Baseball Victoria is excited to announce the 2020 Awards Night will be livestreamed across three days next week.
The Baseball Victoria Awards Night will celebrate fantastic achievements from across the Victorian baseball community, including the 2019/20 VSBL season award winners. The event will be streamed with My Sport Live on the Baseball Victoria Facebook page across three nights:
- Wednesday, 30 September 2020 - Division Three and Division Two
- Thursday, 1 October 2020 - Volunteer of the Year, Coach of the Year, Umpire of the Year, Women's Division One and Division One
- Friday, 2 October 2020 - Club Champions and MVPs
The broadcast will begin promptly at 7:30 PM each night.
“After an unprecedented year with many unexpected challenges, it will be great to highlight the accomplishments of Victorian baseballers,” Baseball Victoria CEO Kristie Middleton said. “We look forward to announcing the award winners and sharing this presentation with our members over three exciting nights. We invite everyone from our baseball community to join us in virtual celebration of our beloved sport.”
Individual achievement awards will be presented for the top home run hitters, batting average and ERA across VSBL Divisions One, Two and Three and Women’s Division One, as well as MVPs for these competitions and Division Four East, North West and South.
Winners of the Club Champion, Volunteer of the Year, Coach of the Year and Umpire of the Year Awards will also be announced.
Baseball Victoria encourages members and their family and friends to tune into the 2020 Awards Night on Facebook. Highlights will be shared across Baseball Victoria social media platforms, including Instagram and the BV TV YouTube Channel.
Click HERE to RSVP on Facebook and receive a notification when we go live.
Baseball Australia has announced plans for the 2021 Australian Senior, Junior and Intermediate League Championships.
The Australian Senior League Championship will run from 8-12 May 2021 at Lismore’s Albert Park Baseball Complex, followed by the Australian Junior League Championship from 16-20 May 2021 at West Beach in Adelaide's western suburbs.
Next on the calendar is the Australian Intermediate League Championship, which will return to Mildura for a second time from 25-29 May 2021. Finally, the Australian Little League Championship is scheduled for 9-14 June 2021 at Albert Park Baseball Complex in Lismore, NSW.
After the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Australian events were postponed and eventually cancelled along with the Little League International World Series and Region Tournaments.
Baseball Victoria acknowledges that a return to baseball activity and events remains uncertain across our state due to the ongoing pandemic, and although these dates have been announced, Victoria’s participation is subject to change depending on the circumstances as we move into 2021.
Baseball Victoria will continue to monitor the situation and will work with Baseball Australia on participation in national events, while we continue to develop plans for Victorian state-based participation or alternative format events to conform with COVID-19 restrictions.
Click HERE for more details from Baseball Australia.
Please note Victoria’s participation will be subject to a review of applicable COVID-19 restrictions, eligibility criteria and risk assessments for national events.
Westgarth Baseball Club honoured club legend and life member Roy Bartlett on his 100th birthday on 27 June 2020, and now the centenarian has been recognised once more, this time for beating a six-week battle with COVID-19. Nine News featured his inspiring story on Thursday night’s bulletin.
Roy defied the odds after contracting coronavirus in an aged care facility where he was recovering from pneumonia. He has since been discharged from the hospital, leaving in good health and good spirits, much to the delight of his family, hospital staff and all those who know and love him at Westgarth, where he has contributed 75 years of active volunteering.
Roy’s family says he is doing well and they appreciate all the support and the 100th birthday messages from throughout the baseball community. We wish Roy and his family all the best and are happy to hear he is feeling better.
Click HERE to watch and read the full story from Nine News.
There are just 10 days left in the 2020 MLB season before playoffs, and the two teams with Aussies on their 40-man rosters are in the postseason picture.
Victorian Lewis Thorpe remains at Minnesota's alternate training site after appearing in seven games so far, while West Australian Liam Hendriks leads the league with 13 saves.
