2016/17 ANNUAL REPORT · 2019-08-09 · 2016/17 LEAGUE AWARDS Junior Awards 33 - Senior Awards 34 -...

2016/17 ANNUAL REPORT

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE INC.

TABLE OF

CONTENTS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS & STAFF

President 7- Chief Executive Officer 9 - Finance 13 - Marketing 23 - Affiliations 24 - Operations 25 - Youth 26 - Performance 29

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Audited Financial Statements 14

2016/17 LEAGUE AWARDS

Junior Awards 33 - Senior Awards 34 - 2016/17 CAPPS Medalist 36 -

Team Of The Year 35 - Player Milestones 37

ASSOCIATIONS

Winterball 38 - Heritage Committee 39 - Umpires 42 - Scorer’s Association 45

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

Schoolboys 46 - Bite Baseball Academy 47 - Women’s Baseball League 48

STATE TEAMS

Under 16s 49- Under 18s 40 - Women 51

CHARTER TEAMS

Little League 53 - Marlins, Rays, Seahawks Junior League 56 - Waves, Pirates Senior League 58 - Armada, Titans

2016/17 DiViSON 1 GRAND FiNAL

Division 1 Grand Final Report & Results 61

2017/16 DiViSiON RESULTS

Division tables - Grand Final Results 63

AFFILIATIONS: CORPORATE PARTNERS:

SPONSORS:

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Elected Mark Snelgrove President 2015Mark Brougham Operations 2015Karen Phillips Marketing 2016Annette Fidge Finance 2015Lawrie Moore Player & Coach Development 2015Kyle Smith Youth 2016Tony Catt Affiliations 2016

BASEBALL SA STAFFNathan Davison Chief Executive OfficerMatthew Williams Player Pathway & Development ManagerLaura Bond Administration & EventsLandon Hernandez State Director of CoachingBianca Smith Competitions & Member CoordinatorAndrew Scott Operations ManagerEric Balnar Adelaide Bite Commercial Manager

PATRONTerry Evans

VICE PATRONSDr Roger Capps Howard Norman Shayne Bennett

HERiTAGE COMMiTTEEAlan Waldron, AM (Chair) Robert Laidlaw Ron ChandlerGordon Penhall Phil Burgess Doug White

1922 Geo Chapman* 1994 - 95 Bert Haynes* 1922 Claude Ewers* 1995 - 96 Gordon Penhall1922 Frank Ewers* 1995 - 96 Alan Waldron AM1922 Rue Ewers* 1996 - 97 Peter Dixon1926 Syd Smith* 1998 - 99 Hugh Franke*1930 Norrie Claxton* 1999 - 00 Ron Chandler1932 Wally Buchanan* 1999 - 00 Lionel ‘Nobby’ Clark*1937 Len C Poole* 2001 - 01 Kevin Jennings1938 Perce Doolan* 2001 - 01 Peter Kemp1938 Paddy Ohlstrom* 2001 - 02 Paul Begg 1938 Bill Wiles* 2002 - 03 Peter Fischer1944 Charles Catt* 2003 - 04 Bob Abbey1948 Alby Bartless* 2003 - 04 Arthur MacDonald1949 Ron Sharpe* 2004 - 05 Greg Bradshaw 1950 Fred Mann* 2004 - 05 Ron Harvey AM1951 Martin Kriewaldt* 2005 - 06 Brian Addison1956 Ron Scott* 2005 - 06 Jim Wilton*1958 Henley Jones* 2006 - 07 David Mundy1959 Andy Buchanan* 2007 - 08 David Hutton1960 Byron Ascione* 2008 - 09 Norm ‘Chalky’ White1961 Laurie LeCornu* 2009 - 10 Bob Neiswander1963 Bill Stephens* 2010 - 11 Brian Cakebread1965 Alan Branstrom* 2010 - 11 Ken Kobayashi1966 Claude Thorpe* 2011 - 12 Kevin Greatrex1967 Bill Moody* 2012 - 13 No one Elected1969 - 70 Roy Page* 2013 - 14 Phil Alexander1970 - 71 Stan Scarman* 2014 - 15 Robert Laidlaw1971 - 72 Bob Finn* 2014 - 15 Barry O’Brien1972 - 73 Max Stone* 2015 - 16 Lorraine Dunn 1973 - 74 Max Galloway* 2015 - 16 Warwick Marks 1974 - 75 Kingsley Wellington 2016 - 17 Phil Burgess1975 - 76 Jim Garrick* 2017 - 18 John Ryan*1976 - 77 Lou Bressler* 1978 - 79 Arthur Rathbone* * Deceased1979 - 80 Don Klaebe*1980 - 81 Gordon Ross*1981 - 82 Brian Brooks*1982 - 83 Tom Rice*1983 - 84 Claude Pearce* 1984 - 85 Harry Hunt*1985 - 86 Warren Charles1986 - 87 Colin Rowe*1987 - 88 Ms Pat Beatty*1988 - 89 Ray Thorne*1989 - 90 Ken Wesslink*1990 - 91 Dave Roberts1991 - 92 Don Rice*1992 - 93 Ron Wright1992 - 93 Max Puckett*1993 - 94 Ron Morgan*

LIFE MEMBERS

YEAR WINNER CLUB

1936 Charlie Puckett* Prospect 1983 - 84 Greg Elkson Glenelg1937 Clem Scott* Goodwood 1984 - 85 Jeff Fiechtner Kensington1938 Geff Noblet * Glenelg 1985 - 86 Jeff Fiechtner Kensington1939 Phil Brideoake* West Torrens 1986 - 87 Tony Harris Woodville1940 Fred Catt* East Torrens 1987 - 88 Greg Elkson Goodwood1941 Garth Burton* Kensington 1987 - 88 Brian Farley Central Districts 1988 - 89 Brian Farley Central Districts1942 - 1945 (War Years) 1988 - 89 Barry Lunnon Sturt 1989 - 90 Greg Elkson Goodwood1946 Jim Puckett* Prospect 1990 - 91 Brian Cakebread Port Adelaide1947 Phil Brideoake* West Torrens 1991 - 92 Barry Lunnon Sturt1948 Phil Brideoake* West Torrens 1992 - 93 Barry Lunnon Sturt1949 Ian Leahy* Prospect 1993 - 94 Phil Burgess West Torrens1950 Barry Wiles* Adelaide 1994 - 95 Russell Dart Henley & Grange1951 Bill Fuller University 1995 - 96 Ian Reval Glenelg1952 Doug Othams University 1996 - 97 Mark Born Port Adelaide1953 Colin Watts Glenelg 1997 - 98 Scott Marshall Port Adelaide1954 Des Vaughton* West Torrens 1998 - 99 Scott Marshall Port Adelaide1955 Phil Brideoake* Glenelg 1999 - 00 Craig Watts Sturt1956 Doug Othams University 2000 - 01 John Challinor Goodwood1957 Peter Box* Goodwood 2001 - 02 Ryan Simunsen Adelaide1958 Peter Box* Goodwood 2002 - 03 Darren Fidge Goodwood1959 Jim Tamlin University 2003 - 04 Darren Fidge Goodwood1960 Jim Cocks* Sturt 2004 - 05 John Challinor Goodwood1961 Don Rice* Glenelg 2005 - 06 Darren Fidge Goodwood1962 Don Rice* Glenelg 2006 - 07 Andrew Scott West Torrens1963 Don Rice* Glenelg 2007 - 08 Michael Ewart Kensington1964 Ian Glover Kensington 2008 - 09 Tyler Levin East Torrens1965 Neil Davey Port Adelaide 2009 - 10 Daniel Wilson Glenelg1966 Kevin Greatrex Port Adelaide 2010 - 11 Todd Langman Port Adelaide1967 Don Rice* Glenelg 2011 - 12 Nick Talbot Kensington1968 Don Rice* Glenelg 2012 - 13 Nick Talbot Kensington1968 David Hutton Sturt 2013 - 14 Andrew Davis Port Adelaide1968 - 69 Ron Chandler Adelaide 2014 - 15 Nick Talbot Kensington1969 - 70 David McLoud Goodwood 2015 - 16 Wes Roemer Glenelg1970 - 71 Kevin Greatrex Port Adelaide 2016 - 17 Dylan Brammer Port Adelaide1971 - 72 David Mundy Port Adelaide 1972 - 73 Kevin Greatrex Port Adelaide * Deceased1973 - 74 Neil Page Goodwood1973 - 74 Les Behrendt Woodville1974 - 75 Colin Alexander Glenelg1975 - 76 Kevin Greatrex Port Adelaide1976 - 77 Don Masters Northern Districts1977 - 78 Mark Peters Woodville1978 - 79 Greg Elkson Glenelg1979 - 80 John Galloway Woodville1980 - 81 Gary Challen* Henley & Grange1981 - 82 Phil Alexander Glenelg1982 - 83 Greg Elkson Glenelg

CAPPS MEDALiSTS1936 - 2017

BASEBALL SA

PRESIDENT

Our game has the unique ability to touch so many people in varying facets, it brings individuals together to play side by side, who have never met. it expands our social network, it provides an opportunity to develop, and it unites us when we lose a baseball family member.

This season we welcomed new participants and their families to our game, we welcomed back athletes returning from college, we acknowledge athletes who were embarking on their college journey and wished them every success. We offered pathways for some our young talented youth to participate in the ABL. We also provided opportunities for coaches to teach, mentor and manage our youth, some tasting success, others building and acquiring knowledge.

Our game has provided so many with so much, and yet none of this is afforded without a devoted group of individuals that sacrifice, dedicate, and love the game and their Club. Clubs have the ability to foster passion, development and success.

We have been touched by some unique individuals that left us this season, singling one in particular, Jim Wilton. A BSA life member, he held many positions on the BSA Board and was largely a person who brought great value to our organisation, of which we are sincerely thankful.

Our youth have been allowed to participate, develop and grow as we create many opportunities for them to compete, train and strengthen through various programs. We have extended their chances to play the game on multiple platforms, whether these be in Little League charter teams, State teams or the Bite Academy. i would like to acknowledge our high-performance programs, overseen by Landon Hernandez, which have been structured with disciplines in growing athlete’s skill and knowledge.

i am buoyed by the growth of the BSA women’s league and the programs which have extended the reach of baseball in SA beyond male domination. With the support of the Office of Recreation and Sport, BSA have been able to develop, structure and grow a women’s league with some very committed and passionate individuals.

in February, we welcomed the new Baseball Australia CEO, Cam Vale who replaced the outgoing Brett Pickett. For over 15 years Brett oversaw the developed and infrastructure on a National level. i would like to thank him for his vision and support. i look forward to working with Cam on building the continuance of the game in all facets.

i am pleased to report an operating surplus of $56,184 compared to a 2015/2016 deficit of $120,654 which is a $176,838 turn around, a combination of hard work and lean operation by our Board, CEO and staff.

With the support of the Club’s President’s, BSA adopted to fully integrate the Adelaide Bite and BSA. Due to Major League Baseball’s decision to divest in the Australian Baseball League and support the game of baseball in Australia in other substantive ways, BSA, Baseball Australia and the Adelaide Bite were able to leverage the newly forged relationships to ensure the continuation of the Australian Baseball League and the Adelaide Bite for the 2016/2017 season.

The Board appointed Shayne Bennett to represent BSA on the newly created ABL Strategic Advisory Committee, established to work on reviewing the strategic business model. The committee was also tasked to review the operational model of the ABL and its long term sustainably.

7 South Australian Baseball League inc.

i would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and congratulate BSA 2016/17 Life Member inductee John Ryan for his service to Baseball SA. Unfortunately, John left us shortly after receiving his induction due to ill health.

On field, we hosted the National Junior League at our BSA headquarters at West Beach. All teams were housed at Adelaide Shores, the event was well run and received high praise from players, spectators and BA officials. Our location, supporting infrastructure and immaculate diamonds makes our home one of the best facilities in Australia. Our Little League, Junior League and Senior League Teams all competed fiercely with particular acknowledgement to Zac Stokes who coached the Armada team who won at Lismore and have earned the right to represent Australia at the upcoming World Series in South Carolina.

We are proud of and congratulate our athletes, coaches and support staff who were selected in Australian teams.

i would like to acknowledge and thank our ever-devoted volunteers, scorers, and umpires, whom without these special individuals our game cannot exist. i would also like to acknowledge and thank the BSA Board for their dedication and contribution to ensuring we are continuing to deliver as an organisation. Without doubt, we are fortunate to have one of the games hardest working CEO’s, whose continuous drive and determination for success is infectious. i would like to thank Nathan and his staff for the ongoing determination to be successful on every level. Congratulations to all premiership winning teams, individual award winners, milestone achievements and inductees. i would like to acknowledge the West Torrens Baseball Club, division 1 premiers, 10 years since they last tasted success.

Finally, i look forward to delivering and implementing the new BSA Strategic plan, which will allow us to continue to strive for success, deliver a service to our members, and provide pathways through ongoing development to all.

On behalf of Diamond Sports SA Board members Mark Brougham and Phil Lounder, i would like to acknowledge the contribution by those who have provided exceptional service levels to BSA and SSA members. Ongoing maintenance and facility improvement have been the key focus for the DS Board and received a ORS dollar for dollar grant which has afforded us to introduce improvements, add training equipment and specialised technology to assist athlete development. The DS Board are focused on reducing operating costs and have investigated multiple ways to share networks.

DS hosted multiple national Baseball and Softball championships and welcomed the Adelaide Bite as they played their home games at the facility. Through both sports DS is working to continually seek new opportunities.

Finally, i would like to personally thank the Boards’ independent chair, Graham O’Connor who has completed his 3-year term and has decided not to renew. Grahams’ commitment to DS has been nothing short of exceptional, providing clarity, guidance and professionalism which has created organisational awareness in the SA sporting landscape. i wish him well in his retirement.

MARK SNELGROVEPresident


BASEBALL SA

CEO

Our vision: “Baseball to be the sport of choice for all”

The development and delivery of a new Strategic Plan was a major focus of Baseball SA and board activity in 2016-17. While that Plan has not been signed off as at 30 June 2016, this report uses the themes of the Plan – which were developed after significant and invaluable engagement with our staff and club partners – to highlight how the Plan will stimulate and target our efforts in the year ahead.

The vision, as provided above, captures the motivational requirements and direction for our work on a daily basis and flows across the six pillars we have chosen to guide us along the road to achieving that vision.

Competition and EventsThe ongoing expansion of the Women’s Baseball League, a successful Australian Junior League Championship, and a Division 1 Grand Final Series for the ageshighlighted the advances made in the area of competitions and events.

Couple this with the move to a new facility for the Bite, a field that is our own and the ongoing infrastructure upgrades that have come with that.

Expansion and growth are words that are now becoming part of our every day vernacular and they will continue with moves into Asia along with our relationship with MLB teams such as the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners.

Participation and DevelopmentOur numbers continue to grow. This growth comes from more females playing our game, more tee-ballers that lead into Charter baseball, more active members on our database, and renewed interest in schools programs such as the Sporting Schools initiative.

Our officials and off-field numbers continue to show steady progress with more registered umpires and an increase in the number of scorers completing their accreditation requirements.

