In the spirit of reconciliation, Softball Australia

In the spirit of reconciliation, Softball Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their

connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present

and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

Partners and sponsors Contents

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Message from Sport Australia ...................... 1

Chairman’s Report .......................................... 2

Chief Executive Officer’s Report ................. 3

Staff and Member States .............................. 5

Committees ........................................................ 6

High Performance ............................................7

Marketing and Communications ................ 9

Member Recognition ..................................... 15

Membership...................................................... 17

Technical Umpiring ................................................. 25 Scoring .................................................... 29 Coaching ................................................. 31

Appointments WBSC ....................................................... 33 Softball Australia .................................. 34

Events and Results International .......................................... 35 National .................................................. 39

Teams and Squads ........................................ 53

Awards & Honours ........................................ 55

Message from Sport Australia Softball Australia’s Chairman report

2 |SOFTBALL AUSTRALIA | ANNUAL REPORT


John Wylie AM The start of 2020 has been an extraordinarily tough time for Australians, including all of us committed to sport. The impact of bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic have been confronting for communities, where we all know sport plays such an important role. At the Australian Sports Commission (ASC), comprising Sport Australia and the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), our energy is focused on supporting our partners through these times as we continue to advocate the importance of sport to our economy, productivity, health, wellbeing and culture. We believe whole-heartedly that when we get through this challenging period, sport will play a prominent role in lifting the nation’s energy and spirits again.

Times such as these can also make us more appreciative of what we do have and of the success we have achieved. Success in sport is always hard fought. But it’s a fight Australian high-performance sport welcomes as it continues to achieve success. Last year the wonderful Ash Barty won the French Open and became our first female No1 tennis player since her idol, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, in 1976. Javelin-thrower Kelsey Lee-Barber set personal bests throughout the year and took the title at the IAAF World Championships in Doha. Dylan Alcott added three more Grand Slam quad wheelchair singles trophies to the cabinet and Sailing duo Matt Belcher and Will Ryan claimed the men’s 470 World Championship. In the pool, our swimmers won seven gold medals at the FINA World Championships, placing Australia fourth on the medal tally. This year our inspiring women’s cricket team won a fifth World T20 title, drawing a record crowd of 86,174 to the MCG. How fitting that this historical moment fell on International Women’s Day. These results are a testament to the tenacity and passion of athletes, coaches, sports staff and sporting organisations, which know we have all the skills and abilities to achieve success. I am proud too of the service our organisation provides to Australian sport each year, on behalf of the Australian Government. The ASC, through Sport Australia and the AIS, delivers 25,000 grants a year. The AIS, funds and prepares our Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games to represent us at the highest level in international competition. In the past few years, we have enhanced our support to athlete wellbeing and engagement, a move that is essential, especially in the current environment. Sport Australia invests in sports participation programs, from our national Sporting Schools program for younger children through to the Better Ageing program aimed at Australians aged 65 and over. So many of these grants fuel aspirations. Our Local Sporting Champions program supports 9,000 children a year to reach for their sporting dreams. Our Women Leaders in Sport program and the AIS Talent program provide opportunities for women to progress their professional development in all roles across sport. We continue to work with sports to modernise traditional governance structures in Australian sporting organisations and we continue to encourage environments that are inclusive, diverse, safe and welcoming, making sport the benchmark for a more equitable society. This was to be the year of the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo. Instead, it has been postponed to 2021, with the Olympic Games to be held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 and the Paralympics from 24 August to 5 September 2021. We have already witnessed a great deal of positivity from athletes who now need to re-set. I’m confident, as a united sport system, we will do the same. John Wylie AM ASC Chair

John Hollingsworth Softball in Australia has again taken great strides towards the betterment of the game during very challenging times.

The past 12 months was an exciting time for softball in Australia, highlighted by our return to the Olympics via an unbeaten qualifying tournament in China in September 2019.

We are fully supportive of the decision of the International Olympic Committee to postpone the 2020 Olympic Games. This was obviously difficult for our High Performance team but their resilience and positivity following the news is hugely admirable, I look forward to seeing them take their deserved spot on the diamond in Tokyo 2021.

Internationally, our Open Women’s team returned to the National Pro Fastpitch League in the United States under the banner of the Aussie Peppers of Minnesota. This is not only a huge opportunity for both the current squad of Australian players but also to those at the junior level who now have the prospect of being selected to compete in a professional league overseas. Thank you to the Peppers for hosting our girls and your support of our High Performance program.

Our Junior Men’s program once again proved their credentials on the world stage with a runner-up result at the Junior Men’s World Cup held in Palmerston North, New Zealand, an exciting sign for the future of the Aussie Steelers.

At the domestic level we had another brilliant Summer of Softball starting with our National Championships. I’d like to commend the Open Men’s and U14 Boys’ participants for their understanding of Softball Australia’s decision to shift their tournament venue from Hawker to Blacktown to avoid the treat of bushfires.

We saw our Member States come together to ensure the safety of our participants were a priority, thanks to all for their cooperation in a difficult situation. That was an encouraging sign for our One Softball initiative which again has taken big steps in the last 12 months. We appointed a full-time resource to facilitate One Softball amongst States and its been exciting to see that progress. Undoubtedly our sport needs to transition to a One Softball organisation to grow participation and improve retention. The primary aim of this transformation is to increase participation and ultimately membership in softball across Australia. It is crucial for us, now more than ever, to grow the sport and the One Softball strategy is going to play the pivotal role.

Finally, the COVID-19 Pandemic has rocked communities and economies across the world and Australian sport is certainly no different. All codes have been forced to adjust quickly. I am thoroughly impressed by the leadership from our Member States and commend them for making, and continuing to make, difficult decisions in difficult times.

As I step away from the Board of Softball Australia I have full confidence that new Chair Peter Jon Hartshorne and his fellow board members, an impressive group of industry professionals, will continue to grow our game, and I depart proud of the current state of the sport and its growth potential.

I’d like to personally thank the Board of Softball Australia, staff at the national office and the Member States, athletes, coaches, umpires, scorers and volunteers for all contributing to my enjoyable nine-year involvement with the sport.

My time on the Board has been an incredibly rewarding experience.

Best of luck to our future Olympians and Australian representatives, as well as anyone who steps onto a diamond to play this great game.

John Hollingsworth Chairman

https://www.sportaus.gov.au/grants_and_funding/local_sporting_champions

https://www.sportaus.gov.au/grants_and_funding/women_leaders_in_sport

Softball Australia’s CEO report



David Pryles The past twelve months for Softball Australia has seen the highest of highs when the Travelodge Aussie Spirit won their way back into the Olympic Games and at the other end of the scale dealing with the COVID-19 Pandemic that stopped sport in Australia.

Despite the difficulties every sport in the world has experienced, I am proud of where we sit as an organisation and how we’ve maintained momentum in a number of areas.

High Performance Firstly, congratulations must go to our Travelodge Aussie Spirit team who were magnificent in their WBSC Asia/Oceania Olympic Qualifier, winning all five games and committing no defensive errors in a pressure packed tournament with only one spot in Tokyo up for grabs.

Full credit to Head Coach Laing Harrow, the High Performance team and his coaching staff for earning our spot back in the Olympics, more on this in the High Performance Report along with other fantastic results including a silver medal for Australia at the Junior Men’s World Cup in 2020.

Commercial Commercially, we have again recorded strong results bringing on several new partners including Kumho Tyre, National Storage, PTP, Aussie Athlete Agency and Gamesense as well as retaining our partners from the previous 12 months.

We also entered a crucial partnership with Crocmedia who not only greatly improved the broadcast of our Australia Pacific Cup and Summer Slam – Fully Loaded Softball tournaments, but also provided live streaming of our Men’s and Women’s National Championships.

Importantly, Crocmedia provide us with multimedia facilities, including a full broadcast studio, to assist us in creating engaging content around major announcements. Another aspect of our partnership is the ability to tap into their extensive commercial contacts to sell our sport further.

La Trobe University partnership The Softball Australia and Softball Victoria offices moved into the new La Trobe Sports Stadium based in Bundoora next to the La Trobe University campus. This is so much more than a change of scenery, along with the new office, we now have access to first class sports science facilities, training grounds and meeting rooms.

We have also entered a partnership with La Trobe University and their internship program allowing us to achieve more in various areas of the business while assisting in the professional development of students.

Grassroots At a grassroots level we have re-invigorated the Softball Batter Up (SBU) program including the development of starter packs an online platform for purchasing equipment and offered every Association who runs an SBU program store credit. We also offered up a number of beginner coaching courses for free to arm Associations with the necessary knowledge to host their own junior participation programs.

I’m pleased that the organisation has invested in the marketing of the sport with investment in digital SEO/SEM and Google AdWords in a first for the sport. COVID-19 effect on play In March, Australia was in the grips of the global COVID-19 Pandemic, an uncertain time for not only the country, but the entire world. There is no playbook to follow for a situation such as this, but I am extremely proud of our staff and our Member States for their handling of the situation.

From Softball Australia’s perspective, it was important to share relevant information we were receiving from the Australian Government and Sport Australia. Softball Australia does not have the ability to enforce a cancellation on local tournaments, but recommended competition be suspended following our first wave of COVID-19 infections, falling in line with other NSOs and sporting codes.

This information was not met with resistance from the community but rather understanding of the unique situation and of course disappointment. I would like to

commend our State SEOs around the country for how they all professionally and efficiently handled this unprecedented situation.

Of course, we didn’t escape the COVID-19 Pandemic without a hit, notably we were forced into the cancellation of the U23 Men’s and Women’s National Championships along with the International Friendship Series, Aussie Diamonds and Futures Tours originally planned for April 2020.

The re-scheduling of international events including the Open Men’s and U18 Women’s World Cups also led to a small re-shuffle of 2021 National Championship dates.

Our Open Women’s squad was obviously dealt the harshest cards with the re-scheduling of the 2020 Olympic Games to 2021, however this news was taken in stride by the group who remain focused on a fifth Olympic Medal.

They’ve taken a number of lessons from former Olympians including Peta Edebone who was recognised this year with an OAM, along with Deb Keogh, John Larter and Andrew Rindfleish while Debbie Grove received an AM.

We also saw Fiona Crawford and Tanya Harding inducted into the WBSC Hall of Fame and Darren Sibraa and Michael Tanner were inducted into the Softball Australia Hall of Fame. Umpire of the Year was awarded to Trevor Murphy.

I’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the outgoing members of our History and Recognition Committee who have done a fantastic job of chronicling our games through the years, thanks to Margo Koskelainen, Audrey McLaughlin, Neville Lawrance and Mark Jeppesen.

Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our outgoing Chairperson John Hollingsworth who steps away from the role after six years as Chair and nine as a member of the Board.

Softball Australia has seen an increased focus on nation-wide collaboration; increasing emphasis on grassroots; the establishment of a highly skilled, diverse national board; a significant increase in commercial revenue; a strong balance sheet which will hold the sport in good stead for years to come under John’s leadership.

As we enter the 2020/2021 Calendar Year there are a still a number of uncertainties as to what our sport will look like under the new ‘COVID normal’ but we also have a number of things to be excited about in softball.

Thank you all for your passion and support and I look forward to more positive results in year 2020/2021.

David Pryles Chief Executive Officer

Softball Australia staff and Member States Softball Australia Committees



Board of Directors John Hollingsworth (Chairman) Melissa Hamilton (resigned Feb 2020) Peter Jon Hartshorne Christine Heron Fiona Crawford Helen Langenberg Sandra De Witt Richard Lindell Jenny Dunn Philippa Wright (appointed 26 March 2020)

Staff David Pryles Chief Executive Officer Chet Gray Chief Operating Officer Josef Oduwo (comm Dec 2019-dept May 2020) One Softball Project Manager Simone Wearne High Performance Manager Jack Lucas Communications & Marketing Manager Ben Utting Sport Development Manager Laing Harrow Australian Women’s Head Coach Helen Davis Office Manager Shane Cantelmi National Events Manager Ryder Ranieri National Teams & Events Coordinator Tim Hatzi Club & Community Development Coordinator Brooke Wilkins Technical Project Coordinator Joanne Paez Participation Coordinator Hari Prasad Financial Controller Audrina Ning Accounts Assistant

Member States Softball ACT President: Frank Curcio Chief Executive Officer: Ben Kirk

Softball NSW President: Loretta Watts General Manager: Daniel Rushworth

Softball NT President: Michelle Krauer Executive Officer: Nicky Bacon/Mitzi Ferguson (State Operations Manager NT)

Softball Qld President: Mark Jeppesen/Darren Sibbra General Manager: Ross Symonds

Softball SA President: Uby Fadoul/Karyn Dale Executive Officer: James Harris

Softball Tas President: Sheryl Burnie Executive Officer: John Milbourne/Sheryl Burnie

Softball Vic President: Bron Madigan Executive Officer: Nick Frayne

Softball WA President: Warren Duff/Nicole Winstone Chief Executive Officer: Russ Clark/Jill Green (Acting)

Finance Committee National Scoring Committee John Hollingsworth, Committee Chair Ngaire Huston (Qld), Chief Statistician Jenny Dunn, Director Michael Hannelly (NSW), Technical Development David Pryles, Softball Australia CEO Sandra Palmer (NSW), Operations Hari Prasad, Softball Australia Financial Controller Kirsty Andrews (Qld), Communications Chris Trengove (Vic), Technology Development

Governance Committee National Umpiring Committee Christine Heron, Director, Committee Chair Kyira Cox (NSW) National UIC/UIC Operations David Pryles, Softball Australia CEO Leigh Evans (Vic) UIC Technical Sandra De Witt, Director Debbie Grove (Vic) UIC Development Helen Langenberg, Director Scott Rindfleish (NSW) UIC Communications Richard Lindell, Director

Presidents Commission One Softball Steering Committee John Hollingsworth, Director, Committee Chair Peter Jon Hartshorne, Director, Committee Chair Peter Jon Hartshorne, Director Richard Lindell, Director David Pryles, Softball Australia CEO David Pryles, Softball Australia CEO Frank Curcio (ACT) Gerard Kennedy (Vic) Loretta Watts (NSW) Jo Cantle (ACT) Michelle Krauer (NT) Jenny Goolagong (ACT) Mark Jeppesen/Darren Sibraa (Qld) Paul Brooking (SA) Uby Faddoul/Karyn Dale (SA) Jim Manning (SA) Sheryl Burnie (Tas) Ben Byrnes (Vic) Bron Madigan (Vic) Warren Duff/Nicole Winstone (WA)

History & Recognition Committee High Performance Advisory Group Joanne Paez, Softball Australia Participation Coordinator Fiona Crawford, Director Kylie Bloodworth (Vic) Chet Gray, Softball Australia, COO Cathy Kerr (Softball NSW) Simone Wearne, Softball Australia High Performance Manager Laing Harrow, Open Women’s Head Coach Dennis Cullen (Qld) Joyce Lester (Qld) Bob Crudgington (Qld)

High performance



This year will undoubtedly be remembered for the outstanding performance of our Travelodge Aussie Spirit competing at the WBSC Asia/Oceania Olympic Qualifier in Shanghai, China and taking the sixth and final softball position at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Whilst there were no competitions or programs for the Australian Men’s team, an Australian Men’s Squad was selected for 2020 following the 2020 Open Men’s National Softball Championship.