LEWIS THORPE
Thorpe's last appearance for Minnesota came in game one of a doubleheader against Detroit on Saturday, 29 August.
The left-handed pitcher, who grew up playing for Doncaster and Greenhills Montmorency, has thrown 16.1 innings across seven outings, giving up 24 hits for 11 earned runs for an ERA of 6.06 and 10 strikeouts. He pitched 4.2 scoreless innings across his first two games.
Overall, the Twins sit in second in the American League Central division with a 31-21 record. They swept the Indians to start the week but dropped three out of four to the ladder-leading White Sox.
Minnesota plays the Chicago Cubs this weekend before rounding out the regular season at home vs. the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds.
For up-to-date schedules, scores and live action from the Twins, visit the official MLB website here.
LIAM HENDRIKS
West Australian Liam Hendriks recorded the final five outs for his Major League-leading 13th save of the year as Oakland improved to 31-19 on Wednesday, 16 September.
Hendriks struck out two and allowed one hit across 1 2/3 innings as the A’s topped Colorado 3-1 at Coors Field.
The 31-year-old took over for left-hander Jake Diekman with one out in the eighth and retired five of six batters faced in his first outing since September 10.
Not only did Hendriks have to record two extra outs to record the save, but he also had to deal with the high altitude of Denver, a challenge given his medically diagnosed altitude sickness.
“I ended up getting on medication to alleviate it,” Hendriks told MLB.com.
“I pitched in Colorado Springs before and had issues there. But I told BoMel I wanted to pitch today, regardless. Luckily, it came in a save situation, and we were able to finish this road trip off on a high note.”
Kevin Pillar singled with two out in the eighth but Hendriks fought back, striking out Josh Fuentes to end the inning.
Hendriks retired David Dahl on the 10th pitch of a long at-bat to start the ninth before recording the final two outs to move clear of Cleveland’s Brad Hand with a 13th save of 2020.
A two-run sixth put Oakland on top as the A’s magic number to win the American League West shrunk to five.
Mark Canha broke a 1-1 tie with a run-scoring groundout off Rockies starter Germán Márquez.
Jake Lamb’s RBI-single extended Oakland’s lead to two runs.
The A’s have a three-game home series against San Francisco this weekend before facing the L.A. Dodgers and Seattle Mariners to finish the 60-game season.
Follow Oakland’s season on the official MLB website here.
MLB ON KAYO
If you’re wondering where to watch MLB, Kayo has you covered with some of the biggest games streamed live each week. In addition to MLB Strikezone showings, the Australian sports streaming service has the following lineup for games this next week:
- New York Mets v Tampa Bay Rays - Tuesday, 22 September, 8:00 AM
- Los Angeles Dodgers v Oakland Athletics - Wednesday, 23 September, 12:30 PM
Click HERE to check out Kayo and follow along with the MLB action live.
New to Kayo? Sign up for a free 14-day trial HERE.
Applications are now open for the VicHealth Reimagining Health Grants, a redesigned funding program offering $2.5 million in grants for Victorian community organisations.
VicHealth has merged previous funding opportunities such as Active Club Grants and Partnership grants into this funding stream to simplify the process so organisations can get the support they need as soon as possible.
VicHealth is offering grants of up to $3K, $10K or $50K for local organisations who can support young people (aged 0-25 years) or Victorians experiencing disadvantage, by creating meaningful social connection, providing opportunities for physical activity or by addressing food security issues.
These grants will support both new and existing ideas for projects that reimagine health and wellbeing in these challenging times with the three priority areas of social connection, physical activity and food security. Successful projects must be delivered before November 2021.
