Baseball Victoria is excited to announce a new partnership with Fullhammer to supply quality playing uniforms and off-field apparel.

“We are excited to bring Fullhammer on board as our official uniform supplier,” Baseball Victoria CEO Chet Gray said. “Fullhammer has a wide variety of premium apparel options and uniform solutions that will benefit the Victorian baseball community, and we look forward to delivering high-quality garments to BV Performance Training Centre participants and state teams representing Victoria on the national stage. We thank Fullhammer for joining the BV Diamond Partnership Program as a Home Run Partner, and we encourage clubs to check out Fullhammer for their uniform needs.”

Founded in 1980, Fullhammer provides a full suite of services and is a one-stop shop for garment decoration and merchandise. Baseball is at the very heart of Fullhammer, with Fullhammer also being the official uniform and apparel partner for 5 of the 8 Australian Baseball Leagues, including the Melbourne Aces.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Baseball Victoria,” shares Glenn Fuller, Managing Director of Fullhammer. “As a family business, we have closely held values around supporting communities through active engagement. This new partnership further aligns us with Australian Baseball — something we are without a doubt personally passionate about. In our eyes, we are kitting out the stars of tomorrow while championing the communities of today.”

This deal will see Fullhammer serve as the official uniform supplier for Baseball Victoria for the next 3 years.

Victorian baseball clubs have the opportunity to partner with Fullhammer to take advantage of a competitive uniform and clothing range through the BV partnership. For more information about Fullhammer, visit www.fullhammer.com.

Baseball Victoria is pleased to announce the appointment of Andrea Cormick as BV Little League District Administrator for the 2022/23 summer season.

In this volunteer role, Andrea will work alongside the BV CEO and Events Officer to manage the BV Junior and Charter competition and Little League State Championships in line with Baseball Australia and Little League International. She will serve as the liaison between BV and local Little League Charters, supporting the integrity of the competition and promoting a safe and enjoyable experience for all.

Andrea’s wide range of experience will serve her well in this role, as she has been involved in Victorian baseball since 2010 when her sons first started tee-ball. She has spent many years as junior coordinator at Sandringham Baseball Club, where her son Jasper plays as a top-age Under 18.

Andrea has served on the Southern Mariners Baseball Charter Committee for the past six years, including the last four as secretary. An accredited level 2 scorer, she has scored and been an EO at both state and national tournaments.

“We are excited to welcome Andrea as our new Little League District Administrator,” BV CEO Chet Gray said. “With a wealth of knowledge around Little League and Charter rules, Andrea will be an invaluable resource to our sport as we look to further improve the junior baseball pathway and offer more opportunities for players to thrive in Little League Baseball across Victoria. Thank you to Andrea for stepping up to the plate and dedicating such time and energy to BV Charter baseball.”

Register Now - 2022 Women & Girls Coaching Workshop

If you’re currently coaching girls and women, you have aspirations to coach, or you’re a senior women’s player looking to upskill your knowledge, we invite you to our free Women & Girls Coaching Workshop.

To be held at Melbourne Ballpark on Sunday 9 October 2022 between 9:00am and 4:00pm, the Workshop will feature theoretical and practical sessions on coaching and training methods, including a coaching classroom to cover coaching fundamentals and training session preparation.

The classroom and on-field sessions will be led by Baseball Victoria High Performance Staff Damian Shanahan, Keli’i “Zee” Zablan, and Samantha Hamilton and they will cover the areas of prehab and warm-up, throwing programs, hitting and fielding, pitching and catching, plus base running. Members of the Victoria Aces and Australian Emeralds will be on-hand for practical demonstrations, including Bronwyn Gell, Morgan Doty and Abbey McLellan.

An AIS Thrive with Pride Program presentation, led by Olympian Katarina Paul and Paralympic Maria Strong, will also provide an opportunity for all to connect and learn how to create and foster safe and inclusive environments for their athletes to thrive at their club and in baseball.

The Women & Girls Coaching Workshop is free for participants with morning tea and lunch provided. Travel allowances are available for nominated representatives of regional clubs.

To register your interest, please submit the 2022 Women and Girls Coaching Registration Survey.