The Squad was selected in preparation for the next WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup, which was originally scheduled to be held in February 2021 in New Zealand.

However, the WBSC announced in June 2020 that the event would be postponed by 12 months, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

National Pro Fastpitch (NPF)

The Travelodge Aussie Spirit once again made a commitment to attend the 2019 NPF season in the United States in preparation for the Olympic Qualifier in China. It was not only an excellent chance for our players to be exposed to world-class game play daily, it was also an opportunity to build a strong relationship with the Mankato Peppers organisation located in Mankato, Minnesota.

Head Coach Laing Harrow took the opportunity to learn more about the playing list as a whole, create important relationships with both players and coaches, and expose the players to game situations where Harrow’s strategy and philosophy could be played out in real time.

Our pitchers improved their ERA .09 from the 2018 NPF season, a significant improvement given the quality of hitters they were facing. The team’s defense improved, adding .06% to the team fielding average compared to the 2018 season, and although the team played an additional 8 games in comparison to 2018, they committed 16 fewer errors.

WBSC Asia/Oceania Olympic Qualifier The pinnacle for the Travelodge Aussie Spirit team was no doubt the Olympic Qualifier held in Shanghai, China.

Captain Stacey Porter led the way in what was a make or break scenario for the team vying for the sixth and final position in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic competition.

Highlights Open Women Training Camps: a three-day camp was held as part of the Olympic Qualifier preparation; and a camp post the 2020 Australia Pacific Cup more specifically as part of our 2020 Olympic Campaign. Both camps brought players and officials together to establish clear goals and objectives, touch on identified priorities on and off the field, and confirm team philosophies and expectations prior to departure for Tokyo.

AIS Pitching Testing: Pitching testing (biomechanics specific) was conducted at the AIS in early December providing an opportunity to expose five of our pitchers to testing that had not been available previously, and also have them around new Battery Coach, Andrew Kirkpatrick and sports scientist Dr Sophia Nimphius.

Scholarship Athletes: athletes were involved with ACTAS, QAS, NSWIS and WAIS. The current Squad are scholarship athletes and the ongoing support they receive in their state-based Institute/Academy programs provides a fantastic support and base for our National Program.

Athlete Management System (AMS): We took our affiliation with AMS to another level by implementing a new ‘softball specific’ dashboard. This was established to capture skill-specific training data, notably pitch and swing quantities and training ‘types’ which will benefit staff as we prepare a new program for our pathway athletes post Tokyo 2020.

Scouting: Tony Mackie and Laing Harrow continued to code and scout games, both from our own team and opposition Olympic teams. Reports have been produced, including individual reports for all 2020 squad players to assist them in their ongoing learning.

gameSense Partnership: After establishing an initial relationship prior to the Olympic Qualifier, which certainly assisted us in our training and ultimately our performance in China (offensively), we formalised an agreement with US-based pitch occlusion company, gameSense, Webinar support and app access to our Junior Spirit players and staff is one of many positive outcomes of the relationship given our focus on the developing athletes looking towards 2028.

Simone Wearne High Performance Manager

The team won all five games in comprehensive fashion to not only finish undefeated but surrender a total of only four runs for the event.

Highlights included Kaia Parnaby with 3 complete game wins, and an ERA of just 1.40, Taylah Tsitsikronis with a batting average of .500 and a tournament leading 7 RBIs and Stacey Porter with an OBP of .643.

Our pitchers had an overall team ERA of 0.93, we finished with a team batting average of .394, the best offensive result for the Travelodge Aussie Spirit in the last decade; we did not commit one error in defense, the best defensive result from a Travelodge Aussie Spirit team ever.

Australia Pacific Cup The two Australian Open Women’s teams (Travelodge Aussie Spirit and Australia A) were buoyant and eager to not only participate in the final selection event in the lead up to the announcement of the 2020 Olympic Squad, but also to perform strongly against opposing Olympic Nations on home soil.

Both teams displayed solid performances, but it was the Travelodge Aussie Spirit who was able to defeat the highly rated Mexican team 3-2 to earn the right to play Japan in the battle for first place. The team ultimately finished in second place.

Brooke Spence (Qld) and Stephanie Trzcinski (SA) were debut players for the Travelodge Aussie Spirit; Captain Stacey Porter was named Tournament MVP and Kaia Parnaby was named Pitcher of the Tournament.

The Summer Slam – Fully Loaded Softball The fast-paced, challenging game of Fully Loaded Softball, with players under pressure from start to finish, was again an opportunity to meet specific High Performance objectives, a priority in an Olympic year.

A number of young and developing players were included in each of the six team rosters, providing an opportunity to expose them to the more experienced Australian squad but also international-level game experience – both important aspects of transitioning post the Olympic Games to a more pathway-focused program in the lead up to the 2028 Olympics.

Marketing and communications



2019/20 has seen a significant increase in softball’s presence in mainstream media with an Olympic year and the Travelodge Aussie Spirit’s strong chance of a medal in Tokyo.

Softball Australia secured several partnerships to strengthen the sports position in the busy commercial sports communications and marketing landscape.

Direct communications with our community during the COVID-19 Pandemic which escalated in Australia from March were high priority.

Media Call – Travelodge activation In conjunction with Travelodge Hotels and to coincide with the announcement of the Olympic Qualifier squad, a media call took place at Travelodge Wynyard on 14 August, 2019 launching the ‘Softball Suite’ with Jade Wall, Gabbie Plain, Elle Roberts and Stacey McManus taking part in a photo and vision opportunities in the Suite.

New articles appeared in the Daily Telegraph, Courier Mail, Gold Coast Bulletin, Canberra Times and regional publications through an AAP article and the momentum continued following Olympic qualification with articles and interviews on mainstream news programs including 7 National News and ABC Breakfast.

Crocmedia In August, media giant Crocmedia joined our growing list of partners, offering live broadcasts and multimedia content pieces, a new media monitoring service to track coverage in the Olympic year and the addition of high-profile corporate partners.

Along with an increase in production value of live broadcasts of the Summer Slam and Australia Pacific Cup, Crocmedia also livestreamed the Men’s and Women’s National Championships in January.

Partnering with Crocmedia provides access to professional filming studios, a recording studio, and a direct line to SEN to make significant announcements to a national audience.

• Crocmedia Studios - Video Production: provides an opportunity to film professional preview clips for National Championships, Summers Slam and Australia Pacific Cup, greatly lifting the presentation of these events and adding extra credibility to the athletes competing.

• Softball Australia Podcast: commencing in July 2020, the Podcast will feature notable softball figures each month for six months beginning in July 2020.

National Championships streaming The Open Women’s and Men’s National Championships were streamed by Crocmedia for the first time and saw a vast improvement in quality, consistency and social media engagement.

Over the course of the tournament, softball fans across the world consumed a cumulation of 9,300 hours of livestreaming through Facebook alone, resulting in 700 new social media followers in a week, all organically.

This is an enormous improvement on 2019, which ticked just over 869 hours and gained 300 followers over the course of the tournament week.

Australia Pacific Cup and Summer Slam The Australia Pacific Cup and Summer Slam achieved significantly more coverage as Softball Australia’s showpiece tournaments on the events calendar.

Marketing and communications (cont’d)



All Softball Australia social media channels experienced an increase in reach, engagement and impressions.

Softball Australia Post Event Social Media Report - 2020 Australia Pacific Cup Facebook Softball Australia 2019 2020 (30 Jan - 2 Feb) % Change Likes 14,588 20,348 39.48% Likes Gained 178 380 113.48% Video Views 79,675 326,589 309.90% Impressions 380,737 645,947 69.66% Reach 241,667 611,216 152.92% Engagement 55,360 113,237 104.55% Twitter Softball Australia 2019 2020 (30 Jan - 2 Feb) % Change Followers 3,911 4,580 17.11% Followers Gained 31 58 87.10% Video Views 25,791 17,550 -31.95% Impressions 149,625 275,069 83.84% Engagement 9,990 10,443 4.53% Instagram Softball Australia 2019 2020 (30 Jan - 2 Feb) % Change Followers 3,977 6,350 59.67% Video Views 18,528 5,850 -68.43% Impressions 114,245 195,806 71.39% Engagement 7,592 8,658 14.04% Reach 70,759 168,411 138.01% Youtube Softball Australia 2019 2020 (30 Jan - 2 Feb) % Change Video Views 26,345 N/A -% Avg Duration 12:19 N/A -% Likes 85 N/A -% Shares 204 N/A -% Subscriptions 110 N/A -% Totals 2019 2020 (30 Jan - 2 Feb) % Change Impressions 644,607 1,116,822 73.26% Engagement 72,942 132,338 81.43% Reach 385,368 779,627 102.31%

Softball Australia Post Event Social Media Report - 2020 Summer Slam Facebook Softball Australia 2019 2020 (3 - 5 Feb) % Change Likes 14,700 20,416 38.88% Likes Gained 56 68 21.43% Video Views 48,093 141,198 193.59% Impressions 282,834 289,239 2.26% Reach 171,417 272,451 58.94% Engagement 29,608 34,579 16.79% Twitter Softball Australia 2019 2020 (3 - 5 Feb) % Change Followers 3,949 4,582 16.03% Followers Gained 38 28 -26.32% Video Views 10,344 16,051 55.17% Impressions 105,872 129,339 22.17% Engagement 4,019 4,248 5.70% Instagram Softball Australia 2019 2020 (3 - 5 Feb) % Change Followers 4,003 6,354 58.73% Video Views 36,139 48,563 34.38% Impressions 165,182 416,009 151.85% Engagement 16,093 11,840 -26.43% Reach 116,014 336,031 189.65% Totals 2019 2020 (3 - 5 Feb) % Change Impressions 553,888 834,587 50.68% Engagement 49,720 50,667 1.90% Reach 287,431 608,482 111.70%

Media Monitoring service - Meltwater Softball Australia partnered with Meltwater providing access to an accurate and efficient media monitoring service which will provide audience numbers per article, number of articles by publication, geo-location of articles and much more.

Through Meltwater, we are able to present data through their reporting module allowing access to visually appealing and easy to understand graphics and with these details, Softball Australia can add quantifiable data for potential and current commercial partners and the Board of Softball Australia.

Metrics are retrospective, meaning measurements can be made against previous major events/announcements.

Softball Australia joins a number of National Sporting Organisations in Meltwater’s stable to use a media monitoring service.

Snapshot of the last 12 months of data

Marketing and communications (cont’d)



Partner promotions During the isolation period, Softball Australia reached out to partners to inform them of various promotions to run throughout April/May with a goal of data capture for our various partners and engaging our digital audience.

• Win a SONIQ Smart TV, 1-12 April (just under 400 entries) • Win a signed Panthers playing jersey from the 2020 Summer Slam thanks to East Coast Car Rentals, 13-19

April • Win an Easton Ghost Advanced bat signed by the Australian squad and Easton Softball signed by Stacey

Porter thanks to National Storage, 20-26 April • Win a signed Travelodge Aussie Spirit playing jersey from the 2020 Australia Pacific Cup thanks to

Travelodge Hotels, 27 April – 3 May

Video content To engage with the softball community via our digital channels, several clips were created from the 2020 Summer Slam and published during isolation. This was in line with other major sporting codes including the PGA Tour, NBA, NFL and domestically in the NRL and AFL.

Current statistics alongside 2020 Summer Slam tournament statistics for comparison Softball Australia Facebook Report - 2020 Summer Slam Clips during isolation Facebook Softball Australia 2020 SS (3 - 5 Feb) 19 March - 15 April % Change Likes 20,416 20,964 Likes Gained 68 140 105.88% Video Views 141,198 276,534 95.85% Impressions 289,239 799,307 176.35% Reach 272,451 798,195 192.97% Engagement 34,579 60,107 73.83%

Softball Batter Up SEM investment To increase awareness of the Softball Batter Up Program, work is underway for an SEM campaign that will be launched in July 2020 and run for six months.

The website ‘Search & Display’ campaign will include a data capture feature to build a database to help Softball Australia and Member States to identify registrations state by state, hopefully leading to more Softball Batter Up registrations for associations and clubs.

Social Media Softball Australia reached the milestone of 20,000 followers on Facebook, further strengthening the reach and influence of the channel.

Social media remains our best tool to communicate news and updates, as well as a valuable tool for potential and current partners and a conscious effort has been made to post more engaging content such as videos and competitions to continue to grow the brand across all platforms. Twelve-month growth outlined below.

