Baseball Victoria, Author at Baseball Victoria

The Northern Metros put in a much improved performance in the second game of the Intermediate World Series in California, but consistent scoring saw them defeated 11-0 at the hands of Puerto Rico.

Sean Escott made history as the first player from the Australia Region to claim a hit at the Intermediate World Series, notching up a single in the bottom of the first.

It was obvious the Metros had used the experience they gained in game one, limiting Puerto Rico's scoring and putting together quality at-bats.

The Metros had the leadoff runner aboard in three of the five innings, with Escott and Riley Sanders each picking up a base hit.

Stay tuned to baseball.com.au for a travel diary from the Metros very own Reece Coles!

Cronulla is out of the Senior League Baseball World Series following a narrow loss to Europe-Africa on Tuesday morning.

Josh Pearl homered and Koby Roberts tossed 5 2/3 impressive innings as Cronulla fell 2-1, ending Australia Region’s campaign.

Europe-Africa scored first, adding two runs in the top of the first off Roberts.

Australia Region hit back in the bottom of the first on Pearl’s homer.

Roberts kept Europe-Africa off the scoreboard, working into the sixth and finishing with three strikeouts.

Pearl and Haydn Parker hit leadoff doubles in the fourth and fifth but Australia Region was unable to draw level.

Australia Region finished with four hits, one less than Europe-Africa.

Cronulla will play a consolation game against West later this week.

Northern Metros failed to match the power of Asia-Pacific in their opening game at the Little League Intermediate (50/70) Baseball Division World Series in Livermore, California, this morning.

Asia-Pacific put up early runs and used a big fourth to complete a 19-0 victory.

The Metros, representing Australia Region in its #LLIWS debut, kept Asia-Pacific off the scoreboard in the third inning.

Jacob Santich worked the frame and also recorded Australia Region’s first strikeout at the event.

Australia Region now faces the loser of Puerto Rico and Latin America on Wednesday morning.

The 2018 Under 12 State Winter Championships finished up in Mildura on Sunday 29^th July. After some very competitive play on Day 1, the forecast for Day 2 was more of the same. Whilst not as warm as Saturday, the sun still shone on Mildura’s Old Aerodrome Ovals and the teams were all enthusiastic for another day of games. Going into the first rounds, Sunraysia held top spot in pool A and City West had control over pool B.

First up, Bendigo took on Latrobe Valley on Diamond 1. Lily Czuczman started on the mound for Bendigo and went toe-to-toe with Latrobe Valley’s Jack Thomas. Both teams came out firing with the bats, scoring 5 a-piece in the first inning. It was a tight game the entire way but Bendigo eventually posted a 12 – 11 win.

On Diamond 3, Geelong played Dandenong in a bottom of the pool clash. Geelong scored in each frame but was ultimately outclassed by a potent Dandenong offense, going down 15 – 11.

Another tight contest took place on Diamond 4 between Ring/DV and the home team, Sunraysia. The lead went back and forth for most of the game before Ring/DV took control and toppled the first placed Sunraysia, 10 – 9.

In round 2, Ring/DV nailed their second win of the day, this time over Geelong. Sid Grimmer and Luke Morrow were great on the hill for Geelong but the Ring/DV bats were hot and managed to score 15 runs to Geelong’s 9.

Dandenong were also charging up the rankings, taking a comfortable 15 – 7 win over current first placed Sunraysia. Lachlan Richardson and Ned Johnson combined on the hill to keep Sunraysia relatively quiet while their own offense piled on the runs.

Latrobe Valley and City West both scored their own fair share of runs over on Diamond 4. Latrobe Valley started Daniel Toms, followed by Liam Duncan and then Darcey Pump but they were unable to stop City West running away with the game, 13 – 10.

At 1:45pm, the final for both pools were set; Ring/DV had topped pool A and would face Dandenong in the championship game and Bendigo would take on second-placed City West. Over on Diamond 4, Sunraysia and Geelong planned to play off for third place in pool A.

