Baseball Victoria, Author at Baseball Victoria

Five Victorians will represent Australia as part of the Under 18 team heading to Hong Kong to play in the Phoenix Cup from 19-22 February.

All veterans of the recently concluded National Championships in Canberra, the state representatives for this prestigious tournament are Brittany Cedelland, Sinead Byrne-Connell, Maddy Davis, Emma French and Abbey Kelly.

The youngest of the lot, Cedelland is just 16 and she will be making her international debut. She performed brilliantly at the recently completed national championships, finishing with a sparkling 2.79 earned run average and pitched excellently against New South Wales in the gold medal game.

At 19, French is the team’s veteran. This will be her third time representing Australia at the Phoenix Cup. She played a huge part in Victoria’s silver medal run at the National Championships, registering a crucial win over Queensland.

Kelly, 17, is making her second trip to the Phoenix Cup.

Also 17 years of age, Davis played for her first Victorian Blue squad at the National Championships and will likewise be making her initial trip abroad for Australia.

Last but not least, Byrne-Connell (17) will also make her Phoenix Cup debut after playing very well for the Vic Blue team in Canberra.

“Congratulations to all the girls selected to represent Australia at the Phoenix Cup in February,” said Ashley Blair, Interim General Manager of Baseball Victoria. “This is a fantastic achievement and is the result of a huge amount of hard work and sacrifice you have put into baseball over the years.

“That five girls have been selected again demonstrates the strength of the Victorian High Performance program and everyone involved. We are sure those selected will represent Victoria and Australia to the best of their abilities.”

Supporters can follow their progress at the Phoenix Cup website.

Baseball Australia is pleased to announce the final roster for the Australian Women’s A Roo Development team that will compete in the Asia Insurance Phoenix Cup, Hong Kong, February 19 to 22.

The 2016 International Women’s Baseball Tournament will see the Australian’s up against some baseball powerhouses of the Asia Pacific region, including China, Guam, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and tournament hosts, Hong Kong, as they battle it out for the newly designed Defenders Cup.

Phoenix Cup Head Coach Lisa Norrie, Assistant Coaches Ashleigh Ross and Sharon Moss and
Baseball Australia High Performance staff, utilised the recent National Youth Women's Championship to make final roster selections.

" This years Phoenix Cup team is fairly young in comparison to past teams, however the level of talent and ability that exists in this team is really exciting. The opportunity for these girls to go overseas and play in an open women's international event doesn't come around very often, we are lucky to be able to use the Phoenix Cup to develop the girls from such a young age"
2016 Phoenix Cup Head Coach Lisa Norrie.

The Australian roster boasts the 2016 National Youth Women’s Golden Glove, Golden Arm and Tournament MVP winners, as well as seven returning Bronze Medallists from last year’s tournament

SURNAME	FIRST NAME	DOB	BATS	THROWS	POSITION	STATE
BRENNAN	Kelsey	17/01/2000	R	R	P/C/IF	WA
GORDON	Caitlin	19/06/2001	L	L	P/IF	WA
HAGGART	Meaghan	24/02/2000	R	R	LHP/IN/OF	WA
HUMPHREYS	Chloe	28/06/2000	R	R	IF/P	QLD
KELLY	Abbey Michelle	22/09/1998	R	R	SS	VIC
MCDONNELL	Natassha	10/07/2000	R	L	P	NSW
MOSS	Taneeca	27/08/2000	R	R	IF/OF	QLD
SMITH	Brittany Sarah	24/12/1998	R	R	P/IF	QLD
STEVENS	Olivia	21/05/2001	R	R	C/OF	QLD
FRENCH	Emma	26/09/1996	R	R	P	VIC
CEDELLAND	Brittany	27/04/1999	R	R	P	VIC
BYRNE-CONNELL	Sinead	1/11/1998	L	L	P	VIC
DAVIS	Madeline	27/12/1998	R	R	IF	VIC
WEST	Amy	8/06/1997	R	R	OF	QLD
ZYLSTRA	Grace	8/10/1997	R	R	OF/P	QLD
WATSON	Pheebe	24/10/1999	R	R	C/OF	NSW
RICHARDSON	Jordan	16/06/2000	R	R	IF	NSW
FLATLEY	Emma	12/10/1998	R	R		QLD

Schedules, Results and all Tournament information will be through Hong Kong Baseball Association website www.hkphornixcup.com

For the first time in Australian Baseball history, Country NSW are the U18 National Youth Champions, after the team rallied in the sixth to come from behind, and secure their first ever U18 Title.

