The Baseball Victoria Board of Directors has appointed a new finance director following the resignation of Rob Stanley as of 13 October 2022.

Anna Ronald has been appointed to a casual vacancy and will take over the finance director portfolio.

“Thank you to Rob Stanley for his dedicated service as finance director, particularly over a challenging few years with COVID. We greatly appreciate his contributions to our organisation and we wish him all the best in the future,” BV President Andy Rose said. “We are pleased to appoint Anna Ronald to the BV Board as a casual vacancy until the next AGM. Her experience and expertise in the financial industry will be a fantastic asset to our team, and we look forward to working with her.”

Anna Ronald is a CPA Public Practitioner with over 20 years of accounting experience within the sporting and not-for-profit sectors in both Australia and the UK. This includes financial accounting roles with Cricket Australia, the ICC Cricket World Cup, and Cricket Scotland. Anna currently manages her own accounting practice, helping clients grow their business and achieve their goals. Anna is excited to bring her extensive industry experience and qualifications to baseball in Victoria to ensure a strong financial future for the sport.

Congratulations to Victorian Darcy Longstaff, who has signed a professional contract with the Cincinnati Reds. Longstaff, a product of Waverley Baseball Club, will head across to Spring Training in 2023.

He will join Queenslander Ben Walmsley within the Reds organisation who has just completed his first professional season. He will also be following in the footsteps of his brother Reece who has just completed his freshman year at Arizona Western.

Well done, Darcy!

The 2022/23 VSBL season is in full swing with all seniors, juniors, and masters competitions now underway.

Make sure to follow VSBL on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates or view fixtures, results, and standings HERE.

All players, coaches, and volunteers must register to be covered by insurance – please click HERE to access club registration links if you haven’t already.

Women's Week 3

While there were some washouts with all the wet weather, we still had plenty of women's baseball to enjoy this weekend!

In Women's Division 1, Springvale won 9-5 vs. Doncaster while Essendon shut out Footscray 14-0.

Springvale recorded a 17-3 victory over North Western in Women's Division 2, while Melbourne battled back for a 4-2 win vs. Essendon. Sandringham had the edge over Footscray, 7-4.

Women's Division 3 South featured a 12-12 draw between Chelsea and Springvale. Pakenham and Cheltenham also racked up the runs, with the Pumas coming out on top 18-13. South East Warriors finished 18-5 up against St Kilda as Moorabbin overpowered Berwick 12-3.

In Women's Division 3 West, Mitchell Majors got their first win on the board, a 12-8 victory over Williamstown. Geelong scored 15 runs and gave up just three to Werribee.

Seniors Week 3

The 2022/23 VSBL season is off to a great start, and we thank all clubs and members for supporting grassroots baseball. We want to continue growing our baseball community, and one of our key priorities moving forward is umpire recruitment and development.

We need your help to identify current and potential umpires who would benefit from the BV Umpire Pathway, which is overseen by our newly established Technical Operations Committee.

Over the past month, we have restructured our umpire program by investing in two casual positions, the BV Umpire Officer – Operations and Umpire Officer – Pathways. Randall Vavra is responsible for umpire administration and communications, ensuring current umpires have the support and resources they need, while Stewart Howe is focusing on pathway development and educational opportunities with a series of info and training sessions.

Together, we are looking to address the ongoing challenges with umpire recruitment, and this starts with the clubs. We know many of our clubs have older junior players (U16/U18) and senior players rostered on to umpire U12 and U14 games. This is great to see, and we strongly encourage clubs to continue these efforts to engage players in game management and umpiring.

To assist with junior club umpires, we are pleased to introduce the BV Green Vest Umpire Program. Every summer club will receive four green vests for volunteer umpires to wear while umpiring junior games. These vests will clearly identify umpires in training and serve as a reminder to players, coaches, parents, and spectators to always remain respectful, even if the call doesn’t go their way.

In addition to green vests, we will also be streamlining the BV Green Shirt Umpire Program, which identifies beginner umpires who are interested in furthering their umpire training and development. We are asking all clubs to step up to the plate and recommend at least three players or individuals for the BV Umpire Community Coach Program. This could be current players, coaches, parents, or spectators who are interested in officiating and gameday management.

These club recommendations will be a great starting point for BV Umpire Officers, who will connect with these potential umpires to offer equipment, training, and paid opportunities to umpire throughout the season. This will help us build our base and upskill current members to ensure a new generation of umpires can come through our pathway. Please submit your recommendations HERE.

Thank you in advance for your support of the BV Umpire Pathway. We look forward to building a bigger, brighter future for baseball in Victoria with more umpire recruitment, education and development.