Dandenong kicked things off on Diamond 1 with a strong, 5-run first inning. Ring/DV struggled a little bit early in the game to put runs on the board but in the third frame things clicked and they scored 15 from there. The 17 – 6 win saw the combination team of Ringwood and Diamond Valley crowned the winners of pool B.

In the pool B final, Bendigo took a narrow lead over City West on the back of an excellent combined pitching effort from Ryan Kinkade, Hayley Jack, Dexter Rodgers and Shanara Kitt. However it wasn’t enough to dent the success of the kids from the city, who couldn’t be knocked off the top of pool B. Thanks to excellent run differential throughout the tournament, City West became the winners of pool B.

In the race for third place in pool B, Geelong and Sunraysia found themselves evenly matched. Both teams had big innings where they scored the maximum of 5 runs but it was the home team who scored consistently enough to earn themselves the win with a score of 12 – 10.

The final results for the day were;

Results from Day 2 Under 12’s State Winter Championships

Bendigo

Latrobe Valley

Geelong

Dandenong

Ring/DV

Sunraysia

Ring/DV

Geelong

Sunraysia

Dandenong

Latrobe

City West

Dandenong

Ring/DV

Bendigo

City West

Sunraysia

Geelong

The final standings were;

Day 2 Ladder

POOL A

POOL B

Ring/DV

City West

Dandenong

Bendigo

Sunraysia

Latrobe Valley

Geelong

Baseball Victoria would like to thank everyone who helped make the event such a success. Congratulations to all the participants, coaches and executive officers for their excellent efforts this past weekend. Thank you to all the hard-working parents for making the journey to Mildura. Sincerest thanks to the Sunraysia Baseball League and all their volunteers, from working in the canteen to slaving away over the grounds and everything in between. Thank you to Stewart Howe and his umpiring crew for officiating this wonderful tournament. Thank you to the scorers who not only travelled a long way to Mildura but who also embraced the new iScore system with skill and enthusiasm. Thank you to Julie Jones, who functioned as Assistant Tournament Director. These competitions would not run as smoothly without you. And finally, thank you to Council Member Jason Modica and the Mildura Rural City Council for their support of this event – your presence is much appreciated and adds a special quality to the closing ceremony proceedings.

This was the last in the 2018 series of State Winter Championships; Baseball Victoria hopes that everyone involved enjoyed themselves and looks forward to seeing everyone there again next year.

Cronulla fell short of Latin America in its Senior League Baseball World Series opening game in Easley, South Carolina, on Sunday morning.

Cronulla, representing Australia Region, held the lead through five innings before Latin America rallied late to secure a 4-2 victory.

Joshua Pearl gave Australia Region an early lead, stealing home in the first to score the opening run of the contest.

Chet Lister scored on a Lachlan Regan single in the fifth to double the lead for Australia Region.

Latin America scored four runs in the top of the sixth to take the lead.

Pearl struck out six after starting on the mound and Myles Chabi recorded four strikeouts in three scoreless innings.

The State Winter Championships for the Under 12’s was held in Mildura at the Aerodrome Ovals over the weekend of the 28^th – 29^th of July.

Seven teams took to the pristine fields to compete for the title of State Winter Champions, including the home team, Sunraysia, City West, Latrobe Valley, Bendigo, Dandenong, Geelong and a combination team made up of players from Ringwood and Diamond Valley. Nicknamed Ring/DV, they wore Diamond Valley jerseys and Ringwood Association caps as a recognition of both regions.

Sunraysia came out firing in the first game on Diamond 1 and although Geelong rallied late in the game, the Sunraysia hitters scored 5 runs in each of their 4 innings to earn themselves a 20 – 6 win.

On Diamond 2, Ring/DV took on a strong Dandenong team. Hunter Richardson started for Dandenong and threw well against a potent Ring/DV offense but it ultimately wasn’t enough and Ring/DV pulled out to a 7 – 4 win.

