Baseball Victoria, Author at Baseball Victoria

School Sport Victoria and the Department of Education and Training (DET) would like to congratulate the following students, teachers, community volunteers and schools who have won a prestigious 2017 Victorian School Sports Award. These awards are presented annually to government school students who have achieved outstanding performances at a state, national or international level. These awards are known as a Sporting Blue Award. Awards are also presented to teachers and volunteers who have demonstrated outstanding commitment and achievement to school sport within their school and the wider school sport community. The Outstanding School Community Partnerships Award is presented to the school that has formed successful partnerships with community clubs and organisations resulting in enhanced opportunities for students at their school.

The students, teachers and volunteers received their awards at a prestigious ceremony at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March 2018. Award winners also received a letter of confirmation of their award forwarded to their home address. The Principal of the recipient's school will also received a letter of confirmation of the award. These names join the honour roll of previous winners, many of whom have gone on to represent their country on the international stage at Olympic and Commonwealth Games and World Junior and Senior Championships.

Nominees will receive a Certificate of Achievement forwarded to their home address shortly. A copy of the letter to nominees will be forwarded to school principal.

We thank all government schools for supporting the Victorian School Sport Awards 2017. Nominations for 2018 Victorian School Sport Awards will open in August 2018.

Visit the School Sport Victoria website for more details on the Victorian School Sports Awards.

KEENAN SPENCE - Maribyrnong College - Maribyrnong Sports Academy

After trialling and excelling in a number of sports from rugby to swimming and Australian Rules Football, Keenan really hit a home run when he took up baseball and he first represented his state in the under 12 baseball side. A member of the Melbourne Aces Junior Baseball Academy, Keenan was also selected for the K2 Baseball Academy and hopes to one day play college baseball and ultimately Major League Baseball in America. A personal highlight for Keenan was being awarded the Melton City Council Resident Achievement Award.

Baseball Victoria

Years of Service Award

Awarded to Leslie Flower

(Victorian Baseball Association Life Member 2002)

Speech delivered by Myles Foreman, President Baseball Victoria

VIVA 2018 Baseball Victoria Awards 15 March 2018

“Leslie Flower, started his lifelong involvement with Victorian Baseball in the early 1960’s as a 16-year-old playing for the Williamstown Baseball Club.

By the time he retired as a player he had played over 760 senior games for the club in summer, winter and masters teams.

He played many positions including Catcher, Short Stop and Pitcher. It was pitching in the early 1970s where he really excelled, twice winning the prestigious Williamstown Baseball Club Thompson Trophy for the best player in the club.

Les was known for his fierce curve ball and had no fear of throwing it on a full count. Known for wearing the number 16 uniform, Les gave that number up for the new comer. He then took number 40 which is the first player number in the 110 years of the Williamstown Baseball Club’s history to have been retired.

Off the field, Les continued his lifelong involvement with baseball on the administration side at Club State and National level.

For Williamstown, Les was known for his endless efforts and contribution to the development of players of all ages and skill levels and for the competition of the game in general.

The honor boards inside the club rooms list his name no fewer than 19 times, President for 5 years, Secretary for 3, and Treasurer for 11 years.

During this time Les was awarded the Victorian Sports Manager of the year, which continues to be a major recognition for his accomplishments as an administrator.

Les’ career as a State administrator started when he applied for the role of Executive Director for the Victorian Baseball Association under Peter Dihm.

Despite the precarious position the association was in at the time, Les took to the job and so began his long-standing career, commitment and lasting contributions to the Victorian Baseball Association which ultimately transitioned into Baseball Victoria.

While in the role, Les built great relationships with the State Government which enabled the organization to apply for and obtain significant grants during his time.

For example, this enabled the organization to host the World AA (16 and under) World Championships in 1991.

When the Australian Baseball Federation was looking for an Executive Director, it was Les who volunteered to take on the role.

As the Victorian baseball organization grew in the 90’s and participation numbers were rising, Les was right there overseeing it all.

Through Les’ leadership Baseball gained entry into the Victorian Institute of Sport program. We talk much about inclusion today but it was Les who implemented the Women’s Program in the 1990’s and helped the member clubs develop those programs ultimately being recognized with a Silver Prime Ministers award for the women’s program.

Another success of Les was the development of the Geelong Baseball Centre by the Geelong region advisory board. Les was and continues to be a great supporter of Regional Baseball having provided many opportunities for country kids, clubs and associations.