2019 Twitter % Instagram % Facebook % YouTube - SUB % LinkedIn % Spirit - FB % Steelers - FB %

1-Jul 4115

4752

15995

1297

460

3054

2066

2020 Twitter % Instagram % Facebook % YouTube - SUB % LinkedIn % Spirit - FB % Steelers - FB %

5-Jul 4718 13.65% 6788 35.28% 21491 27.75% 1630 22.75% 764 49.67% 3127 2.36% 2496 18.85%

Jack Lucas Marketing and Communications Manager

Member recognition

16 SOFTBALL AUSTRALIA | ANNUAL REPORT


Softball Australia proudly acknowledges WBSC Hall of Fame, Softball Australia Hall of Fame, Queen’s Birthday Honours, Service Award and Umpire of the Year recipients.

WBSC Hall of Fame Fiona Crawford (nee Hanes) (NSW) Fiona was the 190th female to represent the Aussie Spirit. Beginning her career as shortstop, she progressed to 2nd base, and was the starting 2nd base for every game at the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games. By the time she retired from representative softball in 2007, Fiona, had accumulated an impressive career, playing 223 games for Australia, competing at two Olympic Games (bronze and silver medal), three World Championships and many international competitions.

Fiona’s first World Championship was at junior level in 1995 in the bronze medal winning U19 team. At the 1998 World Championships in Japan she was a member of the Aussie Spirit team that won silver against the USA. Fiona was one of Australia’s leading batters at the 2002 World Championships in Canada.

Fiona was inducted into the Softball Australia Hall of Fame in 2010.

Tanya Harding (Qld) Tanya was the 166th player to play for the Aussie Spirit from 1993 – 2008 playing 283 games and over 50 tournaments. She competed at four Olympic Games (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008) and four World Championships (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006). Tanya is one of only three Australian players to medal in four Olympic Games, with three bronze medals and one silver medal.

After the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Tanya retired from international competition, leaving an indelible mark on Australian softball. Her list of achievements is as formidable as the spin and speed she put on the ball.

Tanya was inducted into the Softball Australia Hall of Fame in 2012.

Softball Australia Hall of Fame Darren Sibraa (Qld) Darren has a long and illustrious career as an umpire. He has umpired at 41 national championships across all age groups, men and women. Eleven of these have been as an Umpire’s Examiner and 10 as the Tournament Chief Umpire.

Darren’s international experience includes six international tournaments, two World Championship Qualifiers and four World Championships.

Michael Tanner (ACT) Michael was the 71st player and member of Australia’s first team to win a medal at the World Championship, Bronze in 2004, and a member of the Gold Medal team in 2009. He played 76 games for Australia.

A lead-off hitter for the Aussie Steelers, Michael led the way at the 2013 World Championships with a batting average of 0.400, an on base average of 0.487, slugging Average of 0.400 and a fielding average of 1.000.

2019 Vivienne Triplett Umpire of the Year Trevor Murphy (Vic) Trevor’s commitment to the Victorian Umpiring Program is demonstrated by both his administrative roles and practical contributions. It is Trevor’s commitment to the umpires themselves that shines through. His willingness to be available in all areas, development, mentoring and assessing goes well above the standard. He is as familiar with the grass roots as he is the national stage.

He is well known to travel to any metropolitan Associations where required to perform these roles to ensure that all umpires are afforded the same opportunities to advance.

Trevor is extremely active within the softball community in Victoria. He currently holds multiple positions with his local Association and at state level. His exposure to the grass roots and elite level provides him with a diverse skillset and understanding of the sport at all levels.

Service Awards Qld: Andrew Baxter, Craig Clark, Tony Crook, Kerri Davies, Carol Freeman, Brenda-Lee Huntley, Abraham Kilgour, Sheree Lehr, Terry McLaughlin, Gayle Ray, Beth Tahere, Tracy Rhys, Linda Underhill, Alan Walsh

Queens Birthday Honours OAM Peta Edebone (Vic): for service to softball as a player and coach, three-time Olympian; played in 330 international matches for the Australian Open Women’s Team

Kerry Franklin (Vic): for service to softball, umpire from Victoria, softball career spanning 21 years

Debbie Keogh (Vic): for services to softball, a softball career as an umpire spanning more than 35 years, officiated at more than 30 national championships and nine international events

John Larter (Vic): for service to softball, a softball career as an umpire spanning a quarter of a century including State Director of Umpiring and the National Umpiring Committee.

Andrew Rindfleish (NSW): for service to softball, umpire servicing State Championships for more than 30 years, umpired at over 50 National Championships and Internationally serviced elite competitions including four ISF World Championships for 23 years.

Vicki Warren (Qld): for service to softball, and to hockey, softball career spanning more than 50 years.

AM Debbie Grove (Vic): for significant service to softball through umpiring development roles at the elite level, umpire from Victoria, officiated at more than 25 international events including five Word Championships and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

Vale: In Memoriam Margaret Dodds Player number 40, Margaret played 15 games at three international tournaments, including the first ISF Women’s World Softball Championship held in Melbourne in 1965, which Australia won. Softball Australia Hall of Fame recipient in 1986.

Ken Duff Assistant Coach of the 1992 Australian Open Women’s team that attended the V ISF World Championship.

Mike McDermid Softball Australia Board Member from 1986-2000; selector for a number of national teams

Membership and participation



As at 30 June, Softball Australia’s membership totalled 21,737, a, reflecting a 14.67% decline from the previous year.

Impact of COVID-19 In March 2020 COVID-19 locked down the country which meant all sport was cancelled as safety measures were put in place to stop the spread of the virus.

With the timing of the pandemic most of the summer seasons and competitions were able to be completed, with only a few summer finals impacted or cancelled because of the virus. Winter seasons however were either abandoned or pushed back indefinitely pending restrictions being lifted in each state.

At the time of writing, some winter seasons are planning to start soon in delayed (shortened) seasons but are dependent on state-based safety requirements for COVID-19. The full impact is still uncertain with conditions around the country changing weekly and some parts of the country are either in a second round of lockdowns or have the potential for it.

Softball Batter Up The Softball Batter Up website was substantially updated with new resources, coaching education and significant marketing.

The sizeable investment in marketing is at the centre of the reinvigorated program and is pivotal to raising the programs profile and broadening the softball audience by targeting those who do not currently play softball. The investment includes website Search Engine Optimisation, and a new ‘Pop-Up’ feature to capture relevant personal information.

Incentivizing the program has also been a priority: a Starter Kit containing a branded backpack, foam ball and foam bat for participants and an equipment voucher to the value of $100 for associations and clubs that run Softball Batter Up programs.

The starter kit will add value to the program for participants and create a unique proposition that encourages them to choose softball over other sports.

Online coaching courses have also been updated with a limited number of free Coaching Induction courses to entice new parents or beginner coaches to take an active role at their clubs. The course educates coaches on basic coaching fundamentals and guides them to resources that will help them to deliver a quality softball experience for participants.

Fully Loaded Softball Off the back of the Summer Slam, the Fully Loaded Softball pilot for schools achieved some great milestones.

Early in the year, promoting the new format was the focus with meeting and contacting every school network that would host a meeting to discuss it. Conversations were held in a few states, but the biggest traction was in Victoria.

A pilot was held with the support of local Sport Coordinators and PE teachers through the Knox District. With the support of Softball Victoria, School Sport Victoria, and local Associations – Knox and Waverley – the pilot competitions achieved tremendous success and received great feedback.

Summary of Knox Pilot Highlights from the pilot which spanned eight events conducted under the Fully Loaded Softball Junior School Rules:

• 8 events (2 days for each district, Scoresby, Wantirna, Rowville, 1 day for Bayswater, Plus Division Finals) • 29 total schools (Scoresby 7, Wantirna 8, Rowville 8, Bayswater 6) • 648 total participants (Scoresby 144, Wantirna 168, Rowville 192, Bayswater 108, plus 36 extras on division

day) • 51 total teams (Scoresby 12, Wantirna 14, Rowville 16, Bayswater 9) • 68 teachers involved in events • 42 teachers involved in Professional development prior to event • 8 regional Victoria Conferences presented, covering 160 division coordinators around the state • 5 local area Division presentations covering 105 local school sport coordinators

Following pilots and presentations to many school network groups, Fully Loaded Softball was presented at the School Sport Victoria State Conference in October to more than 120 division coordinators from around the state, where the teacher group voted to implement the Fully Loaded Junior School Rules to be played in all interschool competitions for the 2020 school year.

This was an outstanding result for one of the bigger states in terms of school participation. A full year could potentially see over 10,000 school children playing Fully Loaded Softball in interschool sports. It would be the first state-wide competition culminating in a state final using the new rules.

Resource development Many supporting resources have been developed to support the Fully Loaded Softball program for schools and are available under the ‘Schools’ section on the website, including videos on the Introduction to Fully Loaded Softball, Fully Loaded Softball Junior School Playing rules and Facilitating a game and scoring.

Social 7s State Programs Registrations Events Participants Total ACT 2 73 73 NSW 0 0 1 90 90 NT 0 0 0

QLD 3 119 119 SA 0 0 0 TAS 2 95 95 VIC 5 189 2 395 584 WA 2 81 1 80 161

Total 14 557 4 565 1,122

There were 14 programs with 557 registrations through the website and of those registrations 64% only played Social 7s (355) and 36% were existing softball members registered on the database as well (202).

This demonstrates clubs and associations who conduct Social 7s events attract a high percentage of people who are new to the sport or can only commit to the shorter more flexible format. There were a further four events conducted with a total of 565 participants where no personal information was captured. Rather than these competitors being considered registered members they are classified as participants. Events that captured participants include funded programs and hosted corporate events

Membership and participation (cont’d)



Sporting Schools

Bookings and participation by School Term In terms 1 and 2, programs were affected as restrictions handed down by government to stop the spread of COVID-19, caused cancellations or delay of many programs.

Term Bookings Total Participants 2019 149 16,818

Term 3 62 6,453 Term 4 87 10,365

2020 84 10,059 Term 1 73 8,713 Term 2 11 1,346

Total 233 26,877

While Term 1 programs were less impacted, a significant drop was seen in Term 2. Sporting Schools had reported that applications for funding prior to Term 2 had been the “highest ever recorded”. This meant we were expecting to see a spike in participants to record levels.

Unfortunately, the impact of COVID-19 meant the outcome was worst term since the program’s inception with only 11 programs recorded. Of those programs only ‘Teacher Delivery’ or ‘Equipment Only’ model was allowed. No coaches could attend schools at that point.

Of the 233 programs conducted in total:

• 136 were coach delivered with an average of 85 participants per program

• 97 were teacher delivered with an average of 156 participants per program

Ben Utting Sport Development Manager

Homeplate Ladder Program Homeplate Ladder is Softball Australia’s Club and Association recognition program established to recognise clubs and associations for implementing best practice governance and management as well as membership growth and retention through successful recruitment and retention strategies.

The fourth year of the Homeplate Ladder program had an even bigger focus on increasing membership and participation this year, with clubs and associations receiving a points boost from 10 to 25 points for every National Participation Program delivered.

Although COVID-19 stopped many winter competitions and other programs and activities from commencing affecting the participation, growth, and retention of players for many clubs and associations, 9 clubs and associations still managed to achieve Homeplate status in 2019/20. A further 13 clubs and associations reached ‘Going for Home’ and 47 clubs and associations made it to ‘On Base’.

Geelong Softball Association achieved the ultimate recognition of Homeplate Status, finishing on top of the Homeplate Ladder for Associations nationally with 130 points. The Maitland City Softball Club in NSW triumphed on top of the Homeplate Ladder for clubs nationally with 164 points.

Key highlights Of the nine clubs and associations that achieved the ultimate recognition of Homeplate Status in 2019/20, the following outcomes have been determined:

• 88% had significant growth in membership demonstrating successful recruitment strategies • 77% of the clubs and associations completed a National Affiliation Standards Checklist and demonstrated

they are meeting the minimum operating standards expected of a softball affiliate. • 77% completed a Sport Australia Club Health Check in the past three years identifying areas of their

operations that they can improve • 66% have a strategic or operational plan in place that they are working towards achieving their goals and

objectives • 100% are registered to Softball Australia’s dedicated online club development resource ‘Homeplate’,

accessing resources, tools and templates to help them with running and growing their club or association • 66% had members complete an accredited course in coaching, scoring or officiating, thus ensuring their

volunteers had appropriate qualifications • 100% had their volunteers complete training courses to gain knowledge and skills required to effectively

perform their roles and responsibilities

2019/20 Top 20 Ladder for Associations and Clubs

HOMEPLATE LADDER 2019/2020: TOP 20 ASSOCIATIONS Rank Association State Points HOMPELATE STATUS 1 GEELONG VIC 130 2 NEWCASTLE NSW 120 3 SUNBURY VIC 110 4 NORTHERN TAS TAS 102 GOING FOR HOME 5 WERRIBEE VIC 70 6 NOOSA QLD 65 7 DANDENONG VIC 65 8 KEILOR PARK VIC 60 9 ALBURY WODONGA VIC 55 10 CUMBERLAND NEPEAN NSW 55 ON BASE 11 DUBBO NSW 45 12 ORANGE NSW 45 13 CASEY VIC 45 14 FRANKSTON VIC 40 15 NORTHERN AREA SA 40 16 HERVEY BAY QLD 40 17 CAMPBELLTOWN NSW 40 18 NORTHERN DISTRICT VIC 40 19 ILLAWARRA NSW 35 20 GEORGES RIVER NSW 35 * Equal points separated by membership growth %

HOMEPLATE LADDER 2019/2020: TOP 20 CLUBS Rank Club Association State Total

HOMPELATE STATUS

1 MAITLAND CITY NEWCASTLE NSW 164 2 SAINTS NORTHERN TAS TAS 133 3 HAWKS FASTPITCH WERRIBEE VIC 130 4 CASTLE HILL CUMBERLAND NW 119 5 STRIKERS NEWCASTLE NSW 110 GOING FOR HOME 6 CRAIGIEBURN SUNBURY VIC 65 7 COCKBURN COUGARS ROCKINGHAM WA 64 8 CARDINALS ORANGE NSW 55 9 ST CHRISTOPHERS GEORGES RIVER NSW 55 10 WOLVES NEWCASTLE NSW 55 11 ROCKY ORA ROCKINGHAM WA 55 12 BRANDON HEIGHTS WAVERLEY VIC 52 ON BASE 13 HALLAM COBRAS CASEY VIC 50 14 HORNETS PENRITH CITY NSW 45 15 BLUE THUNDER CENTRAL COAST NSW 45 16 MONKEYS SUTHERLAND NSW 45 17 WARATAHS CUMBERLAND NSW 45 18 KOTAHI SPORTS CLUB WA 40 19 STORM ACT FASTPITCH ACT 40

20 BEARS ALBURY VIC 40 * Equal points separated by membership growth %




Inclusion Softball for all Softball Australia continues to demonstrate its commitment to ensure that softball is a safe, welcoming, inclusive and accessible sport for people of all ages, cultures, race, religion, gender, abilities, sexual preferences, orientation and identity at all levels through Australia.