This year we will work towards a Masters Competition, continued expansion of the WBL, including the introduction of a youth component, increased club participation in our Under 9 competition and more school holiday camps and clinics.

Elite PerformanceFor the first time in many years we watched as two of our young stars signed professional contracts with MLB affiliated clubs during 2016-17. Congratulations go to Jordan McArdle and Jack O’Loughlin and the best wishes of the South Australian baseball community go with you on your path towards the big leagues. This is, for so many baseballers, ‘the dream’, and to provide a platform from which this state’s young players can attempt to pursue that dream is one of our highest priorities. However, we are increasingly viewing college pathways as more feasible, and often more rewarding, options for young players testing their abilities in the US. As such, it is pleasing that five young men will try their way through the American college system this year, and we also wish them every success.


Our Senior League Charter team, the Armada, became the first South Australian team to qualify for the World Series in its age group and will compete on the world stage at the 2017 Senior League World Series in Easley, South Carolina in late July 2017.

The Bite continues to be competitive in the Australian Baseball League (ABL). Having a team play at this level provides the aspirational requirement for all young players of our sport looking to be able to play in a professional team and environment, and to earn and enjoy the benefits a professional sport provides.

For the first time in as long as anyone can remember both our Under 16 and Under 18 State teams qualified for the final rounds in the National Championships. This level of achievement has now progressed from being the exception to the rule as we move forward and re-set our goals to focus on regular success at this level.

Governance and Leadership Baseball SA’s financial statements demonstrate a much-improved surplus when compared against 2015-16 results. Further details are contained within the financial report.

Our relationship with Softball SA through Diamond Sports continues to improve and stands us in good stead with the Office for Recreation and Sport (ORS), Diamonds Sports SA having received a further round of CRFSP funding to be acquitted by June 2018.

Our diversification on offerings to current and potential partners in particular, in line with our marketing arm associated with the ABL and our team, the Bite, has enabled us to sign a further three-year association with SA Power Networks, now the longest standing partner of a team in the ABL.

inclusion and a transparency of interactions according to the feedback provided by many of our key stakeholders, primarily through Club Presidents, will remain a key focus for all staff. An ongoing by-law review process remains ever-present to satisfy our key partners, the member clubs.

Our determination to meet and exceed the service levels expected of a state sporting organisation in a competitive market is a continued action item on any meeting agenda, and was a major reason that the Board sought the assistance of the ORS in late 2016 to explore how it could improve its systems and processes. The outcomes will generate more effective and efficient leadership in the months and years to come.

Communication and Profile Baseball is about people, and the culture and attitude that we present and deliver to our sport.

Baseball SA’s attention has more than ever focused on creating and preserving a culture that is inclusive and provides open communication.

Baseball has a global footprint that has very few equals, providing local impetus to punch above our weight category and create a profile that attracts and retains people within our sport. With digital media and communications becoming so prevalent, BSA will move with that changing landscape and use appropriate media to get our message to our target audiences in business, government, the media and the community.

Highlighting again the inclusive nature of our culture is the amazing efforts of our very valued volunteers. Without them we would not function at any level - the ABL, in our state teams and charters, or our clubs.

Thank you all again for your tireless efforts.


FacilitiesThere is no doubt a major focus has been on the continued upgrades to the home of baseball at West Beach, Bennett Field.The ORS provided further assistance for specific facility-related improvements, including the installation of video analysis equipment in the indoor training center and protective equipment both inside and outside on the field of play. This year, the ABL came to Bennett Field, and there were glowing reports from all who were fortunate enough to set foot on it.

A big thank you must go to Adelaide Shores for its investment and care in maintaining the field, along with the staff, board members and volunteers who pitched in when required.

Much has been done and much remains.

The opportunity for baseball to cement itself as part of Australian sporting landscape remains at the forefront of all activity. As always, i thank everyone within the baseball community for your immeasurable efforts in helping us achieve the objectives that ultimately benefit us all.

Yours in Baseball

NATHAN DAViSONChief Executive Officer

2016/17 ADELAiDE BiTE AWARDS:

The Bob Finn Memorial Award MVP - Mitch Dening

Bite Pitching Award - Jack O’Loughlin

Bite Hitting Award - Mitch Dening


COACHiNG STAFFSteve Mintz (USA) – ManagerChris AdamsonMichael DunnPaul GreenDarren FidgeRobert Ushy (CAN)Mark ChandlerJeff Kevan

CATCHERSJackson Brebner-RussAlex Carter (USA)Marcus Greene Jnr (USA)Bas Nooji (Netherlands)Connar O’Gorman

INFIELDJoshua Altman (USA)Jordan Cowan (USA)Mitch LightbodyTom McGarryKentaro Ueda Nathan Van Der LindenStefan WelchJordan McArdle

OUTFiELDMax Brown (NZ)LeDarious Clark (USA)Mitchell DeningKy HamptonKarl HoschkeAngus Roeger

PiTCHERSMatthew WilliamsLoek Van Mil (Netherlands)James SnelgroveArik Sikula (USA)Nathaniel Roe (USA)Jack O’LoughlinGreg MoselMax MacNabb (USA)Hei Chun Lee (South Korea)Nick HutchingsChristopher HorneTaylor Hawkins (USA)Zach Cooper (USA)Tyler ChappellSteven ChambersSean Callegari (CAN)Devon Barker (USA)

2016/17ADELAIDE BITE


FINANCE

DIRECTOR

BSA had a solid year financially making a net surplus of $56,184, following a loss of $120,654 in 2016

Our net profit of $56,184 for the year ending 30 April 2017 against a break-even budget is reflective of the level of expenditure that was unbudgeted in relation to depreciation, office expenses and the Diamond Sports Upgrade.

This year saw BSA take over the operations of the Adelaide Bite, following the disbursement of the league back to the participating states. Overall, BSA generated $172,000 of revenue, which included $153,000 financial contribution from the ABL to cover $193,440 expenditure, which also included $43,000 of costs for the MLB and stadium rent of $15,000.

Total income of $1,147,174 was in line with budget, slightly higher than prior years due to additional grants in relation to the new Women’s Baseball league and levies from additional number of youth teams compared to 2016. Also, the inclusion of the Adelaide Bite in the BSA financials increased revenue by $172,000

Both of these lines of additional incomes are directly offset with related expenditure for each of these programs, Youth expenses were $70,000 lower than the prior year, bringing a surplus in FY17. A loan from Baseball Australia to support the continued upgrade of Diamond Sports SA and additional revenue generated by Adelaide Bite playing at a West Beach have contributed to this turnaround.

Total expenditure of $1,090,990, compared to the prior year of $980,440 has increased due to the inclusion of the Adelaide Bite expenses and additional charges of depreciation, leasing, office charges and payroll in relation to the Diamond Sport Facility. As noted above, additional expenditure was incurred compared to the Women’s League, which had additional grant and levy income to offset the additional expenditure in 2017.

Our cash position on 30 April 2017 is up by $160,000 from the prior financial year, mainly contributed to the additional income derived from Adelaide Bite games at West Beach and the timing of the Baseball Australia loan being used towards the project upgrades at West Beach.

ANNETTE FiDGE Finance Director










With two seasons at West Beach behind us, Baseball SA and everyone involved in our game is better placed to explore the vast opportunities the new ballpark presents for competitions at every level.

From a marketing and business development perspective, the Diamond Sports arena is invaluable. For the first time, we have a platform from which we can – with our partners in Diamond Sports, Adelaide Shores and, perhaps most importantly, at Softball SA – sell our sport and its benefits to local, state and national audiences. With the much-appreciated backing of the State Government we now have premises with the capacity to open doors to new commercial relationships that can and must support our business growth efforts.

The potential advantages of our new home continue to be considered and investigated. However, it is clear that baseball administrators and potential sponsors are enthusiastic about the possibilities. Baseball SA management is working hard to ensure we are aware of new and emerging targets – at home and abroad – that may be interested in capitalising on the availability of Diamond Sports, its facilities and its proximity to the Adelaide CBD, the airport, and appropriate accommodation.

However, as is the case with sports around the world, our elite teams are our most potent form of advertising. in South Australia, the Adelaide Bite is a key marketing tool in attracting the attention of media, existing and future players, and the parents who so often are responsible for young people’s decisions to choose a baseball bat over a cricket bat or racquet – and to encourage their ongoing allegiance despite the lures of friends, electronic gadgets or the beach. Again, the Adelaide Bite provided outstanding entertainment, and we look forward to witnessing the impact on public awareness and our financial statements of ultimate success in the Australian Baseball League playoffs.

in the meantime, our new Strategic Plan captures our goals and how we are working, and will work, to build participation in the months and years ahead. Feedback obtained through a member survey, the successful presidents’ meetings and specific Strategic Plan workshops were critical to the development of a plan that forms the foundation of activity across the state on which sound marketing and business development planning can be based.

Feedback from members revealed a need for more support for grass-roots development, and work is underway to research how best to foster interest in baseball, from the T-ball level up, in a landscape that presents children with so many alternatives. Our efforts in this space will seek to spark the interest of both potential players and our friends in the media whom we ask to support our marketing efforts.

The Women’s League is now two years’ old, and awareness of its benefits for female players is expanding as people in government, business and the community watch women walk with confidence through the increasing number of sporting doors now open to them. For the first time our Strategic Plan has a specific target relating to women’s participation in baseball, and we look forward to reaching, and hopefully exceeding, that target in the near future.

A key finding of the members’ survey pointed to a demand for better communication across our sport and between the Board and our partners in Baseball SA’s clubs. Addressing this demand is now a priority of the Board and with the Strategic Plan as our blueprint we will explore how communication must engender and maintain trust and open working relationships between us all.

KAREN PHiLLiPSMarketing Director

MARKETiNG

DIRECTOR


After taking this role on in the last 12 months, i was looking forward to working with the Scorers,Umpires and Country Associations to help improve their respective groups.

Adopting an ‘understand before being understood’ approach this year, i have listened and watched how the different groups work and what goals they want to achieve for the future.

The main outcomes of this were a focus on;

• improved communication with the SABL office• improved dialogue and visibility of issues with the SABL Board• Goal setting for each affiliation• Defined strategy for the next 12 months and longer term

There have been a number of improvements in each of these areas and some of these have been outlined in their reports within this Annual Report.

i have been excited to see the progress achieved this year and look forward to the steps forward we can make again in 2018.

TONY CATTAffiliations Director

AFFILIATIONSDIRECTOR


The 2016/17 season saw a number of changes from an operational standpoint, with the continued focus on improving the structure and operation of the league.

The Division 1 schedule stayed as a 36 game season with a reduction in games at Bennett Field. This provided more games for clubs at their home fields. Balancing the games between club grounds and showcase games at Bennett Field remains an ongoing goal of the league to increase the opportunity of playing baseball across the state.

Season 2016/17 wrapped up with one of the best 3 game Grand Final series in recent memory. Congratulations to West Torrens on their Championship but also to Port Adelaide for putting on a great display of baseball at Bennett Field. For the first time Division 2 had the opportunity to play their Grand Final at Bennett Field on Saturday, prior to the Division 1 game. West Torrens defeating Glenelg to take home the chocolates, in what would ultimately result in a dual premiership for the club. There was a real buzz around the venue throughout the day, and overall the atmosphere was outstanding.

New this season was a zero-tolerance policy towards umpires. it was adopted swiftly throughout the league, resulting in a reduction of player ejections from the previous season. This is an area which we will continue to improve, and will look to our clubs to continue promoting this message to their members. Thank you to our tribunal committee for their time and efforts when called on this season.

The league chose to combine Youth and Operations Delegates meetings last season to convey the message to multiple committee members at the same time. Additional operations meeting will be scheduled to ensure preseason scheduling and changes are communicated.

A committee has been formed to review the current SABL By-Laws and update any redundant or outdated rules. Upon completion, any changes will be implemented for the 2017-2018 Season.

Our state teams performed well at the National Youth Championship, with our U/16 finishing 4th & U/18 winning a bronze medal. it was the first time in a number of years that both teams finished in the top 4. Congratulations to all players, coaches, and volunteers of both teams.

Finally, a special mention and massive thank you Lawrie Moore for the tireless hard work he puts in to Bennett Field. Lawrie not only prepares and maintains the field surface as well performing maintenance and installation of the overall facility. Your efforts are invaluable to the league.

MARK BROUGHAM ANDREW SCOTTOperations Director Operations Manager

OPERATIONS

REPORT


The 2016-17 season saw continued growth and success both on and off the field. We have seen continued growth within all grades of our juniors and our clubs are to be commended for their continued efforts in growing the Baseball competition in South Australia.

This being my first full year on the Board of Directors has certainly opened my eyes as to the work that is involved behind the scenes, this includes game scheduling, all aspects of tournament organisation, player pathway development and the many other responsibilities in running the season that often go unnoticed. i would like to acknowledge and thank the efforts of the Baseball SA staff, particularly for the extra mile they put in.

Continuing on from previous years, the charter tournaments continue to grow and as a result we are seeing the quality of our juniors improving each year. This year we saw the Senior league Armada boys win the national tournament, which in turn, sees these aspiring young men heading off to the USA to compete against the world’s best. i would personally like to wish these young men the very best and regardless of the outcome they are already winners with a pivotal opportunity to showcase their talents to the world.

Baseball SA once again held a very successful Junior League Championship, which gives us an opportunity to showcase our wonderful facilities at West Beach and again the efforts of the ground staff make this possible and ensure the continued success of this fantastic tournament.

Congratulations to all those aspiring players that have represented charter and state teams and to those South Australian players that have signed with Major League clubs.

As we head into the upcoming season we have already started to look at and discuss with clubs future development of our sport, the issues faced in recruiting new members, retention of existing players, pathways for players not seeking to play charter and how we can make their experience heading towards seniors a smooth transition. This is obviously an ongoing project and i look forward to assisting each club where possible. With the inclusion/trial of an U9’s competition this season, we saw so much success with this concept and we are looking forward to expanding this competition in the 2017-18 season and beyond. A big thanks to the clubs that participated this season.

Having been a Junior Coordinator in the past and now that i am in the position of Youth Director i have a good understanding of the challenges clubs face in getting new players to the game of Baseball. The Baseball SA staff and myself are committed in assisting the clubs in this venture and Baseball SA has already started the pathway of getting clubs into schools, which has been a big hurdle in the past. i envisage this to be a long term project; however, we are starting to see results and i think it will continue to gain momentum as we are still learning exactly what is involved in making this happen.

Thank you to everyone for a great season.

KYLE SMiTHYouth Director

YOUTHDIRECTOR


The 2016/17 season saw an increased focus on consolidating our current programs, with a number of changes designed to retain and promote participation in junior baseball.

The Charter pathway remained stable for the first time in 3 seasons, with opportunities in Little League, Junior League and Senior League for players to be selected for representative Charter Teams.

Tee-ball

Recruitment and development programs for entry level players are the key to sustaining, as well as growing, participation in our sport. The programs run at club level provide a fun, community based aspect of our sport, with school recruitment feeding directly into the tee-ball programs. The hard work of all clubs at this level is to be commended and vital to the sustainability of our sport

Under 9

A pilot program was launched this season aimed at players who will transition to Under 11s in the upcoming years. Players that currently play tee-ball were invited to play in a modified, coach pitch competition to further develop their skills and provide an introduction to live baseball. The ability to retain tee-ball players during the transition is a high priority as viability of our local clubs is dependent on our juniors continuing to senior baseball.

