Hayden Beard pitching for South Australia during the 09/10 Claxton Shield

Since signing a contract with the New York Mets back in 2005, former Bandits right armer, Hayden Beard, has been toiling away on the Minor League circuit trying to realise his dream of one day becoming a pitcher in the major leagues.

Hayden Currently plays for class A, San Diego Padres affiliate team, the Fort Wayne TinCaps in Indiana. Situated three and a half hours outside the capital, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne has been ranked inside the top ten as one of the best cities in America for minor league sports and boasts the title as the city in which the NBA was born.

Hayden has represented the ACT in just about every national tournament that is/has been held, all the way from Under 12’s through to the Claxton shield and everything in between.

In the 2009-2010 Australian season, Hayden pitched for runners up South Australia, meaning a lot of time is spent in transit.

“I am pretty lucky as I get to spend about five months a year back home during the off season.

“Playing for South Australia in the Claxton Shield competition was great but it meant spending 3 or 4 days a week interstate which was kind of tough.

“With the start of the new ABL and having a Canberra team, at least I will be able to spend every second weekend at home playing a home series.”

With Canberra possessing such a close knit baseball community, Hayden can’t wait to get out onto the diamond and represent Canberra on such a big stage.

“We’ve been hearing about the possibility of a new ABL for the past five or so years, it is great that is finally going to happen.

“I remember being a little kid and my Dad taking me out to watch the Canberra Bushrangers in the old ABL. Spending time out there definitely had an impact on me.

“Now it’s my turn to be out there on the field, and I am really looking forward to being part of that experience for the young kids of Canberra.

“I feel very lucky and fortunate that I am in a position at the moment where I am able to be part of this.”

Hayden says the new ABL will be something completely different for the fans that head out to the games each week.

“I think the new ABL is going to be an eye opener for a lot of people back home, and give them a small taste of what it is like playing over here.

“Baseball over here is a lot different to playing back home, so I am hoping that with the backing of MLB we are going to have an exciting and entertaining product to give the people of Canberra.”

Photo by Lawrence Trevanion

The ACT Schoolboys rewritten the record books following a brilliant Silver medal finish at the recent National Championships held in Perth.

ACTAS Head Coach, Brent Phelan writes below his report from the recent Australian Schoolboy National Championships Where the ACT team clinched a brilliant Silver medal in Perth.

May 10 Vs WA

Good start to the tournament with a 9-8 win over WA. We jumped out of the blocks quickly scoring early with RBI hits to Calvert, Warner, Burdin and Bishell. Through the first six innings Aaron Sloan dominated on the mound only allowing four hits striking out twelve and allowing no runs which left us with a comfortable 5-0 lead. We added another run in the 7th when Barnes scored on a wild pitch. Warner came in to relieve Sloan on the mound and cruised through the 7th but ran into trouble in the 8th.

WA mounted a comeback and after a costly error. With what would become a theme for the ACT team they mounted a comeback in the 9th inning. One out back to back hits from Bishell and Lott got the rally started, two walks and three wild pitches got us back in front 9-7. Things got interesting in the bottom of the inning when we walked two guys and gave up a run but nice plays by Barnes and Lott snuffed out the rally.

Burdin got the win on the mound as well as going 2-5 with a HR and Bishell was the leader with the bat going 3-4.

May 11 Vs NSW

A tough day for the boys after a draining win the night before, Eden Kelly made his schoolboys debut on the mound and made quick work of the NSW hitters in the 1st. Unfortunately NSW would explode over the next two innings putting on 10 runs to take over the game. Ciaron Edwards came on in relief and slowed their bats a little but NSW were still able to add another 5 runs in the last two frames. Offensively we struggled most of the game only managing 1 run on 4 hits. Top performers with the bat were Calvert 2-3, Bishell 1-2 and Sloan 1-3.

May 11 Vs SA

A game that we expected to win but poor defence and missed opportunities would see us going down 12-7.

We got out early and seemed to be cruising, Burdin had an RBI double in the 1st, Sloan had an RBI double in the second and an SA throwing error allowed us to add three runs in the inning. RBI singles from Shaw and Bishell and an RBI ground out from Barnes allowed us to tack on 3 more runs and take a 7-2 lead through 5 ½ innings.

