Baseball Victoria will be holding tryouts for the Victorian Women's and Youth Women's State Teams this month ahead of the 2025 Australian Championships, which will return to Melbourne Ballpark next April.

The AWC will run from 13-19 April and the AYWC (U16) will run from 15-19 April.

In addition to the originally scheduled sessions at Melbourne Ballpark:

• Sunday 15 December 2024 | 9:00am – 11:30am
• Friday 20 December 2024 | 6:00pm – 9:00pm

We have added two more trial dates at MPB to provide greater flexibility:

• Tuesday 7 January 2025 | 6:00pm – 9:00pm
• Monday 13 January 2025 | 6:00pm – 9:00pm

These additional dates are designed to accommodate players with junior games on Sunday mornings and to provide alternate opportunities for those who may face challenges attending the earlier sessions.

Please note that attendance at multiple sessions is encouraged.

Please click HERE to register for tryouts.

Baseball Victoria is pleased to announce that the Performance Pathway (PP) will again be conducting the Futures U12/U14 East and West program.

Tryouts will take place in late January for the Futures tier, which includes U12 and U14 players who are top performers for their age group at the club, Little League, and Junior League levels.

This Futures tier is open to U12 players (born 2013 and 2014) and U14 players (born 2011 and 2012). This pathway is a step beyond the existing charter program and offers high-performing players the chance to further develop their skills and pursue representative opportunities

Tryout dates and locations:

• Futures U14 West – Wednesday 15 January at Melbourne Ballpark
• Futures U14 East – Friday 17 January at Moorabbin Baseball Club
• Futures U12 East – Monday 20 January at Mulgrave Baseball Club
• Futures U12 West – Tuesday 21 January at Melbourne Ballpark

Umpires are encouraged to submit interest and availability for umpiring opportunities at upcoming Baseball Australia events. This includes Women’s and Little League Nationals from April to July.

To be considered you must:

• have resat or be willing to re-sit the ASSOCIATION level or above exam
• Have a current Working With Children Check
• Have completed and submitted the ASC Officiating modules
• Be available for all of the dates plus travel days either side of the event

Please click HERE to view a full list of opportunities and register your interest.

As a reminder, umpire registration for Victorian Little League State Championships is also available HERE.

11-year-old Audrey Cheung was part of the historic Australian Little League Girls Tournament, a world first, and now she’s hoping to end the year on a high as part of the Team Australia U12 World Cup Qualifier.

Audrey was one of 18 players named to the Qualification Squad, joining fellow Victorians Harvey Ninnis and Phil Toye, as Australia’s littlest national team heads to Guam to try to qualify for the 2025 U12 World Cup.

The Green and Gold will compete with Guam and Northern Mariana Islands in games starting 29 November and running through 2 December.

Audrey’s selection to the team was incredibly well-deserved, according to her very proud Belles coach Leah Trebilcock.

“I was absolutely bursting with pride the moment I saw the news. I can't wait to see how she grows from the experience. Audrey is a talented baseballer in her own right, not just 'talented for a girl'. Nonetheless, I think it is important to celebrate her inclusion in the team, for the impact it will have on young girls playing tee-ball and Little League around Australia,” Leah said.

“The impact on young girls, of seeing your peers pursue an elite pathway, cannot be understated: if you can see her, you can be her.”

Audrey began playing baseball in early 2022 at the North Balwyn Stingers for the winter season. She joined the Belles for the 2023 State Championships, and was again part of the Belles this year, going all the way to the National All-Girls Little League Championships.

Audrey threw the first pitch of the historic championship and also hit the first and only home run for the tournament.

“I am sure this is just the first of many marks she will leave on the game,” Coach Leah said. “Audrey is a natural, and her work behind the dish shows a maturity and knowledge of the game beyond her years.

“The first time I saw her play as a 9-year-old, I knew she has the potential to break new ground for girls in this sport! But she doesn't rely on talent alone. Audrey trains hard. And she is a fantastic teammate, always looking out for those around her.”

From the quality juniors program at Malvern Baseball Club to the Athletics Charter and Belles program, Audrey has made the most of every training opportunity.

“She's worked hard, but it doesn't seem like hard work, when you love the game as much as Audrey clearly does,” Leah added.

With the full support of her family, friends, and coaches, the future is bright for Audrey.

She’s proud of how far she’s come in the past few years, learning about the game and developing a deep love for baseball. She’s made some incredible memories along the way, starting with local club ball.

“In my early seasons at North Balwyn as I was being introduced to the sport, I enjoyed learning about the fundamentals, rules, and culture of the game. In the first season especially, I was rather oblivious and clueless to what was happening in the game, so one of my favourite memories was my coaches having the patience to teach me about baseball,” Audrey said.