Bendigo and City West went head to head on Diamond 3 with City West striking the first blows. They scored 5 runs and then 2 in the first two innings before a tough Bendigo team answered back in the third, scoring 3. It was a tough contest but City West came out on top, winning 10 – 8.

In round 2, Dandenong and Geelong played on Diamond 1 in a slightly one-sided affair. Dandenong did most of the scoring, plating 5, 4 and then 5 more to earn themselves a win. Geelong, to their credit, had a big last dig which saw them score 5 runs off some excellent hitting but they eventually fell short, losing to Dandenong 14 – 5.

Bendigo and Latrobe Valley had a close game over on diamond 2. Jarrod Thomas started for LV and pitched the majority of the game whilst Bendigo shared the pitching load around, giving Nicholas Walker, Lachlan Ahearn, Christopher Johns-Hayden and Jordan Doherty all time on the hill. Both teams hit the ball well but it was Latrobe Valley who came out on top, winning 12 – 10.

Sunraysia got out to an early lead against Ring/DV on diamond 3 and never gave it up. Austin Caulfield threw a great game for Ring/DV but conceded too many runs, earning the loss of 11 – 1.

For round 3, things were heating up in the ladder rankings with the home team, Sunraysia, leading pool A and City West were topping pool B.

Latrobe took on City West on diamond 1 and again used a variety of pitchers; Riley Duncan, Daniel Toms, Harry Kus, Jack Thomas and Montana Donoghue. Unfortunately, their combined efforts were not enough against a motivated City West team who scored 12 to Latrobe’s 4 and took the win.

On diamond 2 Ring/DV were clearly gelling as a team; Reid Sexton pitched very well for Geelong but Ring/DV had the run-support. After scoring 5 runs in their last 3 innings, Ring/DV took the game, 16 – 2.

Finally, the home town team capped off a successful day with a win over Dandenong. Sunraysia plated 5, 5 and then 2 against some great pitching from Dandenong’s Liam Hough and Josh Woods but unfortunately the duo couldn’t keep the green and yellow bats quiet and Dandenong went down, 12 – 1.

Play continues on day 2 today, currently the standings are;

Day 1 Ladder

POOL A

POOL B

Sunraysia

City West

Ring/DV

Latrobe Valley

Dandenong

Bendigo

Geelong

Day 2 Fixture

Bendigo vs Latrobe

Ring/DV vs Sunraysia

Geelong vs Dandenong

Ring/DV vs Geelong

Latrobe Valley vs City West

Sunraysia vs Dandenong

Dandenong vs Ring/DV

Sunraysia vs Geelong

Bendigo vs City West

DIARY #9 - Rain, rain go away!

The rain didn’t stop for a few days & with the boys keen to scrimmage some other teams it just couldn’t happen. We spent Thursday shopping & Friday we were able to spend the day with our families. Some went shopping, others visited the BMW factory & with the sun finally breaking through some went and watched another Greenville Drive game.

Saturday was Championship day and we finally got to scrimmage a USA team from Texas. We had a great time & although it wasn’t a serious game it was heaps of fun. The final started at 8.00pm & after a 4 run second inning the Caribbean jumped out to an early lead & held on to become World Series Champions.

After a late night we were up early to pack & get ready for the long trip home. See y’all soon Sydney and thanks to everyone in Easley for making it the trip of a lifetime.

DIARY #8 - Minor League parades

After a late arrival home from Atlanta we skipped breakfast and woke up around 10.30am and had an early lunch before jumping on a bus to go & watch a couple of the undefeated USA teams play a tight game in very wet conditions. It was then off to Greenville for some more shopping at the local mall. Our parents then picked us up from the mall and we were off to watch the Greenville Drive.

The Drive are the Single A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and their ground has a Green Monster in left field.

We were lucky enough to parade around the field before the game with the other World Series teams in front of the crowd which also included our families.

