On International Women’s Day, Ireland Head Coach Melanie Cunningham has named 15 of the 16 players who will travel to the 2024 WBSC U18 World Cup Group Stage in Dallas, USA.
Ireland qualifed for the World Cup thanks to a Bronze medal finish at the U18 European Championships in 2023 and the squad retains the players from the tournament who have not aged out.
More details on the tournament will follow, but for now, congratualations to all the players selected!
Following on from our Bronze Medal at the 2023 U18 European Championships, the WBSC have confirmed that Ireland have been placed in World Cup Group C which will be hosted at The Village Dallas in Dallas, Texas from 28 August to 2 September, 2024.
Ireland wil be joined in Group C by the top ranked team in the world, USA, No. 10 Australia, No. 14 Philippines, and two teams from the Americas who will be known after the Americas qualifier in March 2024.
We are excited to be heading to the World Cup in Dallas later this year and look forward to competing against the best teams in the world. We will go into this group as underdogs and by far the youngest team, but as we proved last August, we feel we are capable with competing with any team on our day.
For us now, its about getting our planning and preparation right, so the team are in the best possible condition to compete. We can’t wait for August 28. Eire Abu!
Melanie Cunningham, Director of Fastpitch Softball and Ireland Head Coach.
The game schedule of the Group Stage will be announced at a later stage.
The top two teams from each group, plus two wild cards, will advance to the World Championship Finals, to be played in Dallas in the summer of 2025, in the same facilities of Group C.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Irish Softball Celebrates LA 2028 recommendation to include Softball in 2028 Olympic Games
Dublin, Ireland – October 9, 2023 – The Irish Softball community is thrilled to welcome the recommendation by LA 2028 to include softball in the 2028 Olympic Games. This decision, if approved by the IOC Executive Board, marks a momentous opportunity for Irish Softball, providing our athletes with a genuine opportunity to qualify and compete at the pinnacle of the sporting world.
Should softball’s inclusion in the 2028 Olympic Games be confirmed by the IOC Executive Board it is a testament to the growth, dedication, and passion that the sport has seen globally over the last number of years. Irish softballers have done their bit and have been working tirelessly to promote and develop the sport which included the hosting of Group A of the Softball World Cup in July 2023.
“This is a moment that many people in the global game have worked for. The recommendation comes from the tireless work of WBSC President Fraccari, WBSC Softball Chair Craig Cress and WBSC Executive Director Michael Schmidt who have pushed nonstop for the re-inclusion of Softball & Baseball into the Olympic games. In Ireland, we are incredibly excited about the opportunity to try qualify for the games and hopefully showcase Irish Softball on the global stage at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles,” said Dr. Melanie Cunningham, Director of Fastpitch Softball in Ireland. “The inclusion of softball in the Olympic program will inspire our athletes, encourage more young talent to take up the sport, and further solidify our presence in the international softball community.”
The journey to the 2028 Olympics will be an exciting one for Irish Softball, with national teams working tirelessly to qualify and represent Ireland at the highest level. The sport’s values of teamwork, fair play, and perseverance perfectly align with the Olympic spirit, making it a fitting addition to the Olympic program.
Irish Softball extends its gratitude to LA 2028 for recognizing the value of softball in promoting international friendship and competition. Irish Softball also encourages the International Olympic Committee to adopt the recommendations of the LA 2028.
Media Contact:
Colum Lavery
President
Softball Ireland
president@softball.ie
+353867708576
Ireland’s Jenna Devens and Sydney Horton won bronze medals with their club team Bonn Capitals at the recent WBSC Europe Premier Cup.
Bonn Capitals (GER) clinched victory against Rivas (ESP), marking Germany’s first medal in the Women’s Softball European Premier Cup. The Capitals orchestrated a decisive third-inning surge, propelling themselves to a three-run lead.
Though Rivas managed to mount a late comeback effort, securing one run in the top of the fourth inning and further in the fifth, Bonn Capitals held on to win a historic medal .
In winning the bronze medal, Jenna and Sydney become the first Irish players to medal at fastpitch’s premier club european softball tournament.
Congratulations to Jenna and Sydney on a memorable tournament.
Following the conclusion of the World Cup Group Stages and Canada Cup, the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) released the latest World Rankings for Women’s Softball with Ireland retaining its position of 17th in the world from among 65 softball programmes with 699 points.
The WBSC Softball World Rankings measure national team performance from the U-12 to the top level in WBSC-sanctioned international competitions over a four-year period including the recent WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Group Stages and the U-15 Women’s Softball Asia Cup.
Ireland’s ranking of 17th coupled with Israel and Germanys drop in the rankings, means Ireland are now the 6th highest ranked European nation in women’s world softball.