View more umpire information and resources on our website, including umpire expressions of interest and the BV Umpire Pathways Program.

Baseball Victoria is accepting applications for head coaches, assistant coaches, and executive officers for the 2023 Australian Women’s Championship (AWC) and Barclay Cup.

While dates are to be confirmed, we anticipate the AWC to take place in Adelaide around Easter next year. We will send one Victorian Women’s State Team to the national women’s tournament.

We also hope to send two teams of youth girls (aged 13-16) to the second annual Barclay Cup from 30 September to 8 October 2023 in Perth.

Our AWC and Barclay Cup teams will all have a head coach, two assistant coaches, and an executive officer.

All coaches are required to have current coaching accreditation. They will be required to assist with coordinating, implementing, and attending trials, training sessions, and other events as directed by Baseball Victoria. Coaches will be responsible for coordinating tryout days and team selections.

Please note all coaches and executive officers are required to have a current Working with Children Check if team members are under 18 years of age.

Position descriptions for coaches and officials are HERE.

Applications close Friday 28 October 2022 at midday.

Applications can be submitted via SurveyMonkey HERE or complete the attached form HERE and return it to kellie.thomas@baseballvictoria.com.au.

Baseball Victoria’s Women & Girls Coaching Workshop was a big hit, bringing women’s coaches and players together for a valuable day of leadership development and on-field sessions.

35 representatives from 18 clubs spent their Sunday at Melbourne Ballpark, learning how to better support women and girls through dedicated baseball coaching and training.

Made possible by the Change Our Game Community Activation Grants Program, the free workshop featured two special presentations from the Australian Institute of Sport, including an interactive session on building your personal coaching network with Michelle De Highden, High Performance Coach Development Senior Lead.

Olympian Katarina Paul and Paralympic Maria Strong were also on hand to discuss the importance of safe, inclusive environments for all athletes.

BV High Performance Staff Damian Shanahan and Keli’i “Zee” Zablan led a baseball classroom session before hitting the field with 2022 Victorian Women’s State Team and Victoria Aces Head Coach Samantha Hamilton.

The practical session gave coaches fresh ideas to add to their toolbox for prehab, warm-up, throwing, hitting, fielding, pitching, catching, and base running. Morgan Doty and Abbey McLellan of the Victoria Aces and Australian Emeralds joined in the on-field fun, helping out with drills.

Not only did the first Women & Girls Coaching Workshop have a strong turnout, but participants came away with new knowledge and greater confidence in their leadership potential.

Tess Warner from North Western Titans Baseball Club was pleased with the workshop and what she learned about coaching and inclusion.

“This workshop was a great way to bounce ideas off other members of the baseball community, to listen to different points of view and ideas on what they might do in their club to change up the fundamentals for their members,” Warner said.

“The information given by Zee and Shanas was insightful and informative. They encouraged us to trust in our own knowledge and guided us on how to implement this in our daily coaching. They also provided us with new coaching techniques to take back to our clubs.”

Warner left the workshop feeling inspired to try a different approach to warmups.

“Warmups can be hard for some and easy for others. and players don’t always get what they need out of it. But they showed a way you can change the approach to warmups,” Warner explained. “It became more inclusive to the players of all ages and abilities, and you still achieve the same outcome but in a more fun and challenging way.”

Tayla Weldon shared the sentiment, embracing the workshop’s takeaway lessons she can apply in her summer coaching debut as assistant women’s coach at Geelong.

“It was a great opportunity to network with other coaches and clubs with the same goal of growing women's baseball,” Weldon said. “A really enjoyable part of the day was the workshop with AIS coaching mentor, Michelle De Highden, who helped us reflect on our own coaching goals.”

“I was able to learn the most up to date theory and methods of baseball coaching and ask questions of the elite coaches who gave me practical ideas that I am looking forward to implementing back at the club.”

Sinead Byrne-Connell of Preston Baseball Club enjoyed the Coach of the Coaches from AIS presentation about having a support system and not being afraid to ask for advice.

“The standout point that I got from her presentation was to build your network and lean on your network. I believe we all have a tendency to rely on ourselves too much. I know I do for sure,” Byrne-Connell added. “The LGBTQIA+ inclusive section of the day was also fantastic and I was so pleased to know that Baseball Victoria wants to make LGBTQIA+ people feel accepted in baseball.”

Byrne-Connell left the workshop feeling inspired and eager to put new ideas to work at Preston Baseball Club.

