After six months of planning, the brand new Sunraysia Baseball League (SBL) women’s competition made local baseball history with the opening game on Tuesday night.
Two local clubs, the Wanderers and the Eagles, answered the call to start a new women’s competition in the Mildura region, where the close-knit baseball community has been determined to get more females on the field.
“The game was great and it marks a new era for baseball in Sunraysia,” SBL President Nick Carroll said. “With the increased success of women’s sport in traditional male areas such as cricket and AFL and the continued strength of the new city-based women’s competitions and state teams, we thought it was time to give women’s baseball a try in Sunraysia.”
Carroll and SBL Vice President Brett Bertalli worked with local clubs to turn this bright idea into areality. “With women’s summer softball on the decline here, which shares the same diamonds as men’s winter baseball, an opportunity presented itself to undertake this new venture,” Carroll said.
After much planning and discussion, SBL decided on a Tuesday twilight format, which would complement Saturday softball and offer an alternative to women looking for something different.
The short introductory season will see the two teams play each other over a six-week period, culminating in a final in week seven to get an inaugural winner. Games are 90 minutes each with a maximum of five runs allowed per side each inning, placing a strong emphasis on fun, enjoyment and participation rather than the final score.
With many players trying baseball for the first time, the first game featured lots of team spirit and encouragement. While the Eagles won the first meeting 9-2, the players are concerned less with the score and more with promoting participation in women’s baseball and supporting the ladies who have decided to give it a go.
SBL is hopeful that the women’s competition will offer an avenue for girls and women to get active and enjoy themselves in a social setting, as well as strengthen existing baseball clubs and open up a new way to recruit players of all ages to baseball. “We hope to be able to put together a representative team down the track and also present an opportunity for girls to try-out for state teams in the future, should they so wish,” Carroll said. “We are planning for at least two more teams and then a junior girls grade (U14) if the competition can consolidate and then strengthen.”
Eagles Baseball Club President Andrew Law is confident that SBL is on the right path with this new endeavour. “The women’s competition is something we’ve been thinking about for a long time, it’s drawing in new members and growing our competition and supporter group,” Andrew said. “We hope to find more women that would be willing to participate for both our club and others in the competition, and we’d like to increase the number of teams.”
With 15 registered players so far, the Eagles have seen growing interest in the competition, with some mothers, partners and club members taking advantage of this chance to get on the field. They have also been recruiting to the wider Mildura community, encouraging girls and women to come give it a try.
After more than 15 years of volunteering and scoring in the sport, Kim Law has taken up this opportunity, heading onto the field for a fantastic time. As current club secretary for the Eagles and treasurer of SBL, Kim is no stranger to the game, but now she’s thoroughly enjoying her playing
experience alongside a mix of women, some who have played baseball or softball before and others who have never stepped foot on the diamond. “We had an absolute blast in our first game,” Kim said. “It was really well-received by all the players and the two clubs. It’s great that both teams cover all age groups, with some young players, mums and older people. It’s just nice to have a bit of a crack ourselves.”
Kim and her teammates are having fun while trying something new, as she just tried pitching at training and may give it a go on the mound in the coming weeks. “You never know, this might open doors for us further down the track. I just see it as a bonus and it’s great for the community to see that baseball is a viable sport in the area.”
After the success of the first game, Kim and her fellow female players are eager to see the competition grow. “We are hopeful that next season we can get the two other local clubs involved,” Kim said. “It’s just a continuation of winter baseball, we all love the game and want to carry it forward to the summer months as well.”
A great sense of teamwork makes the women’s competition a healthy and happy space for these players to challenge themselves and reach new accomplishments. “We’ve got a really good comradery so far as we had quite a few trainings leading up to the first game,” Kim said. “It doesn’t matter what your level is, everybody is very supportive and willing to lend a hand. We were encouraging not only to our own players but to the opposition. Coaches, umpires and players were all rallying around each other and the game was very inclusive of everybody regardless of their skills.”
Having a judgment-free zone where all players could enjoy themselves and give it their best shot made the game a memorable one, and the teams are hopeful that more girls and women will want to join in the fun. “It wasn’t do or die, it was just getting out there, having fun and participating which is the biggest thing,” Kim said. “We have to start somewhere, so we are starting small and aiming big. We know it can become bigger and better next year."
Stacey Twaddle is a coordinator and player for the Wanderers, and she found it really exciting to participate in the game she loves with a great group of women. "Everyone was pretty pumped to be part of the experience," Stacey said. "I think it gives us ladies the outlet to have a go instead of just being on the sidelines watching our partners, sons and family members. It's a good team sport to be involved in."
Stacey, who was the second pitcher for the Wanderers in Tuesday's game, is looking forward to the rest of the season and hopefully getting some more participants along. "We include everybody and we have a good time, no skills necessary," Stacey said. "We roll with it as we go along. We'd love to see other teams participate and it will be good to grow the sport in Sunraysia."
Stacey Twaddle is a coordinator and player for the Wanderers, and she found it really exciting to participate in the game she loves with a great group of women. "Everyone was pretty pumped to be part of the experience," Stacey said. "I think it gives us ladies the outlet to have a go instead of just being on the sidelines watching our partners, sons and family members. It's a good team sport to be involved in."
Stacey, who was the second pitcher for the Wanderers in Tuesday's game, is looking forward to the rest of the season and hopefully getting some more participants along. "We include everybody and we have a good time, no skills necessary," Stacey said. "We roll with it as we go along. We'd love to see other teams participate and it will be good to grow the sport in Sunraysia."