springvale lions baseball club inc. annual reportseries ending in sweeps. this victory somewhat...
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SPRINGVALE LIONS
BASEBALL CLUB INC.
ANNUAL
REPORT
2014-2015
PRESENTED BY DARRYL ROSEWALL
SECRETARY
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
President Simone Wearne
Vice-President Rod Anderson
Vice-President Peter Higgins
Secretary Darryl Rosewall
Treasurer Michael Wearne
Committee Persons Mandi Avent
Michael Crooks
Sinead Flanigan
Rowan Hall
Andrew Peulen
Lucas Price
Web Master Rowan Hall
President’ Report On behalf of the committee and the executive, I’d like to firstly thank everyone who has made the effort to turn up to the AGM tonight. I know everyone is busy, but it makes a huge difference to the club to have people show their support once a year at the AGM. Most of you heard me talk about a lot of this at Presentation Night, so my report this year will be as brief as possible.
• Firstly, what a great Presentation Night it was! A huge turnout, a great venue at the Sandbelt. Thanks to all who made it possible, including Elise Walsh from the Sandbelt, Craig O’Toole who organised the great banners, Annie who organised the raffle prizes, and also Gab, Cass and Mandi for helping with the tickets. Also, well done to Mandi who ran the merchandise stand.
• On field we had a fantastic season! Although it’s not always fair, success is often judged by the number of Premierships won. In our case, we had a very successful season, winning five Premierships. But probably the most exciting part of that is that the club was able to win Premierships from each different part of the club:
o Women, Masters, Fifths, Firsts, Under 18’s
• I can safely say we are the only club in Victoria who was able to have success in so
many different areas.
• We also had another 3 teams make it to Grand Finals but not win their games, and other teams make it to the finals but not get themselves into the big dance. Also a great effort.
• However, the fact that our club is able to offer the game to so many people, all ages,
male or female - irrelevant of games won or lost, that is what we should all see as our ultimate success.
• This year we had a fantastic committee who really put their hands up and worked hard for the club. To all of the guys and girls on the committee, thanks for your continued assistance and dedication, and all of the hard work that goes into making our club great – mostly behind the scenes that no one sees or hears about.
• Special mention to Mandi Avent and Rowan Hall. Taking on the majority of the
opening up and locking up duties, plus ensuring the canteen was always staffed and stocked with food (and most importantly alcohol).
• And also to Michael Crooks. He took on a major role with our seniors, often
Managing on game days when Scotty had Aces duties. Also, really committing himself and all of his knowledge and experience to the juniors who are coming through. They are really lucky to have you helping them Crooksy, and your commitment to the players and the club is so important, and much appreciated.
• I want to thank all of the coaches, scorers, umpires and all other volunteers who
helped out throughout the year. Without you guys, players wouldn’t get the chance to play this great game.
• To all of the juniors, women and men who represented Victoria this year, a fantastic
effort and the club will continue to support players who are looking to take
themselves to the next level. But just as much so, we will continue to provide a place for anyone who loves the game.
• As we end the 14/15 season, we can reflect again on our women’s program that is
celebrating it’s 20th year. We had three new coaches this season in our three teams, all females, and then had all three teams make it to Grand Finals. A huge achievement, and to add to it, an 8th Division One Women’s Flag for the club. Some would say a proud ‘dynasty’ for the women of Springy. To Mandi, Shae, Jess, Deb and everyone else who stepped up this year, well done and you should be very proud of what you have all achieved together.
• Just to add on something else that I mentioned briefly at Presentation Night, we
have just signed on with the Sandbelt Hotel for a sponsorship program that will begin over the coming weeks. It will mean members of the club can show a discount card and receive 10% off purchases at the Sandbelt (dinners, functions, etc). it also means the club will receive 10% of the purchase back in our pockets. We look forward to continuing our great relationships with the Sandbelt into the future.