Little League

Little League (U13) continues to be a significant area of the junior pathway, with 4 Charters and 3 Development Teams participating in the Little League State Championship weekend.

Tournament baseball, as well as the increased focus on training and skill development is an excellent opportunity for players to challenge themselves against the best players in the state and country.

Over 100 players and 25 coaches converged on West Beach in April, for 3 days of competition. With a game being conducted on the main diamond at the same time as Little league games, the crowd and supporters provided a fun and exciting atmosphere for the players.

The Adelaide Rays became Little League State Champions, finishing the tournament undefeated. Both the Adelaide Marlins and Adelaide Rays advanced to Nationals in Lismore and performed well in a rain affected tournament with both teams tying for 2nd in their pool.

PLAYER PATHWAY

& DEVELOPMENT


Junior League

The Junior League State Championships were held in January, with the Adelaide Waves defeating the Adelaide Pirates to become Junior League State Champions

Baseball SA hosted the 2017 Australian Junior League Championships at Diamond Sports , marking the second consecutive year. 16 teams from around the country, all who qualified through their state championships were vying for the chance to represent Australia at the Junior League World Series in Taylor, Michigan.

The tournament format changed slightly this year, as an extra day was added to remove the requirement for double headers. The weather was much more cooperative this year, with all games completed without any significant delays.

Both Adelaide Pirates & Adelaide Waves advanced to Nationals in Adelaide, finishing 8th and 9th respectively. The standard of this tournament is increasing significantly each season.

The facilities at West Beach once again received outstanding reviews from visiting teams , especially the indoor facility and the standard of the surface. The ability to house all teams at Adelaide Shores makes transport for the teams much easier than most other tournaments in the country, and is much appreciated by the teams.

Senior League

The Senior League Charter program continued for the second season , with the Senior League State Championships held April 2 & 3, two Charters (Adelaide Titans, Adelaide Armada) fighting for the title of State Champion. With only one team progressing to Nationals this season, the Adelaide Armada headed to Lismore from May 14-19.

Little League international granted automatic qualification for the Australian SL Champion, directly to the Senior League World Series for the first time.

The tournament saw the Adelaide Armada remain undefeated throughout the competition, and become the Australian respresentative at the Senior League World Cup being held in Easley, South Carolina at the end of July.

Development

The main areas of focus for the upcoming season are;

- implementing programs that increase the participants in entry level programs at clubs.

- improving conversion rate of teeballers into club baseball, specifically retaining

players that clubs have worked hard in recruiting and developing.

MATTHEW WiLLiAMS Player Pathway and Development Manager


This year has been very busy with so many teams on the go, preparing to do battle at different levels.

From the Adelaide Bite, State U16’s & U18’s, Women’s Open, Little League campaign in three levels. Again, the use of West Beach facilities has enabled all teams to prepare for each event.

BiTE ELiTE ACADEMY:

is running again with access to outside professionals. The program has engaged Strength & Conditioning, Sports Psychologist, and Sports Nutritionist instructors to work with the players.

THE BiTE ACADEMY:

The Bite Academy is growing in numbers with the two age groups being offered.

This is a chance for all players to participate and improve their skills in the game of baseball.

The Program also allows coaches to work out and work towards their Level 2 Coaches Accreditation.

NATIONAL LEVEL:

Both the U16’s & U18’s prepared for the Nationals with a pre-tournament Goodwill Series at Woodville Baseball Club in December. Thanks again to Bob Williams & USA touring party for visiting Adelaide.

U16’s lead by Head Coach Andrew Scott, Phil Hirschausen & David Sims worked hard with all the players. Unable to hold onto U16’s National Youth Championship but finished fourth with a new group of players, which have some good experience for next year.

U18’s had a new coaching staff being Tyrone Hambly as Head Coach with Tony Probert & Lachy Eldridge.

Again, Tyrone worked the players into a strong group of athletes ready for the challenge.

SA finished top of the table after first round which was a great effort by all players. Unfortunately, missing out on the gold medal round, this new group of players won bronze. A special note that things are going in the right direction with both U16’s & U18’s finishing in the top four this year. Well done to all concerned.

WOMENS BASEBALL:

Women’s Baseball has showed a greater interest again this year. Hard work by the Women’s Baseball Committee has seen it grow, from four teams to six teams this year.

Glenelg Baseball Club introducing 2 women’s teams for the Friday night competition. This is a challenge to all club’s with the inclusion of women’s teams into baseball. The growth of women playing baseball has improved which has also improved the playing standard. Coaching of the teams has been an important resource taken up by Baseball SA. The women’s competition has grown and we still have work to do to keep it going in the right direction.

The State Women’s Team competed in the Open Women’s Baseball Championships in Canberra this year.

Landon Hernandez, Matt Williams & Julie Wadham coached the team. A great learning experience for the ladies, winning 3 games during the tournament. Well done to you all.

PERFORMANCE

DIRECTOR


BASEBALL SA:

Other notable results for Baseball SA was Australian U23 team finishing with a silver medal at the U23’s Baseball World Cup played in Mexico. Tony Harris, long-time coach of the game, lead this group with SA Players Nick Hutchings & Chris Horne being in the team.

in the U15 Australian Team, Tyson McKee & Will Kortekaas represented as SA players in Japan.

U18’s Australian Squad - Jack O’Loughlin & Curtis Mead have been selected.

MLBAAP Academy has Jack O’Loughlin, Tyson McKee, Wade Chant, Brodie Arriola on the roster. Also, Landon Hernandez as the coach.

The Adelaide Armada are Australian Senior League Champions and will represent Australia at the Senior League World Series in South Carolina in July

Amazing effort by the coaching staff lead by Head Coach Zac Stokes, Darren Fidge & Jamie Knuckey. This group of players will have an amazing trip & worldly experience. Good luck to them all.

COACHiNG ACCREDATiON:

Coaching Accreditation is ongoing work for Baseball SA to increase our standards & upskill our coaches through our programs, as Coaching Accreditation is not only about numbers accredited by upskilling our coaches in baseball for all grades they coach.

Landon Hernandez is driving this program with good growth. Coaches are the focus why players stay in the game, engaging plays keeping them enthusiastic and enjoying this great game.

in closing thank you to all who have helped out in many ways, to help Baseball SA grow and place us in a strong position to give us more exposure for the sport we all Love.

LAWRiE MOORE

Performance Director

Quote: “Any time you think you have the game conquered. The game will turn around and punch you right in the nose.” - Mike Schmidt. (Phillies Third Baseman) 1972-88


Development continues to improve in my second year as State Director of Coaching. We have seen new additions to the facility at West Beach as well as seeing improvements in off-season programs.

i would like to thank my coaching staff, volunteers, participants and families for their support in the running of these programs.

State TeamsThe 2016/17 season has shown promise with our U16, U18 and Women fighting hard at their respective tournaments. The U16, coached by Andrew Scott, Phil Hirschausen, and Dave Sims, continued to improve throughout trainings and the tournament, and finished at a respectable fourth place.The U18 had new coaching staff with Tyrone Hambly, Tony Probert, and Lachlan Eldridge who had the players ready for the challenge of playing on the national stage. The team just missed out on the gold medal game and placed third in the Championships.2017 was a huge year for women’s baseball, with South Australia sending a representative team to the National Tournament in Canberra, the first time since 2014. As Head Coach of this team, i was fortunate to watch this talented group of women improve immensely over their training sessions leading them to three wins at the tournament. Proof we are heading in the right direction. Thank you must go to all our state coaches; Tyrone Hambly, Andrew Scott and their coaching staff as well as the Women’s State team staff for their hard work and giving their time to prepare each team for national competition.

Bite AcademyThe Bite Baseball Academy has continued to utilise West Beach’s facilities for the running of the Little League, Youth and Women, and Elite Academies. Programs are designed to develop players with structured trainings in an enjoyable yet challenging environment on an individual basis.We have, once again, encouraged club coaches to take part in the academy programs to work toward their coaching accreditation. Coaches are provided with new tips and drills as well as regular feedback to assist in their coaching development.This year’s Academy has seen 70 players progress through these programs, and were pleased to see a vast improvement in players through various data collection and testing.The 2017 Elite Academy has been able to expand the program with the inclusion of strength and conditioning coach, Alek Saunders from SASi, Sports Nutritionist, Meg Lemon, and Sports Psychologist, Emma Mattey. With these coaches, players have been provided with not just skills but education to further their long-term development.Our goal for the 2017 Academy is to increase numbers in both age groups, replicate the improvements made last year and make other improvements in new testing areas.

MLBAAPThe Major League Baseball Australian Academy Program is an amateur academy designed to develop elite players on home soil and provide a pathway for players to potential professional and international baseball.This year i was fortunate to receive an invitation to join the academy coaching staff in the Gold Coast along with Luke Prokopec and a few others. The introduction of international throwing program, Driveline, has already shown impressive results in players worldwide and is slowly being introduced in Academy programs throughout Australia. This program focuses on increasing arm velocities and strengthening while incorporating arm care and recovery. The MLB Academy highlights the importance of our state academy programs in developing elite players to possibly represent Australia in upcoming international tours and Olympics.

Women’s Baseball LeagueBaseball SA has been able to provide another successful season of the South Australian Women’s Baseball League. Over the season, 70 women registered and had the addition of two club teams from Glenelg Baseball Club. Thanks to continued funding from the ORS, the WBL will continue a third season and will be looking to increase participation from players and clubs around the league, create a junior division for U15, as well as prepare to once again send a team from SA to the National Women’s Championships in 2018. A special thanks needs to go to Marty Leaker and the Glenelg Baseball Club for being the first SA Club to enter teams into the WBL

College and ProfessionalBaseball SA provides players with a pathway to reach their potential and hopefully open up international opportunities for elite players to continue their baseball careers at the highest level possible. This entails working with players to create a recruiting profile to send to colleges and providing players opportunities to use their talents in the United States.


This year, the following players have be signed professionally or verbally committed to the following schools;

Anthony Carroll- USC Sumpter John inglis- Northeastern Junior College Mitchell Lightbody- Western Nebraska Community College Jordan McArdle- Arizona Diamondbacks Jack O’Loughlin- Detroit Tigers Jack Partington- Sierra College Nick Platten- Hesston College Declan Steel- Pratt Community College

Camps and ClinicsBaseball SA regularly provides numerous camps, clinics and training and development programs during school holidays to students and the South Australian baseball community, ranging from broad spectrum camps to weekly specific skills sessions. Each session held has maintained a consistent number of participants who utilise training sessions with highly trained coaches while keeping a focus on having fun.Thank you to the coaching staff of each of these sessions for giving up their time and passing on their valuable knowledge to junior players.

Coaching AccreditationCoaching Accreditation has become a major focus over the last 12 months and will remain to be moving forward. We will continue to strive for an increase in coaches accredited during the 2017/18 season to ensure coaches have a standardised knowledge at each level to assist with accurate and appropriate player development.

Finally, congratulations to the following high performing players who have been selected to represent SA/Australia in the below competitions and programs;

LANDON HERNANDEZState Director of Coaching

STATE DIRECTOROF COACHiNG

Players for the U23 National TeamChris HorneNick Hutchings

Players for the U18 Qualifying TeamJack O’LoughlinCurtis Mead

Players for the U15 National TeamTyson McKeeWill Kortekaas

Players for the U12 Qualifying TeamAngus CattJack HuttonJack BushellLucas Burnell

Players went away for Spring TrainingKy Hampton

Players going away for MLBAAPWade ChantJack O’LoughlinTyson McKeeBrodie Arriola

Coaches going to MLBAAPLandon HernandezLuke Prokopec


U16 Greatrex Sporting Award: Jasper Clark (West Torrens)U18 Greatrex Sporting Award: Morgan Ruchel (Woodville)U16 State Team Most Valuable Player: Joe Gluyas (Glenelg)U18 State Team Most Valuable Player: Curtis Mead (West Torrens)Don Klaebe Memorial Award - Youth State Team Most Consistent: Will Kortekaas (Woodville)Brewers Masters inc. SA’s Future Player Award: Curtis Mead (West Torrens)Harvey/Kobayashu Coaching Award: Landon Hernandez (Henley & Grange)Max Puckett Award, Bite Academy Athlete Of The Year: Jack O’Loughlin (Port Adelaide)Andrew Bell Junior Umpire Award: Nicholas Rees (Southern Districts)Junior Club Of The Year: Glenelg Baseball Club

YOUTH MVP MEDALS

Under 11 South - Georgia Davis (Glenelg)Under 11 North - Deakin Filko (Gawler)

Under 13 Division 2 - Taiga Waugh (Henley & Grange)Under 13 Division 1 - Jordan Hodges (Henley & Grange)

Under 15 Division 2 - Jack Tearle (Gawler)Under 15 Division 1 - Jack Higginbotham (Woodville)

Under 17 - Jacob Kewell (Goodwood)

JUNiOR

AWARDS


WOMEN’S BASEBALL LEAGUE

Silver Slugger Louise Bartle (Hurricanes)Golden Glove Elly Tucker (Thunder)Pitcher of the Year Taylor McKay (Hurricanes)Most Valuable Player Taylor McKay (Hurricanes)

The Ohlstrom Shield (Senior Club of the Year) Glenelg Baseball Club

MVP AWARDS

Division 7 – BUASA & SABSA Medal Justin McKinley (Sturt)Division 6 – John Tyson Medal Scott Miller (Golden Grove Central Districts)Division 5 – Graham Fisher Medal Matt Holmes (Glenelg)Division 4 – Max Galloway Medal David Carter (Goodwood)Division 3 – George Chapman Medal Michael Bell (Northern Districts)Division 2 – Ron Sharpe Medal Brodie MacBeth (Sturt)Division 1 - Capps Medal Dylan Brammer (Port Adelaide)U19 South – Don Rice League Braeden Clark (West Torrens) Alexander McKenzie (Adelaide)U19 North – Don Rice League Rohan Coleman (East Torrens)

Ken Wesslink Award - Volunteer of the Year Lawrie Moore (Woodville)

DiViSiON 1 AWARDS

Golden Glove Outfielder of the Year Evan LeBlanc (Sturt)Golden Glove infielder of the Year Josh Cakebread (Goodwood)Batting Average Award Tom Brice (Sturt)Runs Batted in Award Austin Gallagher (Kensington) Terrell Joyce (Glenelg)Earned Run Average Award Nick Talbot (Kensington) Wayne Ough (Henley & Grange)Rookie of the Year Award Luke Keogh (Adelaide)

SENIORAWARDS


Left Field Gary Owens (Woodville)Centre Field Max Brown (Glenelg)Right Field Evan LeBlanc (Sturt)First Base Tom Brice (Sturt)Second Base Leigh Chenoweth (Kensington)Third Base Austin Gallagher (Kensington)Shortstop Dale Ziersch (Glenelg)Catcher Landon Hernandez (Henley & Grange)Starting Pitcher Jared Messer (Adelaide)Relief Pitcher Nick Talbot (Kensington)Closing Pitcher Max MacNabb (East Torrens)Designated Hitter Terrell Joyce (Glenelg)Head Coach Tom Brice (Sturt)Plate Umpire ian RevalBase Umpire Payne SowterScorers Steve Eads & Lorraine Dunn

