The 2022/23 VSBL season continued with a busy week of seniors, juniors, and masters.

Don't forget to follow VSBL on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates or view fixtures, results, and standings HERE.

As a reminder, 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 4

Women's Division 1 was washed out but Springvale picked up a 14-1 win at Melbourne in Women's Division 2. Sandringham overpowered North Western 12-7.

Women's Division 3 East was also washed out, although in the South Springvale took home a 23-10 win over Cheltenham. South East Warriors won 14-6 at Chelsea.

Fitzroy pulled away from North Western for an 18-10 victory in Women's Division 3 West.

Seniors Week 4

In Division 1 Firsts, Geelong broke through for a 6-1 win vs. Malvern while Waverley held on for an 8-7 win over Sunshine. Berwick rallied to beat Essendon 7-5 as Melbourne did the same for a 12-9 victory against Blackburn. Sandringham overpowered Mulgrave 10-2 and Upwey Ferntree Gully snuck past Moorabbin 5-4.

Cheltenham staged an eighth inning comeback for a 3-2 win vs. Newport in Division 2 Firsts as Ormond Glenhuntly secured an 8-1 win over St Kilda. Werribee held off Port Melbourne 5-2 while Preston racked up the runs in a 17-6 victory at Bonbeach. Fitzroy won 15-10 at Doncaster as Williamstown finished 8-4 in front of North Western.

In Division 3 Firsts, Geelong scored 11 and gave up just one to Chelsea while Pakenham shut out Port Melbourne 13-0. Sandringham picked up a 13-9 win at Mornington.

Division 4 North included Alfredton's 14-6 victory against Fitzroy Maroon. Greensborough beat the Blue Lions 9-3 as a high-scoring battle between Mitchell Majors and Essendon ended with the Majors up by one, 16-15.

Masters Week 4

Masters 38+ East featured Blackburn's 12-3 win over Research Lower Plenty and Melbourne's 12-3 victory at Monash Ormond Glenhuntly. Upwey Ferntree Gully picked up two wins, with the Black side winning 5-1 vs. Waverley while the Gold team overpowered Ormond Glenhuntly 10-3.

In Masters 38+ North West, Essendon Bombers stayed undefeated with a 10-1 win vs. Pivot City as Essendon Jets prevailed 12-3 over Sunshine White. Port Melbourne beat Werribee 13-3 and Williamstown cruised to a 14-4 victory against Fitzroy. Newport came back in the late stages to draw with Sunshine Blue 2-2.

In Masters 38+ South, Sandringham held on for a 3-1 victory over Mornington while Cheltenham shut out Pakenham/Berwick 13-0. Bonbeach Blue pulled away from Springvale Bigcats 5-4.

Blackburn stayed undefeated in Masters 45+ with a 2-1 win over Malvern. Melbourne held off a Sandringham rally for an 8-5 victory.

Juniors Week 3

It was an action-packed weekend for the U14, U16, and U18 competitions. U14 East Metro Blackburn battled back to beat Melbourne 17-10. Malvern overpowered Cheltenham 14-11 as Doncaster and Berwick/Mulgrave drew 10-10. Waverley finished 15-3 in front of Upwey Ferntree Gully.

In U14 West Metro, Werribee went back-to-back with a 16-1 win over North Western. Over in U14 East State, Waverley came back for a 7-6 victory over Moorabbin while Melbourne also came from behind for a 6-4 win at Malvern. Essendon cruised to a 21-2 win at Sandringham as Chelsea recorded a 9-1 result against Upwey Ferntree Gully.

U14 West State saw Research Lower Plenty with the edge against Geelong, 7-5.

In U16 Metro, Waverley won 13-5 vs. Essendon and Werribee picked up an 11-4 win over Fitzroy Blue. Port Melbourne racked up the runs in a 16-5 victory at Fitzroy Maroon as Malvern scored 28 runs and gave up just four to North Western.

Research Lower Plenty/Preston scored late for a 10-10 draw at Moorabbin in U16 State while Sandringham stayed undefeated with a 13-5 win over Williamstown. Doncaster snuck past Geelong for an 8-7 victory.

In U18 Metro, St Kilda scored in every inning for a 13-2 win vs. Mulgrave as Cheltenham scored five in the fourth for a 6-4 win over Pakenham.

U18 State saw Blackburn/Upwey Ferntree Gully record an 11-1 victory vs. Sunshine as Melbourne shut out Waverley 7-0. Bonbeach/Moorabbin finished 19-4 over Werribee while Sandringham scored 10 and allowed just one to Newport. Essendon came away with a 9-4 win against Geelong.

