Baseball Australia is excited to announce that Team Australia’s series against Japan will be broadcast live on FOX SPORTS Australia.
Team Australia will play a two game exhibition series against Japan on March 3 and 4 in front of crowds expected to peak at 45,000 people.
FOX SPORTS’ coverage will kick off at 9.00pm AEDT on both days, with the games also available via Foxtel’s new streaming service, Foxtel Now.
Baseball Australia CEO Cam Vale sees this as the potential for a long and successful partnership with FOX SPORTS.
“To have our national team shown live on Australian television is a fantastic development,” Vale said.
“This two game series against the world number one is a great opportunity for our national team on the field, while off the field this partnership enables more Australian baseball fans increased opportunities to remain engaged with Team Australia as well as the wider sports fans.”
Team Australia’s roster for the upcoming Japan Series will be revealed on Tuesday, 20 February.
Team Australia vs. Japan
Nagoya Dome – Nagoya
Saturday 3 March, 7pm local (9pm AEDT)
LIVE on FOX SPORTS 506
Team Australia vs. Japan
Kyocera Dome – Osaka
Sunday 4 March, 7pm local (9pm AEDT)
LIVE on FOX SPORTS 506
Baseball Australia is proud to announce the first ever Australian Intermediate League Championship (AILC) will take place at the Albert Park Baseball Complex in Lismore between 20-25 May.
Following the announcement of Australia Region’s direct entry into the Little League, Junior League and Senior League World Series’, Little League® International has confirmed that the winner of the AILC will represent the Australia Region at the Little League Intermediate (50/70) Baseball Division World Series, which will take place in Livermore, California between 29 July and August 5.
The 2018 AILC will be held concurrently with the Australian Senior League (league age 13-16) at the Albert Park Baseball Complex.
Intermediate League (50/70) baseball division utilises 50-foot pitching distance and 70-foot base paths and was introduced by Little League International in 2010. Intermediate League offers league age 11-13 players the chance to transition from the Little League field size (46-foot pitching distance and 60-foot base paths) and the Junior/Senior League field size (60-foot, 6-inch pitching distance and 90-foot base paths).
Baseball Australia’s General Manager of Little League and National Championships, Mat Sundstrom sees this as another exciting development for Australian Little League.
“Australia has cemented itself as one of the best up and coming Little League regions in the world,” Sundstrom said.
“With over 1000 registered Little League teams all over the country, the addition of Intermediate League gives more players the chance to represent their charter, as well as the Australia region on the world stage.”
Stay tuned to littleleague.org.au for all of your AILC information.
About Little League®
Founded in 1939, Little League® Baseball and Softball is the world’s largest organized youth sports program, with nearly 2.4 million players and one million adult volunteers in every U.S. state and more than 80 other countries. During its nearly 80 years of existence, Little League has seen more than 40 million honoured graduates, including political leaders, professional athletes, award-winning artists, and a variety of other influential members of society. Each year, millions of people follow the hard work, dedication, and sportsmanship that Little Leaguers® display at our seven baseball and softball World Series events, the premier tournaments in youth sports. For more information, visit LittleLeague.org, and follow Little League on Facebook (facebook.com/LittleLeague), Twitter (twitter.com/LittleLeague), and Instagram (Instagram.com/LittleLeague).
A winner of multiple ABL Championships and a leader of Australian underage teams, Steve Fish has been named as Team Australia manager for their upcoming tour of Japan.
Fish lead the Australian U18 team to a 5th place finish at the 2017 U18 World Cup in Canada, and more recently managed the Australian U15 team, who last week qualified for the 2018 U15 World Cup.
Speaking to baseball.com.au about his appointment, Fish highlighted the importance of the upcoming games against Japan.
“We need to show that we can compete with anyone in the world and there is no better place to do that than Japan,” Fish said.
“Anybody can beat anyone on any given day, and when you know your players, and when they have the ability to play consistently with each other, comfort levels make winning possible.”
Baseball Australia CEO Cam Vale believes Fish is a valuable asset to the Team Australia program.
“Steve has had a key role in the development of our underage high performance teams for a number of years,” Vale said.
“He has extensive experience both in Australia and overseas, and will lead a determined Australian team with a high quality network of support staff against Japan.”
The support team around Fish is an impressive and diverse collection of some of Australia’s best coaches and high performance staff all of whom have a rich pedigree at the elite end of the game, along with experience in Japan.
Fish’s staff boasts three former MLB stars including MLB All-Star and reigning two time ABL Championship winning coach David Nilsson alongside two-time World Series winner and long time Australian assistant coach, Graeme Lloyd.
