Softball Australia has announced the team names and captains for the new T20-style elite women's competition as the sport seeks the spotlight ahead of its Olympic comeback in 2020.
Batter Stacey Porter (Panthers), pitcher Kaia Parnaby (Fury), versatile infielder Clare Warwick (Emeralds), outfielder Leigh Godfrey (Lightning), catcher and shortstop Chelsea Forkin (Riot) and catcher Carmelle Sorensen (Bandits) will lead their respective sides.
All six captains were part of the Aussie Spirit's fourth-place finish at the women's softball world championship in Japan in August.
The franchises will compete in the recently-unveiled Summer Slam, hailed as a "game changer" with shorter games, more runs and less downtime, to be held in Sydney over three days in early February.
The full squads are yet to be named but SA has pledged the sides will be made up of a mixture of elite Australian and international players from some of the world's top 12 ranked teams.
It comes as softball fights for recognition in the increasingly crowded women's marketplace ahead of the sport's Olympic return at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Australia medalled (one silver, three bronze) in each of the four Olympics between 1996-2008 when it was part of the program.
The new rules include:
* Shorter three-innings games
* The home-run fence distance reduced to increase the number of home runs and runs scored
* If scores are tied after three innings, a tiebreaker inning, with one out per team, will be played to determine a winner
* Runners starting on base each innings
* No warm-up pitches between innings
* No offensive or defensive conferences for coaches
* After each out the ball goes directly back to the pitcher, rather than being thrown around the diamond by the fielding team.