Funding is available for essential goods or services directly related to the project, including:
- Equipment, materials or other items (including sporting equipment and uniforms)
- Participant or volunteer support expenses, including costs to reduce barriers to participation
- Short-term project staffing or sub-contracting
- Organisational capacity-building that will contribute to sustained benefit to the community
Some ideas for grassroots baseball clubs include:
- Revamping social media to increase engagement throughout the club community
- Running social gatherings, club nights and presentations in an online format
- Connecting members to wellness apps or dedicated online resources to boost physical activity and healthy living
- Translating marketing materials and offering events catered to different languages and cultures
- Providing MPIO (member protection information officer) training for club volunteers
- Producing training videos to give more people the resources to train at home
- Junior equipment and cleaning regime to reduce barriers to joining baseball
- Food security training and programs
Who can apply?
Community, sporting, cultural, recreational, creative and other not-for-profit organisations planning to undertake activity in Victoria are encouraged to apply.
To be eligible, organisations must have an active Australian Business Number (ABN) and be registered as one of the following organisation types:
▪ Incorporated body (legal name commonly includes ‘Association’ or ‘Cooperative’ or ‘Inc.’) or;
▪ Company limited by guarantee (legal name commonly includes ‘Ltd.’), or;
▪ Victorian Local Government Entity
Local sporting organisations and clubs are encouraged to view the grant guidelines and apply before applications close on Tuesday, 27 October at 11:59 PM. Early applications may be assessed and notified of the outcome prior to the closing date, so apply early for the fastest outcome.
Please click HERE to learn more about the VicHealth Reimagining Health Grants and apply today.
For a list of available grants from Sport and Recreation Victoria and other organisations, click HERE.
Following announcements made by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews this morning on the easing of Stage Three restrictions in regional Victoria, Baseball Victoria acknowledges that a return to baseball training is likely to commence next week for three VSBL clubs in regional Victoria: Ballarat Royals, Geelong Baycats and Mitchell Majors.
Baseball Victoria is currently seeking additional clarification from Sport and Recreation Victoria to confirm the details, however based on the Premier’s announcements, from 11:59 PM tomorrow, 16 September 2020, outdoor contact and non-contact sport will begin for regional Victorians aged 18 and under, as well as outdoor non-contact sport for adults.
Baseball Victoria will not commence any activities until Tuesday, 22 September 2020 subject to updates from Sport and Recreation Victoria.
This ability to train will only apply to the Ballarat Royals, Geelong Baycats and Mitchell Majors as clubs participating in the Victorian Summer Baseball League.
All players from these three clubs will be required to complete the return to training registration for regional Victoria, and all clubs must maintain an attendance register and COVID-19 restriction compliance documentation.
Registration and return to play documents will be confirmed directly with these clubs and registered players for these clubs, subject to the updates from Sport and Recreation Victoria.
“The progress made in regional Victoria is welcome news and we are pleased to confirm our regional VSBL clubs may return to training in the coming weeks under Victorian Government guidelines and restrictions,” Baseball Victoria CEO Kristie Middleton said. “We continue to make small steps toward a COVID normal, and we are committed to getting players back on the diamond when it is safe and possible to do so. The health and safety of our Victorian baseball community remains our top priority.”
Baseball Victoria will provide further clarifications on the easing of restrictions in regional Victoria and the plans for metropolitan Melbourne accordingly in line with updates from the Victorian Government.
Baseball Victoria is considering how clubs that traditionally play in winter, whom have been unable to conduct a season of baseball, might be able to participate in a division of the Victorian Summer Baseball League for regional Victoria or how they might join the Victorian Summer Baseball League.
Click HERE to read the Premier’s full statement on the easing of restrictions in regional Victoria.
Please view the Baseball Victoria COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions HERE for details on current restrictions for baseball activity as well as COVID-19 health questions, face masks and much more.
Click HERE for the Baseball Victoria COVID-19 Club Resources page.
As a reminder, the COVIDSafe app is now available and will allow authorities to quickly track and control the spread of COVID-19. Please consider downloading the app to help save lives, protect the community and get baseball back as soon as possible. Click HERE to learn more.
For up-to-date information on keeping your family safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, including healthy hygiene, social distancing and face masks, please visit the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services website HERE.