DIARY #7 - Late MLB game in Atlanta

Tuesday morning was a little overcast & with rain forecast we were undecided about the day ahead. We had our usual breakfast at Clemson and decided to walk to downtown Clemson for a look around the merchandise store. We then had some some lunch & with a storm approaching we had to hustle back to our rooms before the rain.

We had an hour to spare so played NFL Football in the rain before coming back to get ready for a road trip.

The coaches & parents had organised for us to travel to Atlanta to watch the Braves v Marlins and despite the rain it was a great experience. After an exciting game which didn’t finish until 12.15am we started the long drive home.

DIARY #6 - Coach Colin's birthday and a tight loss - 31 July

An early breakfast kicked day 6 off with all the players wishing Coach Colin a Happy Birthday. Our host family organised a bus for us and we headed for Dick’s Sporting Goods and the Greenville shopping centre to look for some bargains. Our families joined us for Col’s birthday celebration with lunch at the Longhorn Steakhouse.

After lunch it was back on the bus to Clemson to relax before the big game. Game time was approaching so it was time to get ready & head for dinner at the gym of local church. The boys weren’t too hungry so dinner was quick & we headed to the ground to get our work in before the game.

We were the home team and took to the field first & Italy got off to quick start with a couple of runs. In the bottom we got straight on the board with Pearly hitting a yeeeeeet to centre field to leave us down by 1.

From there is was a pitchers duel with both teams making some great plays to back up the quality pitching. Unfortunately we took the loss after a hard fought game but kept battling for the entire 7 innings.

DIARY #5: Relaxing and preparation ramps up - 30 July

Another day off for us today & we had a sleep in & a late breakfast due to the late finish of the big game the night before. Our host family kindly organised for us to visit a friend of theirs who has a pool so we spent the afternoon a few miles out of Easley on a 62 Acre property with a beautiful pool.

Our families were also invited & we had a fantastic afternoon relaxing around the pool on another hot day. After the swim we headed back to the field to watch our opponents tomorrow which after a tight game Europe-Africa lost & we will face them in an elimination game on Monday night (U.S time).

We had dinner at the ground and then went back to watch another game & mingle with the locals before heading home.

DIARY #4: Nerves aplenty as game one is here - 29 July

Game day was finally here & all the boys were pumped & excited but also a little nervous. Our game was scheduled for a 4.00pm start so the morning was relaxing.

Our parents cleaned out the merchandise store & delivered a heap of Aussie & World Series gear for us & it was great to see them. After lunch it was time to get on the bus & head over to the grounds and seeing where we we would be playing for the next week was amazing.

The facility had three diamonds that were perfect plus a massive batting cage with eight tunnels & space for four bullpens. We had a chilled warmup but as game time drew closer the intensity started to rise. The previous game went extra innings so game time was delayed & with the extremely hot weather is was tough to stay focused.

We warmed up again and then were introduced on to the field for the National Anthem. We were the home team so were in the field first & started strong, we put a couple of runs on the board & after five innings were up a couple of runs. We battled hard in the extreme heat but were unlucky in the end against a very good team.

We put in a great effort and I am extremely proud of the way all the boys played.

DIARY #3: Corn Hole tournament and parade

After an early breakfast we had team photos taken next to Clemson University’s Death Valley Football Stadium. We then caught a bus to Easley for a morning of shopping at Academy Sports, Walmart & Marshall.

A quick lunch back at Clemson & then Myles and Chetty Boy played in a table tennis & corn hole tournament against the Caribbean team. We then headed over to a nearby field for a light stretch and throw before another game of basketball with the boys from our host family showing us how to shoot hoops.

All the teams then caught a bus to the Easley Baseball fields for dinner in the gymnasium which was organised by the local Rotary International volunteers.

After dinner the teams were then given a police escort through downtown Easley & were then introduced to the crowd and our families. We were able to catch up with our families before heading home to get ready for our first game against Venezuela tomorrow.

