Fitzroy Baseball Club is celebrating past Players and Life Members Day on Sunday 26 November, with four teams playing at home vs. Newport.

Junior players will throw out the first pitch on both diamonds at Merri Park, with games starting at 1:00pm and 3:30pm.

The first nine will wear special club heritage jerseys, which will be presented to them on the day by life members. Click HERE for more details.

The Baseball Victoria Board has appointed two new directors to casual vacancies, Anna Blackett and Jessica Toop.

These appointments follow the departure of board members Amy McCann and Matt Nichol who stepped down last month.

“Thank you to Amy and Matt for their dedicated contributions as Baseball Victoria Directors,” President Andy Rose said. “We are excited to welcome Anna and Jessica to the board with their extensive experience in various aspects of business management. They will be great additions as we continue to support the strategic direction of baseball in Victoria and work together to strengthen our sport and build a bright baseball future.”

Anna Blackett – Director

Anna is the founder and managing director of Level Up Collective, a collective of specialist consultants and collaboration partners, passionate about working with organisations to help build internal capability, and providing solutions across capability, culture, change and customer. Anna brings 15+ years of professional experience in consulting, recruitment, and talent management to the Baseball Victoria Board. Her previous work includes senior roles with Jetstar Airways, Carlton & United Breweries, Cricket World Cup 2015, and Newcrest Mining. She has also served as a board member for So Brave, a breast cancer charity for young women, and Viva Royal Children’s Hospital Auxiliary.

Jessica Toop – Director

Jessica is the founder and managing principal of Toop Workplace Law, which she started in 2018 after many years as an employee solicitor in private practice and corporate roles. Her boutique legal practice provides employment law advice and support to organisations ranging from small to medium businesses to large corporates, multinationals, and not-for-profits. The University of Melbourne alum previously served as a volunteer solicitor for the Mental Health Legal Clinic and the Hong Kong Refugee Advice Centre and was recently selected to participate in The Observership Program with the Rebecca Jane Foundation.

Click HERE to read more about the Baseball Victoria Board of Directors.

Baseball Victoria is calling for expressions of interest for a head coach, assistant coach, and pitching coach to support the Victorian Youth Women's State Team at the 2024 Australian Youth Women's Championships next April.

Please click HERE to submit your interest.

Learn more about coaching roles and accreditation HERE.

The BV All-Stars are taking on Melbourne Aces in a practice match on Friday 11 November at Melbourne Ballpark!

Thank you to these players for stepping up to the plate and VSBL clubs for nominating them for this friendly game ahead of the 2023/24 ABL season.

Thank you to the Aces for inviting us and we hope to see you there for first pitch at 7pm! There’s free entry for members and free parking.

$5 general admission tickets are available online or at the ticket box: https://melbourneaces.com.au/tickets/

Baseball Victoria wishes to acknowledge the tireless contributions of Kellie Thomas, who steps down from her role as Operations & Events Officer as of Friday 3 November.

Kellie has been an invaluable member of the BV team for 5+ years and she will be missed by her colleagues and the baseball community. During her time at BV, Kellie has overseen a number of areas, including memberships, competitions, tournaments/events, office operations, and administration.

“On behalf of Baseball Victoria, thank you to Kellie for all she has done to support our sport,” BV CEO Chet Gray said. “Her dedication, team leadership, and work ethic have made a positive difference to our organisation and baseball across the state. We wish her all the best in her new endeavours and know she will do a fantastic job just like she did with baseball.”

Kellie thanks BV and the Victorian baseball community for all the memories over the past five years.

“I am proud of everything we accomplished and how we navigated the challenges of COVID-19 and growing grassroots sport,” Kellie said. “I believe baseball in Victoria is in a better place and I will continue to cheer on our athletes and clubs from afar. I know our operations and competitions are in good hands with Allie Bebbere and she will pick right up where I left off.”

Thank you to Kellie for 5+ years of dedicated service to baseball in Victoria and best of luck in the future.

Please email Allie at competitions@baseballvictoria.com.au with any queries regarding VSBL.

Baseball Victoria is thrilled to announce the U16 & U18 Victorian State Teams, which will compete on the national stage at the 2024 Australian Youth Championships early next year.

“We are proud of our 2024 Victorian State Team athletes and looking forward to a strong AYC campaign,” BV High Performance Officer Damian Shanahan said. “We had a great turnout with 150 players trying out for the U16 & U18 teams, and following our rigorous selection process, we finalised two impressive state team rosters with exciting potential to shine at nationals.”

“It’s a massive achievement for these baseballers to represent their state, and we are confident in their abilities and determination to be the best they can be on and off the field. We are excited to continue training with a highly experienced coaching staff leading the way.”

Victoria most recently won bronze in both the U16 and U18 age groups at the 2023 Australian Youth Championships and will be looking to go one step further at the upcoming tournament.

“We wish our U16 & U18 teams the best of luck, and we are excited to see their progress over the next few months,” BV CEO Chet Gray said. “Thank you to all the players who tried out and congratulations to our Victorian representatives. Thank you also to our head coaches, assistant coaches, and executive officers who will prepare our junior baseball talent for success against tough competition from around the country.”

Stay tuned for more tournament updates as the countdown to #AYC2024 begins. We will share the official event announcement with dates and venues once confirmed by Baseball Australia.

U16 Victorian State Team

• Brandon Elton
• Buster Vos
• Cooper Bishop-Worn
• Cooper Busch
• Daniel Williams
• Euan Clarkin
• Harrison Brodie
• Jai DiBlasi
• Jake Bertucci
• Jordan Ellis
• Lachlan Brennan
• Liam Puncher
• Mitchell Langworthy
• Ned Johnson
• Riley Peoples
• Roman Coote
• Ryley Shanks
• Samuel Land
• Samuel Walk
• Windsor Breckenridge

Coaching staff:

• Ben Laux (head coach)
• Trifon Stafilis (assistant coach)
• Daniel Chircop (pitching coach)
• Val Langworthy (executive officer)

U18 Victorian State Team

• Addison Bishop-Worn
• Aimon Dowling
• Andrew Land
• Ben Howard
• Devin Leahy
• Ethan Johnston
• Hamish Stone
• Jack Ratcliffe
• Jayden Kim
• Matthew Johnston
• Robinson Smith
• Ryder Wilson
• Tane Graham
• Tanner Stack
• Ty Daniels
• Will Cavanagh
• Will Kent
• William Hardy
• Zach Dunkley
• Zak Stafilis

Coaching staff:

• Marshall Skinner (head coach)
• Simon Ratcliffe (assistant coach)
• Tim Ballard (pitching coach)
• Taryn Richardson (executive officer)