2018 MLB Showcase

2018 MLB Showcase

Jun 19, 2018

MLB Testing Day for 2004 & 2005 players

After its successful inaugural year, the Baseball Australia MLB Showcase is on again in 2018. Baseball Queensland had over 80 participants participate in this event last year and we are expecting BIG numbers again this year.

This year the reach has expanded to Cairns in addition to South East QLD. Both venues will be on the same date with information and registration information below.

In conjunction with Major League Baseball (MLB), Baseball Australia and State Associations, participants get the opportunity to showcase their talents going through baseball specific skill assessments. After the completion of the event, each participant will receive their individual results.

This event, part of MLB’s continued effort to help grow the game in Australia, will provide an opportunity to emerging young baseball players to display their talent, in six major Australian capital cities.

Showcase Details

  • Cost- Free
  • Who– Open to baseball and non-baseball members born 2004 and 2005
  • Location
    • SEQ- All Star Baseball Club, Gerler Rd. Hendra
    • Nth QLD- Trinity Beach Baseball Complex, Cairns
  • When– Sunday 1st July
  • Time
    • SEQ- Registered participants will be allocated a session time. #1 8:30am – 11:30. #2 11:00am – 2:00pm
    • Nth QLD- 3pm

 

To register:

Registration will close 12:00pm Friday 29th June.
For additional information please contact Shayne Watson, Junior Elite Pathway Manager, [email protected] or 07 3876 2222

David Nilsson announced as Manager of Team Australia

Jun 13, 2018

DAVID NILSSON ANNOUNCED AS TEAM AUSTRALIA MANAGER

David ‘Dingo’ Nilsson has undoubtedly had one of the most influential baseball careers in Australia. Nilsson was the first Major League Baseball All-Star player to come out of Australia during his time playing for the Milwaukee Brewers. Nilsson is the current Head Coach of the Brisbane Bandits and has been since 2014; during his time as Head Coach he has led the Bandits to three consecutive championship titles. David Nilsson was announced as the fulltime High Performance Manager at Baseball Queensland in July of 2017 and has built successful foundations within this program.

Chief Executive Officer for Baseball Queensland, Paul Gonzalez comments, “I have had the honour of competing on the diamond with David Nilsson and have watched him contribute to the game as, arguably, the greatest Australian player to ever compete in this game. Since David’s appointment as the High Performance Manager, he has helped restructure the programs into five tiers ensuring we not only capture our high performance athletes but we continue meeting the needs of all our athletes. The program’s measurables speak for themselves, with 9 players on the National Team in 2018 as well as three Claxton Shields in the ABL across 2016, 2017,2018. He has 15 players committed to colleges within the Junior Elite Program as well as made Australian history by including the first female coach in Australian Baseball League.  David’s leadership has given Baseball Queensland the ability to grow the sport as well as build foundations for our people.”

Baseball Queensland sat down with David to get his comments on this momentous achievement.

David, it really is an incredible time to be a Queenslander, you’ve just won ‘Coach of the Year’ along with the ‘Queensland Greats Award’, what does it mean to you to represent Australia as the Manager of Team Australia?

“I grew up in Brisbane, Queensland, so you have to grow up here to understand what that really means, I’m a proud Queenslander and without the support of my family and all the other Queenslanders, whether they be players, coaches or staff, there is no way that I would be in this position and it makes it even more special that I am a Queenslander because the public understand what that means.”

Baseball Queensland would like to congratulate David on this wonderful achievement.

Written by Liv Wilson

Gold Coast ALLC Champs

Gold Coast ALLC Champs

Jun 12, 2018

Gold Coast win it all at the ALLC

The Gold Coast Cougars have won the ALLC and are set for Little League World Championships

The Gold Coast Cougars Win Gold

 

The Gold Coast Cougars become first Queensland team in history to win championship title in any age division.

The Gold Cost Cougars are the first team in Queensland to win a national title in any age division. This momentous win has secured the team’s spot in the Little League World Series in the United States of America.

The Gold Coast Cougars’ journey to the Australian Little League Championship was victorious from the get-go. The team remained undefeated throughout the 2018 April Little League Division One State Titles in Cairns where they scored a massive 131 runs collectively across the 4-day tournament letting only one run in the entire competition.

This win lead the Cougars to compete in the Australian Little League Championships from June 6th-June 11th in Lismore against the top 20 teams in the country. Gold Coast played hard and fast in their pool games winning three out of the four match ups, securing them a spot in the quarter finals.

The Cougars had a tight game against Ryde North in the quarter finals but ended up coming out on top 5-1. Both teams were tied at 1 run until the 5th inning when Mitchell Anderson hit a grand-slam to give the Gold Coast the driving force they were looking for.

The Gold Coast Cougars had a tough match up against Illawarra in the semi finals coming away with an 8-6 lead to take them into the Australian Little League Championship game with the Adelaide Seahawks the following day.

The Cougars and the Seahawks were both hungry for the win from the first pitch of game but the Cougars dominated early showing their utmost dedication and professionalism on the field, both offensively and defensively.

Starting pitcher for the Cougars, Oscar Hyde had a remarkable game on the mound pitching his first no hitter with nine strike-outs over four quick innings to shut down the game.

Offensively, the Cougars showed their aggression at the plate scoring four runs in the first inning. The team’s momentum only grew from there adding another seven runs to the scoreboard in the remaining three innings of play.

The Gold Coast Cougars shut the game down 11-0 in the fourth inning, winning the Australian Little League Championships.

Baseball Queensland’s Development Manager, Gareth Jones says, “It is obvious that, as a region, the Gold Coast’s developmental programs are what’s leading these young athletes to success. They are being taught the integral foundations of the game in tee ball, very early on; the rest of the game follows from that foundation. This is a great achievement for the Gold Coast Cougars and the entire Gold Coast region- well done!”

Baseball Queensland would like to extend a huge congratulations to the Gold Coast Cougars and the rest of the teams involved in the Australian Little League Championship; the tournament was an incredible success for all involved.

The Gold Coast Cougars are off to represent Australia in the Little League World Series held in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, USA during the 16th-26th August 2018. Stay up to date with their journey on the Baseball Queensland website.