SA would bounce back helped out by 3 walks and 2 errors in the 6th scoring 7 runs and giving SA a 9-7 lead. SA would add to the lead in the 6th with 3 more runs which would be where the game ended. Aaron Peoples and Jason Lott did a good job on the mound but were let down by errors. With the bat Burdin was again a standout going 2-4 with a double, Sloan, Perkins, Bishell, Shaw, and Lott all collected one hit each.

May 12 Vs Vic

This game was close to a must win for both teams and as such we ran into Victoria’s ace and Australian AA representative last year. It was a tough day with the bats as we were held hitless for the game.

On the mound Robbie Perkins did an outstanding job keeping us in the game and throwing 6 innings allowing 7 hits and 3 runs. Sutherland came in to relieve Perkins and was let down by some poor defence which saw the score blow out in the last inning. Final score Victoria 9 ACT 0.

May 12 Vs QLD

With results going our way the final game of the first round would see the winner of ACT and QLD go through into the top three for the second round.

Recently turned 14yr James Trevanion took the ball for us and did a great job through 3 innings, James allowed 4 hits, 2 runs but only 1 earned run. We started where we left off with the bats again struggling to get anything going which left us behind 2-0 through 3 innings.

In the fourth the offence started to get rolling and the Queensland pitching started to unravel, 2 walks, 2 hits and an error allowed us to score 4 runs and take the lead. Queensland would answer right back with a HR and an RBI single in the 5th to tie the game off Calvert who relieved Trevanion.

The game would stay tied to the bottom of the 7th as Calvert held them scoreless over their last two frames, the schoolboys championships does not allow for extra innings, in order to advance we had to win and for QLD a tie would see them go through.

With 1 out in the bottom of the 7th Lott reached on an error and Edwards singled to right, after a strike out we were down to our last out when Calvert stepped up and drilled a ball into the left centre alley to bring home the winning run and put us into the top 3 for the third year in a row.

With the bat Edwards led the way going 3-4. Calvert, Warner, Sloan and Lott all collected 1 hit each.

May 14 Vs Vic

Photo by Lawrence Trevanion

The first semi final game, with the way the rules are structured in the schoolboys and with the results from the first round a win in this game would put us directly into the gold medal game.

Victoria took the early lead when they strung a couple of hits together scoring a run of starter Aaron Sloan. The score would stay the same until the fourth when with one out Aaron Sloan had to be taken out of the game with some soreness in his shoulder.

Burdin came on to relieve and gave up back to back hits to give Victoria a 2-0 lead. We came straight back in the 5th as Lott walked and with 2 out Calvert had an RBI triple and Warner followed with an RBI single to tie the game. In the 6th Victoria would again take the lead after a 2 out wild pitch with a man on third. Again down to our last at bat we would rally, with 2 out and nobody on, Edwards and Calvert both walked, Warner singled to right to tie the game, and Sutherland doubled to right to give us the lead. After some scary moments in the 7th Burdin got the final out of the game with a pop up to left with the bases loaded. Final score ACT 4 Vic 3

Both guys on the mound did a great job with Burdin picking up his second win of the tournament. With the bat the two guys at the top of the order Calvert and Warner both picked up 2 hits and drove in three runs.

May 14 Vs NSW

Even though we were in the final we still went after NSW to try and take some momentum into the final.

Lott started on the mound and did a good job against a powerful offence going three innings and only giving up 2 earned runs. Due to his pitch count though he had to be removed and he was relieved by Jacob Shaw. Jacob was outstanding however our defence let him down as he allowed 6 runs over the next two innings of which none of them were earned. Eden Kelly came on for his second appearance of the tournament and looked far more comfortable as he threw the final inning only allowing one hit. We struggled offensively again as we only managed three hits for the game, Sutherland led the way going 2-2 and Calvert was 1-2. Final score NSW 10 ACT 0

May 15 Vs NSW

The final would see us match up against the undefeated NSW team who had steamrolled everybody they had played to date. That didn’t seem to bother us at all as we jumped on them in the top of the first inning.

