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Two New Zealand greats in the softball arena have received the ultimate honour.
Black Sox players Travis Wilson and Rhys Casley are to be inducted into the International Softball Congress Hall of Fame.
The Congress announced this week the pair of New Zealanders had been selected to be part of the hall’s class of 2022.
Wilson is now based in Tallahasee, Florida, but was originally from Christchurch.
He is a member of an elite group of players who have been selected to five First ISC All World Teams.
He played in three world championship series during his career, finishing with a .363 lifetime batting average with 16 home runs and 42 RBIs in nine world tournaments.
Wilson (44) made his debut in 1994, and was 19 when he played a key role in helping the Black Sox win the 1996 world series.
He was then scouted by baseball’s Atlanta Braves, spending eight seasons in the lower leagues but just falling short of his Major League Baseball dream.
Wilson later switched codes to work with the Black Caps as a specialist fielding coach.
He is now an assistant coach with the Florida State University softball programme.
Casley, of Wellington, was named to three First ISC All World Teams during his career.
He was a member of the national side from 2001 to 2013, and captained the Black Sox from 2009 to 2013.
Casley (42) was in two world title-winning teams, in 2004 and 2013, and played in the ISC Championship game five times in 10 world tournament appearances. He was the leading hitter twice, in 2004 and in 2011.
Also inducted was Canadian great Darren Box, a three-time world champion.
Other New Zealand players in the hall of fame are Kevin Herlihy (inducted 1993), Mark Sorenson (2010), Jarrad Martin (2016), Thomas Makea (2016), Chubb Tangaroa (2016), Patrick Shannon (2019) and Jimmy Wana (2019).