Baseball Victoria, Author at Baseball Victoria

The 2021/22 VSBL Division 2 season is off to a great start as teams hit the field for summer baseball, with Mulgrave, Newport, Port Melbourne, Preston, and Werribee all putting wins on the board.

View full season fixtures, results, and ladders HERE and read recaps below.

Division 2 Firsts

Ormond Glenhuntly 1 v Port Melbourne 3

Port Melbourne threw a no-hitter to get their first win of the season, collecting eight hits of their own while keeping Ormond Glenhuntly off the base paths for the most part.

The Mariners scored one in the bottom of the second and two in the bottom of the fifth, giving up just one to the Hunters in the top of the seventh.

Toby Gleeson-Payne and David Ponce De Leon had had two hits apiece while Adam Baker had one.

Matthew Parker pitched 5.1 innings and threw 15 first-pitch strikes with 12 strikeouts. Gleeson-Payne threw 1.2 innings with five first-pitch strikes.

Brad Dolan struck out two during his time on the mound for Ormond Glenhuntly while Kyungsoo Jeon had 13 first-pitch strikes and five strikeouts in five innings.

The Mariners will look to go two for two when they host Werribee on Sunday, while Ormond Glenhuntly plays St Kilda at home.

Williamstown Wolves 2 v Werribee Giants 5

Werribee was behind 2-1 at the end of the first inning, but the team came back to win the game in the later stages.

The Giants managed one run in the first, two in the fifth, and one in the sixth while keeping Williamstown off the board.

Werribee's Wesley de Jong pitched three scoreless innings with just two hits and a strikeout while Trent Pantalleresco covered four innings with two unearned runs and four hits.

Dennis Neal covered five innings for Williamstown with four hits, six walks, and four runs plus seven strikeouts. Sam Thompson contributed one inning with one hit, one walk, one run, and one strikeout.

Werribee's runs were batted in by Pantalleresco with two RBIs and one RBI apiece for Wade Balzer and Ryan Balzer. Tyler Huisman had two base hits and Simon Hibbert had one.

Cooper Carrison had two RBIs for Williamstown on a big single while Zachary Breen had a pair of singles and Nicholas Gray and Aaron Green both had one single.

Williamstown is on the road to Doncaster and Werribee heads to Port Melbourne.

Doncaster Dragons 3 v Newport Rams 4

The Rams came out on top in a close game thanks to an early 2-1 lead after the first. They added two in the second and that was it for Newport's scoring, while Doncaster scored one in the sixth and another in the seventh, falling just short despite outhitting the Rams 10-3.

Newport had Tyler Comben on the mound for four innings, giving up just one run on five hits with a walk and two strikeouts. Aaron Robson handled three innings with five hits, a walk, two runs, and a strikeout.

Doncaster's Angus Stals gave up four runs in four innings with four strikeouts while Simon Fitzmaurice struck out one in two scoreless innings of work.

Nathan Smith had two RBIs for Newport and Dean Malthouse had one, while Doncaster's offense included contributions from Brian Chen with an RBI, plus a double from Nic Unland and base hits to Derek
Medlin, David Medlin, and Dakota Gibson.

Newport heads to Moorabbin on Sunday and Doncaster hosts Williamstown.

St Kilda Saints 0 v Mulgrave Rebels 5

Mulgrave opened the season with a shutout victory, made possible by three RBIs from Jason Cousins. Riley O'Shea and Caleb Poole also knocked in runs while Nicholas Thompson doubled and Jordan Gavin singled.

Mariano Heyden doubled for St Kilda as teammates Elijah Bate, Rolando Curiel, Deilyn Guzman, Daniel Hogg, and Robert Lewis all had singles.

Hogg and Guzman handled pitching duties for the Saints, giving up nine hits and striking out three overall.

Round 2 has St Kilda at Ormond Glenhuntly and Mulgrave at home against Preston.

Moorabbin Panthers 5 v Preston Pirates 6

Preston struck first and managed to hold onto the lead for most of the game, although Moorabbin put in a good effort, battling back with one in the second and two in the third.

