With the inaugural Barclay Cup in the books, the Vic Dingoes and Hornets have come away with greater confidence in their game and awesome memories of their time on and off the field.
The new national tournament for youth girls aged 13-16 is named in honour of Jacinda Barclay, a beloved Australian athlete and dedicated baseballer who sadly passed away in 2020. Held at Surfers Paradise Baseball Club on the Gold Coast from 25 September to 1 October, the event featured nine teams from across the country.
The Dingoes and Hornets made the most of this opportunity to play on an all-girls team and meet players from other states. They had the support of dedicated coaching staff, including Australian Emerald/Victoria Aces players Abbey McLellan and Morgan Doty, Alan Sutherland, Sophia Stensholt, and Chris Nunn.
Together with Samantha Hamilton, head coach of the Victoria Aces and Women’s State Team, the coaches worked hard to prepare players for the tournament. This collective effort showed throughout the week as the girls gave every game their all while having fun and embracing every aspect of their beloved sport.
"The skill and passion shown by the girls from every state was incredible," Vic Dingoes Assistant Coach Abbey McLellan said. "Even though this was a friendship tournament, the girls were making tough plays, running the bases and sliding hard and swinging the bat aggressively. My personal highlight was coaching 3B in our last game win, waving as all the girls ran past me to score."
Even when a few games didn't go their way, the Dingoes and Hornets were encouraged to focus on the positives, paying tribute to Barclay's determined spirit and friendly, fun-loving personality. The tournament featured the Barky's Team Spirit Award, with nominations based on support for teammates, comraderie with other teams, and being an all-around team player.
"The amount of nominations for the two individual awards are testament to the players for really representing Jacinda well," McLellan added. "We spoke to our girls a couple of different times about Jacinda and what made her the person she was. I know for a fact the other states also really made sure to share and focus on the key attributes of her wonderful personality."
For McLellan, this marked her second recent coaching experience with the junior girls after helping with the BV Allstars all-girls teams at the 2022 U14 State Winter Championships in Bendigo. Having coached senior mens and women's teams in the past, she found the Barclay Cup to be an awesome coaching experience with valuable learning moments.
"For the coaches, and me personally, my biggest lesson or realisation was to make sure I'm always encouraging both sides of a player. The fierce competitor and the compassionate, respectful teammate - the true essence of Jacinda," McLellan explained.
"This group of girls were just so eager to learn, they were constantly firing questions at us, sometimes more advanced than I was expecting! They asked for feedback and tips every chance they got. I think all the games were played and coached in a great spirit. Working with our coaching team, both Dingoes and Hornets, was great fun."
Not only did the girls get to further develop their playing skills, but they also learned about being prepared for gameday and staying healthy.
"For the girls, I think it was a great eye opener to the physical and mental requirements of tournament baseball," McLellan said. "We harped on about strength and conditioning and arm care in the leadup to the tournament, but I don't think the girls really understood why until day 5-6!"
McLellan is confident the girls have a bright future ahead, whether it be on the Victorian Women's State Team or with the Australian Emeralds.
"I'm really excited to play with and against as many of these girls as I can. Some honestly look ready to go next year and many more have the potential once they grow and get stronger."
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