Baseball Victoria proudly supported four baseball clubs in their applications for VicHealth Active Club Grants, and two were successful!
Heathmont Baseball Club and Research Lower Plenty Baseball Clubs were recently named as recipients of the Active Club Grants, which are aimed at providing more opportunities for participation in sport, particularly for those people who would otherwise not have as many options to get involved. The VicHealth Active Club Grants are designed to improve the health and wellbeing of less active Victorians, and it’s fantastic that two local clubs have received funding that will go a long way in helping to grow participation and inclusion at the grassroots level.
The grants will also provide more social, flexible and accessible sport programs as well as greater opportunities for people from disadvantaged communities to take part in sport.
Heathmont Baseball Club has received a $3,000 grant to help with the costs of equipment, uniform and promotion as they introduce an entry level tee ball program with modified rules and equipment for children. “Juniors are the lifeblood of any club, and attracting juniors to baseball has become increasingly difficult,” Heathmont Club Secretary John Weichard said. “We’re hoping that by putting a really big effort into this program, backed by the grant, we’re going to be able to bring a whole new generation into Heathmont. We think baseball is the best game in the world, so it would be great to expose as many people as possible to it.”
Research-Lower Plenty Baseball Club has also received funding for increasing female participation as they introduce women’s baseball for the first time in the club’s 64-year history. The club has received an additional $2,000 in This Girl Can funding as they strive to provide a welcoming environment for girls and women to take part in sport and be active. The VicHealth Active Club Grants will coincide with a number of upgrades happening at the club, including the addition of new batting cages and female-friendly facilities in a new pavilion.
Research Lower Plenty Baseball Club is looking to build on their existing Summer T-Ball Smash Program for junior girls by creating a development pathway for young female athletes who want to grow with the club and enjoy opportunities to play at a higher level.
“From a club point of view, we wanted to give our junior girls a pathway. At the moment, we have about 100 kids running around on a Friday night, and 35-40% of them are girls. Up until this year, they didn’t have a pathway where they could move on to a senior program without playing with grown men,” RLPBC President Paul Crundwell said. “We became proactive and wanted to start a winter program for women. The grant will help to provide equipment and a pathway for both girls who have chosen baseball as their sport but also for those who are new to baseball. We have a number of first-time players in our women’s program who have never played before, and we’re looking to promote and expand that program for next year.”
Baseball Victoria Acting CEO Jeff Paull says it’s great to see the initiative of these clubs. “Baseball Victoria is proud to support clubs with clear inclusion and participation goals through grant applications, and we’re pleased that these two clubs have received funding that will go a long way in improving Victorian baseball at the grassroots level.”
Learn more about the Active Club Grant Program here: https://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/funding/active-club-grants
Australia will open its 2019 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup campaign against Nicaragua on August 30.
WBSC overnight announced the full 50-game schedule for the nine-day event set to be staged in Gijang, South Korea.
The event will bring together the world's best youth baseball players and teams at Gijang-Hyundai Dream Ballpark, the largest baseball-theme park in Korea.
World number seven Australia will square off with Nicaragua before taking on Korea, China, Canada and the Netherlands in Group A.
Japan, USA, Chinese Taipei, Panama, South Africa and Spain make up Group B.
The best three teams from each group will progress to the Super Round from September 5-7.
The top two teams after the Super Round will meet in the Championship Game on September 8.
Australia finished fifth at the 2017 U-18 World Cup in Thunder Bay, Canada.
Broadcast details for the U-18 Baseball World Cup will announced in coming weeks.
AUSTRALIA'S GROUP A SCHEDULE
August 30 vs Nicaragua, Dream Park III at 2pm local time
August 31 vs Korea, Dream Park at 6pm local time
September 1 vs China, Dream Park III at 3.30pm local time
September 2 vs Canada, Dream Park at 12pm local time
September 3 vs Netherlands, Dream Park III at 10am local time
For the first time, Baseball Victoria held a Fixture Day sponsored by Ausport for the upcoming 2019/20 Victorian Summer Baseball League.
The live fixture draw followed Monday's P&S Meeting at Newport Baseball Club. With personalised miniature bats and baseballs courtesy of Ausport, a club name and corresponding number were drawn at random to set up the fixtures for the summer season for Division 1 firsts, Division 2 firsts, Division 3 firsts and Women's Division 1.
The fixtures were updated and printed right away, giving VSBL clubs the chance to meet with their opposition and discuss any field availability or calendar conflicts. This opportunity for discussion and solutions meant clubs could better plan for the year ahead, and the fixture draw was well-received by VSBL club presidents and secretaries in attendance.
Deb Barnett, Secretary of Berwick City Cougars Baseball Club, said the fixture draw was very helpful. "I think it's a great idea, and it gets all the clubs together so we can get it sorted in one night." Deb said, as Berwick preps for their second season in Division 1. "We are having a big ground upgrade and losing our ground for half of the season, but fixture night absolutely helped. We have Mulgrave on board so it's all worked out really well."
