Jacob Sheldon-Collins began his baseball career playing T-Ball at Waverley Baseball Club, and he’s been a proud Wildcat ever since.
Over the past twenty years, the shortstop and second baseman has grown remarkably with Waverley, progressing through juniors and into senior baseball. His most recent VSBL season with Waverley was another one for the books, as he batted .348 in 25 Division 1 Firsts games. Jacob had 31 hits – four doubles – with a .442 on-base percentage. He was instrumental in Waverley’s solid season campaign, as the Wildcats kept pace with the top four throughout much of the summer. It wasn’t until the final five games that Waverley slipped slightly, finishing just shy of the playoffs in fifth place with a 15-11 record.
Despite missing out on finals, Jacob and the Wildcats achieved their goal of improving on the 2018/19 season, when Waverley finished 11-13-2 in the bottom five. This success comes as no surprise to Jacob, who believes they have a strong foundation at the club. “We’ve got a really good bunch of people down at Waverley,” Jacob said. “We’ve had a few new people this year, which was exciting, and being around them is good fun.”
After following in his dad’s footsteps and pursuing a promising junior career at Waverley, Jacob joined the seniors as a teen and he hasn’t looked back, even going on to spend four years playing college ball in America. With stints in Iowa and Hawaii under his belt, Jacob has plenty of experience to share with the younger players at Waverley. “Whatever I can do to pass on my experience, it’s great to help the young players with anything from that defensive position, like fielding mechanics or offensive mindsets,” Jacob said. “Americans are phenomenal players and it’s a mental grind playing every day, so it’s little things I can teach. I learned a lot from the older guys when I was growing up.”
Being there to support younger players on the pathway is rewarding for Jacob, who wants to see the club build on a core group of players who are committed for the long haul. “Waverley has had a very successful junior program for years now,” Jacob said. “We’re a great club and moving forward with we will put some more good seasons together and be a destination club for young players.”
Even after playing in the Junior College World Series in the U.S., some of Jacob’s favourite baseball memories remain winning a few flags with Waverley at Melbourne Ballpark. “I was a young kid in the firsts with older guys who had been playing Claxton Shield,” Jacob said. “It was great learning off them and getting to be part of that experience.”
Jacob can’t imagine his life without baseball and all the friends that he’s made because of it. “It has it’s highs and lows, but I enjoy being with everyone,” Jacob said. “The people you meet are fantastic, I’ve still got friends now that I met when I was five or six years old and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”