This month, the 33rd Annual School Sport Australia (U18) Baseball Championship was held in Lismore for a week.
The tournament is a contest between the top talent across Australian schools. Teams are pre-selected from school competitions in each of the states, and they come together to compete for the All Schools Championship title. This year, NSW competed for seven wins, with one loss and one draw. The team then went on to reclaim the championship title from QLD with a 6-4 win in the gold medal match.
Going into the grand final, the reigning title holders Queensland, had beaten NSW in one game (5-2) and drawn the other (7-7). The grand final game was a fiercely contested battle, with Queensland creating an early two run lead. The strong lineup of NSW batters quickly took back the lead in the bottom of the second, from which Queensland chased for the remainder of the game. NSW pitcher, Jackson Frame, kept the Queensland batters under control for seven innings and was named MVP of the game by the opposing team.
Congratulations to the following players who received awards for their efforts during the event. Luke Donaghey was named MVP of the tournament. Hayden Purchase won the batting award with four NSW players hitting above .500 for the tournament.
As part of the tournament, a twelve player All Australian squad is selected and this year six positions were awarded to NSW players. We recognise the following NSW who have been selected:
- Luke Donaghey
- Zac Morris
- Hayden Purchase
- Logan Fielder
- Callum Donnelly
- Lachlan Vella
To take home the championship is a huge achievement which will remain a highlight of these players high school baseball memories. Congratulations to all involved!