Under 12s Week 2

Lots of excited young baseballers hit the field for a big round of baseball. In U12 A State East, Bonbeach won 15-3 vs. Springvale while Chelsea prevailed 15-5 over Melbourne. Waverley scored 20 runs and gave up just one to Berwick and Sandringham came away with a 15-5 victory against Cheltenham.

Geelong racked up 19 runs and allowed one to Sunshine as Port Melbourne overpowered Research Lower Plenty Gold 12-4 in U12 A State West.

U12 B East Chelsea hung on for an 11-10 win over St Kilda while Malvern walked away 15-2 winners against Sandringham.

U12 B West featured A high-scoring game between Preston and Fitzroy Blue, ending with the Pirates up 14-10.

U12 Baycats Riverdogs won 8-6 over Firefrogs and Mudhens finished 16-3 in front of Lake Monsters.

In Eastern Athletics Metro A, Blackburn Black won 12-4 over Malvern Blue while Blackburn Grey finished 16-1 over Malvern Red. Upwey Ferntree Gully shut out Melbourne 10-0 as Blackburn White won 17-4 against Greenhills Montmorency.

In Eastern Athletics Metro B Gold, Blackburn came back to win 14-13 over Malvern Blue while Melbourne Red recorded a 25-21 win vs. Malvern Red. Melbourne White secured a 26-17 win against Ormond Glenhuntly and Melbourne Stars beat Melbourne Blue 13-5.

Last but not least, Eastern Athletics Metro B Green saw Waverley and Upwey Ferntree Gully go head to head with Wildcats winning 22-14 against Tigers Gold. Waverley Panthers picked up a 17-5 win as Blackcats tied with Upwey FTG Black at 25 runs apiece. Waverley Cougars rounded things out with a 28-17 win over Doncaster.

Baseball Victoria is excited to announce a new partnership with SportsLink Travel.

As the Official Travel Supplier for Baseball Victoria for the next three years, SportsLink will provide travel management services for Victorian teams going to state, national, and international tournaments and events.

SportsLink will also serve as the travel management service provider of Official Baseball Victoria Tours, including development tours and training. SportsLink will manage travel for BV Staff/Board and officials attending national tournaments, too.

As an official partner of baseball in Victoria, SportsLink has joined the BV Diamond Partnership Program at the Home Run level.

“We are pleased to have SportsLink on board, providing travel management services for Victorian State Teams, tours and events,“ BV CEO Chet Gray said. “SportsLink works with Baseball Australia and Team Australia, and their extensive experience in baseball trips and tours will benefit our organisation. We are excited to have the support of such a trusted and well-known travel company to ensure our players, coaches, officials, and families get the best experience while travelling for baseball.”

Founded in 2002, SportsLink is a sport travel and tour company focused on teams, athletes, and their supporters, providing suitable travel arrangements for events all around the world.

“We are thrilled to step up to the plate and serve Victorian baseballers as the Official Travel Supplier for Baseball Victoria,” SportsLink Founder & CEO Paul Kelly said. “We look after thousands of athletes every year, including Baseball Australia and ABL teams, and we are excited to create amazing sporting experiences for Baseball Victoria teams and representatives.”

For more info, visit the SportsLink Travel website.

Mark your calendars for EducationUSA US College programming sessions next month.

EducationUSA provides a free service for families, offering accurate and comprehensive information about opportunities to study in the US, including being recruited as a student-athlete.

The US Consulate General outreach program will conduct two EducationUSA sessions for athletes and parents interested in learning more about US College education and sports programs. The two info sessions will be offered in-person and live-streamed.

Staff travelling from the USA with the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics will be on hand for these sessions, which are aimed at students in years 9-11, their parents, schools, and athletic stakeholders. NJCAA and NAIA opportunities will be discussed and athletes/parents can ask questions in a forum setting.

Date: Wednesday November 2
Time: 5:15pm - 6:45pm AEDT
Where: Maribyrnong College - 2 River Street, Maribyrnong 3032
For more details and to register to attend in-person or virtual visit: https://bit.ly/EdUSACollegeSportsNov2

Date: Thursday November 3
Time: 5:30pm - 7pm AEDT
Where: Carey Baptist Grammar School - 349 Barkers Road, Kew 3101
For more details and to register to attend in-person or virtual visit: https://bit.ly/EdUSACollegeSportsNov3

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.