Bryan Kloppe is proud of his hardworking players at Cheltenham Baseball Club.
As club coach and manager of the firsts, Bryan has a big impact on the Rustlers, using his own playing experience as a pitcher to help him succeed as a coach and a team leader.
Bryan was at the helm of the Rustlers as they won the 2018/19 VSBL Division 2 premiership, and this season they’re in the running for back-to-back championships, although this time in Division 1.
Now in his sixth season with Cheltenham, the Phoenix, Arizona native is determined to finish the year on a high note. After 23 rounds Cheltenham has catapulted into the top four, holding a 13-9-1 record ahead of Waverley. The Rustlers are enjoying a seven-game undefeated streak, and they will use the last two series against Fitzroy and Berwick City to try and stay in finals contention.
Heading into this season, Bryan was excited about the club’s promotion to Division 1 and the abundance of young, talented players. Cheltenham’s players haven’t let him down, impressing week in and week out as a strong sense of teamwork and comradery makes a big difference. “Our team succeeds just through chemistry,” Bryan said. “We love each other, we’ve been playing together for a long time and everybody trusts each other and comes to training and works hard together. It’s fun to play together on the weekend.”
Bryan says building from the ground up after relegation to Division 2 in the 2018/19 season has given the Rustlers a deep drive to succeed and a desire to stay where they belong in Division 1. “We’re prepared to make an impact,” Bryan said. “I like to run trainings so that our players can get better every day and just lead the club with a bright future.”
Cheltenham welcomed Bryan with open arms in his first season, and he’s found it hard to stay away, always returning after coaching stints abroad. He’s played in college and independent professional leagues, and spent last winter coaching the Westside Woolly Mammoths in Michigan as part of the United Shore Professional Baseball League. No matter where he goes, the Rustlers are never far from his mind. “I keep coaching and playing at Cheltenham because of the people,” Bryan said. “I have had such great friendships, and a lot of my best friends were made through the club. I love being around people at the club.”
Bryan’s memorable baseball career has been filled with fantastic moments, including attending game seven of the 2001 World Series when his hometown team the Arizona Diamondbacks came back to win over the New York Yankees. But through it all winning championships with his beloved teams is as good as it gets. “When Cheltenham made it to the Grand Final against Essendon, that’s one of my best memories,” Bryan said.
Baseball has given Bryan so many opportunities, and he’s forever grateful for his baseball family at Cheltenham. “We have a great family environment, from t-ball up and we have a really strong focus on juniors,” Bryan said. “We’ve got lots of young players at Cheltenham like Conor Myles, Ben Fierenzi, Dante Caruso and Mac Turley, and there’s a whole other wave that’s making an impact for the firsts this year.”
Bryan and the rest of the Rustlers are ready to capture the club’s first VSBL Division 1 premiership since the club’s amalgamation with Prahran in 1972. While winning would be amazing, just encouraging others to get out on the field and try baseball is fulfilling for Bryan. “The best players in the world fail 70 percent of the time and they make millions of dollars a year, so don’t be afraid to fail, just go out and give it a try,” Bryan said. “You’ll make lots of good friends.”
Bryan and the rest of the Rustlers are ready to capture the club’s first VSBL Division 1 premiership since the club’s amalgamation with Prahran in 1972. While winning would be amazing, just encouraging others to get out on the field and try baseball is fulfilling for Bryan. “The best players in the world fail 70 percent of the time and they make millions of dollars a year, so don’t be afraid to fail, just go out and give it a try,” Bryan said. “You’ll make lots of good friends.”