Long before Brad Dutton pulled on a Queensland jersey, he was standing on the other side of the diamond – watching his idols wear it.
As the son of Queensland Under 18 coach Peter Dutton, Brad grew up around the baseball field living out many kids dream – of being bat boy for the players he considered his heroes.
“It was awesome,” Brad said.
“I just couldn’t wait to put on that uniform.”
Those Queensland players left an impression on young Brad, who started playing at the age of 5.
They were the athletes he looked up to, the players he watched endlessly and eventually playing like them became his ultimate goal.
Then, in under 14s the moment finally came.
Brad pulled on the Queensland jersey for the first time – and from there, he never looked back.
What followed was a remarkable 20-year representative career, spanning 1994 to 2014 that would take Dutton around the world.
While more than handy with the bat, it was Brad’s impeccable fielding that he prided himself on.
Brad didn’t simply want to be a good fielder. Elite defence was his mantra – something he worked at relentlessly.
Every day of his career, he pushed himself to be better with the glove.
It was a craft that demanded preparation, repetition of the basics and an unwavering commitment to getting the little things right.
That work ethic translated into performances that set him apart.
Performances like the 2006 Claxton Shield, when Brad helped lead the Queensland Rams to an undefeated championship victory.
He played every game in its entirety. But that’s not the bit that sticks.
Brad provided an errorless defence at shortstop, all while leading the league in batting average, hits, total bases and slugging average.
It was a performance that perfectly captured the type of player he had worked so hard to become – reliable, composed and elite defensively, while capable of making a major impact offensively too.
It didn’t matter what jersey Brad wore or who he played for, he always played the game the same way.
“I gave it everything,” he said.
“It didn’t matter who I was playing against. It could have been my best friend, but if he was standing at second base and I had to slide into him I would.”
“Baseball is a confidence game,” Brad said.
As a player and coach at Pine River Rapids to this day, it is a message that he passes on to those he coaches.
“It’s such a mental game, you must be so mentally strong.
“It’s okay to fail, so long as you fail aggressively and learn from it.”
A lesson he admits, he learnt much later in his career.
He played college ball, competed semi-professionally and represented Australia, experiencing opportunities that many young players could only dream of.
Yet for Dutton, there was nothing like coming home.
“Playing in front of friends and family,” he said.
“The state was just what I loved and nothing else compared.”
When the Australian Baseball League returned in its new format, Brad was at the forefront of the Brisbane Bandits campaign.
The team may have taken its time to establish but for Brad it was the atmosphere and energy of the home crowd, paired with sharing the stage with Queensland’s newest rising stars.
Brad admits that the first few seasons were tough but by this point his career had taken on a completely different role.
“The experience that the young kids got in those first few years with us oldies around I think really helped them mature and become the players they are today.”
That love for Queensland baseball has remained at the heart of Brad’s story.
“It’s been a hell of a journey. I’ve travelled everywhere in the world playing the game that I love and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
And now, decades after first watching his Queensland heroes from the sidelines, Brad has received one of the highest honours in the sport, being inducted into the Baseball Queensland Hall of Fame.
It’s a moment made even more special by the fact that his father, Peter, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001 – 25 years earlier.
When Brad received the news, he knew exactly who he wanted to call.
“I called my old man and we shared a couple of tears,” he admits.
It was a fitting moment for a journey that began with a young boy carrying bats for his Queensland heroes and dreaming of one day joining them on the field.
“It means a lot to know that past players, coaches, officials, the whole voting panel respect how you contributed to the game and how they saw you as a player,” Brad said.
“It’s just a great feeling to know that besides your own bubble, other people saw what you did for the game.”
He built a career around making himself the best fielder he could be.
He travelled the world playing the game he loved.
And he never looked back…. Until now.
Now, taking a trip back through memory lane, Brad Dutton takes his place next to his father and amongst Queensland baseball’s greats in the Hall of Fame.