Some of our brightest young baseball players have set sail for a brand-new adventure as they start college careers in the United States. These are incredible opportunities for our ambitious athletes to further pursue their passion for baseball and make amazing memories in America – chances that don’t come around too often in other sports. Baseball Victoria would like to highlight and congratulate our Victorian players, including ten state team members, who are starting school overseas. We wish all of them the best of luck and we invite you to learn more about these standout student athletes below.
George Polley Congratulations to catcher George Polley, who will head to Pierce College in Lakewood, Washington at the start of September. He will be competing in the Northwest Athletic Conference, where he will continue to pursue the sport he's been playing since he was just six years old. In fact, even as a toddler George took a liking to baseball, as when he first laid eyes on a nearby field and saw what local players were up to, he told his mother he would be playing, too. True to his word, George threw himself into baseball, which he quickly realized was more than just a pastime, but a passion.
Even at a young age, George displayed undeniably impressive arm strength that had his teachers ducking during gym class. He was always hitting a ball, whether it was with a tennis racket, a cricket bat or a baseball bat, and it wasn't long before he was showing up his older sister on the diamond. George went on to great success in his junior career, heading to Myrtle Beach for playing opportunities, as well as participating in tours with the Kookaburras and Cal Ripken Tournaments. At some point in time, he's played with many of his peers that are heading off to college, and he enjoys meeting old friends on the field.
Although George has tried cricket and several other sports, his heart belongs to baseball. From catching a foul ball at an L.A. Angels Game to moving to the US for college, baseball has given him so many great memories. As long as he’s out there on the field, he’s happy. George has made the most of many opportunities to play with his peers and improve his strength and coordination.
Although George has tried cricket and several other sports, his heart belongs to baseball. From catching a foul ball at an L.A. Angels Game to moving to the US for college, baseball has given him so many great memories. As long as he’s out there on the field, he’s happy. George has made the most of many opportunities to play with his peers and improve his strength and coordination.
He’s played for several clubs, from Guild and Lara to Werribee and Geelong. Currently, he’s playing for East Belmont Saints, and he sent a grand slam over the fence in his second-last game in Australia before leaving for America.
Good luck, George!
Hamish Foreman
Off to College! Victorian State Player Hamish Foreman has earned a spot on the Williston State College Baseball Team in North Dakota. Hamish, who played second base for the Preston Pirates 1sts this past summer as they won the VSBL Division 2 premiership, is one of 4 Australians starting at the school this year.
We wish Hamish all the best and are looking forward to hearing about his accomplishments over in America as he continues his baseball career!
Luke Cartwright
College-bound Catcher! Congratulations to Luke Cartwright on starting college in the U.S. Luke is enrolled at Indian Hills Community College in Centerville, Iowa in a 2-year college, Division 1 program. The catcher and outfielder took up baseball through Syndal South Primary School’s T-ball and softball teams. Since then, he’s made the most of his playing opportunities, stepping up to the plate for Ringwood Saints in Melbourne Winter Baseball – A Grade and the Blackburn Orioles in the Victorian Summer Baseball League – Division 1. He’s also played for Forest Hill in winter. Luke represented Victoria Blue in the national championships from 2013 to 2017, and he was also part of the Victoria Schoolboys last year. Good luck Luke! We can’t wait to hear about the next step in his baseball career.
Aussie in Iowa! Congratulations to Samuel Reale, a passionate baseball and softball player who started a new chapter at Iowa Wesleyan University last week after receiving a scholarship. He’s played for Werribee Giants and Geelong, and he received the Don Deeble Rising Star Award in March 2017. He also represented Victoria in the all-tournament team at the under-19 National Softball Championships. The center fielder is studying criminal justice and playing college ball for the Tigers NCAA Division III Baseball team. We wish him all the best and can’t wait to see what he can accomplish in America. Good luck Sam!
Kyle Morrison
Congratulations to Kyle Morrison on taking the next step in his baseball career overseas! The Victorian State player and right-handed pitcher from Newport Rams Baseball Club has received a full scholarship to Daytona State College, a junior college in sunny Daytona Beach, FL. While suiting up for the JCNCAA Division 1 Falcons, Kyle hopes to earn his Arts Diploma before moving on to a 4-year-college to earn his Bachelors Degree in Physiotherapy. He has his sights set on playing professionally one day.
Good luck Kyle! We're looking forward to hearing about his pitching progress at college and beyond!
Rhys De Highden
College Chapter Opens for Catcher! Baseball Victoria would like to congratulate Rhys De Highden on the exciting next chapter in his baseball career. He has signed with Pierce College in Lakewood, Washington where he will play for the Raiders alongside fellow Victorians Blake Hodgson and George Polley.
