowell, Madison Dysart, Naia Elisara, Sammy Fawcett, Drew Jorgenson, Trinity Mackley, Kaiyah Ratu, Sydelle Sipiki-Samuelu, Jahneiya Taiapa, Sophie Yarham (Canterbury) Toni Elers, Maraea TeHuia, Hannah Symon, Anahera Wilson (Southland) *Some players may still be added to this group.
"We realise this is a short turnaround in regard to the dates of these trainings, but the positives are the fact, as a result of seeing players in action at the Easter Classic, we have 22 new names that weren't on our original squad list that we now want to see again. And for all the players attending the regional trainings they have another opportunity to showcase their abilities in front of selectors before the naming of the 2021 squad." JWSX management will be in touch over the next couple of days to confirm player availability.
Kiri Shaw
JWSX 2021 SQUAD SELECTION
The JWSX Team Management would like to advise that due to a recent change by the WBSC to the U18 World Cup Schedule the naming of the 2020/2021 JWSX squad has been delayed until after Easter.
This allows the JWSX Coaching Staff to look closely at athletes turning 15 in the 2021 calendar year throughout the Developing Squads internal camp which ends with the Easter tournament in Auckland. The recently announced World Cup qualifying cycle is now spread over a 4 year period (was every second year) which means a larger spread of ages is now required in the JWSX squad to prepare for International qualifying events over 3 of the 4 year cycle.
JWSX
Further to last week’s JWSX 2021 World Cup announcement, team management would like to acknowledge the achievements the JWSX successfully accomplished during what was an unprecedented journey.
- Inclusion in the 2020 NFC. First JWSX team to be granted entry. Securing a 4th place finish (prior to semifinals)
- National Tri Series – Inclusion in this newly created series including the NZ White Sox & NZ A Teams. Live coverage on Sky Sport
- Commitment to a campaign lasting two seasons as a result of the postponement of the WBSC Women’s 18U World Cup due to the impact of the Covid Global Pandemic
- Incredible resilience shown by all athletes in the face of unprecedented times
Thank you to all Whanau who have supported the JWSX throughout this courageous journey, the encouragement and inspiration you provided has been instrumental in overcoming the challenges this team faced. To the Softball community who united behind the JWSX and created opportunities for this team to compete under the JWSX brand domestically; providing facilities, accommodating athletes to reduce costs, providing financial assistance and cheered us along at games, thank you, your support was greatly appreciated.
When it is safe to do so, SNZ will continue to develop domestic and international bubble opportunities for all national teams which are sure to include this great bunch of athletes.
JWSX Team Management
CHANGES TO JWSX SELECTION TEAM FOR WAYNE ROPER TOURNAMENT
After outstanding performances in the past two weeks at the U15 & U18 central regional tournaments, Maysen Kurene-Iwikau has been added to the JWSX selection team that will play in the Wayne Roper tournament. Kurene-Iwikau was top pitcher and MVP at both tournaments, as well as making both tournament teams. "Maysen was quite dominant at the older age grade tournament, and that is exciting to see. Masyen has a very good demeanour for someone so young and who plays in such a key position. We need athletes who are not fazed by playing more experienced and/or more stronger opposition. The more opportunities we have to pit our young players against stronger competition, the more we will learn about individual players," says Coach Kiri Shaw.
Due to injury to Meeki Nicola Cooper the following two pitchers have been called into the JWSX selection team for the Wayne Roper tournament.
Ashlee Hatzen, a young developing pitcher from Manawatu. “I was first introduced to Ashlee as a young catcher. However, over the last two weeks at the U15 and U18 central regional tournaments, she spent a large amount of time on the mound. What impressed me most was Ashlee’s high work rate. She throws quite firmly for a slight girl, in what I would say is a relatively new position to her. She had a great attitude on the mound, and contained some good hitters at both tournaments. When she wasn’t pitching she was playing other positions. This will be a massive jump in terms of the standard Ashlee is use to facing, but this also an opportunity for her to show that same grit and determination that she demonstrated over the last two weeks.”
“Cheyleigh Natana-Wihongi, first came to our attention at the U15 nationals in 2019. She was one of few pitchers at the tournament who threw a change up, and threw it well. Cheyleigh is still very much in that developing stage, but for her too, this is an opportunity.
The battery team we have for this tournament are either very young and all, are very much developing pitchers. The goal for them is to work together, to contain opposition hitters. I’m really excited to see how all players go in this team for this weekend.
Kiri Shaw
JWSX SELECTION TEAM FOR WAYNE ROPER TOURNAMENT
Junior White Sox coaching staff have named the following players to form a selection team to attend the Wayne Roper tournament, 22-24th January.
Kuratangi Ronaki, Margaret Alatofa, Gabby Murare, Ocean Mathews, Auckland, Apryl Trego, Jade Calverley, Hope Maka, Meeki Nicola Cooper (Auckland), Shyann Wairau, Arene Landon-Lane, Alycia Capes-Parr, Jahvana Temarama (Wellington)
Coach Shaw says, "It's always exciting to get another group of identified athletes together under the JWSX banner and give them the opportunity to showcase their abilities, against more experienced opposition. This is our 2nd year attending the Wayne Roper tournament and we are very appreciative of Otahuhu and their support of the U18 women's program. We have seven new players to the JWSX environment for this weekend, and I am excited to see these girls play. The remaining named players have had some experience with JWSX teams and for these players, it's about seeing how they have 'kicked-on' in terms of feedback and their abilities, for others it's about, consistency."
Another 1-2 players will be added to the team after the conclusion of the northern and central regional tournaments. Due to the short time frame and later start dates to the southern regional tournaments, the team will be made up entirely of North Island players. "I want to reassure the South Island players, they have not been forgotten. We have coaching staff attending both the U15 & U18 southern regional teams, observing players we already know of, as well as looking out for new talent.
A 2020/21 squad JWSX will be named at the completion of the U18 Southern Regional tournament.
JWSX TEAM FOR BEV SMITH TOURNAMENT 2020
The Junior White Sox coaching staff have named their first Junior White Sox selection team, with an eye towards the 2022 World Cup.
Coach Kiri Shaw says, “It's time to start looking at our next group of ballers in preparation for the 2022 World Cup. Whilst it is two years away, that time will pass quickly and we need to start talent identifying these players now."
The JWSX will compete in the Bev Smith tournament in December. "Whilst we are familiar with a small group of players in this age group, namely those who were in last year's JWSX squad, this is a relatively new group to us." Coach Shaw is hopeful by having a similar programme to what was in place with the current JWSX team, i.e. selection teams playing in club tournaments and the NFC tournament, the coaching staff will become more familiar with players and their capabilities in this age bracket.
Selectors will also be in attendance at this year's regional tournaments and will name a wider JWSX squad at the completion of the final regional tournament.
'We are in a weird place right now. The last 14 months has been focused on selecting and preparing a Junior White Sox team to attend the 2020 World Cup in Peru. Due to COVID and the rescheduling of that World Cup to March/April, 2021, our current team continues to be in 'limbo' in regards to their attendance at that tournament. I have mad respect for this bunch of ladies. They have had to soldier through a campaign like no other." The team continues to remain optimistic.
The JWSX team to play in the Bev Smith tournament in December:
Tyarn Bromhead Lemalu, Meeki Cooper Nicola, Hope Maka, Ocearn Matthews, Innika Hapuku-Lambert (Auckland), Maysen Kurene-Iwikau, Mesha Shaw-Wallace, Rylee Watt, Sierra Tai (Hutt Valley), Maiarangi Waipara, Kyera Kei-Nafatali (Wellington), McKenzie Bailey McDowell, Samantha Fawcett-Kay, Trinity Mackley, Kiyah Ratu (Canterbury)
OFFICIAL SUPPORTERS TOUR
 |
This year Lima will host the U18 Women's Softball World Cup. Travel with the official NZ support group of the team. Located in Peru, Lima is the main hub to explore many unique sights and destinations, such as Machu Picchu, the Amazon and much more. Download the package here |
NAMING OF NEW ZEALAND JUNIOR WHITE SOX WORLD CUP TEAM
New Zealand Junior White Sox Head Coach Kiri Shaw is pleased to announce her final roster to compete in the WBSC U-18 Women’s World Cup in Lima Peru this August.
Shaw say’s “we are very excited about this team after a lengthy but thorough selection process. The opportunity for squad members to play in a number of tournaments where they have been exposed to a higher level of play and compete against more experienced women has been an invaluable exercise. Sitting alongside these tournaments and just as important were observations made at U18 nationals.
We have learnt a lot about players as well as the things we want to implement in terms of the team culture we want in place for this JWSX team. We have been really impressed with the attitudes of all the players that have been involved with the JWSX invitation teams. They have been ‘sponges’ and have been open to learning. Even more pleasing is when their performance on the diamond tells us they have taken on the feedback given.
This was an extremely tough team to select. But it was a good problem to have. Consistency, versatility, attitude and improvement were the basis of our final 16 women roster for the world cup."
The team is as follows;
Pitchers
Hineawe Crawford (Hutt Valley)
Cherie Inwood (Canterbury)
Aroha Munroe (South Australia)
Megan Sneddon (Auckland)
Catchers
Kiara Taimai (Auckland)
Kimihia Tangianau (Hutt Valley)
Infield
Maddison Gerbes (Auckland)
Caitlyn Lewin (Hutt Valley)
Alyssa Lory (Canterbury)
Lily Neilsen (Counties Manukau)
Beyonce Rehutai (Wellington)
Lace Tangianau (Hutt Valley)
Outfield
Mikayla Cross (Auckland)
Maarire Puketapu (Hutt Valley)
Beth Reid (Auckland)
Kiri Winiata-Enoka (Hutt Valley)
Non Travelling Reserves
Shyann Wairau (Wellington)
Chloe Rayner (USA)
Shyah Hale (Auckland)
Stella Jorgenson (Canterbury)
Erenora Hetet-Hauwaho (Hutt Valley)
Manaia Makiri (Canterbury)
"For those not named in the final 16, we applaud your attitude and your performances. Whilst you might be highly disappointed, many great softballers have had stellar careers after overcoming a disappointment like this. I want to reiterate, this was not an easy team to select, purely because of the number of positive performances by different players in the tournaments we observed. We watch with excitement the pathway you carve for yourselves."
Go to the Softball NZ Facebook page to view the live announcement of the team.
https://www.facebook.com/SoftballNZ
3 PLAYERS ADDED TO JWSX NFC TEAM
Strong performances over the past month has seen the addition of three players to the JWSX team for the NFC tournament.
- Hineawe Crawford (HV)
- Aroha Giddy-Munroe (South Australia)
- Kimihia Tangianau (HV)
The JWSX selectors are hoping to name their final 16 woman roster at the conclusion of the NFC tournament. Players are continuing to put their hand up for selection at different tournaments. Players are being observed both on and off the diamond. The selectors are excited about the match ups they have seen, "this will not be an easy team to select". They have been impressed with the overall athleticism, performances and attitudes of JWSX squad members.
JUNIOR WHITE SOX ANNOUNCEMENT
An important month ahead for JWSX world cup hopefuls with three tournaments of particular importance to selectors as they continue to observe and identify players that will make up their final 16 women roster for the WBSC World Cup in August.
With the U18 nationals next week, Coach Shaw is excited about the number of match ups her and fellow selectors will get to see across the diamond and also how players fare in their own age group. They are also excited about the possibility of a ‘bolter’ emerging from this tournament.