Moorabbin grabbed a one-run lead in the fifth, and the game stayed 5-4 the Panthers' way until Preston fought back with two in the bottom of the sixth to secure the win.

Gabriel Valderrama kept things under control on the mound for Preston, while Mitch Sheldon-Collins, Nicholas Veale, Adam Harris, and Nicholas Bertucci put in pitching work for Moorabbin.

Hebert Rodriguez knocked in three runs for Preston as Valderrama and Adriana Fittock had one RBI apiece. Cooper de Haan had a single as well.

Mitch Barr knocked in two runs for Moorabbin while Thomas Yuile and Sheldon-Collins had one each. Bertucci, Travis Finney, Matt Hardie, Harris, and Mathieson recorded hits on the day.

Preston's next game is at Mulgrave while Moorabbin hosts Newport.

The 2021/22 VSBL season is underway as Division 1 returned to the diamond for a rainy first weekend of summer baseball. Although the Fitzroy v Melbourne and Essendon v Waverley games were washed out, the rest of the teams were able to get their games in as Geelong, Berwick City, and Upwey Ferntree Gully put wins on the board.

View full season fixtures, results, and ladders HERE and check out recaps below.

Division 1 Firsts

Blackburn Orioles 2 v Geelong Baycats 5

Geelong opened with a three-run first and never looked back, keeping the Orioles contained apart from two runs across the fourth and the fifth.

The Baycats collected 12 hits overall compared to six for Blackburn, with both sides making one error in the field.

Geelong's James Wood had three singles while Ryan Darcy and Lewis Weldon had two hits apiece. Josh Davies had a pair of RBIs too.

Jacob Evans and Ryan Berg knocked in runs for Blackburn as Liam Hopkins had the biggest hit of the day with a triple. Mitchell Whiting, Nick Rossell, and Charlie Collins had hits for the Orioles too.

Hayden Peoples threw four innings for Geelong with 10 first-pitch strikes, four strikeouts, and 1.00 WHIP on just three hits and a walk. Teammate Rudy Jaramillo handled three innings with eight first-pitch strikes and a strikeout.

Sam Bucello threw four innings for Blackburn with seven hits, two walks, and three earned runs. Evans gave up five hits, two walks, and two runs in two innings of work.

Next, Blackburn plays Malvern and Geelong heads to Waverley.

Sunshine Eagles 5 v Berwick City Cougars 13

Berwick struck first with three runs in the first and managed to stay in front the whole game. The Cougars added two in the third before Sunshine scored once in the fourth and fifth.

Berwick maintained the lead with three runs in the fifth and five in the sixth while holding Sunshine to just three more in the top of the sixth. The offensive firepower by Sunshine was led by RBIs from Connor Young, Shannon Hornstra, and Patariki Pouka Grego.

The Cougars' five-run sixth was driven by base hits from Brad Kmet, Mike McGillivray, and Nick O'Shea.

Craig Barnett was Berwick's winning pitcher, throwing five innings and allowing two runs on six hits with six strikeouts and zero walks. McGillivray threw two innings in relief out of the bullpen.

Griffin Weir took the loss for Sunshine, surrendering five runs on two hits over two and two-thirds innings, striking out three.

Berwick had 12 hits total including two apiece for John King, Aidan Willis, Barnett, and Kmet. Marcus Graham had ten chances in the field, the most on the team.

Nikau Pouaka-Grego went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead Sunshine in hits. The Eagles hit the road to take on Cheltenham next while the Cougars look for back-to-back wins at home v Fitzroy.

Sandringham Royals 4 v Upwey Ferntree Gully Tigers 6

The Tigers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and managed to hold off the Royals for a two-run victory.

Sandringham made it 3-2 before the Tigers pushed away for good with three runs in the sixth.

The winning offense was led by Harvey Chinn with two singles and a walk and Josh Hendricks with three RBIs. Nick Rice and Staci Rogers both had doubles while Ash Winton and Peter Schroeders had base hits.

