A young South Canterbury softballer has his sights on representing New Zealand at the WBSC Under-18 Men’s Softball World Cup next year.
Anthony Baker, 16, has been selected as part of the 37-man Junior Black Sox programme, where he will be striving to secure a starting spot on the team for the upcoming world cup in Czechia.
While he has initially missed out on one of the 16 spots for the upcoming Oceania Qualifier over Anzac weekend, Baker will be taking part in Junior Black Sox regional training camps and is still eligible to move up to the starting squad over the course of the year.
He said he had been playing bat-and-ball sports for as long as he could remember.
‘‘I started before I was 5, all my siblings played and I guess I just saw them playing and would join in. My siblings have helped me a lot, although they have made me a right-handed batter when I’m left-handed.
‘‘It’s a good, fun sport and I’ve met a lot of friends through it.’’
Renowned primarily for his batting prowess, Baker has been making waves in several different competitions and leagues around the country.
In January he played for South Canterbury at the under-19 boys national championships and was the fifth-top batter at the tournament.
He was a regional pick-up player for Nelson at the under-17 boys national championship, where he was third-top batter, scoring three over-the-fence home runs in one game.
On a weekly basis he plays for the South Canterbury Under-19 Boys in the local South Canterbury competition and then travels north to play for the Under-18 Rolleston team in the weekend.
Baker said his goal for the year was to just play as much softball as he could and attend whatever tournaments were available.
‘‘There’s never been an end goal, really. We’ll just see where it goes.’’
A date for the first regional training camp has yet to be confirmed but Baker said he was very much looking forward to the opportunity.
He was very thankful to his family and his coaches and managers who had helped him get to this point.
