New Zealand has secured a place at the World Baseball Softball Confederation U23 World Cup to be held in Mexico late next year.

The WBSC Oceania executive has confirmed New Zealand’s place in the 12-nation tournament as the Oceania representative – the first time a Kiwi side has qualified for the U23 World Cup although they did make a maiden appearance at the U21 World Cup as a wildcard entrant in 2014.

The news was well received by acting Baseball New Zealand chief executive John Fellet, who is currently out of the country.

“This is a huge opportunity for our country,” Fellet said. “To be able to compete for a World Cup in the sport of baseball is massive and we look forward to giving it our best crack.

“Our U23 side is arguably the most competitive national side that we will be able to put together at any age bracket so we have high hopes of doing well on the world stage.”

New Zealand U23 manager Daniel Tan is very excited about the prospect of assembling his roster and taking on the best in the world.

“With our college and professional pathways continuing to take shape, this will be an opportunity for us to showcase what our top athletes can do on the world stage,” Tan said.

“My staff and I are looking forward to preparing a team that can compete at the top level.”

Work will begin immediately on planning for the World Cup with Tan and his coaching staff already liaising with prospective players.

Article added: Wednesday 02 October 2019