John King “Kingy” – Baseball Victoria Life Membership

Prior to the first pitch at tonight’s All Star Game Baseball Victoria President Myles Foreman presented John “Kingy” King with his Baseball Victoria Life Membership medallion on behalf of the Victorian Baseball community and invited him to throw the first pitch.

When presenting the Life Membership medallion Myles Foreman said “At the Annual General Meeting of Baseball Victoria earlier this year, the Members unanimously endorsed the recommendation of the Baseball Victoria Board that John King be awarded Life Membership of Baseball Victoria.

For over 40 years John “Kingy” King has been a player, coach, umpire and administrator across State and Club levels.

John started at Fitzroy in the early 70‘s in the Under 15’s. He became Vice President in 1979 and the age of 20 and for the past thirty years has been President.

Across Fitzroy, Greenhills Montmorency and Greensborough baseball clubs John has coached juniors nonstop for approximately 37 years.

John has served as a Board Member and Vice President of the Melbourne Winter Baseball League; he has been a Board Member of Diamond valley Junior Baseball League, served on numerous Baseball Victoria committees, coached Victorian provincial and state teams and led Kangaroos tours overseas.

Fitzroy has recognised John as a “Club Legend” he is a Life Member of Greensborough and is a recipient of and Australian Sport Medal for services to baseball.

John has over many years given of his time freely to many aspects of the game at State and Club level across all aspects of the game. He has always put the best interests of the game first and has inspired many generations of players and administrators.

Life Membership is our sports highest honour in Victoria and is an opportunity for the Victorian Baseball Community to recognise John’s contribution to baseball and say thank you.

John on behalf of the Victorian Baseball Community past and present it is my honour to formally award you with your Victorian Baseball Life Membership medallion”.

The Victorian All-Stars take the field tomorrow night and Saturday against the Melbourne Aces in Altona. Below are their pitchers—most are only expected to throw an inning or two—and projected rosters for both games.

The organisational changes recently announced by the Australian Baseball League (ABL) are part of a long-range, well thought out strategy to restructure Major League Baseball (MLB) operations worldwide.

In order to capitalize on the momentum built by the ABL and MLB Australia, the temporary appointment of Jim Small, currently MLB Vice President of Asia Pacific, will seek to consolidate the impressive gains already made in the burgeoning sport.

Buoyed by exponential revenue growth, double-digit annual increases in attendance and a record number of MLB clubs who are now sending their top prospects to Australia, professional baseball here has never been healthier.

Baseball Victoria would like to thank Peter Wermuth and Tom Nicholson for their invaluable contributions to this success, which included forging a very close collaboration between BV and the Melbourne Aces. Going forward, this relationship will help both organisations pursue a common goal of growing baseball in Australia.

As a tune up for the regular season, Melbourne Aces will host a Victorian All-Star team this Friday and Saturday beginning at 7 p.m.

The official first pitch of the Aces sixth campaign is Friday 23 October, when they begin a four game series against the Sydney Blue Sox. For ticket information call (03) 8360 9371 or visit www.melbourneaces.com.au.

Please see the attached release below for all information regarding this news.

ABL Organisational Restructure.pdf

Essendon 7, Footscray 1

Both teams got off to a quick start in Saturday’s season opening match as the Bombers and Bulldogs each pushed across a run in the first inning. After that, though, it was all Essendon as they plated four in the fifth and another two in the sixth to defeat host Footscray, 7-1.

Springvale 13, Malvern 0

The host Lions never trailed as they scored one, six, five, and one in the first four frames to cruise to a 13-0 victory over the Braves.

Doncaster, which had a first week bye, travels to Malvern while Springvale and Footscray square off at the Bulldogs’ home ground. Essendon is idle.

Mulgrave 9, Ormond Glenhuntly 6

In a spirited affair, visiting Ormond Glenhuntly jumped to an early 5-0 lead before the Rebels marched back to score seven unanswered runs and hold on for a 9-6 victory. Mulgrave plated one in the second inning then three in both the fourth and fifth frames before answering the Hunters top of the seventh run with two in the bottom half. The victory leaves Mulgrave atop the ladder with four points, two more than Chelsea who, while also undefeated, has played one less game.

Pakenham 6, St Kilda 0

A pitching duel broke out in Pakenham as two of the league’s best hurlers—club coach Brett Elliott for the Saints and James Mills, an import from Atlanta—kept the scoreboard blank for the first three frames. Due to an injury to first baseman Marton Marek, St Kilda played with only eight players for the first two frames. That did not affect them defensively, however, as their infield turned three double plays (4-6-3, 4-3 and 6-4-3) in the first three innings. In the bottom of the fourth, some good fortune or bad luck (depending on which side of the diamond you resided) netted the Pumas two crucial runs. They added another in the sixth and, with the skies darkening, pushed three more across in the seventh against reliever Simon Leicht. The game ended with one out in the bottom of the eighth with visibility near zero.

Pakenham 6, St Kilda 0

Research 0, Chelsea 0

Officially a washout, the two squads still got through four and a half innings with the score tied at three.

