Baseball Victoria, Author at Baseball Victoria

Bendigo Baseball Association is determined to send a representative team to the 2019 U12 State Winter Championships.

This is a big opportunity for these regional junior baseball players, and no one wants them to miss out on competing against teams from across the state in a thrilling tournament. The preparations for this year’s events including weekly training and fundraising to help with costs.

The U12 State Winter Championships will take place in Werribee. Raising funds to cover the costs of traveling to and participating in this tournament will make a big difference, especially as Bendigo Baseball Association (BBA) continues their efforts to revitalize and reinvigorate their junior competition.

“After experiencing declining numbers over the years, the BBA appointed one of our seniors, Seb Smith, to the Junior Coordinator role to try and address the issue,” Luke Martin, President of BBA, said. “We understand that there can be a lot of costs involved in taking a rep team away and, as our junior players are important to our future, we want to support them as best as we can. The fundraising efforts of our members will help with travel and accommodation costs to ensure that our kids can get the opportunity to compete at the State Winter Championships and have maximum exposure to their sport at a high level.”

As part of this, BBA is holding a raffle with some amazing prizes, generating some much-needed funds and getting the community involved along the way. They have received some generous donations from local businesses, including an awesome Ultra Medium, Quality Trampoline, thanks to their friends at Vuly Play. Valued at $799, this trampoline is a big-ticket raffle item, drawing interest in the fundraiser and supporting junior ball players in the Bendigo region at the same time

Georgina Strahan has spearheaded the junior fundraising efforts to minimize the costs to families. As the mother of four boys herself, Georgina knows firsthand how challenging it can be to financially support children in everything they want to do. That’s why they’ve been running a BBQ at junior games, selling sausages and drinks with all proceeds benefiting the junior program. A pizza disco night also helped, but BBA is hopeful they can raise money outside of junior families with the current fundraisers. “We have our movie event with the Bendigo Cinema to watch Toy Story 4. For every ticket sold, we make $3,” Georgina said.

Georgina has also organised a raffle, which has gained momentum and grown larger than she originally anticipated, thanks to the generosity of donors like Vuly Play. “It was initially just going to be a small raffle with donations from our local stores, until we heard Vuly would be interested in donating such a huge prize. This meant we could run the raffle for a longer period of time, allowing us to reach more people. With such a valuable first prize, the raffle was more appealing to people and we could sell the tickets at a higher price for a better chance at reaching our goals.”

Supporting the junior representative teams is important to Georgina, Seb Smith, and the rest of the Bendigo Baseball Association. Seb says the players are thrilled about the possibility of going to the tournament. “The kids absolutely love the idea of being able to learn a sport and then represent the town in which they live. The extensive training and constant progress that they see in themselves is great, and it feels meaningful and something that they want to strive to do,” Seb said. “Being part of a group that has a common objective really builds confidence but also a sense of responsibility to play to the best of their ability and establish a role within the team.”

At a time of rapid development of junior baseball in Bendigo, BBA aims to provide training and build a positive community around the kids. “We have been very fortunate to find passionate people that want to build the sport and give young people the opportunity to play baseball,” Seb said. With a history of sending representative teams, it’s a priority to help these kids achieve their tournament goals this winter. “Our U12 team should be all good to go for another year which is awesome.”

For more details, please visit the Bendigo Baseball Association Facebook page HERE.

Northern Metros will represent Australia region at the Little League Intermediate (50/70) Baseball Division World Series in the US for a second-straight year.

The Metros punched their ticket to next month’s World Series in Livermore, California, with an 8-2 victory over Hills in the 2019 Australian Intermediate League Championship gold medal game in Mildura this afternoon.

Jack Angeloff’s first-inning single handed Northern an early lead over previously undefeated Hills.

The Metros added to their advantage in the second, piling on six runs.

Angeloff, Dawson George and Xavier Fatai drove in runs for Northern ahead of an error and wild pitch extending their lead to 7-0.

Hills’ red-hot offence was unable to fire for the first time all week.

An error put Hills on the board in the fourth as they battled to string together hits against Angeloff.

The Metros’ starter struck out six batters in four innings.

Bailey Parcel scored a second run for Hills after Hayden Chappell was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the fifth.

Angeloff drove in his third run of the ballgame with a triple in the top of the seventh to restore a six-run lead for Northern.