Following U18 nationals, a JWSX Invitation team will take part in the Wayne Roper Tournament, 24 – 26th January. The following players have been selected for the Invitation team;
Rongomai Royal-Luke (HV), Shyah Hale (AUCK), Kiara Lei-lani Taimai (AUCK), Alyssa Bailey (COUNTIES), Kiri Winiata-Enoka (HV), Cheyenne Young (AUCK), Mikayla Cross (AUCK), Alyssa Lory (CANTERBURY), Caitlin Lewin (HV), Lily Neilsen (COUNTIES), Erenora Hetet-Hauwaho (HV), Maarire Puketapu (HV).
*With 2-3 players to be added after the U18 nationals
For the first time, a JWSX team will compete at the National Fastpitch Championship, 13 – 16 Feburary. “A lot of hard work has gone on behind the scenes to push for the inception of the JWSX at this tournament, the JWSX management are appreciative of the support from SNZ to allow them to play”.
Congratulations to the following players who have been selected for the JWSX team;
Shyah Hale (AUCK), Shyann Wairau (WGTN), Kiara Lei-lani Taimai (AUCK) , Arene Landon-Lane (WGTN), Kuratangi Ronaki (AUCK), Cheyenne Young (AUCK), Mikayla Cross (AUCK), Manaia Makiri (CANTERBURY), Maddison Gerbes (AUCK), Erenora Hetet-Hauwaho (HV), Meeki Cooper-Nicola (AUCK)
*With 4 players to be added after the Wayne Roper tournament
“The more opportunities our young players have to play against quality opposition, can only be beneficial for these players. Our young players have to aspire to be just as a good, and then better than our top women’s players if we are going to be successful on the international stage. From a selectors point of view, it’s another opportunity to see how players face up against ‘tough’ opposition. It will allow us to see how we will manage our players in different situations and also how we will tackle opposition players and the different scenarios we will face. This is what we are going to have to do at the World Cup.”
“The bonus for the girls in this team is the amount of game time they will get in this tournament, so more time in front of the selectors.”
Coach Shaw wants to reinforce that the JWSX coaching staff will continue to consider players who are not in the JWSX squad but come to the attention of selectors through their play in local competition and club and national tournaments.
An exciting month ahead for JWSX management and JWSX hopefuls.
JUNIOR WHITE SOX APPOINTMENT
The Junior White Sox welcomes aboard Dave Elder as their team Pitching Coach. Elder is no stranger to New Zealand National Teams having undertaken the role with the Developing Sox and the Junior White Sox world championship campaign in 2017. Elder brings a wealth of pitching knowledge and will be a fantastic asset to the programme.
FIRST NINE JWSX PLAYERS TO OCEANIA QUALIFIER NAMED
Junior White Sox Head Coach Kiri Shaw has named her first nine players to compete at the WBSC U18 Oceania Qualifier in Canberra next February. Seven further players will be added at the conclusion of the U18 Nationals in Auckland, 16-19 Jan.
The nine JWSX players to attend the world cup qualifier are; Shayah Hale, Beth Reid (Auckland), Lily Neilsen (Counties Manukau), Kiri Winiata-Enoka, Maarire Puketapu, Caitlin Lewin, Lace Tangianau (Hutt Valley), Cherie Inwood (Canterbury), Chloe Rayner (USA)
Shaw say’s "A combination of consistency and versatility were the key factors in the selection of these players. The ability to play two or more positions, and play these positions well is definitely something we are looking for. In addition, we need hitters, these players have hit well at either the Bev Smith tournament, the U23 nationals, or both.
It was great to see the South Island squad members in action for the first time. I was very encouraged by what I saw. There are going to be some great match ups at the U18 national tournament. At the end of the day, it will be the girls that can handle the pressure of going into this tournament knowing there are only seven spots available for the qualifying team, and respond accordingly. If we are going to be successful at the world cup qualifier, we need players who can cope under pressure.
Chloe Rayner is likely to be an unfamiliar name with the NZ softball community. Chloe resides in Florida with her family, David being her kiwi father. Chloe is a left handed pitcher who shows great composure on the mound, and offers a variety of different speeds and pitches.
Cheyenne Young who plays for Auckland club, Magpies, has been added to the JWSX squad after a strong performance at the U23 nationals.
Once the team is selected, as part of our preparation, it is hoped the JWSX will play in two Auckland club tournaments along with double headers against the Auckland NFC women’s team and an All Star American import team before we head to Canberra for the qualifier."
JWSX MANAGEMENT APPOINTMENTS
Softball New Zealand is pleased to announce Andy Wilkinson as Team Manager of the JWSX. In addition we welcome aboard Breanna Gibson as the Assistant Coach.
The duo will team up with Head Coach Kiri Shaw as they prepare towards the WBSC Oceania Qualifier in Canberra, Australia next February.
Wilkinson say’s “One of the most exciting things about team management is the buzz you get when you push out of your comfort zone, come up with a plan and put it into action!”
“As the eldest son in a softball mad family this great game has been a big part of my life. I'm excited to be part of a great team supporting and inspiring our up and coming athletes to be all they can be,” he says.
Management comes naturally to Wilkinson, a former Developing Sox Boys Team Manager in 2016 and someone who is heavily involved in Wellington Swimming administration.
Gibson a former New Zealand White Sox player say’s “I’m very excited for this amazing opportunity to be part of the JWSX campaign.”
“I have been coaching for a few years now and have been very fortunate to have worked with some great people to pass knowledge and skills onto the next generation of players along with aiming to bring players together as a team,” she says.
NZ JUNIOR WHITE SOX UPDATE AND SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT
9 November 2019
JWSX Head Coach Kiri Shaw wishes to advise all NZ Regional Softball Associations and affiliated athletes of the following team and squad announcements as well as the announcement of the Open Battery Trials.
Given the time frame, of the WBSC U18 Oceania Qualifier held in Canberra, Australia, 14 – 16th February, there are few opportunities for players to impress and showcase their talents to Shaw and fellow selectors. Players will have only the Bev Smith tournament, the U23/U18 nationals, the battery try outs and local competition games to impress for selection for the JWSX qualifying team. Shaw hopes to announce the majority of the world cup qualifying team after the U23 nationals in December. This will allow players more time to come up with the player levy that will be required to attend the qualifier. The U18 nationals will be the last tournament to select the remaining players from. It must be stressed, players selected from the U18 nationals will have less than a month to come up with the player levy. A top two finish at the Oceania qualifier will see the JWSX advance to the 18U World Championships in Peru, in August, 2020.
Shaw wishes to reinforce that players not selected for the JWSX selection team and squad can still be selected for the JWSX world cup qualifying team.
Bev Smith Tournament
The following players have been selected for the JWSX selection team to compete at the Bev Smith Tournament, Auckland, 29th Nov – 1st December, 2019.
Meeki Cooper Nicole, Shyale Hale, Maddison Gerbes, Kaiah Lee O’Brien, Kiara Lei-Lani Taimai (Auckland) Cherie Inwood (Canterbury) Alyssa Bailey, Lily Neilsen, Te Hira Newton (Counties Manakau) Hineawe Crawford, Erenore Hetet-Hauwaho, Maarire Puketapu, Lace Tangianau, Kiri Winiata-Enoka (Hutt Valley) Arene Landon-Lane, Beyonce Rehutai (Wellington)
JWSX Squad
The following players have been selected for the JWSX squad.
| Meeki Cooper Nicola (AK) | Elizabeth Rice (CB) | Kimihia Tangianau (HV) |
| Mikayla Cross (AK) | Trinity Mackley-Fluety (CB) | Lace Tangianau (HV) |
| Maddison Gerbes (AK) | Brie Harding (CB) | Kiri Winiata-Enoka (HV) |
| Shyah Hale (AK) | Alyssa Bailey (CM) | Waimarie Weston (HV) |
| Kaiah Lee-O'Brien (AK) | Braxton Murray (CM) | Toni Elers (SL) |
| Beth Reid (AK) | Lily Neilsen (CM) | Isobel Thompson (SL) |
| Kiara Lei-Lani Taimai (AK) | Te Hira Newton (CM) | Memoree Arai (WN) |
| Hope Maka (AK) | Hineawe Crawford (HV) | Jordaan Arai (WN) |
| Samantha Fawcett-Kay (CB) | Erenore Hetet-Hauwaho (HV) | Arene Landon-Lane (WN) |
| Bella Lister (CB) | Caitlyn Lewin (HV) | Beyonce Rehutai (WN) |
| Cherie Inwood (CB) | Rongomai Luke-Royal (HV) | Tui-Aroha Fransen (WN) |
| Alyssa Lory (CB) | Maarire Puketapu (HV) | Chloe Rayner (USA) |
Congratulations to all athletes selected in the JWSX selection team and the JWSX squad, further correspondence will be forth coming in the following days and weeks.
Open Battery Trials
A new initiative, the open battery trials will be conducted in the main centres to assess potential pitchers and catchers eligible for the U18 World Cup qualifying team, as well as future JWSX teams. All eligible athletes are strongly encouraged to attend and showcase their talents to selectors. Interested athletes must register their interest via email; kirihshaw@yahoo.com. Pitchers are to bring their own catchers. Registrations will close off one week before the scheduled try out date. Pitchers and/or catchers that do not live in or near the main centres can submit a video. Please advise if this is the case when registering. Please note the date and time of the regional try outs;
Auckland - Sunday 1st December
Location: Meadowlands Park, Howick
Start: 9am
Christchurch - Sunday 8th December
Location: Mizuno Park, Aranui
Start: 9am
Wellington - Tuesday 10th December
Location: Fraser Park, Diamond #1
Start: 5.30pm
KIRI SHAW APPOINTED JUNIOR WHITE SOX HEAD COACH
31 October 2019
Softball New Zealand are pleased to announce the appointment of Kiri Shaw as the new Head Coach of the Junior White Sox.
Shaw will lead the Juniors through the next two U-18 World Cup campaigns including Lima Peru in 2020 and the following in 2022 (venue TBC). In order to reach Peru the Juniors will need to prove their worth in a WBSC Oceania Qualifier next February in Canberra against American Samoa and world number four Australia.
Shaw says, “I’m totally stoked to be named JWSX Head Coach”.
A former White Sox captain and Olympian at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Shaw’s international playing experience will serve her well given the high standards required to compete on the international stage. In addition to the decades of playing experience Shaw will call upon her insights and time as Assistant Coach for the Junior White Sox at the 2017 World Championships in Florida.
“Obviously I've had a long playing career but I've been involved in a coaching capacity with girls softball for many years. In part, because of my daughters and their friends involvement, but I also get great enjoyment out of further developing players skill sets, nurturing their confidence in their ability and bringing players together as a team” says Shaw.
“I've been lucky enough to play alongside and be coached by some good people. I have learnt through my successes and failings as both a player and coach and I hope to use those experiences to shape this campaign and the next crop of JWSX players,” she says.
Softball NZ will work through an appointment process in the coming days to identify the JWSX management team.
WBSC ANNOUNCES FREE LIVE-STREAMING FOR U-19 WOMEN'S SOFTBAL WORLD CUP
IRVINE, California, USA -- 9 August 2019 -- The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) announced today that all 62 games of the WBSC U-19 Women's Softball World Cup will be live-streamed globally and free-of-charge for audiences. The event will be held in Irvine, California, USA, from 10-17 August.
For the first time, WBSC has partnered with Eleven Sports to broadcast top-level softball content. The international live-streaming platform will show in Italy and Taiwan every game of the World Cup.
Fans in Latin America will enjoy the broadcast through the digital platform AYM Sports, with commentary in Spanish.
In the rest of the world, all 62 games will be available on the WBSC OTT platform, Game Time.
"We expect a record-setting audience for this youth World Cup, with the top U-19 softball nations and female athletes in our sport competing in Irvine," said WBSC Softball Chairman Tommy Velazquez. "With all 62 games available worldwide, fans will be able to watch the stars of the future representing their countries at the top international competition".