• Congratulations to Club Coach Scott Wearne, and all involved in the men’s program
this season. A Division Two Premiership is a fantastic achievement, and something the club will remember for a very long time.
• 2015/16 will see the Big Cats back in Division One men’s baseball for the first time in
a long time. This has not been an easy feat, and is something all club members should be proud of. It will be a challenging year, but something that I think the club is ready to tackle. We have some good young players coming through, and the test of Division One baseball will really give them a great insight into what the top level is like in Victoria.
• To Rod, Hoges, Hughesy, Pete, Benny and everyone else involved in the junior
program, another fantastic year. We had a great group of varied age groups, and had a lot of on field success also. A great group of juniors is being established that I can see playing at the club for years to come.
• Last, but not least, to Darryl and Mick, thanks for your continued support. Most of you don’t see the long hours that Darryl and Mick put in behind the scenes as both Secretary and Treasurer. They are jobs that take up a lot of time. Thanks for everything you do each season.
I look forward to taking the next step, up into Division One, with you all. But I also look forward to seeing all programs continue their successes too. Wishing you all a great winter season. Can’t wait to be back later in the year for another great summer season! Yours in baseball, Simone Wearne
SECRETARY’S REPORT
2014/15 has been a very successful season for our club, with our playing numbers increasing
to over 200 active players, possibly a record for the club. This increase in numbers enabled
the club to field a total of 17 teams playing in the Men’s, Masters, Women’s, Juniors and T-
ball programs. Congratulations to all the coaches and support staff, who together got all these
teams on the field each week. Our Men’s Firsts, Men’s Fifths, Women’s Firsts, Masters 38+
Tomatoes and U’18 Metro teams all achieved ultimate success; each winning a Pennant.
Winning the Division 2 Men’s Grand Final meant our club qualified to be promoted to
Division 1 for season 2015/16. We actually met the Junior teams criteria and the Committee
has accepted the promotion to Division 1 next season. I was Secretary the last time this
happened so I am fully aware that our work really needs to begin now and I am sure that we
are all up for the challenge.
Celebrating Twenty Years of Women’s Baseball at Springvale the club published a pictorial
history of its women’s programme, which included articles written by Simone and some of
the 150 women who have been involved since the inaugural 1994/95 season of women’s
baseball in Victoria.
Rod Anderson, Vice President, was again the Junior Co-ordinator. Thanks for all your good
work handling the administration tasks so efficiently. Having someone to do all the off field
jobs allows our Junior Coaching staff to do what they do best – coach. Acknowledging his
long term commitment to the club as a player, coach and groundsman, one of our Junior
coaches Robert Hogan was awarded Life Membership.
After many long years of applying to Council for funding, approval for the Women’s Change
Rooms extension was granted and building commenced in October 2014. This building
program did throw up many challenges which were always dealt with in a very professional
manner by our members. The final handover happened in the middle of March 2015 and now
we have a first class women’s change rooms, both for us and our visiting teams. Well done
to all and especially Simone for her efforts in getting this project completed.
I would also like to thank all the Committee, especially Simone as President and Michael as
Treasurer, for their tireless efforts this season. It is great to have committee members
involved in running the club, doing all the many tasks that help to make our club, a great
club.
Next season as a Division 1 club I believe that we need to remember and be mindful of one
of Ernie Jones’s favourite sayings “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”.