“The workshop was an amazing experience and I’m so grateful to have been a part of it,” Byrne-Connell said. “Zee and Shanas were inspiring. They had an amazing ability to provoke ideas from the group and created an environment to share, learn and be vulnerable. They place emphasis on the style of coaching rather than numerous drills and the nitty gritty fundamentals.”

“The approach was to let the player work it out and self-correct. Assist the player via changing the circumstances, let them do it rather than overload them with a lot of information. I’ve already started using this approach in my coaching and have seen great results. The sessions have been more enjoyable for the players and myself.”

Baseball Victoria thanks Change Our Game for making the workshop possible and all the coaches, players, and guest speakers who participated in the event. Stay tuned for updates on future more workshops and women’s baseball initiatives.

Oscar Hargreaves is busy living out his college baseball dreams. The Victorian State Team player is now in his second year at Williston State College in North Dakota, having stayed overseas for the U.S. summer ball season.

After growing up playing grassroots baseball with local clubs Greensborough, Preston, and Waverley, Hargreaves took everything he learned in club ball and BV High Performance training and set off for college in the American Midwest last year.

Great First Year On The Field

The second baseman's first year of college baseball proved awesome.

"My team, school, and town were all extremely welcoming which made it very easy to settle in," Hargreaves said. "The baseball aspect was like something I hadn’t ever experienced before. I had to get into a routine very quickly otherwise I felt like I would fall too far behind early. Throughout the whole fall, we ran as a team at 6am every weekday morning and practiced almost every day in the afternoon."

That consistent training combined with exhibition games helped Hargreaves and his fellow Tetons get ready for the season. By the time spring rolled around, they were ready to go, starting every weekday morning off strong with 5am practice or team gym lifts.

One of the standout moments for Hargreaves was a March trip to Tucson, Arizona to play in a tournament before their conference games began.

"Tucson was definitely a highlight of my freshman year," he said. "We played a total of 11 games in 14 days in Tucson, which felt a lot like the state tournaments back home in Australia."

Making it to the regional championship after finishing second in the conference tournament was another highlight, as the Tetons went 34-15 overall. The first season taught Hargreaves a lot, as he went 55 for 164 for a .335 average in 46 games.

"My favourite thing about college baseball so far would have to be playing and practicing every day. College baseball doesn’t really have off days," he said. "There is almost always something that you could be doing that day which I really like as it keeps me busy and gives me something to look forward to every day. Another enjoyable thing is the people you meet and friendships you make that will last a lifetime."

Hargreaves credits junior baseball in Victoria with helping him prepare for the competitive side of college baseball.

"College baseball is a grind, everyone has to earn their spots, no matter if you’re a returner or new to the program. I feel that as I moved up the ranks in junior baseball and had to earn a position on the field every year was quite similar to how college baseball works," he explained. "At a representative level I learnt how to be around the team and live with teammates. This was a big help for me as I felt like the transition to college baseball was somewhat easier as I had already experienced living with teammates while travelling with representative teams. In college you’re around your teammates 24/7, especially if you live in dorm rooms with them."

Staying for Summer Ball

After finding his groove as a freshman, Hargreaves decided to stay for the summer ball season. He headed to Augusta, Kansas to compete in the Kansas Collegiate Baseball League (KCBL) with the Kansas Cannons, who played a total of 46 games with a 37-9 record. The infielder gained a lot from this experience and playing against a high level of competition and finished with a .354 summer batting average, the second-highest on the Cannons.

"I was able to learn new things from different coaches as well as from the other players that I played with. Another major positive was the ability to make connections with new coaches that could possibly help me transfer to a 4-year school after I finish my sophomore year at junior college," Hargreaves added.

Hargreaves embraced the opportunity to continue playing every day, although he missed his family and friends. Even so, he's not taking his time overseas for granted and enjoys being surrounded by different sporting teams and athletes, including college voleyball, basketball, hockey, and softball.

He also wasn't the only Aussie, or Victorian for that matter, to stay for summer ball. He was joined by catcher and fellow state representative Mason Wray who also played for the Cannons. The duo met up with Ben Fierenzi, who played for the Hays Larks after his season with Arizona Western College. Victorians Henry Hayman, Riley Light, and Kobe Greenhalgh were a few others who took part in summer ball.

Looking to the Future

After freshman year and summer ball, Hargreaves is eager to keep improving and chasing his goals both on and off the field.

"One major goal that I have for myself in a baseball setting is to continue to grow my knowledge for the game as well as to get bigger and stronger in the weight room," Hargreaves said. "In the classroom I want to strive to maintain my 4.0 GPA so that I can get academic scholarship money when I transfer to a university."