VSBL 2019/20 Pennant Committee Member and President of Upwey Ferntree Gully Baseball Club Dwain Richardson echoed the sentiment. "I thought it was a really good meeting and the fixture draw is a fantastic new addition," Dwain said. "It's probably resolved everything a lot quicker than going back and forth 10 times with emails. I think it's worked really well and I hope it makes the process simpler and fixtures can be out really soon."
The Baseball Victoria team was pleased to bring the VSBL clubs together for the random fixture draw as they encouraged cooperation and communication between opposing clubs.
"I'm so glad the fixture draw went well and that our VSBL clubs enjoyed the experience," Competitions and Tournament Manager Kelsey Quinn said. "It was great to see them communicating and working through any conflicts together, and it gives me confidence that the future is bright for our VSBL competition. We're looking forward to getting these fixtures up and live online as soon as possible."
Baseball Victoria Acting CEO Jeff Paull says it was important to offer VSBL clubs this opportunity to collaborate and solve problems together. "We saw so many clubs working out their conflicts and chatting about the upcoming season. We appreciate their willingness to talk things out and the 2019/20 VSBL season may be our best one yet!"
The fixtures for the 2019/20 VSBL season will be updated and available online in the coming weeks.
For the first time, Baseball Victoria held a Fixture Day sponsored by Ausport for the upcoming 2019/20 Victorian Summer Baseball League.
The live fixture draw followed Monday's P&S Meeting at Newport Baseball Club. With personalised miniature bats and baseballs courtesy of Ausport, a club name and corresponding number were drawn at random to set up the fixtures for the summer season for Division 1 firsts, Division 2 firsts, Division 3 firsts and Women's Division 1.
The fixtures were updated and printed right away, giving VSBL clubs the chance to meet with their opposition and discuss any field availability or calendar conflicts. This opportunity for discussion and solutions meant clubs could better plan for the year ahead, and the fixture draw was well-received by VSBL club presidents and secretaries in attendance.
Deb Barnett, Secretary of Berwick City Cougars Baseball Club, said the fixture draw was very helpful. "I think it's a great idea, and it gets all the clubs together so we can get it sorted in one night." Deb said, as Berwick preps for their second season in Division 1. "We are having a big ground upgrade and losing our ground for half of the season, but fixture night absolutely helped. We have Mulgrave on board so it's all worked out really well."
VSBL 2019/20 Pennant Committee Member and President of Upwey Ferntree Gully Baseball Club Dwain Richardson echoed the sentiment. "I thought it was a really good meeting and the fixture draw is a fantastic new addition," Dwain said. "It's probably resolved everything a lot quicker than going back and forth 10 times with emails. I think it's worked really well and I hope it makes the process simpler and fixtures can be out really soon."
The Baseball Victoria team was pleased to bring the VSBL clubs together for the random fixture draw as they encouraged cooperation and communication between opposing clubs.
"I'm so glad the fixture draw went well and that our VSBL clubs enjoyed the experience," Competitions and Tournament Manager Kelsey Quinn said. "It was great to see them communicating and working through any conflicts together, and it gives me confidence that the future is bright for our VSBL competition. We're looking forward to getting these fixtures up and live online as soon as possible."
Baseball Victoria Acting CEO Jeff Paull says it was important to offer VSBL clubs this opportunity to collaborate and solve problems together. "We saw so many clubs working out their conflicts and chatting about the upcoming season. We appreciate their willingness to talk things out and the 2019/20 VSBL season may be our best one yet!"
The fixtures for the 2019/20 VSBL season will be updated and available online in the coming weeks.
The 2019 U14 State Winter Championships in Latrobe Valley wrapped up in thrilling fashion as Diamond Valley narrowly finished on top of Pool B and Dandenong won the Pool A Grand Final against Geelong. This has been a truly fantastic weekend, and well done to the seven teams that participated: City West, Dandenong, Diamond Valley, Geelong, Latrobe Valley, Ringwood and Sunraysia.
Congratulations to Dandenong and Diamond Valley on their championships!
Pool A Semi Final
Geelong vs. Dandenong
2 13
After a thrilling back-and-forth game yesterday afternoon that ended in a tie, the first place and second place teams met once more in the morning, and Dandenong pulled away in dominant fashion. Geelong struggled early, giving up 11 runs in the first three innings.
Dandenong scored first on a double play, bringing Shunsuke Okuda around. Cooper Drummond's RBI single was another highlight. It took only seven pitches from Okuda to retire Geelong in the bottom of the first, and when Dandenong came back up in the top of the second, they did some serious damage. They tacked on five more runs, with Okuda and Jess Gray leading the charge with big singles. Five consecutive walks helped Dandenong take a 7-0 lead.
Okuda continued his fantastic pitching performance, retiring Geelong uneventfully in the second. He had another single in the top of the third, joining Riley Riddiford who singled on a fly ball to centre field. By the time Dandenong was done batting, the score was 11-0.
