No less than four titles are on the line as the Australian Softball National Championships enters its second week of competition.

After tasting ultimate success at the John Reid Shield last week, Softball NSW plays host to the U18 Men and Women. The Championships run from 14-17 April at Blacktown International Sports Park in the Darug nation, and signal the start of two big weeks of softball in the state.

In the Under 18 women, New South Wales will compete against teams from the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, and Western Australia for the Elinor McKenzie Shield, which has been dominated by NSW since the competition began in 1974, winning an incredible 27 titles.

Expect NSW to again be hot favourites as they play for their third straight title at home in front of a parochial crowd.

The event is also an opportunity for athletes to showcase their skills to selectors, with places in the Aussie Diamonds and Australian Under 18 team up for grabs. These teams travel to Canada later this year for the Canada Cup, alongside the Aussie Spirit and Spirit Development Squad.

On the men’s side, all teams have a genuine chance of claiming the title, but 24 games across four days will test squads from NSW, Queensland, the ACT, Victoria, and Western Australia on the road to claiming the Nox Bailey Shield.

Historically, New South Wales have dominated this championship, winning 11 titles since its inception in 1989. However, their last title was in 2016, with Queensland owning the Championship since then, winning four straight from 2017 to 2020, the last time this event was held.

Other states must be desperate to end their title droughts. Victoria claimed the last of their four championships in 2011, while Western Australia’s third and last title was back in 2009. The ACT meanwhile last claimed the shield in 2004.

Typically, the Nox Bailey Shield has produced some of the most memorable games on the calendar, with Queensland’s come-from-behind victories in 2019 and 2020 lighting up the crowd and leaving an indelible mark on the memory.

National selection opportunities are also on the line for the men, with the Under 19 Men’s WBSC World Cup slated for next year, while the top performers could also catch the eye of selectors ahead of the U23 World Cup in Argentina later this year.

After a two-year absence from the calendar, the Under 18 National Championships makes an exciting return, with the future of the sport on full display across the four days.

The next generation of softball superstars will also be on display at Hawker International Softball Centre this week, where 14 Boys and Girls teams from across Australia will contest the first ever Under 14 National Championship from April 14 to 17.

After being introduced as an Under 15 Regional Championship in 2011, Softball Australia made the decision to rebrand the event as a National Championship in 2020, to align the junior pathway with other National Championships.

NSW are represented by three teams in each competition, reflecting their competitive depth, but Queensland and Victoria have also performed well in previous Boys Championships, having last claimed the title in 2019 and 2020 respectively.

After the event was last held in 2020, this will be the first National Championship experience for this future generation of softball stars.