2004 Olympic Baseball: Australian bats silent in tight opening game loss to Cuba

15 August 2024 By Staff Writers

By Staff Writers

2004 Olympic Baseball: Australian bats silent in tight opening game loss to Cuba

by Robert Laidlaw | 2004 OLYMPIC BASEBALL – Greece, August 15, 2004 –

This story is part of a series running on baseball.com.au from August 15-25 commemorating the 20-year anniversary of the 2004 Australian Olympic Baseball team. Each day will feature a recap and story as if the tournament is happening now. Scroll to bottom of this story for more links and recaps.

Australian bats stifled by reigning silver medalist Cuba in opening game of 2004 Olympics

Australia has opened their 2004 Olympic baseball tournament in Greece with 4-1 loss to Cuba. Two Australian fielding errors and two Cuban home runs did the bulk of the damage.

Michel Enriquez gave Cuba a great start with a one-out home run in the bottom of the opening inning.

A pair of errors set up a second run for Cuba in the third frame, while in the sixth inning, Osmani Urrutia put another one out and over the fence for a 3-0 advantage.

Australia was struggling with the bat.

Over the first six innings, Australia managed just one infield single and a walk and failed to get a runner to second base.

Cuban starter Adiel Palma tossed eight innings of two-hit baseball to shutout the Australians with five strikeouts and one walk.

The best chance for the Aussies to score came at the top of the seventh, when Glenn Williams singled with two out and reached second on an error. But, that’s where he was left stranded.

BOX SCORE AND PLAY-BY-PLAY: Click here for detailed stats and box score

An error and a pair of hits helped Cuba extend its lead with a run in the bottom of the seventh, with Australia finally breaking through at the top of the ninth for its only run of the game.

Rodney van Buizen ran out an infield hit, and after two outs, came home on Andrew Utting’s single to leftfield.

Starting pitcher Craig Anderson threw seven innings in taking the loss, conceding nine hits and no walks for three K2s. Adiel Palma spearheaded Cuba’s win from the mound, giving up two hits and a walk for five strikeouts in eight frames.

“It was disappointing for us, losing that first game, but they threw some good pitching at us,” manager Jon Deeble (below) said. “It was just the first game, so we need to regroup quickly, as it’s a short tournament and every win counts.”

Australia must regroup quickly. They play Chinese Taipei tomorrow, August 16, in their second game. Chinese Taipei dropped their opening game 7-0 to Canada.

Australia must finish in the top four to progress to the semi-finals of the tournament.

Here is a look at the other scores from Day 1 of Olympic action:
– Canada 7 def Chinese Taipei 0
– Japan 12 def Italy 0
– Netherlands 11 def Greece 0

Standings:
1. Japan 1-0
2. Netherlands 1-0
3. Canada 1-0
4. Cuba 1-0
—
5. Australia 0-1
6. Chinese Taipei 0-1
7. Greece 0-1
8. Italy 0-1.

Top four advance to semi finals.

Other stories:
– Preview: Australia looks to learn from success and failures past ahead of 2004 Olympics
– Roster: Meet the 2004 Australian Olympic Baseball team

13 August 2024 By Staff Writers

By Staff Writers

History: Olympics

2004 Olympic Preview: Australia looks to draw on past success, prior mistakes ahead of Athens

by Robert Laidlaw

Note: This story is part of a collection in a series celebrating the 2004 Australian Olympic baseball team. Each day between August 15 and 25 we will recap Team Australia’s games, replaying the tournament in “real time” with stories from Robert Laidlaw.

Can Australia win a medal at the 2004 Olympic baseball tournament in Greece? That is the big question, as the Aussies look for some redemption after failing to win a medal in Sydney four years earlier.

Setting the stage: International promise

It was just five years ago Australia sat atop the international baseball world. They won a gold medal at the 1999 Intercontinental Cup, with a 4-3, 11-inning thrilling climax in Sydney against Cuba.

Medal hopes were high for the 2000 Olympic campaign but Australia came up short. A 2-5 win-loss record had the Australians finishing seventh.

Losing to Italy and the Netherlands put Australia out of contention for a medal at the Sydney games.

There was a new coach in 2000.

Former Australian coach Mike Young, who led Australia to its gold medal victory in 1999, was replaced by Jon Deeble – a great Australian national team mainstay transitioning out of his playing career.

The nucleus of the team remained in tact, including the leadership of Australia’s MLB All-Star David Nilsson.

MEET THE ROSTER: 2004 Athens Olympics Squad.

Nillson said the team could draw on memories from the 1999 campaign.

“In 1999 it worked well, as the tournament (Intercontinental Cup) was in November and I had finished my season with Milwaukee after breaking my thumb six weeks earlier,” Nilsson said.

“I had not played a tournament for Australia previously and I knew we were a chance to win a medal. Personally, it was nice to win a few awards (Nilsson was the MVP of the tournament), but winning a gold medal was special – Australia’s first in senior competition.”

There was a big team mentality of that 1999 bunch.

“Winning was so important, especially when Gary White came off the bench to drive in the winning run against Cuba in the final,” said Nilsson. “He was a veteran guy who had not played much in the tournament but was ready mentally and ready for any situation, and in extra innings with a guy on base, it was a good match-up.”

But things changed just a year later in front of Australian home fans in a Sydney Olympics.

“In 2000 (Olympics) we failed miserably,” stated Nilsson. “Between 1999 and 2000 we had a change of leadership – the whole DNA, the make-up changed, we were a different team. We were positioned to do something at home, but with the changes made we weren’t ready to play, and it showed in our performance.”

“Athens was absolutely about correcting the wrong.”

But this is a different beast. It’s tournament baseball. And, it’s the Olympics.

“The thing about Olympic baseball is that it is a 10-day tournament. In many of the other events, athletes compete for a few days then party and celebrate – we had to forget it was the Olympics and just treat it like a normal baseball tournament,” said Nilsson, then 34.

“The take away for us was that we had a bunch of young guys playing in a pretty big moment, which they had never experienced, so we needed to make sure we were prepared for Athens.”