2016/17 TEAM OF THE YEAR

2016/17 CAPPS

MEDALIST


2016/17 TEAM OF THE YEAR

2016/17 CAPPS

MEDALIST

DYLAN BRAMMERPort Adelaide Baseball Club


750 GamesShane Jennings (Southern Districts)

700 GamesWarren Neitz (Kensington)Matt Dunn (Goodwood)Simon Galpin (Goodwood)

650 GamesGlenn Simmons (East Torrens)

600 GamesTravis Underhill (East Torrens)

500 GamesDale Ziersch (Glenelg)Jamie Thomas (West Torrens)Michael O’Connor (Goodwood)

400 GamesChris Smith (Adelaide )Tony Norsworthy (Kensington)Darian King (East Torrens)

450 GamesAdrian Gibbs (Kensington)

350 GamesPaul Chandler (East Torrens)Ralph D’Onise (East Torrens)Troy Harrison (East Torrens)Steve Yeatman (East Torrens)

300 GamesJared Kempf (West Torrens)Daniel Chapman (West Torrens)Ron Paulus (West Torrens)Andrew Chapman (West Torrens)Chris Frick (Adelaide)Justin Roe (Adelaide)Nick Talbot (Kensington)Leigh Norman (as coach) (Kensington)Kim Bridger (Woodville)Jye Height (Woodville)Wayne Dienhoff (Woodville)

250 GamesLeigh Rushworth (West Torrens)

200 GamesKeith Frayne (Adelaide)Josh Frick (Adelaide)Derek Hill (Adelaide)Ashley Keegan (Adelaide)Steve Lee (Adelaide)Daniel Broadbridge (West Torrens)Shane Nicholson (Woodville)Josh Smith (East Torrens)Emmanuel Hirschausen (Woodville)Josh Loechel-Baker (Woodville)

150 GamesJake Martschink (West Torrens)Steve O’Connor (West Torrens)Ryan Muggleton (West Torrens)

100 GamesJosh Guelzow (Adelaide)Daniel Jones (Adelaide)Daniel Silva (Adelaide)Adam Walford (Adelaide)Michael Bishop (Kensington)Mitchell Fienemann (West Torrens)Nico Van der Linden (West Torrens)Torey Williams (West Torrens)Sam McGarry (West Torrens)Charlie Ashcroft (East Torrens)Jarred Klemm (East Torrens)Bob Hollands (East Torrens)Angus McKinlay (East Torrens)Payne Sowter (East Torrens)Brad Torkington (East Torrens)

50 GamesJustin Caskey (East Torrens)David Chapman (East Torrens)Steff Gratten (East Torrens)Dalton Probert (East Torrens)Michael Schillabeer (East Torrens)Luis Unzcategue (East Torrens)

PLAYER

MILESTONES

it’s with great pleasure that i present my report on season 2016 of the SAWBA. it was a great honour to be President again, especially as it was a bit of a challenge for me with a number of health problems. i was unable to travel to watch teams play as i have done in the past as i could not drive for most of 2016.Thanks to a great committee as usual they were able to support me – a very special thanks to Josh Gloede and Matt Miles for their help.

This year we updated our Life membership certificates and badges and presented them at our Grand Final Day. 2016 season saw the introduction of two new awards named after Mark Brougham and Matt Miles.

i believe that season 2016 was the best season in the last twenty years, but on the other side of the ledger i could not believe that players in all grades haven’t got the message about their behaviour during and after games. The SAWBA committee has worked hard over the last twelve plus years to make Winter Baseball an enjoyable sport. However quite a few players decided that they enjoyed the company of the tribunal, with suspensions ranging from one week to twelve months.

Congratulations to all Grand Final winning teams and to the various award winners as listed below:

Hugh Franke League: Angels 5 d Bears 4MVP: Josh GuelzowJim Beare League: Kaos 15 d Mad 2MVP: Wayne JenkinsMick Beech League: Varsity iron Pigs 18 d Varsity Crawdads 8MVP: Will WorthMartin Foster League: Social Bulls 15 d Rampaging Bulls 4MVP:Peter McGearey League: Varsity Giants 12 d Port Adelaide 11MVP: Anthony HattersleyMark Brougham Batting Award: Travis Underhill Avg 0.500Matt Miles Pitching Award: Hayden McGearey ERA 0.28

Adelaide Angles winners Hugh Franke League 2016

PETER MCGEAREYPresident

WiNTERBALLASSOCIATION


Our major project for this year was to participate in SA’s History Month- an initiative of the SA Government. This meant a lot of planning which fell into 3 Categories namely What to Display--Where to Display it and the logistics of setting up and staffing. To get a fairly wide spread over the Adelaide Metro area we decided to go North-Central and South in that order. Our grateful thanks to the Northern Districts Club and the Southern Districts Club for opening their Club Rooms for a 2 Day Showing and to Baseball SA for allowing us to put on our display at West Beach for the central link. A major Softball function reduced the space available for us to show our entire display but that did not detract from the overall effect.

Quantity versus Quality??? The content on display covered a wide range of memorabilia and attracted a lot of interest.

The number of those attending totaled approximately 300 over the six showings. So--Was it worth the effort?? ABSOLUTELY! We are yet to decide if we will participate next year or defer until the following year. We will discuss this with Baseball SA in the not too distant future to decide. We have learnt a lot from this years involvement and the next display will be bigger and better at very low cost to us. Some more volunteers would be welcome in both the planning and delivery of the project. Special thanks to Gordon Penhall and Doug White in particular for making it happen.

What this project has done is to confirm the need for a Baseball Museum--it will happen at some future time. Some thought that we would never have our very own Baseball Park-but look at us now!

Awards.We nominated candidates for Baseball Australia Hall of Fame in various categories and this year we were delighted to learn that Wally Buchanan was admitted into the Vintage Category- Pre World War 2. Wally was an outstanding Player for the Adelaide Club and represented South Australia in several interstate Series (pre Claxton Shield Series). Wally later became an administrator at club and baseball league level and thoroughly deserves his Hall of Fame status. After many enquiries we have now located some of Wally’s family and have arranged to present the award to them.

We have some concerns regarding the voting process for modern day players which we have discussed with our President which will be brought to the attention of Baseball Australia. We feel that the current system should be modified and should include a separate category for those Players who have played in the Major Leagues in America.

it has been a tradition to award Life Membership at the Annual General Meeting of B.SA but this year due to exceptional circumstances the Award was presented at the Capps Medal Dinner.. Life Membership was conferred on John Ryan who had an outstanding career as a player and coach with several clubs and was a long term coach and selector of our Claxton Shield Team. Regretfully John’s health deteriorated and he passed away soon after the event.. The support given to John and his Family by Baseball SA in bringing forward his induction as a Life Member was a clear indication of the high estimation in which John was held. Vale John.

The Capps Medal Dinner in 2018 will see the release of a book celebrating the first 80 years of the award. it will contain a detailed account of each winner and, where possible, a photo. A must for all baseball supporters. The release date will be announced when we get closer to the event.

HERiTAGE

COMMITTEE


The next area of research we will undertake is to trace the history of our country areas, Winter Baseball and the Umpires and Scorers Association--all important groups in the growth and development of Baseball in South Australia. We have been helping some district clubs to search for their history and those clubs who don’t have an historian are urged to contact our committee and we can help you to get started. Unfortunately not all history can be traced--in some cases when it’s gone it’s gone forever. Don’t leave it too long to contact us!

We wish to acknowledge the help of Baseball SA’s Board and Staff for their support in our projects. Likewise i must acknowledge the tenacity and commitment shown by each member of our Heritage Committee without whom a lot of our history would be gone forever. My thanks and respect to Ron Chandler,Gordon Penhall, Phil Burgess, Robert Laidlaw and Doug White for preserving our history.

ALAN WALDRON, AM Chair - Baseball SA Heritage Committee


BASEBALL SA AWARDS Andrew Bell Junior Umpire of the Year Award Nicholas Rees Most improved Umpire Payne Sowter Paul Begg Umpire of the Year Award ian Reval Baseball SA All*Star Umpires ian Reval Payne Sowter

RECOGNiTiON OF CHAMPiONSHiPS

U18 AAA National Championships (Sydney 2017) Payne SowterU16 AA National Championships (Sydney 2017) Hugo von AlpenWomen’s National Championships (Canberra 2017) Fred HalliganSenior League National Championships (Lismore 2017) Paul Sowter Danny SymonsJunior League National Championships (Adelaide 2017) Peter Ditrich Hugo von Alpen Little League National Championships (Lismore 2017) Russell King Craig Ottaway BUASA AWARDS

Claude Peace Memorial Umpires Award Kym SmithMichael Peacock Memorial Umpires Choice Award ian RevalLife Membership Fred Halligan

GAME MiLESTONES

100 games Jack Tredrea200 games Bruce Cameron Paul Sowter Sean Bourne

MOST GAMES 2016/17

122 games Peter Ditrich

UMPiRE

AWARDS


After only 1 year as Chairman Paul Haynes stepped aside and i decided to challenge myself and took over. Experienced members such as Jim Davidson and John Tretola chose to also leave the committee, allowing a completely different and younger demographic to guide us over the next few years.

it was a sombre start to the season with the passing of a baseball legend Ken Wesslink. Ken was a highly respected member of the baseball community with over 50 years of service as an umpire, coach and administrator. He was a Life Member of our Association as well as Baseball SA. Ken will be missed. Last season’s membership numbers remained similar to the previous season, with junior umpire numbers increasing which is exciting for our future. We now require those umpires with only a few seasons under their belt to step up to the plate and take on more senior roles by having a better understanding of the rules and implementing that knowledge into game days. We have an ageing group which needs to be replenished from somewhere. This situation is only going to become more critical over the next 10 years. it is positive to see that we will have a few new faces taking up umpiring next season, but more still needs to be done within the South Australian baseball community and hopefully we will one day get some support from Baseball Australia.

The facilities for umpires at West Beach has undergone a massive change over the last 12 months, with a now dedicated room for baseball umpires. We appreciated the allocation of a room for our primary use and we have accordingly put significant resources into the fit-out of this room including new lockers installed thanks to Andrew Bell. With the entire West Beach facility shared between softball and baseball, now we need to enhance our relationship with the softball umpires to come to a better agreement with them and facility management so all parties will work together to ensure this room and its contents are treated respectfully.

With the ABL moving to West Beach, the only obvious negative to new facility is the lack of a secure path from the ground to the change rooms after a game. This is something we hope West Beach management can improve for next season. A highlight for myself was the use of the complex for the Junior Charter National Championships where all interstate umpires commented how fantastic our facility was.

i would like to congratulate Fred Halligan who was awarded Life Membership by the committee for his outstanding service to baseball for the last 20 years. He continues to tutor our junior and inexperienced umpires throughout the summer and winter seasons as well as working on appointments for all competitions.

Thanks to the other BUASA Committee members Russell King, Payne Sowter, Adrian Chenoweth and a huge thanks to Kym Smith as our secretary; your work during the season makes my job so much easier.

IAN REVALChairmanBaseball Umpires Association of South Australia

BUASACHAiRMAN42 South Australian Baseball League inc.

in my second season in this role, my main goal was to address the biggest deterrent for umpires: abuse. A return to a zero tolerance of abuse of officials was implemented and was extended to include abuse directed at umpires from spectators.

Like any change, it took some time for all parties to fully understand the policy. There were some isolated incidences, especially in the first half of the season, but with strong support from the Tribunal and Baseball SA, i’m proud to report that it was a success.

As a measure of this success of the reintroduction of this policy was the fact that 22 new umpires signed up the introductory Community Umpire program since i launched this program in August 2016. This is the largest number of people i can ever recall showing interest in becoming an umpire over a 12 month period. To put this into perspective there were only 23 accredited umpires appointed to games this season, including 2 that completed the Community Umpire program earlier in the season.

Whilst i acknowledge that many of these will remain as an umpire for their club, the improved understanding of umpiring fundamentals they will now possess can only be a positive for our sport.

it is encouraging to see a number of younger people showing interest in becoming a baseball umpire. This season Lachlan and Nicholas Rees made great advances and with 5 of the 22 registrations for the Community Umpire program being under the age of 18.

There are no gender barriers as a baseball umpire and plenty of opportunities for women in this sport. The ABL had their first female umpire and between the Women’s League and the National Women’s and Youth Women’s Championships, the participation of women is growing. i am pleased to see that two of our registrations for the Community Umpire program were women and i hope this number grows.

This Community Umpire program has been designed by myself with input from Russell King and Fred Halligan. it builds on some of the materials currently available but fills in some skills gaps that are required by umpires at this level. This has come about as Baseball Australia have still failed to deliver any structured training materials for umpires.

The next two accreditation levels programs are underway with the expectation that at least the next level program will be available prior to the start of 2017/18 season.

Our pre-season and in-season training included both theory and practical sessions. These were well attended, including by some of our new umpires.

We again travelled up to the Riverland to umpire the games in the Riverland invitational. it was a good opportunity for our local umpires to receive feedback and hone their skills in a concentrated schedule of games. Disappointingly the seminar for the Riverland umpires only had one attendee and was cancelled.

STATE DIRECTOR

OF UMPiRiNG


Whilst total accredited umpire numbers plateaued this season, we fulfilled 1,142 appointments. This is a 7% increase on last season and meant we were able to officiate in approximately 45% of all scheduled games this season.

it was positive to see ian Reval continue to grow at the ABL level and Payne Sowter join as a regular of the panel. Rounding out the panel was Andrew Bell, myself and the seemingly regular cameo from Mark Wilson.

We had a number of umpires attend national championships and charter tournament and in particular Payne Sowter who was appointed as the Plate Umpire in the U18s Gold Medal game.

Once again umpires travelled to regional centres to officiate their finals. i travelled to Port Pirie with Mark Wilson to umpire their Grand Finals. i was hoping to combine this with a training session for their local umpires but with their temporary relocation of their home ground this proved to be too difficult to arrange. On a positive note, i was able to develop a relationship with the key baseball people to facilitate future trainings.

i have umpired in the last 17 Division 1 Grand Finals and this one was clearly the most exciting. Well done to the umpire panel for working together to get through these demanding games.

Thank you to the umpires who made themselves available throughout the year. A huge thank you also to Fred Halligan and Russell King for their invaluable assistance.

The offseason will be spent writing a new 3-year strategic plan as most of the strategies in the plan written in 2015 are either implemented or largely underway.

i hope that we are now on a path of significant umpire growth so that more than enjoy the best seat in the house for this great game.

BLAKE HALLiGAN State Director of Umpiring


The South Australian Baseball Scorers Association (SABSA) promotes the art of baseball scoring through encouraging, educating and representing scorers associated with SABL. We strive to ensure uniform interpretation of the Australian Baseball Rules through participation in a national accreditation program established by the Council of Australian Baseball Scorers (CABS).

