Sox captain at home plate
Black Sox captain Nathan Nukunuku has retired after 20 years of international softball and has confirmed he will not apply for the head coach’s job.
Nukunuku told Stuff he had decided to step down to spend more time with his family after winning four gold medals in a record seven world championship tournaments.
The 39-year-old – who earned 126 Black Sox caps – gave considerable thought to his future after New Zealand’s disappointing fourth place at the 2019 world series in Prague.
But, after he and wife Katrina – a former New Zealand White Sox softball captain – had a baby son, Kiwa, in August, he decided to retire at the top-level.
‘‘It’s a decision that I’ve been coming to for few months, or, if I’m really honest, the last couple of years. I’ve come to the realisation that my time with the Black Sox is up,’’ Nukunuku said.
‘‘I had a good think through after the last world champs and once baby was born a few weeks ago, I thought the best thing do is make a decision to step down.’’
Nukunuku – an accomplished infielder in his prime and dangerous top order batter – made his Black Sox debut in 1999, but said it was now time to focus on ‘‘my family and my work’’.
‘‘That’s the ultimate decision. I want to be there for family and especially for my oldest son [seven-year-old Raika]. I’ve been selfish [in pursing a long international career] and now I want to spend more time with the family.’’
Softball New Zealand (SNZ) chief executive Tony Giles said Nukunuku ‘‘will leave a tremendous legacy . . . as one of the world’s most feared players’’.
‘‘His record stands for itself over a career spanning 20 years in the Black Sox family, which has seen a record 126 caps for his country, seven world series appearances and four world titles.’’
Giles said SNZ wished Nukunuku and wife Katrina ‘‘the very best in international retirement and look forward to the next generation of Nukunuku champions on the diamond’’.
Nukunuku will continue as player-coach of the Mt Albert Ramblers club and the Auckland representative team – both domestic champions – but he confirmed he would not apply for the just-advertised Black Sox head coach’s job.
‘‘I understand that’s a possible pathway for me, but I do think, however, it’s too early to put my hand up for the role, he said.
‘‘If you’d asked me three months ago, I would have said ‘yes, I could transition from being captain to coach’, but after some deep thinking and discussions with some of my mentors, a better solution for me is to get away from the side and get some perspective so it’s not so much of an echo chamber. You need a little bit of time to freshen up.
‘‘And I’ll still be coaching [at domestic level], so if, in two years’ time, I decided to put my name in the hat [as national coach], I would still be relevant.’’
Nukunuku said he had enjoyed his time in the Black Sox. ‘‘It’s obviously been a long and fruitful journey for me. I’ve very blessed with the career I had.
‘‘Obviously having [my brother] Dion here for the start was a great thing for me, it meant I felt comfortable in the environment straight away.’’
The Nukunuku brothers won world titles together in 2000 and 2004, with Nathan establishing himself in the key infield role at shortstop.
After Dion retired, Nathan went on to earn another gold medal in 2013 and captained the Black Sox to the world title in 2017.
He said it was impossible to single out one special memory. ‘‘Obviously, every win at the four world champs were all great highlights.’’
For most of his career, the Black Sox were ‘‘one of the most successful teams in New Zealand sport’’. ‘‘I’m definitely proud to have been part of the Black Sox. Anything I have given to the team, I’ve received back 10 times over.’’
Although Nukunuku would be approaching 41 when the next world series is held in 2021, he believed he would still be able to contribute.
‘‘Softball-wise, I could definitely play [in 2021]. I would like Softball New Zealand to use the tournament to introduce some new stars to the country.’’
Nukunuku returned home in June bitterly disappointed at the Black Sox’s failure to win a medal for the first world series since 1980 after he had played in the six previous grand finals.
‘‘I was pretty gutted at the time, but now I’ve had a chance to reflect, we lost the semifinal [to Japan] by one run against the only unbeaten team in the tournament at that stage, and we lost the bronze medal game [to Canada] by one run.’’
‘‘It’s a decision that I’ve been coming to for few months, or, if I’m really honest, the last couple of years.’’ Nathan Nukunuku