Micheal Nakamura will also join Fish’s staff, with the former MLB and NPB player bringing significant experience from a long and successful playing career in Japan.
Two of Australia’s best high performance coaches will also make the trip, with Perth Heat manager Andy Kyle and Baseball NSW High Performance Manager Jason Pospishil rounding out the staff.
Team Australia’s playing roster for the upcoming series against Japan will be announced following the Australian Baseball League season.
Team Australia will play the Japanese national team at the Nagoya Dome in Nagoya on 3 March, and at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka on 4 March 2018.
2018 JAPAN TOUR COACHING STAFF
Manager – Steve Fish
Pitching Coach – Graeme Lloyd
Hitting Coach – David Nilsson
Bullpen Coach – Micheal Nakamura
Assistant Coach – Jason Pospishil
Assistant Coach – Andrew Kyle
Steve Fish
- Drafted by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (1997)
- Two time ABL Championship winning manager (2013/14, 2014/15)
- Baseball Australia Coach of the Year (2015)
- Australian U18 World Cup Coach (2015, 2017)
Baseball Australia is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Crooks as General Manager of Development and Governance.
Crooks will oversee areas including coaching, umpiring, facilities and competition pathways as well as key governance matters as part of the role.
Beyond development, other key projects will be a review of the competition pathways and some of the key systems in the sport, including the National Database.
He joins Baseball Australia after holding the position of National Talent Pathway Manager at Hockey Australia since 2014.
Crooks has a strong baseball background having played for the Melbourne Reds in the former Australian Baseball League and coached at the Victorian Institute of Sports and Baseball Victoria.
He has also worked with Softball Australia, Rowing Australia and Victoria University.
Baseball Australia Chief Executive Cam Vale said Crooks brought with him an extensive knowledge of the sports industry.
“Michael will play a key role in the development and the growth of a number of critically important areas in the sport, including umpiring, coaching, facilities and women’s baseball,” Vale said.
“The focus of this role is also as the key system integration between participation and High Performance whilst taking the leadership around key Baseball related governance matters and overall system improvements with our State & Territory Baseball Associations”
Crooks is set to start with Baseball Australia in early March.
Baseball Australia is proud to announce that Fuchu City, Japan has been named as Team Australia’s home away from home as one of the most crucial international competition cycles begin.
Fuchu City is approximately 45 minutes from downtown Tokyo, and will play host to Team Australia’s pre-tournament camps for events in Japan, including the upcoming Exhibition Series against Japan, the 2019 Premier12 competition and the Olympic Games, Tokyo 2020.
Mayor of Fuchu City, Mr. Norio Takano (pictured), Mr. Glenn Williams, General Manager – Team Australia (pictured), and Ms. Cheryl Stanilewicz, Councillor of Australian Embassy in Japan were among those on hand to announce this historic partnership.
General Manager – Team Australia Glenn Williams is excited to give Team Australia a long-term international base.
“Dealing with Fuchu City has been an excellent experience,” Williams said.
“With players located all over the world, getting them together prior to events is vital to performance at major tournaments. Knowing we have a partner where the facilities are excellent and we will be taken care of is both exciting and comforting.”
“We are looking forward to our camp in March and beginning what will no doubt be an excellent partnership.”
As part of the three-year agreement, Team Australia will attend multiple community events in Fuchu City, as well as discussing potential teams from Fuchu City travelling to Australia.
Baseball Australia CEO Cam Vale sees this partnership as crucial to Team Australia’s international success.
“This agreement with Fuchu City signifies our continued emphasis on a successful Team Australia at major events,” Vale said.
“There has been a mountain of work completed behind the scenes by all parties, in particular Team Australia General Manager Glenn Williams and Baseball Australia consultant Danny Maruyama, and I look forward to a successful partnership with Fuchu City and its stakeholders.”
Team Australia will play the Japanese national team at the Nagoya Dome in Nagoya on 3 March, and at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka on 4 March 2018.
Stay tuned for broadcast information.
Friendship Player Eligibility
In order to be eligible to become a friendship player for another state, players must have registered and trialled unsuccessfully for their respective home state. Players who choose NOT to trial for their respective home states will be ineligible to be considered as friendship players. Players wishing to be eligible as friendship players are required to register their interest online within the specified time frames as set forth by BA. At the completion of the registration process registered players will form the friendship player selection pool. In making themselves available, those players are committing themselves to represent the relevant state and the costs associated with that representation.
