Are you interested in formalising and improving your leadership skills? Or would you like to get involved in coaching?
Like all sports, baseball needs individuals to help with coaching at a variety of levels, from T-Ball through to the Melbourne Aces. To help fill that need for properly accredited coaches BV runs CEP training during the year on behalf of BA, with the accreditation being recognised across Australia.
The CEP training schedule for July and August is as follows:
Bendigo – Level 2 Saturday 14 July, 9am – 6pm
Please email Greg Tinkler, ncas@baseballvictoria.com.au
Bonbeach – Level 3, 3 Tuesday’s starting 17 July, 6:30pm – 10:30pm
For more information and registration:
https://eventdesq.sportstg.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main&EventDesqID=29410&OrgID=16724
Research Lower Plenty – Level 3, Sunday 5 August, 10am – 7pm
For more information and registration:
https://eventdesq.sportstg.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main&EventDesqID=29218&OrgID=16724
All the training is based on information from Baseball Australia, http://baseball.com.au/Get-Involved/Coach/National-Coach-Accreditation-Scheme/How-do-I-become-an-Accredited-Coach-
If you’re interested or have further questions, please contact Baseball Victoria’s National Coaching Accreditation Coordinator, Greg Tinkler via ncas@baseballvictoria.com.au.
Are you interested in formalising and improving your leadership skills? Or would you like to get involved in coaching?
Like all sports, baseball needs individuals to help with coaching at a variety of levels, from T-Ball through to the Melbourne Aces. To help fill that need for properly accredited coaches BV runs CEP training during the year on behalf of BA, with the accreditation being recognised across Australia.
The CEP training schedule for July and August is as follows:
Bendigo – Level 2 Saturday 14 July, 9am – 6pm
Please email Greg Tinkler, ncas@baseballvictoria.com.au
Bonbeach – Level 3, 3 Tuesday’s starting 17 July, 6:30pm – 10:30pm
For more information and registration:
https://eventdesq.sportstg.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main&EventDesqID=29410&OrgID=16724
Research Lower Plenty – Level 3, Sunday 5 August, 10am – 7pm
For more information and registration:
https://eventdesq.sportstg.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main&EventDesqID=29218&OrgID=16724
All the training is based on information from Baseball Australia, http://baseball.com.au/Get-Involved/Coach/National-Coach-Accreditation-Scheme/How-do-I-become-an-Accredited-Coach-
If you’re interested or have further questions, please contact Baseball Victoria’s National Coaching Accreditation Coordinator, Greg Tinkler via ncas@baseballvictoria.com.au.
By Roger Sidhom
For the second weekend in a row, the Latrobe Valley Baseball Association hosted the State Winter Championships. After the success of the Under 16’s tournament, the Under 18’s were on show. The tournament participants consisted of 6 representative teams from the Latrobe Valley, Diamond Valley, Geelong, Dandenong, Ringwood and Sunraysia.
Unfortunately day 1 of the tournament had to be abandoned due to the unrelenting weather. With only diamond 1 in Morwell in suitable playing condition, a solution was needed for the rescheduled games on day 2. Thankfully the Traralgon Baseball Club and their hard-working volunteers were up for the challenge, stepping in to provide a suitable second diamond to meet the needs of a revised tournament.
Competitions Coordinator, Kelsey Quinn, worked hard through the afternoon to re-organise the teams into two pools; the Morwell pool consisted of Geelong, Diamond Valley and Ringwood and the Traralgon pool hosted Sunraysia, Latrobe Valley and Dandenong. Tournament organisers also agreeing that the teams that topped both pools would be declared joint winners of the championship.
Game 1 in Morwell saw Geelong take on Ringwood. After a few early rain delays, the Geelong side were able to top Ringwood in the 1 hour and 30 minute game. Eventually winning 8 – 1 in three innings. This result later proving critical in determining the eventual winner of the tournament.
In Traralgon, game 1 of pool B saw Sunraysia run out with a massive 16 to 4 win over Latrobe Valley. Ruchel from Sunraysia starred with 2 hits and 5 RBI’s.
