The Australian men's national softball team is the national softball team of Australia. They are nicknamed the Aussie Steelers. The team is governed by Softball Australia and takes part in international softball competitions.
The men's team competed at the 1988 World Championships, where they finished seventh. They also competed at the 1992 World Championships, where they finished fifth.
The 1988 World Championships were held in Saskatoon, Canada. This was the first time Australia sent a team to the competition. The team played 13 games in the round robin round, with a record of six wins and seven losses. They beat Mexico 4âÂÂ3, Denmark 11âÂÂ1, Zimbabwe 2âÂÂ0, Chinese Taipei 2âÂÂ0 and the Virgin Islands 11âÂÂ1. They lost to Cuba 7âÂÂ4, New Zealand 11âÂÂ0, Canada 16âÂÂ0, Japan 4âÂÂ1, the Bahamas 1âÂÂ0, the Philippines 4âÂÂ3 and the United States 12âÂÂ1. Australia did not compete in the semi-finals and finished seventh overall.
The 1992 World Championships, the eighth time the event was competed for, was held in Manila and was only the second time Australia competed in the event. In the lead up to the competition, Australia played several test matches in New Zealand again Japan and New Zealand. They beat Japan 3âÂÂ0 in their only victory. They lost to New Zealand 13âÂÂ3, 10âÂÂ0 and 10âÂÂ1. They also lost to Japan 5âÂÂ3. In the round robin of the World Championships, Australia won six of its eight matches. They beat Guam 7âÂÂ2, Chinese Taipei 9âÂÂ2, Indonesia 5âÂÂ4, Czechoslovakia 2âÂÂ1, Singapore 14âÂÂ0 and Mexico 10âÂÂ0. They lost to Canada 5âÂÂ4 and New Zealand 10âÂÂ0. This record was not good enough to advance them to the semi-finals. Overall, they finished fifth, behind third-place finished the United States and fourth-place finishers Japan.
In 1996, Australia finished seventh. In 2000, Australia finished in the twelfth position. In 2004, the team finished third.
For the 2008 ISF Men's Regional World Championship Qualifier, Australia had to play New Zealand in a match in Auckland where the New Zealand Black Sox beat them 6âÂÂ0. In other match in the qualifiers, Australia beat Papua New Guinea 8âÂÂ0, Guam 16âÂÂ0, Guam 15âÂÂ0, and Papua New Guinea 5âÂÂ0. Australia also lost to New Zealand a second time 5âÂÂ3. In the qualifying finals, New Zealand again beat Australia 5âÂÂ0.
Australia competed in the 2009 Men's World Softball Championship, with fifteen other teams. They finished first.
Australia has qualified for the 2013 Men's World Softball Championship, which was held in New Zealand.
Australia got 3rd place in this 2013 tournament.
As of September 2024, Australia is No. 2 in WBSC/KONAMI World Rankings
Australia hosted the Pacific International Series in Canberra in 2007. At the competition, Australia had two men's side with the top team being Australia Greenand the second team being Australia Gold. During the first round of round robin play, Australia Green beat Australia Gold 7âÂÂ2, beat Japan 2âÂÂ1, lost to New Zealand 5âÂÂ2, beat Japan 7âÂÂ0, beat New Zealand 5âÂÂ3, and lost to Australia Gold 5âÂÂ4. This qualified them for the finals where they beat Australia Gold 7âÂÂ6. Australia Green then went on to bear New Zealand 3âÂÂ2 in the Grand Final.
In 1985, Australia had an unofficial test team of all-stars who played against the New Zealand national team in Melbourne. Team members included L. Anderson from Western Australia, A. Oldfather Jr from South Australia, E. Tyson from Queensland, T. Bull from Western Australia, S. Adams from Victoria, A. Oldfather Sr from South Australia, D. Rector from Western Australia, E Wulf from New South Wales, G. Knight from Western Australia, D. Cullen from New South Wales, R. Richardson from New South Wales and N. Tsoukalas from Victoria.
In 1991, the team played an eight-game test series against New Zealand, with four matches played in Perth and four played in Sydney. All eight matches were won by New Zealand. In Perth, the scores were 8âÂÂ1, 1âÂÂ0, 6âÂÂ5 and 6âÂÂ3. In Sydney, the scores were 10âÂÂ1, 6âÂÂ2, 6âÂÂ1 and 4âÂÂ2.
In 2007, the Australians hosted New Zealand for a test match in Canberra where Australia won.
In early 2012, the junior national team played a test match against the senior open men's team in Canberra.
Australia has a men's national under 19 team, nicknamed the Colts. They competed at the 1993 Men's Junior World Championships, where the finished fourth. The competition was held in Auckland. In the round robin round, Australia won 7 games and lost 5. They beat Japan 3âÂÂ0, Argentina 10âÂÂ6, the United States 4âÂÂ3, the Philippines 4âÂÂ0, Argentina 6âÂÂ1 and Japan 5âÂÂ1. They lost to Canada 8âÂÂ6, the United States 4âÂÂ3, New Zealand 6âÂÂ0, Canada 12âÂÂ3, and New Zealand 2âÂÂ1. This was good enough to qualify them for the semi-finals where they met Japan and lost 4âÂÂ1. They were then eliminated from the competition as the next round was a preliminary final.
Australia also competed at the 2008 Men's Junior World Championships where they won gold for the fourth time in a row having previously won in 1997, 2001 and 2005. In 2011, the team played in a tournament in South America. Members of the 2012 team include two players from Canberra including Jesse Taws and Matthew Wickham.
There has been a push for greater Australian aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in softball. One of the most recognisable male players is Aboriginal Jeff Goolagong who has played for the men's national team and appears on posters for Indigenous softball outreach efforts.