Financial Controller Tania Newcombe has resigned from her role at Baseball Victoria, effective at the end of business on Friday 29 April 2022.
Baseball Victoria thanks Tania for all her contributions over the past four years, particularly throughout the pandemic to ensure our organisation remained in a strong financial position despite the challenging circumstances.
We wish Tania all the best in her future endeavours.
View the BV contact list HERE.
Geelong will host May’s 2022 Australian Senior League Championship, marking the first time the tournament has been held in Victoria.
Baseball Australia today announced Geelong Baseball Centre will host the May 13-17 event with the support of the City of Greater Geelong.
It will cap off a big fortnight for Geelong with the three-team Australian Women’s Baseball Showcase locked in for May 5-8.
City of Greater Geelong will also support the showcase, continuing its ongoing commitment to major baseball events in the region.
Both events will be supported through the council’s community events grants.
The Australian Senior League Championship was set to be held in Mandurah in Western Australia but was moved due to uncertainty surrounding the state’s border reopening.
While the border has since reopened tight restrictions are in place which could prevent the event being staged unhindered.
Baseball Australia chief executive Glenn Williams said while the circumstances were unfortunate, it was fantastic to lock in another event in Geelong.
“Geelong continues to shine on a national stage, having hosted the Australian Women’s and Youth Championships in recent years along with the KBO Challenge and the Geelong-Korea Australian Baseball League franchise,” he said.
“The support of the local baseball community and City of Greater Geelong has been vital in the success of those events and we can’t wait to return and create more memories at this year’s Senior League Championship.
“It is a dream fortnight for baseball lovers in Victoria with the country’s top women in Geelong followed by what will be a tightly contested Senior League event.”
The Australian Senior League Championship was first held in 2016. It features players aged 13-16 and is played on full-sized diamonds.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic the Australian champion won through to the Senior League Baseball World Series.
The 2022 Senior League Baseball World Series is slated for July 30 to August 6 in Easley, South Carolina.
Victoria’s Southern Mariners won the 2021 Australian Senior League Championship. WA’s Western Suns were the 2019 champions and last team to represent Australia Region at the World Series prior to the pandemic.
Victorian Jarrod Belbin made history on his college team after a huge win on Monday morning.
The infielder etched his name into the Campbell Fighting Camels’ baseball record book after tying the program’s single-game RBI record. Belbin drove in 10 runs in a 36-4 win over Presbyterian Blue Hose at Jim Perry Stadium.
Belbin crushed two grand slams to match Henry Rochelle’s 1985 record of 10 RBIs in a game for the Fighting Camels.
He finished with 13 total bases – ranked second in school history – after going 4-for-7 with three homers.
Belbin scored five runs and walked once after striking out in his first two plate appearances.
The Greensborough Burras and Preston Pirates product launched a solo shot to make it 15-2 in the bottom of the sixth.
His grand slam to centre took the score to 21-2 in the seventh, followed by another slam in the eighth after singling and going on to score earlier in the inning.
The Fighting Camels’ 36 runs were second most in program history, as was their 32-run winning margin. They went deep 10 times, with Belbin lifting his batting average to .274 following the big performance.
He joined Campbell this season from Arizona Western College.
Belbin led the Matadors with 57 hits in 2020/21. He averaged .339 with nine doubles, three triples, four homers, and 31 RBI. He also stole 30 bases on 34 chances.
Belbin played 52 MLB Draft League games with Mahoning Valley Scrappers after the college season last year, averaging .266 with 12 doubles, a triple, two homers, and 28 RBI.
Moorabbin Panthers are back-to-back VSBL Division 2 Champions after securing the premiership on Saturday afternoon at Melbourne Ballpark.
One year after taking care of Newport in two games, Moorabbin achieved similar success in a series vs. Mulgrave, winning the first two games with a 6-1 victory on Thursday and a 17-7 win on Saturday.
Moorabbin had 18 hits and Mulgrave had 16 in the high-scoring second game. Moorabbin led 3-1 after the first and soon made it a 9-1 in the third. The fourth was quiet before both sides put two up in the fifth.
The run scoring continued as Mulgrave wasn't going down without a fight, eventually turning it into a 12-7 ballgame at the end of the eighth. Moorabbin scored five more in the ninth before a scoreless final frame sealed the deal on the Panthers' second straight premiership.
Matt Hardie had four hits and Stewart Mathieson had three, both with three RBIs. Tom Brookes had three hits and Nick Veale knocked in two runs. Mathieson handled five innings with nine first-pitch strikes and three strikeouts.
Riley O'Shea and Caleb Poole led Mulgrave in quality at-bats with three walks apiece. Poole threw 5.1 innings for the Rebels with 18 first-pitch strikes and five strikeouts, while Ryan Phillips had 12 first-pitch strikes in 3.2 innings.
