13 February 2025
All the short player stories from Team Australia at the Hanwha Series in Melbourne
Team Australia is in Melbourne playing Korean Baseball League club Hanwha Eagles in a three-game series.
It’s a KBO team loaded with talent, including longtime MLB veteran Hyun Jin Ryu, flame throwing Korean national team member Moon Dong-Ju and 2023 KBO home run leader Roh Si-Hwan.
A year out from the 2026 World Baseball Classic, Australia is taking the time to look at some fresh talent, with 14 new players on the squad compared to last year’s Premier12.
You can read about the tournament here.
This article is all about hearing from the players. Eric Balnar is on the ground, catching up with some of Australia’s players throughout the weekend.
We’ll log the stories here.
Let’s begin.
AFTER THREE YEARS OF INJURY, JESS WILLIAMS FINALLY BACK NEAR THE TOP OF AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL
A major elbow surgery and a broken leg would be enough to derail most people’s athletic careers.
Not infielder Jess Williams.
The 25-year-old from Perth is ready to suit up for the national team against Korean professional team Hanwha Eagles in a three-game exhibition series this weekend.
It’s been a long road to get here.
After the 2021 ABL season, Williams had Tommy John Surgery to repair his elbow. It’s a procedure with over a year of recovery time.
Two months after he finished his elbow rehab he broke his leg playing Australian Rules Football.
It wiped out nearly three years of a promising young player who had won the 2018 ABL Rookie of the Year, spent two seasons in the Milwaukee Brewers minors and represented Australia at the Under 18 World Cup.
After nearly three years between high-level baseball games, Williams strapped on the Green & Gold at the 2023 Asia Professional Baseball Championships before making his professional return for the 2023-24 ABL season with the Perth Heat.
“It’s definitely tough going through the rehab process but I was young and I had a great group of guys around the Perth Heat clubhouse so it was always the goal to get back to being playing with them,” says Williams.
“It’s been huge being back playing with them both mentally and physically for myself. So I’m just trying to enjoy it.”
Williams hasn’t just been back in the line-up, he’s been a massive contributor.
In 2024-25, his second full season back, Williams finished third in the ABL with a .324 average. The mark he set led all Perth Heat hitters.
“This year I felt a bit more like myself. In the first year back there were a fair few games I had to pop a few Nurofen to get through them,” he says. “But this year I had a good off-season in the gym and I came into the year feeling strong and healthy.”
Williams says the injuries also helped him shift his mindset and lean on his community.
“From the mental side of things, I think I’ve started to mature. I know when I first came into the ABL I had a great first year but then struggled a little bit. I didn’t know how to cope with it,” he says.
“When I was in juniors I always excelled, but then you start struggling and it’s completely different. I’ve learned to talk to coaches, and teammates about how to go through things and accept it and find my way out of it.”
Williams is still only 25-years-old and is yet to enter his baseball prime. He says the Australian jersey is a motivating factor.
“It’s huge. A big goal for mine was to try to put back on the Australian jersey,” says Williams. “Being part of the senior team this weekend is massive for me.”
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ABL ROOKIE OF YEAR JAYLIN RAE BRINGS ‘JUST WIN’ ATTITUDE WHEREVER HE GOES
Jaylin Rae is bringing back valuable college lessons back to Australian baseball.
“I really just learned how to win,” says the 23-year-old infielder, who just won the Australian Baseball League Rookie of the Year.
The do-it-all utility man from Sydney built up quite the resume in his four-season career in the USA.
He helped Central Arizona win a Junior College National Championship in 2022.
He slashed .357/.449/.911 at Charleston Southern in 2023.
He finished ninth nationally in sacrifice bunts in 2024 with Eastern Kentucky.
He helped Australia finish fourth at an U18 World Cup and make the super round at an U23 World Cup.
Rae parlayed success to the Sydney Blue Sox hitting .292, playing six different positions and winning Rookie of the Year.
“That’s what I wanted to bring back to Sydney in my first year. I just like being a utility guy, a guy who helps out wherever is needed. I can fill a gap wherever the team needs,” says Rae. “I can play small ball when I have to. I’m not the biggest guy so I use my tools where I can.”
His team-first, and win first, mentality should factor in well in a national team setting.
Rae says his college experience really helped develop his sense of self, figuring out how he best fits in on a field.
“I figured myself out through college. That system suited me well. Just being able to play the small ball, fit in, steal a base, do what I can to get on base and be a spark plug,” he says.
Now, he’s impressed national selectors enough to have a look at this weekend just twelve months out from a World Baseball Classic.
But Jaylin says he doesn’t want to get caught up in the future.
“I think [the WBC] is always on our mind but the important thing is to have fun and don’t put pressure on yourself because when you do that you don’t really have too much success,” he says. “I’ll just show how I’ve progressed and what I can do for the team.”
Making the series special is playing in front of loved ones – an experience he hasn’t had too often at World Cups.
“It means the world to me,” says Rae. “Putting on the green and gold…there’s nothing like it. Being able to finally share that with the whole family is really special.”
KNIGHT FINALLY FEELING AT HOME IN AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL COMMUNITY
Team Australia outfielder Briley Knight says he’s found a home in Australian baseball.
