A Prince George softball star continues to turn heads both nationally and internationally.
Less than two weeks after announcing his commitment to move to New Zealand to play fastpitch, Nicholas Potskin has caught the eyes of Canada’s governing body for the sport and have granted him as an eligible candidate for the 2020 national men’s team.
The soon-to-be 23-year-old has been placed with 43 other players from across the country in what Softball Canada calls its Men’s National Team Athlete Pool.
This means Potskin could receive invitations to training, development and selection camps ahead of international competitions, including the 2021 Men’s Softball World Cup.
His move to New Zealand on Nov. 6, a day after his birthday, is giving the shortstop experience on the field while living through the Oceania nation’s summer season.
Potskin’s decision is arguably fitting as not only will he get the chance to develop his game and prove himself worthy for Canada, if he receives an invite, but he says there’s potential to play against some of New Zealand’s top players.
“They said the [Island Bay] league that I’d be playing in is probably a little bit better than the league we have up here in Prince George,” he said to PrinceGeorgeMatters in an earlier interview, explaining he was invited by Kiwi friends he made at a Williams Lake tournament this summer.
Prince George's Nicholas Potskin is packing his bags & moving to New Zealand 🇳🇿 The 22-year-old is joining a Wellington-based fastball league to experience a new culture, all while playing the game he loves 🥎 | https://t.co/X5jsdU7dzU #CityOfPG @nativesportspg @PGMatters pic.twitter.com/qmATQBNk5v
— Kyle Balzer (@KyleBalzer) October 16, 2019
“As for the tournaments, it should be pretty similar but I was told, in their league, there’s a pitcher from the New Zealand national fastball team. [...] I just want to get as much experience as I can while I’m young. Thought to myself, I might as well do it while playing fastball. It’s something I really love.”
Potskin, a UNBC graduate, is among seven players from B.C. in the 44-athlete pool and one of eight new members.
He placed seventh at the 2019 Canadian Men’s Fastpitch Nationals in Grande Prairie, Alta. with the Big Guy Lake Kings, a Prince George-based Indigenous team.
The Canadians won bronze at the 2019 World Championships in the Czech Republic back in June, coincidentally beating New Zealand by a 2-1 score.
The next big event on Softball Canada’s schedule is the 2020 Men’s Pan American Championships; a location and dates are yet to be determined.