“At Malvern, my most treasured memory was when I was taking batting practise, and my teammate looked at me quizzically after my round and said, as I fondly remember, ‘Your bat looks...crooked.’ I looked down and was so surprised to see my metal bat practically snapped in half!”

All her training prepared her to play baseball at a higher level, where she gets to bond with other young players over their shared love of the sport. Belles was an especially rewarding opportunity.

“I think something that really highlighted my Belles experience both this year and last year was the amount of enthusiasm and support each player had for one another,” Audrey recalled. “It was unlike anything I'd experienced, as we almost had specialised chants and nicknames for everybody and the atmosphere in the dugout was so vividly lively.”

Now, Audrey is ready for one of her biggest tournaments yet, determined to keep working hard and make it to the World Cup in Taiwan.

“I would like to win the Oceania division and advance to the World Cup mid-next year. In the process of doing this, I would like to hopefully get a few good hits and make defensive plays too,” Audrey said.

“It feels incredible to know that all my training and experience in this sport has helped me to become the player I am today and achieve this goal I have aspired to accomplish. I am beyond grateful and excited for this opportunity to pursue this sport to such a high level and meet people from across the world. “

To follow Audrey and her teammates’ journey representing the Green and Gold, head to the Team Australia U12 Qualifier Hub.

Photos: Studio Honsa

Baseball Victoria has announced dates and venues for the 2025 Little League State Championships, with umpire expressions of interest now open in preparation for the tournaments.

Junior and Senior League (SL80 and SL90) will be played at the Geelong Baseball Complex from Saturday 5 April to Monday 7 April 2025.

Little League Intermediate (SL70), Major and Invitational (LL Minor) together with Little League Minor (Coach Pitch) will be held at Knox Baseball Club from Friday 11 April to Sunday 13 April 2025.

To be considered for umpiring duties, you must:

• have resat or be willing to re-sit the Community Level or above exam (please note Association Level or greater is highly sought after)
• Have a current Working With Children Check
• Have completed and submitted the ASC Officiating modules
• Be available for all of the dates plus travel days either side of the event

Interested umpires are encouraged to register HERE.

Baseball Victoria is seeking expressions of interest for a Board Director to fill a casual vacancy, with applications now open via Sportspeople.

This is a voluntary leadership position to help grow an evolving state sporting organisation. If you are seeking an opportunity to join a dynamic Board of Directors, have a passion for sport, and want to play an active role in growing baseball in Victoria, we'd love to hear from you.

Click HERE to learn more and apply - applications close Thursday 5 December 2024.

Baseball Victoria is pleased to announce dates and venues for the 2025 Little League State Championships.

Junior and Senior League (SL80 and SL90) will be played at the Geelong Baseball Complex from Saturday 5 April to Monday 7 April 2025.

All players interested in Little League Charter competitions should register HERE.

Coaches can complete expressions of interest HERE.

Congratulations to Port Melbourne Baseball Club on a successful Past Players Day and club ground/lights launch.

The Mariners came together for a memorable day in the club’s 96-year history last Saturday with the first home game under lights and on the new field. After years of hard work and consultation with local council, the club is thrilled to have competition lights and a new synthetic/turf infield.

The triple header started with Women’s State League, ending in a 5-5 draw, followed by Premier League 2 Reserves who won 9-3 over Essendon. In the final game of the day, the first nine secured an 8-5 victory to finish the day on a high.

Well done to all involved in this project and we look forward to a bright future for baseball at Port Melbourne. Click HERE to check out photos and videos from the club’s big day.

Photo: Port Melbourne Mariners Baseball Club/@jcpphotovideo

As part of our BV Pipeline umbrella, we are excited to offer several upcoming 2Ball + Coach Education sessions, including one at Mulgrave this Friday night! Our first session at Geelong Baseball Centre was a big hit, and we look forward to more fun on the field with juniors and coaches who want to improve their skills.

These sessions aim to provide VSBL junior players with an engaging gameplay environment, offering supplementary game time and at-bats, and the opportunity for players of all abilities to participate in a Pipeline program with Performance Pathway staff.

Player bookings are available via bvpipeline.com.au.

Coach education (free and open to all clubs/coaches) will be facilitated by Keli'i "Zee" Zablan (BV Player & Coaching Pathway Officer), with a presentation and open Q&A provided, as well as an open invitation to join on-field during 2Ball sessions alongside PP coaches.

All sessions are open for all clubs' players and coaches regardless of location. If you have any questions, please email development@baseballvictoria.com.au.

Pipeline 2Ball + Coach Education session at Geelong Baycats Baseball Club