Donavon Hendricks kept things under control for the Tigers on the mound with four scoreless innings, giving up just three hits and two walks with a strikeout. Sean Meldrum and Jarrod Turner put in work on the mound as well.

On Sandringham's side, Nicholas Coy and Jack Wills each had an RBI, while Tahj Rousell doubled and Sam Skinner collected a pair of base hits.

Charlie Pierson threw three scoreless innings and Genevieve Beacom covered two innings with one earned run and two unearned runs scoring, plus a pair of strikeouts.

Upwey Ferntree Gully visits Essendon on Sunday and Sandringham hosts Melbourne for game two.

Malvern Braves 1 v Cheltenham Rustlers 1

This tight game ended in a tie as neither side could break free thanks to dominant pitching and defense.

Cheltenham collected four hits and didn't get on the board until the bottom of the sixth, and then Malvern tied it up in the final frame to secure the draw.

Jack Daniels, Dante Caruso, Dylan Trevorah, and Jack Dunn each collected one hit to lead Cheltenham, with Daniels getting the RBI.

Malvern's five hits on the day came off the bats of Geoff Holland, Mitch Kennedy, Lachlan Fuda, Chris Burke, and Justin Burke. Holland batted in Malvern's lone run of the game.

Kennedy, Ryan Othen, and Tyler Dale all pitched well for Malvern while Josh Tribe handled 4.1 innings for Cheltenham with 11 first pitch strikes and three strikeouts.

Malvern plays Blackburn and Cheltenham hosts Sunshine next.

Baseball is finally back as the 2021/22 VSBL season got underway over the weekend and Women's Division 1, 2 and 3 returned to the diamond. While a weekend of wet weather resulted in several washouts, six women's games were completed, and teams wasted no time getting their offense back up and running with impressive scores and 129 runs scored overall.

View full season fixtures, results, and ladders HERE and check out recaps below.

Women's Division 1 & 2

Newport Rams 0 v Essendon Bombers 17

Last year's runners up got a big win to start the season, scoring seven runs in the first and another seven in the second.

There were hits up and down the lineup as Kayla Adams, Allie Bebbere, Jasmine Bentley, Emma Davenport, Courtney Foura, Emma French, Abbey Kelly, Megan Kelly, and Tayla Weldon put on a dominant team performance in their first game back.

While the Bombers got three more in the third, Newport buckled down to keep Essendon from scoring anymore in the fourth and fifth inning.

After a high-scoring effort to open the season, Essendon looks to do the same at Doncaster as Newport hosts Springvale.

Springvale Lions B 13 v Footscray Bulldogs 8

Last year's premier got the victory over Footscray in a busy game where Footscray tried to battle back in the later stages.

Springvale struck first with one run in the opening frame, followed by five in the second and three in the third.

Footscray brought the game within four by putting up five in the bottom of the third, but the Lions weren't deterred, getting four right back in the next frame.

The Bulldogs scored three more in the bottom of the fourth before a quiet fifth on both sides led to the final score.

Lili Cavanagh had a double and two walks while Emma Jenkinson had two singles for four RBIs.

The Lions are looking ahead to playing Doncaster B in the next round while Footscray hosts Geelong.

Women's Division 3 North East

Preston Pirates 14 v Research Lower Plenty 9

Preston opened the season with a win after starting the game off strong with a four-run first and a six-run second.

Research put up one run in both the first and second before tacking on five in the third, but the catch-up game was just out of reach. Preston scored four more in the fourth and gave up two to Research in the final inning to end the game.

Preston takes on Malvern Ormond Glenhuntly and Research has a bye next.

Women's Division 3 South

Pakenham Pumas 5 v Sandringham Royals 20

The Royals had the upper hand in the first game of the season, outscoring the Pumas by 15 for the round's highest run tally.

Sandringham will look for a repeat at Bonbeach in the next round while Pakenham hosts last year's runners up Moorabbin.

Springvale Lions 0 v Bonbeach Bluejays 14

The Bluejays kept chipping away to secure a big first victory, made possible by five runs in the first, three in the second, and one in the third.

