Baseball Victoria, Author at Baseball Victoria

Victorian Zak Skinner's sophomore year success has continued with the Sandringham Baseball Club and BV Performance Pathway alum being named to the 2023 NJCAA Division I Baseball Third Team All-Americans.

All-America selections are made by the NJCAA Division I Baseball Committee, and Zak impressed with a huge season at Vernon College. The catcher was named All-Region 5 behind the plate after hitting .447, with a .511 on-base percentage, 21 doubles, 10 home runs, and 61 RBIs in 53 games. He took 24 walks and only struck out 19 times throughout the season.

Closing his Vernon chapter, Zak just announced his commitment to Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas to further his academic and baseball career.

Congratulations Zak!

Geelong Baseball Association enjoyed an amazing run at the 2023 Senior State Winter Championships, with the men's side winning 7-2 over MWBL City on Monday afternoon.

The grand final victory comes two days after Geelong won the first-ever Senior Women's State Winter Championship with a 4-0 record.

Congrats to MVPs Addison Bishop-Worn (Geelong), Travis Finney (Dandenong), Kyle Douglass (MWBL City), and Matt Condon (North Eastern).

Thank you to GBA, Guild All-Stars, and East Belmont Saints for hosting and thank you to all teams for taking part in a great weekend of baseball.

Catch up on recaps below and view action shots from Field of View Sports Photography HERE.

Semi-Final 1: Geelong 21, North Eastern 1

Geelong grabbed an early lead on the way to a 21-1 victory over North Eastern on Monday. GBA scored on a double by Tyler Luther-Wilson and a single by Nathan Smith in the first inning.

GBA scored nine more runs in the fourth inning with RBIs for Connor Hughes, Tanner Stack, Will Brennan, Itsuki Kozaki, and Addison Bishop-Worn.

Dan Anson was on the mound for GBA. The bulldog went six innings, allowing one run on one hit, striking out two and walking one.

Nathan Pool led things off on the pitcher's mound for NEBA. The pitcher lasted two innings, allowing six hits and three runs while striking out one and walking zero. Tom Simmons, Jesse Griffiths, Max Lyddiard, and Brendan Simmons pitched in relief.

GBA collected 19 hits, with three apiece for Bishop-Worn and Brennan, while Riley Peoples, Smith, Luther-Wilson, and Hughes had two hits each.

Matt Condon went 1-for-2 at the plate to lead NEBA in hits. The team was sure-handed in the field and didn't commit a single error as Damon Barker had the most chances with three.

Semi-Final 2: MWBL City 10, Dandenong 9

MWBL City took their game in dramatic walk-off fashion to win 10-9 over Dandenong. The game was tied at nine with MWBL City batting in the bottom of the sixth when Lachlan Condie drew a walk, scoring one run.

Both offenses were strong at the plate as MWBL City collected ten hits and DBA eight in the high-scoring affair.

MWBL City had a big fifth inning with five runs thanks to a single by Jarryd Rogers, a sac fly by Michael Formisano, an error on a ball put in play by Declan Ferguson, and a double by Bronson Neave.

Dennis was on the pitcher's mound for MWBL City. The fireballer allowed five hits and five runs over five innings, striking out four.

Max Hunter was on the mound for DBA. Hunter allowed seven hits and six runs over five innings, striking out four. Andrei Smith threw two-thirds of an inning in relief out of the bullpen.

MWBL City saw the ball well today, racking up ten hits in the game. Hiroshi Narasaki led with three hits in four at-bats as Neave and Rogers had multiple hits, too.

Jesse Hunter went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead DBA in hits.

Grand Final: Geelong 7, MWBL City 2

Geelong nabbed the lead late in the game in a 7-2 victory over MWBL City on Monday. The game was tied at two with GBA batting in the bottom of the fourth when Tyler Luther-Wilson singled on a 1-1 count, scoring two runs.

Kenta Takana got the start for GBA. The pitcher allowed five hits and two runs over four innings, striking out three.

Michael Formisano was on the mound for MWBL City. The pitcher surrendered four runs on six hits over three and two-thirds innings, striking out five and walking zero. Sam Thompson and Bronson Neave entered the game as relief, throwing one and one-third innings and one-third of an inning respectively.

