After a two year hiatus the National Championships are back, commencing with the Open Men’s National Championships at the Hawker International Softball Complex.

Julian Jemmott is captaining the Queensland Patriots, and he’s looking forward to getting back to competing at a national level. He said “After 2 years it’s been a long break between innings, and the Queensland camp are ready to enjoy some top level softball.” When asked about who the teams are to watch, he said “I think all teams need to be kept on the watch list. Again, with this competition forced to be put on hold, I’m sure everyone will be itching to get out there and I’m eager to see what level each state has been able to take their game to during this time.”

Coach Steve Anderson said “It seems like a lifetime ago since the first squad was named in 2020. There have been so many challenges and changes along the way. We have a number of new faces in the playing group this year and an entirely new group in the management team. It’s been a long journey over the last couple of years to finally reach the point where we can get on the diamond and test ourselves against the other states.”

The John Reid Shield also serves as a selection event for the WBSC World Cup in Auckland and the U23 World Cup in Argentina, both later this year. The National Championships will run from 7th-10th April in Canberra.  The Patriots will play ACT at 1:30pm Thursday 7th April for their first game.  Softball Queensland wishes all of the players and officials the best of luck for the tournament.