Softball Australia are today excited to announce the return of two showcase events to the softball calendar: The Summer Slam Fully Loaded tournament, and the Australia Pacific Cup.

For the first time, a men’s Summer Slam will also be added to the schedule, making up what will be nine straight days of world-class softball.

Key points from this announcement:

• The inaugural men’s Summer Slam is set for 19-20 February.
• The women’s Summer Slam follows from 21-23 February.
• The Australia Pacific Cup takes place from February 24-27.
• All events scheduled for the Blacktown International Sports Park in Sydney, NSW.

Dates are subject to change, pending travel and border restrictions.

Summer Slam tournaments follow the Fully Loaded format, offering more action, less downtime, and more runs in a 60-minute window. The complete list of rule innovations are outlined below, and include shorter home run fences, loaded bases at the start of each inning, and only three innings per side in a game.

Australia’s elite men’s and women’s softballers will be joined by international players from some of the world’s top ranked nations, to make up the six franchise teams that compete in the tournament.

Softball Australia is also pleased to confirm the return of the Australia Pacific Cup to Blacktown International Sports Park. Since its inception in 2018, the event has earned a global reputation as an elite level tournament featuring the world’s top-ranked nations.

After the Summer Slam and Australia Pacific Cup were postponed earlier this year due to the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 restrictions, Softball Australia CEO David Pryles said it was pleasing to now be able to announce dates for the return of the iconic events.

“It’s taken a lot of hard work to get to this point, but I’m legitimately excited to have these events back on the calendar. They give our fans the chance to see some of the world’s best athletes all in one place. It also provides players with the opportunity to showcase their skills in a different format, and compete alongside new teammates in the franchise format,” said Pryles.

Mr Pryles was also pleased to reveal the tournaments will again be covered by FOX SPORTS and Kayo Sports, bringing the best softball has to offer to International and Australian audiences:

“FOX SPORTS has been with us since the beginning of these events, and the strength of that relationship means we could work with our broadcast partner to set new dates after we postponed them earlier this year. They are a global leader sports broadcasting and appreciate the athleticism and skill on display, meaning the coverage they provide is world-class.

“The men’s version of the game will also be completely different to the women’s format, and gives more people a reason to tune in and see what these athletes can do. I’m definitely looking forward to watching it,” added Pryles.

While the spectacle is great for fans, National High Performance and Pathway Manager Chet Gray also revealed how the tournaments play an important role in developing our top athletes and softball in Australia:

“Compared to many other sports, softball allows athletes to play a lot of games in a relatively short amount of time, and high-intensity tournaments like the Summer Slam and Australia Pacific Cup are essential to improving player development and conditioning.

“The Australia Pacific Cup also gives us an opportunity to compete against different skillsets and tactics. You find out pretty quickly where you need to make adjustments and improvements when you take on world-class opposition,” said Gray.

Travelodge Aussie Spirit Head Coach Laing Harrow similarly indicated how the tournaments will help our top female athletes prepare for the World Games in the United States later this year:

“Every Australia Pacific Cup I’ve been involved with has been an invaluable learning experience for what it takes to compete at the international level. The World Games are coming up in July, and this will be one of the last opportunities we have before then to compete against some of the world’s best.

“The Summer Slam also exposes players to a different type of pressure, and it’s not just adjusting to the faster pace of play. Athletes also need to make good decisions under duress and develop relationships with new teammates in a short amount of time to achieve positive results.”

Ticket information for the Summer Slam and Australia Pacific Cup will be announced shortly.

Fully Loaded rule modifications:

• Three-inning games.
• No warm-up pitches between innings.
• No offensive or defensive conferences for coaches.
• 30 second changeover between innings.
• Runners start on base each innings.
• The ball must be returned directly to the pitcher after each out.
• Homerun fence distance reduced to increase scoring.
• If scores are tied after three innings, a tiebreaker innings with one out per team will be played to determine a winner.