Heading into the Championship, Country NSW had the head to head at 2 and 0 against Vic Blue, but the Victorians came out firing and crossed the plate in the first and took an early 1 - 0 lead. Victoria Blue starting pitcher Matthew Beattie, dominated on the hill with Country unable to record a hit for the first 5 innings.

Jack Bramble's double to left field, fired up the Country line up and when Nick Anderson - Vine followed suit with a single, putting Bramble in scoring position, Jacob Amos finished the rally with a bomb to centre field scoring 2 and Country took the lead. The bats stayed hot in the 7th inning as another 2 crossed home plate to increase the lead.

Mitch Inskip proved the difference for Country in the middle, with the hurler notching up 40 strikes from 50 pitches and holding Vic Blue to 1 hit in the final 5 innings, securing the 4 to 1 Gold Medal win.

Chasing the Bronze Medal, an epic game between Queensland and New South Wales, that saw the teams at 3 a piece until the 7th inning when NSW local hero, Isaac Whaston bombed a triple to centre field scoring James Sammes and winning the game 4 to 3.

Final standings for the 2016 U18 National Youth Championship

1. Country New South Wales
2. Victoria Blue
3. New South Wales
4. Queensland
5. Western Australia
6. Canberra
7. South Australia
8. Victoria White

2016 Award Winners

Golden Glove - Harry Fullerton NSW

FLD% .985

Golden Bat - Jordan McArdle SA

AVG .471, AB 34, H 16, RBI 14, SLG% .706

Golden Arm - Mitch Inskip NSW

ERA 0.00, IP 14.1, SO 5

MVP - Oliver Dunn VICB

Gold Medal Game Replay
Event Photos
Results
Individual and Team Statistics

For the first time in 37 years, South Australia's U16's have taken out the title of 2016 National Youth Champions, after defeating Victoria Blue 7 to 4 at Blue Sox Stadium, Monday 18 January.

Vic Blue had a clear advantage, having beaten the South Australian's twice leading into the gold medal decider, but nothing could stop the power hitting of the SA U16 Bite, with the score at the bottom of the second 6 to 0. Proving their defensive game was as strong as their offensive, they kept Vic Blue scoreless until the bottom of the 5th, which proved enough to secure the victory.

Western Australia dominated Victoria White in the Bronze Medal match up with a convincing 8 to 0 score line to round out the top three placing.

Final standings of the 2016 Under 16 National Youth Championship presented by Rawlings

1. South Australia
2. Victoria Blue
3. Western Australia
4. Victoria White
5. Queensland
6. New South Wales
7. Country New South Wales
8. Canberra

2016 Award Winners.

Golden Glove - Dawson Summers WA
FLD% .905

Golden Bat - Jarryd Dale VICB
AVG .500, AB 36, H 18, RBI 17, HR 2, SLG% .917

Golden Arm - Duane Johannsen QLD
ERA 1.35, IP 13.1, SO 19

MVP - Jarryd Dale VICB

Gold Medal Game Replay
Game Results
Event Gallery
Individual, Team and Tournament Statistics

Ormond Glenhuntly 15, Research 13

There was no bigger game played on Sunday in Division 3 than the tilt between the Hunters and Roadrunners.

Ormond Glenhuntly’s win—at least for now—puts them in the last spot for finals. Now 5-8 on the season they play surging St Kilda at home in a midweek game tonight.

Research (4-7), meanwhile, has the unenviable task of facing Pakenham at their home ground.

