Baseball is officially back in WA with the 2020 Think Again Little League State Championships getting started today at Crimea Park and the Baseball Park. The tournament kicked off with a bang as 17 teams turned out in search of early success, although unfortunately heavy rains at the Baseball Park called off the Senior League games.
The State Champions for Little, Intermediate, Junior and Senior League will be crowned at the end of this week. Check out all the action from Day 1 and follow Baseball WA on Facebook and Instagram for photos, videos and more. LITTLE LEAGUE Coastal Bay Sharks 0 v Northern Metros 13 The Metros won 13-0 thanks to a strong offense that the Sharks couldn’t quite match, despite some good catches in the field. Tyler Fraser, Taj Jeffers handled the bulk of the pitching for Coastal Bay, while Monty Smith and Scott Gilchrist also contributed. The Metros jumped on their scoring chances, with Cameron Bahr, Oliver Newham and Hyte Brooks handling the pitching work and saving the shutout. Tuesday sees Coastal Bay play a double header with games against reigning champs Eastern Phantoms before another meeting with the Metros. A loss to the Phantoms and a win for the Metros could put them on top of Pool B by Tuesday afternoon. Southern Hills Warriors 0 v Central Firebirds 11 The Central Firebirds opened their account with a huge win on the back of quick innings by Simon Monson and Kazuki Mochida. The Warriors had William Baker, Taj Gullotti, Kyle Martins and Kyron Schwarz putting in good efforts on the mound but they couldn’t tame the Firebirds’ explosive offense. These two sides meet again at 2:30 PM on Tuesday afternoon. Northern Metros 1 v Eastern Phantoms 11 After a comprehensive 13-0 win to start the day, the Metros ran out of momentum in this matchup against a tough Eastern side. Eita Samukawa and Toby Franklin kept things under control for the 2019 Little League State Champions while Quinn Fatai, Rafael DiBlasi, Judd MacNeil and Chase Shortland pitched for the Metros. Both teams play the Coastal Bay Sharks on Tuesday in search of more wins to boost their positions on the ladder. Central Firebirds 13 v Southern Titans 2 The Firebirds went two for two on opening day, scoring another 13 runs in their second game with a massive outing against the Titans. Aiden Brannan and Brendan Sparkes gave the Firebirds plenty of confidence on the mound, while Liam Zagari, Dylan Chapman, Aiden McCabe and Matthew Rowsell split the pitching duties for the Titans. Both teams play the Warriors on Tuesday, with the Firebirds sitting atop the Pool A ladder. INTERMEDIATE LEAGUE Western Suns 14 v Western Stars 4 The Suns wasted no time getting their first win on the board, cruising past the Stars with the help of strong pitching by Xavia Aporo, Rowan Edmunds and Riley Oliphant. The Stars had Jack Brooks, Owen Capes, Kylan Granland, Rhys Hards and Kristian Haeusler switching off on the mound, but their efforts couldn’t hold back the hard-hitting Suns. The Suns will look to go 2-0 on Tuesday morning against the reigning champs Western Comets, while the Stars play the Meteors. Western Comets 6 v Western Meteors 22 The Meteors came up against last year’s champs but they made it work with the highest runs tally of the day. Fletcher Thomas and Xander Huisman gave up a few runs to the Comets but still kept things under control so the Meteors could run wild on the base paths. The Comets will look to bounce back tomorrow against the Suns while the Meteors hope to keep things rolling against the Stars. JUNIOR LEAGUE Western Meteors 6 v Northern Metros 10 The Northern Metros followed up on last year’s winning form with a strong performance over the Western Meteors. Jack Angeloff, Hudson Brice, Brayden Connor and Xavier Fatai did enough on the mound to hold off the Meteors. The combined pitching efforts of Cameron Ballantine, Maclin Berry, Riley Hall, Jai Hewitt, Jacob Hills and Cody Van Der Graaf kept the Meteors in the race, but they ultimately fell short. The Metros play the Suns next while the Meteors look for a win against the Comets. Western Comets 5 v Western Suns 2 In the closest matchup of the day, the Comets sneaked past the Suns. The combined pitching contributions from Niyaz Abdul, Cruze Brendon, Campbell Froude and Daniel Papiccio got the job done for the Comets as they kept the Suns’ offense quiet enough. The Suns had Luke Warner, Jackson Stivey and Darcy Clements working on the mound as they fell by three runs. Tuesday’s fixture has the Metros v Suns and Comets v Meteors. SENIOR LEAGUE Western Suns v Western Comets – Rained Out Western Meteors v Western Suns – Rained Out Heavy rain called the Baseball Park games off, with these matchups added to Tuesday and Wednesday’s schedules. Tuesday’s fixture now has Suns v Comets at 1:00 PM, followed by Meteors v Comets at 4:00 PM and Meteors v Suns at 7:00 PM. Baseball WA is just days away from the highly-anticipated return to play with the 2020 Think Again Little League State Championships running from Monday, 13 July – Friday, 17 July 2020.