Nilsson played for Milwaukee Brewers in MLB from 1992-99, batting .284 with 105 home runs and 470 RBIs. In his final MLB season he became the first Australian to play in the All-Star game.

In 2000 Nilsson signed with the Chunichi Dragons in Japan so he could play in the Olympics for Australia. Alhough it was an unsuccessful tournament for the team, he led the competition batting averages with a .565 mark.

A new coach

Jon Deeble played for Australia at the international level from 1983-95 as a pitcher, including the 1988 Olympics.

When Australia won the 1999 Intercontinental Cup, Deeble was a coach and in the turmoil of leadership changes, was appointed manager for the 2000 Olympics.

“That success in 1999 was fantastic,” Deeble said. “I was the bench coach and that team was pretty special.”

The 2000 Olympics didn’t go as planned for Deeble.

“As for the manager’s job for 2000, it was thrown on me late and I wasn’t ready, as the results indicated,” he said. “I put a lot on me but I wasn’t ready. It was just four years after I had played. But you don’t get anywhere without failures, so going into Athens there were lessons learned to fall back on.”

For the 2004 games, Deeble has enlisted some help from the outside.

“After 2000 I did a lot of work with performance psychologist Dr Phil Jauncey, who taught me so much – I spent hours on the phone or in person with him. He helped me and the coaching staff,” he said.

“Our mentality going into Athens was that it’s up to the players – let them play! We had experienced guys who had played professionally, like (David) Nilsson, (Chris) Oxspring, (Graeme) Lloyd, as well as some younger guys who had played at this level for several years.”

Roster & Qualification

The turnover of the roster from the 2000 Olympics to 2004 was amazingly high with just six players remaining in Nilsson, Rodney Van Buizen, Craig Anderson, Brett Roneberg, Paul Gonzalez and Glenn Williams.

To qualify for the Athens Olympics, Australia beat South Africa at Blacktown in Sydney. They won all three games – 8-1, 6-4 and 13-1.

Australia’s program for the 2004 Olympics: August 15 v Cuba; August 16 v Chinese Taipei; August 17 v Italy; August 18 v Japan; August 20 v Greece; August 21 v Netherlands; August 22 v Canada.

Team Manager – Jon Deeble; Coaches – Tony Harris, Paul Elliott, Phil Dale.

Pitchers – Craig Anderson, Adrian Burnside, Graeme Lloyd, Wayne Ough, Chris Oxspring, Ryan Rowland-Smith, John Stephens, Phil Stockman, Rich Thompson, Jeff Williams

Hitters – Tom Brice, Gavin Fingleson, Paul Gonzalez, Nick Kimpton, Brendan Kingman, Craig Lewis, Dave Nilsson, Trent Oeltjen, Brett Roneberg, Brett Tamburrino, Andrew Utting, Rodney van Buizen, Ben Wigmore, Glenn Williams.

11 August 2024 By Eric Balnar

By Eric Balnar

History: Olympics

2004 Olympic Baseball: Meet the Aussies looking for a medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics

There’s no doubt about it. This 2004 Olympic team is one of the most iconic baseball rosters ever assembled in Australian history.

They also accomplished something remarkable – a 2004 Olympic silver medal, Australia’s only hardware from an Olympic Games.

There’s just one problem -itt’s really hard to find succinct game stories, photos, box scores and information about this incredible Olympic run.

Until now.

Over the next fortnight, we will be relieving the 20-year-anniversary of this team in all its glory. In fact, we’ll just pretend like the tournament is happening “now”.

Australian baseball writer & historian Robert Laidlaw will provide a game recap with quotes from some of the players who lived the games themselves to help paint a picture. We’ll have a mini-booklet to distribute at the end of it.

From August 15-25 on baseball.com.au and Team Australia Baseball social media accounts, we will wind back the clock.

We’ll post each recap based on the schedule below. There will also be a preview before the tournament “begins.”

There’s no doubt the competition would be stiff. Only the top four teams can advance to the medal rounds after playing each other once.

Looking back, this Australian team was loaded with pedigree. There were ten Major Leaguers on this team, seven of them pitchers.

There were six returning from the 2000 Olympic squad.

Stay tuned for an official preview. Let’s meet the squad.

POSITION PLAYERS

C David Nilsson: Arguably Australia’s most prolific player, Nilsson captained the side in 2004. Nilsson spent eight years in the Major Leagues with the Milwaukee Brewers in the 1990s and was an MLB All-Star in 1999. He was part of the 2000 Olympic squad and a real leader for baseball in Australia. Nilsson also played a season in Japan’s top league.

C Andrew Utting: The 26-year-old reached as high as Triple-A with the Orioles in 1998 but has been out of professional baseball since 2000. He has been playing Claxton Shield with the Queensland Rams.

C Ben Wigmore: A 22-year-old South Australian rising through the ranks in his home state, with the opportunity to provide some depth to the squad.

1B Brendan Kingman: The 31-year-old reached as high as Double-A in his career back in 1999. He is the Australian Baseball Leauge’s single season record holder in homers with 27. Currently playing for NSW in the Claxton Shield.

2B Gavin Fingleson: After playing three years of independent league professional baseball in the early 2000s, 27-year-old Fingleson played a season of independent baseball in the North East League to prepare for the Olympics.

SS Rodney Van Buizen: A versatile infielder, 23-year-old Van Buizen spent the season in High-A in the LA Dodgers organisation. He hit .326 in High-A in 2003.

3B Glenn Williams: The 27-year-old signed a hefty contract as a teenager in 1994 with the Atlanta Braves. In 2004, he was in the middle of his third straight Triple-A season with the Toronto Blue Jays, hitting .264 and knocking on the door of the Major Leagues. Williams eventually reached the Major Leagues with Minnesota in 2005.

UTIL Craig Lewis: A member of the national team since 1997, Lewis has transitioned from being a reliable pitcher to a hitter. He hit .261 for the Brockton Rox in 2004, an independent league

UTIL Brett Tamburrino: The 22-year-old, who can play both infield and outfield, spent 2004 in High-A with the Minnesota Twins where he hit .271.