Pakenham 14, Footscray 2

Speaking of the Pumas: buoyed by another lightning quick start they scored eight times in the first and one more in the second before the Bulldogs managed to get on the board. Two runs in Footscray’s half of the third, however, was negated by Pakenham tallying four more in the bottom of the inning. One final run in the sixth by the Pumas provided the winning margin.

Pakenham, 11-3, hosts Research this evening while last place Footscray (3-9) travels to top-of-the-ladder Mulgrave.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.

St Kilda 10, Chelsea 0

All season the Saints had been waiting for a game like this.

Dominant pitching? Check. Club coach Brett Elliott was masterful on the mound, allowing only one hit in six innings. At one point he struck out four batters in a row.

Timely, consistent hitting? Yup. St Kilda scored runs early-and-often (four in each of the first two innings), getting important hits—many with two outs—and putting pressure on the suspect Dolphins fielding, whose multiple errors extended innings, with aggressive baserunning.

Solid defence? Absolutely. None of the starting nine made a miscue.

All-in-all it was a dominant victory that put St Kilda well within shouting distance for a postseason spot.

Mulgrave was idle this weekend.

There was no bigger game played on Sunday in Division 3 than the tilt between the Hunters and Roadrunners.

Ormond Glenhuntly’s win—at least for now—puts them in the last spot for finals. Now 5-8 on the season they play surging St Kilda at home in a midweek game tonight.

Research (4-7), meanwhile, has the unenviable task of facing Pakenham at their home ground.

Pakenham 14, Footscray 2

Pakenham, 11-3, hosts Research this evening while last place Footscray (3-9) travels to top-of-the-ladder Mulgrave.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.

St Kilda 10, Chelsea 0

All season the Saints had been waiting for a game like this.

Dominant pitching? Check. Club coach Brett Elliott was masterful on the mound, allowing only one hit in six innings. At one point he struck out four batters in a row.

Solid defence? Absolutely. None of the starting nine made a miscue.

All-in-all it was a dominant victory that put St Kilda well within shouting distance for a postseason spot.

Mulgrave was idle this weekend.

Fitzroy 8, Berwick City 3

In an important win to solidify their finals aspirations, the Fitzroy Lions dominated on the road on Saturday, besting the Berwick City Cougars, 8-3. The victory improved Fitzroy’s overall record to 11-6-1, two and a half games behind second place Werribee. Berwick drops to seventh on the 10 team ladder with an 8-10 mark.

Malvern 14, Ballarat 3

A disappointing season so far took a turn for the better when the Braves dominated the Brewers, 14-3. With the win, Malvern stays one spot above the cellar (and Port Melbourne) while Ballarat sits fifth.

Moorabbin 7, Bonbeach 1

Scoreless through three, the Panthers struck first on Sunday, tallying twice in the fourth to take an early lead. Not satisfied, they then scored three times in the seventh and twice more in the eighth to provide a margin that could not be overcome. The Bluejays lone run came in the eighth inning.

Two games clear atop the Division 2 ladder, Moorabbin is now a sterling 16-2 on the season. Bonbeach’s perch is the eighth rung with a 6-12 mark.

Upwey Ferntree Gully 17, Port Melbourne 2

This one wasn’t even close. The Tigers dominated throughout, improving their record to 8-10. The loss for the Mariners, their 13^th of the season, relegates them to the bottom of the ladder.

Werribee 9, Williamstown 8

In the game of week, the Giants withstood an epic charge from the Wolves to barely escape with a perilously narrow 9-8 victory. Up 5-0 after one, 6-1 after the second inning and 9-1 after seven, Werribee looked like they were going to cruise to any easy victory.

But Williamstown stormed back with two runs in the eighth and five in the bottom of the ninth to nearly pull off the miraculous comeback.

Thanks to the Brewers also losing, the Wolves remain alone in fourth place with a 9-9 mark. The second place Giants improve to 14-4 on the season.