Congratulations to Moorabbin Panthers and well done to Mulgrave on such a successful season!
20 years after their last flag, Upwey Ferntree Gully Tigers are the 2021/22 VSBL Division 1 Champions!
The Tigers beat Essendon in two games to bring home the premiership. Although it was a challenge facing last year's champions, Upwey Ferntree Gully got the job done by jumping on the board early in both games, eventually winning 14-7 on Tuesday night and 4-3 on Saturday at Melbourne Ballpark.
Donavon Hendricks was named the Division 1 Finals MVP, receiving the Harry Wonnacott Medal for his standout performance, which included three RBIs in the first game and a solid eight-inning start in Saturday's clincher.
Game 2 saw Upwey Ferntree Gully take a 1-0 lead in the second before adding three in the fifth. Essendon, determined to send the series to a Sunday decider, wasn't giving up, coming back to score two in the sixth and one in the eighth to put the pressure on the Tigers.
Although the Bombers came within a run, Upwey Ferntree Gully held on, shutting down the threat to secure a one-run victory and the premiership, a huge moment for the club two decades after winning three in a row from 2000-2002.
This grand final glory was made possible in part by two RBIs from Jack Hendricks and three quality at-bats from Jack Ratcliffe, plus strong pitching from Jarrod Turner to close it out.
On Essendon's side, Jarryd Rogers had three hits, Michael Formisano had three RBIs, and pitchers Sam Street and Gareth Formisano held the Tigers' to five hits total.
Congratulations to Upwey Ferntree Gully on the premiership, and well done to Essendon on another strong season!
The 2021/22 season finished on a high note with VSBL Women's Super Saturday at Waverley Baseball Club. Five finals across Women's Division 1, 2, and 3 confirmed this year's premiers and showcased some of the top women's talent in the state.
Congratulations to all finalists and special thanks to Waverley for a great day of women's baseball!
Women's Division 1 - Doncaster Dragons 3 v Springvale Lions 2
Going into this tight contest, Springvale had won four of the last five premierships and finished atop the ladder, but Doncaster rose to the occasion, winning 3-2 in a close game.
This marks Doncaster's first VSBL Women's Division 1 flag since 2011/12.
Women's Division 2 - Footscray Bulldogs 9 v Newport Rams 5
After missing out on the premiership in a loss to Springvale the year before, the Bulldogs got the job done with a 9-5 victory over the Rams. Footscray took an early 3-1 lead and eventually pulled in front 9-1 going into the bottom of the fifth before the Rams scored a few late runs, but not quite enough to make up the deficit.
This is Footscray's first VSBL Women's flag since 2017/18 when the Division 3 side won. Footscray's last VSBL Women's Division 2 championship came in 2012/13.
Women's Division 3 North East - Waverley Wildcats 7 v South East Warriors 1
After finishing in first place with a 13-2 record, Waverley won the grand final against second-place South East. The Warriors had one 11 games of their own in the regular season, but fell just short in the grand final, scoring just one run in the final frame as the Wildcats put up one in the first, two in the third, and four in the fifth.
The Wildcats were thrilled with the win as Waverley's last VSBL Women's flag was in Division 2 at the end of the 2016/17 season.
Women's Division 3 South - Bonbeach Bluejays 13 v Moorabbin Panthers 5
The Bluejays repeated their success from 2019/20 with a solid win over the Panthers, a side they beat in two out of three games in the regular season.
Moorabbin's successful season came to an end as runners-up for the second year in a row, having finished on top of the ladder with a 10-3 record.
Women's Division 3 West - North Western Titans 28 v Sunshine Eagles 15
North Western prevailed in a high-scoring matchup to bring the first ladies flag to the club. The Titans jumped on the board early but Sunshine soon followed suit, making for an entertaining game.
Sunshine finished the regular season 12-2 in first place and North Western was next at 10-3, with the Eagles coming out on top 12-10 in their round 8 game. The grand final marked North Western's third game with 20 runs or more this year.
Moorabbin took a 6-1 win over Mulgrave in the opening game of the 2021/22 VSBL Division 2 Firsts Grand Final at Melbourne Ballpark on Thursday night.
Nick Veale threw nine innings with four hits and eight strikeouts and Travis Finney and Adam Harris led the side with two RBIs each.
Mulgrave was first on the board with a run in the opening frame, and the Rebels held that advantage through four innings. The Panthers broke through with one run in the fifth and two in the sixth to take control, and eventually they added three more in the ninth for a solid win.
