Softball: Pitching for glory

As the New Zealand women's softball side walked into a ballpark in Canada this year, they noted a large car park was full and wondered what else was on that night.

"They're here to see you, so don't make dicks of yourselves," coach Mike Walsh told them.

It is hardly surprising that the crowd of 5000 in Saskatchewan surprised the players. It might be stretching things to suggest that New Zealand softballers usually play in front of two men and a dog. Ten men and a couple of dogs might be a bit closer. Suffice to say that large crowds and softball are not well acquainted.

It will be different at the Olympics, especially for big games.

The 8500-capacity ballpark at Blacktown, 40km south-west of central Sydney, is sold out for the gold-medal match and the round-robin clash between the raging favourites, Australia and the United States.

New Zealand open their campaign against the second-ranked Australians on Sunday night at the $21 million park, which was purpose-built for the Olympic softball and half of the preliminary baseball games.

The seating rises many rows around the diamond, a far cry from parks in New Zealand where spectators lean on railings or sit on small stands behind home base.

Walsh, the former national men's coach, said: "The most amazing crowds I experienced were at the '92 men's championships in Manila, when there were up to 15,000 people.

"I don't think it should affect our players and I always found with the men that they enjoyed the experience. You'd much rather play in front of 10,000 than 10 people."

But some adjustments will be needed. The women have worked all year on hand signals for base running, because calls get lost in crowd noise.

Balls hit into the crowds may not come back - manufacturers Mizuno are more than happy for their products to be kept as souvenirs.

That can give batters an edge, as hard new balls fly further and can be harder for pitchers to grip.

And speaking of pitchers, there is the inevitable question - how is Gina Weber's form?

The 37-year-old came out of five years' retirement after her team-mates won an Olympic qualifier in China-Taipei in 1999.

Among the other pitchers, Aucklander Fiona Timu has worked well in the lead-up, while Walsh and pitching adviser Kevin Herlihy have been working on building up the confidence of Wellington's Ruta Lealamanua.

And Canterbury's Jaye Bailey, a promising age-grade pitcher chosen as an infielder, is pitching again to give New Zealand more options.

But Weber is the key. She performed poorly on the build-up tour to Japan, where there was the remarkable instance of her being pulled in the first innings of a match after conceding four runs.

Since then, Herlihy has spent many hours working on her game and there have been promising signs in the warm-ups in Sydney.

"Kevin was our greatest men's pitcher, with Michael White. He was so great because he used correct training and had great concentration. Technically he was perfect," Walsh said.

"He has spent a lot of time with the pitchers, but especially Gina. She is not going to be the same pitcher 10 years on.

"But she was getting uptight and trying to over-throw, losing concentration and focus. We've noticed a real difference with her since playing in Sydney."



Hitting has been the worry area, with Lisa Kersten, Jackie Smith, Melisa Upu and Timu the exceptions.

The Olympics are a big moment for New Zealand women's softball. The team dropped from being a powerhouse to finishing 11th at the 1998 world championships.

The New Zealand women who hold down jobs have had around 90 days off work this year preparing for the Olympics.

An example of their dedication is infielder Kersten, who lives in Greymouth and travels 2 1/2 hours each way to play in Christchurch. The 24-year-old marketing assistant struck a deal with her boss, who allows her to work four instead of eight hours a day.

"Ten years ago, I never thought in my wildest dreams that softball would be at the Olympics," said Walsh. "When we qualified in the tournament in China-Taipei last year, I got as big a buzz as when we won the men's world series in 1996.

"If we perform to our best here and get beaten, I can accept that. But if we don't perform to our best we will have let ourselves down badly. The women themselves believe a medal is realistic."

New Zealand face Australia on Sunday at 8.45 pm (New Zealand time), on the first of seven games before the medal round.