Les held the position of Executive Director / CEO for eleven years. He was fundamental in the expansion and growth of the sport here in Victoria.

The VBA was able to expand its development and admin roles under Les’s oversight. In his office Les had the mythical white board which was the map for the future of the sport in Victoria.

Our current CEO Justin Huber like so many has been influenced by Les, he is also a white board man and will cover every wall of the new Baseball Victoria office at the Ballpark with white boards. Les became the “go to” state administrator in Australia due to his down to earth approach and understanding of the needs of the sport.

After Les left his position as Executive Director/CEO he took over the oversight of the VBA/BV accounts and has been involved on a part time bases in various roles ever since, quietly in the background making major contributions to the betterment of our sport.

It is clear to us all through personal experience that Les is very passionate about our great sport and has a great sense of duty and right.

Les has always believed that it is a privilege to be involved in our sport and that everything we do must be for the good of the sport; not the individual. Les has endeared himself to all he has dealt with, building credibility with our members at all levels.

And now over 50 years after that 16-year-old first became involved in baseball Les has decided to hang up the abacuses and hand over the accounting duties.

Have no fear ……Les it not departing Baseball Victoria completely he will always be welcome at Baseball Victoria and around our community continuing in various roles quietly ensuring our sport continues to function.

In the time allotted I have only scratched the surface and highlighted some of Leslie Flower’s many and lasting contributions to our sport. From field maintenance, scores, stats, accounting, finance, CEO duties, events, you name it, Les did it.

We would like to make a special thank you to Gail, Les’ wife, for providing the photos and many newspaper articles and awards about Les.

Now if I could ask Peter Dihm who was President of the Victorian Baseball Association from 1990 to 2009 and worked closely with Les while he served as Executive Director from 1990 to 2002 to join me on stage to help present Les with this award.

Few in the over 125 years of our sport in Victoria have contributed as much as Les. We thank you Les for everything you have done for Baseball over the years. We thank you for your lifetime of service. Your legacy in Victorian Baseball will live on for years to come and you will always be a very valued member of the Victorian Baseball Community.

Leslie Flower, could you please come to the stage to collect the first ever Years of Service Award.”

Last night, the Baseball Victoria community celebrated its annual VIVA Global Awards ceremony in front of over 230 attendees at Fenix Events in Richmond.

With a great autumn setting overlooking the Yarra River, our Master of Ceremonies - Ian Cohen held the crowd to applause for each award winner as the night honoured stand out performances from each senior grade as well as the Melbourne Aces.

CEO Justin Huber was very pleased with the night.

“Last night was just such a fantastic atmosphere and a wonderful way to celebrate the end of a busy summer period.

Congratulations again to all the awards winners and special thanks to all the BV staff and volunteers who have worked tirelessly to make this event happen.”

In addition to the individual award winners who competed in the summer competition, BV also presented a number of non-playing awards to acknowledge stand out contributions off the field, as well as honour club of the year.

Volunteer of the year	Leanne Gibbons	Geelong
Umpire of the year	Greg Howard
Inclusion club of the year	Essendon BC
Coach of the year	Dan Betreen	Berwick
Div 2 club champion	Berwick City	Cougars
Div 2 club champion	Melbourne

Lifetime of service	Les Flower

Finally with much adoration BV celebrated lifetime honours for two new life members Michael Gourlay and the late Richard (Dick) Mason OAM, along with a lifetime service award for the enormous and ongoing contributions of Les Flower.

In his speech, President of Baseball Victoria Myles Foreman had this to say about Les’ lasting legacy.

“Few in the over 125 years of our sport in Victoria have contributed as much as Les. We thank you Les for everything you have done for Baseball over the years. We thank you for your lifetime of service. Your legacy in Victorian Baseball will live on for years to come and you will always be a very valued member of the Victorian Baseball Community.”

BV would like to thank all the participants, sponsors, award winners, club volunteers and guests who made the evening a night to remember. We are looking forward to a great twelve months ahead and hope to make next year’s awards celebration even bigger and better.

In his speech, President of Baseball Victoria Myles Foreman had this to say about Les’ lasting legacy.

VALE MEG CLARKSON 1931-2018

IT is with a heavy heart that the Waverley Baseball Club relates the passing of Meg Clarkson, considered by many as the matriarch of the club, last Saturday morning.

Along with her late, great husband, Doug, Meg embodied the spirit, passion and fun that resonates at the Waverley Baseball Club.