Rhys kicked off his baseball journey at age 11 with Melbourne Baseball Club and never looked back. With the support of some amazing coaches, both at the club and representative levels, Rhys flourished in his junior years and set his sights on the national, and eventually international, stage. Rhys benefitted from the BV Development Pathway, taking part in the Aces Baseball Academy from 2015 to 2017, the same years he was selected as a member of the Victorian state team. He was part of the Victorian Schoolboys team in 2016 and 2017, and he was named in the All Australian Team for the 2017 School Sport Australia Baseball Championships, where he took home a batting award. He also attended the MLB Australian Academy on the Gold Coast last year.
In addition to all these opportunities on representative teams, Rhys also played for Melbourne in Division 1 of the Victorian Summer Baseball League for the past three years. Last summer, he also stepped up to coach his first junior baseball team at Melbourne, an experience he absolutely loved.
Rhys has previously played for North Balwyn Baseball Club, and this winter he took to the field for Greenhills Montmorency Baseball Club in A-Grade as a catcher and outfielder. He recently participated in an 11-week summer ball program from May through July, which saw him play 41 games for the U18 Crimson Cannons team near Seattle, Washington with other Victorians Cooper Goodman and Blake Hodgson. This fantastic experience helped him and other aspiring professional players prepare for the next step: college ball.
Rhys will be studying kinesiology and exercise and plans to spend 2 years at Pierce before transferring to a 4-year-school to complete his education and collegiate career. He also hopes to earn a Master of Physiotherapy one day.
It sounds like Rhys has a bright future ahead of him, and we wish him all the best as he continues to follow his dreams. Good luck Rhys!
Blake Hodgson
Victorian State Player Blake Hodgson is off to America! He’s accepted a spot on the Pierce College Raiders Baseball team outside of Seattle, Washington.
Blake has played for Blackburn in the Victorian Summer Baseball League and Ringwood in the Melbourne Winter Baseball League. His exposure to representative baseball led him to take part in an 11-week Summer Ball program with the U18 Crimson Cannons over the winter alongside fellow Vic players Rhys De Highden and Cooper Goodman. He will look to continue his successful pitching career at the collegiate level alongside several familiar faces from Victorian baseball.
We wish Blake all the best in his collegiate baseball endeavors and we look forward to seeing what he can accomplish!
Good luck Blake!
Tim Lane is taking the next step in his baseball career! He’s one of only 3 left-handed pitchers on the roster for the Indian Hills Community College Falcons baseball team in Centerville, Iowa. He’s rooming with fellow Victorian representative Luke Cartwright as they take their baseball skills to the next level in the U.S. Tim has spent his junior years playing in the Victorian Summer Baseball League with the Sandringham Royals, while in the winter he played for Dingley Baseball Club in the Dandenong Baseball Association. He’s benefitted from many opportunities to play on a representative level, including earning a spot on the Victorian schoolboys team. This won’t be his first time playing ball in America, as he was part of the Southern Mariners senior league team that won championships in Victoria, Australia and South East Asia before finishing as runners-up in the 2016 Senior League World Series in Bangor, Maine.
We have a good feeling about Tim’s future in baseball and beyond. Congrats Tim and best of luck to you!
Jack Dunn
Outfielder Takes on Texas! Congratulations to Jack Dunn on the next step in his baseball career: a spot on Galveston College’s NJCAA Division 1 team. Jack has enjoyed a successful junior baseball career in Victoria, which all began when he was 8 years old and joined Cheltenham’s T-Ball program. He’s remained with the Rustlers in the VSBL competition ever since. He’s also played winter baseball with Dingley, and spent his last 3 seasons at North Balwyn. In addition to club ball, Jack has represented Victoria at the state level from the age of 14. He was selected to represent Australia in the 15U World Cup in Mexico, as well as with the Southern Mariners at the World Series in Bangor, Maine. Jack and his family are thankful to everyone who has supported him along the way, especially Neil Burke for all his coaching.
We wish Jack the best of luck as he pursues his baseball dreams!
Brayden McTigue
Congratulations to Brayden McTigue on his move to college in the US! The North Coburg Rebels player is now at Scotland Campus Sports in Pennsylvania, where he plans on studying Paramedicine and Paediatric Nursing while improving his skills and learning more about the game he loves so much. He and his family are very thankful for the Rebels who have guided him throughout his baseball journey.
Good luck Brayden! We wish you all the best in the US!
Grant Svikulus
Congratulations to Grant Svikulus on starting his college career in the US! Grant is attending Williston State College in North Dakota, where he hopes to follow his lifelong dream and continue progressing in his baseball career. Grant first discovered his passion for baseball at the age of 9 when he started playing with Greenhills Montmorency. Since then, Grant has participated in both the winter and summer seasons and has represented Victoria as part of the U18 State Team. He has also been to America with the Kookaburras and toured with Steve Fish, who mentored Grant and invited him to play in tournaments with the Perth Heat Colts over the past two Christmas breaks.
Grant joins fellow Victorian Hamish Foreman on the Williston Tetons roster, where they will continue to develop and improve their skills. Best of luck to Grant as he makes the most of his time at college! We can't wait to see what he accomplishes in his bright future!