The 2022 Senior State Winter Champions were crowned in Geelong this afternoon, with MWBL City taking out grand final glory after defeating Dandenong 10-3 for a perfect 4-0 record. Dandenong finished 3-1 with Geelong and Latrobe Valley both at 2-3.
Congratulations to MWBL City and well done to all participants on an awesome weekend of baseball!
A Windsor Breckenridge gem and Oliver Bergin homer lifted Twins to bronze at the 2022 Australian Intermediate League Championship in Mildura on Thursday.
Breckenridge struck out 11 batters in a five-inning complete game and Bergin went deep as part of a nine-run fourth as Twins claimed an 11-0 victory in an all-Victorian bronze medal matchup.
GAME CENTRE: Box score and play-by-play
#AILC2022 hub: Results, schedule, standings & news
The right-handed starter was dominant on the mound, allowing just two hits and one walk across five innings.
He received most of his run support in the fourth inning, with Twins scoring nine runs and sending 13 batters to the plate in the big frame.
The highlight of the big inning was Bergin’s two-run homer, while Breckenridge and Cooper Bishop-Worn also had two RBIs for Twins.
Euan Clarkin and Matt Fielden battled hard on the mound for the Mariners, combining to strike out nine batters.
The Australian Intermediate League Championship is supported by the Victorian Government’s Significant Sporting Events Program. Mildura Rural City Council are also a major partner of the event.
Click here for #AILC2022 results, standings and latest news.
Dingley Baseball Club celebrated a huge milestone over the weekend as Auke Pool took to the field for his 800th game.
Auke debuted for Dingley in 1968 as a junior player and has been committed to his beloved game and club ever since. He continues to extend the club record for most games played and has been heavily involved in club administration and coaching at the junior and senior levels.
Congratulations to Auke on 800 games!
Team Australia has announced a 35-player 2022 National Junior Squad as it ramps up preparations for this year’s WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in the US.
It includes 11 players from New South Wales, nine from Victoria, seven from Western Australia, and six out of Queensland along with a pair of South Australians.
FULL LIST: 2022 National Junior Squad
An eight-player associate list, consisting of players who will be based in the US, has also been named.
Congratulations to the following Victorians:
- Genevieve Beacom (Sandringham)
- Nick Bertucci (Moorabbin)
- Felix Brunner (Moorabbin)
- Jayden Kim (Sandringham)
- Bronson Neave (Melbourne)
- Nick Parton (Malvern)
- Hayden Peoples (Geelong)
- Charlie Pierson (Sandringham)
- Declan Speirs (Essendon)
Baseball Australia performance pathways and player development general manager Michael Crooks said the selected players had earned their spot and overall Australian baseball was in good shape.
“There was the need for a lot of discussion by the selectors prior to agreeing on this squad,” Crooks said.
“This is a positive for Australian baseball that we are on the right path with our player development philosophies that we have now had in place for 18 months. We’re really excited about the character and abilities of this group and can’t wait to get into camp with the selected players later this year as we prepare for the U-18 World Cup."
“Excitingly through Baseball Australia’s partnership with Perfect Game, players will be in camp at their Florida complex for final selection, while those who do not make the final World Cup squad will gain increased opportunity by staying in the US longer, which is a massive win for their development and transition opportunities into college baseball in particular, regardless of whether they make the final team. This continues the ethos of the long-term development of our talented players.”
The National Junior Squad, which was selected on the back of last month’s Junior Camp in Canberra, will leave Australia for the US in late August.
Participants will be based at Perfect Game’s Fort Myers facility for a final selection camp.
The final team will then depart for the September 9-18 World Cup in Bradenton and Sarasota.
Players that are not selected for the World Cup squad will stay at Perfect Game’s facility for more recruitment and competition opportunities.
Eastern Athletics have secured their first Australian Senior League Championship.
Aiden Patterson provided the Athletics with a strong start and a trio three-run innings lifted the Victorian charter to gold with a 10-0 win over Cronulla in Geelong on Tuesday afternoon.
GAME CENTRE: Box score and play-by-play
#ASLC2022 hub: Results, schedule, standings & news
Patterson went five scoreless innings, striking out three and allowing only four hits.
He was handed an early lead as Max Saggers sacrifice fly put Eastern up 1-0 in the bottom of the first after Ryder Wilson and Jack Ratcliffe singled and Taran Rose walked to start the home half of the inning.
The Athletics extended their lead on an error in the third before a sacrifice fly from Patterson and RBI-single by Jack Noble made it 4-0.
Ratcliffe’s RBI-single an inning later extended the lead to five. An error and Jack Noble groundball provided another two runs, with the Athletics completing a mercy-rule win in the fifth.
Saggers delivered a two-run single and a bases-loaded walk punched Eastern’s ticket to the 2022 Senior League Baseball World Series in Easley, South Carolina.
Saggers and Noble finished with three RBIs. Wilson and Ratcliffe each had three hits at the top of the lineup for Eastern.
It is the third time a Victorian charter has claimed gold at the Australian Senior League Championship.
The 2022 Australian Senior League Championship is supported by City of Greater Geelong through its community events grants.
Click here for #ASLC2022 results, standings and latest news.
Baseball Victoria is now accepting coaching expressions of interest for an all-girls team at the 2022 State Winter Championships.
Following strong interest from youth girls aged 11-17, BV looks forward to setting the all-girls team up for success under the leadership of qualified coaches, EOs, and scorers.