Strike Out Barriers to sport through softball

The Victorian Government funded, ‘Strike Out Barriers to Sport through Softball’ Project continued to make significant progression from the first two years.

The main objective of year 3 was to utilise learnings from years 1 and 2 and replicate successful elements in two new locations and introduce a new cohort of migrant and refugee communities to softball.

This involved establishing partnerships with two other associations and developing new partnerships with community organisations with significant links to local Migrant and Refugee communities.

The two new locations chosen were Casey and Frankston and partnerships were established with Casey Softball Association, Frankston Softball Association, City of Casey, Chisholm TAFE and Le Mana Pasifika Youth Project (CMY).

The main learnings taken from the first two years was that the best way to introduce new participants to the sport was to provide opportunities for them as well as their family and friends to try the sport through playing social formats and learn the skills through a 4-6 week introductory program.

This model worked successfully in previous years in partnership with the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation and this year we developed a similar model with our new partners and community groups.

Overall a total of seven new programs and events were delivered involving over 390 new migrant and refugee participants.

One of the new initiatives, an ‘Introduction to Softball Program’ for women was developed in conjunction with the City of Casey and Casey Softball Association for women and their children of all cultures and abilities. The program was held at Casey Central Park, the women their learnt the basics of softball through a range of skills, drills and fun modified games of softball, run by coaches Sarah Papadimitriou and Kylie Whitecunas. The program was a resounding success, achieving the aim of encouraging women and their children of all cultures and abilities within the City of Casey to get active through a fun and inclusive physical activity and providing an opportunity to connect with other women in the local community.

Another new initiative was developed in partnership with the Le Mana Pasifika Youth Project CMY and Casey Softball Association targeting Pasifika young people aged 12-25 of all abilities. A Fully Loaded Softball day was hosted by Casey Softball Association and affiliated clubs with many Pasifika islander members Chiefs United and Falcons. Over 50 Pasifika young people participated in a skills and drills session delivered by Casey coaches Lance Wharewaka and Tony Black and a Fully Loaded Round Robin tournament. Many young people expressed interest in joining the club and discount memberships were provided.

Throughout October, November and December an Introduction to Softball Program was developed in partnership with Chisholm TAFE, Softball Victoria, Casey Softball Association, Frankston Softball Association and Dandenong Softball Association. The program engaged 300 Adult Migrant English Language students from the Berwick, Cranbourne Dandenong, Springvale and Frankston Campuses. Each campus was introduced to softball through a 4-week introductory program delivered by local club coaches, learning the basic skills of softball. The program then culminated in the Dandenong and Springvale campus competing in a fun Social 7s Round Robin tournament in Dandenong and the Berwick, Cranbourne and Frankston campuses competed in a fun Social 7s Round Robin tournament hosted by Casey Softball Association.

Wheelchair Softball continues to grow After Softball Australia launched the inaugural Wheelchair Softball Competition in March last year demonstrating the sport’s commitment to providing an inclusive sport for people of all ages, culture, gender and ability throughout the country, the initiative paved the way for the development of similar programs throughout Australia.

A third season of the Social Wheelchair Softball Competition in partnership with Casey Stadium, City of Casey, Disability Sport and Recreation Victoria, AAA Play, Softball Victoria and Casey Softball Association was held in Victoria with 42 new and existing participants enjoying another memorable season, with the D-Squad defeating the reigning premiers the Cranny Cats 45-37.

An exciting initiative was developed and trailed by Casey Softball Association in conjunction with Wheelchair Softball advocate and Social wheelchair Softball participant Roy Davie, holding a number of Come and Try days, with the aim of developing an outdoor Wheelchair Softball Competition paving the way for a pathway to International Competition.

Geelong Softball Association in Victoria and Cumberland Nepean Softball Association in NSW also held three Wheelchair Softball Come and Try Days with approximately 20 participants involved at each session.

These initiatives continue to inspire similar initiatives in other States with more programs planned in the future.




Indigenous Softball Program The Indigenous Softball Program uses softball as a vehicle to improve health and well-being outcomes in targeted Indigenous communities. It provides opportunities for Indigenous people of all ages and abilities to become involved in sport and recreation through softball, increasing the social connections within communities and allowing them to develop the skills required to organise and manage sustainable softball programs.

A number of significant initiatives were undertaken with a major highlight being a representative team from the Far North West Sports League from the APY Lands in South Australia, organised by the SANFL, participating in their first ever tournament outside their Communities and finishing in third place, at the NT Softball Championships, in Alice Springs. This experience has helped develop the young women involved into role models and future leaders, inspiring many within their community to strive towards achieving similar goals.

Softball Australia also celebrated NAIDOC Week at the U23 National Championships and International Friendship Series in Redlands, Qld, with a Welcome to Country Ceremony, with a Welcome to Country ceremony, performed by the internationally acclaimed Nunukul Yuggera Dance Troupe.

Tim Hatzi Club and Community Development Coordinator

Technical – umpiring



The National Umpiring Program has continued to develop and deliver some outstanding results, particularly servicing national and international events.

Umpires continue to provide committed dedication to our national program with covering an outstanding 356 games, 1,271 appointments by a total of 67 on field umpires and five dedicated off field umpires across 28 playing days in January 2020.

Our umpires were appropriately recognised both nationally and internationally:

2018 WBSC Umpir of the Year Kyira Cox (NSW)

Order of Australia Medal (OAM) Debbie Keogh (Vic), John Larter (Vic), Andrew Rindfleish (NSW)

Member of the Order of Australia (AM) Debbie Grove (Vic)

Vivienne Triplett Umpire of the Year Trevor Murphy (Vic)

Australian Umpire Development Squad for 2019-23 The 2019-2023 development squad is being equipped through theory and practical session in preparation for the next WBSC clinic. Those successful at the conclusion of the WBSC clinic become the next group of umpires for international tournaments: Claire Austring (NSW), Michael Bendall (SA) Andrew Birks (NSW), Nicole Findlay (Qld), Joel Grimes (NSW), Janelle Hicks (Qld), Talia McDonald (Vic), Shane McIntosh (NSW), Darryl Pearce (WA), Jessica Rooke (NSW), Stuart Tyler (Vic), Alan Walsh (Qld)

2019-2020 National Leadership Groups Due to the success in previous years, development squad members now present and facilitate mini clinics and short learning sessions to National championship crews as a strategy to increase umpire development opportunities. In 2019-2020 the sessions presented were based on the top 10 most incorrect umpiring mechanics, positioning on the diamond, or a subject selected by the Tournament Chief Umpire.

The planned learning outcomes and opportunities were to improve the umpire’s ability to deliver sessions to an audience (either with planning time or impromptu), decrease participant anxiety when pushed out of their comfort zone, and to reduce the facilitating load on the management crew at a championship.

Review process At the completion of all national events, umpire feedback reports are received. Where an umpire receives a ‘does not meet expectations’, an email is sent to review comments, a development plan is created, and a plan developed to prepare the umpire for future National Championships. The umpire then follows up with their mentor/s to make further improvements to their umpiring for future events.

Communications Engaging with our umpiring community via our integrated communications strategy continues to play a vital role in celebrating umpiring success, promoting growth and retention and supporting the implementation of initiatives consistently across all states.

Integrating and streamlining our communication channels has seen the National Umpiring Committee achieve increased online engagement, particularly on social media with new and innovative approaches. We acknowledge the diversity of our membership and the need to engage in a variety of ways, and we express gratitude to the State Directors of Umpiring for their support in promoting the National Program. ‘Blues News’ has been a cornerstone of our communications since 2001 and it continued to evolve, connecting with an ever-increasing readership across Australia and internationally.

Development All participant and presenter manuals for each of the current accreditation levels we review and updated. Programs to assist in developing grass roots umpires, the Australian umpire development squad and the WBSC squad members have also been updated or developed.

2020 saw the release of the Community Umpire Program. Schools, Association and Clubs will benefit for this program as a starting point for those interested in

umpiring or officiating a game. Umpiring made easy cards that assist the learner at the community umpiring level were made available for purchase.

The year with the addition of a Level 5/6 Manual, umpires will be developed further through the pathway with theory-based learning in addition to practical.

National Accreditation Level 5: Shane McIntosh (NSW), Joel Grimes (NSW), Nicole Findlay (Qld), Michael Bendall (SA)

Level 6 Andrew Birks (NSW)

Level 7 Jesse Smith (NSW)

Technical – umpiring (cont’d)



Electronic Rules Assessment The National Umpiring Committee again delivered the Playing Rules Knowledge Assessment online with an average pass mark of 87.3% across all levels; 93% for levels 4-8 (an increase of 3% on last year) and 47 umpires scoring 95% or more. Even more pleasing was a score of 100% achieved by five umpires.

Softball Australia encourage players, coaches, parents, representative teams, team management and umpires applying for level 1 and 2 accreditations to sit the National Basic Rules Assessment. This year, the average pass mark was 83% (a 2% increase on last year), and 28 candidates achieved more than 95%.

A total of 434 people sat the assessment across both forms – Open and Basic – an increase of 61 on the previous year.

The National Umpiring Committee acknowledge and thank our staff members: Richard Barrow (Vic), Jason Carter (Vic) Darrell Shephard (NSW), Ron Houison (NSW), Daryl Pearce (WA), Jess Rooke (NSW), Kristina Travers (NSW), Stuart Tyler (Vic) and Softball Australia’s Technical Projects Coordinator, Brooke Wilkins for providing support, feedback and their time to the National Umpiring Program.

National Umpiring Committee

Technical – scoring



The National Scoring Program continues to develop and deliver outstanding programs producing results both nationally and internationally. Scorers continue to provide an outstanding level of commitment and dedication to our national program.

WBSC International Scoring In February, Softball Australia with the support of WBSC, Jennie Moloney (WBSC scoring commission member) conducted a scoring clinic for six Australian Softball scorers Jim Giles (Vic), Sean Francis (Qld), Rowena Whittle (NSW), Chris Trengove (Vic), Leanne Harvey (Qld) and Chris Bailey (Qld). Participants completed two full days of theory, two days of part theory, part practical in conjunction with the Australia Pacific Cup. At the conclusion of the clinic, Jennie was able to recommend three participants to the WBSC scoring commission for future international appointments.

Annual Meeting The National Scoring Committee opted to move away from the traditional annual forum which is usually attended by each state’s director of scoring, instead having a meeting of only the National Committee and staff. This change was necessary due to the numerous outstanding matters that required decisions to be made in a limited timeframe.

One of the major achievements of the past 12 months is the completion of the National Scoring Re-accreditation guidelines and logbook, providing scorers with clear guidelines on the requirements needed to renew their accreditation. This change was deemed imperative to ensure scorers are keeping up to date with scoring or regular games as opposed to more theory-based activities such as sitting rules exams, attending clinics etc.

Tournament reporting The tournament reporting website hosted 20 events: 12 for the national championships, as well as eight international events. Full play-by-play, box score and line-up information were provided for a total of 415 games, with an additional 205 games reporting results information only.

The reporting website was visited by 32,258 users, which was an increase of 5.8% over the previous year. A ‘user’ is defined as a unique combination of device and browser (so one person might appear as several users if they use multiple devices).

The busiest period of the year is undoubtedly summer, taking in the national championships, plus the Australia Pacific Cup and the Summer Slam. The chart shows the daily traffic over the period from December to February. It accounted for 78.5% of the yearly traffic.

Additional highlights • 84% of traffic originated from Australia, with the next most prominent countries being USA, New

Zealand, Italy, Japan and Canada • 51% of traffic is referred from the main Softball Australia website • 21% of traffic comes via social media, almost all of which is from Facebook • 78% of traffic is from mobile users • Total page access was 663,523, an increase of 5.7% from last year • 26% of the pages accessed were from the game reports themselves. Of these, the split was: line-ups

(12%), box scores (53%), and play-by-plays (35%)

The National Scoring Committee would like to acknowledge the support of the State Directors of Scoring, National committee staff Chris Bailey (Qld), Rowena Whittle (NSW), Jim Giles (Vic), National and International event statisticians and Softball Australia’s Technical Projects Coordinator, Brooke Wilkins for providing support, feedback and their time to the National Scoring Program.

National Scoring Committee

Technical – coaching



Softball Australia’s Coaching Education and Training program has undergone significant changes and is now transitioning from the old Level 1 – 6 coach accreditation to the pathway of Foundation to Master Coach with online learning modules and face-to-face courses targeting club to high performance-level coaches.

Foundation For Softball Batter Up coaches, teachers, parents and the beginner coach. Three online coach education courses outlining the introductory to coaching and the development of understanding basic softball skills are currently available online through the Softball Batter Up website, with Training and Practice still under development.

• Softball Batter Up Coaching Induction • Fundamental Skills of Softball • Training and Practice • Managing Games

Performance Level 4 Train to Win and Level 5 Advance Performance sit within the Performance area. Courses are designed to educate the on-diamond coach and battery coach exploring the directions in which coaches need to move to achieve coaching success.

Talent – Level 4 Train to Win provides coaches with the knowledge and skills to assist state level players position-specific skills and technique. The course is designed to optimise all aspects of preparation, physical, mental, technical, tactical, nutritional and recovery.

