Back by popular demand Baseball NSW in conjunction with the Sydney Blue Sox, SCA, and Under Armour, are excited to announce our January 2022  school holiday Camps.

Our camps will cover fitness, strength, and conditioning to hitting, pitching, base running, and fielding, players will reap the benefits of professional instruction from our Baseball NSW High-Performance Coaches.

Camps are located in Castle Hill, Campbelltown, Taren Point & Warriewood.

All players that register and attend the SCA Under Armour Baseball Camp will have the opportunity to make themselves better ballplayers in a safe and fun-filled environment.
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To find out more or to register your child to attend click on the links below.

We are excited to announce two new staff members joining the Baseball NSW team.
 
Coen Wynne joins us as the Baseball Development Officer and reports directly to the Baseball Development Manager.
 
Coen recently completed his bachelor’s degree in Sports Management and graduated from Grand Canyon University in Arizona where he was a player and leader on the collegiate baseball team.
 
Fortunately for us, Coen has returned home to Sydney and is now responsible for the development pathway and providing opportunities for underpinning athletes and coaches within the membership of Baseball NSW. Since Coen’s return home to Australia, he has signed a contract with the Sydney Blue Sox as a pitcher in the ABL.
 
Karen Doane joins us as the Communications & Media Manager and reports directly to the CEO.
 
Karen has a long history of working in the sports communications and media space around the world, including the Hawaii Ironman, Reebok, and NBC Sports. While growing up in California, she played and umpired baseball throughout her primary and senior years of school. You could say baseball is in her DNA as her great-great-grandfather, James “Deacon” White, was posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013 (he invented the catcher’s mask and glove).
 
Karen will be responsible for creating and implementing the communications for Baseball NSW with the team.
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Leaving the Baseball NSW dugout
 
As with all teams, we have a few members who have recently departed Baseball NSW to pursue other opportunities.
 
Jodi Napoli, who held a position as our Accounts Manager, has moved on to bigger and better things with Blue Mountains Council.
 
Michael Ibbotson (Ibbo) has accepted the General Manager role at Cabramatta Bowls Clubs. As you may know, Ibbo holds a vast amount of love and knowledge for the game of baseball and remains in contact with us here at BNSW. We thank him for his contributions to our team and wish him all the best in his position.
 
Garry has been a loyal servant to Baseball, and we sincerely appreciate his contribution to the sport and will continue to be involved some level with local and state baseball programs. We wish him all the very best in his future endeavours.
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We have a new accounts manager starting in February. All account-related enquiries are still to be directed to accounts@baseballnsw.com.au where they will be attended to.

Baseball in New South Wales will enter an exciting new era in 2022 with Baseball NSW and Australian Baseball League franchise, the Sydney Blue Sox, joining forces to launch ‘The Baseball Academy’. With a shared vision to provide increased opportunities for the state’s future stars to develop their skills in a variety of environments and scenarios, The Baseball Academy will provide the support and training needed to compete at the elite level.
 
The Baseball Academy will provide an extension to the existing high performance and development programs conducted through Baseball NSW, by offering additional opportunities year-round through:

• specific squad-based programs
• speed and agility programs
• video analysis sessions
• camps and clinics
• private and semi-private tuition
• inbound/outbound tours.

 
Both Baseball NSW and the Sydney Blue Sox will oversee the management and delivery of The Baseball Academy with players and coaches from the Blue Sox forming part of the coaching staff. This is an invaluable resource as they impart their experience and knowledge onto the younger generation of baseball players in NSW.
 
Whilst maintaining some presence at Blacktown International Sportspark, The Baseball Academy will focus on providing increased local access for all players across NSW, with opportunities being made available to participate in the program at a number of local club baseball venues (to be announced shortly).
 
Baseball NSW CEO, Mark Marino commented on the significance of combining forces with the Sydney Blue Sox and the importance of a united approach in this space.
 