Round 2 in pool A had Geelong playing a double header against Diamond Valley, in the closest game of the tournament. Diamond Valley squeezed out an 8 - 7 victory to keep the Morwell bracket alive for game 3.
Back in Traralgon, Sunraysia were gearing up for their second game after their massive victory in game 1. They took on Dandenong with the opportunity to top the pool with a second win. Sunraysia were able to get out to an early 3 run lead, however Dandenong were not to be denied, scoring 2 runs of their own to keep the score close. Sunraysia were finally able to pick up an insurance run, running out 4 – 2 winners. With their second victory sealed, Sunraysia became the Traralgon pool B winner and the first team to be crowned champions of the Under 18’s State Winter Championships.
The dead rubber in Traralgon between Dandenong and Latrobe was played in wonderful spirit with Dandenong winning the contest, 7 runs to 1.
Finally, back in Morwell, the winner of pool A would come down to the final game. A Diamond Valley win would see them secure top spot. Geelong needing Diamond Valley to only score 1 run against Ringwood to secure a technical win of pool A based on run differential. Whilst Ringwood needed to shut out Diamond Valley to take an unlikely victory.
With Liam Evans on the mound, Diamond Valley were unable to score, while Ringwood’s offence exploded. They eventually won the game with an outstanding score of 12 – 0 in three innings, including a 7 run second inning. With that result in the books, Ringwood were crowned the second under 18s State Winter Champions.
Baseball Victoria would like to thank all the hard work of the Latrobe Valley Baseball Association, Morwell Baseball Club and the Traralgon Baseball Club for their hospitality and for putting on a magnificent tournament. We would also like to acknowledge the support of the Latrobe City Council and thank the State Member of Parliament for Morwell, Russell Northe who attended the closing ceremony to present medals to the winning Ringwood side.
We now look forward to the next two Winter Championships, the Under 12s and Under 14s, taking place at the Aerodrome Ovals in Mildura.
Under 14’s: 21st – 22nd July
Under 12’s: 28th – 29th July
Final Standings
Pool A
Pool B
Ringwood
Sunraysia
Geelong
Dandenong
Diamond Valley
Latrobe Valley
Team Australia general manager Glenn Williams says this week’s Under-15 World Cup Camp in Sydney is crucial in helping propel Australia up the WBSC rankings.
More than 30 of Australia’s brightest young talents have converged on Blacktown ahead of next week’s roster announcement for the Under-15 World Cup in Panama.
Williams said the six-day camp was vital in selecting a 20-man roster capable of success in Panama from August 10-19.
“It’s important we get the team right going in there,” he said.
“They’re playing for world ranking points which go towards Premier12 and the opportunities our senior national team get.”
Australia – which is currently ranked eighth in the world – will be vying for up to 460 points in Panama.
“It’s huge for us, with a lot of the tournaments we get entry into they’re based on world rankings and where we sit,” Williams said.
“This team here is contributing to that so the better performance this team has the more opportunity our senior national team gets.
“In turn that helps grow the game here.”
Williams said the opportunity to help Australia’s plight in the rankings had been a talking point at this week’s camp.
“What they’re doing here is helping some of their heroes on Team Australia out,” he said.
“It’s not just about individual teams going away and having a two-week event, this is more about a national team family.”
Williams was confident the Under-15 team could improve their performance from two years ago in Japan as Australian baseball continues to reap the benefits of a strong pathway.
“With the Little League, Junior and Senior League tournaments we’re seeing the opportunity for a lot of players to be able to play,” he said.
“There’s more volume of players sticking around in the game longer … it assists with the development of the players and standard across the country.
“There’s 35 quality players here and probably another 20 who fought for spots for being here who can probably consider themselves unlucky.”
Australian under-15 manager Andrew Kyle said the camp had been fantastic.
“It’s huge for us, to get 35 of the best kids in the country all together at the same time,” Kyle said.
“These kids can play, they’re getting better and better each year.”
The roster for the Under-15 World Cup will be announced next week.
Australia will compete in Pool B alongside Japan, Cuba, Netherlands, Dominican Republic and South Africa.
