The Under 16 National Youth Championships commenced today in Sydney with sunny skies and ended with an afternoon storm suspending all games.
The 2015 Under 16 National Youth Championships proudly sponsored by Rawlings saw wins from Country New South Wales and New South Wales.
In the first game of the tournament, New South Wales Country had a massive win over the ACT, defeating them 12-3. After gaining an early lead, New South Wales Country continued to dominate the entire game putting 12 runs from 15 hits on the board. Proving they are here to defend their 2014 champion title.
In a closer game, New South Wales defeated Victoria Blue by one run, winning the game 5-4. New South Wales took the lead in the 4th off two doubles and a single. Although Victoria Blue fought hard to take back the lead in the 7th, New South Wales completed the game with a 5-4 win.
The South Australia versus Queensland, and Victoria White versus Western Australia games were suspended in the 4th and 3rd innings respectively due to bad weather. Play will continue in these games at a later date, with round robin play continuing as scheduled tomorrow.
For live scoring, statistics and results visit baseball.com.au, click on the links below or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
Baseball Australia Presentation
Proposed Change to Current Signing Age
&
College, an Alternate Pathway
Presented by Craig Shipley - Head of National Teams
When: Sunday 11 January 2015
Venue: Rooty Hill RSL Club, Waratah Room
Time: 7:30pm
Duration: Approximately 90 minutes
Topics:
- International signing age
- Eligibility and restrictions
- Are you ready to compete?
- College, an alternate pathway
- Minor League contracts and compensation
- Australians in Professional
- Baseball Australia
Players participating in the Under 18 or Under 16 National Championships (along with parent/s) should be in attendance, and any other age eligible players in the Sydney area are encouraged to attend.
Midseason Rap- December 2014
Upwey go into the Christmas break with three wins after they started the season well then fell away. The Tigers have ever-reliable Nick Rice leading the way with the bat and Luke Howell working hard on the mound. They will take something from a drawn result with league leaders Blackburn in their final game of 2014.
The Orioles look stronger than ever as they head into the break at the top of their conference with eleven wins and a draw. Blackburn have been led by their manager Bright who has been dominant on the hill and ably backed up by Berka. The return of Ryan Phillips in the middle order this season has also bolstered the offence and given hitters such as Bumpstead, Hunter, Bookluck and D Tierney the chance to open up and score RBIs. The Burners are just ahead of Melbourne on the ladder, the Demons have ten wins and a draw.
Melbourne lost to fifth place Doncaster on Tuesday night after winning in the first leg on the weekend. Demon’s manager Matthew Kent is leading the way with the bat at close to the best in the league. Kent seems to be relishing his role at first base after his move from the dish. Burton, Moore and Ayres are doing well in the middle order and Nathan Aron has RBIs although he hasn’t collected a lot of hits. Add to that list the hitting power and consistency of Blackmore who is also the closer, and the Demons make formidable opponents. But when you consider that their starter Andy Mann is back and Ratcliffe is in the mix to back him up they look like a good final series team.
Doncaster has worked hard to keep in touch with the top teams and is four games out of first with seven wins. The Dragon’s Luke Westphal has put on some excellent pitching displays, throwing 91 strikeouts in 49 innings so far this summer. Westphal has been well backed up on the hill by Andrew Chesterton both as a closer and starting when required. Whilst the pitchers have been getting a lot of attention, manager Ben Utting has been matching them with the bat and being backed up by clean-up hitter Marcel d’Avoine. The Dragons look to have consolidated their place in Division 1 and if their hitting keeps improving the way it has so far this season they will look to go above Waverley who are almost even with them in their conference.
The Wildcats drew with Cheltenham on Tuesday night and are also four games off the pace in their conference. It is doubtful that the Waverley coaches will be satisfied with this position but it looks like they are poised for improvement. Their young list is currently being led with the bat by shortstop Jamie Papanicolaou then backed by Hodkinson, Edwards and Maxfield. Jamie’s brother Luke has been eating up innings on the hill whilst Darcy has also had starts. All will benefit from the return of John Kennedy, with Tyler and closer Matthew Wilson in the pen. The young squad throws hard and has had time to gain experience so watch out for them in the second half.
Cheltenham sits in third place in conference 1 three games off the top. The boys from the farm are being led with the bat by club favourite Paul Rutgers who is well supported by Trevorah, Rossell and Harman (who has had limited availability). Largely, Cunningham who has been well backed up by Kloppe has performed their pitching duties. The Rustlers can overpower teams with extra base hits so may claim some highly placed scalps after Christmas.