Calvert led off with a walk then stole second and then scored when the catcher threw the ball into left field trying to catch him stealing 3rd. Sloan then walked and double to Burdin and Perkins saw us take a 3-0 lead.

With Aaron Peoples on the mound NSW would bounce right back and score in the bottom half of the inning after a lead off double came around to score. NSW were at it again in the second when three straight hits saw them tie the game at 3. We would run into trouble again in the fourth as the NSW bats kept firing, Peoples was removed and Warner bought on after 3 runs had scored in the inning and he did a great job of getting us out of a jam.

We rallied again in the fifth with doubles to Warner and Burdin, a single to Sloan and a sac fly to Perkins would see us cut into the lead and only trail 6-5. That’s as close as we would get though as NSW pulled away scoring 2 runs in the 6th and 2 runs in the 7th to eventually win the game 10-5.

Warner, Sloan and Burdin all collected two hits each and Perkins had one hit and 3 RBI’s.

The second place finish was the highest an ACT team had ever finished at the Schoolboys tournament which was extremely satisfying to me as the coach. We took away a team that was close to having an average age of 1-2 years younger than the competition. Although we had the great result of finishing second I don’t believe that we played to our capabilities throughout the tournament and could have finished with a better win loss record than we did. What was pleasing for me was how we performed under pressure and time after time rallied from behind to win games.

Good teams and players win close games and we did that. As a team we really had no stand out players, everyday it seemed to be someone different who contributed or got the big hit. Sloan was named to the All-Star team as a utility after two outstanding starts on the mound and doing a solid job with the bat.

Tournaments such as schoolboys are a great benefit to us for a number of reasons, firstly they give us a chance to play games in a time of year that we wouldn’t ordinarily have the chance.

Australian players in general need to play more games throughout the year to try and catch our high school player in the US and this allows us to help with that.

A tournament like this also gives players a chance to showcase their skills on a national stage where they haven’t been seen since the underage national championships in January. Playing games also allows me as a coach to teach, only so many things can be manufactured in a training session, playing games allows us to identify plays or situations and teach players how to play the game. And finally is gives me as a coach and the players a chance to measure themselves against the other best players that the country has to offer.

I think the future for baseball in Canberra is looking up, right now in the ACTAS program we have a talented squad which is evident by the five players selected to go to the MLBAAP on the Gold Coast this year. Although sometimes a little short on overall numbers our best players can compete at a national and international level. I fully believe that the new national league team here in Canberra is only going to enhance that along with boosting our game at a grass roots level.

This year’s grand final will see defending champions the Bandits take on last years runners-up the Ainslie Bears in a dramatic rematch.

The Ainslie Bears beat out the Weston Creek Indians in last weeks semi finals 6-5, 7-0 to secure their place in the grand final.

The Bears have had a solid season and have already shown they have the capacity to beat the Bandits securing two wins against them throughout the season.

The Bandits go into the grand final on the back of an extremely successful season with 25 wins to 5 losses.  They are defending a two year winning streak and are hoping to walk away with a third consecutive Esmonds Cup.

If previous games are anything to go by, then this is shaping up to be a close grand final. Each time these teams have met the games have been high scoring and close.

The B-grad grand final will be Indians v Bandits. This will put extra pressure on the pitchers for the Bandits should the games be close on sunday.

Game 1: Thursday 25 March, Narrabundah Baseball Park, 7:00pm

Game 2: Sunday 28 March, Narrabundah Baseball Park, 3:00pm

Game 3: (if needed) Sunday 28 March, Narrabundah Baseball Park, following game 2

This year’s semi-finals will see the Ainslie Bears take on the Weston Creek Indians in what is sure to be a closely fought series.

The Weston Creek Indians head into this year’s finals series looking to break their 19 year premiership drought in ACT baseballs premier category. Ainslie have fared slightly better over the past decade, claiming the Esmonds Cup in 2004.

The decider for this series could be the depth, with both the Bears and the Indians taking part in the B grade finals series.