All further updates from Baseball Victoria will be available on the Baseball Victoria website and will also be communicated by the Baseball Victoria social media channels.
If you have any questions please contact Baseball Victoria, with full contact details available HERE.
Baseball Australia today confirmed the cancellation of the 2021 Australian Youth Championship, which will be replaced with a range of localised content to ensure the development of the country’s up-and-coming talent is not negatively impacted.
Baseball Australia, Baseball Victoria and the other state and territory bodies unanimously agreed to the move – which comes in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic –following an extensive review which included consultation of athletes and teams that would likely have featured in the event.
Instead a range of local events will be held in each market to ensure players are afforded the opportunity to continue their development.
Baseball Victoria is working through the plans for what this event will look like in Victoria, keeping in mind the current COVID-19 situation and the Victorian Government’s roadmap to easing restrictions.
“Baseball Victoria is committed to offering a challenging and exciting experience for Victorian athletes who would normally be attending the Australian Youth Championship,” Baseball Victoria CEO Kristie Middleton said.
The event will still have a tryout component, allowing all Victorians in the age group to aim for selection to the competition, and as part of the overall planning with Baseball Australia, we expect the event to be held at the start of January 2021.
“As has been the case throughout this entire year, we must remain flexible and develop realistic plans based on what we know about the COVID-19 situation and what is best for the health and safety of our players. Any event will be subject to Victorian Government guidelines and we may need to make changes to accommodate the circumstances in the coming months. We look forward to providing more details in the coming weeks.”
Baseball Australia performance pathways and player development general manager Michael Crooks said a number of factors came into the decision, including health implications, logistical challenges presented by quarantine measures and financial risk.
“It’s a bitterly disappointing outcome,” Crooks said. “But our goal now is to ensure with the support of states and territories we provide enough opportunities to affected athletes to continue their development. By doing this we can minimise the long-term disruption on our up-and-coming prospects and keep open the pathway they’ve worked so hard to climb.”
The tournament, which traditionally takes place during the January school holiday period and includes U-16 and U-18 age brackets, will be replaced by local series.
Details for the local series will be released in coming weeks but each event would be preceded by a showcase for college and professional scouts. The local series will see each market’s top talent given the chance to go head to-head.
Following the state events, the U-16 and U-18 National Junior Squads will be selected from the participants.
Both squads would be invited to a camp in Canberra over the Easter period should government restrictions allow it.
The squads, subject to restrictions, would also head to Florida for a PerfectGame event prior to the U-18 World Cup later in the year.
If international border restrictions prevented it, athletes would again attend a National Junior Squad camp in Canberra.
Technology partnerships with Rapsodo and Driveline’s TRAQ software will ensure accurate player profiling, and the collected information will be collated and distributed to the professional scouting and college network to maintain international exposure for players.
Baseball Victoria is working closely with Baseball Australia to confirm details of the local series which will be communicated accordingly.
Ben Laux is looking forward to getting back on the diamond.
As club coach for Moorabbin Panthers Baseball Club, Laux hopes to build on the success of the 2019/20 VSBL season as he prepares for an eventual return to baseball activity once restrictions ease.
His passion for coaching is stronger than ever, with plenty of experience under his belt since securing his first coaching role at the age of 21, leading Moorabbin’s Under 18 side when he joined the club in 2002. An invitation from a friend opened up a new chapter in Laux’s baseball career, which had started as a junior in regional Victoria growing up in Sale. It wasn’t long before he decided to make a permanent move, although he’ll always bask in the good old days in the regional spot.
“I first started playing baseball when I was 11,” Laux said. “The early 90s was a great time for baseball in the Latrobe Valley and my club, Sale, had two to three teams in each age group.”
Over the years, Laux built on his natural hitting strength and worked to improve his fielding and footwork. “I never learned much about fielding as a junior in the country so it’s something I had to work at as a senior,” Laux said.