With only seven teams now in the comp, Footscray was idle this weekend.

Upwey Ferntree Gully 4, Fitzroy 2

One inning—the fourth—was all it took for Upwey Ferntree Gully to score all their runs before holding on for a two-run victory. After falling behind 1-0 in the top half of the inning, the Tigers roared back to plate four of their own. Docile for the next four frames, the Lions emerged from their slumber to score once, but could not get the remaining two to tie the game, falling 4-2 on the road.

Berwick City 8, Bonbeach 2

Despite initially falling behind 1-0, host Berwick City stormed back to plate two runs in the second and three more in each the third and fourth inning to post an impressive 8-2 win over Bonbeach. In a losing effort, the Blue Jays managed just three hits, a single each by Jon Bannister and John Halse and an RBI double by Dayle Selleck.

Werribee 5, Malvern 3

In a game between two teams who had lost the previous week, the host Giants topped the visiting Braves, 5-3. The win propelled Werribee in to a tie for second; Malvern meanwhile seeks their first victory at home this week against Bonbeach.

Williamstown 6, Ballarat 3

On a wild and windy day in Williamstown it was the host’s stellar defence that made all the difference. Flawless in the field and superb on the bases, the Wolves turned just seven hits in to six runs, aided by three Brewers errors. The back-and-forth affair featured three lead changes and some power hitting by both sides. Leigh Ashmore and Scott Kerr starred for the visitors as both belted doubles with Ashmore knocking in two runs. On the winning side, Aaron Green and Jason McDonald both registered multi-hit games, highlighted by the latter’s triple and three runs batted in.

Moorabbin 20, Port Melbourne 2

Once again it was the fourth frame that proved magical for the Division 2 winning side this weekend. Like Upwey, Berrick, and Williamstown, Moorabbin capitalised in the fourth inning, plating a robust 12 runs to steamroll to a 20-2 victory. The Panthers also tallied three runs in the second and third and scored single markers in the fifth and seventh to provide the winning margin. The Mariners scored the lot of their runs in the fourth inning as well.

After two weeks of play Melbourne, Waverley, Essendon and Geelong are all sitting on two wins. Though this probably doesn’t mean much early in the season these teams surely appreciate their good start. Essendon have had two extra innings games already whilst both Newport and Sunshine have been unlucky not to have yet won a game. Round 3 should see lineups more settled as import and transferred players either arrive or are more comfortable in their new clubs.

Waverly 4, Doncaster 0

Utilising a committee of pitchers—none who threw more than two innings each—the Waverly Wildcats shut out the Doncaster Dragons, 4-0. Led by Jon Kennedy on the mound, Waverly had two players (Luke Papanicolaou and Mitchell Hayes) record multiple hits, with Hayes also knocking in two of the four runs. Doncaster’s Billy Findlay also had two hits while Brendan McDonald contributed a two bagger to the Dragons’ cause. Their pitching too was stellar as Simon Fitzmaurice started and went five innings giving up four runs, before handing the ball off to Ben Utting who threw four innings, allowing just one hit and no runs.

Geelong 3, Newport 1

In a closely contested match, Geelong scored single runs in the fifth, sixth, and eighth inning to defeat Newport, 3-1. In defeat, Rams hurler Gabriel Sandersius was magnificent, striking out 12 batters and throwing 88 strikes over 130 pitches. Doing it all, he also accounted for their lone run with a single in the top of the first. The lack of notches on the scoreboard masked the fact that three members of Newport—Mathew Lawman, Scot Malthouse and Zac Seipolt—came through with multi-hit games.

The biggest blow, however, was struck by Geelong’s Matthew Zablan who followed up a sixth inning single with a mammoth home run in the eighth. Not to be outdone by his Rams counterpart across the diamond, Zablan also closed out the game for the save after Cameron Forbes (six innings, 57 strikes in 77 pitches) and Stuart Barnes (two innings) also pitched masterfully.

Essendon 5, Sunshine 4

Speaking of the residents of Moonee Ponds, the Essendon Bombers prevailed in a cracker of a match, tying the game in the ninth before prevailing in walk-off fashion in the 11th frame. The Eagles, too, showed plenty of fight, tallying twice in the ninth to pull ahead, 4-3, before suffering a tough defeat. Of note: six Essendon players recorded multiple knocks, including five who had doubles. And Scott McIntyre’s hit in the bottom of the last proved decisive.

The Bombers pitching was led by Luke Abels, who threw five innings, before Gareth Formisano (two innings), Dean McIntrye and Michael Formisano (one frame apiece) finished off the game. Essendon travels to play Sandringham and the Pirates visit Newport in the coming round.

Melbourne 5, Blackburn 3

Despite falling behind 2-0 after the first half inning, the Melbourne Demons battled back to score one in the first and four in the third to secure a rain-shortened 5-3 win at home over Blackburn. Details from the Victorian Summer Baseball League (LINK!) match of the round can be found here.