Last year's coverage of the WBSC Women's Softball World Championship 2018 was watched in nearly 120 countries across the world.
The U-19 Women's Softball World Cup will feature the best National Teams in the world competing For the Title of World Champion. The 16 squads have been drawn into four groups:
Group A: Host United States (World No. 1), Mexico (5), Czech Republic (15), Botswana (43)
Group B: Japan (2), Australia (7), Italy (9), South Africa (28)
Group C: Puerto Rico (4), China (8), Brazil (14), Ireland (22)
Group D: Canada (3), Chinese Taipei (6), Netherlands (10), New Zealand (11)
The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Round, carrying the result of the game played between each other. The two nations with the best overall record at the end of the Super Round will play the World Championship Game on 17 August at 2 p.m. You can see the complete game schedule here.
For more information, the official website of the U-19 Women's Softball World Cup is available in six languages (English, French, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Traditional Chinese). All tournament information, including rosters, scores, statistics, standings, daily reports and photos for editorial use, will be published through the official website.
JUNIOR WHITE SOX ARRIVE IN IRVINE
6 August, 2019
The New Zealand Junior White Sox have arrived in Irvine California as the team counts down to the start of the WBSC U-19 Women’s World Cup.
The world championship will host 16 teams over 7 days commencing 10 August.
Head Coach Carl Tuinenga say’s “ The JWSX have prepared well, having two camps in our leadup with players training hard in their own regions. The girls have been doing their own individual trainings with assistance from senior New Zealand players and top coaches. Offence being a target for us, we need to score runs!”
JWSX have a pre-tournament 7 game schedule against Australia x2, Czech Republic, Ireland and local teams. Tuinenga says “the warmup games will allow the coaching staff to assess players form, work on combinations with game plans being the focus, more than the results. Fitness has been another big focus as it will be hot in Irvine and we need to be fit to be able to compete.”
New Zealand have drawn a tough pool against Canada (3), Chinese Taipei (6), and The Netherlands (10) all of who are ranked higher than the JWSX (11).
“We are not overawed at all, more excited about the challenge really, but we need to be aggressive and have urgency. We can’t afford to sit back and play the style of ball we play at home, everything will be faster, quicker, more intense and we need to adjust to compete.” Says Tuinenga.
“We have some experience within the squad with a bunch of the players having played offshore recently, and 5 travelling players from 2 years ago returning.” Says Tuinenga.
Pallas Potter will once again captain the team with her recent experience at Florida South Western College being invaluable
Messages of support can be sent to Team Manager Gail Werahiko, email: gailwerahiko@live.com
WBSC U-19 WOMEN'S SOFTBALL WORLD CUP
Official Website
| DATE (NZ TIME) | LOCAL TIME | VENUE | GAME | RESULT | MEDIA |
| 12 August - 3.00am | 8.00am | Bill Barber Park | ChineseTaipei vs New Zealand | 7-6 | |
| 12 August - 7.30am | 12.30pm | Bill Barber Park | New Zealand vs Netherlands | 7-0 | |
| 13 August - 12.30pm | 5.30pm | Bill Barber Park | New Zealand vs Canada | 3-10 | |
| 14 August - 7.30am | 12.30pm | Bill Barber Park | Brazil vs New Zealand | 2-3 | |
| 15 August - 12.30pm | 5.30pm | Bill Barber Park | New Zealand vs Czech Republic | 4-2 | |
| 16 August - 3.00pm | 8.00pm | Bill Barber Park | New Zealand vs Italy | 8-4 |
The New Zealand Junior Black Sox finish 9th.
JUNIOR WHITE SOX WORLD CUP TEAM ANNOUNCED
25 January 2019
The Junior White Sox team to compete at the last ever U19 Women’s World Cup has been announced.
Head Coach Carl Tuinenga has named 17 players along with 4 non-travelling reserves to travel to Irvine California in August.
Pallas Potter will once again captain the side continuing her role from the WBSC World Champs in Clearwater, Florida, 2017. Potter who recently started college at Florida South Western, USA will be backed by four other US college student-athletes in Mikayla Lewin, Brittany Terrey and Kelley Renner.
The Junior White Sox will have high ambitions with a current world ranking of 11th place.
“This is an exciting team with a lot of potential”, says Tuinenga. “We have 7 players backing up from the 2017 World Championship and they will be better for having that experience behind them”, he says.
“In addition, we have the luxury of being able to call on the experience of Potter, Lewin, and Renner who have been involved in previous White Sox campaigns. In addition, Caitlyn Lewin and Beth Reid will have gained senior international experience through their involvement with the White Sox at the Asia Pacific Cup in Sydney at the end of this month”, he says.
“There was a couple of very tough decisions to make this past week, but we strongly believe we have chosen the best 17 players possible to travel to Irvine”, he says.
The Softball New Zealand President Nicky Sherriff proudly announces the New Zealand Junior White Sox Team to compete at the XIII U-19 Women's Softball World Cup in Irvine, CA (USA) 11-17 August.
Pallas Potter - Captain, (Florida South Western, USA), Brooke Glassie, Milla Glassie, Taylor Chongnee, Brooklyn Temu, Pearl-Marli Waetford, Beth Reid (Auckland), Reegan Leppien, (Waikato), Caitlyn Lewin, Tehau Landon-Lane (Hutt Valley), Beyonce Rehutai, Aroha Hibbert, Nikita Hiroki (Wellington), Layla Bailey McDowell, (Canterbury), Mikayla Lewin, (Chipola, USA), Brittany Terrey, (Indian Hills, USA), Kelley Renner, (UC San Diego, USA)
Non-Travelling Reserves
Shyah Hale, (Auckland), Kimi Tangianau, Lace Tangianau, Maarire Puketapu (Hutt Valley)
Team Management
Carl Tuienga (Head Coach), Alison Boys (Assistant Coach), Gail Werahiko (Manager), Lynnette Leathart (Scorer)
Click here to follow the Junior White Sox at the Canada Cup
JWSX TEAM NAMED FOR BEV SMITH TOURNAMENT
25 September 2018
Junior White Sox Head Coach Carl Tuinenga has named a team of 14 to compete in the annual Bev Smith tournament this December.
The squad includes members from both the JWSX and Emerging Sox teams that attended the Canada Cup in July.
“This is a chance for another mix of players to stand up and get noticed before World Championship selection in January.
Good performances from some Emerging Sox players in Canada have earned them a place in this team. A good opportunity for us to look a little closer at players attributes and different combinations”, says Tuinenga.
Junior White Sox Team for Bev Smith
Brooke Glassie, Taylor Chongnee, Pearl-Marli Waetford, Brooklyn Temu, Jackie Clay (Auckland), Reegan Leppien (Waikato), Kimi Tangianau, Rongamai Luke-royal, Tehau Landon-lane, Maarire Puketapu (Hutt Valley) Nikita Hiroki, Beyonce Rehutai, Aroha Hibbert (Wellington) Layla McDowell (Canterbury)
CLAY AND REID PROMOTED TO JUNIOR WHITE SOX
11 June, 2018
Jacqueline Clay (Counties Manukau) and Beth Reid (Auckland) have been elevated from the Emerging Sox team into the Junior White Sox ahead of their tour to Canada next month. The two have replaced Pallas Potter and Kelley Renner who have been selected for the New Zealand White Sox team.
JUNIOR WHITE SOX AND EMERGING SOX TEAMS TO CANADA
Softball New Zealand are pleased to release the Junior White Sox and the Emerging Sox teams to travel to the Canada Cup this July.
The prestigious event will run from 13 – 23, July in Surrey, British Columbia and provide an ideal platform for players to compete on the international stage in advance of next year’s WBSC U19 Women’s World Cup in Irvine, California.
The Canada Cup offers 3 divisions where federations, colleges and clubs can compete; Women's International & Elite, Futures (Under 19) and Showcase (16 & Under). The JWSX will play in the ‘Futures’ division and the ESX will compete in the ‘Showcase’ division.
“I am delighted to announce our 16 player JWSX team to compete at the Canada Cup. We have 6 players backing up from last year’s World Championships along with some new rising talent. It’s great to see both the JWSX and Emerging Sox teams travelling to the Canada Cup, this enables all of our 29 players in the extended squad to attend and put their talents on show in front of the JWSX coaches and selectors”, says JWSX Head Coach Carl Tuinenga.
Junior White Sox Team
Nikita Hiroki, Jaenin-Koko Lutau, Beyonce Rehutai, Aroha Hibbert (Wellington), Maddison Roy, Milla Glassie, Taylor Chongnee, Pearl-Marli Waetford, Nerida Elson (Auckland), Brittany Terrey (Canterbury), TeHau Landon Lane, Teagan Tautala-Hanita, Caitlyn Lewin, Mikayla Lewin, Pallas Potter (Hutt Valley), Kelley Renner (USA).
Emerging Sox Team
Alice Tessi (North Harbour), Brooke Glassie, Brooklyn Temu, Beth Reid, Mikayla Cross (Auckland), Te Hira Newton, Jacqueline Clay, Essence Jo Rogers (Counties Manukau), Reegan Leppien (Waikato), Bailey Robertson, Kimihia Tangianau, Rongomai Luke-Royal, Erenora Hetet-Hauwaho, Maarire Barnett-Puketapu (Hutt Valley), Layla McDowell (Canterbury), Jazara Hopa (Southland), Cassie Adlam (Queensland)
29 NAMED IN JWSX SQUAD
19 February, 2018
New Zealand Junior White Head Coach Carl Tuinenga has named a squad for a series of camps and competitions in 2018. The 29 woman squad will assemble for regional based camps in April and May in conjunction with the NZ U17 Emerging Sox Girls team. Following these camps a 17 player roster will be selected to compete in July at the Canada Cup Futures International Softball Championship being held in Surrey, British Columbia.
New Zealand Junior White Sox Squad
Pallas Potter (Hutt Valley)
Bailey Robertson (Hutt Valley)
Teagan Tautala-Hanita (Hutt Valley)
Te Hau Landon-Lane (Hutt Valley)
Maarire Barnett-Puketapu (Hutt Valley)
Mikayla Lewin (Hutt Valley)
Caitlyn Lewin (Hutt Valley)
Rongomai Luke-Royal (Hutt Valley)
Brooke Glassie (Auckland)
Milla Glassie (Auckland)
Maddison Roy (Auckland)
Beth Reid (Auckland)
Brooklyn Temu (Auckland)
Nerida Elson (Auckland)
Pearl-Marli Waetford (Auckland)
Taylor Chongnee (Auckland)
Aroha Hibbert (Wellington)
Nikita Hiroki (Wellington)
Jaenin Koko-Lutau (Wellington)
Beyonce Rehutai (Wellington)
Brittany Terrey (Canterbury)
Te Hira Newton (Counties)
Jacqueline Clay (Counties)
Essence-Jo Rogers (Counties)
Alice Tessi (North Harbour)
Reegan Leppien (Waikato)
Jazara Hopa (Southland)
Cassie Adlam (Australia)
Kelley Renner (USA)
Management
Carl Tuinenga (Head Coach)
Alison Boys (Assistant Coach)
Jackie Smith (Assistant Coach)
Gail Werahiko (Manager)
CARL TUINENGA APPOINTED NEW JWSX HEAD COACH
17 November, 2017
| Newly-appointed Junior White Sox coach Carl Tuinenga hopes to take the team to the Canada Cup to prepare for the next under-19 girls world championships. Softball New Zealand has confirmed the appointment of Canterbury-based Tuinenga as head coach of the Junior White Sox through to the 2019 world championships in California. Softball New Zealand chief executive Tony Giles said it was "a fantastic opportunity for Carl''. "It's a step up from the under-17 programmes where Carl was involved for several years through the Friendship Series in Australia.'' Tuinenga said he was delighted to get an opportunity at the "next level'' after enjoying his experience with the Emerging Sox. A former premier grade pitcher in Christchurch, Tuinenga has been coaching female softball teams for over 15 years after starting with his daughters' T-ball sides. |
 Gail Werahiko and Carl Tuinenga (right).
|
He coached at under-13 and under-16 levels for the Papanui Tigers before taking over the club's premier women's team.