Hayden Elliott toiled hard on the mound for Hills, striking out eight in 4 2/3 innings.

The Metros will represent Australia region at the World Series for a second time after claiming the inaugural Australian Intermediate League Championship last year.

Catch up on the rest of the day five action:

Bronze medal game: Manly 12, Ryde Hawks 5 | Box Score

An impressive outing from Daniel Mills and steady offence helped Manly claim bronze at #AILC2019.

Mills struck out 10 and was only replaced on the mound in the bottom of the seventh as he helped Manly to a 12-5 win over Ryde.

Manly’s offence delivered in bursts, scoring three in the third, fifth and seventh.

Toby Russell drove in three runs and Kane Flew two.

Cooper Wilson and Thomas O’Brien drove in runs for Ryde.

Ryde took an early 3-1 lead before Manly hit the front in the third.

Western Comets 8, Twins 5 | Box Score

Western Comets rode a fast start to an 8-5 win over Twins in their #AILC2019 consolation game.

The Comets built a 6-1 lead after two innings and kept the Twins at bay on diamond two.

Campbell Froude drove in a game-high four runs for Western on three base hits.

Jousha Voute also collected three hits for the Comets.

Froude also picked up five strikeouts on the mound, while Miller Wortley had seven punchouts for the Twins.

Eastern Athletics 13, Southern Mariners 6 | Box Score

Eastern Athletics wrapped up their #AILC2019 campaign with back-to-back wins after downing Southern Mariners.

The Athletics took the ascendancy early and padded their lead late, winning 13-6 on diamond three.

Ashley Geary-Smith finished with three runs batted in and Max Saggers, Ryder Wilson and and Ethan Jenkins each drove in a pair of runs.

Sidney Stillwell plated two of Southern’s runs.

Western Comets 12, Western Suns 4 | Box Score

Western Comets scored eight unanswered runs to record a consolation game win over Western Suns.

The Comets pulled away to win 12-4 after breaking a tie with three runs in the third.

Jesse Neretlis led the offence with three runs batted in and Jake Micah and Daniel Papiccio drove in two runs each.

Felix Kingston drove in two runs for Western Suns.

Head to the #AILC2019 tournament page for results all the latest news from Mildura.

The 2019 Australian Intermediate League Championships wrapped up in Mildura today as Northern Metros went back-to-back with a thrilling win in the gold medal game.

Congratulations to Northern Metros and our three Victorian teams - Eastern Athletics, Southern Mariners and Twins - for an amazing tournament! They've made the Victorian baseball community very proud.

Catch up on the Day 5 action for our Victorian squads:

Western Comets 8, Twins 5 | Box Score

Western Comets rode a fast start to an 8-5 win over Twins in their #AILC2019 consolation game.

The Comets built a 6-1 lead after two innings and kept the Twins at bay on diamond two.

Campbell Froude drove in a game-high four runs for Western on three base hits.

Jousha Voute also collected three hits for the Comets.

Froude also picked up five strikeouts on the mound, while Miller Wortley had seven punchouts for the Twins.

Eastern Athletics 13, Southern Mariners 6 | Box Score

Eastern Athletics wrapped up their #AILC2019 campaign with back-to-back wins after downing Southern Mariners.

The Athletics took the ascendancy early and padded their lead late, winning 13-6 on diamond three.

Ashley Geary-Smith finished with three runs batted in and Max Saggers, Ryder Wilson and and Ethan Jenkins each drove in a pair of runs.

Sidney Stillwell plated two of Southern’s runs.

Western Comets 8, Twins 5 | Box Score

Western Comets rode a fast start to an 8-5 win over Twins in their #AILC2019 consolation game.

The Comets built a 6-1 lead after two innings and kept the Twins at bay on diamond two.

Campbell Froude drove in a game-high four runs for Western on three base hits.

Jousha Voute also collected three hits for the Comets.

Froude also picked up five strikeouts on the mound, while Miller Wortley had seven punchouts for the Twins.

Eastern Athletics 13, Southern Mariners 6 | Box Score

Eastern Athletics wrapped up their #AILC2019 campaign with back-to-back wins after downing Southern Mariners.

The Athletics took the ascendancy early and padded their lead late, winning 13-6 on diamond three.

Ashley Geary-Smith finished with three runs batted in and Max Saggers, Ryder Wilson and and Ethan Jenkins each drove in a pair of runs.