RELEASE FROM WBSC
LAUSANNE, Switzerland – The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) and the United States Special Sports Association (USSSA) today announced a host broadcasting agreement that will see record coverage and production of the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup® 2018 in Viera, Florida.
The VIII Women’s Baseball World Cup, which will be staged at the USSSA Space Coast Complex from 22-31 August, marks the first time the event is to be played in the U.S.
As part of the host broadcasting partnership, and also for the first time ever, all 50 games of the Women’s Baseball World Cup — baseball’s biggest stage for women — will be produced and available to global audiences, along with in-game commentary and highlights packages.
“The WBSC is excited to partner with USSSA to guarantee record coverage, broadcast reach and brand exposure for the Women’s Baseball World Cup and all event stakeholders,” said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari. “More importantly, through this agreement, we will be able to deliver the major-event coverage that these top female athletes deserve, while putting Florida’s Space Coast at the centre of the international baseball universe. The Women’s Baseball World Cup 2018 will be the biggest, best and most followed edition yet.”
USSSA Acting CEO Don DeDonatis III said: “USSSA is honoured to be awarded host broadcasting rights of the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup. The Women’s Baseball World Cup represents our biggest production operation to date. It’s exciting for USSSA to be a part of this record coverage and help deliver the biggest Women’s Baseball World Cup in history. This is an exciting time and we are proud that these precedents are being set here at our USSSA Space Coast Complex.”
Opening Round games will feature five broadcast cameras and one on-field handheld camera to capture all the action on the field-of-play, with production expanded to seven broadcast cameras and one on-field camera for the intense Super Round and Finals.
The last WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup, which was played in Gijang, Korea, in 2016, registered a broadcast reach of approximately 100 million households and generated an online viewership from 198 countries and territories.
Baseball Australia and the Australian Sports Foundation have teamed up to start a campaign and raise funds for the Australian Emeralds World Cup campaign.
The Emeralds are made up of dedicated women from around the country who are mostly self-funded as they continue their dream to bring women's baseball in Australia to new heights.
A contribution to the Australian women's baseball program will also help build and sustain women's baseball in Australia for years to come.
The High Performance Training Academy is a key part of Baseball Victoria, Baseball Australia and the Melbourne Ace’s ongoing commitment to formulating genuine pathways for Victorian youth baseball players to fine-tune their skills and achieve their goals.
The program was reignited by Damian Shanahan in 2009/10 and has since grown to encompass over 100 participants over a range of different age groups and genders. Training occurs 5pm – 9pm week nights at the Melbourne Ballpark during the winter months.
The High Performance Academy has had the pleasure of seeing it’s participants go on to represent Australia at the Major League, Minor League, National and State level.
2017/18 has been a marquee period for the program, with many upgrades to the Melbourne Ballpark High Performance facility being installed. Prior to the 2017 summer season, the Melbourne Ballpark Committee of Management in conjunction with Baseball Victoria invested in 5 new bullpen mounds along the third baseline, allowing for a larger volume of players to practice at the same time.
Following this, in early 2018, a batting tunnel was built behind the new bullpens to allow for more hitting drills than the main diamond was able to account for. A canopy and additional lighting was also added to the tunnel so that training could continue in the dark, rainy winter months.
Alongside the batting tunnel, a weights gym was fitted to accommodate the High Performance Academy’s commitment to strength training and physical fitness. The gym includes various weight machines, different strength therabands, kettle bells, medicine balls, Driveline ball sets and two mini trampolines for Driveline purposes.
High Performance Manager, Damian Shanahan believes that the addition of extra coaches to offer position specific drills is a huge advantage.
“One of the best things about the High Performance Academy is that, with the level of coaching experience we’ve been able to accumulate within the group and the extra facilities, we can run anywhere from 5 – 10 position drills simultaneously, giving the players the best value for their time and money.”
18-year old, Jamie Young, has been a part of the High Performance Academy for the last 3 years and thinks it’s been more than worth his while.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time with the Academy. It’s helped me pick out parts of my game that need work and then we work on those things to strengthen my performance overall. It’s very individual and it’s definitely something I look forward to every year.”