Elite – Level 5 Advance Performance assists coaches to develop the competencies necessary to work with state level and junior national (U18) players. Coaches develop expertise in program, resource and people management.

Master The Level 6 High Performance program is designed to assist coaches in developing the competencies necessary to work with national senior teams competing in international competition. Coaches complete a tertiary graduate Degree or Diploma of elite sports coaching. The program aims to produce coaches who are successful at coaching the highest level of softball and who will be competent to act as leaders in the field of high-performance coaching.

Coach education Several Foundation modules were available free for one month to help clubs and associations upskill their coaches during COVID lockdown.

COURSE COMPLETED SBU Coaching Induction 83 Softball Fundamental Skills 57 Softball Managing Games 71 Total 211

Coaching accreditation

ACT NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA TOTAL 42 888 1 473 85 29 333 182 2,033

(Existing levels)

Coaching accreditation by category

ACT NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA TOTAL New (first time accreditation)

31 551 1 272 57 21 205 130 1,269

Upgrade (next level)

6 190 0 86 13 6 66 40 409

Reaccreditation (renewed at existing level)

5 147 0 115 15 2 62 12 356

Total 42 888 1 473 85 29 333 182 2,033

States by levels

ACT NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA TOTAL Level 1 31 484 0 229 35 19 171 106 1,075 Level 2 1 130 0 152 26 5 70 40 424 Level 3 7 216 1 73 17 4 73 33 424 Level 4 1 50 0 18 4 1 9 2 85 Level 5 2 7 0 0 3 0 9 1 22 Level 6 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 3 Total 42 888 1 473 85 29 333 182 2,033

Appointments – WBSC and Softball Australia



WBSC appointments Official scorer Kirsty Andrews 2019 Asia Oceania Olympic Qualifier, Shanghai, China

Official scorer Kirsty Andrews 2020 U18 Men’s World Cup, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Umpires Kyira Cox 2020 Olympic Games, Tokyo, Japan (postponed to 2021)

Kyira Cox, Amanda Houison, Scott Rindfleish 2020 Asia Oceania Olympic Qualifier, Chongming, China

Damien McCauley, Scott Rindfleish XVI Men’s World Championship Prague, Czech Republic

Jesse Smith U19 Women’s World Cup, Irvine, USA

Kyira Cox U18 Men’s World Cup, Palmerston North, New Zealand

James English U12 Mixed World Cup, Tainan City, Chinese Taipei

Deputy Tournament Chief Umpire Leigh Evans 2020 European Olympic Qualifier, Utrecht, Netherlands

Softball Australia appointments 2020 Open Men’s National Championship Technical Delegate: Shane Cantelmi, Andy Dodshon | Tournament Convenor: Cathy Kerr Tournament Chief Umpire: Richard Barrow Assessors: Debbie Grove, Leigh Evans Umpire crew: Claire Austring, David Casey, Jason Carter, Damien McCauley, Trevor Murphy, Robbie Sadgrove, Jens Jakobsen Tournament Chief Statistician: Sandra Palmer

2020 Open Women’s National Championship Technical Delegate: Mike Titheradge | Tournament Convenor: Jill Green Tournament Chief Umpire: Debbie Grove | Assessors: Kyira Cox, Amanda Houison Umpire Crew: Andrew Birks, James English, Kerry Franklin, Mark Gallagher, Janelle Hicks, Darry Pearce, Stephen Wallace-Yarrow, Alan Walsh, Jamie McLean Tournament Chief Statistician: Chris Trengove | Deputy: Cathy Bertolini

2020 U18 Men’s National Championship Technical Delegate: Andy Dodshon | Tournament Convenor: Cathy Kerr Tournament Chief Umpire: Leigh Evans | Assessors: Debbie Grove, David Casey Umpire crew: Claire Austring, Richard Dodds, Trevor Murphy, Darryl Pearce, Jessica Rooke Tournament Chief Statistician: Kaye Greggs | Deputy: Rowena Whittle

2020 U18 Women’s National Championship Technical Delegate: Susan Rindfleish | Tournament Convenor: Cathy Kerr Tournament Chief Umpire: Neville Lawrance | Assessors: Jay Gibson, Kyira Cox Umpire crew: Andrew Compton, Leanne Gearside, Ian Gray, Talia McDonald, Anthony Moncaster, Jessica Rooke, Chris Trengove, Stuart Tyler, Stephen Wallace-Yarrow, Alan Walsh Tournament Chief Statistician: Kaye Greggs | Deputy: Rowena Whittle

2020 U16 Boys’ & Girls’ National Championship Technical Delegate: Angela Broadbent Tournament Convenor: Cheryl Waye Tournament Chief Umpire: Scott Rindfleish | Assessors: Neville Lawrance, Darrell Shephard, Jesse Smith Umpire crew: David Addlem, Michael Bendall, Richard Dodds, Nicole Findlay, Joel Grimes, Corey Hall, James Harries, Lucy James, Debbie Keogh, Shane McIntosh, Leith Roberts, Norelle Thomas, Alex Turnbull, Daryl Vercoe, Joshua Wilde, Kieren Wright Tournament Chief Statisticians: Allison Pendlebury, Kerryn Bell

2019 U23 Men’s & Women’s National Championships Technical Delegate: Shane Cantelmi (Softball Australia) | Tournament Convenor: Wayne Molander Tournament Chief Umpire: Debbie Grove | Assessors: Richard Barrow, Amanda Houison Umpire crew: David Addlem, David Casey, Richard Dodds, Kerry Franklin, Jamie Harries, Janelle Hicks, Dale Kaimoana, Neville Lawrance, Talia McDonald, Jesse Smith, Kristina Travers, Stuart Tyler, Steve Wallace-Yarrow, Alan Walsh Tournament Chief Statistician: Jason Collins | Deputy: Sean Francis

2019 Friendship Series Technical Delegate: Shane Cantelmi (Softball Australia) | Tournament Convenor: Wayne Molander Umpire crew: Danielle Bellchambers, Angela Broadbent, Mindy Dobson, Rohan Doherty, Steven Durrington, Nicole Findlay, Ian Gray, Glenn McManus, Darryl Pearce, Jayne Pleysier, Gregory Rusack, Tobias Sadler, Norelle Thomas, Jason Turner, Daryl Vercoe, Cliff Warner, Kieren Wright, Nikki Wong Tournament Chief Statistician: Jason Collins | Deputy: Sean Francis

U14 Boys’ National Championship Technical Delegate: Shane Cantelmi (Softball Australia), Andy Dodshon | Tournament Convenor: Cathy Kerr Tournament Chief Umpire: Kevin Tannebring | Assessor: Ron Houison Umpire crew: Kylie Diaz (P/T), Steven Durrington, Amanda Houison (P/T), Jason Irvine, Robert Lapsley, Jayne Pleysier, Angela Post (Tas), Jennie McKennie (P/T), Tony Moncaster (P/T), Tobias Sadler, Jason Turner, Nikki Wong, Kieren Wright Tournament Chief Statisticians: Sandra Palmer, Maree Hardwicke

U14 Girls’ Championship Technical Delegate: Mike Titheradge | Tournament Convenor: Jill Green Tournament Chief Umpire: Kevin Tannebring | Assessor: Stuart Tyler Umpire crew: Melinda Dobson, Steven Durrington, Jason Irvine, Mervyn Jecks, Glenn McManus, Jayne Pleysier, Kian Privitera, Tobias Sadler, Jason Turner, Cliff Warner, Paul Wilkie, Nikki Wong, Virginia Yiu Tournament Chief Statistician: Chris Trengove | Deputy: Cathy Bertolini

Australia Pacific Cup Technical Delegate: Chet Gray (Softball Australia) | Tournament Convenor: Cathy Kerr Tournament Chief Umpire: Andrew Rindfleish Umpire crew: Claire Austring, Lance Brown, David Casey, Andrew Compton, Kyira Cox, Richard Dodds, James English, Leigh Evans, Leanne Gearside, Amanda Houison, Trevor Murphy, Scott Rindfleish, Jessica Rooke, Kristina Travers, Steve Wallace-Yarrow

Events and results – international



AUSTRALIAN OPEN WOMEN’S TEAM TRAVELODGE AUSSIE SPIRIT Asia/Oceania Olympic Qualifier Chongming Island, Shanghai, China 24-28 September 2019

Travelodge Aussie Spirit Games Results Pool Games 24 Sep Australia 5 d Chinese Taipei 1 25 Sep Australia 8 d Indonesia 0 26 Sep Australia 8 d Hong Kong 0

Super Round 27 Sep Australia 7 d Philippines 0 28 Sep Australia 9 d China 3

Final Placings 1 Australia 2 Chinese Taipei 3 China 4 Philippines 5 New Zealand 6 Hong Kong 7 Korea 8 Indonesia

AUSTRALIAN U18 WOMEN’S TEAM JUNIOR SPIRIT 13th WBSC Junior Women’s Softball World Cup Irvine, California, USA 10-17 August 2019

The World Cup was a 16-team competition, with teams split into four pools of four.

The Junior Spirit won two of their three round games, including a closely fought 3-0 victory over Italy, to advance to the super round.

In the Super Round, the Junior Spirit had several come-from-behind victories.

Against China, they trailed 2-1 going into the seventh innings, against Puerto Rico they were behind 2-1 early and against Chinese Taipei they again trailed going into the last inning. However, in each of those games, they were able to show great fight to get the win.

The victory against Chinese Taipei, where the Junior Spirit scored a massive 11 runs in the seventh inning, saw the team qualify for the bronze medal game against Canada.

Although they were narrowly defeated by Canada in the final game of the tournament, it was a brave and committed performance that bodes well for the future of the Open Women’s program.

Player highlights • Brooke Stewart – led the team in batting average hitting

.381 with 4 RBIs • Mya Geros – finished second in batting average, .333,

whilst leading the team in ABs (27) • Georgia Hood – led the pitchers in innings pitched (34.1),

ERA (2.04) and K2s (23)

Pool Games 11 Aug Japan 8 d Australia 1 12 Aug Australia 11 d South Africa 0 12 Aug Australia 3 d Italy 0

Super Round 13 Aug Australia 4 d China 2 14 Aug Mexico 5 d Australia 1 15 Aug Australia 6 d Puerto Rico 2 15 Aug Canada 7 d Australia 0 16 Aug Australia 12 d Chinese Taipei 3 16 Aug USA 9 d Australia 0

Bronze Medal Game 17 Aug Canada 5 d Australia 4

Final Placings 1 USA 2 Japan 3 Canada 4 Australia 5 Chinese Taipei 6 Puerto Rico 7 Mexico 8 China 9 New Zealand 10 Czech Republic 11 Italy 12 Brazil 13 Netherlands 14 Ireland 15 South Africa 16 Botswana

Events and results – international



AUSTRALIAN U18 MEN’S TEAM JUNIOR STEELERS 13th WBSC Junior Men’s Softball World Cup Palmerston North, New Zealand 22 February – 1 March 2020

The Junior Steelers went to the WBSC Junior Men’s Softball World Cup aiming to defend the title they had won two years earlier at the 2018 edition in Whitehorse, Canada.

The team began their World Cup tour with a four-day camp in New South Wales, before travelling to New Zealand to play a series of lead-up games. The World Cup was a 12-team competition, with the teams split into two pools of six.

The Junior Steelers won their five pool games, including close hard-fought victories against Czech Republic and Argentina.

This saw the Junior Steelers advance to the super round as one of the top six teams. They also started with a 2-0 record in this round, the results of their games against Czech Republic and Argentina carrying through.

The Junior Steelers won their first super round game but lost their next game to Japan 5-2.

However, a series of other results following this meant that the Junior Steelers were guaranteed a place in the gold medal game, a rematch with Japan on the final day.

In the gold medal game, the Junior Steelers made a fantastic start, scoring the first two runs of the game. Hayden Shaw’s single in the first inning scored Jeremy Garland, before Caleb Vandegriendt’s solo home run in the second doubled the advantage. However, Japan’s bats fired shortly after, scoring a run in the bottom of the second, before adding another three in the third and five in the fourth, to claim the World Cup with a 9-2 win.

The Junior Steelers finished the World Cup with a silver medal, a result they and everyone in the Australian softball community can be extremely proud of.

At the end of the tournament, four of Australia’s players were recognised for their outstanding performances, with selection in the All-Tournament team. Riley James (3B), Jeremy Garland (SS), Josh Banks (LF) and Josh Routledge (CF) were announced in the team at the Closing Ceremony.

Pool Games 22 Feb Australia 4 d Czech Republic 3 23 Feb Australia 6 d Argentina 4 24 Feb Australia 11 d Singapore 0 25 Feb Australia 14 d Canada 3 26 Feb Australia 21 d South Africa 1

Super Round 27 Feb Australia 13 d Guatemala 0 28 Feb Japan 5 d Australia 2 29 Feb Australia 2 d New Zealand 0

Gold Medal Game 1 March Japan 9 d Australia 2

Final Placings 1 Japan 7 Canada 2 Australia 8 Mexico 3 Czech Republic 9 Singapore 4 Argentina 10 USA 5 New Zealand 11 South Africa 6 Guatemala 12 Denmark

Events and results – national


39 SOFTBALL AUSTRALIA | ANNUAL REPORT

Evan Byrne gave the 89ers the lead with a solo home run in the bottom of the 6th inning, and Adam Folkard was able to shut NSW out in the top of the seventh to give ACT the title.

Grand Final Result

R H E Act 89ers 4 5 0 New South Wales 3 6 1

Final Placings 1 ACT 89ers 2 New South Wales 3 Queensland Patriots 4 Victoria 5 South Australia 6 Western Blaze

Award Winners Most Valuable Player Jarryd Farrell (SA) Best Pitcher Harrison Peters (NSW) Best Batter Jarryd Farrell (SA) Rosemary Adey Medal Rookie of the Year Bradley Kilpatrick (NSW) Player of the Grand Final Evan Byrne (ACT 89ers)

73rd OPEN WOMEN’S NATIONAL SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP Gilley’s Shield Mirrabooka, WA 4-10 January 2020

The 2020 edition of the Gilley’s Shield will forever be remembered for the lights going out at Mirrabooka during the grand final.

