Head Coach New Zealand Major Sox U23 Men’s Team & Head Coach Denmark National Men’s Team. Two world cups with two different federations. That’s what’s on the horizon for coach Steven Deans.  Over the next four months Deans will lead the Major Sox Into the inaugural WBSC U-23 Men’s World Cup in Argentina, 22-30th October. He’ll then back that up by taking the Danish Men’s team to the Tradestaff WBSC Men’s World Cup in Auckland, 26 Nov - 4 Dec. 

A mammoth yet exciting opportunity ahead Steven. Please tell us how you came to be the head coach of the Danish men’s team?
I had a call From Tony Giles regarding an option to help Demark at the WBSC Championship. In the early discussion it was only to be an assistant coach however as things evolved it appeared moving into the head coach role became the best option for both the playing group and Danish Federation. 

What are the team strengths of the Danish team and what’s the end goal for the World Cup?
They have some quality players who have experienced ball all around the world. The Terkelsen brothers are a real threat with the bat and are supported by several players who have already attended a World Championship.  Kim Hansen has been their ace for multitude of world championships and a tough competitor. We have a balance of young players with good ability and will gain massive experience from the world tournament.  Once the head coach role was confirmed I quickly added Craig Wallace to the staff as defence was a key area, we wanted to focus in.  Craig brings a wealth of experience in this area and also has had great success in his own coaching programmes from the Under 19s, to both senior men’s and women’s titles. 

Like most teams we have the goals for all the individuals which will assist with the overall team goals 

How are the Major Sox shaping up and what does the build-up tour look like?
We started our main lead into the World Championship with a camp for the final squad in May which was vital to the final planning for both the management and playing group.  This resulted in a clear plan for the remaining 5 months. 

The boys are currently working with their personal strength and conditioning programmes with a couple of the players in the States.  We start our on diamond preparation in the first week of September with a steady increase of game time over the 5 weeks.  All our preseason camps are based in Auckland with our outer region players flying in for the weekend games. 

How have you prepared the Major Sox given you are competing in an event that is a first for world softball?
We have monitored most other countries who will be competing in the world championship and expect strong squads from the usual powerhouse Nations, Japan, Argentina, Canada Czech Republic and Australia. There is no coincidence that these countries are also the same top rated nations in the senior men's game. Our management group is just focusing on what we have control of and ensure our players are the best prepared they can be.  We believe if we can achieve this and do the basics well we will be competitive with any country.  

What are the strengths of the Major Sox and are there any potential points of difference over other countries that you are aware of? 

We have a good balance of speed and power on offence. The defence will be spearheaded by pitchers Tane Slather, Liam Potts, and Seth Gibson. The infield and outfield have a wealth of experience which has been gained from competing at the highest level in the men's game in NZ.

The group has built up strong relationships with each other. This is one of the many strengths of softball in NZ whether at age grade and club level where players get to build lifelong friendships. This has only been magnified by their selection and the common goals the players share. The term culture is used a lot, but this group has grown up playing with or against each other and the work we have done over the last year as a squad has built a belief and resilience which will only serve us well particularly in those tough situations.  

How many Major Sox players have been exposed to previous WBSC World Cups?
We have 7 players who have represented NZ at the junior level. The work Thomas, Jarrad and Bevan have done with this group has shown through with both their work ethic and softball IQ. Once the boys have graduated to the 23's programme, they have built a strong foundation which will help them move to the next level. They also set high standards for the rest of the squad to follow and have started to leave a legacy.
 

Craig Wallace (left-centre) & Steven Deans (Centre)