GBA saw the ball well today, racking up nine hits in the game. Sam Reale and Luther-Wilson had two hits apiece to lead the team.

Hiroshi Narasaki went 2-for-3 at the plate for MWBL City.

It was such a fun week at the 2023 Australian Little League Championships - well done to all our Victorian players from Athletics, Twins, and BV Belles on working hard and enjoying the game.

It was awesome to see such strong teamwork and determination and we know the future is bright for all these young baseballers.

Catch up on all the results from Athletics and Twins in Little League Division 1 and BV Belles and Twins in Little League Division 2 on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Congratulations to BV Belles on winning Baseball Australia’s Sportsmanship Award for the team that exemplifies the spirit of Little League.

We are so incredibly proud of the Belles and how they played the game with great spirit, holding their heads high regardless of the score.

As the only all-girls team in the Australian Little League Division 2 Championship, Belles set an amazing example for young girls who want to chase their dreams on and off the field.

A very special mention to coaches Ruby Dale, Delia Robey, and Leah Trebilcock who led these girls throughout an awesome debut at nationals with the support of EO Tania Lindsay.

Thank you to all the coaches who helped throughout trials, the state tournament, and #ALLC2023. We greatly appreciate everyone involved in this program and we can’t wait to see what comes next for the Belles!

The 2023 Senior Men's State Winter Championship continued Sunday with six big games at Geelong Baseball Centre.

Catch up on recaps below and follow along on GameChanger for live scoring. Don't forget to check out action shots HERE and stay tuned for updates from Monday's finals.

North Eastern 10, MWBL City 5

North Eastern jumped out to an early lead over MWBL City and took home a 10-5 victory on Sunday. NEBA scored on a single by Tetsu Kamiyama, a single by Aaron Parker, a walk by Max Lyddiard, a single by Ash Meyers, and a double by Tom Simmons in the first inning.

MWBL City scored four runs in the fifth inning, but NEBA still managed to pull out the victory. MWBL's big bats were led by Kyle Douglass and Matthew Irwin with RBIs.

Jake Burge led things off on the hill for NEBA. The ace lasted five and a third innings, allowing nine hits and seven runs while striking out two.

Nick Gray was on the pitcher's mound for MWBL City. The hurler allowed five hits and nine runs over two and a third innings, striking out one. Jaycob Pascuzzi threw two and two-thirds innings in relief.

NEBA tallied seven hits on the day, including two apiece for Tom Simmons and Brendan Simmons.

Joel Prpic went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead MWBL City in hits. The team didn't commit a single error in the field as Hamish Ferguson had five chances, the most in the game.

Geelong 7, Dandenong 2

Dandenong lost the lead late in a 7-2 defeat to Geelong on Sunday. The game was tied at two with GBA batting in the top of the sixth when Riley Peoples singled on a 2-1 count, scoring two runs.

DBA opened up scoring in the second inning on an error.

Kenta Takana led things off on the mound for GBA. The fireballer went three innings, allowing one run on one hit, striking out four and walking zero.

Matt Bucci was on the hill for DBA. The pitcher allowed nine hits and five runs over five and two-thirds innings, striking out five and walking zero. Jacob Bald threw one inning in relief.

Andrei Smith, Travis Finney, Jesse Hunter, and Rhys Bumpstead each managed one hit to lead DBA.

GBA had 12 hits in the game. Peoples went 3-for-4 as Tanner Stack and Harper Rickard had multiple hits, too.

Geelong 4, MWBL City 3

Geelong snatched the lead late in the game in a 4-3 victory over MWBL City on Sunday. The game was tied at two with GBA batting in the bottom of the sixth when Josh Byrnes singled on a 2-2 count, scoring two runs.

Cameron Wilson got the start for GBA. Wilson lasted two-thirds of an inning, allowing one hit and zero runs while walking zero.

Kyle Douglass was on the pitcher's mound for MWBL City. He went six innings, allowing four runs on five hits and striking out two.

Addison Bishop-Worn, Connor Wilson, Harper Rickard, Tyler Luther-Wilson, and Byrnes each collected one hit to lead GBA.

MWBL City totaled nine hits. Jarryd Rogers went 3-for-3 and Jaycob Pascuzzi went 2-for-3. The team didn't commit a single error in the field as Rogers led with eight chances.