Friendship Player Selection
The Head of High Performance (HHP) will liaise with the requesting team’s High Performance Manager (HPM) in regard to friendship player requirements. Once established the HHP will consult with State HPM’s and gather relevant information about players listed within the friendship player selection pool. The HHP and respective National Team Head Coach will complete selection of friendship players. If considered for a friendship position, players will be contacted directly by BA. Once a friendship player is selected, they are able to come back to represent their home state up until a reasonable date set by BA prior to the tournament. This date will take into consideration being able to find a player to replace the original appointed player and make any necessary changes to flights and other relevant details. The relevant State Associations will be notified of the selections and provided two (2) days to lodge a valid objection for not providing a clearance. Should an objection not be forthcoming within the specified timeframe, players shall be regarded as cleared. Should the State Association refuse clearance, BA will seek the reasons for such a refusal and seek to resolve any issues to the satisfaction of all parties. BA retains the right to ultimately provide clearance or refuse clearance to any players making themselves available as Friendship Players.
Applications close at 5pm AEST, 2 February 2018.
Australia has qualified for the 2018 U15 World Cup after back-to-back wins over New Zealand in Auckland today.
The first game was a dominant eight run victory for Australia, with NSW pair James Nati and Nicholas Chappell both putting in strong performances.
Nati gave Australia a perfect platform with a strong start on the mound, while Nicholas Chappell’s home run kept New Zealand at bay.
The second game of the day was an epic, with three extra innings needed to separate the teams.
Jake Burns was outstanding in relief for the Australians, as his team walked away with an 11-6 victory.
Tossing five strong relief innings for Australia, Burns only allowed two hits and worked well throughout the tiebreaker innings.
Burns also swung the bat well all afternoon, driving in a pair of runs from a triple and two walks.
The three extra innings were played with high drama throughout, with the winning run for New Zealand cut down at the plate.
Jacob Bald made an outstanding throw from centerfield, with WA catcher Maddux Stivey applying a clutch tag to extend the game.
That play flipped the momentum as Australia scored six runs in the top of the 10th to run out winners.
Jaime Fox nailed a massive 2RBI double for Australia, as they booked their tickets to Panama later in the year.
Follow along with all of the U15 World Cup action right here at baseball.com.au, with the tournament getting underway on August 10.
Australia is in the box seat to qualify for the U15 World Cup after a 15-0 victory over New Zealand in Auckland today.
That victory sees Australia gain home-field advantage in a best-of-three series against New Zealand beginning tomorrow, with the winner of that series booking their ticket to Panama in August.
Three Western Australian pitchers combined for the shutout, as Maddux Stivey, Tye Kazmierowski and Elijah Hewett all threw clean innings.
James Nati and Charlie Collins both drove in four runs apiece, while Queenslander Ian Lee picked up four walks from his four plate appearances.
Stay tuned to Team Australia Baseball on Facebook for live streaming links of tomorrow's ballgames.
Seven Emerald Ambassadors made the trip to Bali this week, continuing Baseball Australia’s Diamonds in the Rough program.
Funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs, the latest program focused on throwing and the Ambassadors are predominately pitchers.
Abbey Kelly, Sinead Flanigan, Morgan Doty, Kaila Borgomastro, Brittany Hepburn, Amy Collins and (catcher) Abbey McLellan will be delivering this round of DITR working with many of the girls we have previously seen, including the Dyatmika International School.
The throwing focus has evolved over previous trips, with an aim of developing strength both in the Indonesian girls arms and their spirit. We have seen in our previous trips that many of the most popular activities have been those that involve throwing, especially those with targets or asking the girls to say “yes” in their biggest voice as they throw.
DITR is all about empowering Indonesian girls and developing Australian female leaders and this program will continue to build the confidence of the Indonesian girls.
One of the usual aspects of DITR is our women playing games against male Indonesian teams, demonstrating capability and equality. With the smaller group we are changing it up and having our pitchers throw in game like situations with a male Indonesian field behind them.
This activity provides the Indonesian men with quality practice against different pitchers which is invaluable in their preparation for selection to the Indonesian National Team who will be playing in (and hosting) the Asian games later this year. It also provides a strong visual of equality, with both men and women playing together, regardless of gender.
Australian Emeralds Head Coach Simone Wearne has been a passionate advocate of the program since its inception.
“I love Diamonds in the Rough for its ability to develop our Australian female baseballers as leaders in a unique environment," Wearne said.
"They are able to share their love for baseball with the Indonesians who genuinely appreciate the opportunity we provide.”
“The program not only teaches our players resilience and flexibility, it exposes them to the Indonesian culture well beyond that of a tourist. They connect with the Indonesian girls and are role models for the Diamonds, showing them that they have choices beyond those that society dictates.”