DARRYL ROSEWALL
COACHES SENIORS
FIRSTS COACH SCOTT WEARNE
SECONDS COACH MICHAEL CROOKS
ROBERT HOGAN
THIRDS MANAGER ROWAN HALL
FOURTHS MANAGER GRAHAM HOUGH
FIFTHS MANAGER DAVE STENHOUSE
WOMEN’S FIRSTS COACH SHAE LILYWHITE
WOMEN’S SECONDS COACH JESSICA ADKINS
WOMEN’S THIRDS COACH DEBBIE BYRANT
COACHES JUNIORS
U’18 STATE COACH DAVE STENHOUSE
U’18 METRO COACH BEN ROSEWALL
U’16 STATE COACH ROBERT HOGAN
JUNIOR LEAGUE COACH BEN ROSEWALL
SOUTHERN MARINERS
LITTLE LEAGUE MAJOR COACH LUCAS ANDERSON
SOUTHERN MARINERS ANDY DiGIOVAMBATTISTA
SAM DRUMMOND
LITTLE LEAGUE COACH PETER GELSI
METRO EAST
Division 2, Firsts Report – Coach: Scott Wearne
The 2014 – 15 season proved to be a tremendous one for the Firsts. The rejuvenation of the
club’s most senior team culminated in the winning of the Division 2 title, with both playoff
series ending in sweeps. This victory somewhat vindicated the runners up session of 2013 –
14 when the club came so close to taking out the title.
While this accomplishment has set the club up for a promotion to Division 1, the objectives
of the season as it was laid out at the start of the in September were vastly different.
While the success of the team in 2013 – 14 was to be applauded, the uncomfortable truth was
that the majority of the team that took the field during the finals series was in the twilight of
their playing days. Therefore, the objective of the 2014 – 15 season was to expose a number
of young players to plenty of opportunities for them to learn at a higher level of competition.
Once again, the choice was made to bring out an import player in Tim Brown, but he would
be free to play for the Melbourne Aces (along with Scott Wearne) which would still allow
plenty of opportunity for the young pitchers within the club to develop.
No fewer than half the games for the year were started by home grown pitchers who were all
playing juniors, complemented by a number of position players that also gained precious
opportunities and at-bats across the season.
Like any inexperienced team, there were growing pains over the course of the year, with a
number of heartbreaking losses that left the team in a position where it appeared that a
playoff position would be just out of reach. However, due to some good fortune, the team
was able to sneak into the finals, where the boys played some of their best baseball for the
year against some challenging opponents.
All in all, the year saw regular playing time for young players such as Andy
DiGiovambattista, Caleb Poole, Sam Drummond, Ryan Kirby, Matthew Stenhouse, Lucas
Anderson, Brad Croft and Brad Hughes. This exposure will set the club up for a promising
long term future.
A report on the season would not be complete without acknowledging the outstanding
contribution of Tim Brown on the mound. His total dominance of the opposition teams, in
particular during the second half of the year was a sight to behold, and his influence on the
young pitchers at the club cannot be understated.
Once again, many thanks to Jenny Wearne for scoring the vast majority of games, and a
thank you to Mandi Avent who was able to assist in Jenny’s absence.
As a team, we can look forward to the new and exciting opportunities that present themselves
next season. The performances will be exponentially challenging, however it is these steps up
in expectations that makes for a vibrant and exciting young club.
Michael Crooks – On behalf of Scott Wearne
Division 2, Seconds Report – Coaches: Rob Hogan, Mick Wearne &
Michael Crooks
As a continuation of the 2013 – 14 season, the club was under no illusion that further
opportunity need to be made of the depth of young talent that has been emerging from within
the club. The expectation was that within their second year of senior baseball, these young
players would be in a position where they could receive some higher level of in-game
feedback, in anticipation for them to be able to execute these new skills at a senior level.
As a result of this, the performance focus of the group across the year was primarily
individual in nature. This is not to say that the end game result was not important, but rather
the ‘how’ of winning and/or losing was going to be where the really development took place.
In heading down this path, the team on a week to week basis consisted of either junior
players, and a couple of young senior players. This was to be complemented by only one or
two older, more seasoned players on a week by week basis.
Common themes that we focused on for the year was aggressive approaches at the plate,
understanding that the objectives of hitting the ball hard are independent of batting average,
dictating the pace of the game, maintaining a presence on the field and challenging hitters on
the mound.
The execution of the elements mentioned above and more was inconsistent, but that was to be
expected. What was pleasing is the way in which all players, whether they be seniors or
juniors, bought into what we were trying to achieve, and I am sure that we will have better
players from the experience.