Hargreaves hopes to continue his collegiate career by studying kinesiology or sport science and seeing where his baseball journey can take him. His advice for players looking to follow in his footsteps is to stick at it and focus on their strengths, while also embracing the fun of junior baseball before the competition gets more serious.

"Another big thing is not comparing yourself to your peers as college baseball has taught me that everyone has their own skill sets and are different to each other," Hargreaves said. "One last piece of advice I’d give to junior players is to just have fun. You hear it all the time as a junior, but you never really realise the importance of it until it’s finished. College baseball will always be there for you, but junior baseball goes by so fast. Junior baseball was some of the most fun I’ve ever had playing the game."

The 2022/23 VSBL season is off to a fantastic start with seniors, masters, and juniors now underway.

Make sure to follow along this season with the VSBL Facebook page and BV Twitter/Instagram/TikTok.

As a reminder, you can view all fixtures HERE or check out VSBL resources HERE.

All players, coaches, and volunteers must register to be covered by insurance – please click HERE to access club registration links if you haven’t already.

Women's Week 2

Seniors Week 2

Masters Week 2

In Masters 38+ East, Upwey Ferntree Gully recorded two victories, with the Gold team winning 10-0 over Research Lower Plenty and the Tigers Black team overpowering Monash/Ormond Glenhuntly 9-2. Waverley won 13-2 vs. the Hunters and Melbourne held on for a 9-8 win against Blackburn.

Masters 38+ North West featured Newport's 10-3 victory over Port Melbourne and Williamstown's 10-4 win vs. Werribee.

Essendon Bombers shut out Fitzroy 15-0 and the Jets battled back against Pivot City for an 8-7 win. Sunshine Blue won 18-1 in a memorable matchup against their fellow Eagles (and many new players!) on the White team.

In Masters 38+ South, Springvale and Bonbeach put on two competitive games, with the Bigcats bouncing back to win 4-3 and the Tomatoes winning 4-2.

Cheltenham tied it up in the last inning but Sandringham scored a pair to end the game up 7-5. Mornington scored 19 runs and gave up six in a win over Chelsea.

Blackburn won 8-4 at Sandringham in Masters 45+ as Malvern battled back for a 5-3 win against Melbourne.

Juniors Week 1

Mulgrave opened the U14 East Metro season with a 5-1 win over Doncaster, while Blackburn finished 15-0 up vs. Melbourne. Cheltenham got a 12-6 victory against Malvern as Waverley won 13-4 at Upwey Ferntree Gully.

In U14 West Metro, Research Lower Plenty came from behind to win 10-7 against Sunshine as North Western recorded a 15-6 victory over Newport/ Footscray.

Geelong's U14 West State racked up the runs in a 17-3 win vs. Sunshine while Research Lower Plenty did the same, finishing 11-4 in front of Essendon.

In U16 Metro, Fitzroy's battle of the Lions saw the Maroon side overpower Blue 16-7. Waverley also had a big day at the plate, scoring 18 and giving up just one to Blackburn/Doncaster.

Sandringham held off North Western for a 9-5 win as Malvern beat Port Melbourne 14-10. Research Lower Plenty/Preston captured the lead late to overcome Werribee 12-11. Essendon finished 26-2 up over Williamstown.

St Kilda's U18 Metro brought the offense in a 29-1 win over Sunshine while Doncaster beat Cheltenham 13-3.

In U18 State, Blackburn/Upwey FTG shut out Melbourne 11-0 while Bonbeach/Moorabbin won 15-4 over Newport.

Geelong scored 11 runs and gave up only one to Sunshine as Malvern overpowered Werribee 16-1.

Sandringham started scoring early, finishing with 11 runs to Waverley's five. Essendon won 17-1 at Research Lower Plenty/ Preston.

Baseball Australia has locked in an exciting summer of baseball for talented young players.

Over the course of late December into early January, in partnership with Perfect Game, six international teams will be arriving on our shores to play a series of 48 games over nine days against Under 18 state squads in Brisbane, Melbourne, Geelong and Sydney.

The games, held from 29 December to 6 January, will provide additional competition opportunities for players who will be going on to play at the 2023 Australian Youth Championships in mid-January.

The Australian Youth Championships will be held a Blacktown International Sports Park, where both the Under 16 and Under 18 events will be held for the first time since January 2020. Players will arrive into Sydney on 9 January prior to taking part in showcase activities and workouts presented by Perfect Game on 10-11 January.

Teams will then move into six double header days of completion to crown the Australian Champions with the finals being played on 17 January. In all, over 60 games will be played across the six days of competition, with all games on field one broadcasted and games on fields two and three also streamed.

Click HERE to read the full story from Baseball Australia and stay tuned for BV updates on state team selection.