Baseball Victoria, Author at Baseball Victoria

2016 will go down in history as the year Australian Little League put itself on the map.

For the first time ever, Australia will have a representative in the Senior League, Junior League and Little League World Series.

The final piece of the puzzle came together last week when Victorian Senior League Charter team the Southern Mariners defeated Guam 10-0 in the Senior League Asia-Pacific Championship final.

In Australia's first year of delivering the Senior League Division, the Southern Mariners have become the first Australian Team to represent the Asia-Pacific Region at a World Series event.

This comes after NSW charter Hills claimed the Australian Little League Championship crown last month and received automatic qualification to the famed Little League World Series.

If all that wasn’t enough for Little League in Australia, Cronulla won gold at the Australian Junior League Championship and subsequently received automatic qualification to the Junior League World Series, a first for Junior League Baseball in Australia.

Baseball Australia’s Head of Little League Mathew Sundstrom is thrilled by the continued growth of Little League in Australia.

“We’re really thrilled about the future of Little League in Australia and sharing in the amazing benefits Little League offers,” Sundstrom said.

“Baseball Australia’s relationship with Little League continues to grow as the members and local communities embrace the Little League pathway and the opportunities it brings."

The Southern Mariners will compete in the Senior League World Series which takes place between 31 July and 6 August in Bangor, Maine.

Cronulla flies the flag for Australia at the Junior League World Series that gets underway on the 14^th of August in Taylor, Michigan.

The jewel in the Little League crown as always is held in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and for the lucky Hills team from NSW, they’re in for the trip of a lifetime.

For everything Little League, stay in touch with Baseball Australia on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Curaçao raced out to an early three run lead against Team Australia, but once again, the resolve and grit shone through, with Australia eventually running out winners over Curaçao 8-4 in a gripping extra innings encounter.

In his first appearance in national colours, Tom Bailey really found his rhythm after giving up a couple of early runs. The Perth Heat representative gave his all on the mound, retiring 16 of the last 17 batters he faced.

Team Australia manager Jon Deeble was really excited by Bailey’s performance.

“Tom was a little bit nervous but he’s got really good stuff,” Deeble said.

“I think we’ve found something there, this kid can pitch. He didn’t give up a hit through his last five innings and he’s really smart on the mound.”

Australia clawed a pair of runs in the second thanks to a pair of key hits from Mitch Nilsson and Aaron Sayers, both men claiming their first hit and RBI in international competition.

The scoring dried up in the middle innings as both pitchers found their rhythm, however Team Australia veteran Luke Hughes knotted the ballgame at three with an RBI sac fly in the fifth.

Team Australia Manager Jon Deeble always kept the faith with his team.

“No one panicked,” Deeble said.

“We just kept putting pressure on them with timely hitting and solid defence. Even when we were behind, we kept executing and got the job done.

From there, both teams traded runs, with an RBI single from Curaçao’s Mujica in the seventh cancelled out by a clutch Darryl George RBI in the 8th to again tie up the ballgame.

Aaron Sookee entered the ballgame in the seventh and threw strongly, striking out three and only giving up one earned run.

Curaçao couldn’t get the job done in regulation, so both teams entered the 10th with speed up rules in effect. Australia made their most of the extra base runners, with patient at bats rewarded with bases loaded walks, and an RBI single from David Kandilas and a perfect frame from Scott Mitchinson sealing the deal for another tense Team Australia victory.

"Our guys just don’t quit,” Deeble said.

“Whether we’re up or down, we keep playing the game the right way, which is a credit to the group.”

Team Australia resume their quest for Honkbalweek glory against host nation The Netherlands on Wednesday night at 7pm (3am AEST), with playoffs getting underway on Thursday.

After giving up an early run, the guts and determination of Team Australia shone through, defeating a talented Japanese side 4-3 to remain undefeated at Honkbalweek Haarlem.

After playing in Japan for the past couple of seasons, Steve Chambers gave Australia an outstanding start on the mound, throwing 5.1 innings, only giving up one earned run and striking out five in a fantastic effort.

Chambers one earned run came in the opening inning as Satoh made the most of a rare mistake, following his early hiccup, Chambers kept Australia in the ballgame.

Team Australia Manager Jon Deeble was impressed with the team’s ability to grind out a victory.

“We want to be perfect defensively and we were tonight,” Deeble said.

“Chambers threw the ball really well, Josh Tols came in and got through two tough innings, and we got some timely hits against a quality Japanese outfit.”