Sidney Stillwell plated two of Southern’s runs.

Metros topped Manly in a hard-fought semi-final in Mildura on Thursday after Hills earlier powered past Ryde Hawks.

Both of tomorrow’s medal games will be live streamed on the Baseball Australia Facebook page.

Catch up on all the day four action:

Semi-final 1: Hills 16, Ryde Hawks 1 | Box Score

Hills punched its ticket to the #AILC2019 gold medal game with a 16-1 win over Ryde Hawks on Thursday.

A 13-run second frame put Hills on top after Ryde had taken ad early lead.

Harry Wilton drove in four runs on two hits and Jett Watson recorded three runs batted in.

Shaun Davis also enjoyed a multi-RBI game.

Jude Cusbert punched on 10 batters for Hills in four innings of work.

Semi-final 2: Northern Metros 3, Manly 2 | Box Score

Northern Metros will defend their Intermediate League crown in tomorrow’s #AILC2019 gold medal game.

The Metros secured a berth in the championship game against Hills with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Manly.

The winning run crossed in the bottom of the sixth, breaking a 2-all tie.

Jayden Allen and Rhys Kelly drove in runs for Northern.

Allen also struck out three batters in a solid appearance on the mound.

Daniel Mills and Cameron Lorenzo brought home runs for Manly.

Max Austin struck out seven for Manly.

Western Comets 15, Southern Mariners 0 | Box Score

Western Comets powered to a 15-0 consolation game win over Southern Mariners on diamond two.

Tyson Forrest drove in four runs and Daniel Papiccio two as the Comets raced to an early lead and did not look back.

Four pitchers combined to shutout the Mariners, led by Campbell Froude’s three strikeouts.

Eastern Athletics 9, Twins 8 | Box Score

Eastern Athletics withstood a late comeback from Twins to prevail 9-8 in their #AILC2019 consolation game.

Twins scored five runs in the top of the sixth after Eastern had built a 9-2 lead through five innings.

Ethan Jenkins and Chloe Woollard both drove in a pair of runs for the Athletics.

Starting pitcher Declan Weichard struck out eight hitters.

The win was Eastern’s first of #AILC2019.

Twins 18, Western Comets 4 | Box Score

Addison Bishop-Worn drove in five runs as Twins recorded a comprehensive 18-4 win over Western Comets.

Atticus Hurford chipped in with three runs batted in and Ben Howard and Rui Ota two each for Twins.

Howard recorded nine strikeouts on the mound.

Tyren Ellis and Ashley Kimber drove home the Comets’ runs.

Day five action in Mildura gets underway at 9am (local time).

The bronze medal game starts at 10.15am and championship game at 1.30pm.

Both medal games will be streamed on Baseball Australia’s Facebook page.

Head to the #AILC2019 tournament page for results, rosters and the complete schedule.

Eastern Athletics, Southern Mariners and Twins continued their campaigns at the 2019 Australian Intermediate League Championships in Mildura.

Catch up on all the day four action for our three Victorian sides:

Western Comets 15, Southern Mariners 0 | Box Score

Western Comets powered to a 15-0 consolation game win over Southern Mariners on diamond two.

Tyson Forrest drove in four runs and Daniel Papiccio two as the Comets raced to an early lead and did not look back.

Four pitchers combined to shutout the Mariners, led by Campbell Froude’s three strikeouts.

Eastern Athletics 9, Twins 8 | Box Score

Eastern Athletics withstood a late comeback from Twins to prevail 9-8 in their #AILC2019 consolation game.

Twins scored five runs in the top of the sixth after Eastern had built a 9-2 lead through five innings.

Ethan Jenkins and Chloe Woollard both drove in a pair of runs for the Athletics.

Starting pitcher Declan Weichard struck out eight hitters.

The win was Eastern’s first of #AILC2019.

Twins 18, Western Comets 4 | Box Score

Addison Bishop-Worn drove in five runs as Twins recorded a comprehensive 18-4 win over Western Comets.

Atticus Hurford chipped in with three runs batted in and Ben Howard and Rui Ota two each for Twins.

Howard recorded nine strikeouts on the mound.

Tyren Ellis and Ashley Kimber drove home the Comets’ runs.

Day five action in Mildura gets underway at 9am (local time).