"That same year, I started as assistant-coach of the Canterbury under-17s and I've been progressing from there.''
He coached his province's under-17 and under-19 teams and the Canterbury Development squad before becoming head coach of the Canterbury Red Hawks senior representative team for four years.
His highlight at the Red Hawks helm was coaching Canterbury to the National Fastpitch Championship title in Christchurch in 2014.
``That was fantastic, it was Canterbury's first win in 10 years. That's probably been the ultimate in my coaching career up till now, along with coaching a New Zealand team, which is pretty special too, to be fair."
Tuinenga, who has coached Albion to a club premiership title, took over this season as head coach of Halswell, the current Canterbury champions.
He is widely regarded in Christchurch for his work with individual players and has taken great pride in seeing some of his Canterbury Red Hawks players, notably infielders Mikayla Werahiko and Cassie Siataga and pitcher Amy Begg go on to play for the White Sox.
Tuinenga says: "Everybody judges success by silverware, but learning about people is also a very satisfying part of coaching''. He has found it "pretty rewarding'' to see "individuals succeed, knowing you have contributed to what they are doing''.
Moving up to the Junior White Sox, Tuinenga aims to create "more alignment'' between the junior programme and the White Sox.
He has a good rapport with White Sox coach Kevin Gettins, who has already invited him to join the White Sox at some tournaments.
"At this stage, I'm going to the Asia-Pacific Series in Sydney with the White Sox in February, and Kevin's asked me to go to Hawke's Bay on the 20th of December to coach a New Zealand invitation team against the University of Oregon Ducks.
"I'll also hopefully be involved in the the Oregon series in Auckland prior to that.''
Tuinenga is excited about the potential for the Junior White Sox and expects selection to be eagerly contested for the 2019 world championships squad with a number of players still eligible from the team taken to the 2017 world tournament by his Junior White Sox predecessor Venita Hokai.
XII JR. WOMEN'S SOFTBALL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP |
|||
| DATE (NZ TIME) | GAME | RESULT | MEDIA |
| 25 July - 8.30am | Puerto Rico | L 6 - 8 | BOX |
| 26 July - 5.30am | Czech Republic | L 4 - 7 | BOX |
| 26 July - 10.30am | Dominican Republic | L 0 - 2 | BOX |
| 27 July - 5.30am | India | W 11 - 0 (5 Innings) | BOX |
| 28 July - 8.00am | Argentina | W 9 - 4 | BOX |
| 29 July | Italy | L 3 - 7 | BOX |
KEY LINKS
New Zealand 3 vs. Italy 7
29 July, 2017
Italy had a huge first inning, scoring 6 runs, to earn the win and stay alive in the world championship. The lead was too much for New Zealand to overcome as they exited the tournament. Andrea Howard and Giorgia Migliorini each had two doubles in the game, while Elisa Princic hit one. Howard lead all batters going 3-for-4 with one RBI. Sara Riboldi earned the win coming in as relief facing eight batters.
Win: Sara RIBOLDI
Loss: Stephanie FALLON
New Zealand 9 vs. Argentina 4
28 July, 2017
New Zealand defeated Argentina 9-4 in an important game to decide who advances to the Placement Round. The Junior White Sox scored all the runs they needed in the 2nd inning to plate six. Argentina tried chipping away at the lead, but ran out of innings and had to settle for a loss. Hayley Carter and Mereana Makea each doubled, while Kelley Renner was the only player in the game to record multiple hits.
Win: Brooke GLASSIE
Loss: Sophie FARIGLIANO
New Zealand 11 vs. India 0
28 July, 2017
New Zealand earned their first win of this year’s world championship as they defeated India 11-0 in 5 innings. Pallas Potter hit two home runs in the game, as she and Mikayla Lewin each drove in three runs. Denva Shaw-Tait, Marama Makea, and Mereana Makea also had multiple hits. Terrey Brittany earned the win, pitching the complete game allowing four hits, while striking out four.
Win: Brittany TERREY
Loss: Pooja PARKHE
New Zealand 4 vs. Czech Republic 7
27 July, 2017
Czech Republic and New Zealand battled until the end before the Europeans scored three runs in the top of the 7th to remain undefeated as they upset New Zealand 7-4. Gabriela Slaba and Natalie Kopicova each had three hits, while Tereza Novotna and Michaela Regnerova had two hits each. Tereza Kubicova hit a triple for her only hit of the game. For New Zealand, Paiton Koko-Lutau (2), Pallas Potter, (1), and Marama Makea (1) drove in runs but were unable to capture the win.
Win: Katelyn HUMHEJ
Loss: Stephanie FALLON
New Zealand 0 vs. Dominican Republic 2
27 July, 2017
Dominican Republic scored all the game’s runs in the 4th inning as Jessica Rivera and Lidia Peralta crossed the plate on their way to a 2-0 win over New Zealand. Rivera started the inning off with a double and scored off a wild pitch. Peralta was able to make her way to third following a walk, steal, and wild pitch only to be driven in by Jayla Perez’s double to left-field. Katherine Sugilio pitched the complete game shut-out, allowing three hits while striking out four.
Win: Katherine SUGILIO
Loss: Brooke GLASSIE
New Zealand 6 vs. Puerto Rico 8
26 July, 2017
It took all seven innings to determine a winner in the battle between Puerto Rico and New Zealand. The Junior White Sox struck first, scoring three runs in the top of the 1st inning. But Puerto Rico added excitement as they tied the game up in the 3rd inning, let the game slip away in the 5th, only to come back and win it in the 6th inning by scoring four runs. Kayla Garcia hit a two-run shot out of the ballpark, while Ariella Jackson (2), Kayla Jensen (1), Odalys Cordova (1), and Otero Adriana (1) each hit doubles in the game.
Win: Tiana HERNANDEZ
Loss: Stephanie FALLON
JUNIOR WHITE SOX WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CALENDAR
12 July, 2017
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| 13th July | 14th July | 15th July | ||||
| Depart Auckland Arrive Orlando |
Rest & Recovery Light Training Baseball Game |
Depart Clearwater x2 games 5pm |
||||
| 16th | 17th | 18th | 19th | 20th | 21st | 22nd |
| Double header vs Florida Inferno | Double header vs Florida Storm TBC | 18.00 & 19.45pm vs Tampa Bay Mustangs Lakewood Ranch | Light Training Depart Orlando Arrive Clearwater |
10am vs Canada International scrimmages vs Australia |
Light Training International scrimmage TBC |
International vs Great Britain TBC |
| 23rd | 24th | 25th | 26th | 27th | 28th | 29th |
| Training Opening Ceremony Family Night |
16.30 vs Puerto Rico | 13.30 vs Czech 18.30 vs Dom Republic |
13.30 vs India | 16.00 vs Argentina | Play offs | Play offs |
| 30th | 31st | 01st August | 02nd | |||
| Finals | Depart Tampa | Arrive NZ |
JWSX TEAM ANNOUNCED FOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
24 January, 2017
| The New Zealand Under 19 Women’s team has been named for the WBSC – Softball Division World Championships to be held 24-30th, July 2017 in Clearwater, Florida, USA. Selectors have chosen what they believe is an exciting young team with 11 of the 17 selected players eligible for the WBCS-SD World Championships in 2019. New captain Pallas Potter will lead the Juniors in what Head Coach Venita Hokai says was a “great choice from the selectors”. “Potter has been outstanding at this year’s Age Group Nationals blasting at least 5 home runs out of the park. Pallas is a quiet achiever and really has matured as a player since her last outing at the World Championships in Oklahoma, 2015. We have no doubt she has the leadership skills every team is looking for in a captain” says Hokai. “We are also looking for speedster Californian based Kelley Renner who performed exceptionally well in Hawaii last year, to take charge of the outfield” says Hokai. Renner who has just signed a 4 year scholarship with the University of California in San Diego stole 62 bases during her 2016 fall season and was added to the New Zealand White Sox squad earlier this year. Coach Hokai said “it was a tough selection, with pitching being the main area of concern”. The Juniors will head to Orlando in July prior to the start of the World Championships, where they will train and acclimatise before heading to Clearwater. |
 Pallas Potter, JWSX Captain
|
| The Softball New Zealand President Nicky Sherriff proudly announces the New Zealand Junior White Sox Team. Taylor Chongnee, Brooke Glassie, Maddison Roy, Aaria Tawha, Deja Tapili-Wetere (Auckland), Stephanie Fallon (North Harbour) Mikayla Lewin, Hayley Carter, Pallas Potter (Captain), Bailey Robertson, Otila Tavite, Denva Shaw-Tait (Hutt Valley) Mereana Makea, Marama Makea (Wellington), Makana Morton (Texas, USA), Kelley Renner (California, USA), Brittany Terrey (Canterbury). Non-Travelling Reserves Kim-An Quinn (Massachusetts, USA), Erika Cooper (Missouri, USA), Aroha Hibbert, Paiton Koko Lutau (Wellington), Hayley Carter (Auckland) Team Management Venita Hokai (Head Coach), Cherie Waters (Manager), Kiri Shaw (Assistant Coach) and Dave Elder (Pitching Coach), Jo Hyde (Scorer), Jerome Haretuku (Strength & Conditioning, Trainer/Outfield Coach). |
|
HAWAII, USA
25 July, 2016
Final Wrap Up
The NZ Junior White Sox got a taste of real international softball here in Hawaii, with tough competition that saw the team exposed to reality. It was a great experience for these girls, and I feel they have a better understanding of where we need to be in 12 months time, says Coach Hokai. The girls struggled to keep up the pace of the Americans after 6 months of training since the team was named! The harsh reality is that we don't see this type of competition in New Zealand let alone the level of pitching.
All was not lost when the young Kiwis did get some bat on ball, but failed when the pressure was on. We had ample opportunity to score in our last 2 games, but failed leaving a lot on base. Some of the girls had very good statistics overall in the box, but couldn't defend our runs when we got ahead!
There was huge positives out of this tour, and I am excited about the future of some players. No doubt pitching will be the key in next year's world series, and we have a few up for contention. 15 year old Hutt Valley's Bailey Robertson has a huge future in the game, as long as she continues to work hard and managed. Young Aucklander Nerida Elson also had a good tournament, as did outfielder Makayla Lewin, Denva Shaw-Tait and California based Kelley Renner.
With a couple of rain out days, we were able to get players into the gym as a group and do some daily trainings. Pitching coach Dave Elder was a huge help for the girls. The team will head back to New Zealand arriving home Tuesday 25th of July.
22 July, 2016
Game 3 vs RR Garrick
15 year old Bayley Robertson started on the mound for the NZ Junior White Sox giving up 3 hits with Kim Ann Quinn coming into relieve her for 2 innings due to time restriction of 1 hour 20. The Juniors struggled to overcome the powerful hitting of the Hawaiians, when a deep center-field hit scored 2 runs. In the 3rd innings leadoff hitter of the innings fired a 2 base hit to centerfield and moved to 3rd on a pass ball, then came home on a safe hit to center.
