The past week in State League baseball was even more exciting than usual as most teams were able to bolster their starting line-ups with an additional Perth Heat player. Since the Heat received a bye for the semi-finals, the players were able to get some additional AB's and innings while Sydney and Melbourne beat up on each other battling it out to make it to the ABL finals.

With the first half of the season over, the standings are begining to take shape and we are starting to see some teams breakaway from the pack. Currently we have Perth atop the ladder, with Morley, Wembley and South Perth all battling it out for second. The fifth and final playoff spot sees a battle between Swans, Melville and Wanneroo. Finally we have Gosnells a likely pick for the wooden spoon award. Here are my playoffs picks.....

State League - Round 8, 20 Nov 2011

The Blogger has to apologize as he was far too busy last week to get his predictions in on time. He has also been interested in reading the responses sent in. All I’m going to say is “You can’t please everybody all the time, and we should be proud of where Baseball in Western Australia is right now. It wasn’t too long ago when we were in dire straits, and we couldn’t even win a game at the Claxton Shield.” So be happy J

Last round saw a very interesting round of results. Perth who is now top of the ladder easily accounted for Wembley in their doubleheader games.  Wembley must have been disappointed as they had won their mid-week game against Vic.Park/Belmont with a walk-off home run in extra innings.

Swans also won their two double-header games against Vic.Park/Belmont, and have held onto fifth place. They appear to be coming into some sort of form and could be the team that replaces Wembley in the top four.

West Stirling after their two losses to Morley Eagles now occupies the bottom of the table along with Gosnells. Wanneroo was able to move away from the cellar by winning convincingly against Gosnells.

Rockingham and Melville shared the spoils in their double header game. Melville needed to win both games to stay in touch of the four, and must be disappointed with the weekend results.

South Perth kicked back during the last round and still maintained their top four spot

So for Round 9 here are my quick predictions:

Vic.Park/Belmont v. Morley Eagles (Last time they met Vic.Park/Belmont  3 v. Morley Eagles 6 rd.4) The last game was close and the Morley Eagles have demonstrated that they have depth in the club. They should account for Vic.Park/Belmont.

Wembley Magpies v. Rockingham (Have not met this season) The bookmakers will say that Wembley will be the raging favourites in this game. Hard not to pick them.

Melville Braves v. Gosnells (Last time they met – Melville 6 v. Gosnells 5 rd 3) Melville have to keep winning to stay in touch of the top four and should go into the game as warm favourites. A Gosnells win would enable them to move away from the bottom of the ladder. I see Melville winning but just.

South Perth v. Vic.Park/Belmont (Have not met this season) South Perth will be raging favourites as they should be well rested. I can’t see Vic. Park winning here.

Swan Districts v. Rockingham (Have not met this season) Another must win game for Swans, in order for them to stay in touch with the top four. Most teams don’t like going to North Swan Park, so Swans should win here.

Wanneroo Giants v. Perth (Have not met this season) Perth who are having their best season in a while, should account for the inexperienced Wanneroo team.

Wembley v. West Stirling Indians (Have not met this season) Seems a short while ago, that many people were thinking these two team should merge. One has recovered well, and has pulled off some great results. The other is used to being around the bottom of the ladder. Easy pick here – Wembley.

Well The Blogger is quietly happy that there are more people returning to this blog. Some great topics being discussed, The rise of Wembley and Perth, the fall of last years premiership winners Wanneroo, and Junior issues. All are great and add to the Blog.

The Blogger has got creative and added the current table. The top four has come out of the blocks, and Perth has had some fantastic wins. Their mercy win against Melville demonstrated that they mean business this year. Their only loss has been to Vic.Park when their batters went to sleep. Wembley grabbed an extra innings win against Morley, who then lost their top spot. The Cubbies had a 2-0 win against Rockingham who are making a habit of losing close games. Swans form has been inconsistent  this year, but they were still able to come out top against the hapless Gosnells Hawks. Wanneroo who have been discussed a lot on the blog were able to defeat West Stirling last weekend to record their second win of the season.

State League - Round 6, 6 Nov 2011

The Blogger is going to do something different here. Rather then go into reasons why I have made my predictions, i have handed you the ball. Who do you predict to win and why? Fixtures are below. P.S. Cubs, Swans. Cubs both games in double header, Morley, Perth, Vic.Park and West Stirling are my choices

The Blogger is pleased to see that there is finally some sort of action on the blog. He has been rather busy and has only just sat down to get this blog posted.

