Baseball Australia’s 2018 Spring Training Program was announced last week, and for many young men including NSW’s Travis Bazzana, this will be his first chance to compete against professional teams at professional facilities in the USA.
15-year-old Bazzana has been a constant feature in Baseball Australia events for a number of years, consistently representing Ryde North in charter baseball since 2011.
Bazzana’s mindset heading into the two week tour is simple.
“I know I want to get to professional baseball, and this trip will give me a greater understanding of what it takes,” Bazzana said.
“It’s going to be a challenge coming up against professional teams, but the opportunity to work hard every day and learn from great coaches is something I’m really looking forward to."
In 2017 Bazzana represented New South Wales in the U16 Australian Championship, and in 2018 - he thrived in his second stint in NSW colours.
Bazzana was named MVP of the U16 Australian Championship (hitting .524 with five RBI and 11 runs scored), as he played an integral role in NSW’s undefeated run to the Australian Championship.
.@BaseballNSW and @BaseballVic played out an all-time classic #AYC2018 U16 final, and it was NSW who took it out!
GAME RECAP: https://t.co/630hqfsI27 pic.twitter.com/HfFsfO6IMV
Fast forward to April and Bazzana, along with 29 other young Australians will have the chance to show a myriad of college and professional scouts what they can do. Couple that exposure with the access to thousands of dollars’ worth of analytic equipment at Driveline Baseball – which will form the basis of off-season training programs for each of the athletes involved.
To go back to Australia with a specific plan to work on weaknesses in his game is something Bazzana is excited for.
“The Driveline stuff looks incredible, it adds a really exciting element to my off-season workouts. To be shown little things to improve my game with video analysis is something that will improve my game dramatically.”
Joining Bazzana on the trip are multiple state High Performance Managers (HPMs) like NSW’s Jason Pospishil and Victoria’s Damian Shanahan, who will bring their experiences back to their state’s development programs
As well as state HPM’s, joining the staff is former MLB All-Star and three-time ABL Championship winning manager Dave Nilsson, who Bazzana believes will be a key asset to his development
“I really look up to Dave,” Bazzana said.
“He’s done it at the highest level and has incredible knowledge about the game. I’m looking forward to getting plenty of tips, especially as a left-handed hitter.”
Stay tuned for to baseball.com.au for updates from the 2018 Baseball Australia Spring Training tour.