The bronze medal game starts at 10.15am and championship game at 1.30pm.

Both medal games will be streamed on Baseball Australia’s Facebook page.

Head to the #AILC2019 tournament page for results, rosters and the complete schedule.

Hills and Northern Metros recorded day three wins to top their respective pools at #AILC2019 in Mildura.

Hills powered past Manly and Northern Metros proved too strong for Ryde Hawks to punch their semi-final tickets.

Despite defeat, Manly and Ryde will also feature in the final four.

Manly will face the Metros and Hawks square off against Hills for a spot in Friday's gold medal game.

Catch up on all the day three action:

Twins 20, Southern Mariners 10 | Box Score

A 10-run fourth lifted Twins to a 20-10 win over Southern Mariners on Wednesday.

Ben Howard drove in three runs for Twins and Jacob White and Addison Bishop-Worn each brought home two runners.

Edward Morgan recorded eight strikeouts in four innings on the mound.

Mitch Denny collected two hits for the Mariners and drove in a run.

Northern Metros 11, Ryde Hawks 1 | Box Score

Strong pitching and steady offence helped Northern Metros top Ryde Hawks 11-1 and secure finish first in Pool B.

Pitchers Jack Angeloff and Hudson Brice impressed on the mound and Rhys Kelly hit an inside-the-park home run for the Metros.

Kelly finished with three runs batted in on two hits.

Angeloff also collected multiple hits.

Cooper Wilson drove in Ryde’s run.

Hills 17, Manly 2 | Box Score

Jett Watson drove in four runs and Luke Hayhow collected six strikeouts as Hills finished pool play with a perfect 4-0 record.

Watson recorded three hits, along with Hayden Chappell, as Hills secured an impressive 17-2 win over Manly.

Hills took a 6-2 lead after one and wrapped up victory with an eight-run fourth.

Chappell, Nick Suykens and Caleb Tunkin each recorded two RBIs.

Kane Flew and Will Tibbett drove in runs for Manly.

Western Comets 14, Western Suns 3 | Box Score

Daniel Papiccio struck out eight hitters and his offence fired behind him to send Western Comets to victory over Western Suns.

Papiccio tossed five innings and worked with an early lead as the Comets recorded a 14-3 win.

Western Comets took a 5-0 lead after two innings and wrapped up an impressive win with six runs in the fifth.

Papiccio also collected a team-high two hits.

Manly 9, Eastern Athletics 4 | Box Score

Manly bounced back from its earlier loss to Hills, defeating Eastern Athletics 9-4.

Luke Donaghey, Toby Russell and Edward Gall led Manly’s offence.

Will Tibbett struck out three batters.

Eastern starter Ryder Wilson finished with five strikeouts.

Day four action in Mildura gets underway at 10am (local time).

Head to the #AILC2019 tournament page for results, rosters and the complete schedule.

Team Australia has finalised its roster for next month’s WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup in Taiwan.

Eighteen players aged 11 and 12 will represent Australia in Tainan from July 26 to August 4.

The roster was finalised following this month’s 2019 Australian Little League Championship in Lismore.

New South Wales will have nine representatives, Queensland four, Western Australia three and South Australia and Victoria one each.

Team Australian general manager Glenn Williams said it had been a difficult task trimming the final roster to 18 players.

“There are so many quality young players spread all the way across the country,” Williams said.

“We rely heavily on advice from state associations and the respective Little League charters.

“We saw the players live in Lismore to make the final decisions.

“There was difficult decisions to make … this is probably the most difficult national team to select.”

The 2019 edition of the U-12 World Cup will be the first at the US$130 million Tainan Asia Pacific Stadiums.

“It’s an exciting event for all of the kids to take part in,” Williams said.

“The local organising committee do an amazing job with a heavy focus on making sure the kids have a great experience.

“(It is) something they will never forget and I am looking forward to seeing how they go at the event.”

Brian Murphy will return as Australia’s manager for a third-straight U-12 World Cup.

Murphy will be assisted by Nick Hutchings and Scott Meager.

The U-12 team will earn ranking points towards world number seven Australia’s tally.

Australia is in Group B alongside three-time defending U-12 world champions USA, Mexico, Korea, Venezuela and Italy.

The U-12 Baseball World Cup is the only global sporting event to feature national teams at this age group.

Australia finished with a 2-6 record at the 2017 event.

