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Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Softball: Black Sox hitting with heavies

By Shane Hurndell
Hawkes Bay Today·
1 Jan, 2016 04:07 PM4 mins to read

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TOP SHAPE: Jovaan Hanley on the mound for his Poneke Kilbirnie club team. PHOTO/FILE

TOP SHAPE: Jovaan Hanley on the mound for his Poneke Kilbirnie club team. PHOTO/FILE

TALK humble Hawke's Bay national sporting representatives and softballer Jovaan Hanley has to be near the top of the list.

The Black Sox utility's reaction when informed of his Fastpitch World Media's New Zealand rankings (11th overall and seventh among the pitchers) this week was predictable.

"They're both a surprise to me but I'm pretty happy with them."

Hanley, 24, will get the opportunity to prove he deserves them when he attends a Black Sox 26-man training squad camp in Auckland from January 15-17. A member of the Black Sox team which finished second at last year's World Series in Saskatoon, Hanley, is eager to help the team go one step better in Canada next year.

A 90-minute gym session on New Year's Eve is an indication of how serious he is.

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"I'm happy with my fitness ... it's just a case of keeping up my own standards at all times," Hanley said.

Enigmatic Hawke's Bay pitcher Regan Manley was ranked the country's third best on the mound behind his brother Jeremy and Heini Shannon. Taking this ranking into account it's a surprise Manley, who has played for the Black Sox in the past but not at a World Series, wasn't named among the six pitchers to attend the January camp.

Manley also failed to make a list of three pitchers named in an extended squad which means Black Sox head coach Mark Sorenson ranks at least nine pitchers ahead of the Fast Pitch Giants hurler.

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Manley's brother was the gold medal winner at the 2013 World Series and has earnt multiple All World and All American selections.

Shannon was the Black Sox top pitcher when they won silver at last year's World Series in the absence of Jeremy Manley.

A long-time Hawke's Bay age-group teammate of Hanley's, Campbell Makea, who played alongside him for the Black Sox at last year's World Series and also for Poneke Kilbirne, came in at No 19 on the list of New Zealand's top 21 players.

Fastpitch World Media's list of rankers for the New Zealand voting included two administrators, four coaches, nine world class pitchers (three from Argentina, one Aussie, one from the USA, three Canadians and one from Venezuela), eight international players (two Canadians, two Aussies, one Argentinian and three from the United States) and one umpire.

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"Getting these opinions takes out all of the bias that in-country rankers may have and these experts have the best gauge of who these players are and their abilities to perform on the field," FWM stated.

"The New Zealand group boasts some of the best players in the world and its top 6 players are some of the most fierce hitters in the sport. One could argue the top six offensive players on this poll is the best of any country's top six.

Compared to recent player polls, it may be slightly ahead of the Canadian group and while we do not want to derogate from the American list, the Kiwis top six players seem to be much more accomplished in the game than the USA's top six offensive players," FWM said.

FWM ranked Auckland outfielder Ben Enoka as the sixth best player on the planet and New Zealand's best. His batting average at last year's International Softball Congress tournament was .367 and it was over .500 at the previous two ISCs against national team pitchers.

Wellington infielder Jerome Raemaki was ranked the Kiwi No 2 and No12 on the international rankings. His batting average was .667 at last year's ISC and .400 at the 2014 edition of the world's toughest club tournament.

Auckland infielder Nathan Nukunuku comes in third on the New Zealand rankings and 15th on the world rankings. His average was .324 at last year's ISC.

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Wellington outfielder Wayne Laulu completes New Zealand's top four and is the world's No16. He had three home runs at last year's ISC and finished with an average of .384.

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