News

by Kristin Sims

Australian women’s baseball stalwart Elodie O’Sullivan has played the game at the highest levels, playing with the Emeralds at World Cups and winning national titles.

Recently, she has returned from her second stint playing in Japan’s top league for a women’s team called Tokai Nexus.

O’Sullivan is the only Australian woman to play this level baseball in 2024. But her journey isn’t as straight forward as it seems…

When baseball pushes you down, bounce back higher

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The 2022/23 season of baseball in Australia was one of highs and lows for O’Sullivan.

The season began with seven months of overcoming a serious foot injury for the 2018 World Cup representative.

She recovered in time to become an important contributor to Western Australia’s first women’s national title in eleven years in April, 2023. It was a big moment for O’Sullivan, who moved to WA from her home state of New South Wales for a job opportunity as an engineer.

She missed out on selection for the World Cup in August.

But injury and the disappointment of missing national team selection didn’t knock her down.

That’s when O’Sullivan went to work. The 29-year-old took her baseball destiny into her own hands.

Not shying away from wanting to continue to play against the best and challenge herself to a higher lever, she reached out to Risa Nakashima, the head coach of World #1 women’s national team Japan. O’Sullivan knew Nakashima from the Japanese star’s experience in Australia as a player, state coach and showcase coach.

Nakashima helped O’Sullivan land an opportunity with Tokai Nexus in 2023 for her first season.

“One of my proudest moments of my career was overcoming that injury and getting myself back to where I needed to be,” O’Sullivan said. “I recognise the opportunity wasn’t just handed to me, it was a huge honour that she (Rika Nakashima) was able to find an opportunity for me and I definitely did not take that for granted.”

O’Sullivan returned to Australia improved. Her talents were on display again at the 2024 Australian Women’s Showcase, where she won a championship with the Brisbane Bandits, was one of the tournament leaders in batting, and made phenomenal plays in the field.

Her performance in 2023 in Japan earned her an invite back in 2024.

Learning the differences between Japanese and Australian baseball

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There are some big differences playing overseas compared to Australia. One stand out is the format of games.

Unlike at home where games are played weekly across a season, in Japan the competition, which consists of 38 teams, is played in a knock-out format meaning the days are long and the pressure is nothing short of intense.

“I love the single elimination style,” says O’Sullivan. “You need to learn how to win and a great way to do that is by basically playing a grand final every single day, you really can’t take your foot off the pedal. It is just so ultra competitive.”

Simply put: If you win, you keep playing.

O’Sullivan says she sometimes was playing four games a day in searing Japanese heat. She took this in her stride and used the conditions to build her mental resilience and focus on post game recovery.

“You need to be out in the sun for up to eight hours at a time and if you can’t give your best, then there is another person in the flanks working just as hard, waiting to take your spot,” she says.

O’Sullivan was one of those players “in the flanks.”

But patience pays off. After her long stint on the sidelines, O’Sullivan says she was ready for whatever came her way and wanted nothing more than to compete against the best.

“I felt like I was in the form of my life and I was so excited to use my hard work and training in a new environment, I was bursting to get out and compete,” she says.

One of the key differences for O’Sullivan is the etiquette and respect to the game paid by the Japanese players.
She says she feels very lucky to have the chance to be part of a team on the other side of the world that aligns with her own values closely.

“The respect for the game really stuck out to me,” she says. “There’s so much respect on display to officials, coaches, and your opposition. Everyone spends time raking the field and gives absolutely everything out on the field.”
O’Sullivan adds that mindset to the game is something held close to her heart.

“It is really important for me to be in environments and teams that resonate so closely with my own personal values,” she says. “This experience has been no different.”

Players typically bow to each other before and after games in Japan, a sign of respect Elodie O’Sullivan says she resonates with. Photo: @el_osully)

“It’s indescribable to be part of a team with so much talent, passion and respect for the game with an unmatched work ethic,” she adds.

Coming home

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When it comes to continuing the development of her game, O’Sullivan says that her time in Japan allows her to bring back strategies to Australia that will help her both on and off the field.

“I am learning new strategies and understanding a whole new side to the game,” she says.

One aspect is small ball – an element of the game Japanese players traditionally master.

“My bunting has improved the most and I am now confident I can execute this in any situation,” she says. “The environment has reminded me to enjoy the game wherever I am and I know when I am enjoying my game, then I am performing at my best.”

O’Sullivan says she hopes her teammates in Australia will also benefit, saying she will pass on the values she’s learnt to help better those around her and the game she loves.

“I’m inspired to lead from the front and demonstrate how a good culture and respect for the game can bring out the best in people and most importantly bring out the best in teams as a collective,” she says.

“If I can set a good example for showing what hard work, enjoyment and selflessness can achieve, then that is exactly what I want to show through the way I play the game and for me, this is Nexus baseball in a nutshell.”