Chelsea Stewart has a big and bright future in baseball ahead of her. After a huge year representing her state on the 2019 Victorian Youth Women’s Team and taking out a premiership victory with Melbourne University, the 15-year-old is ready for the summer season.
Chelsea first started playing five years ago after watching baseball with her dad, a former player, and the rest of her family. She went to a come and try day at Essendon Baseball Club, where she fell in love with the sport and never looked back. Chelsea has been playing winter baseball for Melbourne University, and she recently transferred to Doncaster Baseball Club where she will start the next chapter of her summer baseball journey.
Baseball Leader in the Making
As a pitcher and infielder, Chelsea likes the challenge of being out on the field and testing her skills. “I really love improving my skills, making new friends and bonding with my teammates,” Chelsea said. “I love growing as a person and a baseball player.”
That’s exactly what Chelsea will look to do in the 2019/20 VSBL season with Doncaster, where she will be eager to continue training hard and gaining confidence playing against fellow female athletes in the VSBL Women’s Division 2 competition. “I’m excited to get more experience, have a good summer and keep improving,” Chelsea said.
With baseball training three times a week in addition to a few sessions of personal training at the gym, Chelsea is committed to getting better all the time. These efforts are all part of the pathway to get to where she wants to be one day: playing for Victoria Blue in the Australian Open Women’s Championships as well as wearing gold and green for the Australian Emeralds. “There’s always things like the national tournament and training programs that have really helped me and a lot of other people I know improve.”
Chelsea has played on the Victorian Youth Women’s team for the past three years, giving her a taste of competing on the national stage as well as the chance to collect a gold medal in 2018 and a bronze medal earlier this year. She had the opportunity to take on more of a leadership role, helping
out and encouraging the younger girls as they grew together as a team. “Us older girls helped a lot of the younger girls with less experience to kind of push through and improve in their own mental and baseball skills,” Chelsea said. “This showed in the tournament, especially in the last few games.”
Now equipped with enhanced leadership skills, Chelsea is feeling more confident and capable both on and off the field than ever before. After leading the tournament in strikeouts across her two starts and one relief pitching appearance, Chelsea knows how to keep her col and remain calm even in high-pressure situations. Whether it’s starting on the mound in the bronze medal game at the Australian Youth Women’s Championships or chasing a hard-fought Grand Final win with Melbourne Uni, Chelsea is determined to get the job done. “I was quite happy with winning the premiership, and it definitely helps that the coaches are absolutely amazing,” Chelsea said. “I had more confidence in the winter season."
Pursuing Her Baseball Dreams
With the support of her family and friends, Chelsea has been able to take her baseball journey to the next level, playing for premierships and state teams while also visiting America with the Victorian Kookaburras. Through it all, Chelsea is thrilled to see her pitching, batting and fielding continue to improve, especially as she looks toward upcoming tryouts for the state team in a few months’ time. Chelsea is even encouraging her friends to join in the fun. “It’s a really good experience and everyone improves a lot from the first training,” Chelsea said. “It really helps you physically and mentally while giving you good accomplishments.”
Chelsea is looking forward to training with the female role models she looks up to, including Bronwyn Gell, Ursula Howard and Abbey Kelly. “Bronwyn has always helped me with my training, and Ursula has really helped me improve on my skills since the first time I tried out for the state team. She’s really encouraging of everyone,” Chelsea said.
While the majority of her time is spent at baseball, Chelsea does enjoy listening to music, playing guitar and hanging out with friends. She loves the fact that baseball has introduced her to so many friends she can make long-lasting memories with. “I like that baseball gives you that opportunity to make friends on and off the field, and it helps you develop as a person,” Chelsea said. “It’s a good learning experience.“
Pursuing Her Baseball Dreams
With the support of her family and friends, Chelsea has been able to take her baseball journey to the next level, playing for premierships and state teams while also visiting America with the Victorian Kookaburras. Through it all, Chelsea is thrilled to see her pitching, batting and fielding continue to improve, especially as she looks toward upcoming tryouts for the state team in a few months’ time. Chelsea is even encouraging her friends to join in the fun. “It’s a really good experience and everyone improves a lot from the first training,” Chelsea said. “It really helps you physically and mentally while giving you good accomplishments.”
Chelsea is looking forward to training with the female role models she looks up to, including Bronwyn Gell, Ursula Howard and Abbey Kelly. “Bronwyn has always helped me with my training, and Ursula has really helped me improve on my skills since the first time I tried out for the state team. She’s really encouraging of everyone,” Chelsea said.
While the majority of her time is spent at baseball, Chelsea does enjoy listening to music, playing guitar and hanging out with friends. She loves the fact that baseball has introduced her to so many friends she can make long-lasting memories with. “I like that baseball gives you that opportunity to make friends on and off the field, and it helps you develop as a person,” Chelsea said. “It’s a good learning experience.“