The 2022 National Championship program rolls on next weekend, with the Under 23 Women Nationals at West Beach, Adelaide from 5-8 May.

Five teams will compete for the Joyce Lester Shield, in what should be an entertaining competition.

Queensland are defending champions, after winning the title the last time it was held in 2019. Several Queenslanders have already participated in Nationals this year, but players to keep your eye on include Chelsea Zunker, Rhiannon Kemp and the Kurihara sisters – Moe and Hirari.

New South Wales have won five titles since the Under 23 format was introduced in 2004. Pitchers Bridie Murphy and Charli Orsini are competing for the NSW Firestars at the Gilley’s Shield, and lead a deep NSW line-up that should be in contention on the final day.

Victoria features Titan players Caitlin Laird, Julieanne Kinsella, Kasey Smith, Rebecca Schafer, and Amelia Mercuri, but big performances are also needed from Natasha Holt, Chloe Goodfellow, and Chelsea Radin if the Victorians hope to go deep into Sunday. Victoria have claimed three Joyce Lester Shields and boast a talented line-up that could cause some upsets, but their last championship was 13 years ago.

Gilley's Shield winners Millie Fidge, Taylor Chillingworth, Neve Adams, Steph Collett, and Sophie Roberts will all back up for South Australia after outstanding performances at the Gilley’s Shield. However, head coach Scott Humphrys needs positive contributions from all 13 players in the line-up if the home state are to contend for their first title.

Western Australia is also vying for their first U23 Women’s title, and are a relative unknown going into the championship. Teams from WA are always competitive and spirited, so opponents must be on their game against a potentially dangerous opponent.

24 games are on the program, with the Grand Final scheduled for 2pm on Sunday 8 May. Selected games will be live streamed to the Softball Australia Facebook page.

The tournament is also an important component of the Australian pathway, with many Aussie Spirit players stepping back from international competition after the Tokyo Olympics.

The Joyce Lester Shield is named after the Softball Australian Hall of Famer, who played 235 games for Australia, and captained the team from 1985 until her retirement in 1996.

The 2022 National Championship schedule concludes with the inaugural Over 35 National Championship at Ipswich Softball Association in Queensland from June 26-29 this year.