WBSC will release broadcast details for the U-12 World Cup shortly.

STAFF
Brian Murphy | Head Coach
Nick Hutchings | Pitching Coach
Scott Meager | Assistant Coach
Beth McVicker | Executive Officer

Eastern Athletics, Southern Mariners and Twins gave the game their all on Day 3 of the 2019 Australian Intermediate League Championships in Mildura. Catch up on all the action from today's games:

Twins 20, Southern Mariners 10 | Box Score

A 10-run fourth lifted Twins to a 20-10 win over Southern Mariners on Wednesday.

Ben Howard drove in three runs for Twins and Jacob White and Addison Bishop-Worn each brought home two runners.

Edward Morgan recorded eight strikeouts in four innings on the mound.

Mitch Denny collected two hits for the Mariners and drove in a run.

Manly 9, Eastern Athletics 4 | Box Score

Manly bounced back from its earlier loss to Hills, defeating Eastern Athletics 9-4.

Luke Donaghey, Toby Russell and Edward Gall led Manly’s offence.

Will Tibbett struck out three batters.

Eastern starter Ryder Wilson finished with five strikeouts.

Day four action in Mildura gets underway at 10am (local time).

Head to the #AILC2019 tournament page for results, rosters and the complete schedule.

Twins 20, Southern Mariners 10 | Box Score

A 10-run fourth lifted Twins to a 20-10 win over Southern Mariners on Wednesday.

Ben Howard drove in three runs for Twins and Jacob White and Addison Bishop-Worn each brought home two runners.

Edward Morgan recorded eight strikeouts in four innings on the mound.

Mitch Denny collected two hits for the Mariners and drove in a run.

Manly 9, Eastern Athletics 4 | Box Score

Manly bounced back from its earlier loss to Hills, defeating Eastern Athletics 9-4.

Luke Donaghey, Toby Russell and Edward Gall led Manly’s offence.

Will Tibbett struck out three batters.

Eastern starter Ryder Wilson finished with five strikeouts.

Day four action in Mildura gets underway at 10am (local time).

Head to the #AILC2019 tournament page for results, rosters and the complete schedule.

Manly 9, Eastern Athletics 4 | Box Score

Manly bounced back from its earlier loss to Hills, defeating Eastern Athletics 9-4.

Luke Donaghey, Toby Russell and Edward Gall led Manly’s offence.

Will Tibbett struck out three batters.

Eastern starter Ryder Wilson finished with five strikeouts.

Day four action in Mildura gets underway at 10am (local time).

Head to the #AILC2019 tournament page for results, rosters and the complete schedule.

Preston Baseball Club is pleased to announce the signing of their new head coach, William “Pookie” Wilson.

A former AAA outfielder with the Florida Marlins from 1992-97, Wilson brings a wealth of experience to the club, which is enjoying pristine new facilities at La Trobe University in Bundoora.

In addition to his playing experience, Wilson spent one year as an area scout for Montreal Expos before moving back to the Marlins to take on roles such as outfield/base running coach and hitting instructor across three seasons.

Wilson then moved to Kansas City Royals in 2002 to become their minor league hitting instructor which he held until 2005, and then again from 2009-10. He founded Pookie Wilson Baseball in Atlanta, designed to work with high-school student athletes to maintain positive mindsets amongst an effective program and training system to support player development and baseball hitting strategies. He continues to run this program since he left Kansas City, aiding young baseball talent by holding weekly hitting, baserunning and outfield classes.

Preston Baseball Club President Alex Djorgonoski is thrilled that the lengthy process has resulted in the appointment of a qualified coach.

“We see this as being a very positive move, not only for our senior playing group but for our entire club, including our junior players and coaches,” Djorgonoski said. “Pookie has a long playing career, both here and in the minor leagues in the US, along with his minor league appointments as a head coach, hitting coach and instructional coach.”

This is not Wilson’s first venture into Australian baseball, he was an integral part of the ABL team the Melbourne Monarchs in the 1992-93 season when they won the championships. He’d be fondly remembered by players and fans alike.

Djorgonoski says this appointment will be very special to the baseball community in Preston and the surrounding areas. “These coaching opportunities don’t come along all the time for any club let alone for a club in Australia,” Djorgonoski said. “The pure promotional opportunities that will come of this appointment will be invaluable, not to mention the injection of his international coaching experience.”