Baseball WA is pleased to confirm plans for a new Rays Showcase program, which will take place during the October school holidays and offer an exciting opportunity for players in the Foundation and Talent categories of BWA’s Pathways Framework (FTEM).
“With the reintroduction of the Australian Youth Championships in January, we did not run the Rays Showcase like in the previous two years. Now, with the introduction of a new winter league, Pro League will not be running. As a result, a brand new Rays Showcase will be launched in October for players in the Foundation 3+, Talent 1, and Talent 2 categories of our Pathways Framework,” BWA Participation Manager David Hayes said. “This will be a great opportunity for young athletes to continue their development and grow more confident in their baseball abilities, paving the path for a bright future in our sport.” Diamond Fitness is excited to be involved in the Rays Showcase once more. “It’s going be fun! Our plan is to replicate Major League Spring Training as closely as possible and give players a Big League experience,” Director Dean White said. Once the FTEM lists have been updated with participants in the JLSC and SLSC, all eligible U16 and U18 players will be contacted directly offering a position in the program. Please stay tuned for further updates. Baseball WA is seeking expressions of interest from members of North Coast, Alkimos, and Port Hedland clubs wishing to be considered for the Sun City Thunder Executive Committee for the 2023-24 season.
The following positions are now available:
Nominations close 15 May 2023. Please click HERE to nominate. The WA Women's State Team is celebrating gold medal glory after besting undefeated Victoria 6-3 in the 2023 Australian Women's Championship at Melbourne Ballpark.
WA went 6-1 and only dropped one game to Victoria on Wednesday before bouncing back with the grand final win on Thursday. The game was tied at three in the top of the sixth when Elodie O'Sullivan singled on a 2-2 count, scoring one run to put WA in front. Yuuki Ishikawa was named tournament MVP and Leah Cornish earned the Golden Bat Award to round off an amazing week on the national stage. "For everyone involved in this program, there are no words that can describe what it feels to achieve what we just achieved. A mountain of work has gone into this achievement, it's been 11 years since our program brought this trophy home so it's a special feeling," Head Coach Kurt Russell said. "As a group last year we honestly thought we were around the mark and were humbled pretty quickly as we settled for a bronze medal. I sat down with our leadership group and started to identify areas within our program we can improve. We went to work early last offseason with a winter program for the girls that made the national showcase and that was the start to our preparations." This year, their approach in the box made a huge difference. "It's clear the hitting program and philosophy myself and my staff rolled out have worked because we were above and beyond every other team offensively. Obviously without the buy in of every athlete in the program we do not get the results. The program is just the foundation, so all the credit needs to go to the girls for putting in the work and buying into the program." Coach Russell says this incredible result is a testament to the bright future of women's baseball across the state. "This win means everything to everyone involved in our program. These athletes have worked so hard and invested a lot of money and time in order to be part of a national championship winning squad. The memories created over the past week are lifelong memories that will not be forgotten any time soon. For women's baseball in WA, it shows we are heading in the right direction and it now gives a benchmark for all the athletes aspiring to become a part of the program. There is a genuine direction within this program and we have the backing of BWA to ensure its ongoing success." BWA and the entire baseball community are incredibly proud of the women and what they accomplished. "It was fantastic to see the success of the team with so many graduates of our junior development programs, especially the Pony Girls we introduced a few years ago. Seven of them are graduates of Pony Girls," BWA Participation Manager David Hayes said. "What we need to take the next step are more clubs buying in to the development of girls pathways in their planning, from tee-ball to Pony Girls to the Women's League. Once we have 8-12 clubs with this in place year-on-year, we will consistently lead the way at both Women's and Youth Girls national championships". Perth Heat share the sentiment. "It’s a remarkable achievement and a wonderful reward for commitment,” Perth Heat Chief Executive Steven Nelkovski said. “Our women’s teams have overcome incredible obstacles with poor female facilities and exclusion from the National Showcase tournament in recent years, so to win the tournament is phenomenal." Catch up on all the #AWC2023 action on Facebook and GameChanger. Check out the gold medal game recap HERE. as Congratulations to our amazing women’s team on a 6-3 win over undefeated host Victoria to bring home the 2023 Australian Women's Championship title!