“We are thrilled to be joining the Sydney Blue Sox franchise in this next step in growing baseball in NSW and Australia,” said Marino. “Working together with a shared vision and goal is the very thing we look to share with the baseball community and our members as a whole. The Baseball Academy is the first step towards more teamwork and synergy, which we are thrilled to be a part of.”
 
Mark Wilton, CEO of Sports Management Australia, and Licensee for the Sydney Blue Sox shared his excitement about the partnership and aligned vision for the Blue Sox organisation.
 
“The Baseball Academy has always been part of the Blue Sox vision and philosophy,” said Wilton. “Through tailored programs, we can help as many kids as possible by providing more opportunities to all players. This gives baseball a wider reach to all players coming up through the ranks.
 
“The Baseball Academy will be able to service all levels of players wishing to keep improving their skillset and have longevity within the sport. The partnership with Baseball NSW has always been strong and will continue to strengthen our long-standing relationship by providing an environment in which players can reach their goals.”
 
As part of The Baseball Academy, a number of school holiday camps and clinics will be held over the December/January School Holiday period at various locations around the State. These camps are aimed at kids between 5-15 years old and cover all aspects of the game of baseball and t ball as they develop their skills on and off the field, in a fun environment. To find out more about these holiday camps, please head to the Sydney Blue Sox website.
 
Stay tuned for more details in early 2022.

​Round 1 of the Sydney Cup is in the bag. Baseball NSW is extremely grateful for the efforts of the volunteers from the Pittwater Baseball Club and Castle Hill Knights Baseball Club respectively for hosting at short notice.
 
Thanks also go to the umpires for doing a fantastic job considering the change of venue due to the wet weather. It was great to see players across the three age groups back on the diamonds and competing with smiles on their faces.
 
Stay posted for Round 2 updates.

To Our Members,
 
As of today, December 15, all people in NSW have been granted the same freedoms, regardless of their vaccination status with changes including:
 
Exercise and recreation

• No person limit in gyms, indoor recreation and sporting facilities.
• Indoor swimming pools open for all purposes.
• Community sports are permitted for all staff, spectators and participants.

 
Masks and QR codes

• Masks will only be required on public transport and planes, at airports, and for indoors front-of-house hospitality staff who are not fully vaccinated.
• Masks will be strongly encouraged in settings where you cannot social distance.
• COVID-19 Safe check-ins only required for hospitals, aged and disability care facilities, gyms, places of worship, funerals or memorial services, personal services (including sex services), pubs, small bars and registered clubs, nightclubs, strip clubs, sex on-premises and indoor music festivals with over 1,000 people.

 
For additional information, please refer to the resources below.

• NSW Health and Education Public Health (COVID-19 General) Order (No 2) 2021
• NSW Office of Sport COVID-19 Information

 
Should you have any queries relating to the changes in the Public Health Order, please contact us at COVID@baseballnsw.com.au.

Baseball NSW has announced that Matt Carter had been appointed its new Director of Umpiring, delivering on its strategic objective to develop umpiring as an integral element of our community ensuring we have the highest quality umpires possible.
 
As the Director of Umpiring, Matt will be responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating the National Umpiring Accreditation Pathway. Matt brings extensive experience and knowledge of the game having umpired his first game 25 years ago. He has also continued to umpire junior baseball across Sydney every year since with an immense passion for the game.
 
Matt initially joined the ABF Umpire Development Program as an Instructor in 2005. He volunteered his time across various community and association courses and coaches and mentors developing umpires across NSW and around Australia.
 
Matt has also served on the Committee of NSW Baseball Umpires Association for over a decade in various roles. He will now work as the conduit between Baseball NSW and the NSW Baseball Umpires Association amongst the other Umpire Associations within NSW.
 
Baseball NSW is genuinely excited to have Matt on our team leading out the future growth of our current and future umpires.

Dear Delegates and Members,
 
BNSW has been asked for several years to revive the former State Cup format which has been so popular amongst our members. To that end, we have attempted to accommodate this via the new Sydney Cup competition which each Association had originally agreed to support.
 
