In early 1999 in Melbourne’s western suburbs, 20 of the best women’s baseball players in Victoria would step onto the artificial turf at the Ballpark in Altona, beginning a legacy that would remain unrivalled 25 years later.
Victoria boasts a rich history of baseball dating back to the mid-1800s, with girls getting their first taste in 1915 via the Victorian Public Schools Championships, while a senior Victorian side contested the short-lived All-Australian Women’s Baseball Championships in the 1930s.
Sadly both competitions would fold in the 1940s, and fifty years would pass before the state would see a return of organised women’s competitions to the diamond.
This welcomed return came after Victorian Baseball Association’s (VBA) Development Officer Grant Weir and VBA President Peter Dihm worked tirelessly to establish Australia’s first stand-alone women’s competition.
For its inaugural 1994/95 season, the league attracted nearly 50 teams. And with the standard of the fledgling competition rising year on year, it would take only five seasons for state representation opportunities to be offered to women.
“We made some phone calls to check out what the appetite was for it and there was appetite,” explained Weir, who represented the Australian National Team at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games. “At our first tryouts, we had a stack of women turn up, around 80, and we got a pretty bloody good team out of it in the end.”
Weir’s squad reigned supreme with a stunning undefeated run across the first three Championships held in Melbourne and Sydney’s Blacktown Olympic Park between 1999-2001. The Victorian dominance was punctuated with 18 of the 20 selections to the inaugural Australian team in 2001.
“From the time we had trials and picked the team, we trained our backsides off, and some of the women still come back to me to say thank you for doing that,” said Weir. “I remember the other teams in the first few years were just really intimidated by our players, the professionalism of what they saw, how our team went about it.”
Weir stepped down following the three-peat, revealing his tenure left an impact that went well beyond his perfect record and swag of trophies.
“I often say it's great to have strong, independent and intelligent women in your life and for three years, I had 30 or 40 of them in my life. So that was pretty cool for me,” revealed Weir.
Listen to Grant discuss the history here.
As it heads into its 25th year, the blue of the Big V is still revered across the country, due in large part to its unequalled Championship record.
The team has featured on the podium in all 22^ editions of the event, with its 13 championship victories nearly double that of their closest rival in New South Wales. A runner-up seven times, Victoria has only failed to make the Championships’ gold medal game on two occasions.
In a romantic script fit for any sport documentary feature, Victoria will host the 2023 National Championships on the same hallowed turf of the team’s first appearance in 1999 - Melbourne Ballpark in Altona.
Inaugural team member Samantha Hamilton, who represented Victoria at the first sixteen Championships between 1999-2014, returns in 2023 at the helm as head coach in the team’s silver anniversary year.
“The traits that Grant Weir instilled in us 25 years ago, those of hard work, commitment, dedication and professionalism, have had a huge and lasting impact on the sport,” said Hamilton, who took the reins as Head Coach in 2022.
“And while we have seen quite a few uniform colour changes, new players and coaches come and go, one thing that never goes away is the utmost pride you feel when you represent Victoria. It is still as strong as ever.”
Hamilton’s love for the team runs deeper than any possible achievements she could make as a player or coach, with the proud Victorian playing an integral role in the team’s 25th anniversary project.
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From 2023, the team has adopted a selection order tradition whereby each player will receive a unique number that represents the order in which they were selected.
In total, 406 selections have been made across 24^ Victorian teams since 1999, with 102 unique player selections receiving a Victorian cap. Member of the inaugural 1999 team Emma Binks was awarded number 1, with 17-year-old Nyah O’Brien the newest to the team at number 102.
“The introduction of selection numbers is a confirmation to all 102 Victorian Women’s State Team players that they are a key part of our sport’s history in Victoria,” said Baseball Victoria CEO Chet Gray.
“In particular, we wish to recognise the players in the inaugural teams who broke barriers in the sport and laid the foundation for today’s generation, but we recognise all players for having contributed to the team's stunning journey across the last 25 years.”
The alumni group will gather for a special function at the 2023 Australian Women’s and Youth Championships on Monday 10 April at Melbourne Ballpark.
