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)

Expressions of interest are now open for head coaches, assistant coaches, and executive officers at the 2024 Charter State Championships next April.

Athletics, Mariners, Mets, Rangers and Twins will need accredited coaches to lead teams in Senior, Junior, Intermediate, and Little League.

Please click HERE to submit your interest.

Baseball Victoria is pleased to announce the appointment of Allie Bebbere as Operations & Competitions Officer.

A long-time Victorian women’s baseball representative, Allie is excited to join BV and make a difference in her beloved sport.

“I am grateful for this new opportunity to play a valuable role in Victorian baseball by overseeing BV operations and competitions,” Allie said. “I hope my passion for supporting and growing the sport and my experience as a player and EO will serve me well as we work together to make baseball bigger and better across the state.”

Allie has played baseball since 2014, with six selections to the Victorian Women’s State Team and a 2022 AWC Golden Arm Award. She also played for the inaugural Victoria Aces team that won the 2022 Australian Women's Baseball Showcase.

Following her international debut for Team Australia at the 2023 WBSC Women’s World Cup, she was listed to MLB.com’s All-Star Team. Most recently, Allie returned from a trip to the WBSC Youth Baseball5 World Cup where she served as Australia’s EO.

“Allie is a great addition to our team with her knowledge of the competition and desire to grow all levels of baseball in Victoria,” BV CEO Chet Gray said. “Her professional experience includes four years with the Y Whittlesea, giving her a strong understanding of child safety and youth recreation, coupled with her background in women’s baseball. We are excited to have her and look forward to a great summer of baseball and beyond.”

Please join us in welcoming Allie to the team! She can be reached at competitions@baseballvictoria.com.au.

Allie is taking over for Kellie Thomas, who will finish up her role with BV at the start of November.

Thank you to Kellie for 5+ years of dedicated service to baseball in Victoria!

Team Australia has unveiled a roster with a mix of World Baseball Classic experience, professional pedigree, and emerging Aussie talent for the upcoming 2023 Asian Professional Baseball Championship.

17 players on the roster have professional experience in the United States and all have strong connections to the Australian Baseball League. This includes six Victorians: Billy Parsons, Dan McGrath, Matt Beattie, Jarryd Dale, Liam Spence, and Chris Burke.

Australia will travel to Tokyo to take on Japan, Korea and Chinese Taipei at the WBSC-sanctioned event from 16-19 November.

Read the full announcement HERE.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for come-and-try days at Brookdale Reserve earlier this month. Our partnership with Wyndham City Council is off to a strong start with 140 players signed up for our Play Ball Pioneers program, which runs every Wednesday through 13 Dec.

Led by BV Development Officers Ethan Epifanio and Dennis Neal, this introduction to baseball is focused on running, hitting, throwing, and catching skills, and it’s free to participate with no equipment needed.

Click HERE to sign up or contact development@baseballvictoria.com.au for more info.

Baseball Victoria is excited to share player selection for the BV Performance Pathway Youth Women's Prospects Program.

This pathway is a step beyond the existing club programs, offering high-performing players the opportunity to further develop their skills and pursue representative opportunities.

The initial training session of the seven-week program took place last Saturday. Samantha Hamilton, the Victorian Women's Head Coach, and Dean Anglin, the Victorian Youth Women's Head Coach, along with their dedicated coaching staff, are guiding these young female athletes to elevate their skills for enhanced competition.

"The trials showcased a remarkable pool of talented players, underscoring the strength and potential in youth and women's baseball across our state," Hamilton said. "We are proud to provide these young athletes with more opportunities to refine their skills and compete at the highest levels. Moreover, we are committed to supporting our coaches within the Baseball Victoria Coaching Panel, ensuring a comprehensive approach to player development."

Congratulations to our 2023 Youth Women's Prospects!

• Ruby Benne
• Jasmine Bentley
• Jessica Brown
• Ruby Dale
• Keeley Harrison
• Kira Jansen
• Eden Neave
• Chelsea Nunn
• Mackenzie Prentice-Evans
• Macy Priamo
• Kendra Rutgers
• Lilly Simpson
• Emma Sullivan
• Maddi Weller
• Amelia Wright

Want to learn how to score?

Victorian Baseball Scorers Inc. for a beginner scorers clinic this Thursday 19 October from 8:00-9:00pm via Zoom.

This interactive, hands-on training session will go through the basics of baseball scoring, aimed at absolute beginners using a scorebook.

No previous experience is required and RSVPs are essential - please register here: https://bit.ly/octoberscoringclinic

Whitehorse City Council awarded Blackburn Baseball Club with Club of the Year honours at their annual awards on Wednesday night, a welcome achievement for the tight-knit Burners community.

This award recognises all the contributions of volunteers and supporters, with Blackburn beating out 250 clubs across Whitehorse. Club Secretary Patrick White, who received the 2023 Whitehorse City Council Volunteer of the Year Award, says it comes after they set out to change the shape and culture of the club.

"It’s honestly recognition for a few years worth of hard work from our committee to re-engage with our members and then have them buy into the direction we want to go," White said. "It’s an awesome feeling to be recognised within our council, particularly where there are so many other fantastic sporting clubs and also to receive it coming from a lower tier sport."

With a "good people first, then good baseball will follow mentality", the club reset its junior program, cutting fees by 200% to eliminate financial stress for families while helping retain kids in sport for their well-being.

After bringing together the senior and junior clubs, Blackburn has seen a 25% increase in player numbers.

"We are the biggest we have been in 20+ years and have close to 20 teams across our club, making us bigger than some of the tier 1 sports we compete with for attention," White said.

The club is committed to supporting players on and off the field, and a partnership with SALT - Sport And Life Training offers mental health programs to participants, parents and supporters.

This supportive environment, coupled with social functions and gameday engagement, such as seniors coaching juniors and juniors throwing out the first pitch at senior games, has brought back the large community feel the Burners are so proud of.

"Ultimately, we are a community of people who enjoy spending time with one another and looking after one another, and baseball is what brings us together," White said.

The Burners look forward to building on this foundation after starting the summer season off strong with the council award.

"We celebrate our 60th year as a club this year with two of our founding members in Ian Burgell and Paul Tierney still involved, so seeing how proud they were to win the award only makes it feel more lovely," President Brooke Tierney said.

"We’ve worked hard to build a better relationship with our council and the Forest Hill Baseball Club crew to ensure as a collective group, we work together to drive baseball and our clubs to a better place. So we really feel like this award is for all of us."

Baseball Victoria is pleased to open tryout registration for the Victorian Women's and Youth Women's State Teams ahead of the 2024 Australian Championships next April.

Please click HERE to register for tryouts.