A 13 player men’s squad will represent Sunraysia this weekend as the region returns to the Victorian Winter Baseball Championships in Geelong for the first time in several years.
A three day tournament over the long weekend, the team will play in the country division in one of the biggest events on the state’s baseball schedule.
Sides will compete in five games over three days, with a grand final to follow if qualification is secured.
The team has been pulled together mostly from local clubs, with a couple of experienced additions that have played interstate.
“We’ve had guys play over in Adelaide, but other than that the majority are in Mildura,” said team head coach Raiden Wakefield.
Sunraysia will line up against threatening regional outfits such as Bendigo and North East Victoria.
“They’re obviously teams from closer towards Melbourne, so they’ll have more guys to pick from,” said Wakefield.
“We don’t have a big selection to go from like they do, so we’re obviously going up against strong sides but it’s a good opportunity for the guys to get there and see some quality competition.”
The event marks Sunraysia’s first trip to the Geelong based championships in at least half a decade.
In terms of preparation, Wakefield plans to keep it simple, balancing the team’s meld of youth and longevity in the sport.
“We want them to just go up there and play the baseball that we do, like we’ve got guys that have played many for Sunraysia,” said Wakefield.
“There’s a lot of experience in the team, but then there’s also lots of young guys who will be able to learn a few more things about the game and it’ll be good.”
While this group hasn’t played together in Geelong for some time, Sunraysia has a history of success in other country tournaments.
“We’re always pretty strong in these competitions as we won Australian Country Championships about two to three years ago,” said Wakefield.
This event won’t be the last time the team suits up together and hits the mound mix in 2025.
“These boys will play together again in October for the South Australian Country Baseball Championships,” Wakefield said.