UTIL Paul Gonzalez: The 35-year-old returns to the Olympics from the 2000 team as a leader. He reached as high as Triple-A in the 90s with the San Diego Padres and played in the top-level of Japanese baseball in 1999. Currently with the Queensland Rams in the Claxton Shield.

OF Tom Brice: The 22-year-old hit .310 in A-Ball with the Chicago White Sox in 2004. In 2005 he played in the top level of Taiwanese baseball.

OF Brett Roneberg: The 25-year-old spent 2004 in Double-A with the Boston Red Sox where he hit .279. He previously had reached as high as Triple-A with the Marlins. Roneberg had a lengthy 11-year career as a minor leaguer.

OF Trent Oeltjen: A young 21-year-old future MLB player who hit .278 in High-A with the Minnesota Twins in 2004. Oeltjen would make his MLB debut five years later in 2009 and play parts of three seasons in the Show.

OF Nick Kimpton: 20-year-old Kimpton was in the midst of a fine season in A-Ball with the Anaheim Angels, hitting .290.

PITCHERS

LHP – Jeff Williams: The 32-year-old had already pitched parts of four seasons in Major League Baseball with the LA Dodgers, but he really made his name in Japan. In 2003 with the Hanshin Tigers in the top level of Japanese baseball, Williams posted a 1.54 ERA in 52.1 innings of relief.

LHP – Ryan Rowland-Smith: The 21-year-old from Newcastle feels destined for the Major Leagues. In 2004, he was in the middle of a season in High-A with the Seattle Mariners. By 2007, Rowland Smith would make his MLB debut. He went on to pitch over 120 games in the Major Leagues.

RHP – Rich Thompson: The newly turned 20-year-old from Hornsby was enjoying success in High-A with the Angels. Thompson would eventually make his Major League debut in 2007 and pitch parts of six seasons and 104.1 innings.

RHP – Wayne Ough: The 25-year-old reached his highest level of minor league baseball in 2004 – Double-A with the New York Mets. After his minor league career ended, Wayne Ough embarked on almost a two-decade career playing all over Europe and in Australian in the ABL.

LHP – Graeme Lloyd: The 37-year-old had just finished a 10-year Major League career which included two World Series rings. Lloyd pitched over 500 MLB innings for the Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Montreal Expos, Florida Marlins, New York Mets and Kansas City Royals.

RHP John Stephens: The 24-year-old was in the midst of a Triple-A season with the Boston Red Sox. Stephens, from Sydney, had already made his Major League debut in 2002 with the Baltimore Orioles.

LHP Craig Anderson: From Gosford, Anderson was 25-years-old at the time and enjoying some success at Triple-A in the Mariners organisation. His professional career extended an illustrious two decades, with nine seasons in the minor leagues and ten in the Australian Baseball League.

RHP Chris Oxspring: In 2004, Oxspring was a 27-year-old knocking on the door of the Major Leagues in Triple-A. He made his Big League debut in 2005 with the San Diego Padres. Oxspring eventually pitched in top-level Japan and Korea. He pitched an inning of professional baseball in the 2023-24 ABL season.

RHP Phil Stockman: The 24-year-old split time in Double-A and Triple-A in the Arizona Diamondbacks organisation in 2004. He ended up pitching parts of two seasons with the Atlanta Braves in 2006 and 2007.

LHP Adrian Burnside: The 27-year-old was in Triple-A at the time of the Olympics. He ended up pitching four seasons in Triple-A. Burnside made his mark in Japan, pitching in the top level for the Yomuiri Giants for three seasons. He also pitched a year in Korea.

07 August 2024 By Eric Balnar

By Eric Balnar

- Little League

Meet the group of Australian baseballers off to play one of the biggest sporting events in the world | Little League preview

It’s considered one of the best sporting events on the planet and a junior baseball team from Sydney gets to play in it.

The 2024 Little League World Series starts August 14 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Twenty local baseball teams from around the world qualified through various events to play in the crown jewel of the Little League events.

The Hills won Australia’s national Little League Championships in June and will battle it out with the likes of Japan, Latin-America, Canada, the Caribbean and four other teams in the international half of the bracket.

About the Little League World Series – an experience like no other

Little League is, after all, is the world’s largest organised youth sports program. This tournament is for the U13 age group.

This tournament is something else. All games are broadcast on ESPN. A game between 11- and 12-year-olds gathers over 3,000,000 people watching on television.

It’s wild. Games in the Little League World Series outdraw MLB baseball games played at the same time.

MLB Broadcasted Dan Ravech explains this phenomenon well to Baseball America.

“A Major League Baseball game during the regular season, you’re getting fans of those teams,” Ravech said. “With the Little League World Series you’re getting fans of baseball, fans of nostalgia, fans of memories.”

“You’re getting fans who once played baseball and really enjoy watching kids smile. They like watching kids perform. They like watching kids make mistakes. They like the goofiness. They like the reactions. There’s a part of seeing 11- and 12-year-old boys and girls do things that bring you back to a time in your life that maybe you remember more fondly.”

Major League Baseball even schedules a regular season game on the same field these players from Hills will play on. This year, the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers will play in front of the world’s best 12-year-old baseball players.

Australia’s team in this competition hails from the Hills of Sydney, made up of players from the baseball clubs of Rouse Hill, Baulkham Hills, Quakers Hill, Castle Hills. More on them below.

They’re in for a wild experience that includes playing in front of millions on TV, over 10,000 in the stadium, attending an MLB baseball game, and partaking in a parade.

HOW THE TOURNAMENT WORKS (and streaming details)

It’s a double-elimination tournament, meaning you have to lose two games to be eliminated.

Australia’s first game is Friday 16 August at 5:00PM local time (7:00AM in Sydney). They’ll play the winner of Asia-Pacific (Chinese-Taipei) and Canada (team yet to qualify).

It’s a knockout bracket that can be viewed here.

You can watch games in Australia via the ESPN App, or follow along on GameChanger.