The challenge that now lays ahead is the ability to consistently repeat solid performances.
The step up in performance opportunities next season will present a whole new pace of game
where the lessons learned this season will be critical to the individual players to be
competitive.
I am comfortable with the thought our young men are up to this challenge, and with another
year of maturity under their belts, the team that takes the field next season will see a marked
improvement in game performance results compared to the season just gone.
Thank you to Jenny Wearne for scoring the majority of games this year, and a thank you to
Mandi Avent who was able to assist in Jenny’s absence.
Michael Crooks – On behalf of Ron Hogan and Mick Wearne
Division 2 - Thirds Report
After a tough end to the previous season most of the team remained in place however the
biggest change was the new youth movement the club is seeing. We by the end of the season
there was 6 young kids contributing to the team and looking to push their way higher.
We used a large number if players for the season with young guys moving up and down or
guys helping out and filling in however the core of the team remained in place and we had a
successful season. Winning the first few games gave us a good start and we continued with
mostly success until we hit a rocky post Christmas slump, however finishing strong we made
the finals with fourth placing.
One of the best moments of the season came in the semi final. Facing fitzroy a team that has
hovered near the top of the ladder for the last few seasons we faced elimination if we did not
win. Something finally clicked for us and with young guys on the hill and our offense firing
we came out and played with hustle and came away with the win.
We didn't manage to grab the flag but we did play hard and give Malvern a good hard game
they had to fight to win.
We can only build on this in the season to come as we face some new tough competition.
A few standout players for the year were Jye Nelson who matured as a pitcher and gave us a
chance to win every time he threw and Ray Jove who made massive improvements over his
first year last year.
Manager: Rowan Hall
Division 2 - Fourths Report
The 4ths had a mediocre season finishing 6th on the ladder with 5 wins, 9 losses and 1 draw.
The aging majority of the team had injuries to contend with so each week's team was
different. We were grateful to the two junior's Ben and Ned for sticking with us all season.
The team had fun despite some tough opposition and look forward to next season as the 5ths.
Thanks also to Janet for again doing a great job of scoring.
The trophy winners were: Trent and Ben.
Manager: Graham Hough
Division 4 - Fifths Report
We had a similar side to last year but were missing Casey, Ryan and Russell who were a
huge part of this side. The boys all stood up this year; again we had good pitching along with
some awesome batting and fielding.
This side is a great bunch of blokes and they are all absolutely excited to be part of this club.
We are looking forward to a new challenge and hope to recruit as many as we can for next
season.
Cheers
Manager: David Stenhouse
Division 1 – Women’s Report
This year the Division One Women's team had a fantastic year only losing one game for the
season and winning the premiership for the third time in a row.
I took over as head coach from Simone Wearne while Simone played a pivotal role in the
seconds. We had a number of players come up into the firsts this year to help out and doing
the job when we needed.
We were lucky enough to have a Japanese import this year play most of the season with us,
Rina Matsuo from Osaka pitched and played outfield and hit over .500 fitting in well with the
team.
Overall it was once again a great season for us. We had so many players play very well,
especially our hitters. Pitching has always been a strong part of our game and this year was
no exception. Cat Row, Vic Brown and Rina Matsuo did the bulk of our pitching, while Kelly
Manzie-Novotny and Hannah Jackson closed a number of games for us.
Award winners were Kelly Manzie-Novotny taking home our 'Best and Fairest' award having
a fantastic year with the bat and was a great utility player. Vic Brown won our MVP as well
as the Victorian League Pitching Award, having a great year on the mound and getting the
rewards for it.
We also had three players (Hannah Jackson, Siobhan Stephenson and Shae Lillywhite-
(player/assistant coach) represent the Victorian Blue team at the Women's Nationals in
Canberra. The Victorian team made the final but lost to strong NSW team for the second year
in a row.