The Little, Intermediate and Junior League competitions will be held at Crimea Park, home of the Morley Eagles, and the Senior League competition will take place at the Baseball Park. The Eastern Phantoms (Little), Western Comets (Intermediate), Northern Metros (Junior) and Western Suns (Senior) will chase back-to-back State Championships. “COVID-19 has presented plenty of challenges, but our baseball community and WA as a whole has persevered, and we’re so excited that baseball is back,” Baseball WA CEO Lachlan Dale. “While we were disappointed to postpone these events in March, it was necessary to protect the health and safety of our members, and we are pleased that our patience and planning has paid off. Even though the national and international pathways were cancelled this year, it’s important we get our players back on the field playing the sport they love.” With 17 teams ready to compete in the tournament, there will be plenty of teamwork and determination displayed throughout the week. Charter teams have been gearing up for the competition with fun scratch matches and training sessions in recent weeks. “ “Our charter players worked so hard this past season, and we are pleased to give them the chance to showcase their skills and work hard with their teams to chase State Championship glory,” Little League District Administrator Andrew Murray said. “We can’t wait to see what next week has in store, and of course we appreciate the committee members and volunteers at Morley Eagles Baseball Club for stepping up to host these events in what’s been a very different year.” Coaches and their teams share the sentiments. Eastern Phantoms Little League Coach Daniel Calverley and his players are counting down the days. “We are really excited to get back on the field,” Calverley said. “Whilst we are disappointed there is no pathway this year, we are eager to play some games and look forward to the State Championship.” Older players are just as excited. “The Western Meteors are fired up and ready to clash with the Suns and the Comets” Senior League Coach Dean Cole said. Baseball WA wishes all teams and participants the best of luck at the 2020 Think Again Little League State Championships! Make sure to follow along with all the action from the State Champs on the Little League WA Facebook, Baseball WA Facebook and Instagram for photos, videos and more. Please note fixtures are available on our website: Little League Intermediate League Junior League Senior League The 2020 Australian Women's and Youth Women's Baseball Championships have been cancelled as the COVID-19 crisis escalates.
Baseball Australia today confirmed it had made the difficult decision to call off the tournament, originally slated for Canberra in April, after the Victorian border was closed this week and other states reconsider easing their restrictions. Baseball Australia chief executive Cam Vale said the latest measures and lack of clarity over how the situation will progress took away the window of opportunity for the championships to be rescheduled in 2020. “The planning that goes into national championships is significant,” Vale said. “Unfortunately the latest border restrictions are another setback and with no clear picture of how long they will be in place it makes it very difficult to plan for the event, especially with flight availability still limited.” The championships were originally postponed in March, and Baseball Australia had hoped to reschedule the event, which was an important part of the Boral Australian Emeralds’ preparations for the 2020 Women’s Baseball World Cup. The World Cup has been pushed back to November in Mexico, but Vale said, due to the continued increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Latin America, it was questionable whether it would go ahead and that the Emeralds would be able to compete. “Baseball Australia is currently working with Australian Government agencies and the WBSC to ensure the health and safety of players, staff and spectators,” Vale said. “But the reality with a ban on overseas travel from Australia currently in place, is it will take a dramatic improvement in COVID-19 restrictions being eased for the Emeralds to compete even if the event is held.” Vale said he also expected to be in a position to provide an update on the proposed Australian women’s league with work continuing behind the scenes. The location and dates of the 2021 Australian Women's and Youth Women's Baseball Championships will be announced later in the year. There have been several recent changes to Baseball WA staffing as our organisation prepares for a strong second-half of the year following the COVID-19 crisis.