SABSA continues to update our teaching strategies and learning resource material for scorers. Members are informed of rule variations and changes in accepted interpretations at our meetings, through email and via the SABSA website: www.sabsa.baseball.com.au. Nationally accredited scorers are required to maintain a log book of their scoring activities. in order for Level 3 scorers to maintain their accreditation, we require an annual revision session based upon information gathered through monitoring of current senior scoring practices and exams.

it has been fantastic year for growth in accredited scorers thanks to the dedication and efforts of experienced scorers who gave their time to run clinics and exams. i would like to thank Carol Burns, Lorraine Dunn, Steve Eads and Carolyn Smith and any other scorer who has encouraged people to attend clinics and become accredited. i would also like to welcome 7 new Level 1 scorers, 5 new Level 2 and 2 new Level 3’s to our Association. We also now have a register of scorers who may be contacted to fill in where necessary for any club who is short a scorer, for example due to illness. Thank you to Lorraine Dunn for collecting this information and making it so much easier for us to get back up if needed.

One of the positive changes we have seen this season is an increase in communication with Baseball SA via our representation on the Board through the Affiliates Delegate Tony Catt and a more regular addition of agenda items for the Board meetings via reports from SABSA. The SABSA President is also invited to the Baseball SA League Meetings. These meetings give us an opportunity to bring forward any issues we have and the response from Nathan and Tony after the Board Meetings has been appreciated.

i would like to congratulate Enza Henty and Lorraine Dunn who were selected to go to Blacktown in NSW to score at the U16/U18 National Youth Championships and also Enza for being asked to stay and officiate in the Oceania Games.Thanks to Lorraine and Steve Eads who once again were involved in co-ordinating the Junior League Championships in May at Diamond Sports, and thank you to any scorers who helped by scoring for the interstate teams. Our new Level 3 scorers will now have the opportunity to take part in the many championships that take place all around the country.Congratulations also to Lorraine and Steve for being selected in the All Star team this year.

in all Associations there are numerous extra jobs that need to be done and i would like to acknowledge the people who take on these jobs. They include entering games into TABS all season, and as we still don’t have an iT scorer at all clubs this is being done by a small group, thank you for your time and support.

For keeping our website and iT equipment up to date we thank Steve, for organising scorebooks and other jobs that pop up, thank you Lorraine, thank you Carol for liaising with Tony Catt for the use of his meeting room and thank you Tony for your support this year.And of course the committee, who generously give their time to make this Association such a useful body for all those scorers who give their time so that baseball, at all levels, can exist in SA.

ViCKY WESTSABSA President

South Australia Baseball Scorers AssociationWeb Site: http://www.sabsa.baseball.com.au Join SABSA for the Best Seats on Ground!

SCORERS

ASSOCIATION


The Australian Secondary School Sports Baseball Championships were held in Cairns. Originally set down for Canberra the venue was changed to cater for field construction by Canberra Cavalry for next year’s ABL

The Schoolboy’s Baseball programme is a DECS Secondary Schools funded program.Eligibility is determined by several factors, academics, behaviour and attendance government or private school.

The selection process begins with the gazetting of tryout dates in early February and takes place over 3 weekends.

On the Friday of the first weekend pitchers and catcher’s tryout. Players who do not gain selection are permitted to attend the Saturday session to gain selection as a position player.

in the middle weekend the tryouts move to the regional area of Mount Gambier where the same format applies. All carry over players are then required to attend the third weekend when the final team selection is made. i have always seen this program as a development program and this factor was underlined by many members being at the younger end of the age requirements.

The final selection of seventeen players was to be changed in the following weeks due to a change in the tournament format. Western Australia because of the charter selection in their state withdrew from the tournament. This meant that the draw was changed and double headers every day were put in place. To allow for this our squad size was increased to eighteen.

Team trainings were held at the Port Adelaide Baseball club on Friday nights and Saturday morning. As with all DECS programs student study requirements and school commitments came into play.

Factors that needed to be taken into consideration were:- Five of the selected players were from Mt Gambier- The introduction of the charter tournament.- The fact that some team members were involvement in Baseball SA finals. The realism is that the training workload had to be managed carefully and on several occasions had to be reviewed. A major part of our trainings took place during school holidays. i must thank the Port Adelaide Baseball Club for allowing us to use their facilities.

Prior to leaving for Cairns we needed to make a change to the squad due to one member not maintaining his academic levels.

The tournament was extremely tough and players often battled their way through some tough situations. The realism was that South Australia was the only state that must meet participation levels so our final standing of fourth position was meritorious. The double headers were extremely hard on mind and body but our players never took a backwards step. injuries to several players impacted on us in the final rounds.

Highlights included our great win against New South Wales the eventual winner where our team grit got us over the line. On the final day of competition, we completed the tournament with a tough win against ACT. The starting line up in this game comprised of the youngest team i can remember taking the field. They responded magnificently to come from behind and take the game.

i would like to thank all of the cooperative parents who supported our team during the preparation phase and those parents who travelled to Cairns and arranged team get togethers.

RON HARVEY O.A.M.

SCHOOLBOYS


The Bite Academy has been the best off-season program for player development over the past few years. We have seen players increase running time, bat speed, and arm velocity, while improving mechanics and techniques through drills and programs within the Academy. With the support of my skilled coaching staff, these programs are designed to improve player skills and talents and ready them for the next level of their baseball lives.

The Little League (8-12yrs) and Youth (13-18yrs) and Women Academies are co-ed programs open to players of any skill level and are structured to promote a fun, enjoyable learning environment for participants whilst increasing the individuals’ skills for the club season ahead. Each session is designed to challenge players and give them the necessary drills and skills to achieve new heights.

The 2016 Bite Academy was an 8 week program which commenced mid-July and used the 2015 program as a foundation while improving in some areas such as implementing an arm strengthening program and introducing strength and conditioning programs.

The comparison of player data at the beginning and closure of the 2016 Academy showed great improvements in players such as increase in running times, arm and bat speeds along with consistent mechanics. We were very excited following last year’s results and hope to see further improvements in 2017 participants.

The Elite Academy, however, is designed as a college and professional based program with a focus on preparing players for South Australian state teams to the Major League Baseball Australian Academy Program, colleges or professional teams in Australia and United States.

The 2017 program began in April and is continuing through to September. 29 elite players trained at West Beach, 3 times a week with each session having a specific focus to assist players to improve every area of their game and skills. The facilities at Diamond Sports continued to provide great opportunities for players training sessions including strength and conditioning ran by Alek Saunders from the South Australian Sports institute. Players went through upper body, and core and leg workouts with use of the gym facilities, utilising kettle bells, medicine balls and resistance bands and beach/water training sessions. Following the strength and conditioning program, players were put through a new throwing program called “Driveline”, trying to increase arm velocity while improving arm care and recovery. Dependant on the day, players either had hitting or fielding sessions on Bennett Field and indoor training centre.

Programs such as the academies do not run without a lot of support.

Firstly, i would like to thank the Alek Saunders for providing the coaching and programs to develop players’ strength and endurance in preparation for tournament play and development.

i would also like to thank Troy Davis, Steve Brooks, Bob Baker, Dave Sims, Andrew Sperling, Scott Pratt and Ron Murphy for volunteering their time to assist coaching while working towards their coaching accreditations.

My coaching staff, Baseball SA staff, in particular Andrew Scott, Matthew Williams, Lawrie Moore, Tyrone Hambly, and Troy Scoble for challenging each player during sessions and pushing themselves to constantly improve to be the best coaches for our state they can be.

LANDON HERNANDEZState Director of Coaching / Academy Director

BITE

ACADEMY


Thanks to the hard work of Baseball SA staff and generosity of the Office of Recreation and Sport, Baseball SA were given the opportunity to provide the 2016/17 season of the South Australian Women’s Baseball League.

The second season saw over seventy women registered, the addition of two new clubteams from Glenelg Baseball Club, player participation in preseason trainings, regular training sessions and compete in a ten game season between October 2016 and March 2017, ending in a grand finale.

We had a great second season seeing improvements of talent around the league and women who were always willing to give their best and always wanting to play! Congratulations needs to go to the recipients of the 2016/17 awards:;Silver Slugger- Louise Bartle, Golden Glove- Elly Tucker, Pitcher of the Year and Most Valuable Player- Taylor McKay.

Following the success of our first WBL season, Baseball SA planned on expanding the league from four to six teams and had hopes of sending a senior women’s team to represent South Australia at the National Championships. Baseball SA accomplished those goals and would like to continue expanding the Women’s Baseball League both in senior and youth age groups.

i would like to thank the league’s coaching staff; Phil Acosta, Byron Wiley, Max McNabb, Tyler Chappell, and Julie Wadham for their huge support and efforts during the season which allowed the league to run smoothly and creating a positive and fun atmosphere for every player regardless of experience.

i would also like to pass on a particular thanks to Marty Leaker, Craig Handy, Aled Loy, Tony Mezzini, and the Glenelg Baseball club for efforts both on and off the field. They consistently went above and beyond and i am truly grateful for their assistance and outstanding efforts.

The league could not run smoothly without the assistance of the scorers and umpires. i would like to thank them for their contributions to the league each week.

Thank you to all who supported the league this year, we are looking forward to seeing you all on the diamond again next season.

LANDON HERNANDEZState Director of Coaching / Women’s Baseball League Director

GRAND FiNAL - BLAZE 6, HURRiCANES 5

Pos Team P W L D F A SD Pts

1 Blaze 10 8 2 0 110 42 68 162 Thunder 10 7 3 0 104 57 47 143 Hurricanes 10 6 4 0 97 84 13 124 Cyclones 10 6 4 0 62 83 -21 125 Glenelg 10 2 8 0 60 117 -57 46 Tigers 10 1 9 0 62 110 -48 2

WOMEN’SBASEBALL LEAGUE


Tryouts kicked off a little earlier this year to allow for player testing and to give the coaching staff extra sessions to assess the talent on display. Skill sessions and game simulations were the main practices used during selection.

A total of 55 players came to tryouts and along with the returning 6 players from the U/16 Championship team 14 new players were selected to represent SA. Our main focuses during our practice sessions was good defense and pitchers to throw strikes, something that helped us achieve the results we did during the National Youth Championships.

We played a number of games against the U/18 team at West Beach before playing in the Goodwill series against the travelling US teams over the Christmas to New Year period. We also had a number of coaches roll through our sessions to assist us in our preparation, something which was very valuable to both the players and coaching staff. During these lead up games the win/loss record was not the focus but rather the way we wanted to play the game and to make sure all players had the game time in the positions that will allow us to be competitive during the NYC.

With the draw we had our opening game vs Qld was the game that could have been the difference between a 4th or 5th place finish and missing the medal round. A come from behind win kick started our tournament and other wins against ACT, NSW country & Vic White saw us finish the minor round in 4th place and qualify for the medal round. A narrow loss To Vic Blue (eventual winners) and a walk off loss to WA still gave the boys confidence that we can take home a medal.

Another walk off loss to WA, a 2 run loss to NSW and a win over Vic Blue had us play off against NSW for a bronze medal. The medal game was probably the most disappointing game of our tournament as errors and facing the best pitcher of the tournament finished our campaign in fourth spot.

i would like to personally thank the 20 players for their commitment and eagerness to learn and get better during the program and i think the results showed and was their reward although we didn’t come home with our goal of a medal.

Many thanks must go to my assistant coaches Phil Hirschausen, David Sims and to E.O Darren Unger for their time & efforts and their input to the boys development. Look forward to working with them again.

Thank you to the coaches that helped out during the program, Landon Hernandez, Troy Scoble, Paul Mildren, Darren Stead, Boomer Prinstein and Andrew Sperling as extra eyes and voices make practices easier to run. Thanks to Tyrone Hambly and his staff and players for beating us up in the lead up games it set the level we had to reach.

With the quality of coaches and people involved in our programs baseball in SA can only get better.

ANDREW SCOTTHead Coach

STATE

UNDER 16


The Under 18 State team for 2017 was made up of 11 first year players and 9 second year players emphasising the fact that we had a very young team. Although young in average age the team proved to be a very mature group of young lads and more than capable baseball players. This was proven with a 6-1 record in the first round, finishing top and 2 games clear of second. The boys went on to win a deserving Bronze medal, missing out on the chance to play for gold after a tough day in extreme heat where we dropped back to back games. To the boys credit, after losing the chance to play for gold, they were able to re-group and put a memorable performance on the field to beat a very strong NSWC team 17-1 and bring home the bronze medal. Once again i must reiterate, a total record of 7-4, including wins against both sides that played off for gold is an outstanding effort for these young men.

i must make mention of several key performances that are worthy of extra recognition. Ky Hampton and Damon Arnold took on an unannounced role of leading the pitching rotation, with incredible opening day performances. Ky threw 8 innings for 70 pitches. i say that again, 8 innings for 70 pitches, a performance that will be remembered in my opinion for some time. Damo closed out the 9th and secured a 1 run win which gained himself some attention and also got the SA boys the first win of the tournament. Caskey and Stead also had exceptional tournaments, on the mound. Caskey’s highlight is picking up a win against NSW. Steady taking the mound against NSW Country, down by 7, and was able to throw 4 innings, which allowed us to come from behind, winning 14-12.

Offensively, we had a number of players shine. Stand out performers were, Wade Chant, Blayke McMillan, both of whom were representing Mt. Gambier, did their home town proud. Their performances were a testament to Scott Gladstone’s academy over the past few years. Local talent, Curtis Mead, Nick Platten, and Jarrod Miller, all had strong tournaments, holding down the heart of the line up. i would like to make a special mention of Morgan Ruchel, who stepped up with less than 10 days notice, with full payment made by the deadline, and no time to order a properly sized uniform. i would like to credit he and his family for quickly adapting. Despite these events, Morgan went on to play with pride and did our state proud.

The names mentioned above are just highlights of the tournament, and should not discount the performances of all players on the Under 18’s team, Each of them played a pivotal role in the tournament, leading us to a Bronze medal.

At this time i would like to thank, the tireless efforts of my coaching staff, Tony Probert, and Lachy Eldridge. Who for the second year in a row, have gone above and beyond to ensure that as a team, these kids had the best possible chance of success in Sydney. Whilst their dedication to training, and coaching on the field will always be something that sticks with these young men, Tony and Lachy’s ability to create a bridge of trust, and mentorship will be something that these young men will always remember.

i would also like to make special mention of Danielle Hambly. Her management and dedication to making this trip seamless, fun, and memorable for these young men was greatly appreciated. An abundance of time spent doing laundry, injuring herself, as well as sourcing great restaurants and activities for the team off the field. She was well assisted by Sandy Mead, Cathy Miller, Julie Chant, Dari Ruchel, Natalie Weber, and Viv Weber, who all were very gracious to take on the task of washing uniforms, due to Danielle’s injury, and the poor, as well as expensive laundry facilities at the hotel.

Last but not least, Landon Hernandez, and Lawrie Moore. Throughout the entire season, these two provided an endless amount of support when needed. Their commitment and dedication to not only building baseball within SA, but they also lead by example, pushing these young men to believe in themselves, and chase the baseball dream.

it has been another successful year for South Australian Baseball. Back to back tournaments, in which we have brought home 2 medals, proves that youth baseball within our state is beginning to thrive. We need find a way to maintain this momentum, striving to better our programs through more structure, and training resources.

Once again it has been an absolute please working with these 20 young men, and i look forward to any future opportunities within baseball in Australia.

