With the 2019/20 VSBL season resuming after the break next week, Sunshine Eagles Baseball Club is focused on finishing out the season strong.
Griffin Weir is excited to be part of this campaign, having supported Sunshine’s Division 1 Firsts team with valuable hitting and pitching contributions in the first half of the season.
Griffin and his fellow Eagles have enjoyed a lot of success so far this season, sitting first on the ladder at 12-4 after 17 rounds. After finishing atop the Western Conference last year with a 17-7-3 record and falling just short of a spot in the Grand Final, Sunshine looks poised to chase those big premiership dreams.
“This season I’m looking forward to hopefully going that one step better and possibly making the grand final or winning it, that’s the ultimate goal,” Griffin said.
The Sunshine pitcher pointed out that the team has been known to drift between Division 1 and Division 2, stating there’s no guarantees with any club about how they’ll fare season to season.
“I think the group of guys we’ve got this season is pretty solid, we haven’t really lost anyone. We’ve picked up a couple of players. Our import is looking good,” Griffin said. “We just play our style of baseball which is sort of scrappy but gets the job done and have some fun.”
With the same core group of pitchers who have proven they can match it with the best in the top division, the Eagles are confident they can go all the way again. Sunshine was promoted to Division 1 after taking out the Division 2 premiership in the 2016/17 season, something Griffin will never forget.
“To win the grand final out at Melbourne Ballpark was just a great memory,” Griffin said. “It is quite exciting to play in front of so many seats, whether they’d be filled or not, it’s still a great feeling. And to have a professional setup with the scoreboard and the wall and the lights is very exciting.”
Weir will hope to make a difference to his team in the New Year as he focuses on improving his game. “I’m looking to just pitch out the season, injury free, and have a few quality starts in the ones,” Griffin said. “And then, hopefully I improve my hitting a little bit this season.”
No matter what the rest of the season has in store, Griffin knows he will enjoy his time at Sunshine. After all, he believes that the entire squad plays for the benefit of improving the club and doing all in their power to bring extra success to the Eagles, with positive results both on and off the diamond.
“Everyone’s made to feel so welcome and everyone feels so included at the club,” Griffin said. “We play hard but it’s easy to play hard when you want to be there. I think that really helped last season, everyone just seemed to be really enjoying themselves and it went a long way to finishing on top.”
For Griffin, there’s always the question playing in the back of his mind on whether to continue but there’s only one answer he can come up with when it’s time to sign up again. “I can’t imagine not playing it and every time it gets to the end of the season I think ‘Oh, how long am I going to keep going?’ and then the next season comes around I’m definitely no doubts about it, I’m signing up.”
Griffin isn’t shy about encouraging others to get out on the diamond. As one of several clubs in Melbourne’s burgeoning West, Sunshine welcomes both new and experienced players with open arms. Griffin knows about this warm welcome firsthand, having looked up to his father coaching the firsts and seconds.
“We have plenty of guys just walk off the street, maybe from a cricket background or no background at all. We just chuck them in, and they always have a smile on their face and they’re fielding groundballs and taking swings,” Griffin said. “No one is going to judge them for not being an all-star MLB player. They’re here to have fun which is the same as everyone.”
Griffin and his Sunshine squad will open up 2020 with a series against Melbourne, followed by a three-game set v Essendon.