Minor league veteran Lincoln Holdzkom will take the ball for the Diamondblacks in their opening World Baseball Classic qualifier against Taiwan in Taipei City tonight.
The lanky California-raised hurler - who made it as far as AAA as a Red Sox prospect - faces the daunting task of keeping overwhelming tournament favourite Taiwan's offence in check as New Zealand plays its first competitive international match.
With Taiwan ranked eighth in the world and the Kiwis unranked, the contest - which screens live on Sky Sport tonight from 11.30pm - shapes as a classic David vs Golliath struggle.
Pitching depth was the major issue for the the Kiwis as they posted a 2-4 record in their warm-up series against Australian Baseball League clubs Sydney and Canberra. Three of the four games they lost were close until coach Andy Skeels went deep into his bull pen late on, with somewhat alarming results. The Kiwis, however, expect to be competitive when they have their strongest line-up on the field.
"Our team is in great shape both physically and mentally," Skeels said. "We had a strong training camp in New Zealand and our exhibition games in Australia proved to be a very important step forward in our development."
