No Match Report provided.
Melbourne started their game well with Kylie Natoli knocking in Ellen Goodrope open the scoring in the first inning.
Sara Thibaut started on the hill but some arm soreness meant she only lasted a few innings with Jess Johnson called upon for some relief work, followed by Eva Gottschling who would close the game.
Errors would come back to haunt Melbourne as Doncaster continued to mount pressure, putting on 13 runs and run away 13-2 winners.
Ellen Goodrope was seeing them as big as beach balls in the box and showed off her range in centre with four catches. Bree Natoli also picked up her first Division 1 hit for Melbourne.
Melbourne started their game well with Kylie Natoli knocking in Ellen Goodrope open the scoring in the first inning.
Sara Thibaut started on the hill but some arm soreness meant she only lasted a few innings with Jess Johnson called upon for some relief work, followed by Eva Gottschling who would close the game.
Errors would come back to haunt Melbourne as Doncaster continued to mount pressure, putting on 13 runs and run away 13-2 winners.
Ellen Goodrope was seeing them as big as beach balls in the box and showed off her range in centre with four catches. Bree Natoli also picked up her first Division 1 hit for Melbourne.
Following almost six years in baseball’s top job, Baseball Australia Chief Executive Officer Brett Pickett will step down from his role as CEO in March 2017.
Pickett, who has held a range of roles with Baseball Australia over his 14 years on staff, will continue to guide baseball through its seventh Australian Baseball League (ABL) series and next year’s crucial World Baseball Classic campaign in Tokyo, Japan, before stepping down.
Pickett has overseen significant development and change in the sport including:
· Hosting 2014 MLB Opening Series LA Dodgers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks, SCG
· Over 60 per cent growth in club membership
· Rebrand of Australian Baseball Federation (ABF) to Baseball Australia (BA)
· Unification of the sport through national and state branding
· National Team rebrand – Team Australia “Southern Thunder”
· Women’s baseball participation now 13 per cent of total participants
· Single membership database platform across Australia
· Introduction of evidence-based pathways program “Little League”
· Introduction of entry-point program “T-Ball”
In confirming the news Baseball Australia Chairman David Hynes commented on Pickett’s life-long commitment to the game and it’s growth under his leadership.
“Brett has made a substantial contribution to Baseball for over two decades in a range of roles, most notably as a senior administrator with Baseball Australia,” said Hynes.
“He has overseen significant growth in grassroots participation, club membership, advances in our high performance program, significant investment in stadium infrastructure projects, the growth of women’s baseball, increased unification of the game and an increase in baseball’s public profile through the ABL and the hosting of the 2014 MLB Opening Series.”
“Brett’s commitment to the game is without question. In particular the Board of Baseball Australia (BA) would like to thank Brett for his leadership throughout this transitional period where BA has assumed 100 per cent ownership of the ABL, whilst also signing a new 3-year development agreement with Major League Baseball.”
“Baseball in Australia is entering an exciting period with the International Olympic Committee announcing that Baseball will be reinstated to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Brett will remain at the helm for the next six months, which will give myself and the Board time to ensure we secure the right person to strategically lead our sport into the future.”
Pickett has been a life-long servant of the game having played baseball since he was 5 years old. He commenced his sports management career with the Gold Coast Cougars (of the former ABL) in 1998 after completing a Bachelor of Business (Sports Management) at Griffith University. Pickett then went on to become the Operations Manager for the International Baseball League Australia (IBLA) for a further three years.
Joining the ABF staff in 2002, Pickett was as a member of the High Performance (HP) Division in the role of the HP Coordinator, and later the HP Manager. Pickett was a key resource in the development of programs such as the 2004 Athens Olympic Games program Major League Baseball Australian Academy Program (MLBAAP). Prior to being appointed CEO, Pickett served as the ABF's General Manager of Baseball Operations.
In reflecting on his time in baseball, Pickett believes that the sport has a great opportunity to keep moving forward through a solid foundation and growing public interest.
“I consider it an honour to have served this great sport and its members for as long as I have,” said Pickett.
“It has been more than just a job and I will forever treasure the progress we have made, the friendships I have formed and the experience of working with a committed group of people working towards common goals.”
“Baseball has an extremely bright future in Australia. It has experienced excellent growth over the last 8 years and with all that it has to offer, I know that it will continue to enrich the lives for many more players, coaches, officials and volunteers alike.”
Pickett also acknowledged the great support he had experienced from the Baseball Australia Board, his staff and the state associations in his time in charge.