After a good night sleep but still a little jet lagged, we were up early looking forward to our first full day at Clemson.

We had breakfast & a long walk to stretch the legs and saw their amazing sporting facilities.

The Football field is the pinnacle but the Baseball, Soccer, Basketball & training facilities are outstanding.

After lunch we had a team bonding session with a game of basketball & a walk.

It has been a great experience so far but also a hot one with the temperature around 32 degrees.

DAY 1: AND WE'RE OFF!

The team arrived at Sydney Airport at 6.00am Wednesday morning very excited for the trip ahead with the boys.

Our first leg was a 16 hour flight to Houston with not much sleep.

We then had a 3 hour lay over before another 3 hour flight to Charlotte.

We arrived in Charlotte around 5.30pm Wednesday after a rough flight, to be greeted by our host family before the final leg of our trip which was a 2 1/2 hour bus trip to Clemson University.

After approximately 24 hours travelling we were tired but the arrival at Clemson was surreal.

The view from our room of an 80,000 seat Football Stadium was unbelievable.

We then had to wait around for about an hour but it was worth it, being presented with our Aussie uniform was the highlight of a long & tiring day.

The team arrived at Sydney Airport at 6.00am Wednesday morning very excited for the trip ahead with the boys.

Our first leg was a 16 hour flight to Houston with not much sleep.

We then had a 3 hour lay over before another 3 hour flight to Charlotte.

We arrived in Charlotte around 5.30pm Wednesday after a rough flight, to be greeted by our host family before the final leg of our trip which was a 2 1/2 hour bus trip to Clemson University.

After approximately 24 hours travelling we were tired but the arrival at Clemson was surreal.

The view from our room of an 80,000 seat Football Stadium was unbelievable.

We then had to wait around for about an hour but it was worth it, being presented with our Aussie uniform was the highlight of a long & tiring day.

Baseball Victoria has been up in Mildura all week delivering a community engagement program across schools and the community in the Sunraysia area as part of the State Winter Championships program.

On Thursday we headed to the Mildura Baseball Fields to run a series of clinics for the young baseball players of Mildura. Matt Whyte, BV’s School Sports Co-ordinator led the sessions, assisted by Jeff Paull , Taylor Crotty and Kelsey Quinn. Over 100 kids joined in with the activities, with ages ranging from 5 – 16. There were so many in fact that the participants had to be spit up into 3 groups; 2 for under 11’s and 1 for the older children.

The groups began with fielding and glove work drills before progressing to a tee drill. Players split into two teams and had to hit off the tee and run around a series of cones as many times as they could before the fielding team returned the ball to the top of the tee.

Matt Whyte was pleased with the great turnout and said “I think the kids had a great time, there are lots of smiling faces here and some really good skills going on. It’s fantastic to be up here and engaging with the Mildura baseball community. They’re an important part of the Baseball Victoria landscape and hopefully the clinics help get the kids even more motivated to play baseball.”

We have visited a number of schools over the week introducing baseball and T-ball to over 250 children. Schools have placed posters on their noticeboards and were excited to be trying a sport new to many of the children and teachers. They were very appreciated of our effort and hopefully this will see the Sunraysia Baseball League gain some new participants in the future.

These clinics together with the Winter State Championships are part of Baseball Victoria’s wider strategy to help strengthen the interest in baseball in regional areas. The added exposure and extra tourists to both Mildura and Morwell will also benefit the host clubs as they try to grow their own baseball communities.

Reece Coles is a part of history as the first team from the Australia Region to qualify for the Intermediate World Series, and he's taking you behind the scenes of the Northern Metros journey to Livermore!

DIARY #10 - MLB EXPERIENCE

Once again we got a day to spend with family, I was fortunate enough to spend the day with a few of my teammates, Ryan and Jacob at Del Valle Regional Park. We enjoyed the local scenery and swimming.