Petey Adamson, who previously handled website administration and fixturing, will finish up at the end of June and would like to thank him for his long-service for Baseball WA. Earlier this year we began the transition to a shared media and marketing resource model with Baseball Victoria. This has allowed us to increase our communications on Facebook and the Baseball WA website, as well as launch the official Baseball WA Instagram account. We believe a streamlined, professional approach to communications will benefit our community and enable us to better promote our clubs, members and programs, something we will strive to continue moving forward. For any media or communications queries or news stories to share, please contact [email protected]. At the conclusion of the 2020 Little League State Championships next month, Little League District Administrator Andrew Murray will be finishing up with Baseball WA. This position will be absorbed into the participation management role headed up by David Hayes. Junior Competition Manager Lance MacKichan will take a step back from competition support focusing on work outside his role with BWA, while Bryce Gomes has come on board to finish up an internship program with Baseball WA in the next few months. Baseball WA is also investing in national strategies for member services, protection and tribunal processes, which will see a boost in shared support services for our members. More details on these changes will be shared in the coming months. The Baseball WA team is looking forward to a bright future, even in light of this year’s unprecedented challenges. We thank Petey, Andrew and Lance for their many contributions and wish them well in future endeavours. If you have any questions or need assistance with anything, please contact Baseball WA and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Former Pittsburgh Pirates organisation infielder and Perth Heat star Sam Kennelly is gearing up to coach the Ravens in Baseball WA’s third season of Pro League baseball.
This marks Kennelly's first foray into Pro League coaching, taking over from Eric Grabe who took the side all the way in 2019. The Ravens claimed a 9-2 win over the Dragons in the deciding game last season, and the 24-year-old Kennelly is certain that he’s got the knowledge, tools and players for the Ravens to remain competitive again in search of back-to-back titles. “I did keep a close eye on the past few seasons, and I’m really excited to see some of the talent in the teams as they go head to head with some of the best 15-18-year-olds in WA," Kennelly said. "The team’s potential is very high. We have a great mix of athletes and I’m looking forward to seeing these young studs go to work.” After finalising the roster following last month's draft, Kennelly is feeling confident that the Ravens can build on their success in previous seasons. He hopes his players will be able to take a lot away from this season, including a desire to learn, grow and develop, especially as the summer season quickly rolls back around. “The keys to success for our team will be to have fun and compete. The outcome of the game doesn't matter, as long as our team goes out and plays hard first pitch to last,” Kennelly says. "I want them to come out of the program not only as better ballplayers but as better people and teammates too.” Kennelly has his sights set on a fantastic season for the Ravens, and he is excited to see what the next few months have in store. “My goal for this year’s Pro League is to be able to help the players become the best players they can be and to be there as a mentor for them to get as much out of the program as they can," Kennelly said. "Another goal is to beat Mitch Williams' Wolves team!” Kennelly has been in charge of many junior teams over the years, and he looks forward to using his professional experience to teach these young, talented baseballers. Kennelly doesn’t shy away from crediting his past mentors as they have supported his venture into the professional baseball playing and coaching ranks. “There’s been a lot of coaches who have been involved in my baseball career and dedicated more time than I could have asked for. The likes of Don and Andy Kyle, Rod Drew, and my older brothers Adam, Tim, Matt and Josh have been role models to me since day one,” Kennelly said. "Many others have been with me pretty much every step of my baseball career and still today I’m grateful for these people and what they have done for me.” His experience within a professional organisation such as the Pirates, as well as his success with the Heat in the Australian Baseball League, has enlightened Kennelly to the various styles of coaching and gameplay, something he’ll use to inspire the Ravens throughout the upcoming Pro League season. “Growing up and having these ABL and professional guys come down and be a role model to myself by giving up their time was always something I appreciated,” Kennelly says. "Now being in their shoes, giving the same support back to the younger group is something I always take pride in doing - setting good examples and being a mentor for the players.” After the ups and downs of the current climate with the COVID-19 pandemic, Kennelly believes Pro League will benefit baseball’s resumption in the state and provide players and coaches with the groundwork to work towards a full summer season. “It’s a great opportunity for those whose season was cut short towards finals time and great preparation for next season," Kennelly said. "Especially with COVID-19 and the restrictions that were put in place, it’s the perfect program to better themselves and get an advantage heading in the 2020/21 season.” Overall, Kennelly is relishing the opportunity to take hold of the Ravens in the upcoming Pro League season, with the competition set to get underway on Tuesday, August 4 as Kennelly’s team leads things off against the Wolves. “It’s going to be a tough competition, there is plenty of talent and hard workers throughout the teams so it will be fun to watch," Kennelly said. |
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