Cuban Rafael Llames has been appointed as the new Chilean softball national team head coach.
The Chilean softball squad will make their first-ever appearance in a Pan American Games, with Chilean sporting teams claiming an automatic qualification spot for Santiago 2023.
Llames, 37, previously served as head coach of Peru's Women’s National Team from 2013 to 2019 and led the team in the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. Under his tenure, Peru played in two Pan American Championships, the WBSC Americas Softball Olympic Qualifier and the 2019 Pan American Games. Their best performance was in the Olympic qualifier held in Surrey, Canada, last year, where Peru finished eighth.
Chile’s capital, Santiago, will host the Pan American Games 2023. On 5 March, Pan Am Sports confirmed baseball/softball as medal sports for Santiago 2023.
Chile's went winless and finished in eighth place in their last international competition, the South American Softball Championship 2019 in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