However, the impact of COVID19 has put the beginning and end dates of this program under pressure causing several Associations to withdraw from the competition citing insufficient preparation time for their teams. The fact that a number of those Associations who have withdrawn from the competition have arranged inter Association games in lieu of the proposed Sydney Cup is disappointing.
 
Consequently, Baseball NSW regrets to inform you that due to the lack of commitment from the majority of our associations we will be unable to proceed with the 2021 Sydney Cup in its originally intended format.
 
Baseball NSW values its rich history and the immense contributions of the names on each of the Trophies – Worboys, Balfour, Shipley – and we will always try to uphold the integrity of competitions held in these names. Try as we may, we could not get enough teams to compete to create a viable competition.
 
However, Baseball NSW will continue to provide our members with more baseball opportunities for those Associations who have committed to support the event. We will run an abbreviated competition with teams in LL, JL and SL competing against each other. We’d like to thank MWDBA, HJBA, Giants Baseball Club, and Baseball ACT respectively for their continued support and willingness to see the Sydney Cup take place.
 
BNSW will continue to listen to our members and provide options for our clubs and Associations to participate in more forms of competition above their local level. We expect that in the following years, free of any pandemic, we will see the majority of our Associations commit to the Sydney Cup as a sanctioned Baseball NSW pathway event. We are noticing several Third-Party programs being offered which are not sanctioned by Baseball NSW or Baseball Australia purporting to be a pathway to Australian Team selection. I can assure you they are not.
 
Once again, I appreciate any effort made by those Associations to genuinely support Baseball NSW’s desire to provide you all with greater options and I look forward to a successful season for you all.
 
Regards,
Mark Marino - CEO

To Our Members,
 
The NSW Government has published the Public Health (COVID-19 General) Amendment Order (No 8) 2021. The object of this Order is to amend the Public Health (COVID-19General) Order 2021 to give effect to the roadmap for easing certain restrictions from 8 November 2021.
 
These amendments only apply to fully vaccinated adults, children under 16 years of age, and people with an approved medical contraindication (exemption) certificate.

Community Sport gatherings (including training and competition activities) is now covered under Outdoor Gatherings and there is no maximum number of persons permitted at an outdoor public gathering. Venues are to adhere to the relevant requirements listed below.
 
For Outdoor gatherings under 1,000 persons:

1. No COVID-19 Safety Plan is required
2. The maximum number of persons in the outdoor area cannot exceed more than 1 person per 2 sqm of space

 
For Outdoor gatherings over 1,000 persons:

1. The event organiser must have completed and implemented a COVID-19 Safety plan.
2. The maximum number of persons in the outdoor area cannot exceed more than 1 person per 2 sqm of space

 
Please note that attendees are still required to scan the QR Code and display their vaccination certificate at each venue.
 
With the return to training and competition, and with the COVID-19 virus still amongst our communities - Baseball NSW is aware of the distinct possibility that members may contract the virus whilst participating in Community Sport.
 
In the unfortunate event that an individual is present at a venue whilst positive with the virus, we recommend that the individual and club adhere to the following protocols:

1. Inform the club that they may have been infected whilst present at the venue;
2. The club is to inform the opposition club;
3. The clubs are to advise their association secretary;
4. The association secretary is to inform Baseball NSW (covid@baseballnsw.com.au);

 
We recommend that an individual (player, coach, official, volunteer, spectator) that attends a Community Sport venue whilst infected with the virus, adhere to the NSW Health’s self-isolation and testing requirements.

Once the mandatory self-isolation period has lapsed and the individual has provided the club with proof of their negative COVID test, are they permitted to return to training and/or competition. 
 
The use of face masks is not mandatory in dugouts. However, given the proximity of members, it is recommended that members maintain a safe social distance whilst in the dugout. All unnecessary individuals are recommended to refrain from entering the dugout.
 
