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

Article added: 28 February 2024