Malvern 14, Ballarat 3

Moorabbin 7, Bonbeach 1

Two games clear atop the Division 2 ladder, Moorabbin is now a sterling 16-2 on the season. Bonbeach’s perch is the eighth rung with a 6-12 mark.

Upwey Ferntree Gully 17, Port Melbourne 2

This one wasn’t even close. The Tigers dominated throughout, improving their record to 8-10. The loss for the Mariners, their 13^th of the season, relegates them to the bottom of the ladder.

Werribee 9, Williamstown 8

But Williamstown stormed back with two runs in the eighth and five in the bottom of the ninth to nearly pull off the miraculous comeback.

Thanks to the Brewers also losing, the Wolves remain alone in fourth place with a 9-9 mark. The second place Giants improve to 14-4 on the season.

In what is shaping up to be one of the busiest years on the representative baseball calendar, Baseball Australia is excited to announce the host venues and tournament dates for The Australian Senior League and Bendigo Bank Australian Little League National Championships for 2016.

For the first time, the championship schedule will see the inclusion of Senior League, the next step in the player pathway ensuring that the progression through Little League and Junior League continues around the country.

The Championship calendar will begin at Albert Park Baseball Facility, Lismore, NSW where the 2016 Australian Senior League Championship will make its debut from 14 to 19 May.

The Bendigo Bank 2016 Australian Little League Championship will also make its return to the home of the Timberjacks, from 8 to 13 June.

“I am delighted to announce that the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, has secured the Bendigo Bank Australia Little League and Australian Senior League Championships for Lismore for the next five years in partnership with Lismore City Council,” Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events and Minister for Sport Stuart Ayres said.

Baseball Australia’s Head of Little League and National Championships, Mathew Sundstrom after today’s announcement

“We have more people participating in Junior Baseball Championships than ever before, since the inclusion of the Little League Pathway, which makes this a really exciting time for the sport, and to be able to secure these two events for the next five years here in Lismore is fantastic.”

2016 National Championship Schedule:

Australian Senior League Championship
Albert Park Lismore, NSW, 14 to 19 May

Australian Junior League Championship
Diamond Sports SA, Westbeach, SA, 22 to 26 May

Bendigo Bank Australian Little League Championship
Albert Park Lismore, NSW, 8 to 13 June

Further information available at baseball.com.au in the coming months

The Championship calendar will begin at Albert Park Baseball Facility, Lismore, NSW where the 2016 Australian Senior League Championship will make its debut from 14 to 19 May.

The Bendigo Bank 2016 Australian Little League Championship will also make its return to the home of the Timberjacks, from 8 to 13 June.

Baseball Australia’s Head of Little League and National Championships, Mathew Sundstrom after today’s announcement

2016 National Championship Schedule:

Australian Senior League Championship
Albert Park Lismore, NSW, 14 to 19 May

Australian Junior League Championship
Diamond Sports SA, Westbeach, SA, 22 to 26 May

Bendigo Bank Australian Little League Championship
Albert Park Lismore, NSW, 8 to 13 June

Further information available at baseball.com.au in the coming months

Cheltenham 3, Geelong 0

Sterling pitching and timely hitting delivered the visiting Rustlers their biggest win of the season. Single runs in the fourth, fifth and seventh provided all the scoring Cheltenham needed. The win improves their record to 10-7, now just two games back of Blackburn for the second rung on their divisional ladder.

Despite the loss, only the fourth of the season for the Baycats, Geelong remains atop their division, 1.5 games ahead of Essendon.

Doncaster 13, Preston 7

Two struggling squads met at Preston’s home ground on Sunday and the last place team came out ahead. With the six run victory, the Dragons improved to 4-12-1 on the season and the Pirates fell to 6-11-1.

Blackburn 4, Essendon 3

A back-and-forth affair ended with the Orioles eking past the host Bombers, 4-3. Blackburn got the scoring started with one in the third but Essendon answered right back with two in the bottom half. It was a huge three run fifth that provided the difference for the Orioles; though the Bombers scored once in the eighth they would get no closer.

