The Victoria Aces roster has been revealed ahead of the 2024 Australian Women’s Baseball Showcase, which will run from 9-12 May in Lismore, NSW.
Victoria Aces, Adelaide Giants, and Brisbane Bandits will play a four-day professional baseball tournament thanks to support from the NSW Government, with the showcase running alongside the first-ever Australian Little League Girls Division Championships.
Each day, there will be Little League games (13U) in the morning, followed by world-class women’s baseball in the evening.
After winning the 2022 showcase, Victoria Aces are eager to go back-to-back.
“We have such a talented roster featuring Australian Emeralds, #AWC2024 award winners, next-gen rookies, and international players,” Head Coach Samantha Hamilton said. “This is such an exciting opportunity to showcase the best of women’s baseball in Australia as we set our sights on a second straight title.”
Baseball Victoria acknowledges the support of Melbourne Aces through a joint venture to promote and manage the Victoria Aces.
“After the success of our Victorian Women’s State Team at the 2024 Australian Women’s Championship in April, we are so excited to see many of our top women’s baseballers get another opportunity to represent on a major stage,” BV CEO Chet Gray said. “We wish Victoria Aces the best of luck as they head to the Women’s Showcase and continue chasing their baseball dreams.”
The action kicks off on Thursday 9 May, with each team playing each other twice over the first three days. The top two teams at the end of the round-robin advance to Sunday’s Championship game.
All games will be broadcast on Baseball+.
Visit the Australian Women’s Showcase hub for more details and check out the full Victoria Aces roster below. Stay tuned to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more updates.
2024 Victoria Aces Roster
PLAYERS
Allie Bebbere (VIC)
Everything that is green turns golden. Bebbere has emerged over the past five seasons to become one of the nation’s premier pitchers. Not only has she claimed dual National Championship gold with Victoria (2019 & 2024), but her prowess on the mound has twice bagged the ‘Golden Arm’ Pitching Award (2022, 2024). At the 2024 Nationals, Bebbere tossed 9.2 innings across three games, struck out ten and left with a 0.72 ERA. While on her Team Australia debut at the 2023 World Cup, she shone in the green and gold Emeralds jersey, with a 1.24 ERA in two outings against the might of the USA and Canada.
Jamie Bastian (VIC)
Growing up baseball, living the dream. It is poetic that Bastian, who played the 2015 Australian Little League Championships in Lismore will return to the same diamond ten years later as one of the country’s leading athletes. A five-time Victorian representative (2019-2024) and dual national champion (2019, 2024), Bastian went close to making her Emeralds debut last year when she was a reserve for Team Australia for the 2023 World Cup. Expect the versatile Bastian to shine wherever she lines up in Lismore, whether it be at the hot corner, outfield, or behind the dish.
Lily Bell-Tanner (VIC)
Lionhearted lefthander. Still only 19, Bell-Tanner has graduated from Victoria’s junior state team (2019) into the elite ranks with honours, solidifying her spot as one of the state’s top outfielders across three National Championships (2022-24). One of the hardest workers you'll come across who constantly pushes herself to new heights, she packs a powerful bat and rocket arm, and LBT, well, she is also one of the team’s biggest vibes.
Jasmine Bentley (VIC)
Great things come in small packages. Despite only recently celebrating her 21st birthday, Bentley is already a veteran of the Victorian scene, boasting amassing experience from both the elite junior state teams since 2017. Some think Jaz might also be the team’s good luck charm with a medal in every appearance for Victoria, including two national crowns. Having risen to become one of the game’s very best in the outfield, expect this versatile pocket rocket to be ready to fire whenever and wherever the Aces call on her.
Belinda Cannington (VIC)
Quiet achiever, loud results. The Cannington surname has adorned the Victorian jersey across ten National Championships for Victoria since 2012, claiming four crowns (2013, 17, 19, 24). A perennial Australian squad member and former Victorian League MVP, Canninton is one of the country’s leading middle infielders and has unassumingly developed into a feared power hitter, recently became the first Doncaster Baseball Club woman to hit a home run over the infamous Deep Creek Fence.