Geelong managed to get one back in the bottom of the third, thanks to a beautiful double from Liam Smith, but they gave up two more runs in the next frame. Harry Jones scored Geelong's second run of the game in the bottom of the fourth for a final score of 13-2 in favor of Dandenong.
Pitching was a strong point for Dandenong, with Okuda striking out three across two innings and Riddiford getting the job done in relief.
Pool A Semi Final 2
Sunraysia vs. Latrobe Valley
9 4
In the second semi-final for Pool A, Sunraysia secured an early lead to earn a spot in the preliminary final against Geelong. Jesse Hando had two hits for Sunraysia, while Kolby Wakefield had an impressive six strikeouts in his pitching performance, three of those in the first inning.
Wakefield came around to score Sunraysia's first run of the game on a passed ball in the bottom of the first. Hando had a base hit in the same frame. Sunraysia scored four runs in the bottom of the second, with Bodhi Kane doubling. Sunraysia carried a 5-0 lead into the top of the third, when Latrobe Valley got on the board and came within one run. Three walks loaded the bases with no outs, and Latrobe Valley scored on a groundout and an error. The score was 5-4 to Latrobe Valley, and that's when Sunraysia pulled away for good in the bottom of the third. Diesel Fallon led off with a line drive single, and a walk and error to follow loaded the bases. Kolby Wakefield came up to bat and smashed a double on a fly ball to center field. By the time the inning was complete, Sunraysia had secured a 9-4 lead to win the game.
Sunraysia's Wakefield and Oliver Hayes enjoyed great outings on the mound, keeping things under control for their team and combining for an impressive nine strikeouts ahead of the preliminary final. Latrobe Valley's Jesse Wilson had an RBI, while Riley Jackway helped his team by getting on base and taking two walks.
Pool B
City West vs. Diamond Valley
7 12
Diamond Valley opened the game with four runs in the first, thanks to the hitting efforts of Home Run Derby winner Nathan Duvall, Josh Bence, and Kai Stokes. City West had an answer in their first at-bats with back-to-back singles by Josh Lucas and Carson Thomas. Two walks forced runs in to make it 4-2 heading into the top of the second.
Diamond Valley continued their scoring efforts with two walks and two singles. Cohen Breckenridge and Bence had RBI singles in the inning as they took a 7-2 lead. City West was not deterred, battling their way back in the bottom of the second to even the score at 7-7. Two walks and a hit by pitch loaded the bases with nobody out, and Josh Lucas singled to right to bring home two runners. Addison Bishop-Worn had an RBI single in the inning.
Determined to secure the win, Diamond Valley got their offense going once more in the top of the third. Jorden Doherty singled and came home on a wild pitch before Charlie Chislett doubled. Three straight walks and nine stolen bases in the inning propelled Diamond Valley to a five-run advantage, and despite three walks for City West in their last inning, they couldn't quite catch up.
Pool A Preliminary Final 1
Geelong vs. Sunraysia
12 3
Kolby Wakefield opened the game with a single for Sunraysia, but he was left stranded as they couldn't get him more. From then on, Geelong dominated the game, making a move in the first as they tallied five runs. Bradyn Barker led off with a single, Will Cavanagh walked and Christian Sollberger singled to bring home the first run of the game. Liam Smith doubled and Xavier Dew and Riley Peoples singled in the inning as well.
Sunraysia struggled to connect offensively in the top of the second, and Geelong tacked on their sixth run on an error in the bottom frame. In the top of the third, Sunraysia's bats came alive briefly with singles from Wakefield and Shady Swift, making the score 6-2. Geelong made it up and more in the bottom half, as Harry Jones doubled on a 1-1 count and Smith followed up with a single. Jones came home on an error, Peoples was hit by pitch and Dew walked to keep the inning alive. Alex Paddle singled as Geelong took an 11-2 lead.
The top of the fourth was quiet for Sunraysia, and after Geelong got one more in the bottom frame, Sunraysia brought home another run for the final score of 12-3.Geelong's pitching trio of Peoples, Sam Elsworth and Zachary Arnell did a great job with six strikeouts combined as their team booked a spot in the Grand Final against Dandenong!
Pool B
Ringwood vs. City West
3 9
After some tough results to start the tournament, City West bounced back with a fantastic team effort that saw them beat a strong Ringwood side.
City West left their mark in the first inning with two runs, including an RBI single by Rui Ota. Addison Bishop-Worn had things under control on the mound in the bottom of the first, with three strikeouts on 13 pitches. City West had four walks and a fielder's choice in the top of the second for a 5-0 lead.
Ringwood made the score 5-1 when Benjamin Tan scored on a wild pitch. When City West came back up to bat in the top of the third, Bishop-Worn continued his solid day of baseball with a single to left field. He went on to steal two bases before scoring on Levi Packer's single. City West carried a 7-1 advantage into the bottom of the third, when Bishop-Worn record three more impressive strikeouts on 14 pitches.