HOW THEY QUALIFIED

Hills qualified by winning the 2024 Australian Little League Championships. They also won the NSW State Championships.

Many of these players won the 2023 Australian Division II title.

Here is some more information:

State: New South Wales
Clubs: Sydney’s Hills – Rouse Hill, Baulkham Hills, Quakers Hill, Castle Hills
Australian Senior League Championship Record: 5-2 (outscored opponents 42-19)

It wasn’t easy for Hills but they persevered and battled their way through. The showed a tremendous amount of resiliency throughout the tournament.

Hills emerged through Group A with a 3-2 record. They advanced to the semi-finals by winning a four-team tiebreaker.

Memorable group stage wins included a 1-0 nailbiter over state rivals Cronulla and an epic 9-4 tussle over Eastern Athletics.

They showed their moxie in the finals. Hills trailed in both their games but still ended up winning. To make it more impressive, they won two games in one day. You can read about the hectic final day here.

They defeated Adelaide Rays 8-2 in the semi finals and the Central Firebirds 16-3 in the Gold Medal game. Watch the highlights below.

Hills showed their true team spirit in the Gold Medal game. In fact, every member of the Hills reached base during the game, emphasising the great team effort they had in the win.

Spencer Dobb pitched 3.1 innings in his start, striking out six and allowing two runs.

Hudson Dobb took a fantastic diving catch to secure the win in run-rule fashion.

Hills will be making a little bit of history at this tournament. Emma Gainsford will become the first female from Australia to play in the Little League World Series, and the Dobb brothers will become the first triplets to ever play together at this internationally famous event.

It’s time to meet the players.

Let’s meet the Hills, your Australian representatives

Chase Newell (Quakers Hill Pirates) – 12-year-old Chase was part of Hills’ Division II win in 2023 as well as this year’s gold medal squad. Chase had three hits and an RBI at nationals. He says: “I love playing with my all my team mates, When I’m older I would love to play baseball with all my brothers and my Dad coaching us.” Newell hit a key walk-off double to win the game in the semi-finals of the NSW state championships to help Hills qualify for nationals.

Emma Gainsford (Quakers Hill Pirates) – 12-year-old Emma had a huge charter season. She won Australia’s first Little League Girls championship for NSW in May, and then played a big role in the Little League titles in June. Her triple in the Gold Medal game was a decisive moment. She also pitched 2.1 innings of shutout ball in the tournament. Emma says: “Pitching is my favourite thing to do in baseball but I enjoy all the different parts of the game and all the little battles to try and win the game.” Emma dominated on the mound at Little League girls and says NSW state team player / Brisbane Bandit Isobel Lambert is a role model.

Ethan Cross (Quakers Hill Pirates) – 12-year-old Ethan says he loves to hit dingers and his favourite player is Fernando Tatis Jr. Ethan had four hits at nationals and was second on the team with 4 runs batted in. He also pitched five innings, allowing just two runs. He says he is proud of how his teammates bounce back after adversity. “We switched on after our loss on the first day of state and won the rest of our games and made it this far so far.”

Finn Kennedy (Castle Hill Knights) – Finn recovered from a broken arm which caused him to miss half-a-season not too long ago. At nationals, Finn had four hits and also pitched 0.2 innings. His favourite ABL player is Solomon Maguire, who is also from Castle Hill. Finn just loves baseball. Why does he love the game? “Friends, Fun – and because it’s baseball.” Well said, Finn.

Hugh Graham (Rouse Hill Wildcats) – 12-year-old Hugh went to a come and try event at Rouse Hill when he was 10 and the rest of history. In fact, this is his first year of representative baseball. Now, he’s off to America as an important part of the Australian squad. At nationals, Hugh had four hits! “My favorite thing is catching and he friendships I have made.”

Noah Whittle (Castle Hill Knights): Part of last year’s Division II winner, White made a seamless jump to the next level showing he can contribute on both sides of the ball. He pitched five innings at nationals and also had an RBI with the bat. His favourite player is former ABL star Ronald Acuna Jr on the Atlanta Braves. Why does he love baseball? “Friendships with new team mates and enjoyment of playing baseball.”

Sayre Howick (Castle Hill Knights): Sayre was one of the best pitchers at the Little League national championships. He also led Hills with eight hits. No player pitched more innings than Sayre for Hills. He logged 10.2 innings and allowed just one earned run. Sayre says he takes a lot of pride in is pitching abilities at all levels he’s played. He’s had some impressive performances. It’s earned him a reputation. Says Sayre: “I love pitching and striking batters out. I’m also pretty famous at Castle Hill for always having many different flavours of sunflower seeds in my kit bag. At training we like playing blitz ball.”

Talen Lachmund-Davis (Quakers Hill Pirates): Talen says he takes a lot of pride in his athletics ability. “I was doing little athletics and then found baseball. I was 7 turning 8, my uncle played baseball and my nan convinced my parents to let me play and that’s when we fell in love with the game. I love pitching and running bases, it never gets old.” Talen collected three hits and scored a pair of runs at nationals.

William Bennett (Baulkham Hills): Bennett has been super reliable for Hills over the past two seasons, and two championships. He tallied a pair of hits at nationals, including an important one in the Gold Medal game. Bennett also contributed with two innings pitched.

Fletcher Dobb (Quaker Hills Pirates): A dual threat, and one of three triplets. Fletcher Dobb starred on the mound in a game vs the Athletics, tossing 5.0 innings of shutout ball. He struck out five and chipped in with two hits with the bat that game. Fletcher collected a big hit in the Gold Medal game, too. Fletcher was equal second on the team with seven hits.

Hudson Dobb (Quaker Hills Pirates): Want a big highlight? Call on Hudson. He took multiple screaming catches at second base during the national championships, including this one to end the tournament. Dobb also made this play to end a game in the group stages. He’s handy with the bat, too. Hudson was equal second on the team with seven hits.