For the Juniors Pearl Marli Waetford hit a single to left field, with Kelley Renner sacrificing Waetford to 2nd. Marama Makea then stepped up to the plate with a slap but was too quick for the Hawaiians landing at 1st base and moving Waetford to 3rd. Hutt Valley's Otila Tavite then stepped up and hit a line shot to left field scoring Waetford and moving Makea to second base. Makayla Lewin then stepped in the box to advance Makea and Tavite. With loaded bases Grace Hamilton drew a walk to score Makea for the 2nd run for New Zealand. The Juniors could not convert anymore runs taking 9 hits to the Hawaiians 6 hits. Final score 4-1
Game 4 vs Hana Pa'a
Game 4 saw Kelley Renner lead off with a 2 base hit to center field. Wanaka Noanoa laying down a bunt with the catcher over throwing 1st base, which brought Renner home to score. The Juniors kept a tight game taking 7 hits off the quicker Hawaiian Pitcher. Errors cost the Hawaiians allowing us to score 4 runs in the first innings. The Hawaiians fought their way back in the 2nd innings with 2 runs and scored again in the 5th innings to bring the score to 4-3. But the Juniors held them out to win the game 4-3. Canterbury's Katelyn Bayer had an outstanding game in the box hitting 2 for 3.
Oahu, Hawaii Invitational, 18 - 24 July
Iscore Games
23 July
Hawaii Diamonds vs NZ Junior White Sox
Stealth vs NZ Junior White Sox
20 July
RR Garrick vs NZ Junior White Sox
Hana Pa'A vs NZ Junior White Sox
19 July
NZ Junior White Sox vs Hi Gold
NZ Junior White Sox vs Guava Jam White
Day 4 - 17 July
Today the girls got close to winning their first game on the road with a 3 all draw against another tough opposition. Some outstanding hitting from Otila Tavite and Makayla Lewin saw the Kiwis come close to winning against a tough Division 1 Pitcher heading for California. However, all eyes are on youngster Bailey Robertson as she came into relieve starting Pitcher Pearl Marli Wateford, to shut down the Hawaiins. It was a great relief for the Kiwi Pitchers when newly appointed Pitching coach Dave Elder arrived from Auckland today.
The girls will rest tomorrow before the Hawaiian Invitational will start from Monday with 13 teams entered in the U18 section. This will be another tough contest for the girls with teams from Oregon and California arriving to participate. Games will be played in the evening, due to the extreme heat during the day. Temperatures are up to 85 degrees F.
Day 2 & 3 - 16 July
Day 2 & 3 here in Hawaii has been a big wake up call for the Juniors, losing all 4 games against tough opposition. Most of the Hawaiian's are on Summer break here, and go to Div 1 schools in the mainland. Their hitting technique is outstanding and both Coach Shaw and myself couldn't get over their "bat speed". Our pitchers had no answer, however all was not lost. 15 year old Bailey Robertston from Hutt Valley has been our top performing Pitcher and she reminds me of a young Gina Weber at this page. She has a huge future in the game given she is already over 6 foot tall!! Newcomer outfielder Kelley Renner is leading the team in the hitting department and is very quick, having stolen 4 bases in our first game. Kelley has just completed a tournament in Colorado hosting over 1,000 teams from all ages. It won't be long before she signs with a Division 1 college I suspect.
The Hawaiians are amazing hosts and every team has put on dinner for us...hopefully we can return the favour one day back in New Zealand.
Day 2 - 13 July
Day 2 proved to be a really successful day as the team toured the home of the University of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine. Coach Bob Coolan met the team in the morning and we had an hour walk through the campus. He explained the recruiting process to the girls, and explained some of the classes available to students. In particular the University of Hawaii have an excellent marine biology degree program. It was evident the Softball program recruit a high number of Australians. This week Coach Coolan will be attending our tournament in Oahu.
In the afternoon the girls trained in the 29 degrees heat, at a private field. All of the Pitchers were able to get on the mound for a live hitting session. The girls were a little uncomfortable in the heat, but something they will have to endure over the next week and a half.
Tomorrow the team will train at 9am back to the Kroc center for the 5pm and 7pm game against local teams.
Day 1 - 14 July
Day one arrival to Hawaii, the team traveled 25 minutes to the Kroc Center, owned by the Salvation Army. The Kroc center is located in Ewa Beach, 35 minutes from Waikiki Beach and 25 minutes from the airport. The team settled into their accommodation as we embarked on beautiful warm weather of 31 degrees, a far cry from the 11 degrees we have been training in NZ. The girls were amazed at the set up at the Kroc center, with dormitory style bedrooms, gym, water park, basketball court.
First activity later in the afternoon was a team bonding session with Volleyball in the big gymnasium. Later in the evening some having their first experience of Mexican food. Each of the girls were given duties..
Tomorrow is a full day with a 7am wakeup call, breakfast and then heading to the University of Hawaii for a full tour of the campus by Head Coach Bob Coolen. The team will then head back to the Kroc center for "afternoon" training session, which will include a 5.30pm session of a "Total Body Conditioning" class.
After dinner the team will do the traditional "Jersey Presentation".
11 July, 2016
We are fortunate to make contact with Coach Bob Coolen who will take us on a tour around the campus of the University of Hawaii, the day after we arrive. We will be staying at a Salvation Army owned facility that provides everything including indoor pool, outdoor pool and gym facilities with exercise classes running all day. The accommodation can be seen on the website with 4 girls in each room similar to a dormitory. Kroc Center Hawaii
We are expecting 30 parents and family members to support the team with both the American based families arriving. One girl has 10 family members arriving from Auckland.
The squad has been training hard over winter, and up here in Auckland we have had continuous non stop rain. We have been lucky to use One Tree Hill college with one indoor and one outdoor batting cage, indoor basketball size gym, and outdoor marked diamonds. We have also had the girls hitting at The Fieldhouse in East Auckland.
I feel this squad is very very young, and the results from Sydney reflect the challenges we will have leading into the world series.
DAVE ELDER APPOINTED JWSX - PITCHING COACH
11 July, 2016
SNZ is pleased to announce the appointment of Dave Elder as the Junior White Sox Pitching Coach. Dave will join the team to Hawaii departing Tuesday 12 July.
This will be Dave’s second appointment to a national team this year. Dave was Assistant Coach for the U15 Developing Sox Girls Team that competed in the Waverley Eastern Carnival, Australia in March.
“Dave is an excellent candidate for the job, he is passionate about Pitching and has been working with this age group for quite some time both in New Zealand and Australia. Working with young female Pitchers aged 15 to 18 years old, requires coaches’ to be able to deliver messages in a simple form that can be understood, without over complicating things. I am looking forward to Dave joining the Junior White Sox coaching staff, his experience will be crucial to the program going forward. ” Said Head Coach, Venita Hokai.
JEROME HARETUKU APPOINTED JWSX – STRENGTH & CONDITIONING, TRAINER/OUTFIELD COACH
7 April, 2016
Former New Zealand Black Sox outfielder Jerome Haretuku has been appointed New Zealand Junior White Sox Strength and Conditioning, Trainer/Outfield Coach.
Although Haretuku has no significant coaching experience Junior White Sox Head Coach Venita Hokai believes Jerome will lead by example and set a training environment that encourages athletes to excel.
“I believe that in order to compete at the highest level, we must provide young athletes with the knowledge, resources and the tools to further develop their potential into future world class athletes”, says Haretuku.
“We are excited to have someone of Jerome’s experience and capability within our coaching team. We are always looking for new ways and means to evolve our girls, and he will help do that”, says Hokai.
“Providing athletes with the basic principles of strength and conditioning specific to softball will ensure the players have a good understanding of mobility/flexibility, strength, power, quickness and speed. The outfield is often overlooked by coaches, I see it as my role to ensure athletes are mentally prepared for international play”, says Haretuku.
2016-17 JWS TEAMS NAMED
30 Jan, 2016
New Zealand Junior White Sox Team – Hawaii Invitational, 18-24 July 2016
| Aroha Hibbert | Hutt Valley |
| Mikayla Lewin | Hutt Valley |
| Otila Tavite | Hutt Valley |
| Bailey Robertson | Hutt Valley |
| Denva Shaw-Tait | Hutt Valley |
| Grace Hamilton | Wellington |
| Marama Makea | Wellington |
| Wanaka Noanoa | Wellington |
| Essence-Jo Rogers | Counties Manukau |
| Katelyn Bayer | Canterbury |
| Meg Glading | Canterbury |
| Nerissa McDowell | Canterbury |
| Pearl-Marli Waetford | Auckland |
| Nerida Elson | Auckland |
| Kim-Ann Quinn | Massachusetts, USA |
| Kelly Renner | California, USA |
New Zealand Junior White Sox Squad, 2016-17
| Aroha Hibbert | Hutt Valley | Essence-Jo Rogers | Counties Manukau |
| Mikayla Lewin | Hutt Valley | Katelyn Bayer | Canterbury |
| Otila Tavite | Hutt Valley | Meg Glading | Canterbury |
| Bailey Robertson | Hutt Valley | Nerissa McDowell | Canterbury |
| Denva Shaw-Tait | Hutt Valley | Brittany Terrey | Canterbury |
| Te Hau Landon-Lane | Hutt Valley | Pearl-Marli Waetford | Auckland |
| Pallas Potter | Hutt Valley | Nerida Elson | Auckland |
| Rongomai Royal-Luke | Hutt Valley | Hayley Carter | Auckland |
| Tegan Tautala-Hanita | Hutt Valley | Brooke Glassie | Auckland |
| Grace Hamilton | Wellington | Grace McGillivray | Auckland |
| Marama Makea | Wellington | Tatiana Rouru | Auckland |
| Wanaka Noanoa | Wellington | Maddison Roy | Auckland |
| Paiton Koko-Lutau | Wellington | Tianah List | Queensland, Australia |
| Mereana Makea | Wellington | Kim-Ann Quinn | Massachusetts, USA |
| Georgia Tricker | Wellington | Kelly Renner | California, USA |
JWS TEAM FOR BEV SMITH TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCED
28 Sep, 2015
Junior White Sox head coach, Venita Hokai, has named the team for the annual Bev Smith Memorial tournament in early December.
The side has been built around players outside of Auckland as many of the locally-based players will be competing with their club teams.
The selection of the team was based on performances at a recent camp held in Hawkes Bay. It includes a number of returning players as well as many who have recently been introduced into the junior programme. "We want to give those who are new to the programme an opportunity to be exposed to that next level", says Hokai.
Hokai feels that the Bev Smith Memorial will allow the players to experience tournament play. "Softball is not about one game a week, it is a tournament sport. The more tournaments we can get our squad into, the better."
"It is an opportunity for selectors to see players in a team environment and how they stack up against premier sides. I think we will get some valuable lessons out of this tournament, but with a team like this we have some good speed and that will be our strength", says Hokai.
It will be a tough tournament for the side, with some of New Zealand's top premier teams competing. "We have a 14 year old and two 15 year olds on the mound so it will definitely test their mental toughness."
The Bev Smith Memorial will be played from 4 - 6 December at Meadowlands in Howick, Auckland.
The 2015 Junior White Sox team for the Bev Smith Memorial:
| Pallas Potter | Hutt Valley |
| Brittany Terrey | Canterbury |
| Brooke Glassie | Auckland |
| Meg Gladding | Canterbury |
| Maddison Roy | Auckland |
| Otila Tavite | Hutt Valley |
| Georgia Tricker | Wellington |
| Grace Hamilton | Wellington |
| Mereana Makea | Wellington |
| Mikayla Lewin | Hutt Valley |
| Amber Wairau | Wellington |
| Wanaka Noanoa | Wellington |
| Katelyn Bayer | Canterbury |
| Paiton Koko Lutau | Wellington |
KIRI SHAW APPOINTED AS JWS ASSISTANT COACH
8 Sep, 2015
Former White Sox captain, Kiri Shaw, has been named as the new Junior White Sox Assistant Coach. She will join head coach, Venita Hokai, heading into the 2017 Junior World Championship.