With the NSW Firestars and the SA Starz tied at 1-1 in the top of the 7th innings, a power outage in the area caused the game to be suspended for over two hours.

When the grand final finally resumed, the NSW Firestars claimed the title with a 2-1 win in the 9th innings.

For the entire week, the competition was closely fought and played at a very high standard, the perfect level of competition in an (at the time) Olympic year. Of the 32 games played, 18 of them were decided by two runs or less.

The grand final was no different, beginning as a pitcher’s duel between Kaia Parnaby and Jailyn Ford.

Both teams were only able to score one run each through the first six innings, though the SA Starz had the chance to take in the lead in the top of the sixth. With a runner on third base, an outstanding catch in leftfield by Michelle Cox robbed the Starz of the go-ahead run.

Ellen Roberts replaced Kaia Parnaby in the top of the 7th innings and didn’t give up a single hit in her three innings of work. In the bottom of the 9th innings, with Rachel Lack on third base, a Stacey Porter sacrifice fly to rightfield allowed Lack to score the winning run and give the NSW Firestars their fourth consecutive Gilley’s Shield title.

Grand Final Result R H E NSW Firestars 2 5 2 SA Stars 1 4 0

Final Placings 1 NSW Firestars 2 SA Starz 3 Queensland Heat 4 Western Flames 5 Victoria Titans

Award Winners Midge Nelson Medal Most Valuable Player Yui Sakamoto, Western Flames Lorraine Woolley Medal Best Pitcher Jailyn Ford, SA Starz Sybil Turner Medal Best Batter Chelsea Forkin, Qld Heat Rosemary Adey Medal Rookie of the Year Charisma Kerr, Qld Heat Player of the Grand Final Rachel Lack, NSW Firestars

37th OPEN MEN’S NATIONAL SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP John Reid Shield Blacktown, NSW 12-18 January 2020

Originally scheduled to be played at Hawker in the ACT, smoke and poor air quality from nearby bushfires forced the tournament to be relocated to Blacktown, just six days out from the start date.

Games during the rounds were generally close, often with lead changes throughout.

Heading towards the backend of the round games, all six teams were still in contention to make the playoffs.

However, rain on Days 5 and 6 meant a number of games were unable to be played, which saw the standings for the finals revert to the ladder at the end of the first round.

In the qualifying final, ACT 89ers defeated Queensland Patriots to advance to the grand final.

NSW defeated Victoria in the elimination final and then overcame Queensland Patriots in the preliminary final, to set up a 2019 grand final rematch with the ACT 89ers.

NSW got the jump on the 89ers in the grand final, scoring three runs in the top of the second inning, including back-to-back home runs to Lachlan Hay and Mitchell Brownlow.

However, Andrew Kirkpatrick’s home run in the fourth inning and Josh McGovern’s two RBIs in the 5th inning saw the 89ers tie the score at 3-3.




10th U23 WOMEN’S NATIONAL SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP Joyce Lester Shield Redlands, Qld 7-13 July 2019

Queensland dominated the 2019 U23 Women’s National Softball Championship, remaining undefeated throughout the tournament to claim their second Joyce Lester Shield and first on home soil.

After 10 round games, they had scored 93 runs and allowed just 14 against.

Their closest competition during the week came from New South Wales and South Australia, who both finished with a 7-3 record at the end of the rounds.

In the finals, Queensland were pushed by NSW in the qualifying final, but came out 3-2 victors to advance to the grand final.

South Australia accounted for Victoria 7-0 in the elimination final, and in their preliminary final against NSW scored the first run of the game. However, NSW proved too strong, winning 5-1 to move to the grand final.

The grand final pitted Laura Coulter (Qld) against Kandra Lamb (NSW).

The victory saw Queensland claim their fourth overall Laing Harrow Shield title, the most in the history of the championship, ahead of ACT with three, NSW with two and the Australian U19 Men’s team winning in 2005.

Grand Final Result R H E Queensland 5 8 1 New South Wales 0 4 2

Final Placings 1 Queensland 2 New South Wales 3 Western Australia 4 Australia U17 5 Australian Capital Territory 6 Victoria

Award Winners Most Valuable Player Izack Rossi (NSW) Best Pitcher Matthew Beach (NSW) Best Batter Ethan Field (Aus U17) Player of the Grand Final Jourdyn Hollands (Qld)

10th U23 MEN’S NATIONAL SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP Laing Harrow Shield Redlands, Qld 7-13 July 2019

Held in conjunction with the U23 Women’s National Softball Championship, Queensland’s U23 Men’s team gave their local supporters plenty to cheer about when they finished as national champions.

Playing in a six-team tournament that included the Australian U17 Boys’ team who were playing in preparation for the WBSC Junior Men’s World Cup, the Queensland team finished with an 8-2 win-loss record at the end of the rounds.

That saw the hosts finish on top of the ladder, with NSW, WA and the Aussie boys joining them in the playoffs.

Queensland cruised into the grand final with a 9-2 win over NSW in the qualifying final, whilst WA kept their title hopes alive with a 5-3 win in the elimination final over the Australian U17 team.

On the final morning, NSW were too strong for WA, winning 5-2 to advance to the grand final against Queensland.

In the grand final, Queensland did the damage early, scoring runs in the first, second and third inning to take an early 5-0 lead, with a two-run home run to Jourdyn Hollands the highlight.

Joshua Harding shut the NSW bats down, allowing just four hits in seven innings, to guide Queensland to their third consecutive Laing Harrow Shield with a 5-0 win.

Grand Final Result R H E Queensland 3 New South Wales 1

Final Placings 1 Queensland 2 New South Wales 3 South Australia 4 Victoria 5 Australian Capital Territory 6 Western Australia

Award Winners Most Valuable Player Charisma Kerr (Qld) Best Pitcher Kendra Lamb (NSW) Best Batter Rhiannon Kemp (SA) Player of the Grand Final Rebecca McEachern (Qld)




47th U18 WOMEN’S NATIONAL SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP Elinor McKenzie Shield Blacktown, NSW 19-25 January 2020

After hosting the Open Men’s and U14 Boys’ Championships at short notice, Softball NSW backed it up by hosting the U18 Women’s National Softball Championship the following week.

With six teams entered, a double round was played over the first five days of the championship.

NSW were the dominant team, going unbeaten with a 10-0 record, whilst Queensland and South Australia looked like the only teams that could challenge, each with a 7-3 win-loss record.

Western Australia struggled into fourth place with a 3-7 win-loss record. However, finals are a different ball game, as the black and gold team would show.

In the qualifying final, NSW and Queensland played a belter, with NSW claiming a 2-1 win in extra innings.

Western Australia pulled off an upset in the elimination final, with a 6-1 win over South Australia.

On the final day, Queensland and Western Australia played in one of the most exciting preliminary finals ever seen.

WA led 3-0 early, but Queensland hit back, leading 7-4 going into the seventh innings. WA responded with three runs of their own, taking the game into extra innings. Both teams scored two runs in the eighth inning, before a four-run onslaught from WA in the ninth innings was enough to secure a 13-9 win and catapult them into the grand final.

The momentum couldn’t continue for WA in the grand final, with NSW far too classy, recording a 7-0 win. NSW put pressure on early, scoring three runs in the first inning, before finishing it off with three runs in the fifth and one in the sixth. The win saw them claim back-to-back Elinor McKenzie Shield titles.

Grand Final Result

R H E New South Wales 7 12 0 Western Australia 0 1 1

Final Placings 1 New South Wales 2 Western Australia 3 Queensland 4 South Australia 5 Australian Capital Territory 6 Victoria

Award Winners Most Valuable Player Ryleigh Arnott (NSW) Best Pitcher Charli Orsini (NSW) Best Batter Jessica Rohde (Qld) Player of the Grand Final Caitlin Wilde (NSW)

32nd U18 MEN’S NATIONAL SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP Nox Bailey Shield Blacktown, NSW 8-14 December 2019

Given the WBSC Junior Men’s Softball World Cup was scheduled to be held in New Zealand in February 2020, the dates for the U18 Men’s National Softball Championship were brought forward to December 2019. The championship would then be used as a final selection event for the Junior Steelers team for the World Cup.

The tournament saw a high number of runs scored during the round games, with 468 runs scored in the 30 games played, at an average of over 15 runs per game.

Given it was a five-team tournament, the top ranked team at the end of the rounds automatically went into the grand final. NSW earned that right with a 12-0 win-loss record during round robin play.

Queensland finished second and ACT finished third, with the two teams playing on the last day in the preliminary final.

Queensland had a comfortable 7-2 win over ACT, to advance to the grand final against NSW.

The grand final was a cracker, with Lincoln Walk (Qld) and Blake Hunter (NSW) shutting down the bats, with a 0-0 scoreline after four innings.

Queensland got on the board in the 5th inning, Brandon Bristowe scoring on a Max Spencer double.

The scores remained at 1-0 going into the seventh, before a Kynan Molander two-run home run gave Queensland a 3-0 lead.

NSW got runners on in the bottom of the seventh and had the tying run at the plate, but Lincoln Walk shut them out to give Queensland their fourth consecutive Nox Bailey Shield with a 3-0 win.

Grand Final Result

R H E Queensland 3 8 3 New South Wales 0 1 1

Final Placings 1 Queensland 2 New South Wales 3 Australian Capital Territory 4 Western Australia 5 Victoria

Award Winners Most Valuable Player Caleb Vandegriendt (Qld) Best Pitcher Lincoln Walk (Qld) Best Batter Jeremy Garland (NSW) Player of the Grand Final Kynan Molander (Qld)




51st U16 GIRLS’ NATIONAL SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP Esther Deason Shield Waverley, Victoria 4-10 January 2020

The Waverley Softball Association in Victoria played host to a National Championship for the first time in many years, and the tournament didn’t fail to deliver.

New South Wales were chasing their seventh consecutive Esther Deason Shield, but it was Queensland who finished on top of the ladder at the end of the rounds, with an 8-2 win-loss record.

Joining them in the finals were South Australia (8-2), New South Wales (7-3) and home team Victoria (5-5).

Queensland advanced to the grand final with a strong 7-0 qualifying final win over South Australia, whilst the local’s chances of a title were dashed when New South Wales won 4-0 over Victoria in the elimination final.

NSW and SA met in the preliminary final, with the game a close affair through the first five innings. However, NSW scored three runs in the top of the sixth, running out 5-0 winners, to set up a grand final showdown with Queensland.

The grand final start time was brought forward to a 9.30am start time, with heavy showers forecast for the afternoon.

This didn’t faze Queensland at all, who scored runs in the third, fourth and sixth innings to claim a 7-0 victory in six innings. Chelsea Zunker pitched a great game for Queensland, holding the NSW bats to just four hits.

Queensland’s victory was their first Esther Deason Shield title since 2013 and was just the third time since 2003 that NSW hadn’t won the event.

Grand Final Result

R H E Queensland 7 10 2 New South Wales 0 4 2

Final Placings 1 Queensland 2 New South Wales 3 South Australia 4 Victoria 5 Western Australia 6 Australian Capital Territory

Award Winners Most Valuable Player Neve Adams (SA) Best Pitcher Georgia Burr (SA) Best Batter Emilee Solomon (Qld) Player of the Grand Final Chelsea Zunker (Qld)

30th U16 BOYS’ NATIONAL SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP Arthur Allsopp Shield Waverley, Victoria 4-10 January 2020

The Waverley Softball Association hosted the U16 Boys’ National Softball Championship as a combined event with the U16 Girls’.

During the round games, three teams stood out from the pack – Queensland finishing on top with a 9-1 win-loss record, followed by New South Wales (8-2) and home team Victoria (7-3). Western Australia rounded out the top four with a 4-6 record.

Queensland showed they were the team to beat when they won the qualifying final with a convincing 11-3 victory over NSW. Victoria kept their hopes alive with a tight fought 2-0 elimination final win over WA.

The preliminary final between NSW and Victoria was a classic. NSW led 4-1 after three innings, before Victoria added five runs in the top of the fourth. Trailing 6-4 going into the bottom of the 7th inning, NSW scored two runs to tie the game and take it into extra innings. Victoria scored three runs in the top of the 8th inning and NSW were unable to respond, giving the home team their first grand final berth in this championship for a number of years.

The grand final start time was brought forward due to a forecast of heavy showers in the afternoon, but that didn’t keep a large crowd from coming out to support the home team.

The grand final was a tight affair for the most part, with the scores tied at 2-2 after five innings. However, Queensland blew the game open in the sixth innings, with home runs to Ashton Tauariki, Haydan Dobe and Nickolas Gehrmann helping them score eight runs and take out the title with a 10-2 win.

It was Queensland’s second consecutive Arthur Allsopp Shield victory.

Grand Final Result

R H E Queensland 10 10 2 Victoria 2 2 2

Final Placings 1 Queensland 2 Victoria 3 New South Wales 4 Western Australia 5 Australian Capital Territory 6 South Australia

Award Winners Most Valuable Player Ashton Tauariki (Qld) Best Pitcher Dante Machiavello (NSW) Best Batter Cameron Taylor (NSW) Player of the Grand Final Ethan Munro (Qld)




U14 GIRLS’ REGIONAL SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP Mirrabooka, WA 4-10 January 2020

The Fully Loaded Softball format was trialled for the first time at a national junior tournament, on the first two days of the U14 Girls’ Regional Softball Championship.

The participants enjoyed the opportunity to play Softball Australia’s new version of the game, noting that it had more action, fun and excitement and that everyone was more involved.

The 10 teams were split into two pools, with each team playing four games, before the top team from each pool played in a grand final.

This saw the NSW Metro Orange and Queensland Fire playing off, with NSW Metro Orange taking the inaugural Fully Loaded title with a 16-11 victory.

The Regional Championship was played over the following five days, with teams again split into two pools, playing four round games each. The top three teams from each pool then advanced to the championship round to play in a double elimination finals format.