Spencer Dobb (Quaker Hills Pirates): Cometh the moment, cometh the (growing) man. Spencer was entrusted with the Gold Medal game start. He was great. He pitched 3.1 innings in his start, striking out six and allowing two runs. You’ll never guess it but just like his brothers Spencer had seven hits at nationals.

06 August 2024 By Eric Balnar

By Eric Balnar

Community

Coach Talk: Jason Pospishil talks player development, and an elite group of young Australian athletes

Jason Pospishil had a front row seat to some special Australian talent.

The current Emeralds head coach working with Baseball New South Wales High Performance department from 2015-2020. He was tasked with aiding the development of some of the most talented baseball playing teenagers at the time.

The players in question? Names like #1 overall pick Travis Bazzana, professionals like Clayton Campbell, Josh Gessner & Solomon Maguire, and Division I college athletes like Jimmy Nati and Brent Iredale to name a few.

These are names you hear on national teams, professional updates, and are rising the ranks.

Baseball in Australia beat reporter Eric Balnar caught up with the man they call Pops to find out what made these players tick, what advise he’d offer to coaches, and what really makes a player special.

Jason Pospishil is the current Australian Women’s Team national coach, a former Sydney Blue Sox manager, a former MLB scout and played minor league baseball in the Minnesota Twins organisation.

By the way, did you know there is a free-to-use app coaches can use in Australia? It has accreditation, information, lesson plans, pitch restrictions and more. It’s a great resource, that people like Pops are sure to use:

Let’s hear from Pops!

Eric Balnar, Baseball.com.au: Pops, thanks for joining me! Can you start by telling me a little bit about what exactly a High Performance – or Performance Pathways as we call them – program is and who some of the players (and their levels now) were when you were at the helm in New South Wales?

Pops: Thank you for having me Eric.

I was with Baseball NSW in the High-Performance space between 2015 and 2020. We were very fortunate to have a pipeline of players come through the program during that time that showed promise to move on to bigger and better things.

Essentially a High-Performance program is where the identified athletes within each state (and nationally) work with selected coaches to achieve performance outcomes set forth by the National Body, Baseball Australia. These programs are trying to develop players for future Junior and Senior National Team representation, but also for collegiate and professional baseball opportunities.

As a High-performance manager, it was my responsibility (along with the program coaches) to identify, manage and develop these players.

Some of the aspects that are included are: Strength and Conditioning, Speed Development, Arm Care and Position Specific Throwing programs, individual offence, individual defence and base running development.

The old memory isn’t as good as what it used to be, so I will probably forget some guys, but I will do my best!

– Travis Bazzana (Cleveland Guardians) – #1 MLB pick. I think we know this story!

– Brent Iredale (committed to SEC powerhouse Arkansas. #1 ranked JUCO position player in the country)

– Solomon Maguire (playing High-A with Pittsburgh Pirates)

– Clayton Campbell (playing A-ball with Detroit Tigers)

– Josh Gessner (signed with Phillies for 1.2 million. Traded to Pirates. Recently retired)

– Jake Burns (signed by St. Louis Cardinals)

– Jimmy Nati (currently at Stanford, Division I school)

– Jaylin Rae (recently returned from Div 1 school Western Kentucky, now with Blue Sox)

– Jo Stevens (just signed with Blue Sox after finishing college career at Purdue)

– Blake Cavill (currently at Western Kentucky in Division I)

– Liam McCallum (went to Gonzaga but transferred to Coppin State in the NEC)

– Ethan Stacy (Bushnell University)

– Luke Krkovski (Abilene Christian University)

– Cody Godbold (just returned from college career at University of Charleston)

Below: Clayton Campbell has since signed with the Detroit Tigers and played for Australia. Photo: Mick Goddard.

Baseball.com.au: Okay, I’ll ask it. We’ve heard so much about Travis Bazzana lately. Were players like Travis Bazzana noticeably better than others?

Pops: There are certain players that showcase attributes that you can just see will allow them to perform at the higher levels of the game, but I think that we must keep in mind that players all develop at different stages and at different rates.

Some athletes physically develop earlier which gives them an advantage against their smaller counterparts, however, I have seen plenty of players with good baseball actions develop later physically and surpass those early developers.

There isn’t a right or wrong philosophy because there are so many different factors that come into play. Perspective for me is very important because some players are evaluated for “right now” such as making a national team, representative team etc. but the perspective from professional evaluators is seven years down the road and whether they think that player can play everyday in the major leagues.

It is the classic argument of actions vs tools. Tools get you noticed. Mixing the tools with actions is what gets you paid!

Baseball.com.au: So, what do you think separates the elite athletes?

Pops: I remember my minor league manager once telling us that the difference between Big Leaguers and minor leaguers is the six inches between their ears. He was right!

You see guys in the minor leagues do the same things as big leaguers every day, but the difference is that big leaguers do them more consistently. The players that commit themselves to a system are the ones that separate themselves because they have a trust that the system leads to results and consistency.

They also learn to overcome the boredom of repetition. Repetition leads to consistency! Any manager will tell you that the trait they want in all their players is consistency, so when they write that players name on the line-up card, they know what they are going to get!

In the modern game, I think an understanding of analytics is a must because that is what is in front of players everyday at both collegiate and professional level. Analytics can help you as a player so you better understand them.

Baseball.com.au: What did you learn as a coach from these players from your time working with them?

Pops: Firstly, they were all great kids! Point # 1 is always a good teammate!

I was hard on those kids during the program as my main goal was for them to have a perspective on what the next level entails and what they need to do to succeed and graduate at the next level. It was trying to build a foundation. Not all people will agree with my methods or philosophies, but I am confident that I had some impact on those kids careers and was able to set them ahead in the right direction.

The biggest learning experience for me with those guys was patience. You must be patient with younger players and allow them to fail.

I see it all the time. Kids that dominate at every level and they don’t understand how to deal with and handle failure. When you go up the ladder, trust me, you are going to fail at some stage.

Personally, that was my downfall as a player in professional baseball. The ones who figure out how to handle the failure are the ones that progress and have success. It again comes back to that element of consistency.