I was enjoying my swim when the lifeguard yelled out “little boy in the blonde hair come back.” I had swam out further than my friends. One of the parents had to inform the lady lifeguard I was in fact the eldest kid in my group and a very confident swimmer. She relaxed.

Tonight we travelled into the Coliseum to watch the Oakland Athletics play the Detroit Tigers. All the teams in the Little League Intermediate World Championship, and their coaching staff, were invited as guests of the Oakland Athletics...that’s one of those “pinch me” moments as my coach would say. Of course every kid there was imagining being a pro on that field, performing for screaming fans.

Well, I better get to bed as we have a busy weekend with scratch matches lined up for us. Good night and thanks for reading my blog.

DIARY #9 - GAME 3 VS. EAST

Today was our game against East, and we were excited to play an American team. We had an early start with game beginning at 9am.

We played much better as a team and managed to get batters on base but struggled to get home. There was some excellent fielding with a spectacular diving catch taken by Ty Spaulding in Centre Field.

We scored our very first run across the plate, also by Ty. That was our only run of the competition.

We are all disappointed that the competition had to end but it really has been an incredible experience. We feel so lucky that quite a few teams have requested a scratch match with us and our coaching staff are trying hard to make some of those games happen over the weekend. More game time in America!

We will be returning to Australia soon, filled with new experiences, new goals and heaps of new merch!

Today was our game against East, and we were excited to play an American team. We had an early start with game beginning at 9am.

We scored our very first run across the plate, also by Ty. That was our only run of the competition.

We will be returning to Australia soon, filled with new experiences, new goals and heaps of new merch!

Today we got another day’s break to spend with family before our game tomorrow against East. We were lucky enough to spend from 8 am till 7 pm with our families.

Today I went shopping at Dick’s Sporting Goods and got some batting gloves and shoes. Dick’s was full of baseball gear and more. We also went to Dollar Tree, everything was a buck and it was awesome.

We all can’t wait for tomorrow as we play our first American team. We all love playing in America, no matter the final score. All that matters is that we’re all having fun, on and off the field. We try to spend as much time as possible with the Californian team (our hosts) and the Canadians...we mostly speak the same language. We want to show our best to our new mates so, as you can imagine, we’re all putting in 110%.

DIARY #7 - GAME 2 VS. PUERTO RICO

Today was a beautiful, sunny day in Livermore. We were all pumped for our game against Puerto-Rico. We have an amazing bus for the ride to the games, it’s the limo of buses! We shared the bus with California and we sang all the way to the field.

In today’s game we played another amazing team, with some incredibly tall and talented players. The first pitcher must have been 6”2 or 3 and the reliever was taller than Ty as well.

We managed to get some hits but unfortunately could not score a run. We have an amazing bunch of players and the team spirit is incredible, with the team singing staying alive while battling it out in the batter’s box.

DIARY #6 - OFF-DAY FUN

Today we got a days break to spend with family before our game tomorrow against Puerto-Rico. We were lucky enough to spend 6 hours with our families.

Most of us got to go buy new baseball gear which was awesome. We all cannot wait to get back on the field tomorrow and shine. We love playing in front of our family and friends and we honestly feel privileged to face the best international teams in the world.

Today I spent a few hours with my mum, Ty, Riley B and Riley S along with all their families at Boomers (go-karts, golf and more). We raced go-karts and played some laser tag it was a great day having fun but we were all ready when it was time to return to our team for batting practice.

We are so lucky.

Today was game day, we played Asia Pacific, represented by Korea.

It was not the result we would have liked as we lost 19-0. The score doesn’t matter what matters is the fact that we had the opportunity to play probably the best team in the world.

REECE COLES MAKES A PLAY AGAINST ASIA-PACIFIC - PHOTO: BILL NALE

It was the best experience of my life, those Korean players pitch so fast you don’t see it coming. We all held our heads high and played the game how we always play it. Later we got to watch California versus South West.

California was our favoured team as we have made some great friendships with these players. We get along very well with the team, they are easy to talk too and all pretty cool.