The rankings also reflect the expiration of points in 2019 going back four years such as the Women’s Softball Asian Championship 2019 and Women’s Softball European Championship 2019. The rankings do not reflect the points earned by Ireland when finishing third at the 2023 U-18 European Championships
Women’s Softball World Rankings in detail
WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Group A winners the United States and Group C winners Japan (3,201 points) retained their positions as No. 1 and No. 2 in the World Rankings while Group B winner Puerto Rico and Chinese Taipei switched positions this time, the former taking the No. 3 spot with 3,096 points and the latter moving down to No. 4 with 2,812 points.
Canada and Mexico also retained their positions at fifth and sixth, respectively, followed by Australia moving up two places to No. 7.
European programmes Italy, Netherlands and Czech Republic are in eighth to 10th positions. Italy stayed at No. 8, while the Netherlands moved one place up and Czech Republic moved three places down in the rankings.
Positions 11 to 20 have seen a lot of movement in the ranking, as No. 11 China, No. 12 Spain and No. 17 Ireland held on to their positions, while five programmes, namely Great Britain, Cuba, Venezuela, Brazil and Peru have all moved up the rankings.
Cuba made the biggest jump, moving 14 positions to No. 14 followed by Curacao (up 13) and Botswana (up 11), while Israel and Germany moved six and five positions down No. 19 and 20, respectively.
The cities of Saronno and Legnano in Italy will play host to the Women’s Softball European Premier Cup from August 21st to 26th.
The ten top clubs from across Europe which include Bonn Capitals (GER), Chicaboo’s Stabroek (BEL), Joudrs Praha (CZE), Les Pharaons (FRA), Olympia Haarlem (NED), Rivas Madrid (ESP), Saronno (ITA), Tex Town Tigers (NED), Vienna Wanderers (AUT) and Wittenbach Panthers (SUI).
There is Irish interest in this years tournament with Jenna Devens and Sydney Horton lining out for the German Champions, the Bonn Capitals. Jenna and Sydney have spent 2023 playing club softball in Germany and recently retained the regional title.
The ten teams are divided into two groups to play an initial round-robin stage, after which the teams ranked fourth and fifth will contend in the relegation round, solidifying the rankings from eighth to tenth.
Meanwhile, the top six teams will embark on another round-robin, setting the stage for the ultimate battles in the Bronze and Gold Medal games.
We wish Jenna, Sydney and the Bonn Capitals the best of luck in the week ahead.
You can follow Jenna, Sydney and all the games on the WBSC Europe event’s website and watch the games live on the WBSC Europe YouTube Channel.
After a week that started with a 12:0 loss to Spain in their opening Group Game, the Ireland Women’s Under 18 Fastpitch Softball team overcame this set back to win a magnificent Bronze medal at the European Championships held in Prague defeating Netherlands in an edge of the seat Bronze final. Their victory also secured a coveted place at the U18 World Cup in 2024.
The Irish team was one of the youngest teams at the tournament, with an average age of 15 & half with 10 out of the 13 players on the roster eligible for the next edition of the tournament in 2025.
The turning point of the tournament for Ireland came on the second day of the group stage as an unfancied Ireland beat higher ranked Germany 13:7 following this just four hours later by beating Great Britain 8:5 in the night game. With a win against Hungary on Day 3 of the tournament and Great Britain’s victory over Spain, Ireland secured a place in the top 8 and progressed to the elite round as a second seed in search of a medal.
Ireland could not have asked for a tougher elite round as they took on the number 1 ranked team in Europe, Italy, number 2 ranked the Netherlands and number 8 ranked Israel. Under the format of the tournament, Ireland knew one win would secure a place in the medal round and a top 6 ranking, but realistically 2 wins would be very helpful to keep gold medal chances alive.
Though losing both their games to the Netherlands and Italy 7:0, Ireland showed it was capable of mixing it with the best in Europe who on average were 2 years older than the Irish team. A key game for Ireland was its contest with Israel and though it remained close at the start, Ireland pushed on to win 16:6 and in-turn, secure a place in the Super Round and continue its pursuit for a medal.
Ireland started the Super Round with a resounding 18:0 win over the Ukraine, guaranteeing the team a minimum 5th place finish at the tournament, and leaving Ireland still chasing a medal. Day 6 of the tournament was going to decide Ireland’s faith and standing in our way of playing for a Bronze medal was Great Britain who themselves needed to beat Ireland to reach the Bronze medal game.
I am so proud of what this young team has achieved, they never gave up fighting for their country, their family and themselves. They did everything we could ask of them as coaches and deserve to be going home with a medal and a place in the 2024 World Cup. I am so excited about the future of Irish Softball.