Understanding his personal strengths and weaknesses has helped him develop as a coach. His first stint as a senior coach came in 2011 with Moorabbin, and his constant presence at the club in recent years landed him the club coaching role ahead of last summer season.
Laux led Moorabbin in a successful Division 2 campaign, with the firsts, reserves and thirds all heading to finals. The reserves and thirds came away with premierships along with the U16 state side, while the firsts fell just short in the semi-finals after a strong season.
A true club man, Laux strives to be a useful resource and point of contact to provide the right environment for all players. “I encourage hard work and I try to reward it. When I coach a team, I try to find the synergy,” Laux said. “Where if you work for your team, then you’ll get twice back in return. It’s what makes memorable teams."
After a big summer followed by the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, Laux is excited for the future of his beloved club. “The club put a strong focus on our junior program about six years ago and currently, we’re seeing the result of that with a young senior list,” Laux said. “We’ve worked hard at building a strong environment, somewhere where the players enjoy turning up and are motivated to use the resources provided to them.”
Laux is eager to see the young junior group transition into senior players for the club, which received a boost when the Bayside City Council committed to updates at A.W. Oliver Reserve.
“We’ve just had a new clubroom built including new batting tunnels, dugouts and bullpens with scope to re-do the back nets in the upcoming budgets,” Laux said. “Adding that to our field lighting gives us some solid resources to add to the program.”
Laux believes Moorabbin is contributing to a state-wide approach of giving young players opportunities, regardless of short-term wins or losses. “There’s a lot of players from my era that are coming to the ends of our playing days and it’s great to see them mentoring the next generation through their club,” Laux said. “It’s something I’m passionate about. Making sure we leave the game in a better place than when we got here.”
There are so many fantastic memories that reaffirm his love for the game and motivate Laux to keep going, such as Moorabbin’s 2015/16 VSBL Division 2 Championship. “Winning the Division 2 Premiership with Moorabbin was special, a great team with some great people,” Laux said.
He also looks back fondly on representative opportunities throughout his countless baseball adventures.
“Playing several years with the Victorian provincial team were great experiences,” Laux said. I played some really good quality baseball with some great teammates and coaches.”
With a friendly, positive and encouraging coaching style, Laux is popular among players who appreciate his approach to the game. In addition to his role at Moorabbin, Laux coached the Southern Mariners Junior League team in their 2019 campaign that led to nationals. He also spent time coaching in America with the Bakersfield Train Robbers in the Pecos League under Cheltenham’s current head coach Bryan Kloppe.
After a generous break, Laux is prepared to coach his club to success when baseball returns.
“I think the break has been great however, better circumstances would have been nice,” Laux said. “Personally, I feel refreshed and I know that the players are excited to get back out there.”
Laux is always willing to help players who want to get better, and his top piece of advice is to keep learning. “You get so much out of the game if you give of yourself. Whether it’s being the best player you can be for your team or assisting other players to give the same, you get so much back,” Laux said. “I’m learning more and more about coaching all the time and I’m continually adapting.”
It's getting down to the pointy end of the 2020 MLB season and both teams with Aussies on their 40-man rosters are racing towards playoffs.
Victorian Lewis Thorpe remains at Minnesota's alternate training site, while West Australian Liam Hendriks added to his win tally, and save tally, of which he sits equal first with 12.
LEWIS THORPE
Thorpe hasn't seen gametime for Minnesota since being recalled from the alternate training site for game one of a doubleheader against Detroit on Saturday, 29 August.
The left-handed pitcher was the 29th player for the day's play and was sent back at the conclusion of game two when the squad needed to be cut to 28.
Throughout the season, the former Doncaster and Greenhills Montmorency junior has appeared in seven games, including one start on Monday, 3 August.
From 16.1 innings pitched, he's given up 24 hits for 11 earned runs for an ERA of 6.06, with 10 strikeouts after starting the season giving up zero runs in 4.2 innings across his first two games.