Dandenong 5, North Eastern 2

Dandenong stole the lead late and defeated North Eastern 5-2 on Sunday. The game was tied at two with DBA batting in the bottom of the fifth when Matt Bucci's sac fly scored one run.

DBA had tied things up at two in the fourth when Dylan Brown singled on the first pitch of the at-bat, scoring one run.

Tyler Ellis led things off on the hill for DBA. The pitcher surrendered two runs on one hit over five innings, striking out two.

Aaron Parker was on the mound for NEBA. The bulldog surrendered two runs on four hits over four innings, striking out one. Matt Condon and Austin Clear entered the game as relief, throwing one inning and two-thirds of an inning, respectively.

DBA tallied nine hits, with two apiece for Max Hunter and Brown. Brendan Simmons went 1-for-3 at the plate to lead NEBA in hits.

Geelong 10, North Eastern 7

Bats blistered as Geelong defeated North Eastern 10-7 on Sunday. Tom Simmons started the scoring for NEBA in the first inning, but GBA pulled away for good with three runs in the third.

Addison Bishop-Worn homered on the first pitch of the at-bat, scoring two runs and Kenta Takana singled on a 1-1 count, scoring one run.

GBA notched three more runs in the fifth inning. Will Brennan, Riley Peoples, and Connor Wilson all had RBIs in the frame.

NEBA scored three runs in the sixth inning with RBIs from Mark Taylor and Tetsu Kamiyama.

Noah Brennan was on the mound for GBA. The fireballer lasted three innings, allowing two hits and four runs while striking out four.

Kamiyama was on the hill for NEBA. The bulldog lasted five innings, allowing 13 hits and ten runs while striking out one.

GBA hit one home run on the day as Bishop-Worn went yard in the third inning. He joined Peoples, Sam Reale, Dan Hamilton, and Brennan with two hits.

Aaron Parker went 2-for-2 at the plate to lead NEBA in hits. The team tore up the base paths, as two players stole at least two bases. Taylor led the way with three.

Dandenong 12, MWBL City 11

MWBL City's rally from down six runs in the third inning came up just short as they fell to Dandenong 12-11 on Sunday.

MWBL City put up ten runs in the comeback attempt with RBIs by Hamish Ferguson, Lachlan Condie, Dennis, Kyle Douglass, Matthew Irwin, and Jarryd Rogers. They outhit DBA 12-6.

The bottom of the second inning saw MWBL City tie it at one with an RBI double by Irwin. DBA responded with six runs in the third on a wild pitch, two bases-loaded walks, and an RBI single.

After DBA scored four runs in the top of the fifth, MWBL City answered with four of their own. DBA scored on a single by Scott Baillie and a double off the bat of Matthew Cameron.

MWBL City answered when Irwin singled on a 1-2 count, scoring one run, Rogers singled on a 2-0 count, scoring two runs, and Douglass singled on a 0-1 count, scoring one run.

Travis Finney got the start for DBA. The fireballer allowed seven hits and five runs over two and a third innings, striking out one.

Joel Prpic led things off on the mound for MWBL City. The pitcher lasted two and a third innings, allowing one hit and four runs. Narasaki and Declan Ferguson entered the game from the bullpen, throwing one and two-thirds innings and one inning respectively.

MWBL City had 12 hits in the game with two apiece for Rogers, Douglass, Irwin, and Michael Formisano.

DBA racked up six hits on the day as Noah Toplis and Cameron had two apiece.

Congratulations to Geelong Baseball Association on winning the first-ever Senior Women’s State Winter Championship!

GBA went 4-0 and defeated Dandenong 10-3 in the grand final to take out the championship at Geelong Baseball Centre.

It was fantastic to see everyone having fun on the field in a great showcase of women’s winter baseball.

Well done to all teams, players and supporters involved - the future of women's baseball looks very bright!

A special mention to our tournament MVPs Zoe O'Keefe (Bendigo), Leisel Bouker (Dandenong), Kira Akuwamoto (Geelong), and Emma Sullivan (MWBL).

Read recaps below and check out photos from Field of View Sports Photography HERE.

Dandenong 7, Melbourne 5

Dandenong took the lead late in the game in a 7-5 victory over Melbourne. Michelle Kennedy singled on a 2-0 count in the bottom of the third, scoring two runs.

