Black Sox gain a real father figure

Not every sporting international gets to play at representative level with two sons, but it’s helped helped inspire Brad Rona to win back his Black Sox place.

The 41-year-old has been selected for his sixth world championship squad after being omitted from the Black Sox’s campaigns since 2015.

Rona, who has three world series gold medals, never gave up hope of getting back in Mark Sorenson’s team for July’s tournament in Canada.

He said Sorenson was up front with him about wanting to test younger players in the last two seasons. ’’But he said if I was still good enough, I would be back.’’

Rona was philosophical about missing out on the last two seasons, saying his omission ‘‘gave me time to spend with my family’’ and watching his sons Kaleb, a current Junior Black Sox player, and Pita, an ex-Black Sox representative, progress.

‘‘Having those two play with me for North Harbour and for the club [Northcote] has been good for me.’’

Rona admits he ‘‘isn’t getting any younger’’, but he is still one of the most feared hitters in the world.

He won the MVP [most valuable player] award in his last International Softball Congress tournament in 2016. ’’And I’ve been doing well in our domestic season.’’

Rona did not take selection for granted and said it was ‘‘always to get the phone call ... it’s always an honour.’’

He hopes a young squad featuring six players at their first world series with the Black Sox will benefit from his and captain Nathan Nukunuku’s experience.

‘‘When we first made the team we were coming into a squad that had been together for a while. Now, we’ve got a very young, inexperienced team, but having me and Nathan back involved, hopefully we bring a lot of experience that will help the younger players out.’’

Rona said he wanted to exorcise the demons of the 2015 tournament where the Black Sox blew a fiverun lead to lose to Canada in the final.

He said ‘‘the way we lost’’ still rankled and it wasn’t his happiest series, personally, after ‘‘going over there with a couple of injuries in his lower legs, ‘‘which stayed with me through that whole competition’’.

‘‘I feel heaps better now than I did two years ago.’’

Rona and Nukunuku will join Sorenson, Thomas Makea and Jarrad Martin as the only New Zealanders with four gold medals if the Black Sox win in Whitehorse, Yukon.

When he first burst into the Black Sox infield, Rona was a third baseman noted as much for his agility and speed on defence as he was for pounding home runs out of the park.

He later shifted to the opposite corner, first base and may spend some time there this series, but is more likely to be used as a designated player who bats but rarely fields, or as a pinch hitter off the bench.

Sorenson believes the Black Sox will benefit from Rona’s presence on the diamond, or in the dugout.