Black Sox at home for 2021 title bid

The seven-time world champion Black Sox will be playing at home with Auckland to host the 2021 men’s world softball championships.

Softball New Zealand chief executive Tony Giles announced New Zealand had been awarded the tournament at the World Baseball Softball Council (WBSC) congress in Botswana on Saturday.

The tournament will be staged at North Harbour’s Rosedale Park stadium in Albany.

Giles congratulated the WBSC’s incoming softball president Tommy Velazquez ‘‘for having the courage to support the Oceania softball region and providing an opportunity for New Zealand to again showcase our world-class talent as leaders of the men’s game’’.

New Zealand has hosted the event three times - in 1976 (Lower Hutt), 2004 (Christchurch) and 2013 (Albany) with the Black Sox winning a gold medal on each occasion.

The Black Sox, who won back the world crown in 2017, will defend their title in Prague in 2019.

The WBSC congress was made the more memorable for New Zealand with Black Sox captain Nathan Nukunuku winning world softball’s player of the year award and Mark Sorenson the prize for top coach. Softball New Zealand also won the federation of the year award.

Former Black Sox captain Jarrad Martin, ex-White Sox skipper Fiona Timu and leading North Harbour and New Zealand administrator Bob Leveloff were inducted into the WBSC Hall of Fame.

Martin won four world titles with the Black Sox and captained them to their 2004 triumph in Christchurch.

Timu played for the White Sox for close to 15 years, playing on New Zealand’s silver medal winning world championship team in 1990 and at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

Southland’s Rex Capil was reappointed as WBSC softball division Oceania vice-chairman.