NSW Metro Orange were the first team to reach the grand final, with a close fought 5-4 victory over NSW Metro Green.

NSW Metro Green earned their opportunity for a rematch with their Orange counterparts, scoring a 5-1 victory over Queensland Flames in the preliminary final.

The grand final was a fantastic match noted for how the players played above their age grade

NSW Metro Orange led 3-1 after two innings and still held a one run lead after five innings. However, NSW Metro Green were able to add single runs in the 6th and 7th innings, to come away with a 5-4 victory and claim the regional title.

Fully Loaded softball Grand Final Result

R NSW Metro Orange 16 Queensland Fire 11

Regional Championship Grand Final Result R H E NSW Metro Green 5 8 2 NSW Metro Orange 4 6 7

Regional Championship Final Placings 1 NSW Metro Green 2 NSW Metro Orange 3 Queensland Flames 4 Queensland Fire 5 Victoria 6 NSW Country 7 SA Red 8 WA Gold 9 SA Blue 10 WA White

U14 BOYS’ REGIONAL SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP Blacktown, NSW and Camden, NSW 12-18 January 2020

As per the Open Men’s National Softball Championship, the U14 Boys’ Regional Softball Championship was originally scheduled to be played at Hawker in the ACT, however smoke and poor air quality from nearby bushfires forced the tournament to be relocated to Blacktown, just six days out from the start date.

And as per the U14 Girls, the Fully Loaded Softball format was trialled on the first two days of the U14 Boys’ Regional Softball Championship.

The eight teams were split into two pools, playing three round games, with the top two from each pool playing in crossover semi-finals.

The grand final was a matchup between Western Australia and NSW Metro Orange, with WA coming from behind to score four runs in the last inning to claim the title with a 12-11 victory.

The final five days of the event saw the teams competing for the Regional Championship.

With heavy rain falling at Blacktown on the third last day, the decision was made to relocate the U14 Boys’ games to Camden, to be hosted by the Macarthur Softball Association.

The top four teams at the end of the rounds were NSW Metro Orange, Victoria, NSW Metro Green and Western Australia, qualifying for the finals.

NSW Metro Orange defeated Western Australia 10-7 in the first semi-final, whilst Victoria held out NSW Metro Green 8-6, with the two winners setting up a grand final clash.

The Victorian team dominated the final, winning 12-1 in four innings to claim their first Regional title.

Fully Loaded Softball Grand Final Result

R Western Australia 12 NSW Metro Orange 11

Regional Championship Grand Final Result R Victoria 12 NSW Metro Green 1

Regional Championship Final Placings 1 Victoria 2 NSW Metro Orange 3 NSW Metro Green 4 Western Australia 5 South Australia 6 NSW Country 7 Queensland Thunder 8 Queensland Storm




INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP SERIES FEMALE COMPETITION Redlands, Qld 8-12 July 2019

The age group for the International Friendship Series changed from U19 to U18, with the Australian U15 Girls’ Squad participating in the event, split into Green and Gold teams.

Six other teams, from Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and New Zealand joined them to compete for the title.

The competition turned out to be the closest in the history of the event, with four of the 28 round games resulting in draws, and the team that finished in eighth place on the ladder after the round games (Pandas from Victoria) defeating the team that finished on top (GO United from NSW).

The top four teams qualified for the finals, joining GO United were the New Zealand U15 Girls’ team, Australia Gold and SEMSA (from WA).

GO United advanced to the grand final with a 6-5 qualifying final win over New Zealand, whilst Australia Gold had a comfortable 7-0 win over SEMSA in the elimination final.

New Zealand earned their chance at a rematch with GO United, beating Australia Gold 4-2 in the preliminary final. The grand final saw a number of lead changes, with New Zealand ahead 3-2 after two innings, before GO United added two runs in the bottom of the third. New Zealand scored in the final inning to tie the game up but GO United were able to add a run in the bottom of the dig, a Breanna Feeney single to rightfield scoring Keira Trim to give them the title.

Grand Final Result

R H E GO United 5 6 3 New Zealand 4 2 1

Final Placings 1 GO United (NSW) 2 New Zealand 3 Australia Gold 4 SEMSA (WA) 5 Queensland 6 Australia Green 7 Pandas (Vic) 8 Southside Stingers (Qld)

Award Winners Most Valuable Player Tallulah Lewis (Australia Gold) Best Pitcher Chelsea Bennett (Australia Green) Best Batter Monica Pettitt (Australia Gold) Player of the Grand Final Erin Partridge (GO United)

INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP SERIES MALE COMPETITION Redlands, Qld 8-12 July 2019

The Redlands Softball Association had a busy week, hosting this event in conjunction with the girls’ International Friendship Series and the two U23 National Championships.

As per the girls’ competition, the International Friendship Series for the boys changed from U19 to U18, with the Australian U15 Boys’ Squad participating in the event, split into Green and Gold teams.

Joining the two Australian teams were the New Zealand U15 Boys’ team, the Queensland development team and the Southside Stingers and Kilcoy Hammers, both locally based teams.

The six teams played a single round robin, followed by a double elimination finals series.

The Queensland team were the first to reach the grand final, with a 10-2 finals win over Southside Stingers.

New Zealand joined them in the decider, also accounting for Southside Stingers with a 10-1 victory on the final morning of the event.

Queensland were on top early in the grand final and led 2-0 going into the final inning. However, New Zealand staged a late rally, scoring six runs in the top of the inning and then held Queensland to just one run in the bottom, to take out the title with a 6-3 victory.

Grand Final Result R H E New Zealand 6 4 2 Queensland 3 4 3

Final Placings 1 New Zealand 2 Queensland 3 Southside Stingers (Qld) 4 Kilcoy Hammers (Qld) 5 Australia Gold 6 Australia Green

Award Winners Most Valuable Player Fletcher Due (NZ) Best Pitcher Hunter Simpson (NZ) Best Batter Matthew Lowe (NZ) Player of the Grand Final Jacob Laban (NZ)




AUSTRALIA PACIFIC CUP Blacktown, NSW 30 January – 2 February 2020

With four of the six countries who had qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games competing in the 2020 Australia Pacific Cup, this tournament was billed as a preview to the big event, and it didn’t fail to deliver.

Joining the Travelodge Aussie Spirit were Olympic qualified nations Japan, Italy and Mexico, in addition to Chinese Taipei, New Zealand and Australia A. The teams played a single round robin, followed by finals on the last day.

The seven-team tournament went as expected during the round games, with the four Olympic qualified teams finishing in the top four to advance to the finals.

Top placed team Japan played against fourth placed Italy in the first semi-final. Japan led 3-0 early, before Italy staged a late comeback with two runs of their own, but Japan held on to reach the grand final.

The other semi-final saw the Travelodge Aussie Spirit take on Mexico. Mexico scored the first two runs of the game in the second inning, but the Aussies hit back with two of their own in the third. Neither team were able to add to their tally and the game went into extra innings. A double play in the top of the 8th innings saw Mexico held scoreless. In the bottom, pinch runner Shannon Keevers advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt, before diving home to beat the tag on a sacrifice fly from Leigh Godfrey, the run sending them into the grand final.

The grand final saw Japan open up an early lead, scoring two runs in the second inning. They added another in the 5th inning and then blew the game apart in the sixth, scoring four runs, including a Minori Naito double that scored three. The Travelodge Aussie Spirit couldn’t score in the bottom, Yamato Fujita’s excellent pitching again shutting out their bats, giving Japan the title with a 7-0 win.

Grand Final Result

R H E Japan 7 5 0 Travelodge Aussie Spirit 0 3 1

Final Placings 1 Japan 2 Travelodge Aussie Spirit 3 Mexico 4 Italy 5 Australia A 6 Chinese Taipei 7 New Zealand

Award Winners Most Valuable Player Stacey Porter (Travelodge Aussie Spirit) Best Pitcher Kaia Parnaby (Travelodge Aussie Spirit) Best Batter Hitomi Kawabata (Japan) Player of the Grand Final Yamato Fujita (Japan)

THE SUMMER SLAM FULLY LOADED SOFTBALL Blacktown, NSW 30 January – 2 February 2020

The Summer Slam – Fully Loaded Softball, Softball Australia’s newest version of softball, returned for its second year and once again brought plenty of colour and fun to the diamonds of Blacktown International Sportspark.

The three-innings games, starting with loaded bases each inning, brought plenty of excitement and high scoring games to a tightly fought competition.

The Bandits, led again by Carmelle Sorensen, repeated their performance of the inaugural competition, remaining undefeated during the round games to finish on top of the ladder.

The Panthers, led by Stacey Porter, were keen to make amends, after missing the finals of the inaugural competition. And that they did, finishing second after the rounds.

They were joined in the finals by the inaugural champions, Kaia Parnaby’s Fury team and the Leigh Godfrey led Lightning.

The Bandits went one step further than the previous year when they defeated the Lightning 9-2 in the first semi-final, to reach the grand final.

The Fury and Panthers played in the other semi-final, the Fury unable to defend their title, with the Panthers scoring five runs in the bottom of the third to win the game 9-8.

The grand final was, surprisingly, a low scoring game, with pitchers Justine Smethurst (Panthers) and Tarni Stepto (Bandits) keeping the bats relatively quiet. The three runs scored by the Panthers in the bottom of the first was all the offence they needed, winning the title with a 3-2 victory.

Grand Final Result

R H E Panthers 3 0 0 Bandits 2 0 1

Final Placings 1 Panthers 2 Bandits 3 Fury 4 Lighting 5 Emeralds 6 Riots

Award Winners Most Valuable Player Stacey Porter (Panthers) Best Pitcher Kaia Parnaby (Fury) Best Batter Janice Blackman (Bandits) Player of the Grand Final Justine Smethurst (Panthers)

Teams and squads



Australian Open Women’s Squad Janice Blackman (Qld), Michelle Cox (NSW), Chelsea Forkin (Qld), Leigh Godfrey (WA), Rachel Lack (NSW), Stacey McManus (NSW), Tahli Moore (NSW), Kaia Parnaby (NSW), Leah Parry (WA), Gabrielle Plain (NSW), Stacey Porter (NSW), Ellen Roberts (NSW), Justine Smethurst (Qld), Carmelle Sorensen (Qld), Tarni Stepto (NSW), Taylah Tsitsikronis (NSW), Jade Wall (Qld), Clare Warwick (ACT), Belinda White (SA), Tamieka Whitefield (Qld)

Aussie Peppers Squad (National Pro-Fastpitch League) (additional 11 players added to the 2020 Australian Open Women’s Squad)

Georgia Blair (Qld), Madeline Cameron (SA), Amelia Cudicio (NSW), Shannon Keevers (NSW), Jordan Lambert (SA), Verity Long-Droppert (WA), Chelsea Robinson (SA), Brooke Spence (Qld), Jessica Torpey (Qld), Stephanie Trzcinski (SA), Taylah Welch (Qld)

Travelodge Aussie Spirit (Asia/Oceania Olympic Qualifier) Michelle Cox (NSW), Chelsea Forkin (Qld), Leigh Godfrey (WA), Rachel Lack (NSW), Stacey McManus (NSW), Kaia Parnaby (NSW), Leah Parry (WA), Gabrielle Plain (NSW), Stacey Porter (NSW) (C), Carmelle Sorensen (Qld), Tarni Stepto (NSW), Taylah Tsitsikronis (NSW), Clare Warwick (ACT), Belinda White (SA), Jade Wall (Qld)

Head Coach: Laing Harrow; Assistant Coaches: Nathan Jones, Andrew Kirkpatrick; Physiotherapist: Kathy Mitchell; Strength & Conditioning: Jason Howell; Team Manager: Simone Wearne; Performance Support: Deidre Anderson; Video Analyst: Tony Mackie; Statistician: Chris Trengove

Travelodge Aussie Spirit (Australia Pacific Cup) Janice Blackman (Qld), Michelle Cox (NSW), Chelsea Forkin (Qld), Leigh Godfrey (WA), Shannon Keevers (NSW), Stacey McManus (NSW), Tahli Moore (NSW), Kaia Parnaby (NSW), Stacey Porter (NSW) (C), Ellen Roberts (NSW), Brooke Spence (Qld), Tarni Stepto (NSW), Stephanie Trzcinski (SA), Taylah Tsitsikronis (NSW), Jade Wall (Qld), Belinda White (SA)

Coaches: Nathan Jones, Kym Tollenaere, Andrew Kirkpatrick

Travelodge Aussie Spirit (Australia A) Madeline Cameron (SA), Amelia Cudicio (NSW), Mya Geros (NSW), Georgia Hood (SA), Charisma Kerr (Qld), Rachel Lack (NSW), Jordan Lambert (SA), Verity Long-Droppert (WA), Gabrielle Plain (NSW), Chelsea Robinson (SA), Justine Smethurst (Qld), Carmelle Sorensen (Qld), Jessica Torpey (Qld), Brianna Trim (Vic), Tamieka Whitefield (Qld), Sasha Willems (NSW)

Coaches: Chantelle James, Mark Rigg, Andrew Kirkpatrick; Staff: Laing Harrow, Jason Howell, Kathy Mitchell, Deidre Anderson

Australian Men’s Squad Callum Beashel (NSW), Mathew Beckett (WA), Joshua Bond (NSW), Jarrod Bradbury (ACT), Mitchell Brownlow (NSW), Jack Burt (WA), Joshua Del Simone (Qld), Jarryd Farrell (SA), Adam Folkard (ACT), Matthew Harrow (ACT), Lachlan Hay (NSW), Julian Jemmott (Qld), Bradley Kilpatrick (NSW), Ryan King (NSW), Marshall Kronk (Qld), Michael Ludkin (Qld), Hayden Mathews (NSW), Harry May (SA), Joshua McGovern (ACT), Nick Norton (ACT), Bolton Nussbaum (ACT), Brendon O’Byrne (WA), Kieran O’Leary (NSW), Scott Patterson (WA), Harrison Peters (NSW), Layton Reid (Qld), Nick Shailes (O/S), Adam Talarico (Vic), James Todhunter (NSW), Peter Wards (NSW), Joshua White (ACT), Matthew Wickham (ACT)

