Softball: Sox pitcher throws back to US stint

AUSSIE BOUND: Melanie Gettins (left) and Rita Hokianga will be key members of the White Sox team this year. PHOTO/Warren Buckland

Rita Hokianga couldn't help but let her mind drift back to her days in the United States college softball system.

It was May 2014 and Hawke's Bay pitcher Hokianga captured MVP (most valuable player) honours after her West Texas A&M team won the NCCA Division Two championship with a 3-2 result against the Valdosta State Blasters in the final. The Hukarere College product took eight strikeouts, made the all-tournament team and ended her season with a 29-win, 3-loss pitching record.

Hokianga's first of two seasons with the West Texas team followed a two-year scholarship at Eastern Arizona College.

"I like being back home but I can't help but think about what's happening over there because their season starts this weekend. I miss the college softball because of its high standard and you get a lot more games ... but at the same time I know the body will last longer by playing back here because there is less work," Hokianga explained.

There is also the opportunity for international play with the White Sox and on Thursday Hokianga, 22, and Hawke's Bay-based catcher Melanie Gettins will travel to Sydney with the White Sox to prepare for the Softball Australia Down Under Series. The three-day tournament also involves world No1 Japan and the world's third-ranked team, Australia, has been divided into Australia Gold and Australia Green.

Each team will play all the other teams twice before playoff games on Sunday.

"This is the first big step in a big year. Obviously the World Series in Vancouver in July is the main goal because I have yet to play at senior World Series level," former Junior White Sox captain Hokianga said.

Gettins, 26, who has been in the White Sox since 2006 and is eyeing her fourth World Series, pointed out the pair want to be in the frame if softball makes a return to the Olympic Games in 2020.

"The final decision will be made in August and if softball gets the thumbs up there will be six teams. We would want a top-three finish at the 2018 World Series to enhance our chances," Gettins said.

New Zealand's 2014 Female Player of the Year, Gettins, stressed the importance of focusing on one tourney at a time.

"It's good to get two of the top three teams in the world so close to home. While we want to help the team be competitive as individuals, we want to stay in contention for the World Series."

Gettins has been the country's top catcher for the past six years. Hokianga will battle US-born New Zealand citizen Jennifer Feret for the first-string pitcher's berth.

"Next week will give us a good gauge," said Hokianga, a sales assistant at Bay Engineering Supplies.

As catcher, Gettins is in the ideal position to let Hokianga know how she is going. While she has become a regular catcher for Hokianga she has also had plenty of time behind the plate for her sister Courtney Gettins, also a contender for Vancouver.

"I lost one pitcher to the States and got another one back," Gettins quipped, referring to the fact her sister is playing for Florida's South Western Junior College.

"Melanie is the boss on the diamond but I'm on the cheeky Maori off it," Hokianga laughed.

Because there is no premier women's club competition in Hawke's Bay, the pair - along with Bay-based American Allyssa James - play for the Hutt Valley Dodgers team which is leading the Wellington intercity competition. Two of the three games the team lost this season were played when Hokianga and Gettins were at a White Sox training camp.

While the pair miss not playing regularly in the Bay, they know they have to keep travelling to the capital for regular high-quality ball to remain in contention for international play.

"The raw talent is still here in the Bay ... there just isn't the same organisation and pathways like when we came through," Gettins said.

Less than a fortnight after the pair return from Australia they will travel to Christchurch for the country's most prestigious tournament, the National Fastpitch Championship, from February 18-21. They will play for a Hutt Valley side which they have tipped to be finalists.

In March they will play for their club at the Hutt Valley-hosted national interclub tournament. After this event Gettins' father and White Sox head coach Kevin Gettins will announce his team for the Vancouver World Series.

"Although we are the top team in Wellington we haven't played in any tournaments around the country yet so it will be good to test ourselves against the other top teams from around the country," Gettins said.

A management trainee with Tumu Timbers, Gettins believed there was more depth in the White Sox training squad than previously in her international career.