Shaw has over 280 national team caps. She first represented New Zealand in 1990 at the junior world championship and went on to play in two women’s world championships in 1994 and 1998. She also competed with the White Sox in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Shaw finished her international career after the 2012 world championship, where she was the team captain. She is currently a player/coach with her Saints Premier Women’s team and has coached Hutt Valley representative teams for a number of years.
Shaw places much emphasis on establishing and maintaining a strong team culture and believes her experience and skillset will complement that of Hokai’s.
“Kiri will bring a different dynamic into the junior programme. Her experience as a world series player and her background coaching young girls will be invaluable”, says Hokai.
Auckland Women’s manager, Cherie Waters, has been appointed manager of the side and will join Hokai and Shaw.
Waters has managed the Howick Premier Women’s team since 2009. She also managed the Auckland Women’s NFC team in 2011, 12 and 14. Waters has been the secretary at Pakuranga Rugby League Community Sports Club since 1995 and has over 15 years’ experience in managing people.
“Cherie has an enormous amount of experience as a manager that will be vital in the lead up to and during the world championships. She has impeccable organisational skills”, says Hokai.
The Junior White Sox squad members will meet for a training camp in Hawkes Bay next week from the 18 – 20 September. The world championship will be held in July 2017 in Clearwater, Florida, USA.
JWS LOSE TO CANADA, JUST MISSING OUT ON TOP 4
15 Aug, 2015
The New Zealand Junior White Sox have ended their world championships after going down against Canada 5-6, just missing out on Top 4.
It was an evenly matched game with both teams fighting to stay in the competition. A strong start by the Kiwis saw them put up 3 runs in the 1st inning, capitalising on 2 hits and Canadian errors. But Canada answered straight away, scoring 4 runs.
The Kiwis came back to tie it up in the top of the 4th, with Pania Monk batting in the run. A passed ball gave Canada the go-ahead run in the bottom of the 4th and a safe hit put the score at 4-6.
Mikayla Werahiko batted in another run for New Zealand in the top of the 6th, with a line drive into right field. Canada managed to hold in the 7th to take the match 5-6 and advance into the Top 4.
Courtney Gettins, who has been crucial to the New Zealand line up, was solid on the mound again today. First baseman, Pania Monk, was impressive in the box with 3 hits and 2 RBIs. The Kiwis out hit Canada 10-8.
DAY 4 - GAMES 5 & 6
13 Aug, 2015
The Junior White Sox had both a win and a loss today at the world championship but have cemented their place in the Top 8.
The first game saw the Kiwis struggle with the bat against a dominant Canadian pitcher. Amy Begg started the game on the mound for New Zealand, giving up 7 hits and taking 3 strikeouts against the aggressive Canadian hitters. Kayla Rangiawha and Emma Houkamau had the only 2 hits of the game for the Junior White Sox. The final score 0-7 after 6 innings in favour of Canada.
New Zealand had a slow start against Colombia, the pitching much less adequate than that of Canada's. A big 5th inning saw the Junior White Sox fire up and eventually win the game 7-0 at the end of the inning. Courtney Gettins shut down the Colombian hitters, taking 9 strikeouts and only giving up 1 hit. Brooke Eden was impressive in the box, claiming 2 hits and an RBI.
Playoff game for tomorrow TBC.
DAY 3 - GAME 4
12 Aug, 2015
The Junior White Sox had a strong win over Argentina this morning 5-0 after seven.
Pitcher Courtney Gettins was the star of the show, shutting down Argentina's hitters for the full seven innings. She also contributed to the scoreline, batting in 2 Kiwi runs with an RBI single.
Gettins did well on the mound, getting ahead early with 18 first pitch strikes and clocking up a total of eight strikeouts. Canterbury native, Mikayla Werahiko, continues to top the quality at-bats for New Zealand.
Top hitters of the game were Makayla Mave and Emma Houkamau with two hits each.
The Junior White Sox will play two games tomorrow and need to win one to move through to the playoffs.
6.00AM NZT vs Canada
10.30AM NZT vs Colombia
DAY 2 - GAMES 2 & 3
11 Aug, 2015
The Junior White Sox had a mixed day today, with a win against Great Britain and a loss against China.
The Kiwis started off strong in the Great Britain game, moving the ball and producing runs early. Courtney Gettins and Amy Begg shared the pitching and Mikayla Werahiko was the top hitter of the match, sending a couple of hits deep into the outfield. The final score 4-1 in favour of New Zealand.
In their second game of the day, Amy Begg started on the mound against China and did a solid job of holding them down for most of the match. Courtney Gettins came in to relieve Begg late in the game. Unfortunately some defensive lapses and an inability to produce cost the Junior White Sox in the end, falling 3-0 to China.
New Zealand will face Argentina tomorrow at 10.30AM NZT in their only match of the day.
GAME 1 : NEW ZEALAND VS JAPAN
10 Aug, 2015
The New Zealand Junior White Sox dropped their opening and toughest round robin game in a 0-7 loss against Japan.
Hutt Valley Dodgers' pitcher, Courtney Gettins, started the game and had a good first inning keeping the Japanese scoreless. But Japan came back firing in the second, scoring 3 runs after the Kiwis had some trouble on defence.
The Junior White Sox were successful in moving the ball but failed to produce any runs. Pallas Potter was the top Kiwi hitter, claiming two hits for herself. Consistent performer, Mikayla Werahiko, also produced a solid hit.
Amy Begg came on in relief for Gettins and the Japanese scored another 4 runs in the fourth inning. The game ended after Japan shut New Zealand out in the top of the fifth.
The Junior White Sox take on Great Britain tomorrow at 8.30AM NZT and China at 12.30PM NZT.
JUNIOR WHITE SOX TO START CAMPAIGN AGAINST JAPAN
10 Aug, 2015
The Junior White Sox will play their opening match today in Oklahoma City at 8.00pm (1.00pm NZT) against the defending champions, Japan. This comes after three teams withdrew from the competition, which resulted in the draw shifting from four pools to two.
Head coach, Kevin Gettins, noted that the girls are nervous but keen to take on the current world champions. “The key to competing with a team like Japan is to minimise errors and eliminate walks, any chance they get with runners on base they have a knack of punishing you”, says Gettins.
“The longer we stay with Japan deeper into the game the better chance we have. We are going into this game to compete aggressively as it is critical for the rest of the tournament that we put in a strong performance.”
The Junior White Sox played ten warm up games in Los Angeles before flying to Oklahoma City, where they secured two additional practice games against Australia and Czech Republic. Pitcher and catcher combination, Courtney Gettins and Kayla Rangiawha, kept the Australians scoreless in a “shock” 0-0 draw. The Kiwis managed to get runners on but could not capitalise and failed to produce any runs. The game was called after 6 complete innings due to “soaring temperatures”.
It was a much different story against the Czechs with New Zealand putting on productive hitting display, taking the match comfortably 11-4. Coach Gettins mentioned that the team’s build up was patchy but that their last two games have lifted some spirits.
The new draw for the world championships will see the top 4 from each pool go through to the playoffs.
Pool A: New Zealand, Japan, Colombia, Canada, Great Britain, China, Argentina.
Pool B: Australia, USA, Puerto Rico, Czech Republic, Italy, Mexico, Chinese Taipei and Brazil.
JWS SSCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK
10 Aug, 2015
Our Junior White Sox kick off their campaign today at the World Championships in Oklahoma by playing Japan at1pm NZT. Here is the remaining round robin games for this week (all NZT)
vs Gt Britian (Tues 11 Aug @ 8:30am)
vs China (Tues 11 Aug @ 12:30pm)
vs Argentina (Wed 12 Aug @ 10:30am)
vs Canada (Thurs 13 Aug @ 6:00am)
vs Colombia (Thurs 13 Aug @ 10:30am)
For the full tourname schedule including playoffs, click here to go the the official tournament website's schedule page (Dates and Times will be US Central Time Zone)
JUNIOR WHITE SOX RESULTS- PRACTISE GAMES
6 Aug, 2015
The New Zealand Junior White Sox have started their world championships bid with practice games in Los Angeles.
The side will play a total of ten warm up games in Los Angeles before heading to Oklahoma City in preparation for the U19 World Championships. The focus of these games will be to develop match fitness, as New Zealand is currently out of season, and experiment with combinations on the diamond.
Junior White Sox Management stated that it is important for every player to get a sufficient amount of game time in order for a top nine to be established. The games will be played against successful local franchises, Firecrackers and USA Athletics, with Firecrackers placing 3rd at a recent 18U Gold national competition.
Despite suffering seven losses in eight games so far, winning one game against USA Athletics, the Junior White Sox have scored runs in all but two games. Kayla Rangiawha and youngster Aaria Tawha have both produced large hits, and Mereana Makea has been performing consistently in the box.
Some defensive lapses have been costly for the side but White Sox squad member, Mikayla Werahiko, and rookie Brooke Stubbs have been sharp in the infield. Head coach, Kevin Gettins, says he is looking for girls to step up and show consistency in their performances.
Overall Gettins is pleased with the progress of the team, with the hitters finding form and pitchers improving, but is looking for further momentum moving forward.
The Junior White Sox have secured two additional warm up games in Oklahoma City, which will see them play Australia and Czech Republic on August 7.
The World Championships commence on August 9.
Results to Date:
0-5 loss vs USA Athletics
3-6 loss vs USA Athletics
0-6 loss vs Firecrackers
4-6 loss vs Firecrackers
7-4 win vs USA Athletics
8-6 loss vs USA Athletics
5-3 loss vs Firecrackers
12-3 loss vs Firecrackers
Key Links
XI WBSC Junior Women’s World Championships website
Junior White Sox #BringingTheThunder, Storify page
Live Streaming
All WC games will be live streamed for free and broadcast at this link.
Picture: Junior White Sox and Fire Crackers Team Photo
FREE LIVE STREAMING- ISF JUNIOR WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPS
31 July, 2015
The ISF Junior Womens World Champs will be streamed live online only. All games will be streamed for free. Click here for the Link.
JUNIOR WHITE SOX REDY FOR OKLAHOMA
30 July, 2015
The New Zealand Junior White Sox will depart Auckland tonight, beginning their U19 World Championship campaign.
The team will fly to Los Angeles where they will play 10 build up games over five days in preparation for the world championships in Oklahoma City.
Head coach, Kevin Gettins, feels as though the team has prepared well. “We have worked with regional coaching setups with people in Christchurch, Wellington, Hawkes Bay, Waikato and Auckland. We have been very fortunate to have people in these locations willing to help”, says Gettins.
“In addition to this we have had Kevin Henderson working with the pitchers and have also placed a strong focus on fitness building up for the tournament. The weather will be very hot in Oklahoma City so fitness will be important for us to compete.”
As for the build up games in California, Gettins stresses that results are not the focus but rather preparing the players for tougher competition. “The warm up games are very much about getting everybody game time, working on combinations, understanding game plans, learning signals and working on all the basic elements of softball.”
The Junior White Sox have had much success in recent years, they placed 6th in 2011 and 4th at the 2013 tournament behind Japan, USA and Australia. Gettins states that the current team are younger and less experienced. “The players coming through now, taking age into account, are not as game savvy as previous teams. This is an observation, not a criticism.”
“I put this down to the fact that there is a small player base in New Zealand, meaning that players get elevated through the system quickly and without spending the time to learn and understand the game to a level that is required to compete higher up”, says Gettins.