In third place in conference 2 Geelong have steadied. The Baycats are being lead in the box by veteran first baseman Cameron Gibbons, whilst Snarey and Zablan have been hitting with power to back him up. Evins has been churning up the innings on the hill, as has Zablan. Veteran Forbes is pitching less often but with good economy as is young pitcher James Wood. Geelong now have their team settled and are one win behind second placed Preston. The Baycats have answered the call in the last few weeks and finished with a 10-5 win over Williamstown. With both their batters and pitchers confident, the Baycats look set to win their share for the rest of the season.
Williamstown are currently on four wins, which keeps them in touch with the middle of the ladder and an outside chance in the second half. Russell is leading the harbourside team with bat and ball whilst manager Dean Marnell is hitting well surrounded by M Pollock and Green. Lester has pitched sparingly with some economy whilst Lee and Asp have been getting through innings. Williamstown have shown that they can perform well in pressure games, so if they can find more runs and improve their pitching efficiency slightly they could threaten higher teams in 2015.
Newport started off with losses then steadied as their list gained strength. Malthouse is the leading the way for the Rams with the bat followed by Foreman and Jordan Young (who has stolen six bases). Young has taken some of the pitching duties but most have been done by Weir and midweek specialist Kline. Although they finished with a loss to Preston, Newport are a young team who have now jelled and are capable of anything in the second half.
Meanwhile, the Pirates have continued their rise and sit in second place in conference 2. They have had many things to cheer about this season including a full pitching roster and some impressive hitting. Andrew Smiley has lead the way on the hill and most notably threw a “no hitter” early in the season. Travis Bass also pitches for them and has backed up Smiley whilst hitting with the best in the league. Jordan Ley the Pirate’s shortstop is leading the batting in Division 1, tipping Kent of Melbourne for most hits. With offence at their disposal and pitching depth, Preston will be planning ways to take on the current three time premiers Essendon.
The Bombers had some players unavailable early in the season but seemed to relish that as an opportunity to show off depth of their own. Pitching duties have been handled by impressive submariner, Luke Ables who has been supported by Michael & Gareth Formisano, Kyle Bedford and Hipke. Veteran Tim Sullivan is leading with the bat in front of Larkin and Doyle. The Bombers showed how important it is to have a good bullpen in their last finals victory and that seems to be key at Boeing Reserve this season. Clear leaders at the top of conference 2 with 13 wins Essendon look like they will only get stronger leaving most sporting clubs in Australia standing by saying, “we’ll have what they’re having”.
Division 2
Eleven matches remain in Division 2 meaning that we are past the halfway point of the season after 15 rounds.
Sunshine dominate at the top of the ladder, whilst Werribee and Moorabbin come next with fourth spot being held by Malvern.
The Braves have workhorse Jordan Liester throwing his heart out and being backed up by part-time pitcher McKenzie. Campitelli is also doing well with the bat. Although Malvern lost their final game to Springvale they got seven hits so should have confidence to consolidate fourth spot after Christmas.
Springvale got eight hits to end with a win over Malvern when Richards, Kirby and Anderson got two each. Brown threw 5 strikeouts in six innings for the Lions.
Fitzroy who have used a lot of pitchers this season have challenged higher teams and are contenders if they can show more consistent results. Muchan has been a good find in the dish whilst McLean continues to hit hard and Alex Turlea leads the team with the bat and in the middle infield.
Port Melbourne have a lot of pitching options with the Rogers brothers both taking the hill at various times. Staci is proving his utility in the dish and with the bat to match. Desmedt throws well and is holding the mound in the midweek games whilst Geoff Holland is showing a lot of class in all areas of the game. With more consistent effort the Mariners could challenge for top four in 2015.
Moorabbin are batting right through their order with Musson, Wheeler and Mulherin all taking their turn to hit when it mattered. The Panthers also have solid pitching options in Musson, Mulherin and Dewar so look good for a competitive finals series.
Werribee have looked strong all season and sit second on the ladder behind Sunshine, being lead by McPherson, and the Balzer brothers in offence. Their pitching looks strong with this season’s return of the hard throwing Rowe who is supported by fellow starter DeJohn whilst Curnow eats up innings in the middle. Wade Balzer also looks good as a closer for the Giants so expect only improvement from them next year.