Junior Steelers Josh Banks (NSW), Jack Besgrove (NSW), Ethan Field (NSW), Jeremy Garland (NSW), Blake Hunter (NSW), Riley James (Qld) (C); Tyler Kelly (NSW), Boston Lowe (NSW), Kynan Molander (Qld), Nicholas Murphy (Qld), Pierce Nugent-Moss (Qld), Joshua Routledge (Qld), Sam Seach (Vic), Hayden Shaw (NSW), Caleb Vandegriendt (Qld), Lincoln Walk (Qld)

Head Coach: Adam Rindfleish; Assistant Coaches: David Metekingi, Matt Chapman; Team Manager: Lesley Darby; Physiotherapist: Bernie Simai; Video Analyst: John Crampton; Statistician: Jim Giles

Junior Spirit Pippa Adkins (SA), Jorja Barrett (NSW), Bree-Anna Butler (Qld), Mya Geros (NSW), Shinai Gibbins (Qld), Madisun Graham (Qld), Kayla Hancox (Qld), Isabelle Hanna (NSW), Georgia Hood (SA), Ellie Marks (NSW), Emily Peters (NSW), Sophie Roberts (SA), Madison Scott (SA), Monique Smith (Qld)* Brooke Stewart (Qld), Shaylan Whatman (NSW), Sasha Willems (NSW) *withdrew due to injury; replaced by Sophie Roberts (SA)

Head Coach: Kerrie Porter; Assistant Coaches: Chantelle James, Neridah Wearne; Team Manager: Janell Behrendt; Physiotherapist: Rebecca Yip; Statistician: Sean Francis

Aussie Diamonds (2020 tours cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic)

U14 Boys: Auckland Easter Classic, Auckland, NZ | 3-10 April 2020 Tour Coordinator: Kerryn Bell

Green Team Joel Byrne (NSW), Matt Bedwell (Vic), Tipene Harkness (Qld), Archie King (SA), Zach Dunkley (Vic), Ethan Milligan (NSW), Crawford Wadley (NSW), Joshua Wilson (Qld), Devontay Fasavalu (NSW), Nathan Murray (Qld), James Jorgensen (SA), Seth Johns (SA), Callum Lilliman (NSW) Head Coach: Belinda Ainslie; Assistant Coach: Jack Rauhihi; Manager: Geoff Shaw

Gold Team Nathan Duvall (Vic), Cooper Rauhihi (NSW), Darian Perkins (WA), Nicholas Falcon-Green (Qld), Cooper Collins (NSW), Flynn Day (NSW), ZinZam Aumoe (NSW), Alex Duncalfe (Qld), Hayden Johns (SA), Te Haupaaroa Nikora (WA), Kai Cailotto (Qld), Evan Hooper (SA), Troy Hotere-Moana (Vic) Head Coach: Chris Holliday; Assistant Coach: Maurice Paraha; Manager: Andrea Mansfield

U14 Girls Auckland Easter Classic (April), Los Angeles / Mankato, USA (June/July 2020) Tour Coordinator: Brooke Wilkins

Green Team Jayda Lorigan (NSW), Indy Munro (Qld), Charlotte Dobroszczyk (SA), Charlotte Gaddes (Qld), Jacynta Eisermann (NSW), Charley Bell (Qld), Bianca Markham (Qld), Ruby Ballard (SA), Ashlee Hake (WA), Charlotte Creek (WA), Maya Gillies (NSW), Tahuna Rhind-Luke (Vic) Head Coach: Alisha Bell; Assistant Coach: Kerrie Sheehan

Gold Team Rachel Miller (Vic), Isabella Trevena (NSW), Deija Perkinson (Qld), Kendall Henderson (NSW), Haylee Nelson (WA), Lianna Doyle (Qld), Emily Clarke (Qld), Caitlyn Hosking (Qld), Angelique Iredale (NSW), Eva O’Loughlin (WA), Jocelyn Mortimer (WA), Riley Cherry (NSW), Olivia Mairos (Vic), Brooke Thomas (NSW), Sophie Coster (Qld) Head Coach: Drew Herrington; Assistant Coach: Alexandra Mackay; Manager: Andrea Mansfield

U17 Women’s Futures, Canada Cup, Surrey, Canada, July 2020 Tour Coordinator: Brooke Wilkins

Madi Baker (NSW), Indigo Bec De Silva (SA), Alyssa Charter-Smith (NSW), Jayde Jensen (NSW), Teoni Lamb (NSW), Sophie Lawrence (Qld), Isabella Lorenzo (NSW), Amy Mann (NSW), Alyssa Mighell (NSW), Bridie Murphy (NSW), Mackenzie Peebles (Qld), Grace Peters (Vic), Paige Smith (WA), Zali Summers (Qld), Willow Swinbourne (WA), Mackenzie Walker (NSW), Caitlin Wilde (NSW) Head Coaches: Troy Baverstock, Andrew Scott; Manager: Kerryn Bell

Softball Australia International Friendship Series, Redlands, Qld | 3-10 July 2020 Tour Coordinators: Chantel James, Adam Rindfleish

Boys’ Squad Oscar Atkins (NSW), Ayden Champneys (Qld), Ryan Cockburn (Vic), Haydan Dobe (Qld), David Dunstan (Vic), Cooper Easthorpe (NSW), Nickolas Gerhmann (Qld), Timonthy Gleeson (NSW), Zander Goodwin (WA), Jack Hotere-Moana (Vic), Ky Hurst (NSW), Hunter Kelly (Vic), Geoffrey Kerr (WA), Brennan Kovacs (ACT), Dante Machiavello (NSW), Cameron McCutcheon (Vic), Jayden McDonald (NSW), Ethan Munro (Qld), Nicholas Noonan (Qld), Zavier Paki (Qld), Connor Pashley (Qld), Jye Robinson (Vic), Ben Slater (ACT), Riley Sutcliffe (NSW), Cameron Taylor (NSW), Mayke Telfer (NSW), Axel Western Schapel (SA), Evan Wull;f (NSW) Head Coaches: Matt Chapman, David Metekingi; Assistant Coaches: Jayke Reynolds, Tony Jackson, Peter Rainer, David Sheppard; Managers: Nikki Love, Tarryn Richardson;

Girls’ Squad Georgia Ballard (SA), Harper Bridley (SA), Abbygail Bushby (WA), Taylor Chillingworth (SA), Emilia Dolphin (SA), Sharnee Haereroa (WA), Soraya Hamson (Qld), Abbey Hart (NSW), Porsha Hawe-De Thierry (NSW), Keeana Henare (Qld), Amber Hinchliffe (WA), Jorja Hooper (SA), Annalise Kemp (NSW), Arielle Lee (Vic), Teina Leung (NSW), Caitlin McCreedy (ACT, Rachel McKinnon (ACT), Sophie O’Connor (NSW), Erin Partridge (NSW), Monica Pettitt (NSW), Grace Prior (NSW), Karrie Pritchard (Vic), Tabitha Rewell (WA), Kiara Rhind-Luke (Vic), Ellie Saxby (Qld), Bronte Sheppard (NSW), Kasey Smith (Vic), Chelsea Zunker (Qld) Head Coaches: Nikki Bacon, Mark Armstrong; Assistant Coaches: Kathryn Stuart, Kylie MacFadzean, Sally Diener, Nicole Morley, Manager: Sandie Bassett

Awards and honours



LIFE MEMBERS

SOFTBALL AUSTRALIA HALL OF FAME

2018: Debbie Grove (Vic), Ngaire Huston (Qld) 2015: Michael Hannelly (NSW) 2013: Harvey Milson (NSW), Tricia Sibraa (Qld), Mike McDermid* (ACT) 2010: Darryl Clout (NSW), Bob Harrow (ACT) 2006: Bill Gobbart* (Vic) 2004: Ken Culpitt (ACT 2002: Alan McAuliffe (SA) 2000: Shirley Schneider (WA)

1994: Pat Rawlings OAM* (NSW) 1993: Margo Koskelainen OAM (Vic) 1989: Rosemary Adey OAM* (SA) 1980: Pat Shearwood (ACT) 1969: Edna Nash* (NSW) 1968: Pat Young* (NSW) 1967: Audrey McLaughlin AM (Qld) 1966: Esther Deason MBE* (Vic), Merle Short* (Vic), Marjorie Dwyer* (Vic)

2019: Darren Sibraa (Qld), Michael Tanner (ACT) 2018: Jodie Bowering (Qld, Neal Delpero (WA), Jeff Goolagong (ACT) 2017: Adam Humble (WA), Nathan Jones (WA), Kris Kiefel (Vic) 2016: Helen Edwards (Vic), Danielle Stewart (Bouman) (Qld) 2015: Leigh Evans (Vic), Michael Titheradge (WA) 2014: Tracey Mosley (Vic), Kylie Cronk (Qld), Danica Howlett (NSW) 2013: Diane Waller (Vic), Barry Blanchard (NSW), Terry Downes (Qld), Debbie Grove (Vic), Kelly Hardie (Qld), Mike Harrow (ACT), Ngaire Huston (Qld), Neville Lawrance (SA), Simmone Morrow (SA), Andrew Rindfleish (NSW), Sue Tomlinson (SA), Kerry Wyborn (NSW) 2012: Wendy Braybon* (Vic), Carolyn Buttsworth (NSW), Tanya Harding (Qld), Sandra Lewis (Qld, Melanie Roche (NSW), Natalie Titcume (Vic), Natalie Ward (NSW) 2010: Fiona Crawford (NSW), Paul Maisey (Vic), Marissa Warburton (Qld) 2009: Ken Culpitt (ACT), 2009 Australian Open Men’s Team Aussie Steelers and ISF World Champions

*denotes deceased

2008: Geoffrey Coultas (WA), Brian Flint (WA), Darryl Rector (WA), Robert Richardson (NSW), Bill Downing (WA), Russell Taylor (WA), Josh Davison (NSW), Dave McKenzie (WA), Peter Clout (NSW), Sally McCreedy OAM (ACT), Peta Edebone (Vic), Brooke Wilkins (NSW), Kathy Mitchell (Qld) 2007: John McAuliffe (SA) 2006: Bob Crudgington (Qld), Matt Gowty (Qld) 2005: Troy Baverstock (NSW), Kylie Herbert (NSW), Alan McAuliffe (SA), Carol Peel (NSW), Haylea Petrie (Qld) 2004: Kim Cooper (Qld), Shane King (Qld), Kerry Dienelt (NT), Lindsey Carroll (ACT), Kellie Loughman (Vic), Kerrie Maddern (Vic), Nicole Richardson (Vic), Margo Koskelainen OAM (Vic), Joanne Brown (ACT), Francine McRae (Qld) 2003: Lindsay Anderson* (WA), Anthony Bull (WA) 2002: Laing Harrow (ACT), Rhonda Wills (Vic), Jenny Holliday AM (Vic) 2000: Joyce Lester OAM (Qld) 1997: Leanne Evans (Vic), Gaye Ledingham (NSW) 1995: Pat Shearwood (ACT), Sandra Troyahn (Vic) 1992: Arthur Allsopp* (Vic) 1991: Rosemary Adey OAM* (SA), Pat Rawlings OAM* (NSW)

WBSC HALL OF FAME 2017: Melanie Roche (NSW), Natalie Ward (NSW) 2015: Mike Harrow (ACT), Marissa Warburton (Qld), Neville Lawrance (SA) 2013: Bob Crudgington (Qld), Brooke Wilkins (Qld), Haylea Petrie (Qld) 2011: Bob Harrow (ACT), Paul Maisey (Vic), Peta Edebone (Vic) 2009: Peter Clout (NSW), John McAuliffe (SA), Sally McCreedy OAM (ACT) 2005: Norma Allsopp (Vic), Joanne Brown (ACT), Ken Culpitt (Qld), Kerry Dienelt (NT), Denise Hutchinson (Vic), Shane King (Qld) 2003: Laing Harrow (ACT), Margo Koskelainen OAM (Vic), Alan McAuliffe (SA) 2001: Jenny Holliday AM (Vic), Joyce Lester (OAM (Qld) 1999: Audrey McLaughlin (AM) 1997 Rosemary Adey OAM* (SA) 1993: Janine (Jan) Allsopp (Vic), Vivienne Triplett* (Vic), Sybil Turner (NSW) 1991: Rhonda Boyd (Vic), Chris Roughley (NSW) 1989: Margaret Swann (Vic) 1987: Myrtle Edwards* (Vic), Merle Short* (Vic) 1981: Marjorie (Midge) Nelson BEM (Vic), Esther Deason* MBE

SOFTBALL AUSTRALIA HALL OF FAME (cont’d)

1990: Janne Stevens (SA) 1989: Lorraine Brown (SA), Josephine Loton (Vic) 1988: Janine (Jan) Allsopp (Vic), Carol Selem (NSW), Vivienne Triplett* (Vic) 1987: Esther Deason MBE* (Vic), Marjorie Dwyer* (Vic), Merilyn Middlin (Vic), Joanne Paez (Vic), Judy Phelps OAM (NSW), Chris Roughley (NSW), Sybil Turner (NSW) 1986: Rhonda Boyd (Vic), Denise Hutchinson (Vic) 1985: 1965 Australian Open Women’s Team and ISF World Champions Norma Allsopp (Vic), Margaret Dodds* (Qld), Bess Dornan (Vic), Myrtle Edwards (Vic), Rita Gherardin (Vic), Elinor McKenzie* (Vic), Audrey McLaughlin (Qld), Helena Meehan (Vic), Nina Menner (WA), Midge Nelson BEM (Vic), Gladys Phillips* (C) (Vic), Judy Pizaro* (Vic), Marjorie Scott (Vic), Merle Short* (Vic), Sandra Somerville (Qld), Margaret Swann (Vic), Nancy Whittingham (SA), Lorraine Woolley

In the spirit of reconciliation, Softball Australia

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