TYRONE HAMBLY Head Coach

STATEUNDER 18


2017 was not only a huge step for the women’s baseball league, but this marked the first year Baseball SA has taken a Women’s State Team to the National Championships in three years. The ladies practiced twice a week for four months, and their improvements correlated with the amount of efforts they applied in preparation for Canberra.

Being my first year as the Women’s State Coach, i was confident in our player’s abilities to compete and excited to see where we matched up against some of the more established states. With a quality win against Victoria White and two against ACT, the SA Women’s Team needed one more win to set themselves up to play in the fifth/sixth place game. Falling short, we played the following day in the seventh/eighth place game.

Even though the women gave their best, i would like to mention a few key performances from this tournament that stood out amongst all the teams. Jenny Dunn and Shelley Neller had batting averages of .542 and .600 respectively and Bianca Smith had an earned run average of 3.52. We would also like to mention Nicky Bacon, our only friendship player from Northern Territory. Nicky came into the team, fit right in with the team chemistry we had already established, and had a walk-off hit to secure our second win of the tournament.

Going into this tournament, we didn’t know what to expect, however, the women exceeded all of our expectations. This tournament showed the women what they need to work on, both individually and as a group, to get to that next tier of performance.

i would also like to thank my coaching staff, Matt Williams and Julie Wadham, for giving their time and assisting me in trying to make the best possible women’s team that South Australia has ever had. i would also like to thank Zoe Windt for being the Executive Officer and all her support throughout.

Lastly, i would like to thank the Junior League Chart Coaches, Darren Bromley and Craig Powell, and their staff, who allowed us to play games against them in order to get game experience before going away. Without your help, we would not have been able to make improvements or develop.

it has been a pleasure working with this team and i can’t wait to see the development and progress of these women in the future.

LANDON HERNANDEZState Director of Coaching/Women’s State Team Head Coach

STATE

WOMEN


Baseball South Australia, in conjunction with Baseball Australia, Diamond Sports SA and Adelaide Shores, hosted the 2017 Australia Junior League Championship at West Beach, Adelaide form May 21 – 26, 2017.

in their second year of hosting this event Baseball South Australia, through thewonderful support of Diamond Sport SA and all their amazing volunteers ensued that all 320 players, officials and the thousand’s of spectators thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of the championship. The Championship saw 6 days of competition with 48 games contested, with Hills (NSW) walking away as the 2017 Australian Junior League Champions.

Baseball Australia is looking forward to what the future will bring in regard to this event and the great partnership with BSA, Diamond Sports SA and Adelaide Shores.

MATHEW SUNDSTROMBaseball Australia Head of Little League and National Championships

JUNiOR LEAGUECHAMPiONSHiPS


With a fresh coaching crew the Marlins started preparation well before the December tryouts. With the bottom end age being reduced and the talent pool being relatively thin we made a conscious decision to select a team with a 3-year plan in place. Our goal initially was to select a group of young men that would benefit from the experience and have at least half the team available next year. We achieved this by having 3 ten-year old’s, 3 eleven-year old’s and 7 twelve-year old’s.

Training commenced 3 times a week focussing on repetition, fundamentals and playing this great game the right way. Heading into the Adelaide tournament our goal was to win 2 games. Game one we beat Mt Gambier which ticked the first part of the goal off. Saturday came and we were beaten convincingly by both Adelaide charter teams in what was a very long day for the boys. Sunday mornings game was the game we targeted to win and saved our best pitchers for this game. After a different warm up the boys came out swinging against the Seahawks and never gave up the lead. Suddenly and to our surprise and others we were off to Lismore. Unfortunately, we were unable to be competitive in the gold medal game and got convincingly beaten by the Rays.

Training continued with much excitement for 8 weeks and the boys really improved over this time. Bas Nooij was a great help over this time with catching and hitting and i thank him for all he did. Our parent group came together and raised a huge amount of money to allow us to pay for the uniforms and a few other things which was a great help. We also finished our preparation with 3 games against the Rays which really helped the boys along.

Off to Lismore we went with the boys arriving early at the airport excited about what lay ahead. Landing in Coolangatta late morning we surprised the boys with a trip to Movieworld which really relaxed them and was a great team building exercise before the long week ahead.

Our goal in Lismore was to win 1 game and be competitive in the others. Day1 was double header day for us and we ended the day 1-1 after a 2-run loss and a walk off win. Day 2 saw us come up against a very strong Cronulla and we got convincingly beaten. Day 3 was our only televised game and the boys put on a great display notching a great win. Mathematically we were still a chance to qualify for finals and gave it a good shake but fell short. We ended the pool rounds 2-2 equal second but missed on run differential. As it turned out this was the last game played in the tournament. From the end of that game Friday night it didn’t stop raining for 4 days and the tournament was abandoned with the top 8 meeting up in Sydney to decide who wins the title.

We were very proud of the boys as they exceeded our expectations and were a delight to coach. They were also great kids and i know they will remain friends for life and i look forward to watching them progress through the ranks.

Thanks to Andrew Sperling and the Rays for supporting us in Lismore and in the build-up. Thanks to Greg Rodgers, Adrian Chenoweth and Darian King who worked with our Development team. Also thanks to BaseballSA staff for all your support as well.

i want to thank Andrew Couzner, David Gibbs and Stuart Millar for all the work you guys put in and i can’t wait to do it all again with you guys next year. Also thanks to Marnie Yeatman our scorer who is now a Gamechanger wiz. To all our Marlins families who supported us both here and in Lismore i say thanks for all your support and to our sponsors.

The Marlins are really excited about what lies ahead as we have a great crop of kids coming through.

STEVE YEATMANHead Coach

LiTTLE LEAGUE

MARLINS


Another long little league campaign comes to an end, with the Rays finishing outside of the top 8. We believe that we were a top 6 team but the anomalies of the drawer and the system made us pay for one blemish – a 4-2 loss against Ryde. Other than that we were outstanding, mercying the Gold Coast and Perth Central Firebirds and taking it to arguably the hottest team around, The Hills. They had not been challenged for a couple of years and to have them on the run and play in a high quality affair says to our state that we can compete with anyone, on any day, on any ground, under any circumstances. For them to ask to have their photo taken with us after the game says a lot about the respect they hold for us – which in turn we hope will continue to translate into solid performances moving forward at state and charter levels.

We took an interesting mix this year, with a 10 year old and 4 just turned 11 year old’s. They all performed admirably, all achieving something which we hope will stiffen up the group for next year’s Rays outfit. We also saw the continued growth of Jordan Hodges, who hit well, pitched brilliantly and plays the field with effortless ease. Hopefully, the Cal Ripken team beckons for him. He had some mates, Archie Lovelock was terrific, Josh Beckham took a huge leap forward, Jet Clohessy did everything asked of him and Chase Rowe picked himself up after a slow start to stitch the powerful hills hitting line up in what was one of the pitching performances of the tournament. Everyone contributed and the state has a lot to look forward to as this group makes their way through the grades.

Plenty of thankyous. To my right hand man, Dom Hodges, what an asset he is and hoping he continues to put his hand up for future roles as Dom’s value is way beyond the baseball thing, he brings a spark/belief/mindset that has been a driving force in the Rays success. Stephen O’Rielly jumped on board this year and was also outstanding with his knowledge and demeanour (the players loved him) and our EO, Marty Couzner who carried on the solid work of his predecessors. Marty not only handled the administrative side with competence but also doubled up as a 4th coach, he was invaluable. Jess Reid took on the pitch count duties and Andrew Gluyas and Scott Beckham took on the scoring roles, huge jobs which were handled with ease – thank you all. The whole parent group were a pleasure to be around, a big thankyou also. A guy who has invested so much into this program over the years also needs a big thankyou – Burke Weber. His kids have moved out of this age group but that did not stop him supporting me and the Rays, cheers Bertie. Also, i would like to thank the Glenelg Baseball Club for the use of their wonderful training facility as well as Peter Gee at the Seaton High School, who donated the facility to us in what was invaluable. Also to Baseball SA for the opportunities they provide all of us, a big thank you.

i would also like to thank Lawrie Moore for answering the call and heading up the development program. Although the results aren’t everything about this experience, this group went undefeated through the state champs and began the nurturing for next seasons players. We place a lot of emphasis on this program and priority is given to the players who commit to it for selection in next year’s Rays outfit. Well done to you all.

The evolution of the Rays continues to move on an upward spiral. This charter has built a reputation of being a very difficult team to compete against but at the same time, much loved by all. The amount of people in Lismore who mentioned to me how much admiration they had for how we go about it is testament to this program and the people within it.

Yours in baseball,

ANDREW SPERLiNG Head Coach LiTTLE LEAGUERAYS


2017 was the third year of the Adelaide Seahawks with players from Sturt, Southern Districts and Goodwood.

The try outs took place in December with a selection panel of Mark Haylock, Mark Paparella, Justin Clark, Tony Catt, Troy Cook, Richard Olsen, Jeremy Paparella, Julian Smith and Scott Pratt selecting the team.

Training commenced in February twice a week by Scott Pratt as head coach, Mark Paparella as assistant coach, Justin Clark as pitching coach and Tony Catt as assistant coach/executive officer.

The try outs and team selection for the development team was in February with Scott Pratt, Troy Cook head coach, Matt Hutchins, Jason Scarabotti as assistant coaches, Nick Hutchins pitching coach and Peter Chapelle as executive officer. All players selected in this are eligible to play U13’s again next season.

As the club baseball finished we then upped the trainings to 3 times a week with one of them being simulated games.

There was a big focus for the three clubs to become one and create a culture that would give all players in the three clubs a team that they would want to strive to be in.

The focus on the trainings were performing under pressure situations, game situation drills and lots of repetition on the basics as well as strength and conditioning.

Heading into the State Championships at West Beach we felt we were well prepared but lost game 1 in extra innings in what was regarded as one of the best seen by all involved. 4-3 Rays

On Saturday we beat Mt Gambier 11-0 then Marlins 18-5.

in the Sunday 2v3 game we lost to Marlins 7-4 giving them the second spot to head to Lismore to play in the National Little League Competition.

Congratulations to both the Rays and Marlins and a very big thank you to Mt Gambier for coming down to Adelaide and supporting Baseball in SA.

SCOTT PRATT Head Coach

LiTTLE LEAGUE

SEAHAWKS


The Pirates selection started in November with try outs at 3 of our participating clubs. 36 eager young athletes were put through their paces at the Henley & Grange, Northern Districts and East Torrens grounds to find a final team of 14. After a committed practice schedule, we failed to impress at the state championshipsfalling to the Waves 3 to zip. However, this group set themselves a target of making the finals round at the nationals for the first time in the Pirates short history.

3 months of training and trial games against the Wave and the Bite Women’s side at Diamond Sports saw a considerable amount of improvement. Thankyou to John Galloway and Kym Ashworth for their time spent with the group, sharing some valuable experience.

At the Junior League National Championships, we reached our mark of making the top 8 with positive results against Canberra (26 – 1) and the Eastern Phantoms (14 – 3). We also managed to push the top seeded Cronulla to a 7-innings game, first time they went the full distance in their charter season, however, we went down 11 – nil.

That was the end of the road for the Adelaide North Pirates Charter in this tournament, when the Hills proved too strong in a good contest in our first final.

Liam Bull, Ethan Badcock, Carter Powell, Jack Kelly and Ryan Przibilla had outstanding series all round. Ethan Murphy, Connor McCleod, Riley Yeatman and Jacob White being solid on the mound in numerous appearances.

Thanks to Baseball SA for their support and supplying us with excellent facilities for practice and conducting a high standard event. Lastly i fell indebted to my coaching staff Darren White, Charlie Ashcroft and E.O Karryn Przibilla that made it easy to manage and improve the squad.

CRAiG POWELLHead Coach

JUNiOR LEAGUEPIRATES


The 2017 Junior League National tournament was held in Adelaide at Diamond Sports from May 21st – May 26th. We had 3 returning players from the 2016 team along with a strong group coming up from Little League. We were placed in a tough pool which included Gold Coast Mariners, Swan Hills from WA and eventual tournament winners in Hills from NSW.

Game 1 vs Gold Coast Mariners - won 14-13 A great game of Baseball which had everything, we led by 7 at one stage, were down by 3 at one stage and then walked it off in the bottom of the 7th for the win.

Great character shown by the guys today in a gutsy win. Jacob Scott led the way with 3 hits, Nick Rees with2.

Game 2 vs Hills – lost 6-1 A tough loss today to the eventual winners of the tournament. Jack Higginbotham started on the hill for us and had to leave the game in the 2nd inning after taking a come backer on his elbow. Dayton Mitchell was outstanding throwing 4.1 innings of 1 run ball in relief.Hamish Rees led the team with 2 hits.

Game 3 vs Swan Hills – lost 18-421 hits to 6 tells the story of the day. Swan Hills came out aggressive and swung the bats hard all game. Jacob Scott again led the way with 2 hits.

Game 4 vs Canberra – won 10-5With pool play over we started round 2 off with a bang jumping out to a 5 nil lead after 2 innings. We were never headed after that with the guys pushing hard for runs every inning.Jacob Scott was outstanding with 4 hits and Robbie Brennan knocking in 3 runs.

Game 5 vs Eastern Athletics – won 7-0Playing against the top Victorian side today we jumped out to a 3 run lead in the first. Pitching and defence then took over and the guys were outstanding today playing errorless Baseball. Dayton Mitchell and Jack Higginbotham combined to shut out the Athletics in an outstanding 7 inning performance. Jacob Scott with 3 hits, Darcy Barry and Dayton Mitchell both with 2 hits were our leading hitters. Robbie Brennan also chimed in with another 3 rbi.

Game 6 vs Central Firebirds – won 14-4Our last game for the tournament was against the top team from WA.The guys were desperate to finish off the tournament in style and to claim this big scalp.10-1 after 2 innings tells the story as we came out all guns blazing – quality at bats and hitting the ball hard to all parts of the field. Hamish Rees and Jack Higginbotham were both outstanding on the hill today. Jack Higginbotham and Adam Wurfel both picked up 3 hits each

Having lost 2 games in the 1st round we were relegated to playing off for 9th spot. Our goal for the tournament then became finishing in 9th spot, which we achieved and ended with a 4-2 win/loss record.Claiming big wins against the top teams from Victoria and WA was a fitting way for the players to end the tournament. Jacob Scott hit .722 for the tournament, Robbie Brennan led the team with 10 rbi and Dayton Mitchell led the team in innings pitched (9 1/3) and ERA (0.75).

Thanks to my assistant coaches in Brenton Short and James Henty, thanks also to Jeff Kevan (EO) and Tracey Marsh (Scorer).

DARREN BROMLEYHead Coach.

JUNiOR LEAGUE

WAVES


Even before dates for try-out were announced we were doubtful of which players would actually to be available for selection. With try-outs announced so soon after state try-outs had been held, we had been advised by some parents and players that they would not be trying out for charter should they make the state team. As it turned out a number of players expected to be part of the team had made either the U18 or U16 State teams and would not be trying out for the Titans. Although disappointing, a positive is that the situation opened up selection for other players.