Melanie Cunningham, U18 WNT Head Coach, Director of Fastpitch Ireland
Great Britain, still smarting from their loss earlier in the tournament, threw everything at Ireland in the first few innings of the game, but Ireland dominated from start to finish, winning 10:1 and run-ruling the Great Britain team in the 5th inning. A loss to hosts Czech that evening, confirmed that Ireland would once again play Netherlands for a Bronze medal and a place at the 2024 World Cup.
On a wet Saturday afternoon in Prague, nobody other than the Irish ourselves thought that history would be made. The Netherlands, a powerhouse in European Softball, a country that medals at almost every age grade tournament, a team that on average was 2 years older per player and having beaten Ireland earlier in the tournament, were hit early by the young Irish team as we jumped out to a 2:0 and then 3:1 lead. The Netherlands team were too good not to come back, and took control of the game to lead Ireland 5:3 after 5 innings.
This young Ireland team was not done and fought to wrestle back control of the game, scoring 2 runs in the top of the 6th inning and leveling the game at 5-5. However, the Dutch immediately hit back in the bottom of the 6th, scoring a run to reclaim the lead which left Ireland facing defeat with only the top of 7th inning left to play.
As was the nature of this epic game and this tournament, this young, brave and fearless team did not shy away from the challenge and forced in the equalizing run and then held the Dutch scoreless in the bottom of the 7th inning to force extra innings.
Onto extra innings we go!
The game reached new levels of excitement and stress as Ireland struck first in the top of the 8th inning to score a crucial run putting Ireland ahead 7:6, leaving the Dutch needing to score at least 1 run to keep the game going.
The Irish team’s solid defense closed the door on a Dutch comeback with a breathtaking and ESPN Web Gem top 10 worthy diving catch by the Irish third base player on a bunt and two well-executed groundouts, bringing the Dutch comeback to an end, earning Ireland the victory, punching our ticket to the WBSC World Cup and starting celebrations that are still going!
British ace Georgina Corrick threw a five-inning perfect game against Ireland, in her team’s 7-0 win against the host team of the Women’s Softball World Cup Group A. The right hander retired the 15 hitters she faced in the game, recording nine strikeouts.
A seven-run third inning was the difference for Great Britain, using six hits while also taking advantage of three mistakes, to score all the runs of the game. Katie Burge (2-for-2) hit a two-run triple and scored a run.
Ireland did provide the moment of the game as Niamh Dougherty threw out Sydney brown to keep the game time in the 3rd.
Great Britain moved to 3-0 and remain on top of the standings, securing at least the second place in the Opening Round. Tomorrow they will face a doubleheader against Botswana and USA. With this loss, Ireland is out of contention for a spot in the playoffs and next year’s finals.
Disappointing defeat: “It’s disappointing to lose any game, but always hurts a little more to lose to our close rivals Great Britain at home. We have shown that we are good enough to compete at this level, we just need to hit, our offence is not firing at the moment and we continue to work on making this better every day.”
Melanie Cunningham – Irish WNT Head Coach
Atmosphere tonight/Balbriggan: “The atmosphere was amazing in the venue tonight, the colour, the noise, the singing, it was like being at a football match in Lansdowne Road . We just wish we could have given the amazing fans more to cheer about. Irish sports fans are the best in the world and our fans this evening supported us to the end and are still singing as they leave the stadium in the rain. We are so grateful to the town of Balbriggan for embracing us as they have. We hope we can give them something to celebrate in our last 2 games.
Melanie Cunningham – Irish WNT Head Coach
An 11-hit performance by the Chinese Taipei lineup propelled the Asian team to their first win of the tournament, an 11-1, five-inning victory over hosts Ireland. Chia-Wen Shen hit a solo homer in the second inning while Chia-Yi Chen collected three RBIs in the game.
Hsia-Ai Ke got the ball for Chinese Taipei, and the young pitcher had a quality outing, tossing the five innings while giving up three hits and one run, with five strikeouts. It’s Ke’s first win of the tournament.
The Asian team put together a five-run rally in the second inning to secure the game, with multiple-hits evening by Yi-Ting Yang, Chia-Yi Chen and Chia-Wen Shen.
For Ireland, Jamison Brockenbrough produced the only run of the game in the bottom of the first, with a double to center field.
Disappointing day (two defeats): “It’s disappointing but we still have a lot of games to play. We have to get back up, get our heads back in it and get the energy up. We’re going to go back, get some dinner and rest, and get ready for tomorrow.
Nicole Franklin – Team Ireland
Bouncing back tomorrow: “We fought hard. These are all good teams, this is the World Cup. We have to expect good competition and just keep fighting.”
Nicole Franklin – Team Ireland
Atmosphere tonight/Balbriggan: “The atmosphere was awesome. All of the Ireland fans were great. Everyone is awesome and super welcoming. It’s really cool to have people who haven’t seen it before to come out and see the sport.”