Lili Cavanagh (VIC)
A star was born and the galaxy awakened. Lili Cavanagh didn’t just announce herself as one of the game’s elite at the 2024 Australian Women’s Championships, she launched herself into another dimension. The 2023 Team Australia World Cup outfielder was entrusted with shortstop, the two-hole in the lineup and on the bullpen roster in relief for team Victoria. She delivered with a .688 AVG, 0.778 OPB, 10 RBI and 5SB. Defensively, she was flawless. On the mound she was brilliant in three of Victoria’s biggest moments, slamming the door shut each time.
Morgan Doty (VIC)
Wherever she plays, domination follows. The Perth-native turned adopted-Victorian has tasted national championship success with both Western Australia and Victoria, with her individual brilliance snagging the event’s Golden Arm (2019) and Golden Bat (2022) awards. On the international stage with Australian Emeralds across three World Cups (2016, 2018, 2023), Doty has left the world in awe whether it has been in the outfield, on the mound or at the plate.
Jess Johnson (VIC)
A seasoned maestro orchestrating her career destiny. After making her National Championships debut with Victoria in 2010, in 2015 Johnson switched from baseball cowhide to American Football leather after being selected to the inaugural Australian women's gridiron team for the World Championships in 2017. Returning to baseball after COVID, Johnson led the Doncaster Dragons to the 2021/22 Victorian Women’s Premiership from the mound. Johnson was a reserve for the Team Australia Emeralds for the 2023 World Cup, while at the recent 2024 National Championships, Johnson was brilliant on the hill in two outings, punctuated by a stirring win in the elimination round to send the Victorians into the gold medal game.
Kira Jansen (VIC)
Debutant delivers. From a Victorian junior rep, to Victorian elite team reserve, Jansen tasted her first elite Nationals experience with a New South development squad in 2023. Jansen then honed her skills in Baseball Victoria’s Winter Prospects Pathways Program in late 2023 and it paid off with the 20yo shining on her Victorian team debut last month, powering to stand with Championship MVP Cavanagh as Victoria’s equal RBI leader during the team’s gold medal-winning campaign. Whether patrolling the outfield, up the middle, or on the basepaths, her power, speed and agility will turn heads.
Abbey Kelly (VIC)
Put me in coach, I’m ready to play. Known for her exploits on the mound, at the hot corner, and up the middle, Kelly soared to new heights in 2024 at first base. A flawless fielding display at the 2024 National Championships with Victoria secured the Golden Glove Award for her trophy cabinet which also includes the 2023 Golden Arm, 2019 MVP, and three national titles. On the international stage, Kelly has shone for the Emeralds notably as a pitcher where across three World Cups she boasts a 2.21 ERA, with her resume highlighted by a stunning debut performance on the mound where she picked up the win against the USA in 2016.
Anna Kimbrell (USA)
The trailblazer, the legend. From the first girl to play high school baseball in South Carolina, Kimbrell has crafted one of international baseball's most decorated careers. She has appeared in seven World Cups for the USA (2008-2023) and shows no signs of slowing down. A dual World Cup silver medallist (2012 and 2014), in 2015, Kimbrell caught Stacy Piagno’s no-hitter at the Pan American Games, the first no-hitter in women’s international baseball history.
Kira Kuwamoto (VIC)
Osaka’s finest in Blue. After honing her skills with the Geelong BayCats where she became a leading player across multiple leagues, Japan’s Kuwamoto shone while on her National Championships debut at third base, shortstop, and on the mound during Victoria’s gold medal-winning campaign. What also sets her apart is her capability to win over the hearts of her teammates, opposition and supporters, highlighted by her Spirit of the Game award at the recent Nationals.
Abbey McLellan (VIC)
When she steps into the box, don’t blink. One of the titans of our sport both on and off the field, McLellan’s resume continues to grow. Punctuated by dual World Cups with the Emeralds (2018, 2023), she led Victoria to national crowns in 2017 and 2019, powering to the Golden Bat Award in both years. Swinging one of the world’s most feared bats, you will not want to miss a McLellan moment.
Erika Nakae (JPN)
Utility Erika Nakae joins the Victorian Aces following a sensational debut year for Team Samurai Japan in 2023. Nakae hit .500 at the 2023 Women's Baseball Asian Cup in May, earning her maiden selection to contest the IX Women's Baseball World Cup Group B stage in Miyoshi City. There Nakae was primarily used as a pinch-hitter/first base utility and finished the event with a .333 average and a perfect fielding average, with her game highlights punctuated by a four-run effort against France.