Japan’s starting pitcher retired the first twelve batters in order before Mitch Dening broke up the perfect game with a single to right field in the fifth.

Making his Team Australia debut at the tournament, Andrew Campbell earned a walk in the sixth, before his Brisbane Bandits team-mate Ryan Battaglia laced a groundball up the third base line, scoring Campbell from first and tying the ballgame at one. Team Australia and former MLB player Trent Oeltjen kept the momentum going, with an RBI double scoring Battaglia from second.

The action didn’t stop there, with an inexperienced Japanese side giving up a couple of crucial errors that caused a bit of chaos amongst the defensive side. After all was said and done, Australia began the sixth one run down, and finished it two runs up and swung the momentum of the game.

Jon Deeble was complimentary of his team’s character and chemistry.

“We go out every game to win,” Deeble said.

“Whether it’s against the Diamondbacks, the Dodgers or Cuba, the culture in this team is fantastic. It’s a really tight knit group and every time they put on the uniform they go out there to represent and perform well.”

Japan pulled within one in the seventh, but a timely RBI sac fly from Mitch Dening extended the lead to two and gave Australia some much-needed breathing space.

Team Australia Manager Jon Deeble went to Shane Lindsay in the 8th, and it wasn’t without trouble, with the Japanese loading the bases with only one man away. However the experience of Lindsay shone through, as he retired the next two hitters to get Australia out of a massive jam.

The nervousness didn’t stop there though, with a runner on third with none out in the final frame. After Wilson Lee recorded the first out, Deeble turned to Matt Timms to claim the final two outs, and Timms didn’t disappoint, sealing a hard fought victory for Australia.

Team Australia takes on Curaçao in their next group stage game tomorrow night at 7pm (3am AEST)

Baseball Victoria are delighted to announce that Joel Mackenzie has been appointed as Communication & Digital Marketing Manager.

In this newly created position Joel will be responsible for assisting with the communication and marketing (PR, media, digital, publications) efforts of Baseball Victoria to ensure baseball’s stories, values, product offerings and other key messages are appropriately and creatively communicated to the wider general public, via traditional and non-traditional means. The role is also responsible for ensuring the existing baseball community is adequately engaged and kept abreast of the sport’s developments.

BV General Manager Ashley Blair said "Joel's impressive communication and marketing experience together with his extensive experience with baseball and sport more generally made him the stand out candidate from an impressive array of applicants".

Joel is a current player at Fitzroy Baseball Club and was a regular player in Fitzroy firsts in the 2015/2016 season which saw Fitzroy Baseball club being promoted back to Division 1 for the 2016/2017 season.

Professionally Joel has previously held roles with Wheelchair Sports WA (Operations & Marketing Manager), Hockey NSW (Media & Database Coordinator), Melbourne International Comedy Festival (Digital Marketing Coordinator), and is currently working at Frontier Advertising where he has managed online communication and advertising for New Balance Cricket and Football. Joes has also done freelance writing for Basketball Australia and the International Paralympic Committee.

Upon the confirmation of his appointment Joel said:

"In a way I've been really lucky spending some time out of sport, but now I'm thrilled that sport, and more specifically the game of baseball, will once again become my daily professional focus as well as a continuing personal passion".

An offensive explosion in the opening inning combined with a solid start from Dushan Ruzic lead Team Australia to a 9-5 victory in the opening game of Honkbalweek Haarlem, at Pim Mulier Stadion.

After a leadoff single from Logan Wade and Trent Oeltjen was hit by an errant pitch, Luke Hughes dispatched the first pitch he saw deep over the left field fence, and in the blink of an eye, Team Australia lead 3-0.

Using his experience after playing in the Honkbal Hoofdklasse for four years, Dushan Ruzic gave Australia a fantastic start on the mound, only giving up two earned runs and not conceding a walk in 5.2 innings pitched.

Team Australia Manager Jon Deeble was impressed with Ruzic’s performance.

“Ruzic was outstanding today,” Deeble said.

“He threw the ball really well, got ahead of hitters and set us up perfectly for the rest of the game.”

A pair of errors from Chinese Taipei in the fifth set the table for David Kandilas, who delivered, driving Luke Hughes in from second to start another onslaught from the Australian bats. A perfectly executed hit and run play saw Darryl George claim his first hit in national colours, and in turn, extended Australia’s lead to five. Not to be outdone, Andrew Campbell also claimed his inaugural hit in Australian colours, driving in Australia’s sixth run of the ballgame.

