Kaitlyn Hastie and Callum Rowley have both been involved with the New Zealand under-15 development Sox squads this year.
The duo, both pitchers, have attended training camps and are awaiting the selection of the travelling teams to go to world championships.
For Kaitlyn, those will be in Oklahoma while for Callum, they will be in Tokyo.
The teams will be picked in October.
It is believed Otago’s previous New Zealand representative was Ben Watts in 2012.For women and girls it is even longer, estimated to go back to the 1980s with Mere Tarapi.
Reaching the top level from Dunedin presents its challenges.
Making a name for yourself is harder than in the likes of Christchurch and Auckland, while the level is also higher in those places.
"It’s really hard because there’s a lot more competition up there, so they get a lot more experience up there," Hastie (14) said.
However, the pair had trained hard, doing sessions with coaches and individually through both summer and winter.
They had impressed at this year’s under-15 South Island tournament in Dunedin while playing for Otago.
Both were chosen for the tournament team and travelled north to play the North Island tournament team.
Rowley’s game was played as the curtain raiser to the Challenge Cup final and was broadcast live on Sky Sport.
Hastie’s was live streamed and was watched from around the country, as well.From that they were chosen in their respective national squads and had attended training camps at which they received some high-level coaching.
A year 10 pupil at St Hilda’s Collegiate, Hastie had begun the sport through Tee Ball at the age of 5.
She would play for the Dodgers in the Dunedin senior reserve grade this season and had played for both Otago under-15 and 17.
Her ambitions were high and she hoped to follow a pathway becoming evermore attractive to young New Zealand athletes.
"I want to go to university overseas in America on a scholarship," she said.
"I’ve gone through a college recruitment company and we’re working towards going forward with them.
"We’ve been to a seminar and been on a Skype call with them."
Meanwhile Rowley, a 15-year-old year 10 pupil at King’s High School, was set to play for the Dodgers premiers this year.
He had played for Mainland under-17 and been to Australia with the New Zealand softball academy.
His long-term goal was to go as far as he could, the pinnacle being to make the Black Sox.
