From tomorrow, the world's best Women's softball players will be descending on Hawker International Softball Centre for the Softball Australia Open Women’s National Championships.

From January 9-14, seven Australian states and territories will be competing for Gilley's Shield, named after Mack Gilley. This year's Gilley's Shield takes on extra significance with the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Finals taking place in July and the news that softball has been returned to the Olympic programme for Los Angeles in 2028.

The National Championships are a key part of the high-performance pathway, with the best players being looked at for selection for the Aussie Spirit, Australia's national representative team. Selectors will be looking at the short-term options for the World Cup and the medium-term prospects for the 2028 Olympic qualification process. With plenty at stake, spectators will enjoy an enviable standard of softball over the week, with this year's edition bringing several surprises and international stars on show.

The first surprise comes from Victoria who have brought in Great Britain pitcher - and Softball America’s 2022 Pitcher of the Year - Georgina Corrick to bolster their chances. At the 2023 WBSC Women's World Cup Group stage, it was Corrick's arm that kept the Brits in the fight, with Australia eventually coming out on top in the penultimate game to secure the second group slot for this year's World Cup Finals. The Titans will be relying on Corrick along with future stars Teraize Bonner and Caitin Laird in their quest for Gilley's Shield, which has eluded the state since 1985.

The second major surprise of the tournament is the reemergence of Tasmania in their first Gilley’s Shield appearance in over 20 years. In conjunction with Queensland the Tasmanians have put together a formidable roster. Headlined by import Megan Feraimo, the Tassie squad also includes Jayme Reddacliff, Spirit players Kylie Steemers and Pippa Adkins and veteran Melanie Thorburn. The Apple Isle will be confident of a strong showing under the watchful eye of coach Lachlan Thorburn. For those new to the world of College Softball: Megan Feraimo played at UCLA from 2019 to 2023 and was named a three-time All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. As a sophomore in 2020 she was named Softball America Pitcher of the Year, and her recruitment alongside Corrick is an absolute coup for the competition.

Australia's best and brightest are also in the mix, with last year’s champion New South Wales boasting the lion’s share of current Spirit players. Kaia Parnaby leads the all-star pitching cast that includes Kandra Lamb, Gabrielle Plain and Grace Wrixon, and the Firestars will be able to lean on Taylah Tsitsikronis and Stacey McManus for leadership and a solid hitting acumen.

The Queensland Heat will boast Spirit players Jade Wall and Tamieka Whitefield, and will be looking to go one better than their runner-up finish in 2023. Queensland will be leaning on a group of young up-and-comers like Galveston College Whitecaps representative Tallulah Civoniceva, Hirari Kurihara, Jessica Rohde and Emilee Solomon. Kurihara was named Player of the Grand Final at the 2023 Under 23 Women's National Championship held in December.

For the Diamonds from the ACT, the squad will benefit greatly from the appointment of Spirit captain Clare Warwick, imports Zali Summers (QLD) and Mia Gilmore (NSW) and locals Samantha and Caitlin McCreedy.

2022 Gilley's Shield champions South Australia will be spearheaded by dual threat Amelia Fidge whose impressive performance in the back half of the recent Under 23 Women's Championship and 2023 College Season with Hawaii University put the competition on notice. Big-hitting catcher Hayley Bonython is also suiting up for the Starz.

For the Western Australians Olivia Kuzminski is the sole Spirit representative, while Jaymee-Lee Rowe, Sara Riou, Amber Hinchliffe, Aislinn Morris are all part of the National Elite Player Development Squad. Kuzminski earned the MVP honours from the recent Under 23 Women's National Championship after posting an impressive .481AVG and .645OBP for the tournament.

Event Details

The Open Women’s National Championship starts on Tuesday the 9^th of January with finals being played on Sunday the 14^th.

Children below 12 enter for free and tickets for the tournament start at $10 for an Adult Day Pass and are available online via https://www.act.softball.org.au/eventsregister/218213/

Limited streaming of the round robin stage will be available via the Softball ACT Facebook page, with the final day being streamed by Softball Australia.

The dedicated event webpage is here: 2024 Gilley's Shield - Open Women's National Championship - Softball Australia