The top of the fourth saw three more singles for City West, with Bishop-Worn, Benjamin Dinh, and Rui Ota getting on base. The score was 9-1 going into the bottom of the fourth, when a single from Nicholas Booth and an error made it 9-3. Even so, City West secured their sweet victory and celebrated a well-earned win. Bishop-Worn and Jake Preston combined for nine strikeouts on the mound in this great game.
Pool B
Diamond Valley vs. Ringwood
3 2
The Pool B competition concluded with a tight game between top teams Diamond Valley and Ringwood. On Saturday, Ringwood narrowly won their first meeting 7-5, but the final game went in favor of Diamond Valley after a pitcher's duel.
With Charlie Chislett pitching for Diamond Valley, Ringwood jumped out to an early lead with two runs in the first. Ryder Wilson singled, Albie Thornton-Court walked and Jack Barlow grounded out to make it 2-0. Diamond Valley failed to get on base in the bottom of the first, and Nicholas Booth was left stranded after smashing a double in the top of the second for Ringwood.
Diamond Valley cut their deficit in half in the bottom frame, when Nathan Duvall singled and scored on a groundout by Josh Bence. The third was three up and three down for both sides, as the pitchers showed their best stuff. The next scoring came in the bottom of the fourth, when Diamond Valley tied things up on a passed ball. Ben Grady put Diamond Valley in front with a single, much to the cheers of his teammates and their supporters.
Ringwood's Booth had four strikeouts in three innings pitched, while Diamond Valley's Chislett had three and Duvall had four as they pulled off a huge victory after impressive showings from both sides.
Pool B
Ringwood vs. City West
3 9
After some tough results to start the tournament, City West bounced back with a fantastic team effort that saw them beat a strong Ringwood side.
City West left their mark in the first inning with two runs, including an RBI single by Rui Ota. Addison Bishop-Worn had things under control on the mound in the bottom of the first, with three strikeouts on 13 pitches. City West had four walks and a fielder's choice in the top of the second for a 5-0 lead.
Ringwood made the score 5-1 when Benjamin Tan scored on a wild pitch. When City West came back up to bat in the top of the third, Bishop-Worn continued his solid day of baseball with a single to left field. He went on to steal two bases before scoring on Levi Packer's single. City West carried a 7-1 advantage into the bottom of the third, when Bishop-Worn record three more impressive strikeouts on 14 pitches.
The top of the fourth saw three more singles for City West, with Bishop-Worn, Benjamin Dinh, and Rui Ota getting on base. The score was 9-1 going into the bottom of the fourth, when a single from Nicholas Booth and an error made it 9-3. Even so, City West secured their sweet victory and celebrated a well-earned win. Bishop-Worn and Jake Preston combined for nine strikeouts on the mound in this great game.
Pool B
Diamond Valley vs. Ringwood
3 2
The Pool B competition concluded with a tight game between top teams Diamond Valley and Ringwood. On Saturday, Ringwood narrowly won their first meeting 7-5, but the final game went in favor of Diamond Valley after a pitcher's duel.
With Charlie Chislett pitching for Diamond Valley, Ringwood jumped out to an early lead with two runs in the first. Ryder Wilson singled, Albie Thornton-Court walked and Jack Barlow grounded out to make it 2-0. Diamond Valley failed to get on base in the bottom of the first, and Nicholas Booth was left stranded after smashing a double in the top of the second for Ringwood.
Diamond Valley cut their deficit in half in the bottom frame, when Nathan Duvall singled and scored on a groundout by Josh Bence. The third was three up and three down for both sides, as the pitchers showed their best stuff. The next scoring came in the bottom of the fourth, when Diamond Valley tied things up on a passed ball. Ben Grady put Diamond Valley in front with a single, much to the cheers of his teammates and their supporters.
Ringwood's Booth had four strikeouts in three innings pitched, while Diamond Valley's Chislett had three and Duvall had four as they pulled off a huge victory after impressive showings from both sides.
Pool B
Diamond Valley vs. Ringwood
3 2
The Pool B competition concluded with a tight game between top teams Diamond Valley and Ringwood. On Saturday, Ringwood narrowly won their first meeting 7-5, but the final game went in favor of Diamond Valley after a pitcher's duel.
With Charlie Chislett pitching for Diamond Valley, Ringwood jumped out to an early lead with two runs in the first. Ryder Wilson singled, Albie Thornton-Court walked and Jack Barlow grounded out to make it 2-0. Diamond Valley failed to get on base in the bottom of the first, and Nicholas Booth was left stranded after smashing a double in the top of the second for Ringwood.
Diamond Valley cut their deficit in half in the bottom frame, when Nathan Duvall singled and scored on a groundout by Josh Bence. The third was three up and three down for both sides, as the pitchers showed their best stuff. The next scoring came in the bottom of the fourth, when Diamond Valley tied things up on a passed ball. Ben Grady put Diamond Valley in front with a single, much to the cheers of his teammates and their supporters.
