New Zealand White Sox completes Tri Series in Auckland
New Zealand A went undefeated on the weekend with four wins. All four White Sox games were aired by Sky Sports.
New Zealand Softball launched their women’s national team programme 2020 with a three-team series in Auckland over the weekend. A total of 44 players participated in the six games, including the New Zealand White Sox, New Zealand A and the U-18 New Zealand national softball team.
Head coach Roman Gabriel, who was appointed last December to steer the White Sox programme, took the opportunity to test their players in a competition environment. Melisa Tupuivao and three-time WBSC Men’s Softball world champion Donny Hale are Gabriel’s assistant coaches.
New Zealand A collected four wins over the weekend. On Saturday they swept the doubleheader against the U-18 national team by scores of 8-4 and 9-5. Then on Sunday and Monday, New Zealand A won back-to-back games against the White Sox by identical score: 2-1.
Finally, the White Sox claimed two wins against the U-18 team, 7-0 in five innings, and 8-7.
New Zealand is starting a long-term development process under Gabriel, as the nation aims to qualify for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028, where softball (and baseball) could potentially be featured on the official Olympic programme. New Zealand’s lone participation in the Olympics was in Sydney 2000.
Last year, world No. 16 New Zealand finished in fifth place in the WBSC Softball Asia/Oceania Olympic Qualifier in Shanghai, China.