Many things characterised Meg Clarkson, but above all her ever-present smile, her happy disposition, her unwavering loyalty, her unbridled passion for the game, her genuine interest in everyone she met as well as her tireless commitment and her inspiring work ethic shone through.

Such formidable and appealing qualities elevated Meg to a much loved figure not only at Waverley, but throughout the baseball community not only in Victoria, but around the country.

Quite apart from serving as the WBC Secretary for two years, Meg was the official scorer for Waverley’s Firsts for 25 years and when Waverley entered a team - Waverley Reds - in the inaugural Australian Baseball League, Meg was the club’s official scorer until the League went into recess in 1999.

Meg also scored for Victoria at Junior National Championships and served on the Victorian scorer’s committee for many years.

Waverley bestowed Life Membership on Meg in 1990. Fittingly, Dougie and son David are also Life Members of the club.

Meg may have been small in stature, but she possessed a heart that dwarfed her. She was magnanimous, selfless and truly a beautiful and wonderful lady.

She loved her family - children David, Lynette and Jenny, her nine grandchildren and one great grandchild - she loved her baseball and she loved the Waverley Baseball Club.

And, everyone loved Meg Clarkson.

RIP Meg.

Note: Meg Clarkson’s life will be celebrated at the Boyd Chapel, Springvale Crematorium, at 11am on Monday, March 19. The celebration will continue afterwards at the Waverley Baseball Club.

VALE MEG CLARKSON 1931-2018

IT is with a heavy heart that the Waverley Baseball Club relates the passing of Meg Clarkson, considered by many as the matriarch of the club, last Saturday morning.

Along with her late, great husband, Doug, Meg embodied the spirit, passion and fun that resonates at the Waverley Baseball Club.

Such formidable and appealing qualities elevated Meg to a much loved figure not only at Waverley, but throughout the baseball community not only in Victoria, but around the country.

Meg also scored for Victoria at Junior National Championships and served on the Victorian scorer’s committee for many years.

Waverley bestowed Life Membership on Meg in 1990. Fittingly, Dougie and son David are also Life Members of the club.

Meg may have been small in stature, but she possessed a heart that dwarfed her. She was magnanimous, selfless and truly a beautiful and wonderful lady.

She loved her family - children David, Lynette and Jenny, her nine grandchildren and one great grandchild - she loved her baseball and she loved the Waverley Baseball Club.

And, everyone loved Meg Clarkson.

RIP Meg.

Note: Meg Clarkson’s life will be celebrated at the Boyd Chapel, Springvale Crematorium, at 11am on Monday, March 19. The celebration will continue afterwards at the Waverley Baseball Club.

Baseball Australia is excited to announce that Ian Williams and John Boultbee A.M have been unanimously appointed to the board of Baseball Australia.

Ian Williams is a former underage Australian baseball representative, having competed in an U19 World Championship. His on-field talents were not restricted to baseball, as Williams also represented Australia in Rugby Union, compiling 44 games and 17 test matches for the Wallabies.

Speaking about the appointment, Baseball Australia President David Hynes said:

"Ian brings to our sport a deep understanding of Asia which is a huge focus for Australian baseball. He is fluent in Japanese and serves on a number of high-level international Foundations and Councils between Australia, Japan and Korea.”

“Ian’s reputation and contacts in Asia are outstanding and we are excited about the opportunity to benefit from his advice and direction in this area.”

John Boultbee A.M is one of Australia’s most highly-regarded sporting administrators, having served in a range of roles including Director (CEO) of the Australian Institute of Sport leading up to the 2000 Olympics and Head of High Performance, National Teams and Football Development, and Head of International Relations at the Football Federation Australia from 2004-2013.

Currently the Head of High Performance for Volleyball Australia, John has also worked in recent years on the establishment of the National Rugby Championship for the Australian Rugby Union, a High-Performance Program Benchmarking for Cricket Australia and a Review of the National Team Program (the Kangaroos) for the Australian Rugby League Commission.

Hynes believes Boultbee's combination of experience and a wide-ranging skill set makes him a valuable asset to the board.

"John is one of the most well respected administrators in Australia," Hynes said.

"John brings to Baseball a long and well-credentialed history in high performance sport, with a particular focus on successful team sporting environments. Our entire organisation will benefit from his deep experience across a range of sporting codes as an administrator, participant and consultant."

