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When fans of men’s softball hear the surname Makea, the name Thomas instantly comes to mind. With four world titles to his name, Thomas Makea is one of the legends of the sport but now, his son Reilly is carving out a name for himself.
Reilly is playing at the WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup Finals 2025 in Prince Albert, Canada under the guidance of his father, who took over as Black Sox manager in 2023. He’s also joined on the 16-man roster by his older brother, Dante Makea-Matakatea, as they aim to claim New Zealand’s first world title in eight years.
Playing his third World Cup, as of 10 July he’s a .359 career hitter with six home runs and 19 RBIs. However, it was not always easy for him. He acknowledges that while it’s “obviously cool” to be coached by his father, early on he had to deal with skepticism.
“The whole Black Sox crew were heroes for me and my brother growing up. It was a bit rough when we started making all these teams. People used to say: ‘It’s because your dad is who he is’. Now we’re here; we made the team before our dad was a coach,” he mentioned after the 4-1 win against Argentina on Day 2 of the World Cup.
Reilly, quite literally, grew up on the diamond. “As far as I can remember, my earliest memories are at a softball park. Running around with many other kids that grew up around a softball park, too,” he recalled. “Like Pita Rona. I grew up with him at a softball park. In different countries sometimes. All I remember is being at softball diamonds as a kid. This is pretty much our life, really, playing softball.”
Playing alongside his brother makes it even more meaningful. And doing it at the highest level is something else. “It’s always special playing with my brother, whether it’s for this team or just a club team back home. It’s always special. We’ve got another little brother that’s on his way through. He’s about 14 now. Hopefully in a couple of years he’s up here with us.
For Reilly, this Black Sox team is about more than just talent. “There’s something special in this team. I guess we were lucky kids growing up. We got to travel the world to watch softball. We grew up around the sport, really,” he said. “That’s what we’re looking for in this team. A bunch of brothers, a band of men. I think we’re pretty close to getting there. I’m pretty happy with where we are right now.”
The New Zealand Black Sox completed an unprecedented three-peat, winning in spectacular fashion the WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup in 1996, 2000 and 2004, with Thomas as a key figure in that dynasty. “All I remember is them winning,” he said with a smile in his face. “To me, the Black Sox was all about winning. The Black Sox culture is all about family, too. We’re all connected together. We try to be as much of a family as we can -16 guys and the management team, 24 of us all trying to be one big family. And then we include our family that have travelled over here to come and watch us play.”
Still, for Reilly, having Thomas as his coach feels natural. “I guess it’s special, but he’s been my coach my whole life. The uniform changes – the man doesn’t.”
The Black Sox are currently the only undefeated team in the tournament. “It feels good. That wasn’t a clean win – it was kind of ugly. We felt we could’ve done more, put them away earlier, but a win’s a win, especially at this level. We’ll take any win,” he said of their latest victory over Argentina.
He also praised the performance of pitcher Liam Potts. “We kind of threw Liam in the deep end, and we trusted him to get the job done. To give up only one run against Argentina is pretty special – especially for a guy making his World Cup debut.”
Looking ahead, Reilly remains focused. “I think we’ve still got more to give. Hopefully we get a good rest tonight, and then we go again for Venezuela tomorrow. I still think we’ve got more to show in this tournament.”