Register Now - 2022 Women & Girls Coaching Workshop

The Women & Girls Coaching Workshop is made possible by the Change Our Game Community Activation Grants Program.

The 2022/23 VSBL season gets underway this weekend! Best of luck to all players, coaches, teams, and clubs as another big summer of baseball begins.

View senior fixtures HERE or check out all VSBL resources, including updated playing conditions and by-laws. Junior fixtures are being updated and will be available soon.

As a reminder, all players, coaches, and volunteers must register – please click HERE to access club registration links. Umpires who register via GameDay before 30 September will receive a $200 support grant to help get ready for the season.

If you need assistance, view the SportsTG help sheets for members and clubs or contact the BV office.

As the inaugural Barclay Cup gets underway on the Gold Coast this weekend, current Australian Emeralds and Victoria Aces player Morgan Doty is looking forward to her coaching debut.

Doty will serve as assistant coach to the Vic Dingoes, one of two Victorian teams playing in the brand new national tournament for youth girls aged 13-16 from 25 September to 1 October at Surfers Paradise Baseball Club.

The Dingoes will join the Vic Hornets and teams from Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia, and South Australia in a big week of baseball honouring Jacinda Barclay, a standout Australian athlete and passionate baseballer who sadly passed away in 2020. Barclay, originally from Western Australia, once participated in summer baseball with Berwick’s women’s program and was well-known on the Australian women’s baseball scene for her athletic talent and infectious spirit.

Doty, a long-time friend and teammate of Barclay, is proud to be taking on her first coaching role, stepping up to the plate as an assistant coach to the Dingoes alongside fellow Emerald and Victoria Aces player Abbey McLellan and field manager Alan Sutherland.

Together they’ve been working with Samantha Hamilton, head coach of Victoria Aces, to prepare for the tournament and encourage players to pay tribute to Barclay’s fierce determination on the field and fun-loving nature off the field.

Doty says while coaching isn’t something she imagined doing a year ago, she couldn’t say no to this special opportunity, given her connection with Barclay as Emerald teammates.

“Barky was such a good friend of mine. As soon as this tournament was announced, I thought about it and changed my perspective a bit,” Doty said. “I wanted to be a part of it, and I know Barky would want me to as well. I can hear her telling me to go help and give back, driving me to do it.”

“I just think it’s a really good opportunity to honour her legacy. Especially with COVID, a lot of the girls haven’t gotten to play on a team of all girls before, let alone a tournament, so this is so cool for them and their development. It’s going to be very special.”

While the Barclay Cup marks Doty’s first coaching stint, she’s been a passionate baseballer for as long as she can remember. Starting her baseball journey on the West Coast, Doty represented WA for many years bringing home two National Championships alongside Barclay before making the move to Victoria.

She’s since played on numerous Victorian teams, most recently the side that finished second at the 2022 Australian Women’s Championship and the Victoria Aces that won the Australian Women’s Baseball Showcase in May. Doty has played for Newport, Footscray, and Melbourne Uni, too.

All of this experience has given her the insight she needs to coach the Dingoes, and so far, the transition from player to coach has been smoother than expected.

“I’m actually pleasantly surprised that I know more than I thought I knew or give myself credit for,” Doty said. “It’s been really cool to pass down a lot of high performance training we’ve been doing with the state team and development program in recent years. They’ve completely latched onto things like arm care and strength and conditioning.”

The teams’ dedication isn’t the only thing inspired by Barclay, as the Dingoes and Hornets are named in her honour. Barclay's first club in WA was the Hornets, while the Dingoes come from her self-appointed nickname "Barky Dingo”.

No matter what happens at the tournament, Doty is happy to honour her friend and looks forward to showcasing the bright future of women’s baseball in Victoria, with 25 players representing 23 clubs around the state. She hopes to help them become better players, with their motivation evident in every training session.

“I think we played really well in our scratch match,” Doty added. “Our pitchers all got a go, the girls got some good at-bats and I’m really impressed with the base running we’ve been working hard on. They’ve been doing really well and to see all the work they put in on the field, it’s really promising.”

Stay tuned to the Baseball Victoria Facebook page for the latest updates on the Barclay Cup.

To register for the upcoming Women & Girls Coaching Workshop, made possible by the Change Our Game Community Activation Grants Program, click here.