Stewart Mathieson had three hits while Angelo Reale-Rontos and Finney both had two, with the side collecting 12 hits in total compared to four for Mulgrave.
Winning pitcher Veale had 26 first-pitch strikes while Mulgrave starter Jayson Arthur got an 0-1 count in 30 at-bats with nine strikeouts in as many innings.
Mulgrave finished the regular season on top of the ladder with an 18-5 record while Moorabbin came in close second with the same number of wins and losses plus one draw. The two sides face off again on Saturday at Melbourne Ballpark with first pitch at 1:00pm and Moorabbin just one win away from back-to-back premierships, unless the Rebels can take out game two and three.
Click HERE for GameChanger live scoring and follow VSBL on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates.
Upwey Ferntree Gully struck first in the 2021/22 VSBL Division 1 Firsts Grand Final, taking out a 14-7 victory in game one at Melbourne Ballpark.
The Tigers jumped on the board early, eager to get in front of the defending champs and take the advantage in the best-of-three decider. Upwey was ahead 7-0 in the third and shut down a mid-game rally from Essendon, going on to score seven more.
Donavon Hendricks led the way, driving in a team-high three runs while Harvey Chinn, Jordan Elliott, and Josh Hendricks had multi-RBI games, too.
The scoring started with Chinn's double in the first, scoring Wade McConnon who had gotten aboard with a one-out single. Elliot doubled the early lead with a sacrifice fly.
A five-run third put Upwey up 7-0, with McConnon and Josh Hendricks hitting RBI singles as an error and two wild pitches also helped the Tigers.
The Bombers battled back with four in the fourth as Jarryd Rogers singled and Darby Sexton doubled to bring Rogers home. With two runners in scoring position, Cody Rodwell launched a three-run home run to centre field, making it a 7-4 ballgame.
Upwey extended the lead by one in the fifth on a wild pitch while Essendon followed up with two runs on a double from Rogers and an RBI single from Scott McIntyre.
The back-and-forth battle continued with Upwey scoring two in the sixth and Essendon getting one back in the bottom frame.
The Tigers held steady, going on to score the final four runs of the game with Sean Meldrum throwing two scoreless innings in relief to close out the win.
Upwey Starter Jarrod Turner threw seven innings with 18 first-pitch strikes, eight strikeouts, and a 1.57 WHIP. Peter Schroeders and Chinn had three hits each as the first five Upwey batters in the lineup all recorded multiple hits.
Rogers, McIntyre, and Mcleod Sell kept Essendon in the game with two hits apiece.
Game 2 starts at 4:00pm on Saturday 26 March at Melbourne Ballpark with game three (if required) on Sunday 27 March.
Click HERE to view fixtures/results.
In the 2021/22 VSBL Division 1 Firsts Semi-Finals, Upwey Ferntree Gully overpowered Waverley while Essendon beat Geelong in a best-of-three series to book their spots in the grand final.
The final series between the Tigers and the Bombers begins at Melbourne Ballpark on Tuesday night with first pitch at 7:00pm. Saturday's game starts at 4:00pm and, if required, Sunday's game three will start at 4:00pm.
Click HERE to view fixtures/results and catch up on recaps from the semi-finals to see how Upwey Ferntree Gully and Essendon secured their chance at grand final glory.
Division 1 Firsts Semi-Finals
Game 1: Geelong Baycats 0 v Essendon Bombers 10
After finishing atop the ladder with a 17-3-2 record in the regular season, the Bombers extended their winning streak to seven with a convincing 10-0 shutout win over the Baycats at Melbourne Ballpark on Tuesday.
Starter Sam Street struck out seven and allowed just three hits in eight scoreless innings while Jarryd Rogers delivered at the plate with a game-high five RBIs.
The Bombers opened the scoring early with an error on a Jarryd Cruz groundball and Jack Giles' double. Rogers brought in a second run in the fourth before Ross Bament’s two-run single put Essendon in front 4-0.
Declan Speirs added an RBI single in the sixth as more two-out damage turned it into an eight-run game. Rogers drove in a pair of runs with a double and capped off a big night with a two-run single in the eighth.
Street faced just two over the minimum in a dominant start for Essendon, never facing more than one runner on base and twice working around lead-off hits for quick outs to secure the victory.
Game 2: Geelong Baycats 6 v Essendon Bombers 2
In need of a win to keep their finals hopes alive, Geelong delivered a late rally to overcome Essendon 6-2 and send their semi-final series to a third and deciding game.
Essendon's Ross Bament brought home a run on a second-inning double, but Geelong tied it up with starting pitcher Rudy Jaramillo's home run in the fourth.
Michael Formisano hit an RBI-single in the sixth, giving Essendon a 2-1 lead that was short-lived as Geelong tied it up with a single from James Wood and a two-out RBI double from Tyler Luther-Wilson.