Nicole Franklin – Team Ireland
World No. 8 Australia bounced back from their opening day loss with a 4-0 win against hosts Ireland to get their first win of the tournament. Kaia Parnaby pitched a 14-strikeout shutout, while Jade Wall homered for the Aussies.
We hung in there, we gritted our teeth, we got a few runs, my defence had my back. We were just playing our game today and did what the Aussie Spirit like to do.
Kaia Parnaby – Team Australia
The game went pretty well, I must say. It’s nice to get back out there. I’ve been under the weather, so to be able to be back out there with the girls after missing last year, it’s been nice to be back in the green and gold.
Kaia Parnaby – Team Australia
Georgia Hood produced the first run of the game with a sac fly to left field in the fourth, followed by a two-run double by Clare Warwick in the fifth. One inning later, Wall’s homer put the game 4-0.
What happened out there: “We started out strong, especially against a really strong team. Everyone looked good out on the field. We got a loss in one inning in our fielding, our pitching still showed up and was great but we got a little in our heads. Then, as soon as one mistake happens it kind of rolls on to the next but we brought it back. We just have to hit.”
Hannah Monteleone Team Ireland
On bouncing back from this defeat (next game 18.30 v Chinese Taipei): “We just have to make sure that we keep our spirits up high so we can go on to the next game and try to win that to the best of our ability. We’re going to go back, eat, get out of our heads and enjoy our time together. Then come back and have fun because we play our best when we have fun.”
Hannah Monteleone Team Ireland
On the venue: “It’s awesome. We’re so proud of everyone. We’re so thankful for everyone who worked on this field because they were working day and night. They did an amazing job for us to pull this all off.
Hannah Monteleone Team Ireland
Great Britain beat Australia 2-0 in the opening game of the Women’s Softball World Cup Group A in Balbriggan, while defending champions USA beat Chinese Taipei 5-0 in the second, before Ireland were too good for Botswana winning 7-0 in the last game of the day.
An historic day as the first ever WBSC two-stage tournament got underway at Balbriggan All Weather Field in Fingal-Dublin, Ireland on Tuesday on the opening day of the XVII WBSC Softball World Cup Group A.
After an exciting build up, the teams also delivered with Great Britain beating Australia 2-0 in the opening game, followed by defending champions USA proving to be too good for Chinese Taipei 5-0 and Ireland beating Botswana 7-0 in the last game of the day. Prior to the Ireland v Botswana game Mayor of Fingal, Councillor Adrian Henchy, threw a celebrity pitch in front of an excited home crowd.
“Fingal is a county which is absolutely steeped in sport and we can now add softball to the mix,” he said beforehand. “We’re a young, diverse county and it’s important that we have second-to-none facilities. That’s hugely driven by the local authority, in partnership with the sports clubs We wish everybody well and, obviously being biased, I hope Ireland do very well. It sounds like they’re in a tough pool but in order to be the best, you have to beat the best!”
Councillor Henchy needn’t have been concerned about the opening night, as Ireland went on to run out 7-0 winners against Botswana to wrap up a momentous day in North Dublin.
“It felt great,” said Ireland’s Kailey O’Connor afterwards. “We were a little nervous at first but once we started getting the first pitch going, it felt normal, it felt like we were all clicking. We’ve all played together at some point and it felt like we were reunited again. “I wouldn’t say there’s extra pressure (of hosting). We were more excited than anything. We turned any pressure into excitement. It means a lot to us to play on our own field so it kind of gives us an extra boost that we don’t have playing at other places.”
Kailey O’Connor Ireland International
Fastpitch Ireland is excited to announce Lee County, Florida (Fort Myers) as partner of the newly created Fastpitch Ireland Junior High Performance Programme. Lee County will also become partner of the Women’s Softball World Cup (Group A) to be held in Dublin in July 2023. Lee County (Fort Myers) has a strong relationship with both Irish Softball and European Softball providing World Class training facilities in south Florida. As part of the partnership with Lee County (Fort Myers) camps will be held in Fort Myers during the partnership and Fort Myers will support Fastpitch Ireland in creating opportunities for the academy players to gain valuable experience.
We are honoured, delighted and very excited that Lee County (Fort Myers) has agreed to become the first partner of our Junior High Performance Academy. Lee County (Fort Myers) share our vision that the future of Irish Softball is the creation of a world class, sustainable and competitive domestic pipe line of players. We look forward to working with Lee County (Fort Myers) to develop our home ground talent and to expose them to the world class facilities in Fort Myers in the near future.
Melanie Cunningham – Director of Fastpitch, Fastpitch Ireland