Close contact requirements are different based on vaccination status.
 
A close contact is someone who:

• is likely to have come into contact with a person who has COVID-19 and
• is at risk of developing COVID-19.

 
Fully vaccinated close contact
2 doses were completed at least 14 days before you last had contact with a COVID-19 case.

• Self-isolate for 7 days

7 full 24-hour periods from the date you last had contact with the COVID-19 positive person.
For example, if you last had contact with the positive person at 10am Tuesday, you must self-isolate until 10am the following Tuesday.

• Get tested – immediately, and again on day 6
• Leave self-isolation after 7 days

You can leave self-isolation after 7 days if your test on day 6 is negative, you feel well and you have had no further contact with a COVID-19 positive person.

• Limit activity for another week

For the next 7 days, you must work from home where possible and not go to high-risk settings (health care, aged care, disability care, early childhood centres, primary school, and correctional facilities)

• Get tested again on day 12.

 
If you live with a COVID-19 positive person and have not been isolating from them, you should only leave self-isolation after 14 days have passed from when the person received their positive result. To end isolation, you need to have a negative day 12 test, feel well and have had no further contact with a COVID-19 positive person
 
Not fully vaccinated close contact
0 or 1 dose or 2 doses completed less than 14 days since you last had contact with a COVID-19 case.

• Self-isolate for 14 days

14 full 24-hour periods from the date you last had contact with the COVID-19 positive person

• Get tested – immediately, on day 6 and again on day 12
• Leave self-isolation

You can leave self-isolation after 14 days if your test on day 12 is negative, you feel well and you have had no further contact with a COVID-19 positive person
 
What if I have already had COVID-19?
If you have had COVID-19 in the past six months you will generally not be considered a close contact and you do not need to self-isolate or get a test unless you have symptoms.
 
*Please note that this is subject to change without notice.

​Baseball NSW is deeply saddened by the passing of former Auburn Orioles, NSW and Australian player Tony Miller after a long and tough battle with brain cancer. 
 
TM, as he was widely known, was a key member of the dominant Auburn Orioles 1st grade team as they swept all before them in the late 70s and into the 80s, when they won multiple premierships and truly dominated Sydney baseball.  
 
He was a true “two-way “ player, strongly built, who possessed a powerful arm and used it to great effect as a left-handed pitcher and outfielder. He was lightning quick and in his time was undoubtedly the fastest pitcher in NSW. No opposition hitter could dig in and feel really comfortable in the batter's box when facing TM on the mound. He was also a power hitter, swatting many towering home runs out of ballparks around Australia.  
 
TM represented NSW as a teenager in underage Australian Championships in the early 70s before graduating to the NSW Claxton Shield team in 1976. After a dominant Claxton Shield performance in 1977, TM was selected for the Australian Senior Team to compete in the 1978 World Cup in Italy. 
 
TM was a larger than life, colourful character, with the quickest of wits and a great sense of humour. He was extremely popular, a guy who everyone gravitated towards, and the type of player that you wanted to play with. Combine these characteristics with a highly competitive attitude on the mound and a tremendous will to win, then you can understand why he was such a great teammate. 
 
The NSW and Australian baseball communities mourn the loss of TM and we offer our heartfelt condolences to his wife Suze and the whole Miller family. He will be sadly missed by his many, many friends. 

Are you an athlete aged between 12 – 18 years of age in 2022 and residing in the South East Region of NSW? Are looking for assistance with your chosen sport?

The South East Sports Academy (SESA) is currently accepting scholarship nominations for Individual Athlete Program (IAP).

The IAP is for athletes aged between 12 to 18 years who are competing at a high level in their chosen sport. Scholarships are available to athletes who reside or attend school in the South East Region. Scholarships will be awarded based on performances by the athlete at national, state or regional level over the past three years.

Athletes with a disability are encouraged to apply.

Visit their website for more information or to submit an application. Applications close Sunday 28th November 2021.