This year, there will be a brother and sister pair playing for the same club in the Nationals–Bailey and Matilda May from Cronulla!
Bailey is on the Cronulla Black squad representing New South Wales at the 2025 Junior League Nationals while his sister Matilda will represent Cronulla Black in the Little League Girls Division in a month. Likewise, Bailey also received his team’s Little League “Courage, Character, Loyalty” medal honor after Cronulla Black won gold at the 2025 Junior League State Championships.
Their mother Rachel shares that Bailey and Matilda are part of a family of four siblings, with their older brother Charlie inspiring them to take up baseball. His continued support has been instrumental in nurturing their love for the sport.
Moreover, additional family lore roots the siblings deeper in sport. Their grandfather, for example, represented Australia in softball, and was also one of the founding members of a sport association that became the baseball club Illawong Marlins, where the kids also play. On the other hand, their great aunt was the first Australian woman cricketer to take a wicket at Lord’s.
Rachel also said that for the kids (particularly her little girl Matilda), watching their brothers play baseball was the key factor in pushing them to enter the sport.
“Watching Charlie play for our local team, the Illawong Marlins, inspired them to pick up a bat and glove themselves,” Rachel said.
On and off the field, Bailey and Matilda are also very supportive of each other. “They are each other’s biggest cheerleaders,” she said.
This mutual support also started from playing baseball in their yard during their early childhood years. Now, as they’ve grown older, they give each other tips “when they watch videos of each other pitching or batting or when the family discusses games around the dinner table.”
Currently, Matilda and Charlie are with their parents in Northern NSW to watch and support Bailey as Cronulla Black look to repeat as Junior League Champions. (Per Baseball Australia, the team has clinched a spot in the Finals in after posting a 3-0 record in pool play.)
After the Juniors, Rachel said it’ll be Bailey’s turn to cheer on Matilda as she plays in Little League Girls at Redcliffe Baseball Club in July. It’s even more special this year since it’ll be Matilda’s first chance to play in the Nationals, while it’s already Bailey’s third.
“It’s heartwarming to see how they lift each other up and celebrate each other’s successes,” she said.
Thanks to her daughter’s experiences with baseball, Rachel noted how sports are now becoming more accessible to young girls.
“It is wonderful there are now opportunities for the girls to develop in this sport and have [access to] pathways that were historically geared towards boys,” she said.
Likewise, playing baseball together for that long has instilled in the siblings some useful values on and off the diamond.
Rachel says that as parents they’ve always “emphasized the importance of teamwork, perseverance, and sportsmanship.” Thanks to these values, Bailey and Matilda are able to “navigate the challenges of competitive sports while maintaining a strong sibling bond.”
“Baseball has helped our kids develop resilience and grit in more ways than we could have ever imagined,” she added.
Baseball has also improved the siblings’ bond with each other. As Rachel mentioned, the sport “provides opportunities for shared experiences, mutual support, and the development of valuable life skills.”
On a final note, Rachel also shared some advice to other families who want to introduce their kids to sports, not just baseball.
“Our advice would be to encourage them to find a sport they enjoy and to emphasise the fun and teamwork of the game,” she said. “As parents, we have always believed in the importance of team sport so kids can be part of something bigger than themselves, which will be especially important as they navigate [their] teenage years.”
She also shared a particularly helpful motto they’ve learned from the Illawong Marlins.
“Success is not if they win a premiership,” she said. “The real success is if the kids want to return to sport the next season.”
Baseball NSW wishes both Bailey and Matilda continued success and a stronger relationship as they continue their baseball adventures!
Their story is a wonderful reminder that baseball is truly a sport for all – one that brings families together, fosters lifelong connections, and creates opportunities for every generation to thrive.
Check out the following photo gallery of the May siblings below! (Photos courtesy of BNSW and Rachel May)