It was a hard-fought game for both sides - we are so proud of our team and all their hard work and determination. WA never gave up! Stay tuned for the latest photos and videos from Melbourne Ballpark as we celebrate this huge accomplishment! Gold Medal Game Recap Western Australia took a late lead to win 6-3 over Victoria on Thursday. The game was tied at three with WA batting in the top of the sixth when Elodie O'Sullivan singled on a 2-2 count, scoring one run. Kelsey Brennan singled on a 1-1 count to open the scoring for WA in the first. Victoria got on the board as well and took a one-run lead in the third, but WA evened things up at three in the top of the fourth. Yuuki Ishikawa grounded out, scoring one run. Ishikawa led things off on the hill, allowing seven hits and three runs over seven innings, striking out five and walking zero. WA totaled ten hits in the game. Caitlin Eynon, O'Sullivan, and Meaghan Haggart all collected multiple hits as Eynon led the way with three hits in four at bats. WA didn't commit a single error in the field as Megan Everitt had the most chances with seven. Powered by Narrative Science and GameChanger Media. Copyright 2023. All rights reserved. Image: Debs Photos
Congratulations to Braves Baseball Club winning the Harcher Perth State League Grand Final! In what has to go down as one of the greatest State League Grand Final series ever, the Braves walked away with the chocolates after a 2-1 win over Morley Eagles in game 3! The final out was one of the biggest and best plays made in Western Australian baseball history! Catch up on recaps from the thrilling three-game series below. Game 1: Morley 4, Braves 2 Morley Eagles nabbed the lead late in the game in a 4-2 victory over Braves on Wednesday. The game was tied at two with Morley batting in the bottom of the eighth when Josh Silvi singled on a 0-2 count, scoring one run. Braves got things moving in the second inning, when Jack Rigden grounded out, scoring one run. Morley tied things up at two on a single by Silvi in the bottom of the fourth. Lachy Southee earned the win for Morley. The bulldog went three innings, allowing zero runs on zero hits and striking out three. Matt Kennelly took the loss for Braves. Kennelly allowed eight hits and three runs over seven and two-thirds innings, striking out four. Adam Millson started the game for Morley. The pitcher allowed five hits and two runs over six innings, striking out three. Morley tallied 11 hits. Silvi went 3-for-4 as Matt Dixon, Aaron Bonomi, and Cody Holt had multiple hits, too. Josh Kennelly went 2-for-4 at the plate to lead Braves in hits. Game 2: Braves 10, Morley 0 Tucker Smith shut down Morley Eagles, throwing a complete game shutout and leading Braves to a 10-0 victory on Friday. Braves secured the victory thanks to seven runs in the seventh inning. The offensive onslaught came from walks by Kevin Clark and Tim Kennelly, an error on a ball put in play by Sam Kennelly, and a double by Josh Kennelly. Braves notched seven runs in the seventh inning. Braves batters contributing to the big inning included Clark and Kennelly, all driving in runs in the frame. One bright spot for Morley was a double by Matt Dixon in the fifth inning. Smith got the win for Braves, allowing three hits and zero runs over seven innings, striking out seven. Kodai Hamaya took the loss for Morley. Hamaya lasted six innings, allowing seven hits and three runs while striking out eight. Braves totaled nine hits in the game. Ben Drew led the team with three hits in four at bats. Game 3: Braves 2, Morley 1 Morley Eagles stayed in it until the end, but Braves pulled away late in a 2-1 victory on Saturday. The game was tied at one with Braves batting in the top of the eighth when Tim Kennelly singled on a 0-2 count, scoring one run. The pitching was strong on both sides. Braves pitchers struck out four, while Morley sat down three. Morley knotted the game up at one in the bottom of the seventh inning, when an error scored one run. Daniel Schmidt earned the victory on the hill for Braves. The lefty allowed eight hits and one run over eight innings, striking out four and walking zero. Sam Kennelly threw one inning in relief out of the bullpen. Kennelly recorded the last three outs to earn the save. Lachy Southee took the loss for Morley. Southee surrendered one run on two hits over two and a third innings, striking out one. Adam Millson started the game for Morley. The hurler lasted six and two-thirds innings, allowing one hit and one run while striking out two. Morley tallied eight hits on the day. Cody Holt, Kieran Chapman, and Ulrich Bojarski had two hits apiece. Powered by Narrative Science and GameChanger Media. Copyright 2023. All rights reserved. |
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