Victorian Women’s Team Selection Numbers
| Binks, Emma | 1999 | 1 |
| Clark, Diane | 1999 | 2 |
| Clark, Pamela | 1999 | 3 |
| Finch, Paula | 1999 | 4 |
| Gosstray, Narelle | 1999 | 5 |
| Greenwood, Caroline | 1999 | 6 |
| Hamilton, Samantha | 1999 | 7 |
| Hough, Jade | 1999 | 8 |
| Kemp, Kathy | 1999 | 9 |
| Lee, Deanne | 1999 | 10 |
| Lord, Sue-Anne | 1999 | 11 |
| Manzie, Kelly | 1999 | 12 |
| O'Neil, Julie | 1999 | 13 |
| Ross, Shandelle | 1999 | 14 |
| Row, Catherine | 1999 | 15 |
| Ryan, Angela | 1999 | 16 |
| Stokes, Terina | 1999 | 17 |
| Tamburrino, Alisa | 1999 | 18 |
| Wearne, Simone | 1999 | 19 |
| Whitaker, Melissa | 1999 | 20 |
| Cain, Nicole | 2000 | 21 |
| Coombes, Rebecca | 2000 | 22 |
| Grant, Marion | 2000 | 23 |
| Holien, Ella | 2000 | 24 |
| Lillywhite, Shae | 2000 | 25 |
| Marklew, Shelli | 2000 | 26 |
| Papanicolaou, Paula | 2000 | 27 |
| Brisbane, Naomi | 2002 | 28 |
| Palatsides, Maryanne | 2002 | 29 |
| Passlow, Kathy | 2002 | 30 |
| Thompson, Jessica | 2002 | 31 |
| Busbridge, Layla | 2003 | 32 |
| McCann, Amy | 2003 | 33 |
| Whittam, Clare | 2003 | 34 |
| Davidson, Ailsa | 2004 | 35 |
| Hutton, Leanne | 2004 | 36 |
| Walker, Alana | 2004 | 37 |
| Gregory, Mel | 2005 | 38 |
| Kitta, Megumi | 2005 | 39 |
| Adams, Samantha | 2006 | 40 |
| Holmes, Jen | 2006 | 41 |
| Mann, Davina | 2006 | 42 |
| Smith, Alexis | 2006 | 43 |
| Strugnell, Claudia | 2006 | 44 |
| Welsh, Kathy | 2006 | 45 |
| Pastowski, Emma | 2007 | 46 |
| Taylor, Siobhan | 2007 | 47 |
| Anglin, Leslie | 2008 | 48 |
| Brown, Victoria | 2008 | 49 |
| Gell, Bronwyn | 2008 | 50 |
| Howard, Ursula | 2008 | 51 |
| Collins, Erin | 2009 | 52 |
| Flanigan, Sinead | 2009 | 53 |
| Foura, Courtney | 2009 | 54 |
| Pedersen, Vibeke | 2009 | 55 |
| Matsumoto, Kei | 2010 | 56 |
| McKay, Taylor | 2010 | 57 |
| Nakashima, Risa | 2010 | 58 |
| Collins, Amy | 2011 | 59 |
| Binks, Sophie | 2012 | 60 |
| Cannington, Belinda | 2012 | 61 |
| Jackson, Hannah | 2012 | 62 |
| Johnson, Jessica | 2012 | 63 |
| McLellan, Abbey | 2012 | 64 |
| Mills, Autumn | 2012 | 65 |
| Psota, Kate | 2012 | 66 |
| Loon, Shirlie | 2013 | 67 |
| Mcintosh, Cecilia | 2013 | 68 |
| Penny, Paris | 2013 | 69 |
| Asay, Amanda | 2014 | 70 |
| French, Emma | 2014 | 71 |
| Kelly, Abbey | 2014 | 72 |
| Sheldon-Collins, Casey | 2014 | 73 |
| Clifford, Vanessa | 2015 | 74 |
| Deeble, Samantha | 2015 | 75 |
| Harber, Nadine | 2015 | 76 |
| Page, Georgia | 2015 | 77 |
| Tanaka, Risa | 2015 | 78 |
| Byrne-Connell, Sinead | 2016 | 79 |
| Cedelland, Brittney | 2016 | 80 |
| Abe, Rieko | 2016 | 81 |
| Davis, Madeline | 2016 | 82 |
| Goodrope, Ellen | 2016 | 83 |
| Collis, Erin | 2017 | 84 |
| Torrington, Amanda | 2017 | 85 |
| Bastian, Jamie | 2019 | 86 |
| Bebbere, Allie | 2019 | 87 |
| Bevan, Gabby | 2019 | 88 |
| Devine, Emily | 2019 | 89 |
| Doty, Morgan | 2019 | 90 |
| Gildemacher, Famke | 2019 | 91 |
| Patrick, Maddy | 2019 | 92 |
| Beacom, Genevieve | 2020 | 93 |
| Cavanagh, Lili | 2020 | 94 |
| Davenport, Emma | 2020 | 95 |
| Bentley, Jasmine | 2022 | 96 |
| Bell-Tanner, Lilian | 2022 | 97 |
| Brown, Jessica | 2023 | 98 |
| Dale, Ruby | 2023 | 99 |
| Simpson, Lilly | 2023 | 100 |
| Weller, Maddi | 2023 | 101 |
| O'Brien, Nyah | 2023 | 102 |
List updated April 15.
^2020 & 2021 Championships were not held due to COVID, but a team was selected in 2020 before it was cancelled.
