Nelson softball is celebrating after two of its rising talents earned selection in black, with teenagers Jaxin Winter and Elias Wilson named in the New Zealand Under 19 development team.
The pair will contest the Mike Stapleton Memorial Tournament in Prague this July, a key international pathway event for players with aspirations of becoming senior Black Sox members.
Both players suit up for the Nelson United Softball Club and have been rewarded for standout seasons.
Eighteen-year-old Jaxin is described as a five-tooled softballer who can cover multiple positions, but it is on the pitching mound where he excels. The Prague tournament will mark his first time representing his country.
“I started playing when I was 13, and I have loved it ever since. I’m looking forward to seeing what other countries are like, and testing myself against the best,” Jaxin says.
Seventeen-year-old Elias is no stranger to the Silver Fern, with this selection marking his second appearance in New Zealand colours. Coincidentally, his previous international tournament also took place in Prague.
Elias joined his first softball team at just five years old, following his family into the summer code. While he also enjoys pitching, he is an accomplished shortstop and a reliable bat in the three or four spot in the batting order.
“I love pitching, but overall I just love to play. Since I was little, I couldn’t wait to get out onto the diamond,” he says.
With the European tournament falling in the middle of the New Zealand winter, both players face an intensive training block once the local season wraps up in two weeks.
“We’ve got to keep ourselves as fit as we can, and keep our eyes in until we leave,” Jaxin says, adding that his winter sport of hockey will help maintain his fitness.
New Zealand has sent teams to the Mike Stapleton Memorial Tournament since 2008, with the event widely regarded as a crucial development step for the country’s next generation of elite softballers.