Bonbeach finished on a strong note with five runs in the fourth, all while keeping Springvale off the board.

Round 2 sees Bonbeach host Sandringham and Springvale host Berwick.

Moorabbin Panthers 17 v Berwick Cougars 12

Both sides produced plenty of offense, but ultimately Moorabbin got the job done with five runs at the end to break the tie.

The Panthers were the first to score, racking up seven in the opening inning. Berwick scored four and the back-and-forth carried on as Moorabbin got four back in the second but gave up another to the Cougars.

The score was 12-5 Moorabbin's way going into the bottom of the third, but Berwick put together an impressive rally to tie it up.

A late last effort from Moorabbin gave the Panthers the win, something they will hope to replicate on the road at Pakenham. Berwick heads to Springvale for the next game.

Baseball Victoria is saddened to learn of the passing of James Jackson, a former Victorian State Team representative and player at Berwick City Cougars and Sale Rangers Baseball Clubs.

James was passionate about baseball, representing Victoria multiple times and playing on Latrobe Valley junior and senior squads in addition to playing at Berwick during the summer.

Baseball Victoria extends condolences to James’ family and many friends throughout the baseball community. He will be very missed and his loved ones are in our thoughts during this difficult time.

Baseball Victoria is pleased to confirm plans for the 2022 National Showcase Series – Victoria. This follows Baseball Australia’s announcement on the cancellation of the 2022 Australian Youth Championship in January due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

The National Showcase Series – Victoria will be held at Melbourne Ballpark from Monday 10 January – Sunday 16 January 2022.

Similar to the traditional AYC tournament, this Victorian event will take place during the January school holidays and include the Under 16 and Under 18 age brackets with a combination of showcasing and a series of games.

Tryouts for the National Showcase Series – Victoria will be held from 27 November, with specific dates and times to be confirmed. Teams will be finalised after the end of the tryout process in mid-December.

The National Showcase Series – Victoria will include:

1. Local Showcase

Monday 10 and Tuesday 11 January 2022

Players will participate in a showcase for data collection and scouting purposes. The showcase format and data collection will be coordinated nationally with all players across Australia participating in the standardised event.

2. Local Underage Tournament

Two teams in both the U16 and U18 age brackets will compete in a 7-game series from Wednesday 12 January – Sunday 16 January 2022.

3. National Program Selection

The U18 National Junior Camp will be selected from the players who participate in the National Showcase Series. Selected players will be invited to a camp in Canberra over Easter 2022. Following this camp, select players will be invited to be part of the Baseball Australia U18 International Tour. Participation in the touring program will be facilitated locally by Baseball Victoria. The international touring program is scheduled for late August to mid-September 2022 (TBC).

4. U16 Australian National Championships

Baseball Australia has announced the U16 Australian Youth Championship will be held in the 2022 July school holidays. The National Showcase Series – Victoria will be used as one component of player evaluation for this event.

5. Baseball Victoria Aces Academy

The National Showcase Series – Victoria will be used as one component of player evaluation for potential invites to the 2022 Baseball Victoria Aces Academy.

Please click HERE to learn more and check out our frequently asked questions.

The Baseball Victoria Board of Directors has made changes to the umpiring structure for BV programs and has ratified the decision to take over payment of umpires and development of umpires on top of our existing scheduling responsibilities for the 2021/22 VSBL season and beyond.

This comes amid discussions with the Baseball Umpires Association of Victoria (BUAV) regarding the best way to move forward. The board sees this as an important opportunity for change and growth, with the ultimate goal of offering more umpire development to increase numbers and ensure our sport has a successful future with dedicated officials.

“The Baseball Victoria Board has been strategising potential changes to further enhance umpiring opportunities for several years, and now as we emerge from the challenges of the pandemic, we feel this is the right time to do so,” Baseball Victoria President Meghan Mayman said. “As umpiring is being reviewed nationally with a unified scheme and online accreditations coming in the near future, we have the opportunity to offer exciting umpire development opportunities.