Ringwood's Booth had four strikeouts in three innings pitched, while Diamond Valley's Chislett had three and Duvall had four as they pulled off a huge victory after impressive showings from both sides.
Pool A Grand Final
Dandenong vs. Geelong
12 4
These two top teams came head-to-head for the third time this tournament. They tied 8-8 in their first meeting on Saturday afternoon, and Dandenong dominated in the semi-final to remain undefeated. Geelong put up a valiant fight in the grand final, scoring right away in the first before Dandenong came up to bat and started racking up the hits. Dandenong's hard-hitting lineup proved to be too strong despite Geelong's continued efforts, including Bradyn Barker's admirable pitching performance with lots of strikes against aggressive hitters.
Geelong's Liam Smith and Harry Jones had early hits, but Dandenong's Shunsuke Okuda was in control on the mound as he and his team wrapped up their tournament with a well-deserved win.
Congratulations to the Dandenong and Diamond Valley on winning the championships, and well done to all players for giving the game their all during this lovely weekend in Latrobe Valley!
Please visit the Baseball Victoria Facebook page for photos and videos of the wonderful 2019 U14 State Winter Championships: https://www.facebook.com/pg/BaseballVictoria
Congratulations to the Dandenong and Diamond Valley on winning the championships, and well done to all players for giving the game their all during this lovely weekend in Latrobe Valley!
Please visit the Baseball Victoria Facebook page for photos and videos of the wonderful 2019 U14 State Winter Championships: https://www.facebook.com/pg/BaseballVictoria
The 2019 U14 State Winter Championships kicked off on Saturday with nine competitive games and an exciting Home Run Derby! The wet and windy winter weather held off for all of Saturday's games to be completed. Seven teams - Dandenong, Sunraysia, Geelong and Latrobe Valley (Pool A) and Ringwood, Diamond Valley and City West (Pool B) took the field for the big tournament.
At the end of Day 1, the standings are:
POOL A
Geelong (2-0-1)
Dandenong (2-0-1)
Sunraysia (0-2-1)
Latrobe Valley (0-2-1)
POOL B
Ringwood (2-0)
Diamond Valley (1-1)
City West (0-2)
Latrobe Valley vs. Geelong
3 9
Geelong wasted no time getting on the board, opening up the game with a four-run frame in the first. Braydn Barker led off with a single, and Will Cavanagh followed up with a hard-hit double to left field. Christian Sollberger came up next and singled, and by the time Latrobe Valley could record three outs, Geelong was enjoying a 4-0 lead. Latrobe Valley answered in the bottom half of the inning, working the counts and securing five walks.They managed to make it 4-2 before Geelong came up again in the top of the second to do more damage.
Geelong tacked on five more runs in the second with seven walks in the inning. Although Latrobe Valley was able to get one more in the bottom of the second on a single from Malachi Dillon, they couldn't catch up to Geelong. Will Cavanagh, Cooper Laurie and Zachary Arnell did well on the mound for Geelong, while Latrobe Valley's Jesse Wilson struck out two in his inning of work.
Sunraysia vs. Dandenong
7 10
Dandenong leapt out to an early lead with five runs apiece in the first two innings. four runs in the first inning. Ty Daniels knocked in the first two runs of the game with a big single, and he came around to score on a groundout two batters later. Ty Daniels and Riley Riddiford singled in the first, and in less than 10 pitches Sunraysia went down in the bottom of the first to bring Dandenong back up.
In the second inning, Dandenong kept their runners moving around the bases with five walks, a single and a double. By the time their batters were retired, Dandenong was leading 10-0. Sunraysia got two back with four walks in the bottom of the second, and Jesse Hando had a 1-2-3 top of the third to bring his team back up to bat.
Sunraysia came close in the bottom of the third, but they ultimately fell short of securing a comeback win. This impressive inning started with Sunraysia loading the bases, before a hit by pitch, two walks and a groundout put Sunraysia within three. Dandenong held on for the win, with their pitching trio of Riley Riddiford, Liam Hough and Cooper Doble combining for just two hits allowed in the game.
Diamond Valley vs. City West
15 1
Diamond Valley brought their big bats to their first game, scoring five runs in each of the three innings as they cruised to a huge victory. City West managed one run in the top of the second, but otherwise their offense was quieted by Diamond Valley's pitching duo of Charles Chislett and Cohen Breckenridge. Chislett threw 1.1 innings, giving up no hits and just one earned run on two walks with two strikeouts. Breckenridge followed up with a scoreless relief appeareance during which he struck out three batters.
Harper Steenbuck knocked in City West's lone run of the game on a single. On Diamond Valley's side, Kelly Pilapil homered at the end of the game, wrapping up a big game of hits for the team. They collected a total of 12 hits on the day, with Jacob White leading the way with three hits, two singles and a double for 3 RBI's. Aidan Harrison wasn't far behind, knocking in two runs to increase Diamond Valley's lead as they pulled off a crucial opening-game victory to give them some momentum heading into the afternoon.
