Australian Schools Championship (baseball)
Encyclopedia
The Australian Schools Championships for baseball
, also informally named at all levels 'schoolboys', is an annual secondary school
tournament
that has been officially running since 1989. It includes an Open and U-15 tournament. Currently New South Wales
, Victoria
, South Australia
, Queensland
, Western Australia
and the ACT
compete in the Championship.
Teams are picked by their state's school sport association from their respective schoolboys state titles. It also provides an opportunity for the Australia national schoolboy baseball team to be picked.
at the Geelong Baseball Park
.
The eventual tournament winner was Queensland
, defeating New South Wales
3-1 in the final.
at Albert Park from 4 May to 10 May 2008.
Western Australia
won the event defeating New South Wales
5-0 in the final.
In one of the most tightly contested championships of recent years, the Victorian side came out on top, defeating NSW 5-3 in the final on Saturday.
Leading 3-0 early in the final, NSW fell victim to Victorian reliever
Thomas Shaw who shut out his opponents the rest of the game - giving his team a chance of a thrilling comeback that they provided in turn.
For NSW the honours were shared, but some brilliant work in the field from shortstop
Jacob Younis kept his side close enough to bring the tying run to the plate in the last inning. That was as close as the team got, as it took Victorian closer Andrew Jones just the one pitch to finish the game and bring the title back to Victoria - their first since 2005 and 7th in the history of the tournament.
In addition to team heroics, the tournament also played host to a raft of standout individual performances - culminating in the naming of the 2009 Australian Schools Team that will tour North America later this year under the guidance of Head Coach
Stuart Hanrahan, assistants
Chris Norrie and Brendon Wallace and tour Manager Neil Barrowcliff.
, meaning many states sent a weakened squad due to the geographic location of Perth in relation to the rest of Australia and that Major League Baseball Australian Academy Program was due to start earlier in the year.
New South Wales
sent a roster far stronger than any of the other states and dominated the tournament, winning all eight matches and scoring an average of 12 runs per game. They defeated Australian Capital Territory
in the final 10-5.
Individual standouts were Luke Parish from New South Wales, who batted .524 and Colin Tilini (1-0) also from NSW who pitched 8.1 scoreless innings in two appearances, striking out 11.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, also informally named at all levels 'schoolboys', is an annual secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
tournament
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...
that has been officially running since 1989. It includes an Open and U-15 tournament. Currently New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
and the ACT
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
compete in the Championship.
Teams are picked by their state's school sport association from their respective schoolboys state titles. It also provides an opportunity for the Australia national schoolboy baseball team to be picked.
Champions
- 1989 - Victoria
- 1990 - Victoria
- 1991 - New South Wales
- 1992 - New South Wales
- 1993 - New South Wales
- 1994 - Queensland
- 1995 - Victoria
- 1996 - Victoria
- 1997 - New South Wales
- 1998 - New South Wales
- 1999 - New South Wales
- 2000 - New South Wales
- 2001 - New South Wales
- 2002 - Victoria
- 2003 - New South Wales
- 2004 - Western Australia
- 2005 - Victoria
- 2006 - New South Wales
- 2007 - Queensland
- 2008 - Western Australia
- 2009 - Victoria
- 2010 - New South Wales
Geelong 2007
From 6 May to 12 May 2007 the Championship was held in Geelong, VictoriaGeelong, Victoria
Geelong is a port city located on Corio Bay and the Barwon River, in the state of Victoria, Australia, south-west of the state capital; Melbourne. It is the second most populated city in Victoria and the fifth most populated non-capital city in Australia...
at the Geelong Baseball Park
Geelong Baseball Park
The Geelong Baseball Centre or Geelong Baseball Park is home to Geelong Baseball Club in Geelong, Victoria. In total the Geelong Baseball Centre has four playing fields, with the main diamond being one of the only international standard baseball ballparks in Australia...
.
The eventual tournament winner was Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, defeating New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
3-1 in the final.
Lismore 2008
The 2008 tournament was held in Lismore, New South WalesLismore, New South Wales
Lismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:...
at Albert Park from 4 May to 10 May 2008.
Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
won the event defeating New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
5-0 in the final.
Canberra 2009
In 2009, the tournament was held in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory from 4–9 May.In one of the most tightly contested championships of recent years, the Victorian side came out on top, defeating NSW 5-3 in the final on Saturday.
Leading 3-0 early in the final, NSW fell victim to Victorian reliever
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
Thomas Shaw who shut out his opponents the rest of the game - giving his team a chance of a thrilling comeback that they provided in turn.
For NSW the honours were shared, but some brilliant work in the field from shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
Jacob Younis kept his side close enough to bring the tying run to the plate in the last inning. That was as close as the team got, as it took Victorian closer Andrew Jones just the one pitch to finish the game and bring the title back to Victoria - their first since 2005 and 7th in the history of the tournament.
In addition to team heroics, the tournament also played host to a raft of standout individual performances - culminating in the naming of the 2009 Australian Schools Team that will tour North America later this year under the guidance of Head Coach
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
Stuart Hanrahan, assistants
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
Chris Norrie and Brendon Wallace and tour Manager Neil Barrowcliff.
Perth 2010
For the 2010 tournament, it was played a week later than usual and at PerthPerth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, meaning many states sent a weakened squad due to the geographic location of Perth in relation to the rest of Australia and that Major League Baseball Australian Academy Program was due to start earlier in the year.
New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
sent a roster far stronger than any of the other states and dominated the tournament, winning all eight matches and scoring an average of 12 runs per game. They defeated Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
in the final 10-5.
Individual standouts were Luke Parish from New South Wales, who batted .524 and Colin Tilini (1-0) also from NSW who pitched 8.1 scoreless innings in two appearances, striking out 11.
See also
- Australia National Youth Championships (baseball)Australia National Youth Championships (baseball)The Australian National Youth Championships is a series of annual youth events run by the Australian Baseball Federation. There are tournaments for U18 , U16 and U14 levels and are competed by Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Territories , New South Wales...
- Australia national schoolboy baseball team
- Baseball awards#Australia
- Baseball awards #U.S. high-school baseball
- The National ClassicThe National ClassicThe National Classic is a high-school baseball tournament that takes place in Fullerton, California. Started in , it is one of the most prestigious high-school baseball tournaments in the country. The games are played at local high schools and at California State University Fullerton...
(United States) - Japanese High School Baseball Championship ("Summer Koshien")
- Japanese High School Baseball Invitational Tournament ("Spring Koshien")
- High school baseball in South KoreaHigh school baseball in South KoreaIn Korea, high school baseball is played at a very high level by students who train year round. Unlike in Japan or the U.S. where nearly every high school fields a team, there are only about 60-70 Korean high school baseball teams which makes the competition tantamount to an all-star league of...
External links
- School Sport Australia website