Tryouts were difficult to plan and carry out due to player commitments with club training, games and the few doubling up from state team selection, most sessions were held with only 6-8 in attendance. Once tryouts had been completed and the team selected, it was decided to postpone trainings till end of February being after U19’s had finished and State players were available. Once training got under way the players gelled well and we went about the task of focusing to beat the Adelaide South Armada.

Heading into the State Championship against the Armada, we knew we had a tough task ahead of us coming up against a side predominantly consisting of players coming off successful state campaigns. We approached the tournament with a positive attitude and a mindset of taking the series to 3 games to give us the best chance to win.

Game.1 had us facing Ky Hampton on the mound and not many of my boys had faced a pitcher with Bite experience. The plan was to be aggressive with the bat and try to take the game up to the Armada. i was proud of the boys attacked the game but unfortunately Ky and the Armada were too strong and took out Game 1. Unfortunately Game 2 was a complete opposite of the first. Will Kortekas took the mound for the Armada and put our bats to sleep. Our defence kept strong to hold us in the game for a few innings, but the Armada bats came to life and put the game out of reach.

The Armada deserved to take out the state championship and great to see a team from SA carry that form through the Senior league national tournament and be crowned Aust Champions. i wish Stokesy and the boys the best of luck in Easly, South Carolina.Thanks to my coaching staff of David Sims and Tim Johnston along with EO Michelle Schrapel for their time and hard work put in with the players. Also thanks to the players and parents for their commitment during a very busy season.

DARREN STEADHead Coach

SENiOR LEAGUETITANS


On the 1st of April the Southern Charter, the Adelaide Armada took on the Northern Charter the Adelaide Titans in the state championship. it was a 3-game series and the winner was to go to the Senior League National Championships in Lismore NSW in May.

The Armada were successful in winning the first game 4-0 and the second game 10-1. This meant that the 3rd game was not needed and we had booked our trip to Lismore.

Our team was unlucky not to finish higher in the Nationals last year. This year we were expecting to go deep into the final round. Last year our team was young and this year the boys are older and had so much more baseball experience under their belts. The winner of the Australian Championship gains a direct birth into the Senior League World Series which is held in Easley, South Carolina USA in late July.

The National Championship was played in Lismore, NSW 14-19 May.

Day 1 was scheduled for a double header; however, Lismore was also scheduled for a lot of rain that day. The result was that all of day 1 play was cancelled and the day 1 schedule has to be played on day 2.

Armada’s first game was against Macarthur with Will Kortekaas starting on the mound. Will gave us a great start throwing 4 innings for 3 hits, 2 runs and striking out 5. Keeping his pitch count low meant he was good to come back in a couple of days.Offensively, Curtis Mead and Callum Park had 3 base hits each with Mead, Knuckey and Stewart all collecting 2 RBis. Park also pitched 2.1 innings to top off an excellent personal game.Giving up some late runs we ended up winning 9-6.

Game 2 was against the Hills from NSW where we were expecting a very tough game. The Hills played in the Championship game last year and also had many returning players. Ky Hampton started on the mound for us. He gave us 3 innings to keep his pitch count down. Scoring 1 run in the 1st, 7 in the 2nd and 2 in the 3rd gave us a healthy 10-2 lead when Hampton left the game. Hitting was a team effort with Kortekaas, Clavell, Knuckey, Ruchel all with 2 hits and Marchioro hitting 2 big doubles. Clavell crushed a big 2 run homerun to left centre to add to the score line in the 2nd inning.The Hills’ bats came alive in the 5th scoring 5 and then 1 more in the 7th. in both our games the opposition came back at us late however we had great starts scoring early and managed to hold them out for 2 wins.

Game 3 was against the Gold Coast Cougars. We ended up winning 4-0. This game we left way too many runners on base that we should have easily scored. it was a good learning point for the team moving forward. Offensively it was a great team effort. There were 10 hits spread out across the team with others getting on base and executing solid situational hitting. However, there was only one star in this game and it was Austin McClure. McClure was our starting pitcher and made history by becoming the first ever player in Australian Senior League Championship history to throw a complete game shutout. Teamwork is something i stress to the boys. No one was a better teammate than McClure on this day. Once he pitched his 61st pitch he knew he would not be able to pitch again in the tournament. Knowing this he gave his all and completed a fantastic game. With bad weather coming in on Friday and the suggestion of early round 2 games it meant that McClure had saved our bullpen and put us in an excellent spot moving forward. At this stage, we had secured a position in the final round with one more game to play.

Game 4 was against the Eastern Athletics.We won the game 13-0 in 5 innings. This was an excellent team building game where the boys had a lot of fun and were in great spirits heading into the final round.12 hits in total with all players contributing was awesome! We fielded very well during this game also. Mead had a good game with 4 RBis including a “speedy” in the park homerun! Rion Sato had a great game with 2 hits and 3 RBi. McClure stayed hot after his pitching effort the day before to go 2 for 2. Our pitching was spread out between 4 players which included an amazing 6 pitch inning in the 6th by “knuckleballer” Ethan Marchioro to end the game.

SENiOR LEAGUE

ARMADA


With bad weather expected on Friday the Championship game was brought forward to Thursday. This meant a potential double header with the first final against Western Meteors in the morning with the winner going through to the Championship game in the afternoon.

Game 5, the first final resulted in an 8-2 win over the Western Meteors.Will Kortekaas got the start on the mound and threw 6 excellent innings. He only gave up 4 hits, 2 runs while striking out 6. Kortekaas without a DH went 1 from 3 collecting an RBi to have another great game. Morgan Ruchel pitched the 7th and held the opposition to finish the game.Again, we had a great team effort with 9 hits and everyone contributing. Another great start scoring 5 in the 1st and 3 in the 2nd. Winning this game put us into the championship game later in the day against either the Southern Mariners or the Hills. Both teams played in the championship game last year so we knew it was going to be tough contest coming up.The Hills ended up defeating the Mariners which meant another match up against the Hills who were our toughest opponent of the championship.

Game 6, the Championship Game - Adelaide Armada 4 defeated Hills 0What a game! What an experience!

We knew the game wasn’t going to be easy but we were in a good position having a fresh Ky Hampton on the hill and a full bullpen if needed. The boys were confident and in high spirits. The first 2 innings were tight and scoreless for both teams.

Then we entered the top of the 3rd where the fun began. Curtis Mead lead off with a double to leftfield followed up by yet another perfect sacrifice bunt by Reed Stewart. Mason Clavell knocked in the first run of the game with a single up the middle. With a fielder’s choice, an error and another base hit from Will Kortekaas we managed to score 4 runs. Neither team scored in the remainder of the game.

Hampton was on fire and the boys were outstanding in the field to back him up. Ky ended up pitching the whole game giving up 5 hits, 3 strikeouts and 0 runs. He joined his teammate Austin McClure by becoming the second player to pitch a complete game shutout. Hampton threw only 82 pitches for the 7 innings.

The boys had won the championship and booked a trip to the Senior League World Series.i was very happy and proud of the boys. They played well and showed great sportsmanship, skills and teamwork.

During the tournament, we scored 48 runs and only gave up 16 runs. 14 of the 16 were given up on day 1’s double header. This meant the last 4 games we only allowed 2 runs and had 3 shutouts. An amazing job by our pitchers and defense.

Since our return we have focused on our trip to America. The World Series is in Easley South Carolina. The tournament starts on the 29th of July. There are 10 teams, 5 American teams and 5 international teams.

it is hard to know what to expect but i am confident we will be competitive and know we will give our all.

The team will be staying on the Clemson University campus with a short bus ride to the field. All the boys are excited and ready to go and play on the big stage. it will be an amazing experience for all involved.

i would like to thank my assistant coaches Jamie Knuckey and Darren Fidge. These coaches were fantastic with the boys leading up to and during the tournament as well as now preparing to go to the world series.

A huge thank you to John McClure who put his hand to be the team’s Executive Officer. it’s a tough role and he did an excellent job.

i hope all the players have enjoyed their experience so far and i know we will have lots of fun and success in South Carolina at the World Series.

ZAC STOKESHead Coach


EAGLES ‘OUT-FLY’ MAGPiES

it was a battle of the birds, as West Torrens’ Eagles triumphed over Port Adelaide’s Magpies to claim the 2016/17 Baseball SA division one crown, after an exciting best of three grand final series at Diamond Sports, Adelaide Shores.

in one of the most even competitions for many years, it was the Eagles and Magpies who managed to win their way through to the premiership decider, and all games were decided by the winning team’s final at bat in each game, with the boys from West Torrens claiming the flag.

Game one was a classic pitching duel, with runs hard to come by and the lead changing hands three times, with a bloob 11th inning RBi single by Ryan Muggleton proving the match-winner, while Nathan Van der Linden in relief claimed the win from the mound.

it wasn’t a pretty game, with muffed flies and wild throws, but the tension and exciting finish kept supporters on the edge of their seats until Muggleton’s late heroics.

Perhaps the key batsman in the Eagles win was veteran Tom Fiebig, who batted home the tying run in the eighth frame and started the final inning rally with a crisp single to leftfield, eventually scoring the match-winner.

The first run came in the third frame, when James Henty led off for the Eagles with a single, advanced to second on Curtis Mead’s sac bunt, went to third base on Nico Van der Linden’s hit and scored on a hard-hit ground-out by Jakub Vojak.

Dylan Brammer led off the top of the sixth inning for Port with a single, with Alex Cater then hit by a pitch for the Magpies to have two on and none out.

Yusuke inguchi, a mid-season professional Japanese player pick-up for Port, then hit a line shot to Van der Linden at centrefield, which seemed to be dipping quickly and caused the Eagles reliable outfielder some difficulty.

The ball was dropped, Brammer dashed all the way home for the tying run on the play, and Carter, who was on his bike and motoring from first base, was nipped at the plate by the relay throw from Van der Linden through short-stop Mead.

A two-out single by Luke Rackebrandt plated inguchi and Port Adelaide led the ball-game 2-1.Fiebig led off the 11th with a single and stole second base, and, after an out, Torey Williams singled to set up Muggleton’s match-winner.

With three innings of work, Nathan Van der Linden was the winning pitcher for the Eagles.Game two wasn’t for the purists, but it had everything, with first Port Adelaide getting out to a perceived match-winning 5-0 lead, then falling 6-9 behind after the Eagles eight-run sixth frame, before fighting back to score runs in its final three innings to snatch the win.

A grand slam home run from Alex Carter in the second frame helped the Magpies to a 5-0 lead, which held up until the bottom of the sixth, after both sides scored one run each.

But then the wheels fell off, as West Torrens took advantage of an error, two free loaded bases walks, Jakub Vojak’s two-run single and Jordan McArdle’s bases-clearing double, to grab a 9-6 lead.

An error that allowed Todd Langman to reach base to lead off the seventh frame for Port proved costly for Torrens, when Patrick inglis smashed a two-out, two-run dinger to close the gap to just one run.

Then Langman stepped up to the plate and delivered a two-out RBi double at the top of the eighth to level the scores.

Port’s Dylan Brammer came on to pitch in the bottom of the eighth, with two runners on and one out, and after a wild pitch advanced the runners, managed to strike out the next two batters to keep the game tied.

it looked like another extra inning contest was imminent, until another Torrens error paved the way for the eventual winning run to score, as inglis reached second base on a wild throw, and scored when Brodie Arriola belted a double.

DIVISION ONE

GRAND FiNAL


Brammer retired the Eagles batters one, two, three in the bottom of the ninth to pick up the win.

Game three saw the Magpies out to a 4-0 win after two innings and have control of the game, before West Torrens chipped away and eventually went 5-4 up on Muggleton’s solo home run in the bottom of the eight frame, which was the final score.

in the first frame, Brammer doubled, went to third base on Alex Carter’s single and scored on inoguchi’s sac fly for Port to lead 1-0.

Then in the second dig, Nick Vasic, Carter and Langman had RBi hits, forcing Torrens starter Tom Fiebig from the mound, with Nathan Van der Linden entering the fray.

With two out in the bottom of the third inning the Eagles mounted a comeback, with hits to Jakub Vojak, Fiebig, Jordan McArdle and Torey Williams for two runs, to trail 2-4.

While Van der Linden continued to do the job in subduing the Magpies bats from the mound, he also helped his own cause with a two-run single in the sixth dig, which tied up the ball game.

Muggleton only had two safe hits through the three games, but both were big, with his walk-off RBi single in game one, and his sensational eighth inning blast in the decider, which stood up as the match and premiership winner.

Van der Linden finished his pitch count limit after the eighth frame, throwing 6.1 innings for three hits and six K2s in the contest, with Steve O’Connor getting the Magpies three-up and three-down in the top of the ninth to close out the game.

With his pitching effort over the three games, where he was the winner in the first and final contests, as well as plating two runs in the final clash, Van der Linden earned MVP honours for the series.

ROBERT LAiDLAW

GAME ONEPort Adelaide 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 – 2West Torrens 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 – 3

Hits: WT – Fiebig 2, Williams 2, Ni. Van der Linden 2, McArdle, Muggleton, Henty; Port – inoguchi 2, Rackebrandt 2, Brammer, Arriola Sims. WP: Na. Van der Linden; LP: A. Crabb.

GAME TWOPort Adelaide 1 4 0 0 0 1 2 1 1 – 10West Torrens 0 0 0 0 1 8 0 0 0 – 9

Hits: Port – Carter 3 (gshr), inglis 3 (hr), Brammer 2, Langman 2, Rackebrandt, O’Loughlin, Arriola, Vasik; WT – Vojak 3, Fiebig, McArdle, Mead, Ni. Van der Linden. WP: D. Brammer; LP: Na. Van der Linden.

GAME THREEPort Adelaide 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 4West Torrens 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 1 X – 5

Hits: WT – Vojak 2, Williams 2, Kempf 2, Fiebig, McArdle, Muggleton (hr), Na. Van der Linden; Port – Carter 2, Langman 2, Vasik 2, Brammer, Rackebrandt, Sims, inglis. WP: Na. Van der Linden; LP: T. Langman.62 South Australian Baseball League inc.

