New South Wales pitcher Luke Hayhow commits to University of Hawaii

29 November 2023 By Eric Balnar

By Eric Balnar

New South Wales pitcher Luke Hayhow commits to University of Hawaii

New South Wales pitcher Luke Hayhow has become the latest in a string of Australian players to commit to an NCAA Division 1 school.

Hayhow will head to the University of Hawaii in August 2024, he announced earlier via Instagram.

“They were clear front runners early in the recruiting phase,” says Hayhow of the University of Hawaii. “I was blown away with the MLB style lockers, gym and performance centres and the amazing Les Murakami stadium.”

Hawaii are coming off a strong 29-20 season in the Big West conference and seem to be on an upward trajectory. Hayhow, a product of the Castle Hill Knights baseball club in NSW, says it’s an exciting program to be part of.

“What makes the University of Hawaii special is I get the chance to play for a state rather than a university,” he says. “It makes the experience even more special, seeing how they pack out stadiums with local kids and fans.”

Hayhow’s commitment is exciting – it’s another Australian playing a high level. Earlier this month, Ali Tanner committed to NCAA Division 1 school in Arizona State University.

Travis Bazzana, another New South Wales product, is playing at Oregon State University where he could go in the first round of next year’s MLB Draft.

Hayhow says he’s keen to get involved with the high performance elements his new home offers.

For now, it’s all about preparation.

“I’m planning on heading over to the USA in June to play summer ball on the West Coast, and additionally spend some time training at Driveline and re-testing in their motion capture lab,” he says.

Hayhow says his experience in Australia helped his development to lead to this step in his career.

Watch the ABL, Team Australia and Baseball Australia events on Baseball+.

“I started playing juniors at Castle Hill Knights, under the guidance of Australian Baseball great Scott Tunkin,” he says. “He has nurtured and tutored me to become the baseball player and man I am today – instilling strong values and ideologies about the game.”

Hayhow was also part of national junior squads.

“The intense training [there] and coaching helped me become a more polished pitcher. Additionally, the Australian Youth Championships [helped],” he says. “This event allowed me to compete on the national stage and face the best talent we have to offer, which ultimately helped put into perspective my ambitions to play overseas.”

Congratulations to Luke! We will be following your journey closely.

21 November 2023 By Staff Writers

By Staff Writers

- Team Australia

Team Australia senior men’s baseball to play on home soil for first time in four years

For the first time in over four years, Team Australia will play a significant baseball game at home.

The Australian senior men’s national team will take on top level Korean club Hanwha Eagles in a two-game series from February 17-18, 2024 at Melbourne Ballpark.

Ticket Information

Saturday 17th Feb 2024
Game 1 tickets

Sunday 18th Feb 2024
Game 2 Tickets

The event is dubbed ‘The International Baseball Showdown’ and is proudly supported by the Victorian Government and hosted by the Melbourne Aces. It gives Australian baseball fans a rare opportunity to see their team play on home soil, and players a chance to wear the Green & Gold in front of family.

The senior men’s national team last played in Australia vs the Doosan Bears in Geelong, but only one game occurred after rain washed out the rest of the scheduled series.

The national team also played in Sydney in 2016 for the World Baseball Classic qualifiers, and at the SCG for the MLB Opening Day series in 2014. Outside of the ABL All-Star Game, which only included Australians who played in the league and ended in 2017, opportunities to play at home are few and far between.

Justin Huber says the chance to wear the jersey in front of family & friends is special.

“As an Australian professional and national team player, you’re usually resigned to the fact that your career is going to be played overseas,” he says. “To represent your country at home, in front of home fans, at an international level is the stuff of childhood dreams.”

Australian players returned home from the Asia Professional Baseball Championships in Tokyo this week, where they won the hearts of the Japanese public.

In February, their opponent will come from the Korean Baseball Organisation (KBO) – widely considered the third best competition in the world. The KBO is played in front of tens of thousands of fans and broadcast to huge domestic audiences. In Korea, baseball is king.

The Eagles are home to current KBO home run champion Roh Sihwan, who bashed 31 homers and 101 RBI this season.

The Eagles will be in Melbourne throughout February for ‘Spring Training’ – a month-lng camp to prepare for the 2024 KBO season. The Aces and Melbourne Ballpark, with support from the Victorian state government, are hosting the pre-season activity.