MWBL opened the scoring in the first inning on a single by Jade Yuen.

Tuhi Nigaheu led things off on the mound for DBA. Nigaheu surrendered four runs on three hits over three innings, striking out six.

Lara Watson was on the hill for MWBL. The bulldog lasted two innings, allowing two hits and one run while striking out one. Yuen threw one inning out of the bullpen.

DBA totaled six hits in the game, including two apiece for Liesel Bouker and Kennedy.

Macy Priamo led MWBL with three of the team's eight stolen bases.

Geelong 16, Bendigo 4

An early lead helped Geelong defeat Bendigo 16-4 on Saturday. GBA scored on a walk and stolen base by Nyah O'Brien, a walk by Dianne Tompkins, and a double by Alanah Rose in the first inning.

BBA also scored in the first, putting up four runs with RBIs by Landy Mills, Megan DeMoel, and Aimee Sparnenn.

GBA notched eight runs in the second inning. The offensive onslaught came from a walk by Claire Costa, a single by Ruby Wright, a home run by Kira Kuwamoto, and a groundout by Tompkins.

Jessica Curnow led things off on the hill for GBA, allowing two hits and four runs over two innings, striking out three.

Phoebe Martin toed the rubber for BBA. The pitcher allowed zero hits and seven runs. Zoe Murphy threw one and two-thirds innings in relief out of the bullpen.

GBA totaled six hits in the game, including two apiece for Wright and Rose. Kuwamoto stole two bases as the team had eight stolen bases overall.

Geelong 12, Dandenong 4

Geelong jumped out to an early lead over Dandenong and eventually came away with a 12-4 victory. GBA scored on a home run by Kira Kuwamoto, a walk by Ruby Benne, a single by Sophia Law, and a groundout by Alanah Rose in the first inning.

Brooke Sadler got the start for GBA. The pitcher lasted three innings, allowing four hits and four runs.

DBA pitcher Michelle Kennedy allowed two hits and seven runs over two-thirds of an inning. Liesel Bouker threw two innings in relief out of the bullpen.

Kuwamoto hit two home runs for GBA, while Law had multiple hits as well with GBA tallying seven hits total.

Melbourne 14, Bendigo 1

Melbourne scored seven runs in the first and second while keeping Bendigo off the bases for a 14-1 result.

Lacey Tompkins had two hits while Emma Sullivan, Jessica Warwick, Athena Coulis, Sarah Anton, Juliette Mills, and Jade Yuen all had one hit.

Tompkins, Sullivan, and Yuen took turns pitching in MWBL's big victory.

Zoe O'Keefe picked up a hit for Bendigo and handled pitching duties alongside Stephanie Comfort.

Dandenong 14, Bendigo 3

Bendigo got on the board first with a bases-loaded walk in the first, but by the end of the inning Dandenong was up 7-2.

DBA got another seven runs in the second to put the game out of reach. Jessica Walters, Rachel Heymans, Wanda Halliday, Rachael McMahon, Abra Osborne, Narelle Rentoul, and Hope Ellis had one hit each.

Felicity Clissold, Walters, and Osborne put in pitching work for DBA.

Aimee Sparnenn and Stacey Castle recorded hits for Bendigo, while Sparnenn, Sarah Osborne, and Zoe Murphy all pitched for the side.

Geelong 10, Melbourne 7

Geelong had the edge in this close game, outhitting Melbourne 6-4. GBA put up three runs in both the first and second with four more runs scoring in the third. MWBL scored four runs in the first and three in the third.

Kira Kuwamoto had two hits and four runs batted in for Geelong, while Ruby Wright also picked up a pair of hits and knocked in two runs. Sophia Law and Claire Costa recorded hits, too.

Megan Kelly, Macy Priamo, Lara Watson, and Jade Devlin had one hit apiece for MWBL. Priamo, Kelly, and Athena Coulis put in pitching work as well.

Alanah Rose and Saya Turnley pitched for the winning side.

Melbourne 13, Bendigo 8

Melbourne took a 7-1 lead into the second inning and kept up the pressure, although Bendigo battled back with a seven-run third.

MWBL collected seven hits while Bendigo had two. Jade Devlin, Lilly Simpson, Juliette Mills, Lara Watson, Ebony Sutherland, Sarah Anton, and Jessica Warwick had one hit apiece.