Dandenong vs. Latrobe Valley
11 1
Dandenong picked up right where they left off, dominating Latrobe Valley to take a 2-0 record going into the final game on Day 1. Although Latrobe Valley actually got on the board first, with two walks and a passed ball, their offense was quieted for the remainder of the game.
All of the action at the plate went to Dandenong, as they held Latrobe Valley to just two hits on the day. Dandenong's Cooper Drummond had an RBI double and a single, while Samuel Walsh brought two runners home with a huge double. Five runs in the first and second innings, followed by one more in the fourth, was enough to give Dandenong a comfortable win on the heels of Cooper Porter's fantastic 3.1 inning start with five strikeouts and one earned run.
Geelong vs. Sunraysia
7 4
Geelong continued their early scoring habits, piecing together a six-run first inning to secure a comfortable lead. Hugh Milne had a double, while Will Cavanagh, Tyson Sherry, Riley Peoples and Cooper Laurie all had singles in the inning. A scoreless second inning for both sides led to the top of the third, when Sunraysia came within two with four runs. Sunraysia took seven walks in the inning, and a single from Oliver Hayes helped with the scoring efforts.
With the score sitting at 6-4 in favor of Geelong, they tacked on one more in the bottom of the third, and they were able to hold Sunraysia at bay to secure the 7-4 victory. While Geelong's pitching staff had three strikeouts compared to Sunraysia's two, Geelong did give up eight walks throughout the day, something they'll hope to minimize moving forward as they look to stay at the top of the ladder.
City West vs. Ringwood
1 15
Ringwood made quite the statement in their first game of the U14 State Winter Championships, consistently adding to their advantage and shutting down City West's scoring attempts. A four-run first inning began with a single from Ryder Wilson, followed by a walk from Ethan Jenkins and a single from Ashley Geary-Smith. Max Saggers walked and Jack Barlow singled to give Ringwood a 4-0 lead at the end of the inning.
It took just 10 pitches for Ringwood's Wilson to retire City West's batters in the bottom of the first. Ringwood added one more in the top of the second and five more in the third, thanks to four walks and Jenkins' RBI single. Lucas Moseby struck out three batters on just 11 pitches in the bottom of the third, and a 2-RBI single from Charles Mills helped Ringwood secure a 15-0 advantage
City West did respond with a lone run in the bottom of the fourth, with Lucas Lukic doubling to left field and coming around to score on an error and a wild pitch. Throughout the game, Ringwood's pitchers proved very reliable, with Wilson, Moseby and Tyler Kilby combining for six strikeouts and just one hit and one walk allowed in the game.
Latrobe Valley vs. Sunraysia
10 10
After two tough losses in which they struggled to put runs on the board, Latrobe Valley kept up with Sunraysia in a tight battle. Sunraysia opened the game with a five-run frame, led by singles from Jesse Hando and Ryan Evans. Latrobe Valley's pitcher gave up four walks as well, but their lineup would even the score in the bottom of the first.
Latrobe Valley's Bayley Waller led off with a walk, and two more walks and a fielder's choice followed. Ryan Glass had 2 RBI's on a big single as Latrobe Valley tied the game up. In the top of the second, Sunraysia picked up where they left off, taking five walks and several fielder's choice plays to extend their lead by five once more. It truly was a back-and-forth battle as Latrobe Valley answered in the bottom of the second with five runs of their own, four of them coming with two outs. With the scores level at 10-10, Sunraysia tried to pull away in the top of the third but the scores reverted back, leading to a tie between these two tough competitors.
Dandenong vs. Geelong
8 8
The other afternoon game for Pool A ended in a tie as well, with Geelong challenging an early outburst of offense from the opposition. Dandenong opened the game with four runs in the bottom of the first on singles from Ty Daniels and Cooper Drummond.
Geelong responded in the top of the second with hits from Sam Elsworth, Harry Jones and Christian Sollberger to come within one run. With the score sitting at 4-3 in favor of Dandenong, Geelong's defense buckled down in the bottom of the second to keep it scoreless.
Geelong tied things up in the top of the third, and by the top of the fourth they had taken an 8-4 lead on a few hits and errors. Dandenong refused to go down without a fight, battling their way back to put four runs on the board to tie the game. Sollberger led Geelong's lineup with three hits on the day, while Home Run Derby Finalist Drummond knocked in 3 RBI's for Dandenong.
Ringwood vs. Diamond Valley
7 5
Day 1 of Pool B play ended with Ringwood edging Diamond Valley despite a late scoring push. Seven unanswered runs in the first two innings set Ringwood up for success, but Diamond Valley came within two in the top of the third.