JACOB SANTICH PITCHING AGAINST ASIA-PACIFIC - PHOTO: RYAN SANTICH

They had a close game but unfortunately South West took the win. Our next game will be Tuesday and we hope to take the win.

DIARY #4: FINALLY HERE! - 29 JULY

The day is finally here and after a short visit and good nights rest in Sydney we departed Australia for San Francisco. We have had a blast getting our uniforms and making new friends with the Livermore team.

THE CHAMPS ARE HERE!

The Northern Metros are in Livermore and ready to begin the #LLIWS tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/b8e9Ax1uDf

We attended the opening ceremony today and saw our parents since leaving Perth. It was an exciting day and we were made to feel like royalty.

Tomorrow is our first game against Asia Pacific and we are really excited to get on the field and make Australia proud.

DIARY #3: DEPARTURE DAY - Thursday 26 July

Reece Coles here and today is a new day and an extremely exciting one. All my teammates and I are excited and nervous, as we board the plane from Perth to Sydney. We are about to embark on our Journey that we have worked incredibly hard for.

STRETCH UP: The Northern Metros take some time out to stretch in Sydney (Photo: Jacob Santich)

We said our goodbyes to Perth and our families and are looking forward to saying hello to America. One of our hardest goodbyes was said to Jacob Stanton who has been one of our coaches from the very start of our journey and has played an extremely important role in getting us ready for our first game against Korea.

We had the opportunity to visit The iconic Sydney harbour Bridge and the opera house today which was absolutely amazing!

HARBOUR BRIDGE: The Northern Metros checked out the Sydney Harbour Bridge before flying out (Photo: Jacob Santich)

This is a spectacular opportunity and we all can not wait to rock Korea. I am assured all of our coaches are sitting down and discussing game tactics on how we are going to crack them. We have our game faces ready.

We are so proud to be representing Australia, watch out World Series we are coming.

DIARY #2: ONE DAY TO GO - Wednesday 25 July

The last few weeks have been an extreme challenge, juggling school work and our crazy training schedule. Most of our Baseball peers finished training months ago and, occasionally, I envy them (for a split second), as we freeze in the rain, infield and outfield.

All of my team mates attend various schools in the northern suburbs. Another team mate, Ty Spaulding, and I attend Darling Range Sports College (as members of the Baseball program and the academic enrichment program), which means travelling by train/bus for 2 hours each way to and from school. We have had a lot of days off school travelling to Nationals, and now heading for the World Series, so we have had to manage our off time to complete homework, test revisions and assessments.

As Departure Day approaches myself and team mates have been especially hectic, with a number of teachers providing work to be completed prior to departure. This will ensure that we are not behind the rest of our class mates on return to school. It’s all part of being a student/athlete and competing at a high level.

But, right now, the one thing most of the kids on the team are doing is packing up ready to leave for America. Speaking on behalf of the kids: Thank you to our parents, for the transport, the meals, the washing and making our dreams come true.

DIARY #1: T-2 DAYS AND COUNTING - Tuesday 24 July

Hi, I’m Reece Coles, player and media correspondent for the Intermediate League Australian Champions; Perth Northern Metros. It’s 2 days until I fly out with 12 team mates, 3 coaches and a ton of gear.

The next few weeks will be the best experience of our lives. People keep saying it’s the trip of a lifetime and it’s true. There are a few butterflies if I’m honest.

Head to https://t.co/vIx8rfyL3X for the first entry in Reece Coles' #LLIWS tour diary! Check out Reece interviewing head coach Simon Stanton! pic.twitter.com/q3S8dJxmE6

We’ve been training 3 days a week since February. There are times we are sore but we all work through the pain and niggling injuries because we all know we need to be at the peak of our game. We will be strong mentally and physically to compete in the greatest game at an international level. We want to make Australian Baseball proud.

I’ll keep you updated on our progress. Wish us luck!