01 August 2024
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.
