Nicholas Booth started on the mound for Ringwood, getting out of the first inning without any dramas. The Ringwood lineup was there to back him up, tallying five runs on four walks and two singles in the bottom of the first. Another up-down inning for Diamond Valley saw Ringwood return to the batter's box in the bottom of the second with more runs on their minds. Ryder Wilson and Ethan Jenkins each had RBI singles in the frame.
Ringwood ran into trouble in the top of the third, when Diamond Valley's Joshua Bence, Nathan Duvall and Aimon Dowling came in clutch with big hits. Lachlan Rist and Benjamin Grady also aided the scoring efforts. Despite scoring five runs, it wasn't enough as Ringwood held on to come away with the win and remain undefeated on the day.
Home Run Derby
After lunch, all teams gathered at Morwell for a thrilling Home Run Derby. Seven representatives, one from each team, stepped up to the plate and tried to hit as many home runs as they could!
This included Bodhi Kane (Sunraysia), Addison Bishop-Worn (City West), Logan Fernance (Latrobe Valley), Nathan Duvall (Diamond Valley), Max Saggers (Ringwood), Riley Peoples (Geelong) and Cooper Drummond (Dandenong).
Drummond, Duvall, Peoples and Bishop-Worn advanced to the semi-finals, where Drummond and Duvall earned top two spots. Drummond went first in the finals, accumulating an impressive 18 points, but Duvall wasn't done yet. The Diamond Valley representative stepped up his game, earning a record-breaking 27 points as he took home the title of Home Run Derby winner and a sweet $50 gift voucher from Ausport. Well done to Duvall and his trusty catcher, Cohen Breckenridge.
Congratulations to all participants on a fantastic Day 1, and we look forward to Day 2 tomorrow. Visit the U14SWC hub for more: http://baseballvictoria.com.au/Tournaments/2019-State-Winter-Champs/Under-14
After lunch, all teams gathered at Morwell for a thrilling Home Run Derby. Seven representatives, one from each team, stepped up to the plate and tried to hit as many home runs as they could!
This included Bodhi Kane (Sunraysia), Addison Bishop-Worn (City West), Logan Fernance (Latrobe Valley), Nathan Duvall (Diamond Valley), Max Saggers (Ringwood), Riley Peoples (Geelong) and Cooper Drummond (Dandenong).
Drummond, Duvall, Peoples and Bishop-Worn advanced to the semi-finals, where Drummond and Duvall earned top two spots. Drummond went first in the finals, accumulating an impressive 18 points, but Duvall wasn't done yet. The Diamond Valley representative stepped up his game, earning a record-breaking 27 points as he took home the title of Home Run Derby winner and a sweet $50 gift voucher from Ausport. Well done to Duvall and his trusty catcher, Cohen Breckenridge.
Congratulations to all participants on a fantastic Day 1, and we look forward to Day 2 tomorrow. Visit the U14SWC hub for more: http://baseballvictoria.com.au/Tournaments/2019-State-Winter-Champs/Under-14
Baseball Victoria, Sunraysia Baseball League and Mildura Rural City Council are pleased to announce that the 2019 Victorian U18 State Winter Championships will take place in Mildura.
The 2019 U18 State Winter Championships are set for 6th – 7th July at the Aerodrome Sporting Complex. This tournament will see more than 100 players travel to Mildura for a chance to compete against some of the state’s top teams. After the success of last year’s U12 and U14 State Winter Championships, Baseball Victoria is excited to return to Mildura for another fun-filled and action-packed tournament this winter season. “After a fantastic time in Mildura last year, we are looking forward to improving our events even further and welcoming more participants to the region for this fantastic opportunity to win a State Winter Championship,” Baseball Victoria Acting CEO Jeff Paull said. “We appreciate the continued support of Mildura Rural City Council, Sunraysia Baseball League and local baseball clubs in making these championships possible.”
Sunraysia Baseball League President Nick Carroll says he is proud to continue showcasing the beautiful landscape of Mildura with these exciting baseball tournaments. “We are proud of what we have accomplished in regional baseball over the years, and we’re thrilled to be hosting State Winter Championships again,” Carroll said. “We look forward to seeing the smiles, laughter and positive attitudes of all participants as they work hard and play hard with their teammates.”
Mildura Mayor Simon Clemence welcomed the addition of another major championship in the Sunraysia region.
“It’s pleasing to see Mildura continue to be identified as a location for state and national-level baseball events,” Cr Clemence said. “Along with the Sunraysia Baseball League, we’re proud to be able to host baseball events of this calibre and welcome all players, their families and supporters, particularly those who are new to our region.”
The Board of Baseball Victoria is pleased to announce changes to the Pennant Committee and President & Secretary Meetings.
The Baseball Victoria Board of Directors have conducted a review of the reinstated VSBL Pennant Committee from the 2018/19 VSBL season. The Board of Directors have resolved to change four of the Pennant Committee terms of reference. These matters were discussed and resolved at the recent Baseball Victoria Board meeting in May in order to build upon the contributions of the Pennant Committee for the upcoming 2019/2020 VSBL season.