Below: Travis Bazzana (19) and Jo Stevens (5) at the U16 National Championships, at the time working with Pospishil in the Performance Pathways program

Baseball.com.au: What do you think other coaches can learn from this experience?

Pops: Let’s look at it this way…

Understand what the finished product looks like so you can add the ingredients to the recipe as you go along. You can’t cook a good meal without the correct ingredients. If you can educate yourself on what player evaluators are looking for in certain players at certain positions, that will give you the blueprint to what skillset you need to develop within those athletes.
Patience, patience, patience! A mentor of mine had a saying “how many more times do you need to tell them?” One more time! And that is so true. Your job is to teach them and educate them until they know. I like to get athletes to instruct me as if they are the coach and I am the player. That gives you a great idea of what they know and whether they listen or not ha ha!

Baseball.com.au: Let’s go to your scouting days… What intangibles are scouts actually looking for in Australian athletes?

Pops: This is just a personal opinion based on what I look for in player.

Position Player: Firstly, tools. Ability to hit, Ability to hit for power, run, throw and fielding ability then I will look for actions. Body shape and size is also an area of evaluation.

Pitchers: Body Shape and size. Arm Action. Quality of Delivery. Fastball Velocity. Quality of secondary pitches. Command. Do they compete?

This is just a very general overview of physical tools.

You then have to take into consideration work ethic and mental make-up. Some players are just not cut-out for professional baseball.

I always looked at what I called the sixth tool and that was aptitude.

Does the player have the aptitude to take on board information and put that into practice to help him develop as a player? My mindset was that if a player didn’t have the aptitude to put in place philosophies, say in the classroom, then what chance does he have as an athlete. I’m not saying that is 100% foolproof but that is just a mindset that I had as an evaluator.

06 August 2024 By Eric Balnar

By Eric Balnar

College Baseball

Perth utility man Jesse Neretlis announces commitment to Pima Community College

A third Perth baseball player in less than a month has announced their commitment to a college baseball program in the United States.

Versatile utility man Jesse Neretlis will play college baseball at Pima Community College in Arizona.

He joins fellow Western Australians Jacob Santich and Cam Landy as recent college commits.

Pima is a school that has produced a few Major Leaguers – Donnie Veal, DJ Carrasco and Stefan Romero.

“I was talking to multiple schools but when it came down to decision time I chose Pima CC because of their well known baseball program and conference,” says Neretlis.

Growing up through juniors Neretlis played as a middle infielder, catcher and pitcher at Rockingham Rams Baseball Club.

He says catching is the position he enjoys the most.

“I have been a catcher in all junior and senior grades at Rockingham Rams Baseball Club in Perth,” he says. “I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to catch the full 2023/24 season as the State League catcher, as a 17 year-old and hopefully that has helped in me being successful at the college level.”

Neretlis just finished his first full season of top-level baseball in Western Australia, assuming all responsibilities which come with it.

Growing up, he attended the baseball program at Darling Range Sports College from Years 9-12 .

He played with the Perth Heat Futures program in 2021 and 2022 season as a two way player, catching and pitching.

He’s also made several WA state teams.

Neretlis says he hopes to use the Junior College experience to find a spot at a four-year program, and ultimately being offered a pro contract.

“I just want to keep climbing the ladder. I’m excited to work on every aspect of my game at Pima,” he says. “Especially learning from experienced coaches that can help me turn into a complete catcher and hitter.”

To view more Australian college stories and commitments, click here.

05 August 2024 By Eric Balnar

By Eric Balnar

- Little League

Junior League World Series Results + Highlights | Australia drops first game of tournament to Canada

This is the running story of Australia at the 2024 Junior League World Series.

Australia are represented by New South Wales’ Cronulla Sharks, who won the qualifying event at the Australian Junior League Championships in May in Lismore.

The team is now in Taylor, Michigan ready to take on the best teams in the world at the U15 age-group.

01 August 2024 By Eric Balnar

By Eric Balnar

- Little League

Cronulla vs the World: Junior League World Series in America calls for Sydney baseballer teens

They say, “If you wan’t to be the best, you have to beat the best.”

Cronulla Black did exactly that in May at the Australian Junior League Championship.

They fended off a group of Brisbane North players who had won two straight national championships and represented Australia at consecutive World Series events.

Cronulla won a dramatic extra-innings Championship Game to claim the Australian title. In fact, by my measure, it was the best game of charter baseball I’ve seen.

Next stop? The world.

The kids from Cronulla will travel to Taylor, Michigan for the 2024 Junior League World Series, which starts August 4.

They’ll play in a double-elimination tournament vs national champions from their Under-15 age group from all across the globe. Cronulla becomes Australia. They represent us all.

Their first game is Sunday 4 August at 2:00PM local time, 4:00AM in Sydney on Monday, vs the winners of the Canadian Junior League Championships.

You can find the schedule here. You can watch the game on Watch ESPN with a Foxtel subscription. Or, follow this handy guide.

The team flies out the week of July 29.

Let’s meet the Australian representatives at this incredible event, find out how they got here, and learn more about each of the players.

State: New South Wales
Clubs: Arncliffe Scots, Giants Baseball, Cronulla Sharks, St. George Junior Baseball
Australian Senior League Championship Record: 5-1 (outscored opponents 67-15)

How they qualified

First, Cronulla Black had to qualify for the national championships via their state. Cronulla Black lost only the Gold Medal game at the 2024 New South Wales State Championships, while allowing just 14 runs in five games.

At nationals, Cronulla looked in fine early form. They won all three of their pool play games by a combined margin of 43-0.

In the reseed game, they fell 9-7 to the Southern Hills Warriors. They won a semi-final clash with the Adelaide Marlins, which they won 14-4.

It set up perhaps the best game of the entire Australian charter season. Cronulla Black vs Brisbane North, a formidable team who had won two straight national events. Honestly, you have to watch the highlights.

Cronulla Black won one of the greatest Gold Medal games you’ll ever see in a second extra inning.

They had to come back from two runs down in the final inning just to force the tiebreaker. They scored the tying run while down to the final strike. They even threw out what would have been the Championship-winning run at the plate.