Miwa Naraoka (JPN)
Outfielder Miwa Naraoka has been steadily compiling an impressive baseball resume across both the Japanese and international baseball scene for much of the past decade. While on her World Cup debut at the 2023 Group B event in Japan in September, Naraoka hit .417 across five games in Miyoshi City. Her slashline from May’s 2023 Women's Baseball Asian Cup was an eye-watering .613/.625/.923 with 7 runs, 4 doubles and 12 RBI in 5 games. Naraoka boasts a career .311 batting average in the Japan Women's Baseball League (JWBL) where she bagged multiple gold gloves and Best 9 awards.
Lilly Simpson (VIC)
Crocs off the field, a bite on it. Everyone knows this 18-year-old reps some mean crocs off the field, but her on-field skills are even nastier with the speedy right-hander set to showcase her lightning-fast moves in the outfield and on the basepaths. And don't be surprised if you catch her behind the plate too, expertly catching up to this stellar pitching staff. But it's not just her baseball skills that make her stand out. You’ll find it hard to meet anyone who enjoys playing the game as much as Lilly does and even fewer who can bring such an infectious energy to the clubrooms. Because after all, baseball with your mates, it's just, yay.
Saeko Suzuki (VIC)
The dynamo from Tokyo. The Newport Ram dazzled for Victoria at the 2024 National Championships with her remarkable versatility on the diamond meaning she was a force to be reckoned with whether she was patrolling the outfield, commanding on the mound or up to bat. Suzuki was also one of the heartbeats of the team, sending the team bananas with her positivity and infectious energy.
COACHES
Samantha Hamilton - Head Coach
As a player, Hamilton was a member of the inaugural Australian national team that won bronze at the 2001 World Series in Canada, and was one of just six players in the history of the game to compete at all five IBAF Women's World Cups between 2004-2012, and was an integral member of Australia's 2010 World Cup silver medal-winning team. As a Coach, Hamilton took the reins at the Doncaster Dragons Baseball Club in Melbourne in 2006 and has built it to become one of Australia's largest women's programs. In 2004 Hamilton became the first woman to coach a Baseball Victoria Boys / Men's State Team, was part of the VIS Coaching Staff and was an assistant coach for the Team Australia Under 19 Women's National Team in 2014. Hamilton has been the Head Coach of the Victorian Women's Team since 2022, boasting two silvers and the 2024 Championships, and was at the helm when the Aces won the 2022 Showcase.
Stephen Black - Pitching Coach
Over 50 years of involvement in all aspects of the club, state and national baseball. Began with the Coburg Baseball Club as a nine-year-old, played Division 1 First Nine, and represented Melbourne Bushrangers in the ABL and Victorian Provincial at Senior Level. Has held the Head Coach role with Australian Under 13 National Team Head Coach at the Cal Ripken World Series, Victorian Rubberball, Victorian State Under 23’s Head Coach and Victorian Provincial senior team. Pitching Coach of the Victorian Women's Team since 2022 and was part of the staff that saw the Aces win the 2022 Women’s Showcase.
Tim Ballard - Assistant Coach
Boasts more than 50 years in organised baseball having played, coached, been an administrator, or scouted at every level across the USA and Australia. In Australia, he has coached Club ball across both Summer & Winter, in the VIS Baseball Academy, Melbourne Aces Baseball Academy, and Claxton Shield. At a national level, in the MLBAAP, MLB U14 Camp, ABL, and multiple national teams. Was the Pitching Coach when Australia won the 2010 World Cup silver medal. Was part of the staff that saw the Aces win the 2022 Women’s Showcase.
Donavon Hendricks - Assistant Coach
A returning member of the staff that saw the Aces win the 2022 Women’s Showcase. A stalwart of the VSBL Division 1 competition, Hendricks recently coached the Upwey Ferntree Gully Baseball Club to the 2021/22 Premiership, the club’s first in twenty years. Has previously coached for Waverley Baseball Club (Winter), the Victorian Under 16 team, and Victorian Academy. His playing resume includes the Victorian Claxton Shield 2005 to 2010, ABL Melbourne Aces 2011 – 2012, Australian Team 2006-08, South Africa National Team Roster 2009–11 and the Atlanta Braves Farm system 2006-08.