Emma Sullivan stuck out four in two innings of work for MWBL.

Megan Kelly and Jade Yuen had hits for Bendigo and also pitched alongside Phoebe Martin.

Geelong 10, Dandenong 3

Undefeated Geelong won the grand final with a strong offensive performance including three runs in the first and seven in the second.

Dandenong's one run in the first and two runs in the second weren't enough against GBA's big bats, with Sophia Law and Ruby Benne picking up two hits apiece. Kira Kuwamoto, Jessica Curnow, Ruby Wright, Claire Costa, and Alanah Rose had one hit each.

Jessica Walters and Felicity Clissold collected two hits for DBA as Liesel Bouker also got on base.

Geelong's Nyah O'Brien threw three solid innings with five hits, three runs, and six strikeouts.

Baseball Victoria is hosting an All-Girls Invitational event at Strathfieldsaye, Bendigo on 1-2 July, the same weekend as the U14 State Winter Championships.

All girls aged between 12-17 are invited to play. Cost is approximately $60 to cover balls, umpires and medals.

Please register your interest HERE.

The 2023 Senior Men's State Winter Championship got off to a great start at Geelong Baseball Centre.

Catch up on recaps below and follow along on GameChanger for live scoring.

Geelong 8, North Eastern 3

North Eastern watched the game slip away early and couldn't recover in an 8-3 loss to Geelong on Saturday. GBA took the lead on a Nathan Smith single in the first inning.

GBA scored four runs in the third inning with RBIs from Smith and Addison Bishop-Worn.

NEBA notched three runs in the fourth as Matt Condon and Tetsu Kamiyama powered the big inning with RBIs.

Dan Hamilton was on the mound for GBA. The pitcher allowed one hit and zero runs over two innings, striking out three and walking one.

Brendan Simmons was on the pitcher's mound for NEBA. The bulldog allowed five hits and five runs over three innings, striking out three. Mark Taylor threw three innings in relief.

Simmons led NEBA with two hits in three at-bats. The team didn't commit a single error in the field as Damon Barker led the way with five chances.

GBA had ten hits in the game, with multiple hits to Bishop-Worn, Itsuki Kozaki, Smith, and Sam Reale. Bishop-Worn went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead the team, which didn't commit a single error as Noah Brennan made the most plays with eight.

MWBL City 4, Dandenong 3

MWBL City took the lead late and defeated Dandenong 4-3 on Saturday. DBA trailed 3-2 in the top of the fifth inning when Noah Toplis grounded out, scoring two runs.

DBA scored four runs in the fifth inning, but MWBL City still managed to pull out the victory. Mitchell Bowen, Rhys Bumpstead, and Toplis each had RBIs in the frame.

Dennis led things off on the mound for MWBL City, throwing two scoreless innings with two hits, a strikeout, and a walk.

Max Hunter toed the rubber for DBA. The bulldog surrendered zero runs on zero hits over three innings, striking out four and walking one. Dylan Brown and Matthew Cameron entered the game in relief, throwing two innings and one inning, respectively.

Bronson Neave hit two home runs for MWBL City in the fourth and fifth innings.

Neave went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead MWBL City in hits. The team was sure-handed in the field and didn't commit a single error as Jarryd Rogers had the most chances with nine.

Travis Finney led DBA with two hits in four at-bats.

MWBL City 8, North Eastern 2

MWBL City had the edge 8-2 over North Eastern. NEBA tied things up at one when Mark Taylor singled on a 0-2 count in the bottom of the third.

MWBL City pulled away for good with four runs in the fourth inning. Joel Prpic and Sam Thompson hit RBI singles as Matthew Irwin and Hiroshi Narasaki had sacrifice flys.

Narasaki doubled on a 3-2 count to add another run in the top of the sixth NEBA responded when Brendan Simmons singled on a 2-1 count, scoring one run.

Hamish Ferguson was on the hill for MWBL City. The bulldog allowed one hit and zero runs over two innings, walking zero.

Nathan Pool led things off on the pitcher's mound for NEBA. Pool lasted four innings, allowing six hits and five runs while striking out one and walking one. Max Lyddiard threw four innings out of the bullpen.