Korea – and the Eagles – links to Australia are strong. Team Australia co-captain and former MLB pitcher Warwick Saupold played for Hanwha Eagles for two seasons in 2019-2020.

Three other KBO clubs are sending players to compete in the upcoming Australian Baseball League.

The Hanwha Corporation is South Korea’s largest defense company with a strong relationship with the Australian and Victorian governments. Hanwha Defense Australia has headquarters in Melbourne CBD and the Greater Geelong area. While operated separately, Hanwha owns the baseball team too.

For more information and to view the Melbourne Aces’ official release, please click here.

Ticket Information

Saturday 19th Feb 2024
Game 1 tickets

Sunday 18th Feb 2024
Game 2 Tickets

21 November 2023 By Eric Balnar

By Eric Balnar

- Team Australia APBC

Huge in Japan, Big on X: How Australian baseball players became superstars in Japan

When Australia won the Cricket World Cup on Sunday night, the national body tweeted it.

The post on X (formerly twitter) had 2.5 million views at the time of this article. Those are big numbers and they should be – it doesn’t get much bigger for Australia’s #1 sport.

Had it attracted two million more views, it still would not have surpassed the views of a tweet by Team Australia baseball on the same day.

It wouldn’t even have the same views as a Chris Burke RBI single.

19 November 2023 By Eric Balnar

By Eric Balnar

- Team Australia APBC

Australia wins hearts of Japanese baseball fans, but loses Bronze Medal heartbreaker

MORE TO COME – story by Eric Balnar

A plucky effort. A heartbreaking loss. An incredible, surreal experience at the Tokyo Dome.

Australia showed they are strongly in the conversation when it comes to competing with international baseball powerhouses. They just haven’t figured out how to control the chat.

Team Australia suffered a third agonising defeat in four days at the Asia Professional Baseball Championships against a top-ranked team. This time, to world #5 Chinese Taipei in the bronze medal game.

CPBL All-Star centrefielder Tien Tsin Kuo had a walk-off RBI single in the ninth inning to win it 4-3 for the proud Taiwanese baseball national.

Other tight losses include extra innings defeats to Korea (World #4) on Thursday, and Taiwan again on Friday.

What happened off the field is almost as exciting as what happened on the field.

Australia trailed 3-0 but they sparked a rally to tie the game late. The Japanese fans greatly assisted with that effort in a “you have to see it to believe it moment.”

Team Australia has gone viral in Japan in recent days. The Aussie baseballers struggle to find any space in media outlets at home, but in Japan they’ve been headline news in every format. Some tweets have over one-million views including a plea for support at the game.

Japanese people formed a cheer section down the left field line, singing traditional baseball cheer songs for their second favourite baseball team – the boys in the green & gold.

This wasn’t just lazy cheering – they were singing, clapping, chanting and dancing Australia on. They were throwing out joyful chorus for Australia like it was their hometown team. The newly formed ‘Kangaroo Club’ was invested.

The support built at exactly the right time. Australia had just made a mess of the third inning.

An infield hit, a walk, an error, a hit-by-pitch and a botched double-play attempt put a crooked ‘three’ on the scoreboard for Chinese Taipei. In international baseball, teams can ill afford a lapse like that.

Australia didn’t quit. In the next half inning, Alex Hall reached on a single. The newly dubbed ‘Kangaroo Club’ of frenetic Japanese supporters rained down support on Chris Burke.

He delivered an RBI double to put Australia on the board.

Just watch.

Australia started the game with Sam Holland, Dan McGrath and Kai-Noa Wynyard on the mound. They turned it over to Coen Wynne.

He was brilliant. The returning World Baseball Classic pitcher held his nerve. He threw a perfect fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth inning – no walks, no hits, no runs.

As any good pitcher needs, Wynne benefited from superb defense.

His stone-cold performance allowed Australia to hang tough and wait for a time to strike.

The moment was the seventh inning.

New Japanese fan favourite Chris Burke knocked a deep RBI-double off the wall. Mitch Edwards legged out an infield hit. Luke Smith had a gutsy pinch-hit single to load the bases.

With two outs, Liam Spence hung tough. He fouled off multiple pitches and waited for one he liked.

He got it. Tie ball-game.

Unfortunately, the seemingly red-hot bats, which collected seven hits in the middle innings, dried up.

Chinese Taipei pitching needed just 11 pitches to retire the final six Australian outs.