Prospective coaches and EOs will need to be available for the upcoming tryouts, training, and tournaments on the weekends of 2-3 July, 16-17 July, or 23-24 July. Scorers will need to be available for the tournament as well.
Position descriptions for coaches are available HERE and applications should be submitted HERE.
Applications close Sunday 22 May 2022.
Craig Barnett is riding the momentum of a successful summer season with Berwick City Cougars and looking ahead to a bright future for his beloved local club.
During the 2021/22 VSBL season, Barnett proved versatile on the mound and at the plate, maintaining a batting average of 0.377 and collecting 21 votes to be named the Division 1 MVP at the 2022 Baseball Victoria Awards.
“Individual awards are always fun to win, and I'm incredibly proud to bring this one back to Berwick,” Barnett said. “It was only 12 years ago that Berwick was a middle-of-the-pack Division 3 club. Not many people know that!”
“With a strong focus on development and setting the right standards through our values, we've become a competitor in Division 1. This is something that we are very proud of and continue to build on season to season.”
Looking back on the past summer, Barnett credits challenging games like a hard-fought midweek win against Melbourne and a 7-inning, 14-strikeout game vs. Melbourne with motivating the Cougars to do their best.
“Due to no ABL season, I think the pitching you would face game-to-game was a lot stronger than any other season I can remember,” Barnett recalled. “That would mean you'd have to grind a lot longer against some high-quality arms. We had some very good 3-2 and 2-1 type wins against ABL quality arms which only shows resilience in tough situations.”
Barnett, who started playing baseball at the age of 10 after striking out with footy, says he values the importance of good pitching and strives to give Berwick the best start possible.
“The pitcher has the greatest opportunity on any given day to affect the outcome of the result for their team.”
With their sights set on next season, Barnett and the rest of the Berwick team are ready to make club history in the top division.
“This summer, I'm looking forward to another year wiser and stronger with the same group of players, plus the addition of a few new faces. Who knows where we will be placed by the end of it all,” Barnett said. “My goal is to hold the Division 1 championship trophy over my head.”
The 2022 Australian Senior League Championship schedule has been released ahead of the first game on Friday 13 May.
Eastern Athletics and Twins will represent Victoria in the five-day, eight-team tournament at Geelong Baseball Centre.
The Twins start things off on Friday with a 10:15am game v Western Tigers, while the Athletics are scheduled for a 12:30pm clash v Adelaide Armada.
Full schedule: Who plays who and when?
#ASLC2022 hub: Results, schedule, standings & news
All diamond one games will be broadcast on baseball.com.au and Kayo Sports. Each team will be guaranteed at least one broadcast game, and the semi-finals, bronze, and gold medal games will be streamed, too.
Pool A features Eastern Athletics, Adelaide Armada, Carine Cats, and Cronulla while Twins, Manly, Western Tigers, and Gold Coast Cougars make up Pool B.
The 2022 Australian Senior League Championship is supported by City of Greater Geelong through its community events grants.
Click HERE for #ASLC2022 results, standings and latest news.
Victorian Senior League Teams
- Friday 13 May - 10:15am Western Tigers v Twins (pool B - diamond two)
- Friday 13 May - 12:30pm Adelaide Armada v Eastern Athletics (pool A - diamond one)
- Saturday 14 May - 9:30am Manly v Twins (pool B - diamond one)
- Saturday 14 May - 10:15am Eastern Athletics v Cronulla (pool A - diamond two)
- Sunday 15 May - 10:15am Eastern Athletics v Carine Cats (pool A - diamond one)
- Sunday 15 May - 1:15pm Twins v Gold Coast Cougars (pool B - diamond two)
- Monday 16 May - semi-finals based on standings
- Tuesday 17 May - finals
Victoria Aces are the 2022 Australian Women’s Baseball Showcase champions!
The Aces rallied late to top Brisbane Bandits 7-4 in the four-day event’s grand final in Geelong on Sunday. Taylah Welch’s two-out RBI-single put Victoria on top after an Anna Kimbrell sacrifice fly tied the contest in the top of the fifth.
GAME CENTRE: Box score and play-by-play
Two most recent Australian Women’s Baseball Championship most valuable players Bronwyn Gell and Abbey Kelly added insurance with singles.
Morgan Doty was hit by a pitch with the bases-loaded to make it 7-3 as the Aces batted around.
Jess Johnson shut the door in the bottom of the fifth but not without a scare. Jordan Richardson launched a solo homer to start the home half of the inning, but Victoria turned a double play to finish the job.
The Bandits had regained the lead for a second time in the bottom of the fourth. Allison Schroder’s RBI-single made it 3-2 but Brisbane was unable to hold off the Aces in the top of the fifth.
Doty reached on an error ahead of a single from Chelsea Forkin. Kimbrell cashed in on runners in scoring position to draw the Aces level ahead of Welch sending one back up the middle for the lead.
Earlier, Doty’s lead-off homer in the top of the second opened the scoring, followed by a single from Chelsea Forkin to draw a pitching change.
Claire Eccles came in and struck out a pair of batters to strand two runners and keep the margin at one. Brisbane made it 2-1 in the bottom of the second before a two-out error in the fourth allowed Victoria to tie the contest.
Schroder’s RBI put Brisbane on top once more but Victoria was not done yet, putting together a five-run fifth to seal the deal.
Aces starter Genevieve Beacom struck out four in four innings.
Baseball Victoria acknowledges the support of the Melbourne Aces through the joint venture to promote and manage the Victoria Aces, the Victorian Government through its Significant Sporting Events Program, and the City of Greater Geelong through its community events grants.