MITCHELL Majors Baseball Club are launching its recruiting campaign, looking to bring cricketers who are looking to keep their touch, army postings and new residents to play baseball across winter season after a stunning summer campaign.
The Majors play at the Mollison Street diamond, boasting some of the best facilities in Victorian baseball.
The club recently won its third summer premiership in a row, outlasting North West Titans at McPherson’s Park in Harkness 9-8 in a high-scoring game, one where the fourth innings was crucial, yielding six runs.
The team currently plies its trade in C grade of the Melbourne Winter Baseball League, where its senior team finished in fourth position last year, establishing itself as an exciting, high-scoring team, scoring the third-most runs in the competition.
Its C reserve team fell desperately short of a premiership, losing 7-6 in the final to Northcote, while the E grade team finished in fifth position.
The Majors are now looking for a fourth team to complement its three competitive teams, with coach Steve Bertucci saying everyone is welcome.
“We have gone out and done a big recruiting drive over the last month and a half, so we have gone to a bunch of cricket clubs in the local area to see if we can secure some new players,” he said.
“We had three teams play for us last winter, and we are hoping for four this year, so we do need a few extra players, so that’s why we went on that recruiting drive.
“We’re hoping to see some new faces over the next couple of weeks.”
Bertucci said there was a level for everyone to play baseball, ranging from beginners to serious talents.
“The ones and twos are really serious. We both made the finals last year and we hope to go one better again this year, our threes and fours have young kids that get to play, some older guys that get to fall back down there and have a bit of fun, muck around; so, we have something for everyone,” he said.
“In Australia, baseball is a small sport in comparison to footy and cricket, but it’s a lot of fun, you don’t need to be super fit, there’s a level for everyone, it’s a lot of fun, it’s a fast game and a lot of tactics involved. We have one of the best diamonds in the competition, the lights are a great addition, and the facilities are really good here.”