The Chinese Taipei bats came to lift in the sixth, with a double from Chang and a single from Tsao putting some pressure on the Australian defence. Chinese Taipei tacked on three runs thanks to an RBI sac fly, a blooper to right field and an infield single, but Matt Williams struck out Lee to end an eventful inning.

Jon Deeble praised his team’s effort and execution after the opening win of the tournament.

“We got on base early which set us up nicely,” Deeble said.

“We’re swinging the bat really well, and even though we’ve got a few things to tidy up defensively, it’s a good first effort from the guys.”

Tzu-Hsien Chan nailed a solo shot to cut the Australian lead to two in the eighth, but after some quality at bats from Brisbane Bandits pair Logan Wade and Ryan Battaglia, a wild pitch and back-to-back balks scored three runs, putting the result beyond doubt for Australia.

Australia’s next game will take place at 3am AEST (7pm local time) tomorrow vs. Japan.

Team Australia Manager Jon Deeble is wary of the Japanese side.

“They’re going to be tough,” Deeble said.

“Japan has a great team with good arms and solid defence. We’re going to have to be on top of our game to beat them.”

Stay in touch with everything Honkbalweek on the Team Australia Facebook, Twitter andInstagram.

On behalf of the Baseball Victoria Board, management and the Victorian Baseball community, I would like to congratulate the Southern Mariners on qualifying for the 2016 Senior League World Series.

This is a fantastic achievement of which the players, coaches, parents and the whole Victorian Baseball community should be proud.

To make it to the World Series, the Mariners have had the daunting task of winning three tournaments - the State Championships, the National Championships and now the Asian Pacific Championships. The players are to be commended on the way they have adapted to at times uncompromising conditions.

The Southern Mariners are the first Australian charter team to make it through to the Senior League World Series and the first Victoria team to make it through to a World Series in all of the Little League Divisions.

It was fantastic to see the Victoria Baseball community as well as the Australian baseball community get behind and support the Southern Mariners over the last few days.

Congratulations to the coaches, Russell Ferguson, Brendan Wilson and Rick Wills and all the players on a fantastic achievement. I would also like to make special mention of head coach Jack Larner who was unable to make it to the Philippines due to health reasons but has played a huge part in the success of the team.

It would be remiss of me not to also congratulate the Mariners Charter committee, the clubs involved in the Charter and John Carlile (Charter Development Coach). In the past 24 months and especially the last 12 months, the sport in Victoria has gone through a significant change which has involved establishing and bedding down the formal charter structure. The hard work put in by all involved with the Mariners Charter committee has played a part in this success. At the same time the hard work put in by everyone involved in all charters has played a role in contributing to this success.

The Senior League World Series will take place in Maine USA, from 31 July - 6 August 2016. We look forward to watching the Southern Mariners in the next phase of this incredible journey.

Ashley Blair, General Manager

Baseball Victoria

Baseball Australia is delighted to confirm the host venues and tournament dates for the National Youth Championships and National Women’s Championships for 2017.

For the third consecutive year, Australia's elite male and female ballplayers will take over two capital cites with the aim of being crowned our nations best.

Blue Sox Stadium, Blacktown International Sports Park, NSW, will host the Under 16 and Under 18 National Youth Championships from 6 to 15 January. Both Championships have a proud baseball history with 2017 being the 79th year for the Under 18 competition.

The National Youth Women and the National Women’s Championships will be hosted during Easter in 2017, based on the recommendation of the Women’s Advisory Panel and in consultation with Baseball Canberra. Narrabundah Ballpark, ACT, the home of the Canberra Cavalry, will again be the venue with the Youth Women’s Championship starting on 14 April -19 April, and the Women’s running from 15 April – 22 April.

Narrabundah Ballpark and Blacktown International Sports Park boast some of the best baseball facilities in the country and Baseball Australia looks forward to returning to both of these ballparks in 2017.

Speaking of the venue announcements, Baseball Australia Head of Little League and National Championships Mathew Sundstrom, said the Championships are key events in the Australian baseball calendar.

"These great events provide opportunities for athletes to represent their state and compete against to the best players in Australia,” said Sundstrom.

For more information about the National Youth Championships and the National Women’s Championship visit baseball.com.au or follow us on Facebook or Instagram.