Archie Sampson’s RBI double in the top of the ninth proved to be the winner, and some stone cold pitching from Harrison Thomas-McLean closed it out as Cronulla toppled Brisbane to win a championship and advance to the World Series.

They nearly didn’t get there. They were down to a final strike.

Honestly, just watch the highlights or check out the full recap here. It was epic.

It feels like the right time to introduce to you this group of Australian champion baseballers.

Cronulla Black – Meet the team

Will Bonham (Arncliffe Scots) – Will provided one of the signature moments of the tournament season. In the first game of the tournament, Will struck out all eleven batters he faced in a perfect 3.2 inning start vs Southern Hills Warriors. In the semi-final, he tossed 4.0 innings of one-run ball. He had 19 strikeouts in 7.2 innings pitched. With the bat he went 4-for-14. This is Will’s second trip to America. He played in the 2022 Cal Ripken World Series.

Liam Carmody (Giants Baseball) – Carmody had a productive tournament. He went 4-for-10 with six walks and chipped in with nine runs to lead the team. He provided a big boost to the Sharks in the semi-final game by collecting two hits vs the Marlins.

Ben Croser (Giants Baseball) – Ben hasn’t been playing the game long. He moved to America for two years with his family as a 10-year-old and fell in love with the sport. Now, he’s representing his country. Ben chipped in with a very productive four hits throughout the tournament week. He also threw out a potential winning run for Brisbane North at home in the grand final.

Harry Fuz (Giants Baseball) – 13-year-old Cuz is one of the youngest players on the roster. He is a two way player. Fuz pitched 3.2 innings at nationals. He collected a hit and scored three runs with the bat. This is Harry’s first overseas experience.

Jacob Gallardo (Arncliffe Scots) – Five hits and three RBI with the bat. Two innings of shutout work on the mound. Jacob is a two-way player who can command a few different positions on the field.

Jesse Garnero (Arncliffe Scots) – Jesse plays the game hard and fast. He had four hits with the bat and pitched 1.2 of shutout baseball with a stolen base.

Tyce Hill (Cronulla Sharks) – Tyce is another two-way player Cronulla has in their arsenal. He pitched five innings, allowing just three runs at nationals. With the bat, Tyce was third on the team with seven hits.

Lachlan McGuckin Anderson (Giants Baseball) – 13-year-old Lachlan made the jump from Little League in 2023 to Junior League in 2024 and won a national championship despite being one of the younger players. He went 4-for-14 with the bat in a productive tournament at the plate.

Archie Samson (Arncliffe Scots) – Archie led the team in hits, going 9-for-19 in the tournament while pitching two innings of shutout ball. Samson had a crucial double in the Gold Medal game. He led the team with eight RBI.

Jake Shorey (Giants Baseball) – Jake posted eight hits and seven RBI in the tournament, good for second on the team in both categories. He also pitched more than anyone else, going 8.2 innings without allowing a run. Shorey was a pivotal pitcher in the Grand Final match vs Brisbane North.

Harrison Thomas-McLean (St. George) – One of the heroes of the Gold Medal Game. Harry pitched the final three innings of the championship game, allowing two hits and no runs. He had to dodge his way out of trouble, and on multiple occasions got out of jams with the winning run at third base. He was 4-for-12 with the bat with a pair of RBI. Harry pitched for Australia at the 2023 U12 World Cup.

Patrick Williams (Arncliffe Scots) – 14-year-old Patrick made the Cronulla Black squad after not playing representative baseball since he was 10. He was very productive in his return to the national stage. He went 5-for-14 with the bat and pitched 2.1 innings of scoreless baseball.

31 July 2024 By Eric Balnar

By Eric Balnar

- Little League

Senior League World Series Results + Highlights | Australia's run ends in quarterfinals

This is the running story of Australia at the 2024 Senior League World Series.

Australia are represented by Perth’s Eastern Phantoms, who won the qualifying event at the Australian Senior League Championships in May. They are in Easley South Carolina ready to take on the best teams in the world at the U17 age-group.

30 July 2024 By Staff Writers

By Staff Writers

- Little League

Intermediate League World Series Results & Highlights | History making Australians a team to be proud of

Welcome! This is the running story of Australia’s run at the 2024 Intermediate League (U14) World Series.

A group of 13-year-olds from Sydney charter ‘Hills’ are in Livermore, California representing Australia.

They’re up against the best junior baseball teams from their age bracket from around the world. They’re playing in a double-elimination tournament, meaning you have to lose twice to be eliminated.

There were plenty of great experiences for this Hills side. They faced the defending champions from Korea, played top talent from around the globe, and even became the first Australian team to ever win a game at an Intermediate League World Series.

Scroll down for match recaps and links to highlights from Eric Balnar.

For many of these players it’s their second trip to a World Series event in the last two years.

PREVIEW: Meet the team here
LIVE SCORING: Follow on GameChanger
BRACKET: View the tournament knockout bracket here
PHOTOS (BILL NALE): Click here

RESULTS, SCHEDULE, LIVE STREAM

– Game 1: South Korea (Asia Pacific) 10 def Australia 0

– Game 2 Knock-out: Australia 3 def Canada (Quebec) 2

– Game 3 Knock-out: Puerto Rico 8 def Australia 3

You can watch the games via the ESPN App with a Foxtel or Fetch subscription.

GAME 3 RECAP – PUERTO RICO 8 def AUSTRALIA 3

Livermore, California – July 31, 2024

Australia had a spirited comeback attempted but ultimately Puerto Rico’s early lead was too much to overcome. An 8-3 loss sees Australia’s run come to an end at the Intermediate League World Series.

Hills put forth an effort to be proud of. They became the first Australian squad to ever win a game at this tournament.

“It feels like a good milestone,” said Hills head coach Jarrad Salmon. “I like to think more Australian teams will follow our success. We’re truly humbled by the experience.”

Today just wasn’t quite their day.

Puerto Rico scored two early runs off a passed ball and another of a Jose Berrios RBI to lead 3-0 after one.