Overall, the Twins sit in second in the American League Central division with a 27-18 record. In the previous week, Minnesota took a 4-1 series win against Detroit before splitting the series one-all against St Louis.
Minnesota will take on Cleveland in a three-game series before a four-game series against the White Sox, ending the week by remaining in Chicago for a meeting with the Cubs.
For up-to-date schedules, scores and live action from the Twins, visit the official MLB website here.
LIAM HENDRIKS
Fresh off of earning the MLB American League Reliever of the Month honours for August, West Australian Liam Hendriks continues to lead Oakland as the A's maintain their top spot in the American League West division.
The right-hander entered the Saturday, 5 September game at Oakland Coliseum against San Diego at the top of ninth, the Padres down by five runs.
While Hendriks did give up a run - his first in eight games -, he still struck out two as the Athletics recorded an 8-4 win.
Jurickson Profar was the first to go down swinging, before Trent Grisham and Fernando Tatis Jr made contact, the latter reaching second, prompting two runners to be in scoring positions.
A Manny Machado sacrifice fly allowed Grisham to score before Hendriks put the game to bed by striking out Mitch Moreland.
Travelling to Houston on Tuesday, 8 September, Hendriks collected his 11th save of the 2020 season, entering in the seventh inning of Game 1 of the day's doubleheader.
Despite letting up a single to pinch-hitter Aledmys Diaz after Martin Maldonado grounded out, Hendriks got the last two batters - George Springer and Alex Bregman - to strike out swinging, confirming a 4-2 win to the Athletics.
The 31-year-old picked up a win in his third game of the week, his third win of the season, when he entered the top of the ninth on Wednesday, 9 September against Houston.
Hendriks needed to face just three batters to get Oakland into a position to try and take the game at the bottom half of the inning, and did so with strikeouts to Michael Brantley and Kyle Tucker, among a ground out from Yuri Gurriel.
Oakland tied the scores at two-all as the seventh inning was completed. The bottom of the ninth started with the first two batters getting on base, Sean Murphy walked and Tony Kemp hit by a pitch.
A couple of outs soon followed, but the runners were able to advance, pinch-runner Stephen Piscotty tagged out before reaching home the second out for the A's.
Ramon Laureano singled to centrefield, allowing Marcus Semien to score and the Athletics to claim a 3-2 walk-off win.
The closer returned to the mound on Thursday, 10 September to record his 12th save of the season - tied with Cleveland's Brad Hand.
Despite initially being down a run, Oakland recorded a 3-1 win against the Astros, Hendriks facing just three batters to get the result - a strikeout for Martin Maldonado, and consecutive line outs, each to centrefield from George Springer and Alex Bregman.
Hendriks' ERA sits at 1.33, slightly up from the past week.
The game today was Hendriks' third day of pitching in a row, the third time he's done so through his career while Oakland are now 20-0 in games where Hendriks has pitched.
Oakland have taken a six-and-a -half-game lead at the top of their division with a 27-15 record. It's the A's largest lead division since Wednesday, 25 September, 2013.
Oakland begin a four-game series on the road against Texas across the weekend before turning their attention to series against Seattle and Colorado next week.
Follow Oakland’s season on the official MLB website here.
MLB ON KAYO
If you’re wondering where to watch MLB, Kayo has you covered with some of the biggest games streamed live each week. In addition to MLB Strikezone showings, the Australian sports streaming service has the following lineup for games this next week:
- Los Angeles Dodgers v Houston Astros - Monday, 14 September, 9:00 AM AEST
- San Diego Padres v Los Angeles Dodgers - Thursday, 17 September, 6:00 AM AEST
- Philadelphia Phillies v New York Mets - Thursday, 17 September, 9:00 AM AEST
- Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim v Arizona Diamondbacks - Thursday, 17 September, 12:00 PM AEST
Click HERE to check out Kayo and follow along with the MLB action live.
New to Kayo? Sign up for a free 14-day trial HERE.