U16/U18 National Youth Championships

Venue: Blacktown International Sportspark, Sydney

Dates: 6 January – 15 January 2017

National Youth Women’s Championship

Venue: Narrabundah Ballpark, Canberra

Dates: 14 April – 19 April 2017

National Women’s Championship

Venue: Narrabundah Ballpark, Canberra

Dates: 15 April – 22 April 2017

Take a quick tour of the Southern Mariners journey throughout the Asia Pacific Championships with their match reports below.

DAY 1:

Australia vs Phillipines

The Australian Senior League team commenced their quest for World Series qualification with a win over host nation the Philippines. Jackson Boyd started and kept the Philippine bats quiet for his 3 inning outing. Jai Lyttleton entered the game in the middle innings and kept the Philippines to 1 hit and no runs. The Mariner bats were taking time to adjust and led 6-4 after 5 innings. Declan Croker followed Lyttleton and also kept the hosts scoreless in an impressive outing. Eventually the Mariner bats came to life and scored 15 runs in the last two innings to run out comprehensive winners 21-4.

Final Score

Australia (21) def Phillipines (4)

DAY 2:

Australia vs CNMI

The Senior league Mariners today faced the defending champions CNMI who have been the Asia Pacific representative for the past two years at the Senior League World Series. Jayson Arthur (The King) had the start today to Harrison Wills and in a masterful display kept the defending champions to 2 hits in 5 2/3 innings of quality pitching. The Mariners scored in the second and third innings and then added another 5 runs in the sixth and another 7 in the seventh to finish the game 16-0. All players again contributed to the win in oppressive conditions with John Paul Callil collecting 4 hits in team that hit the ball consistently to advance runners. The win puts the Mariners at 2-0 and another win from last two games will guarantee a position in the final to be played on Saturday.

Final Score

Australia (16) def CNMI (0)

DAY 3:

Australia vs Indonesia

The Australian Senior League team qualified for the final of the Asia Pacific Region with a win over an undermanned Indonesian team today in Clark, Philippines. The powerful batting line up plated 11 runs in the first inning and added runs in all but 1 of the 5 innings the game was played over. Tim Lane was efficient on the mound for Australia and only had 1 hit registered against him in a solid display. The team plays Guam tomorrow and has a rest day on Friday to prepare for the final.

Final Score

Australia (33) def Indonesia (0)

DAY 4:

Australia vs Guam

The Australian Senior League team maintained their unbeaten run with a fighting 2-1 win over Guam today in the Asia Pacific Senior League tournament.The Victorian team gave up 1 run in the first innings then scored in the top half of the second innings.The game was played in extremely humid conditions and a temperature of 33 degrees at 10.00am.

Josh Meyer was superb on the mound stifling many challenges Guam threw at the Australian team. Josh fought through 6 innings and handed the ball over to Jordan Barnett to close out the game. Routine outs for the first and second outs before Guam mounted another challenge and loaded the bases. A soft fly ball over Barnett's head forced him to lay out diving backwards and take the final out for the game in a spectacular finish. Both teams played uncompromising baseball and may meet again in the final. The Australian team will enjoy a well earned rest tomorrow and look to be fresh for the final on Saturday where the victorious team will be ensured of a place at the Senior League World Series.

Australia (2) def Guam (1)

DAY 5: GRAND FINAL

Australia vs Guam

The Southern Mariners booked their place in the Senior League World Series with an emphatic 10-0 victory over Guam today at Clark, Phillipines. The Mariners bats came to life in the second innings of the game when they plated 8 runs in the top half of the second innings behind some powerful hitting which penetrated the usually tight Guam infield. Jackson Boyd was huge on the mound for the Australian team and he simply dominated the Guam bats.

In the end Guam never mounted any serious challenge to the Southern Mariners who plated another 2 runs in the 4th to bring the mercy rule into play with another 3 outs.

Again Jackson answered the call and effected the needed 3 outs to complete the game.

The Southern Mariners become the first team from Victoria to qualify for a World Series, the first Senior League team from Australia and the first Australian team to qualify as Asia Pacific representatives.

The Southern Mariners will now travel to Maine, USA for the Senior League World Series which commences on the 31st July and concludes on 6th August 2016.

Final Score

Australia (16) def CNMI (0)

DAY 3:

Australia vs Indonesia

Final Score

Australia (33) def Indonesia (0)

DAY 4:

Australia vs Guam

Australia (2) def Guam (1)

DAY 5: GRAND FINAL

Australia vs Guam

The Southern Mariners will now travel to Maine, USA for the Senior League World Series which commences on the 31st July and concludes on 6th August 2016.