Playing hardball for softball champs

A young local softball star has just been thrown a curve-ball that's pitched him into the big league.

18-year-old Caleb Watt has won selection for the national Under-21 softball team that will compete at the world champs in Saskatoon, Canada. His performance at the recent Under-19 nationals in Hamilton saw him tapped for the squad, and now he's got less than two months to get ready for the biggest game of his life.

"It's definitely a different kind of softball over there," he says. "The facilities are much better, and I've never played a game at night!"

With up to 15 players per team, and 12 teams at the Hamilton tournament, there was a lot of competition for spots. Selectors judged how players performed in a variety of positions. Caleb's a pitcher; normally pitchers cover that role alone, but unusually he spends some time as first base-man as well.

Although they played against each other in Hamilton, Caleb doesn't know anyone else in the team, and there's no time for them to get together before the flight out.

"I'll meet them in Sydney on the way over. We'll have 23 hours on the plane; hopefully there'll be room for a bit of bonding," Caleb chuckles. "We're quite a young team. I'm not sure what to expect."

Although the tournament is international, only five countries will play in it: New Zealand, Japan, Australia, Canada and the United States. Softball isn't very widespread, although in Canada it enjoys an even footing with baseball.

It's no surprise that Caleb has the skills to reach the world stage; he's been playing softball since he was just five years old.

"My family's always been involved with softball," he says. We're talking multiple generations. In fact, his great-grandparents were the ones who brought the game to New Zealand, back in the 1920s and '30s. They began the Huia club which is still active today.

Caleb has to raise almost $4000 to get himself to Canada. He's about halfway there so far. Mostly he's saving for it himself through his job at The Warehouse, but there've been fundraising barbecues and hangis to help out.