Baseball Victoria is pleased to open tryout registration for Victorian State Teams ahead of the 2023 Australian U16 and U18 Youth Championships.

We will be sending one U16 and one U18 team to the National Championships from 10-17 January 2023.

Tryouts will be held on the following dates:

• • U16: Saturday 15, 22, and 29 October
  • U18: Monday 17 and 24 October, Tuesday 18 and 25 October, Monday 31 October

A training program will follow throughout November and December leading up to the national championships.

Please click HERE to register for tryouts. Registration closes at 12:00pm Friday 7 October.

Last month, Baseball Victoria confirmed the establishment of the BV Technical Operations Committee, which will be responsible for overseeing technical operations in Victoria, including administration for existing umpires and pathway development for all umpires.

Baseball Victoria is pleased to announce the following appointments to the committee:

• Umpire Officer – Operations: Randall Vavra
• Umpire Officer – Pathways: Stewart Howe

As outlined in the committee framework document, these officers will work alongside the Baseball Victoria CEO in the role of committee chairperson.

“We are excited to appoint two highly experienced and passionate BV Umpire Officers in Randall Vavra and Stewart Howe,” BV CEO Chet Gray said. “The Technical Operations Committee involves a significant investment into umpire development as we strive to further support the umpiring community, which plays a critical role in the overall success of baseball across Victoria.”

“As we move forward with a dedicated focus on umpire development and training, the BV Umpire Officers will lead the way in educating existing umpires, recruiting new umpires, and promoting umpire opportunities and achievements to the wider community. We look forward to this important step forward in enhancing support and resources for the valued officials who make our great game possible.”

BV Technical Operations Committee - Umpire Officers

Umpire Officer – Operations: Randall Vavra

In the role of Umpire Officer – Operations, Randall will be responsible for managing the communications, governance, administration, scheduling, registration, compliance, insurance, and codes of conduct of umpires in Victoria.

Randall comes to BV with over 50 years of experience in baseball umpiring. He has umpired in Australia for more than 15 years, participating in several National Championships ranging from U12s to U18s. Randall got his start behind the plate as a Little League umpire when he was 10 years old. He continued with high school and college games in the US before coming to Australia.

In addition to his extensive umpiring experience, Randall also has four decades of coaching under his belt, beginning with American YMCA ball and including a stint as head coach of the women’s section at Melbourne Baseball Club from 2010-2015. He attended Iowa Western Community College on a baseball scholarship and has significant playing experience in both the US and Australia, too.

Randall’s vast experience on all sides of the game gives him a unique perspective on how it all fits together, and his expertise will serve as invaluable input to our goals of moving forward to make baseball bigger and better in Victoria.

Umpire Officer – Pathways: Stewart Howe

As Umpire Officer – Pathways, Stewart will oversee pathway development, education, recruitment, and retention of umpires. This will include scheduling and promoting formal education sessions and ongoing development initiatives, as well as umpire assessment and evaluation as they move through the pathways.

Stewart brings over 40 years of umpiring experience to this role, having umpired over 5,300 games of baseball since he first started in 1982. He’s honoured to be so heavily involved in his beloved game, a true passion that has earned him five Umpire of the Year awards at the state and national level.

As a leader in grassroots umpiring, Stewart has covered VSBL, ABL, and Australian Championship games. He’s also well-known on the global stage, having umpired in four WBSC World Cups including 27 plate umpire appearances at international tournaments.

Stewart’s obvious love of the game and decades of dedicated service make him a valuable asset to the Technical Operations Committee. His desire to grow the game and support umpires at all levels will make a positive difference to overall pathway development and promotion of baseball umpiring in Victoria.

Umpire expressions of interest are open through Friday 23 September 2022. Submit your interest HERE or if you’re a current umpire, please register HERE.

To demonstrate BV’s support of our umpiring fraternity and their value to grassroots baseball, umpires who register via GameDay before 30 September will receive a $200 support grant for the 2022/23 season.

Those who have already registered will also receive the $200 support grant, which can be used for umpire equipment, clothing, petrol for travel, or whatever else is needed to prepare for the season.

View BV umpire resources HERE.