Both teams posses a powerful offensive game with high scoring matches being a feature of the regular season, this could prove vital for both teams as the pitching ranks will be tested should game three be needed on Sunday afternoon.

The winner of the semi-finals will come up against a red-hot Bandits (25-5) side looking to clinch their third consecutive Esmonds Cup.

Game 1: Thursday 18 March, Narrabundah Baseball Park, 7:00pm

Game 2: Sunday 21 March, Narrabundah Baseball Park, 3:00pm

Game 3: (if needed) Sunday 21 March, Narrabundah Baseball Park, following game 2

Form Guide

The teams come into the semi-finals in mixed form. The Bears warmed up for Thursday night’s opener with a hard-fought 3-2 win over the Tuggeranong Vikings thanks to solid pitching from Nolan Nicholson and John Noonan. The Indians on the other hand played their last game almost a week ago, going down to the minor-premier Bandits in a close one.

The Stats

Indians regular season 22-8

Ainslie Bears regular season 19-11

Head to head

2009 – 2010 Season, Ainslie 3-2

Indians 10 – 6
Bears 13 – 3
Indians 11 -2
Bears 11-1
Bears 9 – 8

Bears v Indians runs scored 2009 -2010

Bears 41
Indians 33

An audience of supporters including Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Andrew Barr, ACT Baseball Association (ACTBA) Commissioner, Theo Vassalakis, and a host of local players and bid supporters mobbed to Civic Square to see ABL Commissioner, Mark Peters, announce the news so many within the baseball community had been hoping to hear.

ACTBA Commissioner, Theo Vassalakis, says Canberra’s acceptance into the ABL is fantastic news with all the hard work by those within the baseball community paying off.

“I would like to thank everyone who got behind the ‘Let’s do it Canberra’ bid for their support and hard work.” Theo said. “I’d especially like to thank those within the baseball community who worked so tirelessly and never gave up their dream of competing on the national stage once again.”

Theo said acceptance into the ABL would promote the grassroots levels of the game and would inspire the junior ranks to emulate their senior counterparts.

“The region has produced many elite baseballers over the years, and now with Canberra now competing in a national competition the standard of our local talent can only improve.”

Canberra’s acceptance into the newly formed league comes off the back of record numbers of participants in the local competition, showing the growth and potential of the game in the region.

With Canberra’s bid to join the ABL successful, work will now begin to put in place the administrative staff charged with having the team ready for the November 2010 season opener.

“It wont be an easy task getting the team ready for the season opener, but the ABL and their partners have shown themselves to be of the highest quality so there is no doubt Canberra will be ready and competitive when the first pitch is thrown.” Theo said.

Amy Vickers, Kate Russell, Eliza Russell, Carly Jensen, Cathy Carroll and Claire Stephens have all been invited to try out for the NSW Country team

The first ever ACT Womens Baseball side has returned home from a rain soaked weekend in the Illawarra region with their heads held high after an encouraging effort in their first ever competitive tournament.

The weekend only served to prove the potential the region has in its womens ranks with six girls chosen for the NSW Country training squad as they prepare for the Australian National Championships, due to take place early in the new year.

In a field of four sides including Illawarra, Central Coast and Newcastle, the ACT Womens team were never disgraced against some of the strongest opposition the state of NSW has to offer.

The weekend started off with a 6-5 win against Newcastle on Saturday afternoon in what was an encouraging beginning to the campaign.

Game 2 was against the Central Coast side, a side that was clearly the strongest in the field. After a tough battle, Central Coast ran out eventual 9-8 winners with the girls unlucky on the day not to have their noses in front.

A defeat to eventual winners, Illawarra put the ACT side up against a rampaging Central Coast team who had been relegated to the 3v4 final due to a rule violation with the result going to the Central Coast team.

ACT Womens team Manager, Louise Russell, says that the teams overall results don’t show how encouraging the weekend really was.

“The rain washed out a few games which was a shame because the team certainly improved as the weekend progressed,” Russell said.

“I think we can go home with our heads held high as we competed at the same level as the other teams.

“Having six girls chosen to train for the NSW Country team is testament to how strong we are and how much stronger we can get.”

