Softball New Zealand announced the names of the 16 athletes who have been selected to contest the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup. The Junior White Sox will open the tournament in Group A, to be played at Estadio Municipal de Beisebol Mie Nishi in Sao Paulo, Brazil, from 23 to 27 July.
The 2024 New Zealand Junior White Sox team is as follows;
- Clover Alapaki
- Mckenzie Bailey-McDowell
- Siobhan Bolger
- Savannah-Lee Farrar
- Yvanni Gibson
- Angela Harrison
- Caitlin Henderson
- Maysen Kurene-Iwikau
- Poppy Priddle
- Kaiyah Ratu
- Maggie Shields
- Penny Starr
- Waimarie Tawera
- Maiarangi Waipara
- Trinity Waiwiri-Toka
- Jayda Walters-Rangitihi
This selection includes four non-travelling reserves: Abigail Church, Iris Feng, Jaimee Hoani and Riana Hill.
"It is a mixture of experience, players that have been in the Junior White Sox program for 2-3 years, with some exciting new younger talent that have really stood out this season and been consistent with their performance," said head coach Kiri Shaw.
World No. 32 New Zealand will face tough competition in Group A with No. 4 Chinese Taipei, No. 9 Czechia, No. 13 Great Britain, No. 23 Brazil and one team coming from the Americas Qualifier competing for two spots in next year's Finals.
"We have a lot of work to do in our preparation," added Shaw. "We know it's going to be incredibly tough to finish top two in our pool to get to the 2025 World Cup Finals but we are excited about the athleticism and potential of the individuals we have selected."
New Zealand qualified for the World Cup after winning the Oceania Qualifier, twice defeating No. 10 Australia (4-3, 5-3) and No. 64 American Samoa (18-3, 5-4) in the tournament. The event was played in American Samoa.
Softball NZ’s President, Lynda O’Cain said: "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 Junior White Sox Invitational team played this past week the National Championship in Auckland, finishing seventh in the women's competition with a 1-6 win-loss record.