Thank you to Simone for her help at training this year and to the other coaches for their
dedication to the program. Was a great year for the club and the Division One Women's team.
Coach Shae
*If anyone next season would like to come down to our trainings we would be more than
happy to have some help with fungos and to give advice to our keen women's players.
Well done to the club on a fantastic season.
Division 2 – Women’s Report
This season we has a great mix of women, over the course of the season we had 29 players
take the field in the 2s. We started the season with a younger crew giving many of Junior
players a platform to see where they might fit in as a big cat. As the season progressed we
eventually settled in with a more experienced side while the younger ones found their places
either in the 1's or 3's in the women's program. We started the season with the goal of being
competitive and possibly making the top 4. As Christmas approached it occurred to us that
we not only will be in the top 4, but if we continue to work hard we could see ourselves in the
Grand final. Having on and off days we continued to work as a team going into the finals
with a double chance and finishing as the home team for the grand final. Unfortunately for us
we saw Waverly when they were at their best and we just couldn't beat them.
This season was my first year as coach and fortunately enough I had the assistance from
many experienced coaches and players who taught me and coached me through the transition
of being player to a coaching player. The team built strong bonds and became a strong group
of friends who really enjoyed their Saturdays. Thank you to Simone Wearne, for being an
asset for the 2s as a player and a secret coach for me. I appreciate the training and help along
the way. Huge thank you to our assistant coach Dan Webster, who came down every week
with a smile on his face a passion for Baseball. Without Dan I would not have been able to
play and coach as relaxed as I did.
MVP: Cass Shelverton.
Best and Fairest: Val Langworthy
I learnt a lot and I look forward to coaching again next season, if everyone will have me
back!
Coach: Jess "Mini" Adkins-Barber.
Division 3 – Women’s Report
I’d like to take this time to thank the committee, club members, Shae Lillywhite and the
division one women’s team for all their support over the 2014/15 season. It wasn’t an easy
season; we had our ups and downs on the field. The girls dug deep and always gave 100%, as
a coach you can’t ask for more than that. We finished the season in 4th spot which was a
great achievement. The girls then came out and played 2 amazing games of baseball to make
the grand final. Unfortunately on the day we were outplayed by the younger Doncaster team.
I’d like to thank my teammates for a great season and I hope to see you all next season. I like
to say good luck to all women’s team in the competition for 2015/16. And to finish, I want to
congratulate all the Springvale women’s players on an outstanding season. I’d like to wish
the club all the success in its move to Division One, may our bats fire and gloves be golden
for the 2015/16 season.
Thanks Debbie Bryant. 1st time coach, long time player.
TROPHY WINNERS
SENIORS
FIRSTS STEPHEN WEARNE MEDAL TIM BROWN
SECONDS BEST & FAIREST
MAC HURU
THIRDS BEST & FAIREST HIITING AWARD
JYE NELSON ANDREW PEULAN
MOST IMPROVED
RAY JOVE
FOURTHS MOST VALUABLE BATTING AWARD
TRENT MAKIN BEN CLARKE 0.379
FIFTHS MOST VALUABLE BATTING AWARD
BEN COOEN MARK ANDERTON
WOMEN’S FIRSTS BILL REAY TROPHY MOST VALUABLE
KELLY MANZIE-NOVOTNY VIC BROWN
WOMEN’S SECONDS BEST & FAIREST MOST VALUABLE
VAL LANGWORTHY CAS SHELVERTON
WOMEN’S THIRDS BEST & FAIREST MOST VALUABLE
MANDI AVENT JASMINE JOHN
KELLY BROEKSTRA
MICK WEARNE AWARD ‘Hardest Working Women’s Player’
CASS SHELVERTON
MOST RUNS
BATTED IN JADE HOUGH 33 RUNS
MOST IMPROVED
PLAYER SAMMY DRUMMOND
BEST CLUB ROWAN HALL
PERSON
Junior Section 2014-15 Summer Season
The past season was a busy and successful one for the junior section and involved six junior
teams and a growing T-ball section.