There is no doubt it is a young side, with seven athletes eligible for the 2017 world championships. Gettins feels as though each Junior White Sox team is slightly different, which makes them difficult to compare but that every team has the same goal.
“Our first goal is always making it through to the top 8 but we must finish top 2 in our pool to do so. Once you get through pool play the tournament effectively starts again.”
It will not be an easy ride for the team, as they find themselves in a challenging pool alongside Canada, Chinese Taipei and Venezuela. “If we want to succeed our team dynamics need to be focused on aggressive play, urgency and playing the game with intensity”, says Gettins.
“As New Zealanders we are a little laid back at times and this hurts us when we compete against the higher ranked teams who play with all those attributes all of the time.”
The 2015 U19 World Championship will be held 9 August – 15 August. New Zealand will face Canada in their opening game.
HOKAI APPOINTED JUNIOR WHITE SOX HEAD COACH
27 July, 2015
Current Junior White Sox Assistant Coach, Venita Hokai, has been named as Head Coach of the team for the 2017 Junior Women’s World Championship campaign.
The position will be familiar to Hokai; she has been involved in the junior programme since 2008 and has had successful campaigns in the past as head coach of the team.
Hokai led the 2011 side to a 6th place finish at the world championships in South Africa and carried that performance through to an impressive 4th place at the 2013 competition in Canada.
The first stage of Hokai’s appointment will include discussing the handover from this year’s team with current head coach, Kevin Gettins, and manager, Aroha Metcalf – both of whom she has worked closely with since 2008.
“I do have my own thoughts going forward, different to what we have done in the past. Currently there is a squad of around 40 players in place”, says Hokai.
“In the past we have had traditions, beliefs and strong values which have set the culture of the Junior White Sox. We want to make sure everyone understands the expectations.”
Hokai believes it is important to develop the correct infrastructure of the programme from the beginning – “we have a lot of work to do going forward.”
Testing for a Hawkes Bay-based camp in September will begin around mid-August, which will include selected players eligible for the 2017 competition.
JAMIE BREAR APPOINTED 2ND ASSISTANT FOR JWS
4 June, 2015
Auckland-based coach, Jamie Brear, has been appointed 2nd assistant coach of the Junior White Sox.
Brear will join Metcalf, Gettins and assistant coach, Venita Hokai, for this year’s junior world championships in Oklahoma. This will be Brear’s first international experience with the Junior White Sox, though he has assisted with national training camps.
Brear has been involved with premier women’s softball for nine years. He is the current head coach of Otahuhu and was the assistant of this year’s National Fastpitch Championship winners, Auckland Women. In 2013, Brear was assistant coach of the New Zealand Development girls’ team.
LORAN PARKER RECEIVES ACCOLADES
30 April, 2015
Congratulations to Loran Parker, non travelling reserve with the JWS and pitcher for Eastern Arizona College. Loran was named in two teams for the 2015 Softball All-Conference Awards; the ACCAC Second Team and Division I All-Region Team.
Source
Eastern Arizona College Player Profile
POOLS, SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED FOOR 11TH WBSC U19 JUNIOR WOMEN'S SOFTBALL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
14 April, 2015
The U19 Junior Women's Softball World Championship will be a great platform to showcase our sport's universality, youth appeal and commitment to gender equality, particularly during this time when a potential return of baseball/softball to the Olympics in Tokyo in 2020 is under review, says WBSC Secretary General Ms. Beng Choo Low.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (USA) -- The world governing body of baseball and softball, WBSC, today announced the pools and the official competition schedule of the XI Junior Women's Softball World Championship that will be staged from 9-15 August at the newly renovated ASA Hall of Fame Complex in the Oklahoma state capital.
The 18 nations of the 2015 WBSC Junior Women's Softball World Championship have been delegated to their respective pools and will open the event with a group round robin:
Pool A: China, Ecuador, Great Britain, Japan, Nigeria
Pool B: Brazil, Colombia, Italy, Mexico, USA
Pool C: Argentina, Australia, Czech Republic, Puerto Rico
Pool D: Canada, Chinese Taipei, New Zealand, Venezuela
The official tournament schedule features an exciting 85 world championship contests that will be concentrated into seven days of action. (See Official Schedule)
Day 1 and 2 will feature round robin action of each pool. Nations will be battling to finish among the top two in their respective groups to advance into the championship round robin (2 pools) with the remaining teams advancing to the placement robin round (2 pools).
Day 3 and 4 will see a round robin of both the championship pools and the placement pools.
Day 5 and 6 will see the championship section continue through the double page playoff with the placement section continuing through a single elimination format.
Day 7 will showcase the bronze and gold medal games.
All 18 participating National Teams will be competing on Opening Day, with action opening on Saturday, 9 August at 09:00 local time.
Opening ceremonies will begin at 18:00 at the main competition field, which will be followed by Brazil taking on hosts USA.
The gold medal game will take centre stage on Saturday, 15 August at 19:30, and will be preceded by the bronze medal match at 17:00.
Live-Streaming
The world championship will also have web-streaming and play-by-play available, enhancing coverage of the youth softball showcase with real-time digital content to the ever expanding global audience.
All packages to watch the tournament -- both in person and through web-streaming -- are available through the tournament website:2015jwwc.com.
The U19 world championship is being hosted by ASA/USA Softball, at their headquarters, marking the first time since 1995 the event will be played on U.S. soil.
The WBSC has a full list of official events on the calendar that span from June to November which include the Men's Softball World Championship and Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada, the U12 Baseball World Cup in Tainan, Chinese Taipei, the U18 Men's Baseball World Cup at Koshien Stadium in Japan, and the inaugural Premier 12 co-hosted by Japan and Chinese Taipei.
EXPERIENCED OUTFIELDER CALLED INTO JUNIOR WHITE SOX
09 April, 2015
From the reserve bench, Auckland based Allison Mohi has been called up to join the Junior White Sox World Championships Team to replace Marcelle Parkes who has withdrawn to follow other sporting aspirations. Mohi who anchors centre field for her home club Otahuhu has frustrated many batters by catching fly balls that in other circumstances would have been safe hits. Coach Gettins states that Mohi will "bring some depth to the outfield". The team will meet in Hastings in early May as part of preparation for the Junior World Championships in Oklahoma City in August this year.
JWS 2015 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SQUAD NAMED
27 Feb, 2015
Head Coach Kevin Gettins is pleased to annouce the 2015 JWS World Championship Team. The team is a mix of experienced international athletes and younger players who are making their mark. With the 2013 junior World Championship and the 2014 open womens World Championship under their belt short stop Mikayla Werahiko and pitcher Courtney Gettins are the teams most experienced athletes.
Gettins is joined on the pitching mound by Amy Begg who is currently enjoying college life in Baltimore, USA and youngsters Chelsea Brunner who was awarded top pitcher at the U17 and U19 nationals and Kim-An Quinn a new recruit with impressive pitching statistics from Massachusetts, USA. The catching position is covered by Emma Houkamau and Zoe Tolhopf who have depth in other postions also.
Talented infeilders led by Werahiko, include first base and back up catcher Kayla Rangiawha, Brooke Eden, Makayla Mave, Marcelle Parkes who can cover outfield and Mckenzie Giles-Martin who impressed for the JWS team at the Bev Smith tournament. The outfeild will be achored by Mereana Makea who has had an outstanding season for her club and province alongside experienced campaigner Pania Monk, who can back up the pitching staff, and Paiton Koko-Lutau who burst onto the scene after a solid performance at the international Friendship Championship in 2014.
Rounding off the team are players for the future in Aria Tawha and the surprise inclusion of Pallas Potter a 15 year old from Hutt Valley who demonstrated strong hitting at the U19 nationals.
Coach Gettins is excited about the strength in the team and believes that "there is a good balance across many positions". The team will assemble for a training camp in Hastings on 1 - 3 May 2015. The 2015 Junior Womens World Championship will be held in Oklahoma City from 9 - 15 August 2015.
2015 Junior White Sox
| 1 | Amy Begg | Canterbury |
| 2 | Aria Tawha | Waikato |
| 3 | Brooke Eden | Hutt Valley |
| 4 | Chelsea Brunner | Wellington |
| 5 | Courtney Gettins | Hutt Valley |
| 6 | Emma Houkamau | Hutt Valley |
| 7 | Kayla Rangiawha | Wellington |
| 8 | Kim-An Quinn | USA |
| 9 | Makayla Mave | Auckland |
| 10 | Marcelle Parkes | Wellington |
| 11 | McKenzie Giles-Martin | Australia |
| 12 | Mereana Makea | Wellington |
| 13 | Mikalya Werahiko | Canterbury |
| 14 | Paiton Koko-Lutau | Wellington |
| 15 | Pallas Potter | Hutt Valley |
| 16 | Pania Monk | Waikato |
| 17 | Zoe Tolhopf | Auckland |
Non Travelling Reserves
| 1 | A'ieesha Setefano | Auckland |
| 2 | Aizaya Anderson | Hutt Valley |
| 3 | Alison Mohi | Auckland |
| 4 | Loran Parker | USA |
| 5 | Lucy McIntrye | Southland |
| 6 | Tyler Morrison | Auckland |
2015 New Zealand Girls Development Team
Head Coach Carl Tuinenga has selected the team to attend the International Friendship Championship in Sydney in July 2015. Working in conjunction with Coach Gettins and the Junior White Sox programme, Coach Tuinenga says has been valuable in identifying players for further development at an international level. The team will compete at the International Friendship Championship in Sydney in July 2015.
| 1 | A'ieesha Setefano | Auckland |
| 2 | Brooke Whiteman | Auckland |
| 3 | Hayley Carter | Auckland |
| 4 | Kiri Graham | Auckland |
| 5 | Kaleeya Matai | Auckland |
| 6 | Leia Stephens | Counties |
| 7 | Leilani Tuimavave-Wines | Hutt Valley |
| 8 | Lucy McIntyre | Southland |
| 9 | Maddison Roy | Auckland |
| 10 | Marama Makea | Wellington |
| 11 | Meg Glading | Canterbury |
| 12 | Otila Tavite | Hutt Valley |
| 13 | Stephanie Fallon | North Harbour |
| 14 | Tatiana Rouru | Auckland |
| 15 | Teremoana Elliot | Canterbury |
| 16 | Wanaka Noanoa | Wellington |
Junior White Sox Training Squad (2017 World Championship)
The following players have been identified for a training squad for the 2017 Junior Women's World Championship in Florida, USA. Coach Gettins says that "identifying players as early as possible who have potential to make the final team is a must in this two year World Championship cycle". Fitness testing to qualify for the National Training Camp will be run regionally in late August. The Camp will be held in Hastings from 18 - 20 September 2015. All named squad members please email your contact details to the team manager on aroha.metcalf@gmail.com
| 1 | Amber Wairau | Wellington | 22 | Leia Stephens | Counties Manukau |
| 2 | Aria Tawha | Waikato | 23 | Leilani Tuimavave-Wines | Australia |
| 3 | Aroha Hibbert | Hutt Valley | 24 | Maddison Roy | Auckland |
| 4 | Beth Reid | Auckland | 25 | Maia Lupton | Auckland |
| 5 | Brittany Terrey | Canterbury | 26 | Marama Makea | Wellington |
| 6 | Brooke Glassie | Auckland | 27 | Marjorie Cashell | Hutt Valley |
| 7 | Brooke Pennicott | Southland | 28 | Meg Glading | Canterbury |
| 8 | Brooke Whiteman | Auckland | 29 | Mereana Makea | Wellington |
| 9 | Chelsea Brunner | Wellington | 30 | Mikayla Lewin | Hutt Valley |
| 10 | Claudia Gibson | Auckland | 31 | Nerita Elson | Auckland |
| 11 | Denver Shaw-Tait | Hutt Valley | 32 | Otila Tavite | Hutt Valley |
| 12 | Essence-Jo Rogers | Counties Manukau | 33 | Paiton Koko-Lutau | Wellington |
| 13 | Georgia Tricker | Wellington | 34 | Pallas Potter | Hutt Valley |
| 14 | Grace Hamilton | Wellington | 35 | Pearl Waetford | Auckland |
| 15 | Grace McGillivray | Auckland | 36 | Samantha Tawharu | Auckland |
| 16 | Hayley Carter | Auckland | 37 | Stephanie Fallon | North Harbour |
| 17 | Jordyn Murray | North Harbour | 38 | Tatiana Rouru | Auckland |
| 18 | Kalia Matai | Auckland | 39 | Tenille Auimatagi | Auckland |
| 19 | Katelyn Bayer | Canterbury | 40 | Wanaka Noanoa | Wellington |
| 20 | Kim-An Quinn | USA | 41 | Yolanda Roberts | Auckland |
| 21 | Lauren Phillips | Southland |
TRAVEL PACKAGES
SportsLink International is the Official Tour Provider for Softball New Zealand and have put together travel packages for any family and friends looking to attend the U19 Womens World Championships in Oklahoma City in August. Packages include accommodation, tickets, transfers and supporters merchandise, and allows those people to stay, travel and sit together while in the USA when supporting our team.