The six players chosen as part of the NSW Country Training Squad are:

Eliza Russell (Ainslie)
Kate Russell (Ainslie)
Amy Vickers (Ainslie)
Claire Stephens (Ainslie)
Carly Jenson (Rebels)
Cath Carroll (Indians)

The increase in players has been experienced right across the board at both junior and senior levels. As an example, junior T-Ball looks set to double the sides from clubs around Canberra from last years competition.

Increasing numbers have also been felt at the senior level with Division 2 in C Grade also doubling in size from last years numbers.

The influx in new recruits for the upcoming season once again highlights the growth of the sport at grassroots levels.

The growth in participation comes as the ACT Baseball Association bids to join the newly formed Australian Baseball League, and has seen the ACT fielding their first ever women’s representative side.

ACT Baseball Association President, Theo Vassalakis, says that the increase in participation is clear evidence of the growth of the sport in the region and only serves to build the excitement in the baseball community for the upcoming season.

“This is fantastic news for the game in our region,” Vassalakis said.

“We have the ‘Let’s do it Canberra’ bid in full swing at the moment and I think some of the hype surrounding the bid can be attributed to the increase in numbers.”

“The future of the sport in our region really does look bright. If we are successful in our bid to join the ABL, we could be set for even more growth next year.”

With participation at all levels of the sport at almost record highs, the ACT Baseball Association has almost found itself not having enough diamonds on which its players can participate.

“We’ve had to spend a lot more time on the draw for all age groups this year. It’s a good problem to have.” Vassalakis said.

The tour kicked off with a 6-2 defeat against Linn Benton Community College, Oregon. With the first game taking place just one day after the team’s arrival in the United States, the challenge was always going to be a tough one.

With many of the players representing Australia for the first time, the score was not reflective of how tight the game really was, with Australia giving away five runs in an error laden fourth innings.

Game number two saw Australia come up against a very tough opponent in the form of the Kansas City Scouts, a team made up of players from Oregon and surrounding states with a few from Canada.

In a disappointing batting display the boys were convincingly beaten 10-1, however promise was shown by Josh Warner on the mound, throwing a terrific final two innings to end the game.

The third game of the tour saw the Australians come up against strong opposition, this time against an older All-Star team selected from the north-west region of Oregon.

The team was keen to get on the winning sheet and held out their more experienced opposition in a nine innings thriller 4-3.

Hook did a magnificent job in relief keeping the opposition scoreless whilst a more aggressive performance with the bat allowed the boys to savor a well earned victory.

With a win under their belts giving the team a bit more confidence, the Australian Schoolboys lined up against Lane Community College in the fourth game of the tour.

In a fantastic offensive display featuring Canberra’s own Caleb Albrecht, the boys took out the win 7-4, dominating with both bat and ball.

Overnight the boys lined up against Chemeketa Community College, before travelling to Portland then on to Los Angeles.

Entering the tournament ranked 11 in the World, the Aussies recorded upset victories over Japan (World #3), Chinese Taipei (#5), The Netherlands (#6), Mexico (#7) and Canada (#8); while pushing Cuba (#1) and the USA (#4) to narrow 1-run defeats to reinforce their position amongst the international sporting elite.

Team Australia were assured of matching their best-ever result when they qualified for the 5th/6th position play-off against the Netherlands.

In their final game of the gruelling 3-week tournament; played in multiple venues across Europe; Team Australia commenced proceedings with a one-run first innings with Canberra’s own Nick Kimpton scoring off a Luke Hughes right-field single.

The Dutch evened the scores with a run of their own in a 3-hit 3rd innings.

Australia regained the ascendancy in the 7th, scoring 2 runs when a Dutch fielding error turned a right-field single from James Beresford into a run-scoring triple, bringing Andrew Graham home from first base on the error. Kimpton then drove in Beresford with a ground ball to centre-field to put the Aussies in the lead 3-1.

Stefan Welch sealed the victory with a 3rd pitch home-run in the 8th.

The Aussies conceded just two more hits in the remaining innings, securing the final six outs for a 5th place World cup finish.