“I would like to thank BA Chairman David Hynes and the BA Board for their years of tireless work, leadership, and counsel as we worked towards growing our great game together, reflected Pickett.
“None of our achievements could have been possible without the dedication and skill of the BA staff and our network of State Bodies also, who have worked with me to expand baseball’s profile and presence within the Australian sporting market, and I thank them all for the hard work and dedication".
Brett Pickett will remain Chief Executive Officer of Baseball Australia until March 2017. The BA Board will formally commence the recruitment process for a new CEO in due course, to ensure the best range of candidates can be considered.
Brett Pickett will remain Chief Executive Officer of Baseball Australia until March 2017. The BA Board will formally commence the recruitment process for a new CEO in due course, to ensure the best range of candidates can be considered.
UPDATE 16 OCTOBER
After spending some time at the University of Memphis playing some games, the MLB World Select team made their way to the Arizona Senior Fall Classic, one of the most watched events by college/professional scouts in the world.
The team spent time at a College/Pro Showcase before playing their first came of the Classic. The team's first game-day was spent at the Arizona Diamondbacks facility care of recent NSW Hall of Champions inductee and Baseball Australia Hall of Famer Craig Shipley. The World Select Team's first hitout of the Classic saw them up against the Show Baseball Academy from Lawrence, Massachusetts, and the World Select Team shone, taking their opening game of the Classic, 6-1. Oliver Dunn and Jess Williams picked up a hit each, while behind the plate, Jordy McArdle gunned a runner down trying to steal second.
SoCal Black was the World Select Team's next opponent, and the second game of the Classic saw a tougher matchup, with the World Select Team eventually falling 8-7. Matthew Beattie got the start for the World Select Team, and threw three solid innings. Jess Williams continued his great form, picking up another hit, while Nic Anderson-Vine and Josh Bedggood claimed two hits each. Bedggood also showed his range in right field, claiming a superb diving catch.
Angels Red and TRex Baseball are the World Select Team's final two opponents at the Arizona Fall Classic.
UPDATE OCTOBER 11
After announcing the ten young men who will represent Australia as part of the World Select Team, Baseball Australia is proud to bring you an update of the World Select Team's progress on their tour to the USA.
After a long trip over to the United States, the team were keen to get moving again, and did so with a day to remember at the University of Memphis. Following a tour of the facilities, the team were lucky enough to venture on to the field before the University of Memphis Tigers took on the Temple Owls in an NCAA Division 1 Football matchup.
The team's first hit-out of the tour came in the form of a College Showcase in front of 30 college and professional team representatives. Results were mixed but a number of the Australian boys performed extremely well against a very high standard. WA's Jess Williams picked up three hits and a pair of RBIs, while QLD's Josh Bedggood also claimed a couple of hits. Victoria's Matt Beattie spent some time on the mound and threw strongly against a powerful lineup.
The second day of the trip saw matchups against Three Rivers Community College (CT) and the #5 ranked Dyersburg State (TN). The World Select Team claimed an 8-4 victory against Three Rivers, with Jess Williams again shining with bat in hand, claiming a home run. Josh Bedggood swung the bat well to claim a couple of hits, while Oliver Dunn also picked up a hit. Luke Turner (QLD) shone on the mound, throwing five innings and only giving up one run. A tie against the highly ranked Dyersburg State was a great result for the World Select Team. Oliver Dunn and Jess Williams both threw two innings in a tight 2-2 contest.
Stay tuned to Baseball Australia for further updates as the team prepares for the prestigious Arizona Fall Classic later in the week!
Australia's best U-23 baseball players will take on the world's best at the U-23 Baseball World Cup in Mexico in October, and a tough five game group stage will determine their progression to the Super Round.
Australia open their tournament against Austria, while games against Chinese Taipei and World #1 Ranked Japan highlight the business end of the Group Stage.
Should Australia qualify for the Super Round, they will receive a minimum of 355 World Ranking Points, which are more important than ever with the World Baseball Classic and 2020 Olympics upcoming in the next international competition cycle.
The WBSC's YouTube Channel will stream games during the tournament, the streaming schedule is to be confirmed.
Stay tuned for a full streaming schedule, as well as a team announcement in the coming weeks.
AUSTRALIA'S GROUP STAGE SCHEDULE
| vs. Austria (#39), 29 October, 1am AEST |
| vs. Nicaragua (#15), 30 October, 3am AEST |
| vs. Chinese Taipei (#3), 31 October, 3am AEST |
| vs. Argentina (#22), 1 November, 5.30am AEST |
| vs. Japan (#1), 2 November, 3am AEST |
Round 2 of the Victorian Summer Baseball League was a historic one for Mitchell Majors.