Packages start from just $750 per person and they can also arrange for individual travellers to share rooms to help keep the costs down. As part of the supporters trip, through their partner travel agency, SportsLink International can also arrange flights and any other additional travel that you may require if extending your trip at the completion of the event.
To book the travel package or to get any additional information, please contact Paul Kelly on pk@sportslinkinternational.com.
Click images below for the Travel Package Flyer, Travel Package Details and a Booking Form.
JWS UPDATE- FEBRUARY
09 Feb, 2015
With 181 days until the first pitch of the International Softball Federations (ISF) 2015 XI Junior Womens World Softball Championships a couple of key changes have been adopted for the annoucement of the JWS team. Firstly, a personal approach is preferred by Head Coach Kevin Gettins. Successful players can expect to be contacted by phone in the week after the National Fastpitch Championships at the end of February, then a public notification will be posted on the Softball New Zealand website and Face book page. Seventeen players will be named alongside non-travelling reserves. The second change is that all player selections are dependant on being drug free with testing to occur at a training camp in May.
The 2015 ISF Junior Women's World Championship will be held in Oklahoma City, at the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) Hall of Fame Complex from 9 - 15 August. Teams from around the globe will compete for the chance to call themselves a World Champion. Hosted by USA Softball, Oklahoma City is known for being the softball capital of the world. For the first time ever ISF have opened this World Championship to all countries without the need to qualify. Teams who have entered include; Japan, Italy, Chinese Taipei, Great Britain, Venezuela, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Canada, Czech Republic, Australia, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil and USA. With the closing date not yet reached other entries are expected. The New Zealand JWS are ranked 4th behind Japan, USA and Australia. On route to the World Championship the team will stop off in Los Angeles for warm up games.
JWS TEAM GAIN RESPECT AT THE BEV SMITH MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT
19 Nov, 2014
The Junior White Sox (JWS) team at the Bev Smith Memorial dug deep to place 3rd at the premier women’s club tournament.
Invited by the Howick Softball Club to the tournament, which is held each year in memory of Bev Smith who passed away from cancer, the JWS immediately impressed with a 5 - 3 win over Otahuhu. Following this game the team lost to the Western Magpies by 7 to 4, but bounced back for a 13-0 win over Marist, then held the Mt Albert Ramblers to a 4 all draw to close out day one. Day two dawned bright and in the first game the JWS went down 2 - 0 to the host team Howick, then beat the Waitakere Bears 6 - 1. With a final tally of 7 points the JWS finished 3rd behind winners Otahuhu and runners up the Western Magpies.
Head Coach Kevin Gettins appreciated the opportunity to see the majority of the JWS squad members at a single tournament that involved the top teams in Auckland either with their club sides or as part of the JWS team. He says "it has been a real bonus at we work toward the final selection for Oklahoma".
Identifying eligible Kiwi players based overseas has been a successful strategy for the JWS over the last two World Series. For the 2015 Worlds, overseas players that have caught Coach Gettins eye include pitcher Kim-An Quinn who is based in Massachusetts, USA and McKenzie Giles-Martin who competed at the Friendship Series in July 2014 and who travelled from Perth to play in the JWS team at the Bev Smith tournament.
The Under 19s and Under 17s national tournaments in January are very important for all players as we head to the final team selections for the 2015 JWS World Series Team and the 2017 JWS World Series Training Squad.
NZ JUNIOR WHITE SOX TEAM- 2014
| 11 Nov, 2014 Who will make the team? JWS World Series 2015 With less than 9 months to go before the 2015 Junior Women’s World Series in Oklahoma City the competition to secure a place in the final 17 player team is on! Kevin Gettins, Junior White Sox Head Coach is watching closely as Club competitions are underway and representative tournaments just around the corner. To be eligible for selection for the 2015 series players must be NZ citizens and be born in the year of or after 1996. As well as keeping a close eye on local cub competition and tournaments, JWS selectors will be on the ground at the January Under 19s National Championships in Auckland and the Under 17s National Championships in Christchurch. Two JWS teams will be named at the conclusion of the National Fastpitch Championship in Hamilton in February. Firstly, the final 2015 World Series Team and also, with an eye for the future, a train-on squad for the 2017 World Series in Plant City, USA. “No spots are secure and all eligible players have an opportunity to represent New Zealand at Oklahoma City”, states Coach Gettins. The current extended JWS squad will be in action across the country over the next few months and Coach Gettins expects to see tough competition from within and outside of the squad, “the time is now to work hard and get into peak performance condition for the national age grade tournaments”. With a history of “bolters” making it into previous NZ representative teams at all levels, Coach Gettins adds, “you cannot rule out someone who comes to attention at the last minute”. He intends to cast the net wide to find the final 17 players. |
|
| Junior White Sox Programme on track for the XI Junior Women's World Championships Following on from the best ever result of 4th place at the 2013 Junior World Championships, the Junior White Sox (JWS) programme, under new Head Coach Kevin Gettins, is on track for the next Junior Women's World Champs in Oklahoma City, August 2015. A "train on" squad was named in February 2014, and from this list a team was named to attend the Scotiabank Canadian Fastpitch Futures Gold (Canada Cup) tournament in Surrey City, British Colombia in July. By linking with the NZ Development Girls Team head coach Carl Tuienga, a number of JWS squad members also had the opportunity to represent NZ at the Youth International Freindship Series at Blacktown, Sydney also in July. The JWS Canada Cup team played 4 warm up / exhibition games, 5 pool play games and 4 championship round games to a total of 13 games. Overall the team finished 8th of 24 teams. Coach Kevin Gettins reports that the team overcame the first challenge of competing out of season and came together to form a cohesive team that demonstrated some good play, however performance was inconsistent, with key moments, and subsequent games lost as a result. In all, states Coach Gettins, there are more positives than negatives to take away and it was a fantastic opportunity to bench mark players against top U18 Gold teams from Canada and the USA. On return, planning commenced immediately for the JWS national training camp held in Hastings from 19 - 21 September. For this camp Coach Gettins institued an eligibility criteria of a required fitness level. Invited squad members were tested in the weekend of 6/7 September across the country. The September Camp proved successful with 21 players attending. The support of Hawkes Bay Softball Association was greatly appreciated and the weather proved typically fine, with some patches of warm sun. The purpose of the camp is to test player fitness, stamina, skills and mental strength alongside of teaching new skills and outlining coach expectations. Day one began with a 7km run up and back down Te Mata peak, then speed and agility training, followed by baserunning - all before lunch! The day continued with offensive training via hitting stations, before moving onto situational defence. Day Two continued with further defensive positional drills and ended with more base running. Of the sheer physical challenge, one player was heard to say "I knew it would be tough, but I didn't know it would be this tough". A highlight of the camp was a visit by Softball NZ CEO, Tony Giles who addressed the players about challenges and opportunities facing them over the next few years. Next, players will settle into club and representative competition. A JWS team will be named to attend the Bev Smith premier club tournament in Auckland in early December. The naming the World Series Team will occur at the conclustion of the 2015 National Fastpitch Competition on 22 February 2015. .jpg "14 (3)") Zoe Tolhoft (Auckland), first to the top of Te Mata peak with Kayla Bergh (Auckland), Wanaka Noanoa (Wellington) and Aaria Tawha (Waikato) hard of her heels. Zoe was just beaten at the finish line by Wanaka. .jpg "60 (3)") Marcelle Parkes (Wellington) fields a ground ball.  JWS September Camp Attendees: from left front. Pania Monk, Kanyon Paul, Emma Houkamau, Lucy McIntyre, A'ieesha Setefano, Tyla Morrison, Makayka Mave, Wanaka Noanoa, Angela Stubbs (guest coach), Mel Gettins (guest coach), Jamie Brear (guest coast), Kayla Bergh, Zoe Tolhoft, Aaria Tawha, Brooke Eden, Denva Shaw-Tait, Bohemia Quinn, Paiton Koko-Lutau, Aroha Metcalf (Manager), Deanna Paul (Trainer), Kevin Gettins (Head Coach), Kayla Rangiawha, Marcelle Parkes, Alison Boys (guest coach), Chelsea Brunner, Kiri Graham, Loren Parker, Carl Tuienga (guest coach) |
|
 |
 |
- Day 3 15/7
- Day 2 14/7
- Hello from Vancouver, Canada 13/7
- JWS in action (photos)
JWS Team to Canada Cup in July 2014
16/02/2014
The Junior White Sox team to attend the Canada Cup in Vancouver this July has been named;
| Allison Mohi | Auckland | |
| Amy Begg | Canterbury | |
| Aria Tawha | Waikato | |
| Bohemian Quinn | Canterbury | |
| Brooke Eden | Hawkes Bay | |
| Courtney Gettins | Hawkes Bay | |
| Deaven Tavalu | Auckland | |
| Emily Rauhihi | Hutt Valley | |
| Emma Houkamau | Hawkes Bay | |
| Kanyon Paul | Waikato | |
| Mereana Makea | Wellington | |
| Mikayla Werahiko (Captain) | Canterbury | |
| Pania Monk | Waikato | |
| Tereapii Tourangi | Auckland | |
| ZoeTolhopf | Auckland |
We congratulate the girls on making the team and wish Coach Kevin Gettins and his management team all the best at the tournament.
X ISF JUNIOR WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS- 2013
JNZ News
- Gettins takes the reins - 19 September
- JWS finish fourth at Brampton - 7 July
- Aussies next for JWS - 7 July
- Canada edged by New Zealand in 2-1 thriller - 6 July
- Junior White Sox down Canada - 5 July
- Nervous times for JWS - 5 July
- JWS Overcome Korea, Czechs - 4 July
- WC hopes alive - 4 July
- JWS stumble at world champs - 3 July
- Opening success for Junior White Sox - 2 July
- Success in the family for this dynamic duo - 18 June
IX ISF JUNIOR WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPTIONSHIPS - 2011
|
 Play by PlaysBy JWS scorer Keith Dare
Game1: China VS NZ - 09 Dec Game 2: Czech Republic VS NZ - 10 DEC Game 3: USA VS NZ - 10 Dec Game 4: Canada VS NZ - 11 Dec Game 5: Puerto Rico vs NZ - 12 Dec Game 6: Sth Africa vs NZ - 13 Dec Game 7: Botswana vs NZ - 14 Dec Game 8: Brazil vs NZ - 15 Dec News from South Africa |