Berwick City is playing with a young side that is led with the bat by Beasley and the enigmatic JJ O’Connor. Cain Hillier is also batting well for the Cougars for whom a finals berth is not out of the question.
St.Kilda have had some heartbreaking one run losses and are capable of some improvement in the second half. Manager Chris Maurer will be looking forward to results going their way after Christmas.
Bonbeach St.Chads have shown some improvement over the last few weeks when they won with a walk off over Fitzroy, then lost in a shoot out in the return leg 13-12. If the Blue Jays can continue with this form they will trouble the higher teams at the business end of the summer.
Chatwood and Davis of Sunshine are currently leading the batting in Division 2.
Women’s Division 1
Springvale currently dominate after fifteen games without a loss. The Lions are led with the bat by Lillywhite and Manzie-Novotney. Row, Brown and Jackson are all the league’s best in pitching so present many options for the women from Wearne Reserve.
Doncaster is the challenger in second place. The Dragons have McCann, Cannington and Hamilton leading the league in batting whilst workhorse Steane is churning through the innings on the hill, as is Collis. With some improvement the Dragons may be set to have a crack at the formidable Lions team.
Essendon are the new kids on the Division 1 block and held their own with three wins in a row, that is until, they ran into the Springvale freight train. Abbey Kelly, Pedersen and Gell lead the Bombers with the bat whilst French, Kelly and Page have been taking charge on the hill. The Bombers suffered a ten run loss to Doncaster earlier in the season then recovered with great character to beat the Dragons in their next meeting.
Footscray in fourth spot are three games off the Essendon pace being led with the bat by Abbey McLellan, Palmer and star pitcher Risa Tanaka. Kirsten Bezzina is learning the ropes on the mound and with some improvement the Bulldogs might make a challenge to the top teams in the second half.
Malvern have four wins in fifth spot and are led with the bat and ball by Johnson and Howard, with consistent hitting by Goodrope. The Braves have shown flashes of what might be, but they need to hit deeper into their line-up if they are going to threaten.
Pastowski has been hitting and pitching well for Werribee whilst Griffin has been in control in the box. Werribee are currently finding their way in Division 1 with one win (that they got a couple of weeks ago). If the Giants can start hitting deeper into their line-up they may find a way to win more games.
Thanks for reading, I hope you and your family stay safe until we start again in January.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Yours in baseball
Cam Gleeson.
Post all of your photos to instagram using the hashtag #vsbl
@valiantcam
Article by Alexis Brudnicki
In true Aussie form, the national squad never said die in the fourth-annual Australian Baseball League All-Star Game, coming back from a four-run deficit to take the matchup 11-8 at Melbourne Ballpark on Wednesday night.
Led by a late offensive outburst and contributions off the bench, Team Australia took advantage of four walks in the eighth frame. The home squad used a three-run double from Perth Heat outfielder Tim Kennelly and a two-run double from Canberra Cavalry catcher Robbie Perkins to put up eight runs in the inning and take their final lead of the game.
“That’s a trait of an Australian baseball team, not giving up,” Aussie manager Jon Deeble said. “That’s what we talked about – just keep plugging away, just keep plugging away – and Tim came in and he got that big hit and cleared the bases. That was massive for us, and it was a good win.”
Kennelly came off the bench in the seventh inning, replacing Adelaide Bite outfielder Mitch Dening, who recorded two hits and drove in two runs of his own to give the national team an early lead in the opening frame. 20-year-old Perkins took over for Heat catcher Allan De San Miguel in the seventh before his big hit in the eighth.
“They’re always ready to play and that’s absolutely what we expect,” Deeble said. “That’s why we’ve got a close group and a close core…We’ve got a great culture and a good group of guys who work together and I think that was evident tonight.”
For his two-hit, three-RBI performance, Kennelly was named the Most Valuable Player of the All-Star Game, presented by Levi’s, in front of an impressive Laverton crowd of 2,335. Despite being on the opposition side, Steve Fish, the skipper of both the World squad and the 28-year-old’s Heat team was excited to see the success from his player.
“We need those guys to get hot,” Fish said. “We’ve been kind of off and on with some of our guys [in Perth] and not everybody has put it together at the same time. So it was good to see Tim get out there and have that big hit.”
The World All-Stars were led by an outstanding display from Brisbane Bandits outfielder Johnny Field, who paced the offence for the visitors. The Tampa Bay Rays prospect reached base in all four of his plate appearances, had three hits, drove in two runs, scored two, and added a highlight-reel catch in centre field.