The Winter Club not only played in their first Summer League game (due to last week’s washout), but came away with a 27 – 6 win against Fitzroy Gold.
Nathan Sims pitched 3 of game’s 4 innings and tallied 6 strike outs.
Isaac Robinson went 4 - 4 with 3 singles, a double with 3 RBI's. Robinsons also Issac came in to close the game in the last.
Other contributors with the bat included Jesse Sherman (4 - 4 with 2 doubles, 2 singles and 5 RBIs) and Anthony Stafford and Andrew Jenkin who both went 3 - 3.
The Majors scored three in the first inning to take an early lead before conceding two in the bottom half of the inning. Five runs in the second followed by a massive 19 run third inning was enough to seal the victory for the Summer League debutantes.
Paul Osborn and Nick Attard both made their debuts with Attard going 1 - 3 with a double in his first game for the Club.
The Majors would like to thank Research Baseball Club for allowing them to host Fitzroy as their home ground was under water. Without them they would have missed a second game in a row due wash outs.
Essendon 3 def Blackburn 0
Essendon hosted Blackburn in the Ian Mckenzie Memorial game, played to a high standard befitting to the life and contribution Macka made to baseball.
Early pitching dominated until a Josh Davies solo shot gave Essendon their first lead of the game, a lead they would never surrender. Two more manufactured runs in the sixth and it would be the second shutout game for Essendon in as many weeks as last year's premiers are still yet to concede a run this season.
Geelong couldn't capitalise on a great day from Rudy Jaramillo as he worked out of five tough spots for the Baycats. Jaramillo pitched seven innings without conceding an earned run on four hits.
The Baycats grabbed an early lead in the third after a single from Cameron Gibbons plated Chris Webb and when Jaramillo scored on an error it was 2-0 Geelong through three. That how it remained until Waverley were able to claw one back in the seventh before pinching the win with a two run bomb from Kayne Hillier in the top of the ninth.
Jeremy Young was awarded the win for Waverley after tossing three innings of shutout ball, striking out three, walking two and surrendered no hits. Brock Wells took the loss for Geelong.
A 154 pitch outing from Brock Pawley in his second start for the year was enough to get Fitzroy their first Division 1 win for the season. Pawley struck out 14 and walked just one hitter, giving up two earned runs on the way to a complete game win for the righty.
Single markers from Cheltenham in the second, third and fourth from were quickly erased on the back of a seven run bottom of the fourth, highlighted by a Tom Dicker two-run shot.
Joel Mackenzie plated six from his four hits including a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth to seal the victory. Zach Rhodes picked up two hits in his first game at old Fitzroy, while Carl Wilson picked up a pair of singles.
No game summary provided.
Game cancelled due to weather.
Mother Nature was the only winner on the day with not one pitch thrown in anger in the Div. 1 Firsts game between Newport and Melbourne today.
Massive winds caused havoc as gusts resulted in branches falling onto the field during the 2s game and at one point a massive branch landed just a little too close to the third base coach. That was enough to stop that game. After a delay and further consultation, the umpires called all games for safety reasons.
Sandringham import Reed Mason took to the mound facing a howling wind for the second week in a row. Apparently not fazed by the breeze, Mason allowed just three hits through five scoreless innings before being relieved by Branden Stenhouse who conceded just one run in his three frames.
The Royals added runs in the third and fifth before a three-run sixth had them poised for the win, before a four-run ninth from Springvale sent the game into extra innings.
Sandy brought in Jayson Arthur who got through the tenth unscathed before a bases loaded wild pitch saw the Royals score the go ahead run and seal the walk-off win.
In a time game shortened to 80 minutes by fading light, Cheltenham got up over Sandringham 2-1. Cheltenham starter Lachie Madden was steady all night, not giving up a walk, allowing just 4 hits through 5 innings. Sandringham's young pitchers Jayson Arthur, Jackson Boyd and Mitchell Wilcox shared the work, combining for 6 walks and 5 hits.
A lead-off walk to Scott Moore and RBI single from Adam Burton from the first two plate appearances of the game had Melbourne off to the perfect start. Two first inning errors from Fitzroy in the first allowed Melbourne to add another and take an early 2-0 lead. Another lead-off walk in the second was capitalised on by Oliver McMahon who plated Melbourne's third.