Jaime has just completed year 12 and has already received a full baseball scholarship from Lake Land College in Illinois, USA.
“It’s so exciting. You grow up seeing the older guys around you get picked up by colleges and signed by MLB clubs so for me to be able to follow in those footsteps is really awesome”.
The High Performance Academy will continue on through until the end of August in preparation for the 2018/19 VSBL season.
For more information, please contact Damian Shanahan at damian.shanahan@baseballvictoria.com.au
Major League Baseball (MLB), in partnership with Baseball Victoria and Baseball Australia are proud to announce that the 2018 Under 14 MLB Showcase will be returning to Melbourne.
After a very successful event in 2017, Baseball Victoria are looking forward to bringing the Showcase back to Melbourne Ballpark.
The inclusion of the MLB Showcase in Australia is part of a continued effort from Major League Baseball to help grow the sport in Australia, particularly at a younger grass roots level. Participants must be turning 13 or 14, having been born in 2004 or 2005.
The Showcase involves a series of combine-style tests designed to measure participant’s various baseball tools, including running, hitting and throwing. The data will be collected and used to project a player’s aptitude for baseball and their potential for advancement.
It will then be tested against results from six other key baseball centers around the country, including locations in QLD, WA, NSW and ACT. This will help identify the best young talent from around Australia, from which players will be selected for a Major League Baseball Invitational in Lismore in August.
The Showcase also offers participants the chance to perform in front of prominent coaches and scouts. This type of exposure to some of the best baseball minds in the country is an exceptional opportunity, particularly for younger players enthusiastic to pursue a career in baseball.
You do not have to be a baseball player to attend this event, nor do you have to be a registered Baseball Victoria Member. BV would like to encourage any and all participants to join in as there are many skills integral to baseball that cross over into other sports.
Participation in the Showcase is free and players receive a souvenir MLB t-shirt.
Pre-registrations are mandatory for the MLB Australian Showcase.
Please see the link below in order to register your interest;
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Y9LCL67
Baseball Australia are proud to announce the 33 young men that will attend the WBSC U15 World Cup Camp at Blacktown International Sportspark from 1-6 July.
The 33 athletes will be put through their paces in a week-long training camp ahead of the U15 World Cup in Panama beginning on August 10.
U15 World Cup Manager Andrew Kyle believes the camp will serve a variety of purposes.
“We will be using the week in Sydney not just as a trial, but an opportunity to prepare for Panama,” Kyle said.
“The staff will be looking to up the ante on the playing group, create a competitive environment that replicates what a World Championship will feel like.
“We want to play an aggressive brand of baseball so will really channel that process at camp.
“I think it’s an exciting time for baseball in Australia and it is a great age to start instilling those key values that have helped see the national program become ranked in the top 12.
Kyle guided the Perth Heat to a 26-14 record in season 2017/18, his first season at the helm of an ABL team.
Selection for the camp was based on nominations from state high performance managers, as well as evaluation from prior programming and tournaments.
General Manager – Team Australia Glenn Williams says the deep talent pool will prove challenging for the coaching staff.
“It’s been a long and difficult process to determine who was going to come and compete for the final team. It’s a testament to the continued hard work of young players all over the country,” Williams said.
“This will be a great camp with many more difficult decisions to make. We have had the opportunity to see all of these young men competing in various events and competitions over the last 12 months or so. It will be good use that information as well as what we see at the camp to put together what will no doubt be an exciting team for the World Cup.”
Australia sealed qualification for the U15 World Cup with a hard-fought series win over New Zealand in January’s Oceania Qualifier.
Andrew Kyle will be joined on the coaching staff by SA Pathways Manager Tyrone Hambly, former U12 World Cup coach Brian Murphy as well as 1988 Olympian Grant Weir.
Australia has been drawn alongside powerhouse Japan and two-time defending champions Cuba at the upcoming World Cup.
As well as Japan and Cuba, Australia will face the Netherlands, South Africa, and the Dominican Republic, with the top three teams progressing to the Super Round.
Baseball Australia, in conjunction with Major League Baseball (MLB) and State Associations, is excited to announce the 2018 MLB Australian Showcase.