The victory keeps Blackburn alone in second place; ditto for Essendon in the other division.

Melbourne 16, Newport 0

This simply was not the Rams day. They gave up three runs in the first, two in the third, sixth in the fifth and another five in the seventh to provide the final, merciful margin of victory. The win improves the Demons record to 15-3-1, keeping them high atop the ladder. Newport drops to 6-12 with the defeat, ahead of only Sunshine in the divisional standings.

Springvale 12, Sandringham 5

In a matchup between two teams desperate to get over .500, the Lions hitting won out, scoring three runs in three different innings (the third, sixth and ninth) to earn a crucial victory over the Royals. Now 8-11 on the season, Springvale sits in fourth place in their division, three games behind Cheltenham.

Sandringham fell to 8-10-1 on the year, in third place, four games behind Essendon and 1.5 games clear of fourth place Preston.

Despite the loss, only the fourth of the season for the Baycats, Geelong remains atop their division, 1.5 games ahead of Essendon.

Doncaster 13, Preston 7

Blackburn 4, Essendon 3

The victory keeps Blackburn alone in second place; ditto for Essendon in the other division.

Melbourne 16, Newport 0

Springvale 12, Sandringham 5

Sandringham fell to 8-10-1 on the year, in third place, four games behind Essendon and 1.5 games clear of fourth place Preston.

With the 2016 National Youth Championships winding down and the finals set for Monday, Sunday saw 12 games underway in Blacktown at Blue Sox Stadium, home to the Australian Baseball League’s Sydney Blue Sox.

The U16 portion of the tournament continued on its eighth day with a matchup between Victoria White and South Australia to start things off, and after scoring in each of the first five innings of the game, SA took down the Victorians 11-2 in seven frames.

Victoria Blue hosted Western Australia in the second game on Sunday and with a four-run first and a three-run fifth, the home team took the matchup 7-1.

Australian Capital Territory made their mark in the third contest of the day, scoring 12 runs on eight hits and shutting out New South Wales Country to take the game 12-0.

Queensland played host to New South Wales Country in the afternoon and in a tight affair and after being down by one in the top of the seventh inning, the squad from the sunshine state came back to walk off 6-5 in the bottom half.

Sunday saw New South Wales take on Australian Capital Territory on home turf, NWS coming out on top 5-2 in a competitive game in Blacktown.

The final matchup of the day for the U16s saw Queensland host New South Wales, the visitors winning 7-1 and allowing just two hits to the Queenslanders.

Western Australia and Victoria White will meet in the bronze-medal game on Monday afternoon, with Victoria Blue taking on South Australia for gold at the same time, as the U16 tournament comes to a close at Blue Sox Stadium.

The U18 National Youth Championships saw six games played on Sunday to narrow down the finalists heading into the last day of the tournament on Monday.

Victoria Blue took on New South Wales to start the second-last day of the event, the Victorians coming out on top 6-3 after falling behind early in the matchup.

South Australia hosted Victoria White in the second game of the day and after scoring in each of their final three frames, SA took down the Victorians 7-3 in seven innings.

Western Australia played host to South Australia in the third matchup on Sunday for the U18s and shut out their visitors 8-0 in seven frames, allowing just six hits in the game.

Australian Capital Territory hosted Victoria White in the afternoon and with just four hits couldn’t overcome the offence from the Victorians, who won the contest 12-3.

Western Australia and Australian Capital Territory squared off in the second-to-last contest of the day on Sunday and after putting four on the board in the first inning, WA couldn’t hold on and fell to ACT 6-4 in seven frames.

The final game of the U18 tournament on Sunday saw New South Wales Country host the squad from the sunshine state, taking down Queensland 5-3 and knocking them into the bronze-medal game on Monday.

In the championship portion of the event, the Queenslanders match up against New South Wales in the first game on Monday, both teams looking to head home with bronze. New South Wales Country takes on Victoria Blue in the battle for top spot, trying to head home with gold.