Cheng-Yu Chang, the gun shortstop for the newly ordained CPBL champion Dragons side, broke up Coen Wynne’s perfect relief appearance in the bottom of the ninth. He was advanced on a bunt.

Two- CPBL All-Star Tien Hsin Kuo cashed him in on a heartbreaking hit to right-field.

A heartbreaking end. Close.

Players will return to Australia for the ABL season.

BOX SCORE

18 November 2023 By Eric Balnar

By Eric Balnar

- Team Australia APBC

Japan shows why they are the best in the world in complete victory at Tokyo Dome

A young Australian national team learned why Japan is the best in the world.

Samurai Japan were brilliant in front of 40,000 boisterous fans at the Tokyo Dome. Fans were chanting, singing, jumping, and clapping all afternoon as the home side rolled to a complete 10-0 victory to finish the group stage 3-0.

They’ll play in the gold medal game tomorrow evening. Australia will play for bronze at 11:00AM AEDT.
Japan were relentless in three phases of the operation – the pitching, the hitting, and the crowd.

Japan had 13 hits and 23 baserunners. Eight different players recorded a hit. Kodai Fujiwara was excellent as the lead-off man, collecting three base knocks. Kaito Kozono – an NPB All-Star and arguably Japan’s best player – had three RBI. Mannami Chusei had two hits including a triple that electrified the crowd.

To be fair, this line-up is laced with talent. There are five players who are NPB All-Stars.

Japan’s Three Japanese pitchers combined to take a perfect game deep into the seventh inning. Walks to Rixon Wingrove and Alex Hall, followed by a single to Clayton Campbell, broke up the perfect game and no-hitter attempt.

Those were the only base runners Australia had the entire game – and since the fifth inning of yesterday’s narrow extra-innings defeat.
The feverish environment is something young players will have to get used to. Even as a spectator, it is intense.

For Dave Nilsson, it’s a learning experience.

“It’s a pretty overwhelming experience. Part of the process of us becoming a better tournament team is our players coming here to experience things,” he says. “The only way you learn is by being out there.”

BOX SCORE: Click here (and click translate)

17 November 2023 By Eric Balnar

By Eric Balnar

- Team Australia APBC

Australia falls in extra-innings for second time in as many days at Asia Professional Baseball Championship

Extra-innings have not been kind to the Green & Gold at the Asia Professional Baseball Championships.

Chinese Taipei scored all of their runs in the tiebreaker during a 6-0 win on Friday afternoon, just a day after Australia fell in extra-innings to Korea.
It was scoreless through nine. Both team’s pitching staffs were firing.

Six Australian pitchers pitched a combined shutout, allowing just seven hits between them all.

BOX SCORE: Chinese Taipei vs Australia.

Unfortunately for the Aussie arms, their Taiwanese counterparts returned serve, holding Australia scoreless through ten and without a hit since the third inning.

It set the stage for a monster extra-innings for Chinese Taipei. After a throwing error loaded the bases, 5x Chinese Professional Baseball League All-Star Chieh-Hsien Chen knocked in a pair of runs on a ground ball up the middle.

A few batters later, with the bases still loaded and two outs, CPBL All-Star Ching-Kai Lin launched a grand slam to deep left field to slam the door on Australian hopes.

Australia couldn’t issue a response in their half of the tenth innings.

On the bright side, Ky Hampton, Kai-Noa-Wynward, Billy Parsons, Matt Beattie, Will Sherriff and Dylan Clarke combined for nine innings of shut-out baseball. They were excellent. They weren’t pressured much. When they were, they held their nerve.

Just look at youngster Dylan Clarke, who induced a strike-out and a flyball to escape a runner-on-second, one out, situation.

On the down side, Australian bats were cold. Their best opportunity came in the first inning when Alex Hall stepped up to the plate with two runners on and one out. He grounded in to a double play.

From that point on, 26 of the next 28 batters were sat down, including the last eighteen. The two base runners? A hit-by-pitch in the fifth on Clayton Campbell and a single from Mitch Edwards in the third. Edwards was tagged out trying to steal second.

Lots of credit must be handed to Taiwanese starting pitcher Ko-Yi Chen. He pitched 7.0 innings, striking out six and allowing just two hits in the shutout effort.

Australia had a few fantastic defensive plays, including an Aaron Whitefield catch in centrefield crashing in to the wall, and a Rixon Wingrove trap at first to save a run.

Australia’s attention turns to hosts Japan tomorrow afternoon in front of a raucous atmosphere.

16 November 2023 By Eric Balnar

By Eric Balnar

- Team Australia APBC

Australia and Korea play out another international baseball classic in famous Tokyo Dome

story by Eric Balnar / videos by Scott Powick

One team ends in heartbreak, the other in jubilation.

Back in March at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Australia sent shockwaves around the tournament when they upset betting odds favourite Korea 8-7 at the Tokyo Dome in what was one of the games of the global event.

On that occasion, Australia was elated while baseball giant Korea were left stunned.

Thursday afternoon, in the opening game of the Asia Professional Baseball Championship, South Korea exacted a tiny bit of revenge.

Their 3-2 come-from-behind extra-innings victory was the latest chapter in what is becoming a tantalizing international baseball rivalry.

Australia had a narrow 2-1 lead with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, when Korea’s #9 hitter Ju Won Kim tied the game.

Korean superstar Roh Si Hwan – who led the Korean Major Leagues in home runs this year – provided the game-winning hit for Korea to propel his team to a come-from-behind tiebreaker win.

Ecstasy for the millions of Koreans at home and despair for a tight-knit Australian community at home.

WATCH THE REPLAY ON BASEBALL PLUS

But one thing is for sure – the first game of the Asia Professional Baseball Championships was an instant classic, layered with drama and laced with golden opportunities for both sides.

Both teams seemed to subscribe to boxing great Muhammed Ali’s famous “rope-d-dope” tactic, a “bend but don’t break” attitude or Patches O’Houlihan’s “dodge, duck, dive and…dodge” strategy.

There was scoring chance, after scoring chance, after scoring chance. There just wasn’t a lot of runs.

Korea pressured early. In the end, they stranded 13 base runners of their own, including a stretch of four innings where they left nine on.

Australia left 14 runners on base during the game, including seven in the last four innings.

Clutch moments from Australian pitching looks like a laundry list:
– 2nd inning: Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis escapes a bases-loaded, one out jam
– 3rd inning: Coen Wynne (above) wriggles out of two-on, no-out situation
– 4th inning: Coen Wynne strikes out batter with runner on second
– 5th inning: Sam Holland evades scary two-on, one-out dynamic
– 7th inning: Dan McGrath comes in game, induces inning ending double play
– 8th inning: Dan McGrath picks off runner at first

In the middle of all that, Alex Hall’s sixth inning homer put Australia up 2-1. It set the stage for another perceived potential upset over the Korean powerhouse.

Want more Team Australia stories from Tokyo? Click here.

After the homer, Australia started to turn the screws. It was Korea’s turn to get out of hairy situations. Australia loaded the bases with one out in the seventh and failed to score. In the ninth, they had two on and one-out with no runs. Korea held Australia scoreless off a wild double-play in extra innings with two on and no-out.

They also tagged out Australian runners trying to snag an extra base on two separate occasions to end innings.

Clutch Korean pitching gave the offense just enough moments to come through.

With two outs in the eighth inning, Korea finally broke through when Ju Won Kim levelled the score with a well-placed RBI single to right-field.

In the tenth inning, Chris Burke blasted a hard-hit ball off KBO All-Star closer Jung Hai-Young. Unfortunately, the ball smashed off the glove of the Korean third baseman, ricocheted off his face and landed at his feet. The fielder was able to pick up the ball, step on third for a force-out, and zip the ball to first for a double play.

Under an international rules tiebreaker, with runners on first and second, South Korea’s leading homerun man in the 2023 season stepped up to the plate. He knocked the game winner to right field to send Korean fans into ecstasy and leave Australia stunned.

Australia will play tomorrow at 12:00PM vs Chinese Taipei in a sudden must win game in the short tournament.

BOX SCORE: Australia vs Korea

16 November 2023 By Eric Balnar

By Eric Balnar

- Team Australia APBC

WATCH: Australia plays Chinese Taipei for Bronze at 1:00PM AEDT

Australia plays Chinese Taipei at 1:00PM AEDT (12:00PM in Tokyo) in the bronze medal game of the Asia Professional Baseball Championships (APBC).

Australia fell to Korea in extra-innings in Game 1 on Thursday. You can watch the replay on Baseball+.

They dropped another game in extra-innings on Friday vs Taiwan.

Tournament rosters are made up of the best U24 players from Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Each team is allowed three players over the age of 24, and any player with three years or less of professional experience.

You can watch the games live & free in Australia on Baseball+. Download it now to watch on your phone or tablet.

If you are having trouble finding it in the Google Play store, click here to download direct.

To watch the game direct on your computer, please visit the following link: plus.baseball.com.au.

The APBC English feed is only available in Australia and due to rights will not be available outside the country. All ABL games on Baseball+ will be available live & free around the world, however.

Outside of Australia, games are being shown on Amazon Prime in Japanese and carried on major networks in Taiwan and Korea.

Don’t forget – the Australian Baseball Leauge isn’t geoblocked. You can watch live & free around the world. There are multiple games today.

GAME 3 WATCH LINK (PC) – Australia vs Japan, 2:000M

Stories

Make sure you follow us on Instagram (@teamaustraliabaseball), Facebook (@Team Australia Baseball) and X (@teamausbaseball) for exclusive content. We have a full media crew in Japan producing just for our Australian baseball fans.

November 18 – One year ago, Jack Bushell wasn’t a pitcher. Today he is the starter vs Japan at the Tokyo Dome

November 17 – Australia falls in extras for second time in as many days

November 16 – This time, a Korea-Australia Tokyo Dome classic ends in heartbreak

November 15 – How Australia is dealing with culture shock and mass media in baseball crazed Japan

November 14 – Class is in session for young members of Team Australia

November 12 – Meet Team Australia

15 November 2023 By Eric Balnar

By Eric Balnar

- Team Australia APBC

How Australia deals with culture shock and mass media in baseball crazed Japan

Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis just had a completely unnatural experience.

Moments after being named Team Australia’s starting pitcher for Thursday’s massive clash vs South Korea at the Asia Professional Baseball Championships, Vassalakis was told he had to do a press conference.

The 23-year-old Australian, who last pitched on a national team at the Under-18 World Cup back in 2017, turned the corner and found himself in a room, surrounded by 52 reporters asking him questions about the game.

Above: Australia at the Tokyo Dome. Photo – Scott Powick / Team Australia Media

“This just got real, didn’t it?” head coach Dave Nilsson said with a smile.

“Was that your biggest press conference,” I ask.

“It’s my only press conference I’ve ever done,” says Vassalakis. “That was crazy.”

You’re not in Australia anymore, Brodie. But if you want to play for Team Australia, maybe it’s something you have to get used to.

In Australia, you’re lucky if one reporter shows up to your game. Vassalakis, fresh off graduating from NCAA Division 1 school Grand Canyon University, just fielded questions from over fifty of them. His name, his words, his face will be plastered across news stations in Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

He’ll be given the ball tomorrow for a start at the Tokyo Dome in front of a large Asian television audience.

The media frenzy isn’t contained to just the walls of a Tokyo Dome press room.

Sam Holland was featured in Japanese tabloids because he was checking out sweets while trying to buy a meat pie in a Tokyo supermarket.

Some tweets from the Team Australia twitter account are viewed by about 100,000 Japanese people.

That’s normal for baseball in the three baseball crazed countries Australia is playing this week.

Want more Team Australia stories? Click here.

“There could be tens of millions of people watching,” one Japanese reporter at the training day says. “People here really love baseball.”

Six the seven Japan World Baseball Classic games in March posted audiences of over 30 million in their home country, according to Sports Business Journal. These games are on multiple major networks across Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan….and of course streaming in Australia on Baseball+.

This is what it’s about,” said Nilsson in a press conference. “Giving these guys a chance to get used to the big stage.”

If Vassalakis felt like a fish out of water, you couldn’t balme him. Talking to that many people, in multiple languages, with a constant flashing of cameras, clicking of keyboards, and the hum of buzzing journalists is not a normal thing for a human to experience.

Luckily, he’s on a team who can help.

Veteran 29-year-old pitcher Sam Holland, who pitched in the WBC in 2023 and has been part of the senior men’s program since 2019, was quick to debrief the experience with Brodie after the conference.

“Here’s what you can do,” he said, and proceeded to give him advice.

Australia has built a culture of information sharing from one generation to the next, and this tournament is the perfect opportunity for that.

It’s an Under-24 tournament of the best professional players from Taiwain, Japan and Korea. Each team is allowed three players older than 24 to be part of the roster, as well as players with less than three year’s pro experience.

Sam Holland, Dan McGrath and Aaron Whitefield are that for Australia. They, along with their fellow U24 teammates who were at the last World Baseball Classic, are tasked with providing veteran leadership off-the-field and delivering big moments on it.

“Sam is such a big game player and leader. You saw that at the World Baseball Classic in March, right? How many big moments did he have,” says General Manager Russell Teichmann. “Aaron Whitefield played in the Major Leagues and loves the big stage. Dan McGrath has been pitching important innings for us for a long time. They are here to lead.”

A large contingent of this Australian squad has long dreamt of playing at the Tokyo Dome, and this week they get to live it.You only had to look at player’s faces of awe and wonder when they first arrived for today’s official training session.

“As a kid you would stay up late to watch Australia play at the Tokyo Dome in a major international tournament,” 20-year-old Jake Burns said to an Amazon Prime reporter after stepping in the Tokyo Dome for his first time Wednesday afternoon. “You dream of wearing Australia on your chest and be a part of these games.”

This isn’t Blacktown Sportspark, Melbourne Ballpark or West Beach. This is a foreign country, with a different language, in a stadium that fits almost 50,000 people, and one of the most iconic baseball places in the world.

That’s where the veterans come in.

“The off-field experience for these kids is probably the strangest part and it has been for me,” says Dan McGrath. “They’ve played baseball their whole life so on the field they know what they need to do. But the preparation off the field is so different in tournament baseball. Knowing where to eat in a different country, knowing how to prepare yourself hydration and nutrition wise is a challenge.”

McGrath says it’s hard to find places to get what you need, so he is more than happy to help him. He had help as a newcomer to Team Australia from players like Warwick Saupold, Jon Kennedy, Steven Kent and Darryl George. Now he’s paying it forward.

“Just letting them know where to eat, letting them know where to go,” he says. “In tournament baseball it doesn’t matter how you feel, you are naturally going to be uncomfortable, so you have to find a way to get through it. Our job is to help them prepare as much as they can for whatever role they have. Some of these guys haven’t played in front of 10s of thousands of people, our job as a veteran is to help them out so they are ready to go for their at-bat.”

McGrath adds that little moments – like going to a restaurant, showing off some food and talking about your day, can help players feel more comfortable.

“Even if I can help one person this whole tournament – it’s going to be good,” he says.

Off the field is one thing, on the field is another.

Australia is about to face some of the best players in the world. On Thursday, they play 27 Koreans with extensive KBO experience, including eight who played in the World Baseball Classic. Notable names include career .311 hitter Kang Baek-Ho and tomorrow’s starting pitcher Moon Dong-Ju, who just set the Korean velocity record by throwing a pitch 101mph in a league game.

Sam Holland wants to make sure the players know they belong.

“We have some of the best players in the world as well. We are putting out our best players in the country just like them,” he says. “We had more homeruns than anyone in our group of the WBC, two of those guys that hit them are on this team. We have a lot of guys who pitched crucial innings. For these young guys – at no point should you feel outmatched. You have as much success as they do.”

One person Holland is helping is 18-year-old Jack Bushell. In fact, Holland was on the coaching staff of the U18 World Cup training camp back in August.

Now they are teammates.

“We had a chat [in August] about how it won’t be long before our player coach relationship turns into a teammate relationship and here we are two months later playing at the Tokyo Dome,” says Holland.

Bushell agrees.

“It happened quickly. It was only two months ago he was yelling me in the pen,” he says.

Seeing the next generation come through, and helping them along the way, is something that fires Sam Holland up.

“For me one of the best things about being on the team is seeing the calibre coming through in this nation,” he says. “Looking forward to some of these future events some of these guys are going to be the heart and soul of these teams.”

“We’re in bloody good hands.”

Australia’s journey at the Asia Professional Championship starts tomorrow at 12:00PM in Tokyo, and 2:00PM in Sydney. Watch it exclusively on Baseball+ in Australia.

15 November 2023 By Eric Balnar

By Eric Balnar

- Team Australia APBC

Asia Series Report: Class is in session for young players on Australia's APBC roster

Class is in session, Team Australia style.

A near four-hour training block in Fuchu City brought together a unique set of Team Australia players for the first time in preparation for this week’s Asia Professional Baseball Championships (APBC) at the Tokyo Dome.

As some of the younger members of the group prepare to take on Korea, Taiwan and Japan, they already have the feeling that this level of Team Australia baseball is a little different than some of the junior events.

There’s more media, a bigger stadium, sponsorship obligations, a high standard of baseball to play, and a big buzz around the city.

Training #1 was all about familiarity – both with each other, the coaches, and what the national team program at a high level is all about.

MEET THE ROSTER: Australia set to take on Asia’s best at APBC

“We are here to win. This is a great chance for some younger guys to see what happens at the top-end – for events like WBC, Premier-12,” says head coach Dave Nilsson. “This is like an introduction of who they are and what they expect.”

Photo: Hiroki Chiba / Team Australia Media

“It’s as much off-field as on-field. It’s important they come to more tournaments because they are so different to everything else.”

The Asia Professional Baseball Championship has unique roster rules, creating an intriguing group of players for this week’s tournament at the Tokyo Dome.

It’s an Under 24 event, with a few exceptions.

Rules allow each team to bring in an experienced group of players to support a new young core coming through the ranks.

Each team – including opponents Japan, Korea and Taiwan – is permitted three players between the ages of 25 and 29. For Australia, they are MLBer Aaron Whitefield, longtime national team member Dan McGrath and high leverage WBC pitcher Sam Holland.

You’re also allowed players over the age of 24 who have less than three years’ experience in the professional system, allowing WBC returnees like Liam Spence. A pair of 24-year-olds in Briley Knight and Billy Parsons also get their first exposure the national program at this level.

Rixon Wingrove, Alex Hall, Will Sheriff and Coen Wynne all have played in the World Baseball Classic and are all under 23.

Head coach Dave Nilsson says they’ll be looked to as leaders.

“This is a culture where the old teach the young. In this environment at the APBC guys like Whitey, Alex, Sam, Dan McGrath and Rixon all have a lot of experience,” he says. “It’s their responsibility to help them along the way. They know what to expect at a high level and there’s a teaching now that goes with it.”

One of those students is Brodie Cooper-Vassalakis, a pitcher who just graduated Grand Canyon University.

“I feel like that freshman again. I feel like I am ten minutes early but also ten minutes late at the same time. I’m learning it all over again – learning names, learning how things work,” he says. “It’s been great. It’s a more professional setting. It’s get what you need to be ready for the game.”

Photo: Scott Powick / Team Australia Media

Vassalakis, now 22, just spent the last five years away from home playing Division 1 Baseball. He hasn’t played on a national team since the 2017 World Cup, or in the Australian Baseball League since then.

He’s been away from the national program and is now getting re-introduced.

“They know who I was, but they don’t know who I am now,” he says. “I’ve been on a journey of finding out who I was as a pitcher I really solidified knowing that what I have is enough to compete at this level. Over the past few years, I was able to play around and find out who I was an be confident in that.”

Vassalakis just finished his best season as a college player, tossing 27.1 innings as a reliever with a 3.95 ERA.

Ky Hampton is another college returnee to the group coming off a career year. The South Australian is actually still in college – technically.

Hampton was a conference all-star at NCAA’s Eastern Illinois Panthers after turning in his best season in a five-year college career.

He flew in from across the world – from a little town in Illinois where he is finishing a placement as a Grade 4 teacher – to be here.

Hampton taught a class on Friday in Illinois, jumped on a plane on Sunday, arrived in Japan late Monday, was at the training ground on Tuesday, will play in the tournament from Thursday-Sunday, and be back ready to teach on Tuesday.

But Hampton says he wouldn’t miss it.

“Any chance you get to represent your country you do it,” says 22-year-old Hampton, who was on Australia’s U23 World Cup roster last season. “But here I feel like a new guy, old guy, and young guy at the same time.

The re-introduction is needed for Hampton, too.

“It was kind of funny,” he laughs. “I had my headshot taken and the longtime team photographer asked me who I was. I told him and he was like: “Oh wow I remember you. I haven’t seen you since you were a little fella.”

While the learning experience is great, these players are all here to serve a purpose – find a way to win.

Team Australia General Manager Russ Teichmann says the staff wanted to select the best available players to go and win the event.

“We have a busy tournament cycle for the next few years. There’s the Premier12, U23 World Cups, a World Baseball Classic and Olympic qualification. This age group is part of a larger group who will be playing important games for Australia leading up to the 2028 Olympics and beyond,” he says.

Teichmann says he is looking forward to seeing Australia compete with some of the best professional players from Japan, Korea and Chinese Taipei.

Photo: Scott Powick / Team Australia Media

“This playing group is a good mix of guys who have been part of World Baseball Classics and World Cup squads. We’re also excited to see new players make their debut at this level,” he says. “The expectation is that we are going to perform well, with our constant objective of being the best tournament team in the world.”

When class is adjourned on Sunday afternoon, Australia will be hoping there will be wins for their players both on and off the field.

“We really want to see them grow as people and men,” says Nilsson.

The first test in Thursday at 2:00PM AEDT (12:00PM in Tokyo) vs South Korea. You can watch the game in Australia on Baseball+.

13 November 2023 By Eric Balnar

By Eric Balnar

- Aussies Abroad College Baseball

Aussie mates Kyan Wallington and Lachlan Smith commit to college baseball career together at Odessa

Two Australian baseball players have committed to Odessa College – a junior college based in Texas, USA.

Kyan Wallington (NSW) and Lachlan Smith (VIC) – both teammates on national teams – will again link up in Texas next year.

It’s a school with strong Australian connections. Victorian Charlie Collins plays there now, and three others – Liam McDonald, Conor Myles and Chase Diggins – played there in the last two years. All three are at Division 1 universities, now.

Wallington, an outfielder from Blacktown Workers Baseball Club in NSW, says he is excited to play Division 1 Junior College baseball with a close mate.

“The school’s coaching, the location and the opportunity has led me to committing to Odessa,” he says.

Infielder Lachlan Smith (below) is coming off a breakout year where he featured heavily on Team Australia’s U18 squad at the 2023 U18 World Cup.

The Sandringham Royals product was a staple of the infield. He says he hopes Odessa can help lead him to other opportunities by taking his game to the next level, just like the Australians who went before him.

“I’m excited by the program at Odessa with a heavy strength and conditioning focus and a very clear plan on technical and strategic approach,” Smith says. “My exposure to the coaches and facilities at Odessa so far indicate a really great environment to build these tools. The chance to be surrounded by other amazing baseballers and motivated coaches will keep pushing me to be better every day.”

Watch Team Australia at the Asia Professional Baseball Championships on Baseball+, November 16-19.

Wallington also says he wants to get physically and mentally stronger.

“I want to lift big, hit the ball far, throw the ball hard and be able to put my foot in the door to professional baseball,” he says.

Wallington was a member of the 2022 U18 World Cup squad. He says that was an instrumental experience in his development.

“Playing in tournaments like that helped me prepare to play against some of the best athletes in the world and to prepare me for being in conditions I’m not comfortable in,” he says.

Lachlan Smith agrees. He says the tournaments within Australia help, too.

“I’ve participated in many tournaments – like representing Victoria at the Australian Youth Championships, and playing for my country at the U18 World Cup,” he says. “These tournaments help you prepare for the caliber of baseball that needs to be played at a college level. Facing pitching helps me adapt and be ready for anything – it exposes you to higher velocity.”

Both players say they wouldn’t have had this opportunity if it weren’t for their home clubs.

Smith shouts out a wide Victorian community and his Sandringham Club – a team he’s been part of since he was nine.

“Rick Wills was a key part of my baseball development and a huge influence in my baseball journey. He not only taught me the fundamentals of the game but also baseball strategy and really shaped my overall approach to the game,” he says.

“I have also had the benefit of some fantastic coaches at Baseball Victoria including Damian Shanahan and Keli’I Zablan who have helped develop my technical skills throughout the Baseball Victoria Development Program. And lastly, I am fortunate to have Marshall Skinner who is now my Senior’s Coach at Sandringham and has also coached me in the U18 Victorian State team. All of these coaches have played a huge part in my development helping me to become the baseball player I am today.”

Wallington (below) says his mum is among the biggest of his influences.

“She really is my biggest influence on pushing myself to where I want to go,” he says. “The coaching from little league, to state league, and all in between had a really big impact on my development and drive. Nathan Wright (Lefty), Benjamin McGuire, Brandon Bojarski and Jason Pospishil too.”

Both players say their goal is to factor into the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic team.

They will report to Odessa in August.

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