The Tribune

By JONATHAN BURROWS

Tribune Sports Reporter

jburrows@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Softball Federation began the selection process for its junior national programme on Saturday with under-18 tryouts aimed at identifying the players who will represent the country at the WBSC Pan American U18 Women’s Championship in El Salvador.

The New Providence tryout was held in the Bankers Field at the Baillou Hill Sporting Complex, with another session taking place in Grand Bahama at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex.

Coach Dachaye Stubbs said the tryout marked only the second national team trial conducted under the federation’s junior national programme.

“This was the second ever national team tryout for the junior national programme,” Stubbs said. “This tryout in particular was for the under-18 team that we would be taking to El Salvador to compete in the WBSC Pan American Championships.”

The federation expected about 30 players to attend the New Providence session, but the number was reduced to around 20 because several players had already left the country for school.

Stubbs said another 10 to 15 players participated in Grand Bahama.

Despite the lower turnout, Stubbs said the coaching staff saw the level of talent it expected while also finding some players who could develop into key contributors.

“We expected to see some good talent. We expected to see some muscle as well as we wanted to find some diamonds in the rough, and I also thought that we found them today,” Stubbs said. Speed was one of the strongest attributes identified during the evaluations, with Stubbs saying the coaching staff intends to make the most of the team’s athleticism.

“I think that one of the biggest strengths that we have is speed,” she said. “That’s something that we see across all sports in The Bahamas. We capitalise on speed.”

Power was another positive, although Stubbs said some players need more development and training to become more effective at the plate.

The selection process will continue with tryouts in the Family Islands before the final roster is announced.

Stubbs said the under-18 age group has a smaller player pool, making it important for the federation to search for talent across the country.

“We love Family Island tryouts,” Stubbs said.

The federation expects to announce the national team roster within the next four weeks.

Beyond the upcoming championship, Stubbs views the junior programme as part of the federation’s broader effort to build the sport from the youth level.

She said softball has grown significantly in The Bahamas over the past three to four years, particularly among younger players.

“I think that over the past three or four years in particular, the sport has grown a lot, especially at the youth level,” Stubbs said.

With softball returning to the Olympic programme for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, Stubbs believes continued development could eventually give The Bahamas an opportunity to pursue Olympic qualification.

“It gives us an opportunity as a country to be back in contention for Olympics,” Stubbs said. “Softball is a sport that’s been in and out of the Olympics. It was there in 2020, and then it’s coming back in 2028.”

“If we continue to develop the sport here and grow the programme how it should be, we should be in the Olympics within the next 10 years,” she said.

The federation is expected to announce the remaining Family Island tryout dates before finalising the under-18 roster for the Pan American championship.