“With no ABL or traditional national championships, this is the opportune time to address umpiring pathways to give our volunteers greater support. We thank the BUAV for their efforts and services over the years and we look forward to a bright future of umpiring in grassroots baseball.”

We will honour current umpire accreditations for an additional 12 months while the broader restructure is occurring.

Plans for Umpire Development

Our future umpire development will include:

Minimum of 10 community umpiring development sessions run across the 2021/22 VSBL season
Looking to combine clubs by regions similar to charter, with dates communicated mid-late November
Larger umpire development pathway will be reviewed in alignment with Baseball Australia movement

Umpire Pay Structure

Baseball Victoria is committed to providing transparency regarding umpire payments in the future.

The new pay structure is outlined below.

$2 from each game will go towards the community umpiring sessions and staffing resources
BV will be paying umpires directly

Division	Umpire Payment	Development Contribution
1-2-3 First Nine + Div 1 Women	$73	$2
All other games	$63	$2
Washout/Heat	$48	$2

Expressions of Interest

Baseball Victoria is accepting expressions of interest for umpires to reach out about being involved in the 2021/22 VSBL season and development opportunities moving forward.

Please click HERE for expressions of interest, which close on Wednesday 10 November 2021.

Baseball Victoria is excited to share that the 2021/22 VSBL season fixtures are now live as we look forward to our highly-anticipated return to play next month.

After the challenges of an extended lockdown, followed by our safe return to training upon hitting Victoria’s vaccination targets, the Victorian baseball community will officially return to play on the weekend of 13-14 November for the start of the 2021/22 VSBL season.

Geelong Baycats charter competitions will start next week on Wednesday 3 November 2021 following the earlier return to training in regional Victoria.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed the return to community sport competition after reaching the 80 percent double dose vaccination target. Baseball Victoria is awaiting further clarifications from the government on the updated COVIDSafe settings and directions before finalising our Baseball Victoria Return to Play COVIDSafe Plan.

“We can’t wait to get the 2021/22 VSBL season underway and we know how patient our baseballers have been, waiting for lockdown to end so we could get back to the sport we love,” Baseball Victoria Interim CEO Gemma Scales said. “The wait is nearly over and we are looking forward to a safe and successful summer season that brings the grassroots baseball community together after all the ups and downs of this pandemic over the last 18 months. We will continue to follow all Victorian Government guidelines to confirm COVIDSafe measures for our return to play and ensure we all stay safe on the field.”

The home and away season will conclude on 12-13 March 2022 with grand finals scheduled for 26-27 March 2022.

Click HERE to view fixtures.

Baseball Victoria will continue to provide guidance and support for VSBL clubs as we return to play and navigate this new COVID normal.

As a reminder, all players and club officials must be registered with SportsTG to return to training and play. Click HERE to register.

As we get back to baseball, make sure you stay up-to-date with all the VSBL action on Facebook and Instagram.

Victoria will enjoy greater freedoms from 6:00pm tonight as Victoria reaches the 80 percent double dose vaccination target and metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria unite and move forward under the same restrictions. This is welcome news for the Victorian baseball community, as Baseball Victoria can confirm the return to community sport competition and the start of the 2021/22 VSBL season next month.

The Baseball Victoria Return to Play COVIDSafe Plan will be updated following further clarification from the government so clubs can provide this plan to their respective councils.

As part of Victoria’s Roadmap to Deliver the National Plan, the changes coming into effect at 6:00pm on Friday 29 October 2021 include:

Travel allowed between regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne.
All retail opens and greater density limits for pubs, clubs, and entertainment venues.
10 people including dependents can visit your home per day and 30 people can gather in public outside.
Community sport permitted indoors and outdoors, regardless of vaccination status, with minimum number required, for spectators public gathering limits apply.
Masks will remain mandatory indoors but are no longer required outdoors, although it is highly recommended to wear a mask outdoors where you cannot socially distance.

As a reminder, Baseball Victoria clubs must comply with CHO directions and any additional directions of your landowners.