Simmons, Ash Meyers, Taylor, Jesse Griffiths, Damon Barker, and Matt Condon each managed one hit to lead NEBA.

Lachlan Condie and Narasaki had multiple hits for MWBL City with the team recording nine hits total.

Geelong 7, Dandenong 1

Geelong won big over Dandenong 7-1 on Saturday, with the action starting in the first as Nathan Smith singled on a 2-0 count to score a run.

GBA notched three runs in the third inning with a home run by Tyler Luther-Wilson and a double by Smith.

Connor Wilson led things off on the mound for GBA. The pitcher lasted three innings, allowing four hits and one run while striking out one.

Mike McGillivray was on the pitcher's mound for DBA. The bulldog allowed ten hits and seven runs over six innings, striking out three.

GBA racked up ten hits in the game. Josh Byrnes, Smith, Luther-Wilson, and Will Brennan had two hits apiece. GBA didn't commit a single error in the field as Brennan had nine chances, the most on the team.

Caine Bumpstead led DBA with two hits in three at-bats. Matthew Cameron had eight chances in the field during an error-free game.

MWBL City 6, Geelong 2

MWBL City defeated Geelong 6-2 on Saturday after taking the lead late in the game. The game was tied at two with MWBL City batting in the bottom of the fourth when Jarryd Rogers singled on a 1-0 count, scoring one run.

GBA got their offense started in the first as Dan Anson doubled on a 2-1 count, scoring one run.

MWBL City pulled away for good with two runs in the fourth inning. Bronson Neave singled on the first pitch of the at-bat, scoring one run. They added three runs in the fifth with a walk by Jaycob Pascuzzi, a single by Dennis, and an error on a ball put in play by Neave.

Michael Formisano was on the pitcher's mound for MWBL City. Formisano allowed two hits and one run over one inning, walking zero.

Trent Pantalleresco led things off on the hill for GBA. The bulldog surrendered six runs on eight hits over five innings, striking out five.

Neave led MWBL City with two hits in three at-bats while GBA racked up six hits with two apiece for Sam Reale and Anson.

Dandenong 6, North Eastern 5

Dandenong nabbed the lead late in the game in a 6-5 victory over North Eastern on Saturday afternoon. The game was tied at three with DBA batting in the bottom of the eighth when Adian Rusden singled on a 0-1 count, scoring one run.

NEBA scored three runs in the fourth inning, but DBA still managed to pull out the victory. Jesse Griffiths and Tetsu Kamiyama each had RBIs in the big inning.

Andrei Smith led things off on the hill for DBA. The hurler went four innings, allowing three runs on three hits and striking out two.

Tom Simmons toed the rubber for NEBA, going eight innings with six runs on eight hits and striking out six.

DBA racked up eight hits on the day. Max Hunter and Travis Finney had two hits, while the latter took nine chances in the field, the most on the team.

Matt Condon went 2-for-4 at the plate to lead NEBA in hits.

Baseball Victoria’s 2023 State Winter Championship season gets underway this long weekend with a big three days of baseball planned at Geelong Baseball Centre.

The 2023 Senior State Winter Championships from 10-12 June will be hosted by Guild All-Stars and East Belmont Saints Baseball Clubs, continuing a long-standing tradition with Geelong Baseball Association.

“We look forward to an excellent tournament as we showcase senior baseball and the great facilities and baseball community Geelong has to offer,” GBA Executive Officer Tony McPherson said. “Thank you to Baseball Victoria for the opportunity to host this event once again and we wish everyone the best of luck this weekend.”

Dandenong, Geelong, Melbourne City, and North Eastern will all compete in the senior men’s tournament, while the first-ever Senior Women’s State Winter Championship will be another highlight.

“We are thrilled to introduce our new Women’s State Winter Championship and we thank Bendigo, Dandenong, Geelong, and MWBL for entering teams in this event,” BV CEO Chet Gray said. “This exciting women’s tournament is part of our ongoing women’s baseball initiatives, and we are excited to offer more opportunities for everyone to play.”

As the State Winter Champs commence, BV Diamond Partner Field of View Sports Photography will be around the grounds capturing team photos and action shots. Our friends at Ausport will be making a special appearance on Saturday, too!

Head to our 2023 State Winter Championships hub for live scoring and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates.