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Regional areas of New South Wales have produced some great baseball players.

From the Wells twins, to Rixon Wingrove, to Tim Atherton, the McMillan sisters, to Ryan Rowland Smith and beyond, the country of New South Wales is a baseball hotbed.

Both the U16 and U18 age groups missed out on the medal rounds last year. Can they bounce back?

We’re excited to watch some promising talent this January in Blacktown.

For all your tournament information, head to www.baseball.com.au/ayc2025/.

We’re previewing each state in the U16 and U18 ahead of the 2025 Australian Youth Baseball Championships in Blacktown from January 7-15. Head here for full coverage and schedule.

Make sure you follow us at @baseball.com.au on Instagram and Facebook for coverage.

Broadcast of games on Diamond 1 will be provided live, free and on-demand on Baseball+.

NEW SOUTH WALES COUNTRY – UNDER 16

This should be a lively but young team. Ten players on the 20-man squad are aged 14. This year is about developing for the future.

That says, there is a nice leadership core present. Returning players Austin Turner & Archie Sampson, Baxter Nee should lead the charge.

Archie Sampson and Jesse Garnero both represented Australia at the 2024 Junior League World Series after winning a national title with Cronulla in May.

“Achie is a leader who really brings a positive energy to the team,” says fellow teammate Jian Chen.

The national championship experience is there, for sure.

But the rising crop of athletes is the most tantalising.

We’re looking forward to watching the ever developing curve ball of Coffs Harbour’s Denzel Wynne-Primus. Great baseball name too.

Camden’s Owen Hart has been pegged as a pitcher to watch, too.

Many players on Country New South Wales point to 14-year-old Austin Turner as “must watch.”

Turner is a pitcher from Newcastle who has overcome a lot.

“He is the lower end of the age group but you wouldn’t think that due to his size and strength. I have played with Austin for many years and we often train together outside of our club and representative training,” says catcher Baxter Nee. “He challenges me as a catcher but more importantly, I have watched him grow and develop his pitching skills over the years. I know he has struggled each time he had a growth spurt, having to retrain his mechanics. He never gives up and his ability is something you would expect from someone who is older. He has a great sense of humor and is very funny, I am proud to play with him doing what we both love and enjoy.”

What more is there to say?

Turner says his story is one of resilience.

“I am the second youngest person on our team,” he says. “The past 12 months have been hard for me as I have been fighting a disease that we didn’t know about until recently called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. I was feeling really unwell and exhausted all the time and had to keep trying to push through and not let it affect my baseball or schooling which was hard. But after starting on medication I have been feeling a lot better and have had much more fun playing baseball as it was not such a struggle to just get up in the morning.”

We’re cheering for you!

Offensively, Baxter Nee should shoulder some load. He has great command behind the plate and has some pop. The Newcastle-native can also play third base.

14-year-old Liam Gardner, from Belmont Baseball Club in Newcastle, might get an opportunity to shine in the middle-infield too.

We can’t wait to watch this crop of Country Kids do their thing!

NEW SOUTH WALES COUNTRY – UNDER 18

I wouldn’t sleep on this NSW Country U18s team.

They have a really solid foundation returning for their second year of 18s, a good crop graduating from the Under 16s, and a couple Team Australia stars.

Let’s start with the returning players from last year’s U18 squad. They are: Lachlan O’Sullivan, Sam Davis, Chris Morgan, Connor McArthy, Riley Watson, Riley Cooper, Hamish Weekes, Kallen Barker, Hamish Gleeson

Riley Cooper, from Northern NSW, was lights out for Australia at the recent U18 Qualifiers vs New Zealand. Cooper went 6-for-17 with a double and seven runs batted in. He also played for Australia at the Perfect Game World Series.

“He’s a stud hits for both power and contact also fields well,” says Riley Watson of his teammate, Riley Cooper.

Riley Watson is no slouch himself. He was arguably the star player of NSW Country as a 16-year-old in 2024.

Lachlan O’Sullivan should provide stability on the mound and outfield. We’ll also look at top age players Alex Poole, Chris Morgan, Kallen Barker and Tristan Clapham to provide steady heads as pitcher.

Sam Davis is tipped to be strong behind the plate.

Chris Morgan has been pitching first grade for powerhouse Blacktown Workers.

Up from the 16s are the likes of Will Klein-Schiphorst, Tyler Boggiss, Cormac Boggiss, Ben Frost and Patrick Harrison.

Cam Howay, who won a gold medal with NSW Metro last year, also joins this country side.

Klein-Schiphorst, from Wyong Wildcats, represented Australia at the U16 level this past year.

Gosford’s Kai Pora is intriguing. He’s only 16 and has been playing baseball just for two years. He’ll play both outfield and centrefield.

“My personal trainer encouraged me to play. I got given my very first glove by a player that I didn’t even know and that made me fall in love with the game,” says Pora.

Let’s see how New South Wales Country will roll!