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The 2023 Australian Women’s and Youth Women’s Championships get underway at Melbourne Ballpark later this week. Stay tuned for more updates and make sure to follow along with Victoria’s journey on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
- Women’s: 7-13 April https://baseball.com.au/events/2023-australian-womens-championship/
- Youth Women’s: 8-11 April https://baseball.com.au/events/2023-australian-youth-womens-championship/
Baseball Victoria is excited to announce the 2022/23 VSBL Award Winners following another fantastic summer season.
This year, the Baseball Victoria Board confirmed a new format for presenting BV Awards at club presentation nights.
“We’re excited to bring these awards back to the clubs where they belong, so winners can celebrate with their peers and share their success with the team and wider club community,” Baseball Victoria CEO Chet Gray said. “We look forward to highlighting these achievements and thank everyone involved for an awesome summer of baseball.”
New State Service Awards are currently under consideration and will be presented at the next AGM.
Congrats to all winners on their outstanding performances!
Most Valuable Players
- Division 1 - George Heron Medal: Kurtis Smith – Melbourne and Jarrod Turner - Upwey Ferntree Gully (18 votes)
- Women's Division 1: Abbey Kelly – Essendon (32 votes)
- Division 2 - Robert Hindson Medal: Rusty Huber – Port Melbourne (40 votes)
- Women's Division 2: Dominique Williams – Melbourne (19 votes)
- Division 3: Tim Bellerby – Pakenham (27 votes)
- Women's Division 3 East: Lauren Romanin – Malvern (24 votes)
- Women's Division 3 South: Jessica Adkins-Barber - Springvale (16 votes)
- Women's Division 3 West: Brooke Sadler - Geelong (21 votes)
- Division 4 East: Stephen Hill – Waverley (33 votes)
- Division 4 North: Corey Dennehy – Mitchell Majors (15 votes)
- Division 4 South: Daniel De Sachau – South East Warriors and Bradley Jones - Pakenham (19 votes)
Club Champions
- Division 1 Club Champion – Peter Dihm Shield: Upwey Ferntree Gully (323 points)
- Division 2 Club Champion: Newport Rams (327 points)
Individual Awards
- Volunteer of the Year Award: Alan Morris – Port Melbourne
- Coach of the Year Award: Donavon Hendricks – Upwey Ferntree Gully
- Umpire of the Year Award: David Mackie
Women's Division 1
- Pitching Award: Simone Wearne – Springvale (0.6 ERA)
- Batting Award: Amy McCann - Doncaster (.646 BA)
Division 1
- Home Run Award: Tyler Luther-Wilson – Geelong (5 HR)
- Pitching Award (Harry Douglas Trophy): Mitch Lines – Blackburn (1.50 ERA)
- Batting Award: James Wood – Geelong (.442 BA)
Division 2
- Home Run Award: Tom Dicker – Fitzroy (8 HR)
- Pitching Award: Dennis Neal – Williamstown (1.01 ERA)
- Harry Douglas Batting Award: Rusty Huber – Port Melbourne (.514 BA)
Division 3
- Home Run Award: Joshua Villanti – Sandringham (2 HR)
- Pitching Award: Tim Bellerby – Pakenham (1.87 ERA)
- Batting Award: Matthew Dunn - Mornington (.609 BA)
Baseball Victoria is pleased to confirm coaching staff for the 2023 All-Girls Development Team, which will play in the Little League State Championships at Knox as well as the Division 2 Little League Nationals.
Leah Trebilcock will serve as head coach with Shae Lillywhite and Sophia Stenholt as assistant coaches.
“I am incredibly proud to be part of fielding the first all-girls LL team to compete at the National Championships,” Leah said. “My goal for the team is to be able to observe and quantify improvement in the girls over the course of our training program and competitions.”
“I am stoked we are able to bring such high-quality talent into the coaching team to help these girls grow. Shae and Sophia bring a wealth of baseball knowledge and experiences. They are excellent role models for the next generation to look up to.”
Leah and her fellow coaches hope the girls come away from the tournaments with a deeper love of the game and excitement for the future.
“I see this team as the first step on the pathway that Baseball Victoria and Australia are building for these women, including the Barclay Cup, Australian Youth Championships, and Open Women’s Championships.”
The 2023 Little League State Championships are set for 21-23 April at Knox, while the Australian Little League Championships will take place from 7-12 June.
Stay tuned for more tournament updates in the coming weeks.
Upwey Ferntree Gully won the VSBL Division 1 Firsts Premiership for the second year in a row while Newport claimed the flag in Division 2 Firsts to close out a huge weekend of baseball at Melbourne Ballpark.
The Tigers took a 1-0 series lead on Tuesday night after beating Waverley 3-1, but were challenged on Saturday as the Wildcats prevailed 7-4, taking it to game three.