The following changes to the Pennant Committee were resolved:
The Board resolved to reappoint Michael Gourlay as Chair of the Pennant Committee under the Terms of Reference for the Pennant Committee. The Terms of Reference have been amended to allow for the appointment of a Deputy Chairman by the Board alongside the Chairman. As the appointment of a Deputy Chairman removed an elected member of the Pennant Committee, the Board have resolved to replace that position with another VSBL club elected member, who must be a female.
Michael Gourlay has been offered and accepted the position of the Board appointed Chair for the 2019/2020 VSBL Pennant Committee.
John King has been offered and accepted the position of the Board appointed Deputy Chairman for the 2019/2020 VSBL Pennant Committee.
With John King moving to a Board appointed Deputy Chair position, this leaves open one elected position on the Pennant Committee. Baseball Victoria will reopen nominations for this vacancy shortly, with the requirement of a female to provide a more balanced committee point of view. An election will be held if more than one person nominates.
Current Pennant Committee Members for the 2019/20 VSBL season are:
Michael Gourlay – Chair (Board Appointed)
John King – Deputy Chair (Board Appointed)
Jason Blair (Elected)
Dwain Richardson (Elected)
Jake Cole-Sinclair (Elected)
Kelsey Quinn (BV Staff Member) Competitions and Tournaments Manager
Stuart Howe (BV Staff Member) Umpires Coordinator
The following changes to P&S meetings were resolved:
The Board also resolved to amend the Terms of Reference to remove responsibility for Chairing the P&S Meetings from the Pennant Committee to enable the Pennant Committee to actively participant in the P&S Meetings without the responsibility for Chairing and conduct of the P&S Meetings. The Board resolved to appoint annually a P&S Meeting Chair to Chair the P&S Meetings to proper Governance and Codes of Conduct are followed when conducting the P&S Meetings.
Kerry Gassner has been offered and accepted the role of Chair for the P&S Meetings. “I’m really pleased to be able to take on this position,” Kerry said. “I look forward to working with all the clubs throughout these important meetings to ensure that we can reach balanced and positive outcomes for all our clubs.”
These changes to the Pennant Committee and P&S Meetings will come into effect 1 July 2019, the date of the next P&S meeting.
The Board of Baseball Victoria is pleased to announce changes to the Pennant Committee and President & Secretary Meetings.
The Baseball Victoria Board of Directors have conducted a review of the reinstated VSBL Pennant Committee from the 2018/19 VSBL season. The Board of Directors have resolved to change four of the Pennant Committee terms of reference. These matters were discussed and resolved at the recent Baseball Victoria Board meeting in May in order to build upon the contributions of the Pennant Committee for the upcoming 2019/2020 VSBL season.
The following changes to the Pennant Committee were resolved:
The Board resolved to reappoint Michael Gourlay as Chair of the Pennant Committee under the Terms of Reference for the Pennant Committee. The Terms of Reference have been amended to allow for the appointment of a Deputy Chairman by the Board alongside the Chairman. As the appointment of a Deputy Chairman removed an elected member of the Pennant Committee, the Board have resolved to replace that position with another VSBL club elected member, who must be a female.
Michael Gourlay has been offered and accepted the position of the Board appointed Chair for the 2019/2020 VSBL Pennant Committee.
John King has been offered and accepted the position of the Board appointed Deputy Chairman for the 2019/2020 VSBL Pennant Committee.
With John King moving to a Board appointed Deputy Chair position, this leaves open one elected position on the Pennant Committee. Baseball Victoria will reopen nominations for this vacancy shortly, with the requirement of a female to provide a more balanced committee point of view. An election will be held if more than one person nominates.
Current Pennant Committee Members for the 2019/20 VSBL season are:
Michael Gourlay – Chair (Board Appointed)
John King – Deputy Chair (Board Appointed)
Jason Blair (Elected)
Dwain Richardson (Elected)
Jake Cole-Sinclair (Elected)
Kelsey Quinn (BV Staff Member) Competitions and Tournaments Manager
Stuart Howe (BV Staff Member) Umpires Coordinator
The following changes to P&S meetings were resolved:
The Board also resolved to amend the Terms of Reference to remove responsibility for Chairing the P&S Meetings from the Pennant Committee to enable the Pennant Committee to actively participant in the P&S Meetings without the responsibility for Chairing and conduct of the P&S Meetings. The Board resolved to appoint annually a P&S Meeting Chair to Chair the P&S Meetings to proper Governance and Codes of Conduct are followed when conducting the P&S Meetings.
Kerry Gassner has been offered and accepted the role of Chair for the P&S Meetings. “I’m really pleased to be able to take on this position,” Kerry said. “I look forward to working with all the clubs throughout these important meetings to ensure that we can reach balanced and positive outcomes for all our clubs.”
These changes to the Pennant Committee and P&S Meetings will come into effect 1 July 2019, the date of the next P&S meeting.