“He’s been great,” Fish said. “We just saw him last weekend and he had a great weekend against us back in Perth. He’s an electric player – he can run, he can hit, he can play defence, and it’s just fun to watch him play. I wish I had nine of those guys across the board. Every manager would love to have nine Johnny Fields on their staff.”
Canberra Cavalry catcher Jack Murphy, Bite outfielder Aaron Miller, Sydney Blue Sox outfielder Alex Glenn and Heat shortstop Joey Wong each added an RBI for the World squad in the matchup, while Adelaide’s Stefan Welch, Sydney’s David Kandilas and Brisbane’s Logan Wade also each drove in a run for Australia, after a 15-minute delay in the second inning.
In the top of the second frame, home plate umpire Greg Howard was forced to leave the game after being struck by the backswing of Brisbane’s CJ Beatty, causing the delay on the field. The unfortunate occurrence moved Stewart Howe from second to the plate, and brought Michael Lyons into the matchup as the new second base umpire.
Ryan Searle got the start for Team Australia, and the Brisbane Bandits right-hander allowed just one hit in his one inning of work. The national squad used 10 different hurlers in relief, with Canberra’s Tim Atherton, Sydney’s Aaron Sookee, and the Bite’s Josh Tols and Matt Williams each adding scoreless appearances.
Melbourne’s own Makoto Aiuchi took the hill for the visitors and in the opening frame, the Aces right-hander allowed two runs on two hits with a walk and a strikeout. Blue Sox hurler Markus Solbach, Adelaide’s Morgan Coombs, Tyler Brunneman and Craig Stem, Bandits pitchers Jaz Shergill and Chen-Hua Lin, and Melbourne’s Kentaro Fukukura had scoreless appearances for the World team.
“It was really special to win on home soil,” Deeble said. “We had a really big crowd here too which was great for a Wednesday night. We had a big crowd, they were behind us, and when we scored those eight runs they started making noise. That was really important to our players.”
For more information about Team Australia visit southernthunder.baseball.com.au or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
Article by Alexis Brudnicki
In true Aussie form, the national squad never said die in the fourth-annual Australian Baseball League All-Star Game, coming back from a four-run deficit to take the matchup 11-8 at Melbourne Ballpark on Wednesday night.
Led by a late offensive outburst and contributions off the bench, Team Australia took advantage of four walks in the eighth frame. The home squad used a three-run double from Perth Heat outfielder Tim Kennelly and a two-run double from Canberra Cavalry catcher Robbie Perkins to put up eight runs in the inning and take their final lead of the game.
“That’s a trait of an Australian baseball team, not giving up,” Aussie manager Jon Deeble said. “That’s what we talked about – just keep plugging away, just keep plugging away – and Tim came in and he got that big hit and cleared the bases. That was massive for us, and it was a good win.”
Kennelly came off the bench in the seventh inning, replacing Adelaide Bite outfielder Mitch Dening, who recorded two hits and drove in two runs of his own to give the national team an early lead in the opening frame. 20-year-old Perkins took over for Heat catcher Allan De San Miguel in the seventh before his big hit in the eighth.
“They’re always ready to play and that’s absolutely what we expect,” Deeble said. “That’s why we’ve got a close group and a close core…We’ve got a great culture and a good group of guys who work together and I think that was evident tonight.”
For his two-hit, three-RBI performance, Kennelly was named the Most Valuable Player of the All-Star Game, presented by Levi’s, in front of an impressive Laverton crowd of 2,335. Despite being on the opposition side, Steve Fish, the skipper of both the World squad and the 28-year-old’s Heat team was excited to see the success from his player.
“We need those guys to get hot,” Fish said. “We’ve been kind of off and on with some of our guys [in Perth] and not everybody has put it together at the same time. So it was good to see Tim get out there and have that big hit.”
The World All-Stars were led by an outstanding display from Brisbane Bandits outfielder Johnny Field, who paced the offence for the visitors. The Tampa Bay Rays prospect reached base in all four of his plate appearances, had three hits, drove in two runs, scored two, and added a highlight-reel catch in centre field.
“He’s been great,” Fish said. “We just saw him last weekend and he had a great weekend against us back in Perth. He’s an electric player – he can run, he can hit, he can play defence, and it’s just fun to watch him play. I wish I had nine of those guys across the board. Every manager would love to have nine Johnny Fields on their staff.”
Canberra Cavalry catcher Jack Murphy, Bite outfielder Aaron Miller, Sydney Blue Sox outfielder Alex Glenn and Heat shortstop Joey Wong each added an RBI for the World squad in the matchup, while Adelaide’s Stefan Welch, Sydney’s David Kandilas and Brisbane’s Logan Wade also each drove in a run for Australia, after a 15-minute delay in the second inning.
In the top of the second frame, home plate umpire Greg Howard was forced to leave the game after being struck by the backswing of Brisbane’s CJ Beatty, causing the delay on the field. The unfortunate occurrence moved Stewart Howe from second to the plate, and brought Michael Lyons into the matchup as the new second base umpire.
Ryan Searle got the start for Team Australia, and the Brisbane Bandits right-hander allowed just one hit in his one inning of work. The national squad used 10 different hurlers in relief, with Canberra’s Tim Atherton, Sydney’s Aaron Sookee, and the Bite’s Josh Tols and Matt Williams each adding scoreless appearances.
Melbourne’s own Makoto Aiuchi took the hill for the visitors and in the opening frame, the Aces right-hander allowed two runs on two hits with a walk and a strikeout. Blue Sox hurler Markus Solbach, Adelaide’s Morgan Coombs, Tyler Brunneman and Craig Stem, Bandits pitchers Jaz Shergill and Chen-Hua Lin, and Melbourne’s Kentaro Fukukura had scoreless appearances for the World team.
“It was really special to win on home soil,” Deeble said. “We had a really big crowd here too which was great for a Wednesday night. We had a big crowd, they were behind us, and when we scored those eight runs they started making noise. That was really important to our players.”
For more information about Team Australia visit southernthunder.baseball.com.au or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
Moorabbin at Port Melbourne
Tuesday 16th December 2014 6pm
Interview with Ben Laux. Can't see the player then click here.
Moorabbin came into the game being led with both bat and ball by Mulherin and Mussen. Meanwhile, Port Melbourne are being lead by the Rogers brothers and Geoff Holland all of whom are batting well and pitching.
Moorabbin were 11 wins and 3 losses before the game and Port were 10 losses and 4 wins. Both teams have a drawn game. This game precedes the Christmas break so there should be no limit on the use of arms, meaning that both teams should throw their aces in pursuit of the win.
Starting Line Up For Moorabbin- O’Shea 4, Jansen 6, Musson 1, Laux 3, Wheeler 5, Katz 8, Ballantyne 2, Dewar 7, Mulherin 9.
Port Melbourne- S Rogers 2, G Holland 4, K Rogers 5, Merritt 3, S Holland 6, Camov 8, Parker 9, Ung DH, Hay 7, Desmeot 1.
The wind was howling across the diamond, as the game was about to start. It was so bad that it blew players hats off their heads and sent them rolling across the park opposite the diamond.
In the top of the first Jansen got HBP with one out then Musson hit a hard ground ball safely to right. Laux looked keen to hit in a long at bat then drew a walk, which loaded the bases. Another strikeout made it two down then Katz singled to right and scored one. The wind played havoc with a ground ball hit by Ballantyne through short and two runs scored. The innings then ended with a pop-up to centre. Moorabbin 3, Port 0.
Bottom first- Musson started it with two strikeouts and a groundout ended the dig when Laux did well and picked a ball out of the dirt at first.
Top two- Mulherin lead off and got HBP and we were back at the top of the Panthers batting order. O’Shea sac bunted to put Mulherin into scoring position. Desmeot steadied from there and ended it with a strikeout and groundout.
Bottom two- Musson didn’t look troubled and sat the batters down in order.
Top three- Desmeot looked like he was adapting to the windy conditions and was landing his off-speed pitches for the first two outs. Katz weathered a long at bat and singled to centre but the pitching was too good and he stayed where he was after another strikeout. Port Melbourne 0- Moorabbin 3.
Bottom three- Musson started it with a strikeout throwing straight down the middle. Ung hit a hard line drive to centre, but then nearly got picked off at first. Musson’s move was very quick. Staci Rogers got on after a DTS to make it first and third occupied after a pass ball had advanced the runner with two out. Then there was an error that scored a run to make it 3-1, still in Moorabbin’s favour. Another groundout ended it there.
Top four- Mulherin hit hard safely to right with one out and Merritt made a good groundball play to second for the second out. Desmeot was doing well in the wind to hold the Panthers who were swinging hard and ended it there with a groundout.
Bottom four- Musson looked in command and sat the batters down in order again.
Top five- Desmeot made quick work and took his turn to sit the batters down as they came up.
Bottom five- Hay got a one out hit (his first as a ones player) that fell between the fielders in right but Musson was still in command and left him on base. Moorabbin 3, Port Melbourne 1.
Top six- The game was confirmed as a pitching duel when Desmeot sat the batters down in order again.
Bottom six- Musson, on the hill for Moorabbin, didn’t look like he was going anywhere as he again gave his team an opportunity to bat.
Top seven- O’Shea bunted safely to lead off then advanced on a wild pitch. Desmeot steadied though and got a strikeout looking. Then O’Shea scored on an error and the substitute got caught stealing second before it ended with a groundout. Moorabbin 4, Port Melbourne 1.
Bottom seven- Moorabbin turned a 4-6-3 double play to end it and send us to the eighth.
Top eight- Wheeler got on with an error and scored on another wild throw after Katz hit to right. Desmeot made way on the mound for Lindsay Webb with one out. Moorabbin 5, Port Melbourne 1. Dewar singled and Mulherin got an RBI on a groundout. Then another groundout ended the innings. Moorabbin 6, Port Melbourne 1.
Bottom eight- Musson, looking formidable on the hill for Moorabbin, was on target and ended the game there.
Final score Moorabbin 6, Port Melbourne 1.
Outstanding pitching from both starters and good team batting from Moorabbin to take the win.
Report by Cam Gleeson
Grant Balfour, a cult-figure among baseball fans for his intense on-field persona, is in Australia. Balfour made his MLB debut with the Minnesota Twins in 2001, and has since played over 11 seasons with the Twins, the Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics and the Tampa Bay Rays.
in 2013 he was selected to the 2013 American League All-Star Team, and has pitched the post season with three clubs including with the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2008 World Series. He is currently playing with the Tampa Bay Rays, has a career 3.46 ERA in over 528 games with 84 saves and 571 strikeouts.
In 2000 he played on the Australian Olympic Team and he will serve as the honourary team captain at the 2014 ABL All-Star Game.
Balfour is currently on an 8 day MLB Ambassadors tour, where he has visited both Sydney and Canberra. Sydney Blue Sox has also hosted a touching pregame tribute to his father and former General Manager David Balfour, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer several years ago.
Remaining date of Grant Balfour's MLB Ambassador Tour:
Tuesday 16 December – Melbourne:
▪ Press availability at Melbourne Ballpark with Australian Baseball League All-Stars
Wednesday 17 December – Melbourne:
▪ To serve as honorary Team Australia Captain in the Australian Baseball League All-Star Game pitting the best home-grown talent in the league against the best of the imports
Thursday 18 December – Gold Coast
▪ MLB Training with the Pros Session with local junior players at Coomera
Friday 19 December – Brisbane
▪ Press Availability at AFA Stadium at Holloway Field
▪ MLB Training with the Pros Session with local junior players at AFA Stadium at Holloway Field
▪ Meet fans as the Brisbane Bandits take on the Canberra Cavalry
Tickets are still available for the ABL All-Star Game presented by Levi's featuring live performance by Kingswood.
The 2015 Women’s National Championships and the Under 15 Women’s National Championships will commence in January at Narrabundah Ballpark in Canberra. The Women's will be held January 10-17, and the Youth Women's from January 12-17.
Both tournaments aim to bring together the best of women’s baseball to compete to be crowned the number one team in Australia. This is the third time the U15 National Youth Championships have been held with New South Wales winning all three years. The National Women’s Championship has been held since 2000, with New South Wales taking out last years crown.
Under 15 National Youth Women’s Championships
Women’s National Championships
The 2015 Baseball National Youth Championships presented by Rawlings will commence in January, bringing together the countries best talent from each State to battle out to be crowned Australia’s best.
The baseball National Youth Championships first began in 1938 with an Under 18’s Championship, and in 1978 grew to include the Under 16’s.
2014 saw strong competition across all the tournaments, with Queensland taking out the title for the Under 18’s and New South Wales Country for the Under 16’s.
Both championships will be held in conjunction, from the 9th to the 18th of January at Blacktown Olympic Park in Sydney.
Under 18 National Youth Championships