Berrios cashed in a couple more in the fourth to help Puerto Rico jump to a 6-0 lead.

A Jasonyell Catala triple in the fifth pushed the lead to 8-0 and the game beyond doubt.

Meanwhile, Puerto Rico starter Carlos Ojeda took a no hitter into the sixth.

Jack Drummond and Isaac Meighan broke up the no-no with back-to-back hits in the sixth. Drummond scored on a balk.

Jet Creamer and Jayden Crane followed up with RBIs to make it 8-3.

Australia had a couple base runners in the seventh but couldn’t score.

Jaden Jankuloski started the game for Australia. He pitched 1.0 innings. Zac Martyn followed with 2.1 innings of work before Ben Fogarty worked a couple outs. Jack Drummond finished the last two.

Congratulations to Puerto Rico on advancing to the next round.

HITS: Jack Drummond, Isaac Meighan, Jet Creamer, Jayden Crane
RBI: Jet Creamer, Jayden Crane
RUNS: Drummond, Creamer, Crane

GAME 2 RECAP – AUSTRALIA 3 def CANADA 2

Livermore, California – July 30, 2024

Australia had never won a game at the Intermediate League World Series.

Until today.

When Tom Hayhow dove in below a tag to touch home on a dropped third strike it sent a bed of Australian supporters of rapture and the little team from Hills into the history books.

The incredible 3-2 comeback win over Canada keeps Australia’s tournament alive. A loss would have been the end of the road.

Instead, Australia will play again tomorrow vs the winner of Europe-Africa.

It was a great game from start to finish.

Jet Creamer turned in a performance for the ages on the mound. The same pitcher who started the Gold Medal Game at the Australian nationals was terrific. He tossed a complete game, working 7.0 innings with four hits, one earned run, two walks and 10 strikeouts.

Still, Canada took a 2-0 lead into the fifth off a Matias Audette-Vera RBI and an error in the field.

Hayden Salmon tied the game in the fifth on a two-out, full-count single that cashed in Hayhow and Isaac Meighan. Salmon’s hit was the most important of his two on the day.

Creamer kept chugging along on the mound and Canada never really appeared to threaten.

Australia walked-off Canada in the seventh. Zac Martyn reached on an error to get the ball rolling. Hayhow reached on a fielder’s choice and eventually made his way to third.

Smart base running sealed the win.

Australia now waits the winner of Europe-Africa and Puerto Rico for their next opponent in the knockout stages.

HITS: Hayden Salmon (2), Jet Creamer, Ben Fogarty, Tom Hayhow
RBI: Salmon
RUNS: Hayhow (2), Creamer

PITCHING:
– Jet Creamer: 7.0IP, 10 SO, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 BB

GAME 1 RECAP – SOUTH KOREA 8 def AUSTRALIA 1

Livermore, California – July 29 2024

Australia took an early lead but ultimately fell to the Asia-Pacific representatives from South Korea at the Intermediate League World Series.

Australia, represented by Sydney’s Hills, will now quickly rest and get ready for a game vs Canada at 9:00AM local on Tuesday morning – or 2:00AM Sydney time on Wednesday 31 July.

It’s a must win game for the Aussies, who have used one of their lives in this double-elimination tournament.

Things looked promising early.

Isaac Meighan had an RBI single in the first inning to put Australia up 1-0. In fact, Australia had three of their five hits for the game in the opening inning. Tom Hayhow and Jaden Jang also recorded a hit.

Australia could have scored more, but Korean pitcher Junhyuk Oh worked his way out of a bases loaded jam.

Oh really was the star of this game for the team from West Seoul, South Korea. He launched a two run homer to break a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the first.

A sacrifice bunt helped score Korea’s fourth run to lead 4-1 after two.

Australia hung tight thanks to some solid pitching and great defensive plays. A nifty snag and tag by Zac Martin helped turn a double play for Australia.

Isaac Meighan also threw a runner out at second.

After a blistering start, Australia’s bats went quiet. Between the end of the first inning and beginning of the fifth, ten straight Australian batters were retired and 13-of-14.

Junghee Jang pitched 3.2 middle innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out seven.

Korean pitching was excellent. They struck out 17 Australian batters throughout the afternoon.

Korea pulled away by pegging two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings.

Australia saw five hits from five different players: Tom Hayhow, Jaden Jang, Jack Drummond, Isaac Meighan and Benji Baitch.

Adrian Jankuloski started on the mound for Australia, allowing three runs in two innings. Jet Creamer pitched 1.2 innings of shutout ball. Jack Drummond and Ben Fogarty each pitched at the end of the game, each allowing two runs.

Canada is up next for this squad.

30 July 2024 By Staff Writers

By Staff Writers

- Team Australia

Support Team Australia in Taiwan - Sportslink's Premier12 Supporters Tour Details

Team Australia is off to Japan and Taiwan for the 2024 Premier12 – an international baseball tournament featuring the top twelve ranked national teams in the world.

Sportslink Travel can help you get to Taiwan to be part of the Australian international baseball experience.

From November 14-19, 2024 you can cheer on Team Australia in their group stage games against Korea, Chinese Taipei, Cuba and Dominican Republic.

The tour includes:

4x Team Australia games in Taiwan + Chinese Taipei vs Japan game
Five nights accomodation at the Courtyard by Marriott Taipei (5 star)
Coach transfers to games and sightseeing
Welcome Dinner
Taipei Day Tour and Night Markets Tour
Daily Breakfast & WiFi at hotel

Please note, Australia opens the tournament in Nagoya Japan on November 13. You can add flights, stopovers & extensions.

TOUR INFO: Click here for details and costs

For more information and to book, contact SportsLink.

AUSTRALIA’s SCHEDULE:

November 13: Australia vs Japan, in Nagoya
November 15: Australia vs Dominican Republic, Taipei, 3:00PM
November 16: Australia vs Cuba, Taipei, 12:00PM
November 17: Australia vs Chinese Taipei, Taipei, 7:00PM
November 18: Australia vs Korea, 12:00PM

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