This return to community sport is for the minimum required only, so for baseball this means up to 20 people, including necessary coaches or administration staff. Two groups of 20 people can train on the same baseball field if they remain separated for the entire training session.

Baseball Victoria follows Victorian Government COVIDSafe Settings, and all clubs must adhere to social distancing and personal hygiene measures while training.

The Victorian Government has released updated CHO COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination (Workers) Directions confirming there is an exemption for community sport volunteers so while vaccination is strongly recommended, it is not required.

Service Victoria QR code check-ins are required for businesses, including community sport organisations. Clubs must maintain an attendance register and COVID-19 restriction compliance documentation.

All clubs need council approval to access their facilities and return to training. We have opened the return to play registration, which all participants must complete before taking the field.

“Thanks to Victoria’s efforts in reaching our roadmap milestones and vaccination targets, we are pleased to be in a position to proceed with a 13 November start date for the 2021/22 VSBL season,” Baseball Victoria Interim CEO Gemma Scales said. “We are so excited to return to training and get ready for play in just a few weeks, as our clubs and members have been waiting patiently for good news. We remain committed to providing the safest experience for all baseballers, and we look forward to a safe and successful summer season.”

Baseball Victoria continues to monitor updates from Vicsport and Sport & Recreation Victoria on the COVIDSafe measures required to resume community sport training and play. We will provide any further updates as required while Victoria keeps moving toward 90 percent full vaccination coverage.

To read the Premier’s latest announcements, click HERE.

To track Victoria’s progress toward vaccination targets and view COVID resources, click HERE.

COVID-19 vaccines are currently available for all Victorians aged 12 years and over. Getting vaccinated helps protect you from getting sick with COVID-19. The vaccines being used in Australia are safe, free, and very effective at preventing serious illness and loss of life from COVID-19.

Click HERE to book your vaccine appointment.

You can download your vaccination certificate to the Service Victoria check-in app. Click HERE for more details.

It remains very important that Victorians monitor for symptoms, get tested, and get vaccinated when eligible.

To stop the spread, everyone should check this list of exposure sites and isolate, monitor for symptoms, and get tested as directed.

If you have been to an exposure site, are a close contact of a confirmed case, or exhibit any symptoms of COVID-19 – such as fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, chills or sweats, or change in sense of smell or taste – get a test immediately. Find out where to get tested HERE.

Stay safe by washing your hands regularly, wearing a face mask, coughing and sneezing into your elbow, and keeping at least 1.5 metres from others. If you have any symptoms of COVID-19, no matter how mild, you must get tested and stay home.

Click HERE to view our frequently asked questions.

Click HERE to view all COVID resources, including the Baseball Victoria Return to Play COVIDSafe Plan.

We encourage our members to stay connected and prioritise their mental health. Please view mental health resources on our website HERE, including information from Beyond Blue, Headspace, Kids Helpline, Lifeline, and R U OK?

To view more COVID-19 resources from the Victorian Government, click HERE.

With the 2021/22 VSBL season just around the corner, Baseball Victoria reminds all coaches to check their accreditation is up-to-date. We have a variety of valuable coaching resources that align with Baseball Australia’s USA Baseball Certification, which was introduced in 2020.

USA Baseball Certification courses A, B, and C are integrated nationally and are a compulsory requirement of Baseball Victoria for all coaches and assistant coaches. These courses are available to complete online now.

Certification Requirements

Below is the required certification level for your individual coaching environment.

Get Started

Click HERE to get started on the BV Coaching home page.

Access resources such as:

Through the process of completion in your individual USA baseball certification level, we recommend downloading the USA mobile coach app on your phone. This is an important tool to have access to helpful resources at your fingertips.

Coming Soon

Baseball Victoria will be providing a range of coaching education resources including:

In-club and charter coaching principles presentations and Q&A
Future practicals for assessments
Access to YouTube Baseball Victoria Coach Education Page
Online Canopi system for individual coach accreditation management/status
On-field training opportunities with Baseball Victoria Aces Academy