Eager to lock in back-to-back premierships, the Tigers brought their A-game on Sunday, finishing 6-3 in front to seal the deal.
Jarrod Turner was awarded the Harry Wonnacott Medal after throwing the full nine innings, with 22 first-pitch strikes and a 1.22 WHIP.
Jack Ratcliffe led the team at the plate, going 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs. Donavon Hendricks, Josh Hendricks, Andrew Kane, and Ryder Wilson picked up hits too.
Waverley fell just short despite a great day at the plate for Mohi Kahui, collecting three hits and scoring two runs. Mitchell Homfray also had multiple hits.
Earlier in the day, the Division 2 Firsts Premiership was decided in a 4-0 shoutout as Newport defeated Williamstown in a thrilling battle of the burbs.
The Rams took game one 7-4 on Thursday night, but the Wolves brought their big bats on Saturday, winning 17-9.
It was a much closer contest on Sunday as Newport's David Tongue threw a complete game shutout, giving up just two hits with four strikeouts.
Williamstown got on base in the ninth with a Justin Gourlay single, but the Rams shut down the threat to secure the victory.
The Rams only had two hits themselves, with Ben Howard and Aaron Robson leading the charge as a four-run sixth inning made all the difference.
Congratulations to Upwey Ferntree Gully and Newport on their hard-earned premierships!
Well done to everyone on a fantastic summer season!
Team Australia made history this week, advancing to quarterfinals at the World Baseball Classic for the first time ever. Although they lost a heartbreaker 4-3 to Cuba, Australia put together an incredible run and proved they belong with baseball’s best.
Congrats to all involved on such an amazing tournament, and a special shoutout to our six BV Performance Pathway alumni on the team: Darryl George, Dan McGrath, Jon Kennedy, Liam Spence, Blake Townsend, and Jarryd Dale, plus BV High Performance Officer Damian Shanahan who was part of the coaching staff.
Relive Team Australia’s journey HERE.
With the summer season wrapping up this weekend, winter clubs are getting ready to hit the field.
Please feel free to send come and try day information to us for our Club Ads page and remember that all players, coaches, and volunteers need to register.
Please view winter registration links HERE to get signed up for winter ball.
It was a huge weekend for baseball in Victoria as 2022/23 VSBL Premiers were crowned across juniors and senior competitions.
We hope everyone enjoyed another awesome summer season, and a huge shoutout to all the players, coaches, officials, and volunteers who make our great game possible.
View grand finalist photos here: https://www.facebook.com/VicSummerLeague/
Stay tuned for Division 1 & 2 Firsts Grand Finals this weekend.
What a fantastic finish to summer ball for Women’s Division 1, 2 and 3!
Congrats to the new premiers, and well done to everyone on a successful season!
- Women’s Division 1 – Springvale defeated Essendon 12-2
- Women’s Division 2 – Newport defeated Springvale 13-1
- Women’s Division 3 East – Waverley Black defeated Waverley Red 17-10
- Women’s Division 3 South – South East Warriors defeated Chelsea 13-1
- Women’s Division 3 West – Fitzroy defeated Werribee 17-8
Head to facebook.com/VicSummerLeague for the latest updates.
Baseball Victoria is excited to announce a new partnership with Field of View Sports Photography for 2023.
As an official partner of baseball in Victoria, Field of View has joined the BV Diamond Partnership Program at the Home Run level. Their passionate sports photography team will provide coverage of this year’s Little League State Championships and State Winter Championships, plus BV Performance Pathway training and representative teams.
Field of View previously covered the 2021 Little League State Championships and has worked with many grassroots clubs to capture individual and team photos. Through this partnership, Field of View will supply high-quality images to Baseball Victoria for promotion of our great game, with tailored photo packages available for purchase via their website.
“Thank you to Field of View for stepping up to the plate and coming onboard as a Home Run Partner,” BV CEO Chet Gray said. “We are excited to have such an experienced photography team lined up to capture our exciting tournament season and BV Performance Pathway programs. We encourage parents and supporters to check out photo packages, and we also recommend Field of View to local baseball clubs for high-quality photography coverage.”
“As a sports photography business with 15 years’ experience, we are excited to bring our expertise to the table and partner with Baseball Victoria across their premier tournaments and Performance Pathway programs,” Field of View Director Jo Fairy said. “We also look forward to working at the club level to offer gameday coverage, team photos, and personalised baseball cards amongst our other services. We sponsor a number of local sporting clubs and are keen to extend this sponsorship to the many member clubs within Baseball Victoria.”
Field of View has hit the ground running with photo sessions at U12 Futures East and West training sessions this past week. U14 Futures will have their photos taken next week.
Learn more about Field of View Sports Photography HERE and stay tuned for more info on photo packages for 2023 teams and tournaments.