Josh Davies hit a groundball to put the Baycats up by one in the eighth, followed by Lewis Weldon's single making it 4-2.
Geelong padded their lead with a pair of two-out runs in the top of the ninth, thanks to Keli’i Zablan's single and a bases-loaded walk.
Rudy Jaramillo tossed a scoreless ninth to complete the game, striking out seven in nine innings with two runs on eight hits and a walk.
Game 3: Essendon Bombers 6 v Geelong Baycats 4
Reigning premiers Essendon will return to the grand final in search of back-to-back premierships after an extra-inning win over Geelong in the deciding game.
Jack Giles singled to drive in the go-ahead run after Essendon started the 10th with runners on first and second. Jared Cruz walked to load the bases and Jarryd Rogers hit a sacrifice fly.
Michael Formisano retired the Baycats in the bottom of the 10th to seal the victory in a close game, which started with Essendon taking an early 4-0 lead.
Ross Bament doubled and Michael Formisano singled with one out in the second before scoring on Scott McIntyre's double.
Cody Rodwell’s two-run homer extended lead to four, but Geelong's Lewis Weldon hit a two-run single in the fourth to cut the deficit in half.
Weldon singled with bases loaded for a pair of RBIs as the Baycats tied it up in the eighth. Geelong starter Sam Gibbons kept the team's hopes alive with by stranding a pair of runners in the top of the ninth.
Ryan Darcy singled with one out in the bottom of the ninth but the Baycats couldn't quite walk it off, sending the game to extra innings where Essendon ultimately prevailed.
In another quality start for the Bombers, Sam Street struck out 11 and gave up four runs (three earned) in 8.33 innings. Gibbons tossed all 10 innings for the Baycats with 10 strikeouts.
Essendon will now play Upwey Ferntree Gully in the grand final series at Melbourne Ballpark.
Game 1: Waverley Wildcats 3 v Upwey Ferntree Gully Tigers 7
Upwey Ferntree Gully managed a ninth straight win to take the lead in the semi-finals series after finishing atop the Eastern Conference with a 14-7-2 record in the regular season.
Tigers starter Jarrod Turner went seven innings, allowing one run on six hits with nine strikeouts while Luke Papanicolaou threw five two-run innings for the Wildcats.
Waverley was first on the board with singles from Mitchell Wilhite and Damon Hill in the third, but Upwey Ferntree Gully soon responded with Peter Schroeders' double, Wade McConnon's single, and Harvey Chinn's sacrifice fly. Jack Ratcliffe singled to bring home Andy Kane in the fourth, putting Upwey in front.
Back-to-back singles from Ned Hargreaves and Mitchell Homfray in the eighth helped Waverley pull ahead, but the game wasn't over as the Tigers stage a five-run rally. McConnon reached on an error and Chinn tripled to tie it up at 3-3, followed by a huge RBI double from Jordan Elliot for the lead.
Ratcliffe drew a bases-loaded walk and Schroeders finished off the rally with a two-run single, setting the stage for Donavon Hendricks to shut the door on Waverley in the top of the ninth.
Hendricks gave up a lead-off single in the final frame but it was erased by a double play, giving the Tigers the advantage going into the second game.
Game 2: Waverley Wildcats 3 v Upwey Ferntree Gully Tigers 6
The Tigers advanced to the grand final with another eighth-inning offensive burst to break the tie, featuring a lead-off triple from Harvey Chinn and the go-ahead base hit off the bat of Jordan Elliott. Two-out singles from Jarrod Turner and Jack Ratcliffe added to Upwey’s lead.
Turner closed out the win in the ninth, working around a pair of walks to finish a third scoreless relief inning and keep the Tigers' hopes of a premiership flag alive.
Upwey Ferntree Gully had the advantage from the start, taking a 3-0 lead in the first with the help of Elliott's two-RBI base hit and Josh Hendricks' sacrifice fly.
Waverley wasn't going down without a fight, slowly chipping away at the deficit with Damon Hill's triple and Finn Weichard's RBI in the second. Mitchell Homfray doubled before scoring on Jordan Ley's single, too.
By the middle of the sixth, scores were level after a big two-out single from Mitchell Wilhite scored Waverley's third run. But for a second time in as many games, Upwey piled on the runs late in the game for a successful eighth inning rally.
Tigers starter Donavon Hendricks went six innings, allowing three runs on six hits while Waverley's Darcy Longstaff steadied after the early runs and finished with five strikeouts in 6.67 innings.
Now the Tigers turn their attention to the grand final matchup against last year's champs, with the two sides facing off at Melbourne Ballpark on Tuesday night.