Zoe Allen has had a big year with baseball. Even though she only started playing in October of last year, the fifteen-year-old has made amazing progress in less than twelve months.
Zoe is a perfect example of what young athletes can accomplish when given the opportunity to grow and develop in a spot they love. Since joining Preston Baseball Club last summer season, she’s quickly taken to her beloved 3rd base position, and she even scored a spot on the 2019 Victorian Youth Women’s Team. Despite a slow start the squad pulled off a fabulous comeback, taking home the bronze medal and making the Victorian baseball community very proud.
With the encouragement of those around her, including coaches and players, Zoe has adjusted well to her new sport and she’s been able to make the most of the experience. This includes the terrific group of girls she played with at the Australian Youth Women’s Championships. After finding out about try-outs from a baseball friend, Zoe went through the process something she’ll now be forever thankful for.
When she learned she was selected to her inaugural Victorian representative team, she was thrilled about the chance to train and travel to Canberra to compete alongside her dedicated teammates. After twice-a-week training for several months leading up to the Championships, Zoe and her team arrived in Canberra in mid-April to take on the tournament.
With nine intense and highly competitive games, the squad had a lot to focus on, but Zoe says it was a fantastic experience. “The whole team stayed together in a hotel, which was great for morale. Throughout the tournament everyone got to know each other more and we also got to make friends with players from other teams.”
Coming away with the bronze medals was a great feeling for Zoe and the girls, especially after they were down 0-6 against WA in their final game and they came back to win 7-6 for a thrilling finish. This hard-earned result was a testament to their consistent team efforts. “Winning bronze showed the team how all of our hard work paid off,” Zoe said. “Playing really well against all the teams was a great achievement, and coming home to score the winning run was for sure one of my favourite moments.”
Zoe focused her training on groundballs, and she succeeded thanks to the support of her coaches, surprising herself by making minimal errors and hitting a couple of doubles. “When playing I struggled a lot with nerves and thankfully after getting myself to ask for help, my coaches helped me out straight away and helped me play better in following games.”
After such a wonderful yet whirlwind year with her blossoming baseball career, Zoe is wrapping up the winter season at Greensborough Baseball Club and looking ahead to her promising future in sport, including more representative opportunities on state teams as she wants to try out again. “Playing for Vic really helped me realise the pathways for women’s baseball. It was great to meet some more senior players and hear about their journeys,” Zoe said. “I hope to make it to the Women’s Blue team in the future. I just want to aim to put in the effort and try and perform the best I can.”
With fantastic role models in the Victorian baseball community, anything is possible for Zoe and her fellow female athletes who have big aspirations. “I look up to all my coaches and the older Vic Women’s players. At the championships, they were really inspiring and showed how organised and well-trained they were,” Zoe said. “I’m inspired by all my baseball coaches but especially the women. The top players don’t get to play the sport for a living and obviously are playing for the love of it. Seeing their hard work and effort really inspires me to keep pushing and trying to be the best player I can be.”
When she’s not playing baseball, Zoe enjoys school, listening to music, playing tennis and spending time with her family who is so proud of her. “It was just nice to see her so happy, playing a great team sport with new friends and very supportive coaches,” dad Ash said. “We thought the whole championships were very well run and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience for Zoe. We just hope she keeps playing a sport that she loves while increasing her confidence to the best of her abilities.”