New Zealand can’t compete: Kiwi baseball prospects flock to greener pastures

Promising New Zealand baseball players are forced to travel overseas in a bid to take their baseball skillsets to the next level.

Baseball New Zealand pitcher and US college recruit Tait Anderson says that playing college baseball is his only chance for self-exposure.

“It’s about getting exposure and getting more of an opportunity to pursue the sport and just get more overall playing experience, as well experience high-level coaching.”

Anderson has just received a full scholarship at McCook Community College in Nebraska to play baseball full-time.

He will be joining over 20 other New Zealand baseball players who are currently pursuing their dreams at the collegiate level.

New Zealand previously housed a professional baseball team called the Auckland Tuatara, which went into liquidation after the 2022-2023 season.

Former Auckland Tuatara player Andrew Marck says that the team was established to promote the sport here in New Zealand but to also help provide pathway opportunities.

“The Tuatara heightened awareness and interest in baseball across the country, while also nurturing a new generation of skilled players through the exposure to higher levels of competition.”

However, Anderson says that without a professional team here in New Zealand, he has no choice but to travel abroad in order to play baseball at a higher level.

"It’s all about getting experience and more games, and for us with no Tuatara, I feel like for us if we want to get better, we have to go over to the US to get experience against better-experienced players.”

Marck agrees it is far more difficult for Kiwi players to showcase their talents and achieve their baseball aspirations.

“Without a professional in New Zealand, players may lack the structured development pathways and resources available in other baseball-centric countries.”

Baseball New Zealand CEO Megan Crockett told The Post that with no more Tuatara, there has been a shift in focus for baseball in New Zealand.

“By losing the Tuatara we lose that shop window, so we have to be really good at promoting our sport in other avenues.”

Crockett says that more effort is needed to help grow the game domestically for something like the Tuatara to happen again.

“We’re in a strategic rebuild phase and we’re looking to build what we’ll do to 2026.”

Baseball New Zealand says that almost 9000 Kiwis are involved in the growing sport, and have aims of increasing that number in the coming years.