​Canberra Baseball has been given a boost ahead of the upcoming season by winning the inaugural 'Wagga Baseball Invitational' in near perfect conditions over the weekend of 27-28 September.

The Canberra Baseball team, was comprised mainly of Baseball Canberra's High Performance and Baseball Academy players, all under the age of 18.

The competition consisted of four teams, including Canberra, from regional areas; Wagga Wagga, Illawarra and North East Victoria.

A tightly contested Final played on Sunday between Canberra and North East Victoria saw Canberra as eventual winners by a score of 4-2.

"The Wagga Invitational provided our players with an excellent opportunity to get some quality game time ahead of the season" according to Kyle Perkins, team Manager.

The Baseball Canberra season kicks off at the Narrabundah Ballpark with a Gala Weekend over 13-13 October, with the first pitch to be thrown at 10:00am.

Hello Baseball Canberra,

It that time of year again where we are kicking off our baseball season, we would like to officially announce our Try-Outs for Under 16’s and Under 18’s Nationals which will be held in Geelong, Altona and Ballarat on January 10 - 15, 2020.

 Our Try - Outs will be held on the;

• 15th October 2019, Narrabundah 101 from 5:30pm - 7:30pm
• 17th October 2019, Narrabundah 401 from 5:30pm - 7:30pm

 
Try - Outs will be performed in the manner of 4 stages for athletes, we request that you attend both try - outs to ensure that the athlete is given the best evaluation for selection process. Stages of Selection will be;

1. Raw Tools (Throw Velocity, Hit Velocity and 60 yard dash)
2. Controlled Skills (Field, throw to bases, bullpens, BP skills) Grade 3,2,1
3. Game Sense (simulated and real game responses) Grade 3,2,1
4. Squad Composition (ensuring the team has appropriate numbers required at positions) 

 
We can't wait to see you at the ballpark!

The scheduling format for the 2019/20 - Baseball Canberra season has now been determined, following a Council Meeting on 31 July between the Baseball Canberra Board and Council (club Presidents).  The format outlines the days and locations for each junior age group and senior grade competitions, under which the respective draws will be developed.

Following a couple of consecutive seasons that have unfortunately seen a decline in participation numbers, (not just in Baseball but in all Sports), and particularly in the recruitment of new players to the game, the Baseball Canberra Board and Council (Club President’s) have been actively looking at ways to best reinvigorate our sport and to turn this trend around.  Much of the discussions to date are focused into 3 main areas;
1.  A competition that fits into busy life styles, particularly for families,
2.  A range of competitions that cater for the full range of participation needs, including for; 

• New players learning the game,
• Participants that are merely seeking a fun, family based ‘active’ experience through competing against players of commensurate skills and abilities,
• A vibrant female competition, both at junior and senior levels,
• A vehicle for ‘mature age’ participants looking to remain active, and 
• A structured ‘pathway’ for more skilled athletes seeking more advanced levels of competition, including; ACT Representation, National Representation and Professional competitions.

3. Activities and social opportunities that bring our community closer together.
There is a universal recognition that; by just doing the same thing over and over again is not working and, to make improvements, things have to change.

As with all change there will always be a level of insecurity, particularly among the incumbent membership with “how will this affect me” and, unfortunately, some members will be directly impacted.  However, this can’t stop us from making the necessary changes for the greater good and longer term viability of our Sport. We urge you all to embrace these changes and let’s see if we can all play a part in making ours the ‘sport of choice’.

More specifically, the changes proposed for this year are aimed at;

• Maximising ‘Club based’ communities and use of their facilities,
• Providing ‘Gala Day’ opportunities where ALL of our competitions are played together on the same day, at the same venue, in a ‘carnival’ atmosphere,
• Re-establishing and re-invigorating the Women’s competition,
• Establishing a female junior competition,
• Establishing a Masters (40+) competition,
• Providing more participation opportunities for players wishing to play more games,
• Building a pathway for both Male and Female players to potentially represent the Canberra Cavalry in the ABL and WABL,
• Establishing a women’s ‘Development Team’ program,
• Opportunities for ACT Representative teams to compete in ‘Regional’ and ‘National’ competitions, and
• Developing ‘accredited’ coaches and officials.

Baseball Canberra would like to congratulate the following athlete who have graduated from the high performance program and are moving on to college baseball in august;

• Jake Green - North Iowa Area Community College
• Nick Hosie - Colby Community College
• Jordan Kelly - Williston State College
• Tom Symonds - Tyler Community College
• Will Simkin - Jefferson Community College
• Liam Sherer - Colby Community College

Baseball Canberra would like to wish them all the best in their baseball endeavours.