This New Zealand softball squad expects top competition (and BBQ) at KC invitational

The Junior White Sox softball team’s journey began with a more than 10-hour flight from New Zealand to Los Angeles and ended with a second flight landing in Kansas City late Saturday night.

The next morning, around 30 young softball standouts — most visiting America for the first time — and their coaches traveled to Iowa for two days of scrimmages before a return to Kansas City on Tuesday.

These Junior White Sox, comprising the 18u and 16u national teams of Softball New Zealand (the nation’s governing body for softball), will compete in the Top Gun Invitational, a major youth tournament running June 14-18 in the Kansas City area.

Led by coach Kiri Shaw, the Kiwi visitors are expecting and embracing a caliber of softball they’ve never experienced at home. Before their voyage, the Junior White Sox practiced against boys pitchers to emulate the velocity of American girls.

Cognizant of the challenge ahead this week, Shaw will focus on evaluating individuals rather than final results.

Because of COVID-19, Softball New Zealand abstained from the last World Baseball Softball Confederation U-18 World Cup in 2021 in Lima, Peru. The Junior White Sox sent teams to Australia on two occasions in 2022, but the Kansas City trip is their most significant foray back into international competition since the pandemic. Their endgame is preparing for their 2024 regional qualifier for the next U-18 World Cup in 2025.

“A lot of these girls are of age for that regional tournament, and so what better way to prepare them and expose them to the best softball in the world in terms of young female softball players,” Shaw said. “We hope to learn a lot about those girls who are of age for next year’s tournament and see how they cope against hard-hitting American softballers and fast-throwing flamethrowers.

“The standard is just, I don’t think it’s anything we could compete (against) here in New Zealand. We’re throwing ourselves into the line of fire, so to speak, but I think this gives our girls a real realistic image or a picture or snapshot of what the best softball is about.”

The Kiwis also hope to enjoy some American culture: Shopping and a Kansas City Royals game are on the list. A Branson, Missouri, outing has been discussed.

“And we apparently need to do Kansas City barbecue,” Shaw said.

Shaw, 50, played international softball for 23 years, including the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. She took up softball from her mother, Naomi, who led the New Zealand women’s national team to an International Softball Federation World Championship in 1982.

Shaw’s older daughter, Denva, plays at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. Her younger daughter, Mesha, is on the 18u Junior White Sox. Shaw became Junior White Sox head coach in 2019.

“I’m also a secondary school PE teacher,” Shaw said. “And so I guess, not only is obviously my passion to coach, to spend time with my daughters through softball (and) our love for softball, but also I just enjoy being a coach and a teacher of teenagers.”

The Softball New Zealand staff works tirelessly to scout the nation’s best prospects. Some Junior White Sox players are picked from the 19u and 17u national tournaments and others come from local clubs. Team members train together twice weekly and on their own two to four days weekly.

Shaw said her roster has a lot of “rough diamonds.” Many players are pulled back and forth by commitments to netball, rugby and other sports. Some are still figuring out if they enjoy softball and how good they are.

Shaw is, however, bringing a couple prospects she’s excited about to the Top Gun invitational. Charlotte Graham and Innika Hapuku-Lambert are pitchers on the 18u team who’ve impressed. Then there’s Kaiyah Ratu, a 16-year-old middle infielder who “lives and breathes softball.” Ratu is on both the 18u Junior White Sox and the White Sox women’s national team.

“She is a real studier of the game,” Shaw said. “She would probably go out every night if she could. I think her mom kind of has to hold her back at times and say, ‘Hey, lets have rest.’ I expect great things. When you’re as young as you are and you’re selected for the women’s (national) team, maybe that gives you an idea of the potential of this kid.”

Several of Shaw’s players are enamored by the college game in America. Recently, the Junior White Sox drew names of 2023 Women’s College World Series teams and waited eagerly for a winner. Shaw was rooting for eventual runner-up Florida State and their assistant coach Travis Wilson, formerly of the New Zealand men’s national team.

Top Gun Events says scouts from over 150 colleges will attend the invitational. Some of Shaw’s players will participate in a prospect camp Wednesday before the tournament.

Based on Shaw’s previous experience of bringing players to America, what is the recruiting dynamic around players from New Zealand?

“I think we are more reliant on our contacts,” Shaw said. “I certainly have five or six girls who are in colleges at the moment currently. I think what they are doing is opening up doors for more of our female softballers to say, ‘Actually, there’s a pathway here somewhere. Somewhere, someone wants a kiwi kid.’ And from what I know from the girls that have gone to colleges, I think what makes us different, maybe, is that we appreciate the opportunity.

“With American girls that’ve got scholarships galore … they’re used to that type of environment. Everyone’s trying to get better to get the best offer or scholarship. Whereas, I think from what I’ve heard from the coaches, they just enjoy the fact that a Kiwi kid so appreciates this opportunity; like, they really appreciate the opportunity.”

Recruiting isn’t the only area where Shaw and the Junior White Sox have valuable connections.

As soon as they announced the trip, a former New Zealand men’s national team player who lives in Kansas City offered up his family’s home and will host them for an evening during their stay. The team’s precursory scrimmages in Iowa were set up by local coaches who previously played in New Zealand.

Before going home, the Junior White Sox will return to California, where more former New Zealand players have arranged additional games. While there, Shaw is hoping UCLA associate head coach Kirk Walker, whose sister played in New Zealand, can get the team a look at the Bruins’ campus and facilities.

They’re also bringing their own New Zealand flavor.

The Junior White Sox have been practicing a “Haka” they’ll perform in front of opponents before each game in the Top Gun Invitational. It’s a “respectful challenge” of the Māori, the indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand.

According to New Zealand.com: “Actions include the stomping of the foot, the protrusion of the tongue and rhythmic body slapping to accompany a loud chant. The words of a Haka often poetically describe ancestors and events in the tribe’s history.”

The All Blacks, New Zealand’s national rugby union team, maintain a well-known Haka tradition. Shaw explained there’s a men’s and women’s Haka, and her team’s version will be less ferocious but still meaningful.

“For us, it represents our culture,” Shaw said. “We’ve got a lot of Māori in these two teams. It represents our family. It represents the softball community here. And so yeah, we are planning to do that, obviously, before we take on every opposition, and that’s what it means to us. We’re so grateful for this opportunity. ... We’re thankful and grateful to our family and our friends, all of those that have supported us on this journey.”

The 18u Junior White Sox begin play in Shawnee with a 2 p.m. Thursday start at Mid-America Sports Complex Field 8. The 16u team plays at 6 p.m. at Mid-America West Sports Complex Field 28.

While evaluating potential World Cup players remains top of mind, Shaw wants to see her teams give their best effort more than anything.

“We just want to go away and have solid performances and know that we’ve left everything on the diamond,” Shaw said. “We’ve done as much as we can to prepare them to say, ‘This is going to be the best softball you’ve ever faced.’ That’s what our expectation is.”