The inclusion of the MLB Australian Showcase in Australia is part of a continued effort from MLB to help grow the game in Australia, and will feature opportunities for athletes to showcase their talents in six major Australian capital cities and one regional centre.
The aim of the MLB Australian Showcase is for MLB and Baseball Australia to identify players with the best baseball tools across the country. Both baseball and non-baseball players are invited to attend, with no previous baseball experience necessary.
Baseball Australia will be working with State Associations and professional scouts to conduct showcase events across the country, with every player attending receiving an MLB t-shirt.
Participants must be turning 13 or 14 in 2018 with a birth year of 2004 or 2005.
Pre-registrations are mandatory for the MLB Australian Showcase; please see below dates and registration details for the MLB Showcase Event.
30 June
Morley Eagles Baseball Club (Crimea Reserve, WA) - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
1 July
All-Star Baseball Club (Gerler Rd, Hendra QLD) - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
1 July
Trinity Beach Baseball Complex (Nautilus St, Trinity Beach QLD) - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
14 July
Adelaide Shores Baseball Complex (West Beach Rd, West Beach SA) - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
15 July
Blacktown International Sportspark (Eastern Rd, Rooty Hill NSW) - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
15 July
Melbourne Ballpark (Merton St, Altona VIC) - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
28 July
Errol Kavanagh Oval (Off Kyeema St, Narrabundah ACT) - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
State associations will be responsible for the registrations for the MLB Australian Showcase. Please contact your relevant state association for registration information.
A multi-million dollar contract or represent your country on home soil at an Olympics?
It is a question new Team Australia manager David Nilsson’s agent Alan Nero begged and answered – like many would – in 1999 during an interview with Sports Illustrated.
"Could you turn down $50 million to represent your country?” Nero said to Sports Illustrated journalist Gerry Callahan in July 1999.
“I know I couldn't.
“But, believe me, David Nilsson could.”
Nero was not wrong.
At arguably the peak of his powers – on the back of selection in the 1999 MLB All-Star Game – Nilsson chose to put his MLB career on hold and represent Australia at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.
Fast-forward nearly 20 years and Nilsson will attempt to guide Australia to Tokyo as manager when baseball makes its return to the Olympics.
He brings a wealth of experience with him to the role.
“What a wonderful experience it was playing in the Sydney Olympics,” Nilsson told baseball.com.au.
“It put me in a good position to understand the journey of what it means to play in the Olympics.
“It’s a whole different tournament, a different world and a different environment.
“While we didn’t achieve the result we were after in 2000 … it put us in good stead for the 2004 Olympics.”
Nilsson’s decision to represent Australia at its home Olympics was not an easy decision, nor one he made overnight.
It became a genuine possibility at the end of the 1998 season when he renegotiated his contract with Milwaukee to become a free agent at the completion of the following season.
“I always toyed with the idea and thought about the idea of playing in Sydney … it was very attractive to me playing for my country in my own country,” Nilsson said.
“During the 1999 Spring Training I had a lot of questions about the Olympics
“My focus was squarely on Major League Baseball, representing the Brewers and trying to have success and a long career.”
At the end of the 1999 season Nilsson returned home and helped Australia claim gold at the Intercontinental Cup.
“As soon as that finished my focus switched to signing another Major League contract,” Nilsson said.
“It didn’t eventuate, I think with a lot of the media that had been thrown around the previous year owners started to doubt my intention towards the Major Leagues.
“During the next few months, the negotiation period, offers were coming back and forth and I had a lot of interest from Major League clubs but couldn’t get anything in writing.”
In the end an offer from Japan, which gave Nilsson the chance to represent Australia in the Olympics, helped him make his decision.
“It was a real attractive offer I thought would give me a year to have break, prepare for the national team and experience the Olympics in my own backyard and get back on the horse and continue my career in the Major Leagues,” he said.
“Within a couple of days I had made that decision I was going to choose the Olympics over Major League Baseball.
“At the time I didn’t know that would the end of my Major League career.
“That whole journey was life-changing.”
Click here for the full one-on-one video series with new Team Australia David Nilsson.