Friday nights we had juniors involved in the Southern Mariners Charter competition with two
teams entered, Little League (12 and under) and Junior League (14 and under). For much of
the summer we also had T-ball running at the club.
Sunday competition involved teams in Little League, U16 State, U18 Metro and U18 State.
Most of the older juniors have also doubled up and played senior baseball in the afternoon,
filling slots in most of the senior teams.
At the beginning of the season we decided to enter two under 18 teams as we had 19 players
in this age group. We decided to split the teams into a core of 11 in the State league team and
7 for the metro, rotating players throughout the season to keep full teams on the day. Dave
Stenhouse coached the State team with the boys finishing 4th and making the finals. Benny
Rosewall kindly stepped in at short notice as coach of the U18 Red (Metro) team and led
them to an eventual premiership win. Thanks as well to the U16 players who made
themselves available both in the season as well as the finals to fill spots in these teams when
needed.
Rob Hogan coached the U16 State League team and having a large spread of experience at
his disposal went into the season looking at teaching fundamentals to half his playing list. A
fairly lopsided fixture also had the guys matched against many of the stronger State League
teams so unfortunately there were some tough losses in the first part of the season. As the
season progressed however the boys put up stronger team performances, scoring a few wins
along the way.
Our final Sunday team was the Little League entered into the South East Metro comp and
coached by the biggest kid around Peter Gelsi. Most of this team also played in the Friday
night comp so Pete had to oversee the Friday coaches to ensure he had pitchers available on a
Sunday. This team ended the regular season just outside the finals, a tough loss on the last
game tipping them out of a finals berth.
Friday night teams were coached by Benny Rosewall (Junior League) and Andy
DiGiovambattista, Sammy Drummond and Lucas Anderson (Little League).
Special thanks to all the above mentioned coaches as well as all the assistants / scorers and
helpers who made all our lives easier across the season.
Congratulations to all the junior state representatives with five boys making the Victorian
U18 white team and two making the Victorian U16 white team.
Rod Anderson
Junior Co-ordinator
Under 18 - State Report
With the start up of the U18's having 2 sides, this is great for the club in itself, having so
many juniors, with the Red side winning their grand final and the State U18 with only three
top age players going through to the finals, only missing out to the loss at Essendon, which
the boys just were not hitting on the day.
In going forward our boys will be a force to be reckon with next year and having only lost the
3 players, I recommend only having a squad of 10 which means only 1 player will be selected
to play in the state side.
Thank you to all the parents who helped out and were a great support to the side.
Cheers
Coach: David Stenhouse
TROPHY WINNERS
JUNIORS
U’18 STATE LEAGUE BEST & FAIREST CALEB POOLE
MOST RELIEBLE LUCAS ANDERSON
BATTING AWARD ANDY DiGIOVAMBATTISTA
U’18 METRO LEAGUE MOST VALUABLE MAC HURA
IRON HORSE RHYS BULTER
GOLD GLOVE JAKE MARCH
U’16 STATE LEAGUE BEST & FAIREST KYLE PARKIN
MOST VALUABLE RYDGE HOGAN
MOST IMPROVE JESSE VINEY
JUNIOR LEAGUE
SOUTHERN MARINERS
MOST VALUABLE AIDAN FULCHER
MOST CONSISTANT TRENT HAWKING
MOST IMPROVED ETHAN KREGOR
LITTLE LEAGUE MAJOR
SOUTHERN MARINERS
MOST IMPROVED PITCHER CALLUM FULCHER
MOST IMPROVED BATTER LOTU TONGA
MOST IMPROVED FIELDER BRANDON CHAU
LITTLE LEAGUE
METRO EAST
MOST VALUABLE LILI CAVANAGH
MOST CONSISTANT ADAM HARRIS
MOST IMPROVED TYLER ELLIS