GRAND FiNAL - WEST TORRENS 7, GLENELG 5

Pos Team P W L D F A SD WP Pts

1 West Torrens Baseball Club 18 15 2 1 168 65 103 86.11 312 Goodwood Baseball Club 19 14 2 3 171 51 120 81.58 313 Adelaide Angels 18 13 5 0 132 63 69 72.22 264 Glenelg Baseball Club 19 11 4 4 138 72 66 68.42 265 Kensington Baseball Club inc 18 11 5 2 122 67 55 66.67 246 Sturt Baseball Club 19 12 6 1 114 83 31 65.79 257 Woodville District Baseball Club 19 11 7 1 121 96 25 60.53 238 East Torrens Payneham Baseball Club 18 8 10 0 97 107 -10 44.44 169 Northern Districts Baseball Club 18 7 10 1 78 114 -36 41.67 1510 Port Adelaide Baseball Club 18 3 13 2 63 77 -14 22.22 811 Golden Grove Central Districts 19 3 15 1 58 171 -113 18.42 712 Southern Districts Baseball Club 19 3 16 0 45 177 -132 15.79 613 Henley & Grange Baseball Club 18 1 17 0 42 204 -162 5.56 2

DIVISION 2

GRAND FiNAL SERiESGAME 1 - WEST TORRENS 3, PORT ADELAiDE 2GAME 2 - WEST TORRENS 9, PORT ADELAiDE 10GAME 3 - WEST TORRENS 5, PORT ADELAiDE 4


1 Kensington Baseball Club inc 36 25 10 1 186 123 63 70.83 512 Port Adelaide Baseball Club 36 25 10 1 195 104 91 70.83 513 Sturt Baseball Club 36 24 12 0 217 128 89 66.67 484 West Torrens Baseball Club 36 24 12 0 194 120 74 66.67 485 Goodwood Baseball Club 36 22 11 3 180 122 58 65.28 476 Glenelg Baseball Club 36 23 13 0 172 112 60 63.89 467 Adelaide Angels 36 21 13 2 144 123 21 61.11 448 Henley & Grange Baseball Club 36 16 18 2 165 169 -4 47.22 349 East Torrens Payneham Baseball Club 36 15 21 0 185 158 27 41.67 3010 Woodville District Baseball Club 35 13 19 3 146 160 -14 41.43 2911 Golden Grove Central Districts 36 11 25 0 124 189 -65 30.56 2212 Southern Districts Baseball Club 36 6 30 0 91 273 -182 16.67 1213 Northern Districts Baseball Club 36 3 33 0 92 309 -217 8.33 6

DIVISION 1


GRAND FiNAL - EAST TORRENS 17, GOODWOOD 7


1 Goodwood Baseball Club 18 16 2 0 217 73 144 88.89 322 Glenelg Baseball Club 17 13 3 1 165 58 107 79.41 273 Sturt Baseball Club 17 13 3 1 161 70 91 79.41 274 Kensington Baseball Club inc 16 12 4 0 200 53 147 75 245 West Torrens Baseball Club 17 12 4 1 182 93 89 73.53 256 East Torrens Payneham Baseball Club 17 11 5 1 166 70 96 67.65 237 Henley & Grange Baseball Club 17 8 9 0 124 137 -13 47.06 168 Golden Grove Central Districts 16 4 10 2 77 196 -119 31.25 109 Southern Districts Baseball Club 17 5 12 0 90 179 -89 29.41 1010 Woodville District Baseball Club 16 4 11 1 88 148 -60 28.13 911 Adelaide Angels 16 2 13 1 81 166 -85 15.63 512 Gawler Rangers Baseball Club inc 16 2 14 0 68 222 -154 12.5 413 Northern Districts Baseball Club 16 1 13 2 53 207 -154 12.5 4

DiViSiON 4

DIVISION 3

GRAND FiNAL - SOUTHERN DiSTRiCTS 15, HENLEY & GRANGE 3


1 Glenelg Baseball Club 18 17 0 1 171 50 121 97.22 352 Southern Districts Baseball Club 18 12 4 2 135 73 62 72.22 263 Goodwood Baseball Club 18 12 5 1 125 72 53 69.44 254 Henley & Grange Baseball Club 18 11 5 2 181 109 72 66.67 245 Golden Grove Central Districts 18 10 8 0 126 106 20 55.56 206 Adelaide Angels 18 9 8 1 130 105 25 52.78 197 West Torrens Baseball Club 18 9 8 1 105 116 -11 53.78 198 East Torrens Payneham Baseball Club 18 8 9 1 118 100 18 47.22 179 Woodville Baseball Club 18 8 9 1 121 120 1 47.22 1710 Gawler Rangers Baseball Club inc 18 7 11 0 110 151 -41 38.89 1411 Port Adelaide Baseball Club 18 6 12 0 82 120 -38 33.33 1212 Northern Districts Baseball Club 18 6 12 0 93 137 -44 33.33 1213 Kensington Baseball Club inc 18 3 15 0 71 194 -123 16.67 614 Sturt Baseball Club 18 3 15 0 58 173 -115 16.67 6


GRAND FiNAL - GLENELG 3, TiGERS 2


1 Southern Districts Baseball Club 18 15 3 0 223 100 123 83.33 302 Glenelg Baseball Club 18 14 3 1 214 106 108 80.56 293 Golden Grove Central Districts 18 14 4 0 213 77 136 77.78 284 Kensington Baseball Club inc 18 13 4 1 155 109 46 75 275 East Torrens Payneham Baseball Club 18 13 5 0 178 100 78 72.22 266 Tigers 18 13 5 0 156 91 65 72.22 267 Adelaide Angels 18 10 8 0 149 135 14 55.56 208 West Torrens Baseball Club 18 9 9 0 170 113 57 50 189 Henley & Grange Baseball Club 18 7 11 0 149 174 -25 38.89 1410 Woodville District Baseball Club 18 6 12 0 113 174 -61 33.33 1211 Sturt Baseball Club 18 5 13 0 127 173 -46 27.78 1012 Port Adelaide Baseball Club 18 3 15 0 95 235 -140 16.67 613 Northern Districts Baseball Club 18 2 16 0 82 242 -160 11.11 414 Playford City Baseball Club 18 1 17 0 92 287 -195 5.56 2

DiViSiON 6

DiViSiON 5

GRAND FiNAL - SOUTHERN DiSTRiCTS 4, HENLEY & GRANGE 3


1 Southern Districts Baseball Club 18 15 3 0 169 73 96 83.33 302 Henley & Grange Baseball Club 18 12 6 0 118 92 26 66.67 243 Glenelg Baseball Club 18 11 6 1 137 108 29 63.89 234 Adelaide Angels 18 11 7 0 139 139 0 61.11 225 Goodwood Baseball Club 18 8 10 0 128 116 12 44.44 166 Kensington Baseball Club inc 18 6 11 1 123 144 -21 36.11 137 Golden Grove Central Districts 18 5 11 2 112 157 -45 33.33 128 Port Adelaide Baseball Club 18 1 15 2 84 181 -97 11.11 4


DIVISION 7

GRAND FiNAL - ANGELS 1, EAST TORRENS 7


1 Glenelg Baseball Club 18 16 2 0 255 77 178 88.89 322 Angels 17 14 3 0 230 133 97 82.35 283 Flinders University Baseball Club 18 14 4 0 255 122 133 7.78 284 East Torrens Payneham Baseball Club 18 13 5 0 167 124 43 72.22 265 Goodwood Baseball Club 18 12 6 0 208 146 62 66.67 246 Adelaide Baseball Club 18 11 7 0 182 147 35 61.11 227 Southern Districts Baseball Club 17 10 7 0 200 167 33 58.82 208 Tigers 17 9 8 0 205 153 52 52.94 189 Sturt Baseball Club 18 8 10 0 171 194 -23 44.44 1610 Henley & Grange Baseball Club 18 7 11 0 167 213 -46 38.89 1411 Kensington Baseball Club inc 17 4 13 0 175 250 -75 23.53 812 Gawler Rangers Baseball Club inc 18 4 14 0 148 251 -103 22.22 813 Golden Grove Central Districts 18 3 15 0 128 269 -141 16.67 614 Woodville District Baseball Club 18 0 18 0 86 317 -231 0 015 Northern Districts Baseball Club 1 0 1 0 0 9 -9 0 0

GRAND FiNAL - WEST TORRENS 11, PORT ADELAiDE 2Pos Team P W L D F A SD WP Pts

1 Glenelg Baseball Club 16 14 1 1 164 41 123 90.63 292 Port Adelaide Baseball Club 16 12 2 2 150 54 96 81.25 263 East Torrens Payneham Baseball Club 15 12 3 0 133 70 63 80 244 West Torrens Baseball Club 16 11 2 3 146 55 91 78.13 255 Woodville Districts Baseball Club 15 9 5 1 116 54 62 63.33 196 Adelaide Angels 15 9 6 0 119 73 46 60 187 Henley & Grange Baseball Club 16 8 8 0 100 12 -20 50 168 Kensington Baseball Club 16 7 9 0 93 113 -20 43.75 149 Sturt Baseball Club 15 5 8 2 107 106 1 40 1210 Goodwood Baseball Club 15 5 10 0 79 149 -70 33.33 1011 Redsox 14 4 9 1 101 121 -20 32.14 912 Golden Grove Central Districts 15 4 11 0 90 111 -21 26.67 813 Northern Districts Baseball Club 15 1 14 0 56 212 -156 6.67 214 Southern Districts Baseball Club 15 1 14 0 41 216 -175 6.67 2

UNDER 17



1 East Torrens Payneham Baseball Club 10 8 2 0 68 32 36 80 162 Port Adelaide Baseball Club 10 7 3 0 54 30 24 70 143 Henley & Grange Baseball Club 10 6 4 0 58 58 0 60 124 Northern Districts Baseball Club 10 4 5 1 43 67 -24 45 95 Kensington Baseball Club inc 10 3 6 1 66 61 5 35 76 Golden Grove Central Districts 10 1 9 0 43 84 -41 10 2


1 West Torrens Baseball Club 9 8 1 0 84 23 61 88.89 162 Glenelg Baseball Club 8 7 1 0 82 27 55 87.5 143 Sturt Baseball Club 8 4 4 0 52 51 1 50 84 Woodille District Baseball Club 8 3 4 1 49 62 -13 43.75 75 Southern Districts Baseball Club 7 3 4 0 24 37 -13 42.86 66 Goodwood Baseball Club 9 2 7 0 34 81 -47 22.22 47 Adelaide Angels 9 1 7 1 29 80 -51 16.67 3

DON RiCE LEAGUE GRAND FiNAL - WEST TORRENS 11, PORT ADELAiDE 2

DON RiCE LEAGUE SOUTH

DON RiCE LEAGUE NORTH


GRAND FiNAL - HENLEY & GRANGE 12, EAST TORRENS 11


1 Henley & Grange Baseball Club 14 13 1 0 131 55 76 92.86 262 East Torrens Payneham Baseball Club 15 11 3 1 180 61 119 76.67 233 Southern Districts Baseball Club 14 10 3 1 115 62 53 75 214 Goodwood Baseball Club 13 9 3 1 139 71 68 73.08 195 Golden Grove Central Districts 14 7 6 1 115 90 25 53.57 156 West Torrens Baseball Club 14 6 6 2 112 81 31 50 147 Glenelg Baseball Club 14 7 7 0 117 97 20 50 148 Sturt Baseball Club 15 6 9 0 119 116 3 40 129 Northern Districts Baseball Club 14 3 11 0 62 157 -95 21.43 610 Woodville District Baseball Club 15 3 12 0 79 192 -113 20 611 Adelaide Angels 14 0 14 0 32 219 -187 0 0

UNDER 15/1

UNDER 15/2

GRAND FiNAL - HENLEY & GRANGE 8, EAST TORRENS 13


1 Henley & Grange - Gold 16 14 2 0 198 90 108 87.5 282 East Torrens Payneham Baseball Club 15 12 3 0 185 104 81 80 243 Gawler Rangers Baseball Club inc 16 12 4 0 195 102 93 75 244 Southern Districts Baseball Club 16 8 7 1 151 12 22 53.13 175 Golden Grove Central Districts 16 8 7 1 171 165 6 53.13 176 Sturt Baseball Club 15 5 7 3 132 124 8 43.33 137 Port Adelaide Baseball Club 15 6 8 1 126 136 -10 43.33 138 Henley & Grange - Maroon 16 5 9 2 141 158 -17 37.5 129 Kensington Baseball Club inc 15 3 12 0 134 210 -76 20 610 Woodville District Baseball Club 14 0 14 0 47 262 -215 0 0


GRAND FiNAL - HENLEY & GRANGE 6, GLENELG 4


1 Henley & Grange Baseball Club 15 15 0 0 211 33 178 100 302 Glenelg Baseball Club 16 14 2 0 202 80 122 87.5 283 Sturt Baseball Club 15 13 2 0 176 53 123 86.67 264 East Torrens Payneham Baseball Club 15 10 5 0 125 79 46 66.67 205 Adelaide Baseball Club 16 10 5 1 170 98 72 65.63 216 Goodwood Baseball Club 16 9 6 1 154 103 51 59.38 197 Southern Districts Baseball Club 16 7 8 1 137 142 -5 46.88 158 Golden Grove Central Districts 15 4 11 0 91 174 -83 26.67 89 Angels 16 4 12 0 101 194 -93 25 810 West Torrens Baseball Club 16 2 13 1 74 186 -112 15.63 511 Kensington Baseball Club inc 14 2 12 0 83 191 -108 14.29 412 Port Adelaide Baseball Club 15 1 14 0 55 232 -177 6.67 213 Woodville District Baseball Club 1 0 1 0 3 17 -14 0 0

UNDER 13/1

UNDER 13/2GRAND FiNAL - HENLEY & GRANGE 13, GLENELG 7


1 Gawler Rangers Baseball Club inc 13 12 1 0 166 61 105 92.31 242 Henley & Grange Baseball Club 13 1 2 0 151 74 77 84.62 223 Glenelg Baseball Club 13 9 4 0 154 107 47 69.23 184 East Torrens Payneham Baseball Club 13 7 5 1 140 102 38 57.69 155 Sturt Baseball Club 11 5 5 1 96 104 -8 50 116 Woodville Districts Baseball Club 11 5 5 1 107 117 -10 50 117 Goodwood Baseball Club 13 5 7 1 123 109 14 42.31 118 indians 11 4 6 1 108 109 -1 40.91 99 Southern Districts Baseball Club 13 1 11 1 84 192 -108 11.54 310 Northern Districts Baseball Club 13 0 13 0 61 215 -154 0 0



1 East Torrens Payneham Baseball Club 14 13 0 1 184 58 126 96.43 272 Golden Grove Central Districts 13 10 3 0 88 54 34 76.92 203 Henley & Grange Baseball Club 13 8 5 0 117 101 16 61.54 164 Woodville District Baseball Club 15 8 7 0 115 121 -6 53.33 165 Gawler Rangers Baseball Club Inc 13 6 6 1 110 86 24 50 136 Port Adelaide Baseball Club 14 7 7 0 109 105 4 50 147 Kensington Baseball Club Inc 15 6 9 0 107 117 -10 40 128 Redsox 14 2 12 0 76 190 -114 14.29 49 Cardinals 13 1 12 0 83 157 -74 7.69 2

UNDER 11 NORTH

UNDER 11 SOUTH


1 Glenelg Baseball Club 15 15 0 0 138 30 108 100 302 Southern Districts Baseball Club 13 9 3 1 108 65 43 73.08 193 Sturt Baseball Club 14 9 4 1 75 63 12 67.86 194 Indians 14 8 4 2 109 60 49 64.29 185 West Torrens 13 7 5 1 94 75 19 57.69 156 Adelaide 13 4 9 0 64 100 -36 30.77 87 Hawks 13 3 10 0 78 124 -46 23.08 68 Goodwood Baseball Club 13 2 11 0 97 109 -72 15.38 49 Angels 12 0 11 1 41 118 -77 4.17 1


DIRECT MAIL CENTRE AUSTRALIA

A: 1092 South Road, Edwardstown SA 5039P: (08) 8277 7700

E: [email protected] W: www.directmailcentre.com.au

Date post:	30-Jun-2020
Category:	Documents
Upload:	others
View:	2 times
Download:	0 times

2016/17 ANNUAL REPORT · 2019-08-09 · 2016/17 LEAGUE AWARDS Junior Awards 33 - Senior Awards 34 -...

Documents