The first professional baseball team in New Zealand's history has officially landed.
On Monday, the latest addition to the Australian Baseball League was unveiled - the Auckland Tuatara.
Auckland Zoo played the most appropriate of venues as the team's name and logo was revealed, and even featured a cameo from one of the reptiles themselves.
"We consulted with a lot of people," said Baseball NZ CEO Ryan Flynn on the choice of the Tuatara. "It's an important reptile to Maori culture, to our country, it's endangered.
"It's a pretty impressive little creature, and we hope to be that impressive on the baseball field."
It's another significant step in the evolution of the fledgling franchise, but there's still plenty of hard work ahead as they build to their season–opener on November 15 in Perth.
It's made all the more challenging by the fact that the venue at Albany's QBE Stadium - which requires quite a reshuffle in order to accommodate a diamond - won’t be ready until season two.
West Auckland's McLeod Park will step in as temporary hosts for their inaugural campaign.
Also announced was the appointment of Steve Mintz as the team's manager (Head coach), who's currently the pitching coach for a minor league affiliate of Major League Baseball's Texas Ranger.
He joins former MLB pitcher DJ Carrasco and current Cincinnati Reds minor league bench coach Darren Bragg to round out a coaching staff that Flynn believes rivals any in the competition.
While his expectations are measured, Flynn has complete faith the Tuatara will be more than capable of holding its own as the new kids on the Aussie block.
"I believe in our Kiwi ball players who make up a core of the team and we have a lot of good contacts around the world in baseball that will bring in top players.
"I won't say we'll win the league day one, but I think we'll be a very competitive team and a great team for the nation to rally around."
The foundation of the side's roster lies in ex-Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Josh Collmenter and Kiwi Daniel Lamb-Hunt , with four new recruits announced in 18-year-old prospect Corezze Nepia, pitchers Jimmy Boyce and Scott Cone, outfielder Max Brown and catcher Te Wera 'Beau' Bishop.
Boyce and Brown have both represented New Zealand, while Bishop spent time with the Boston Red Sox as well as the Milwaukee Brewers' minor leagues.
Nepia - son of former Blues and Crusaders prop Kevin Nepia - has been selected to join the Major League Baseball World Team in Arizona in October.
Try-outs will take place next month to help fill the remaining spots in the squad, the precise date and venue of those to be confirmed shortly.
Meanwhile, the global hunt continues for Flynn as he makes full use of his extensive contact list cultivated from years spent at ballparks across the United States.
"We're in negotiations with a top team in the Nippon league in Japan. We're talking to the Texas Rangers, the Houston Astros, the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners.
"I think people know our coaches, they know me now and they know that we take care of our players, and everybody wants to come to New Zealand because it's one of the most beautiful countries in the world.
"It's historic, and people want to be a part of that too."
Flynn's also confident Kiwi sports fans will quickly warm to the uniquely immersive nature of the fan experience minor league baseball offers.
That includes the age-old American tradition of 'tailgate' parties, as well as a fan-zone aptly named 'The Jungle'.
"There's a lot of fan interaction, you can get close on the field, kids run around during the game, autographs on the field….it will be very different for NZ sports fans. We really think they're going to take to it."
At the same time the New York-native's well aware of one component that will be integral to getting fans through the gates – winning.
"We know we need to be competitive. Auckland's a pretty fickle market – you need to win.
"But if you are competitive and these guys are hungry and play hard, I think people will be able to see baseball at a very high level, which this country's never seen live."
Newshub.
