Andrew Land, Roman Coote, Jordan Ellis, William Hardy, William Kent, Hudson Pallay, Nathan Rumbelow, Robinson Smith, Mitch Langworthy, and Zak Stafilis spent the week at Baseball Australia’s National U16 Camp.

These standout junior players have been training hard and making the most of this unique development opportunity at the Australian Institute of Sport. Samantha Hamilton, Donavon Hendricks, and Daniel Chircop are part of the coaching staff, too.

Well done to all on this experience – we know the future is bright for all of these athletes and coaches!

The BV Coaching Panel met on Wednesday night at Newport Baseball Club, with 16 coaches in attendance as we discussed coach education and opportunities throughout the BV Performance Pathway.

Thank you to everyone who attended and Newport for hosting as we continue to support and strengthen our baseball coaching community.

We look forward to more BV Coaching Panel sessions in the coming months.

Baseball Victoria is excited to announce that Northern Sports & Remedial Myotherapy has joined the BV Diamond Partnership Program at the Single level.

This massage and myotherapy provider is led by Matthew Fraser and based in Bundoora. Since 2016, he and his team have helped thousands of Victorians with pain relief, injury prevention and recovery.

With a sporting background and an interest in baseball in particular, Matt got into myotherapy as a way to help fellow teammates prevent and recover from injuries – shoulder and ROM issues especially.

He’s been playing baseball for the last 20 years and is also involved in umpiring throughout the winter season, giving him a unique understanding of what baseballers need to stay healthy and strong on the field.

“Thank you to Matt and the Northern Sports and Remedial Myotherapy team for their support of baseball in Victoria,” BV CEO Chet Gray said. “Massage and myotherapy specialists can make a big difference to athletes at all levels, helping to prevent injuries and navigate the recovery process, and we appreciate this valuable resource.”

Matt says Northern Sports & Remedial Myotherapy hopes to continue serving community sport participants for years to come.

“We are proud to support baseball in Victoria and are passionate about helping athletes stay on top of their game with specialised injury prevention and pain relief techniques. We are open to people of all ages and activity levels, and we look forward to working with the Victorian baseball community far into the future.”

Head to www.northernsportsmyo.com.au for more information.

Baseball Victoria’s Behind the Mask Umpire Program is off to a great start, with more than 50 participants completing our free umpire accreditation courses at Knox Baseball Club last weekend. National Umpire Director Brett Robson led these courses for new umpires and current umpires wanting to refresh their skills.

We started with a community umpire course on Saturday morning, which included baseball rules, positioning, and signalling mechanics for umpiring at the beginner ball level and senior games.

Next came our association umpire course on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, with theoretical and practical components to ensure umpires can officiate at club level.

“Thank you to everyone who participated in our Behind the Mask courses at Knox over the weekend,” Baseball Victoria CEO Chet Gray said. “We had a fantastic turnout of umpires, from junior players to experienced senior baseballers, and we hope to see them taking advantage of umpire opportunities throughout the summer season. We know the future is bright for our umpiring fraternity and we will continue to support and grow our sport.”

Junior player James Mills from Malvern Baseball Club found it to be a fantastic learning experience.

"It was great to practice with the Barclay Cup squad training," James said. "Brett and all the umpires were so willing to help us new recruits. I really want to do umpiring and keep my eye on the game."

The BV Umpiring Working Group was pleased with the turnout for their first seminar.

"Having Brett Robson from Baseball Australia here to run the community program was a great initiative and we look forward to what lies ahead for future seminars," said Geoff Dunn, State Umpire – Development. "Special thanks to parents, players and juniors for their attendance over the weekend."

Robson was happy to be involved as BA's National Umpire Director.

"The new Behind The Mask program is dedicated to umpire recruitment and development. I thank Chet, Brooke, and the four members of the BV Umpiring Working Group (Dave, Geoff, Dennis and Alan) for their support and assistance," Robson said.

"48 community accredited umpires were in attendance at the association umpire seminar in what is an exciting and fresh beginning for baseball umpiring in Victoria. I wish Chet and his team all the very best as they move forward in a positive and highly collaborative way. Thanks for the opportunity and I look forward to many more visits!"

Registered Behind the Mask umpires have an opportunity to receive game payments for plate and base umpiring. Please view the BV Umpiring Hub for more details.

If you require any information on starting your baseball umpiring journey, please contact the BV Umpire Technical Officer.

Jayden Kim is headed to the Arizona Fall Classic as part of the MLB World Select team.

He is one of ten Australian teens named to the team, which will take part in a prestigious showcase in front of college recruiters and MLB scouts. Read more about it HERE.

Congrats and good luck Jayden!

Baseball Victoria and Wyndham City Council have teamed up to bring the Brookdale Reserve Activation Project to life in Point Cook.

This partnership aims to activate and introduce baseball into the Point Cook community, with the goal of establishing year-round opportunities to deliver diamond sports at the new Brookdale Road Reserve.

Wyndham City Council recently completed the development of a baseball and softball field at Brookdale Reserve, which features diamond fencing, a batting cage structure, and a baseball clay surface. The park is now open to the public, marking the completion of stage two of the $5.6 million reserve. The final stage will see the installation of a modular sporting pavilion to the reserve, scheduled for completion in early 2024.

Baseball Victoria will oversee organised baseball activities at Brookdale Reserve, starting with phase one, which includes the appointment of a local development officer to deliver come-and-try activities and local school clinics.

Following this initial activation, Baseball Victoria will explore opportunities to launch more clinics and competitions at Brookdale Reserve throughout the 2023/24 summer season and beyond.

“We are excited to be working with Wyndham City Council on the Brookdale Reserve Activation Project, which will open up fantastic opportunities to grow our sport in Melbourne’s west,“ Baseball Victoria CEO Chet Gray said. “Wyndham City Council and Werribee Giants Baseball Club have been great supporters of our State Winter Championships in the past, and we are eager to strengthen our collaborative relationships with the local club, council and schools.”

Wyndham City Mayor, Cr Susan McIntyre said Council’s commitment to increasing opportunities for people of all ages to experience the benefits of exercise and sport helped to create a happy, healthy and well-connected community.

Wyndham City’s Active City portfolio holder, Councillor Peter Maynard, said he was pleased to see the activations of Brookdale Reserve taking place.

“We’ve got a strong following for baseball in Wyndham, and I look forward to Brookdale Reserve growing as a sporting hub for all our residents.”

To kick off this new partnership, Baseball Victoria will be hosting several come-and-try baseball sessions for kids 10 and under and 11 to 14-year-olds at Brookdale Reserve as part of Wyndham City Council’s Active Holidays program. Head to www.wyndham.vic.gov.au/whats-on for details.