BASEBALLER Mahayla Pay is used to being one of the only females in her side, but that doesn’t impede her playing the game she loves.
Eagles Baseball Club research indicates the pitcher and second base fielder will become the first female to play 100 senior matches in the Sunraysia Baseball League this weekend.
Across the years Pay has won five premierships for Eagles, represented Sunraysia nine times as a junior and even joined an Australian touring team who played in California in 2012.
The registered nurse said it was exciting to be the first female to reach the milestone, which will come in Sunday’s B Grade contest against Saints.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Pay said.
“In most of my teams all the way through I’ve been the only female through my career.
“I started seniors at about 14 with Sunraysia sending a representative team away so I filled in at C Grade and have been playing ever since then in seniors.
“We had a lot of people there who enjoyed having me on the team.
“They taught me everything and looked after me really well.
“There’s only about three (females) in our club for seniors but juniors have got quite a few.
“My brother Taylor is actually the coach for juniors at the moment so we’re down there pretty regularly working with the kids.”
After starting with T-ball in primary school Pay joined Eagles in 2004 and moved through the junior grades, also winning a South Australian championship for Sunraysia at Under-14 level.
She moved to Adelaide for University studies in 2011 and the next year joined Goodwood Indians, working her way up from division 7 to division 5 before for two years playing pitcher and second base for Flinders University, also winning an MVP award.
It was in 2012 that she took joined an Australian side, coached by former All American Girls Professional Baseball league pitcher Janeane Lesko, which toured San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego.
“I’d never been on a plane in my life and I had six weeks to get myself a passport before we left,” Pay laughed.
“It was incredible. I played outfield mostly but did a bit of pitching and we ran some coaching clinics.
“One place we played we had to watch out for the rattlesnakes. When I was in the outfield there was a big gully so I had to keep an eye out there.
“She (Lesko) had a lot of knowledge and experience and was great to learn from.”
Pay returned from a five-year hiatus to Eagles in 2017 and has played C Grade in SBL since, as well as B Grade this season.
Currently treasurer for the club, she said she encouraged any player to give baseball a go.
“I think I enjoy the challenge in understanding the rules, but also making friends and meeting new people,” she said.
“Just come down and have a go.
“It’s pretty fun, everyone is welcoming and clubs are always looking for more players, males and females.
“Hopefully we can get a women’s competition going and get a few more people involved in the sport, make a few more teams to play against.”
This weekend also doubles as a mental health round, with representatives from headspace Mildura and Sunraysia Community Health Services in attendance.