Fitzroy clawed one back in the bottom half of the second and a three-run shot by Alex Turlea in the third gave Fitzroy a 4-3 lead and brought young pitcher Adam Pahos into the game. Pahos would go on to face 10 hitters in 2.1 inningins allowing only one hit while striking out three without conceding a run.
A Mitch Ayres RBI double tied the game at four and that's the way it would remain.
Round 2 of the Victorian Summer Baseball League was a historic one for Mitchell Majors.
The Winter Club not only played in their first Summer League game (due to last week’s washout), but came away with a 27 – 6 win against Fitzroy Gold.
Nathan Sims pitched 3 of game’s 4 innings and tallied 6 strike outs.
Isaac Robinson went 4 - 4 with 3 singles, a double with 3 RBI's. Robinsons also Issac came in to close the game in the last.
Other contributors with the bat included Jesse Sherman (4 - 4 with 2 doubles, 2 singles and 5 RBIs) and Anthony Stafford and Andrew Jenkin who both went 3 - 3.
The Majors scored three in the first inning to take an early lead before conceding two in the bottom half of the inning. Five runs in the second followed by a massive 19 run third inning was enough to seal the victory for the Summer League debutantes.
Paul Osborn and Nick Attard both made their debuts with Attard going 1 - 3 with a double in his first game for the Club.
The Majors would like to thank Research Baseball Club for allowing them to host Fitzroy as their home ground was under water. Without them they would have missed a second game in a row due wash outs.
Baseball Australia is the national sporting organisation recognised as the official governing body for the sport of baseball in Australia by the Australian Sports Commission, the Australian Olympic Committee, Major League Baseball and other professional baseball leagues around the world.
Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer through the Head of High Performance, this full time role will see you assist with the delivery of the High Performance and National Teams program in accordance with BA strategic objectives.
Major responsibilities of this role includes:
· Provide logistical coordination for all national team programs (both domestic and international);
· Liaison with team Executive Officers;
· Player communication;
· In consultation with the appropriate team staff, coordinate all playing program equipment and uniform ordering, inventory and team outfitting;
· Keep statistical results of all National Teams and individual player performances and compile an annual summary report for respective programs;
· Collect and collate international scouting reports for respective National Team Coaching staff;
· Maintain national squad player and coach information database (Aphex);
· Provide assistance in the coordination and preparation of the MLBAAP;
· Provide general operational and administrative assistance to the Head of High Performance.
Baseball is in an exciting period of growth, and we are eagerly seeking the services of a qualified, energetic and dedicated sports professional to join our team.To be successful in this position you will need:
· Operational coordination experience;
· Extensive understanding of the international and national baseball framework;
· Exceptional people skills;
· Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills;
· A positive work ethic with inherent initiative.
For a full position description for this role, please click here.
Please respond with a one page summary letter (addressed to Justin Drew, Chief Operating Officer) and resume (no longer than 5 pages) to abfadmin@baseball.org.au.
Please place the words “High Performance Coordinator” in the email subject line.
For a full position description for this role, please click here.
Please respond with a one page summary letter (addressed to Justin Drew, Chief Operating Officer) and resume (no longer than 5 pages) to abfadmin@baseball.org.au.
Please place the words “High Performance Coordinator” in the email subject line.
The 2016/17 Summer League Baseball Season will this year have an all-Girls Charter League.
Interested players will be placed into teams based on their Charter. With great success and feedback from the 2016 Girls Charter Tournament, Baseball Victoria expects the league will consist of 4 teams; Northern Diamondbacks, Eastern Athletics, Southern Mariners and the Western Mets.
Games will be played on a Saturday morning from 9-11am, at varying locations prior to senior women’s games. Each team will play 10 games throughout the summer season. The season will run from 5th November to 4th February (breaking over Christmas period, recommencing on 14th January, played prior to the Division 1 Mens All Star Game)
This new opportunity for Junior Girls to play baseball together aims to provide an environment that is fun, safe and engaging for all involved. With excellent coaching and increased opportunities, players involved will be supported through a developmental pathway.
The cost for a player to be involved in the 2016/17 Girls Charter League is $120. This includes;
The League will be open to any junior girl 14 years and below. With enough interest, the competition will be split into 10-Under (Tball) and 14-Under (baseball). At this stage we will be only having one League, however we will look to have two age groups at the 2017 Girls Charter Tournament.
If you are interested in the 2016/17 Girls Charter League, please express your interest through the banner below.