Preston 4, Sandringham 1

Beware the Preston Pirates! In a taught, back-and-forth affair the Pirates went ahead in the eighth inning before adding two insurance runs to down the Sandringham Royals, 4-1. Despite its low score, the game was chock full of hits with the victors tallying 10 and the Royals amassing seven. Headlining the hitting parade was Ryan Evans who notched three singles. Benjamin Jackson, Mitchell Legge and Jorday Ley also got more than one hit for Preston. Jordan Barnett for Sandringham also recorded two singles.

On the mound, Hayden Godbold got the win and Masknni Hashiguchi and Ley were very good in relief. For Sandringham, Kynan Wilcox (4.2 innings, three hits, one earned run) and Spencer Jack (4.2, 7, 3) split the pitching duties for the Royals.

Cheltenham 5, Springvale 0

In a game much closer than the score indicated, the Cheltenham Rustlers blanked the Springvale Lions, 5-0. Led by the dynamic duo of Andrew Gribbin (2-for-3 with a run and RBI) and Paul Rutgers (3-5, including a double, run, and RBI), the Rustlers scored one in the first, three in the seventh and one in the eighth to record their first win of the season. Bryan Kloppe pitched excellently over six innings, only allowing two hits. Teammate Kable Hogben then closed out the game. For the Lions, it was Steve Hughes on the bump followed by veteran Freddy Flores.

Round 3’s Match of the Round will feature Preston at Newport. First pitch is Sunday at 3.30 p.m.

Demons Too Good at Home.

MCC and Blackburn both threatened with rallies, but it was MCC that eventually took advantage of them in a 5-3 win at Surrey Park.

Blackburn got seven hits compared with just six for MCC, but Blackburn stranded six on base.

Scott Moore was hot from the plate for MCC. Moore went 2-2 and scored one run. He singled in the first and fourth innings.

Steven Bookluck racked up three RBIs on one hit for Blackburn. He doubled in the first inning.

Andrew Mann got it done on the mound on the way to a win. He allowed three runs over five innings. He struck out two, walked none and surrendered six hits.

Jesse Gavin was charged with the loss. He lasted just 2 2/3 innings, walked four, struck out two, and allowed five runs.

The top of the first saw Blackburn take an early lead, 2-0. Nick Rossell kicked things off for Blackburn with a single. Bookluck doubled, scoring Ryan Berg and Rossell.

The lead stayed with MCC after the third, when it scored four runs on two doubles and a two-run single by Tristan Field.

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Blackburn got seven hits compared with just six for MCC, but Blackburn stranded six on base.

Scott Moore was hot from the plate for MCC. Moore went 2-2 and scored one run. He singled in the first and fourth innings.

Steven Bookluck racked up three RBIs on one hit for Blackburn. He doubled in the first inning.

Andrew Mann got it done on the mound on the way to a win. He allowed three runs over five innings. He struck out two, walked none and surrendered six hits.

Jesse Gavin was charged with the loss. He lasted just 2 2/3 innings, walked four, struck out two, and allowed five runs.

The top of the first saw Blackburn take an early lead, 2-0. Nick Rossell kicked things off for Blackburn with a single. Bookluck doubled, scoring Ryan Berg and Rossell.

The lead stayed with MCC after the third, when it scored four runs on two doubles and a two-run single by Tristan Field.

MORE INFO HERE.

Game Recaps are automatically generated from plays and linescore data. If you believe there is an error, please read this or contact our Customer Support.

Baseball Australia’s nomination came from the largest applicant pool in the awards’ 53-year history, according to the ECA. The finalists came from a diverse group of companies that embody the range of sectors active in the Australian economy today.

This year, BA is recognised in a different area of the business with the Education and Training Award, which is given out annually to the company that shows “outstanding success in the field of education and training services, expertise and curriculum, including vocational training.” That sense of training originates in the Major League Baseball Australian Academy Program, which provides young baseballers from the entire region expert coaching to help them succeed in professional baseball around the world. Since 2013, 27 Australian-born baseball players have signed professional baseball contracts.

Through its investment in the Australian Baseball League, BA and its affiliated institutions serve not only as a place to develop Australian talent but also as a prime training ground for the best young baseball players in the world.

“The Academy is not just about molding Australia’s next crop of young baseball talent, it’s about serving as a hub to train baseball players for success on the global stage at the highest levels abroad, which takes physical and intellectual preparation,” Baseball Australia CEO Brett Pickett said.

“Companies such as Baseball Australia confirm that these awards are important to the industry, in terms of recognising excellence in the field of international trade,” said Lisa McAuley, Chief Executive Officer for the Export Council of Australia. “We wish them the best of luck for the announcement on the 28 October in Sydney.”

Baseball Australia faces five other institutions in the category: the Australian Institute of Higher Education, the Australian Institute of Professional Education, Kincoppal-Rose Bay School of the Scared Heart, Sydney TAFE and University of Wollongong Enterprises.

The winners will be announced at the formal awards ceremony on Wednesday, 28 October at The Star, in front of guests of honour Premier of NSW the Hon. Mike Baird and the Hon. Stuart Ayres MP, Member for Penrith, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events, Minister for Sport.