When we first met Knight, he was a bundle of anxious, excited energy. He was about to jump on a plane to represent Australia at the 2023 Asia Professional Baseball Championships in Tokyo.
It was a ‘0 to 100 moment’ for Briley, who re-acquainted himself with the Aussie baseball world in a confronting way.
The 25-year-old, born in Perth, has an Australian passport but grew up in Oregon.
He introduced himself to Australian fans while playing in front of 50,000 fans and a TV audience of millions wearing the Green and Gold.
“When that happened – playing in front of all those people in the Tokyo – it was like ‘woah I can’t believe this is real.’ That really lit a fire in me for what I wanted to achieve,” he says. “I’m hoping down the track I can do it again.”
Briley’s father Brooke is a prolific Australian Baseball League manager, so Briley wasn’t exactly unfamiliar with Australian Baseball.
He even played for Western Australia at an U16 National Championship. He’s followed along and knows how the system works.
After a four-year college career, Briley took his talents back Down Under.
He’s played the last two ABL seasons with the Adelaide Giants and is re-signed for a third. Knight hit .317 across his 59 ABL games so far.
He was the Game 3 hero in the 2024 ABL Championship Series – taking a run-saving diving catch and driving in the winning run.
This year’s .315 average was good for fourth in the competition.
“This year I felt way more comfortable,” says Knight. “t’s the same for anyone. You enter a new environment and team it’s going to be a little strange to start out with. But coming into Adelaide, seeing more friendly faces with Team Australia, it definitely makes me feel more comfortable because I’m friends with these guys and we all have the same goal – just win.”
Knight says Australian baseball is now home for him. He has big goals for himself, and for his country.
“I’ll be back again in Australia next season and hopefully after that,” says Knight.
“I think to be a good baseball player at this level you have to know what you’re good at and know how you can help your team win. I don’t try to do too much or be someone else that I’m not,” he adds. “I just want to contribute. I want to be part of it. And I want to win.”
FOR AUSTRALIA’S GAME 1 STARTER ALEXANDER WELLS, FAMILY MATTERS IN RETURN TO NATIONAL TEAM
Your Game 1 Starter: Alexander Wells.
The Major Leaguer and 2025 Helms Award winner is wearing Team Australia colours for the first time since the 2015 Under 18 World Cup. He gets the ball vs the Hanwha Eagles tonight in Melbourne.
It’s a family moment on many different levels.
Wells will have his wife, daughter and parents in the stands and his twin brother Lachlan on the team with him for support.
It’s a milestone for the Wells clan.
“It’s everything. My wife and daughter came with me almost every where this past season – at home, on the road,” says Wells. “It means a lot to have them with me and it’s something extra special [to share this with them] this weekend.”
Wells capped off his remarkable return to professional baseball after over two years away by winning the Australian Baseball League Most Valuable Player and Pitching Award. It’s something his brother Lachlan won the year prior.
“Keeping it in the family,” he laughs.
Alexander went 6-1 in his 10 starts with a 1.55 ERA in 58.0 innings.
He says family helped spark enjoyment in baseball.
“I am just going out there and enjoying it. This game can be stressful at time and if you don’t enjoy the game it makes it a lot harder,” says Wells. “Once I leave the field, I’m a dad again and I can forget those bad outings quickly. It helps put things in perspective.”
National team duty has been heavily on the mind of the man who pitched parts of two seasons of MLB ball with the Baltimore Orioles.
“A couple years ago when I was still pitching in the States, I always thought of putting this jersey on. Obviously, I just needed to see how things went this past season. But to wear it here in Australia, with all my family here, is pretty cool,” he says.
Wells is sharing the experience with Lachlan Wells, his twin brother. The pair last pitched together for Australia at the Under 18 World Cup ten years ago.
“That’s cool too. As soon as we found out we both made the team it was pretty instant in getting everyone here. It’s a proud feeling,” he says.
Alexander says the World Baseball Classic is very much on his mind.
“If I pitch well enough, I’m available for selection.”
Max Durrington spending 18th birthday making Team Australia debut
How did you spend your 18th birthday? Max Durrington spent his 18th birthday as a member of Team Australia.
Yesterday, Max officially became an adult while at a team training before this weekend’s three-game series vs Korean professional side Hanwha Eagles.
He could make his national team debut as soon as Friday evening.
Durrington, who signed with the Athletics in July, is the youngest member of the 27-man squad by nearly five years.
It doesn’t quite feel real for the newly turned adult.
“If you told me a couple months ago I’d be doing this, I would have told you you’re lying,” says Durrington. “It feels surreal to start my career in the ABL [as a 17-year-old] and now be playing for Team Australia. I’ve been working hard but yeah, I’d say it’s pretty cool.”
It may not feel real, but it feels deserved.
Durrington earned more play time as the recent ABL season progressed, eventually becoming a full-time starter. He was a key part of a remarkable Brisbane Bandits’ turnaround that nearly saw them push their way into the post-season.
“I believe in myself. I believe in my stuff and that I can compete against these guys. I believe I belong out here,” he says.
Durrington will report to Athletics camp at the end of February to start his professional career in the United States.
He is eligible for the Under 18 World Cup in September.
“This is a cool experience,” says Durrington. “I look forward to it. I look forward to learning and competing.”