Baseball Australia is excited to announce that Ian Williams and John Boultbee A.M have been unanimously appointed to the board of Baseball Australia.

Speaking about the appointment, Baseball Australia President David Hynes said:

“Ian’s reputation and contacts in Asia are outstanding and we are excited about the opportunity to benefit from his advice and direction in this area.”

Hynes believes Boultbee's combination of experience and a wide-ranging skill set makes him a valuable asset to the board.

"John is one of the most well respected administrators in Australia," Hynes said.

Division One

Springvale vs. Footscray 11-4

The Lions may have only lost one game in the regular season, but they narrowly lost to the underdogs as the Bombers enjoyed a thrilling end to the game. This marks the first time club has won a women's division two premiership.

Women's Division Three

Photo: Moorabbin Baseball Club - Facebook

Congrats to all teams for their success this season and to Springvale, Essendon and Footscray for their huge Grand Final wins!

Grand Final Game Two

Blackburn vs. Geelong 3-6

The Baycats sealed the deal in an exciting game two sweep of the Orioles to secure the premiership title and cap off a terrific season. Blackburn battled but Geelong always stayed one step ahead, having jumped on the board early with patient plate appearances and team batting. Pitcher Rudy Jaramillo gave another impressive performance, holding Blackburn at bay while Geelong’s batters did the trick. They loaded the bases in the second, threatening to extend their lead but Blackburn put up a competitive front, allowing only one run to score.

The Orioles tied the game at two apiece in the third, but Geelong soon jumped ahead, thanks to 14 hits on the night compared to the Blackburn’s six. A gallant effort by the Orioles wasn’t enough as the Baycats cruised to their championship win!

Congrats Baycats!

Women’s Division One Finals

Round 2

Essendon vs. Footscray 4-7

All three women’s teams at Footscray have advanced into Grand Finals. The Bulldogs kept the Bombers at bay in their big win, thanks to solid at-bats and quality pitching. Footscray will face Springvale at home on Saturday. First pitch is at 4 pm.

Women’s Division Two Finals

Essendon vs. Footscray 8-4

The results were reversed in division two, where the Bombers scored twice as many runs as the Bulldogs for a big semifinal win. They will play Springvale in the Grand Final on Saturday at 1pm at Footscray. The teams last saw each other in round 18, when the Cougars narrowly bested the Bombers, 9-8. Before that, in round 11, Essendon got the edge 15-14, but Springvale dominated their round six meeting, 25-3. Springvale manufactures 10+ runs on a regular basis, but Essendon has shown their hitting strength as well throughout the season.

Photo: Amanda Mentiplay/Essendon Baseball Club Facebook

Women’s Division Three Finals

Footscray vs. Sandringham 14-0

First-place Footscray suffered a surprising 11-15 loss in round one, meaning the Bulldogs had to step up their game vs. Sandringham. Sadly for the Royals, the old, dominant Bulldogs were back, with good hitting and even better pitching to get a huge shutout victory. Footscray moves on to face Moorabbin in Saturday’s Grand Final, set for 10 am at Footscray.

Congrats to all the women's teams on their success this year!

Grand Final Game 1

Berwick vs. Preston 6-4

This competitive game was a testament to why these two teams finished at the top. In their three regular season meetings, they were 1-1 with a draw, and last night Berwick managed to take a 1-0 series advantage after a big rally.

The Pirates started off strong against pitcher Blake Cunningham and the Cougars’ defense, capitalizing on first-inning errors and a massive double from Lewis Weldon to make it 0-1. Preston’s Hayden Godbold struck out two in the first, but couldn’t stop Berwick from tying it up in the second. The Pirates answered in the third with one run, making it 1-2, before taking a 1-4 lead in the fifth off another hit from Weldon and a sacrifice fly.

Their lead didn’t last long as the rest of the game belonged to Berwick. The Cougars tied it up in the sixth on a string of unearned runs and eventually took a two-run lead against pitcher Satoshi Maekawa in relief. The Pirates couldn’t come back from the deficit as Berwick took home a 6-4 game one victory. Game two is scheduled for 1:00 pm at Altona, with a possible game three set for Sunday afternoon.

Berwick added one more in the seventh, but they struggled to hold back Preston in the bottom half of the inning. The Pirates took advantage of five walks and a hit-by-pitch batter to record two more runs. Berwick simply couldn't make up that four-run deficit against shutout pitching from Ley, and the series went to game three.

Grand Final Game 3

Berwick vs. Preston 1-2