Seems there is much chatter about Wembley. The question is right now is "Are they capable of winning the Premiership?" if they do  Ryan Shurman will have to be given the coach of the year. When you look at Wembley over the last three years they have finished last in 08; last in 09; and in 10 seventh. This will be something if they did it. The club really needs to develop its juniors as they rarely have teams in Division one and it has been rare for a junior to represent the State. We all know that for clubs to be strong, they need to have a good junior program along with good coaching. We also know that Wembley, have had some issues in the past causing the team to have a very poor win to loss ratio. If Ryan Shurman can get on top of that, then Wembley has a chance to win a premiership in a few years. IMO

Melville v. Perth (Winnacott)  This is a very finely balanced game. With another Kennelly back and with Scorer in good form. I see Melville winning this in a close won. I'm sorry Legend, I'm picking against your team again. I give the team permission to use this post as motivation.

Morley Eagles v. Wembley (Crimea Park)  This should be the match of the round. The upstarts Wembley and their bloggers feel that this is their year. For them to win the premiership, they have to get through teams like Morley. The Eagles currently sit on top of the table and with their depth, they should account for the Magpies.

Rockingham Rams v. South Perth (Hourglass) This could be an interesting game as Rockingham have played solid games against Morley and lost by one run in those games. South Perth are known to have the best pitching staff in the league and are well coached. To win, Rockingham will need to execute all the plays and reduce their error count. South Perth to win.

Swans v. Gosnells (North Swan Park) Gosnells have just recorded their first win of the season and should be confident going into this game. Swans form has been inconsistent but they should easily account for the Hawks.

Wanneroo v. West Stirling Indians (Mateljan Park) Wanneroo are in real danger of battling for the wooden spoon this year. West Stirling lost to Gosnells another wooden spoon contender. Pride will be at stake and purely because it is a home for Wanneroo I will predict a Giants win.

Anyway, that's what I think ..What about you?  and do you think the Maggies are capable of winning a premiership

The Blogger has had a shaky time in his predictions as of late. The State League Teams have at times been inconsistent, however, there are trends starting to emerge. It appears that at this stage Morley Eagles and South Perth are favourites to win this championship. Perth may sneak into it, which may appease Legend - who has finally blessed us with his presence. Last years Champions Wanneroo are a young team and are struggling at the moment, and they may battle for the wodden spoon with Gosnells.

The Blogger has also been to the Team USA v. HEAT games. Aside from the first game, where they were brushed aside. The team gave the HEAT a run for their money. It does seem this year, the clubs have recruited some good players. So what do you think about the Imports this year?

Anyway, here are my predictions for this round.

West Stirling Indians v. Gosnells  - I think the West Stirling Indians will account for the Gosnells Hawks team. West Stirling came of a good win against Rockingham and Gosnells are really struggling at the moment. So West Stirling comfortably.

Rockingham Rams v. Morley Eagles - The last time these two teams played the game went into extra innings. Could there be a close game again. It really depends on who is pitching for the teams, but I see an Eagles win and them staying of the ladder.

Wanneroo Giants v. South Perth  - South Perth appear to have the best pitching rotation at the moment and appeared to be very balanced at the moment. Wanneroo as mentioned previously are young and are struggling in the early rounds. South Perth for me on this one.

Melville v. Swans - This is the match of the round in my opinion. Both teams are good offensively and defensively. The Blogger likes the Swans, and sees them winning this game in a tight match.

Vic. Park v. Wembley - The blogger still thinks it is hard to predict what Wembley are going to do. We know the maggies are a bit grumpy at the moment and perhaps they will turn up to play this Sunday. Vic.Park are still working towards developing depth in their team as well as consistency. This is a toss-up. The coin landed on heads, so I will choose Vic.Park

Well The Blogger didn’t do too badly with his tipping last week. He certainly wasn’t helped out by Swans efforts in the double header against the Eagles, and he was disappointed by the Magpies efforts against the Braves. The form book is not that reliable at the moment, and I’m sure there will be many more upsets as the season progresses.

We also have the Perth HEAT playing against the USA all-stars this week starting on Thursday and finishing on Saturday in Mandurah. This may affect teams as they provide players for this series.

 Here goes for round four starting Tuesday 18^th October:

 Wanneroo Giants v. Perth  These two teams in the past have had some classic matches. The Giants don’t appear to be as strong this year and will perhaps struggle to miss out on the top four this year. Perth got belted last week by Vic.Park-Belmont after the previous weekend they had handle South Perth with ease. This indicates that their form may be up and down. This is a real coin toss. I will choose Wanneroo for this game. For no other reason then they are coming off a bye.

 Saturday 22nd October  Melville Braves v. South Perth Cubs (game to be played at Winnacott. First pitch is at 3:00pm) The form book suggests that the South Perth Cubs should defeat Melville. However, Melville had an impressive away win against Wembley last Sunday and this should build their confidence. I will choose South Perth to win here.

 Sunday 23^rd October Gosnells v. Perth – Gosnells have been in close games and must be anxious to gain their first win of the season. Perth will also want to return to their winning form after their surprise lost to Vic.Park-Belmont last Sunday. Perhaps this is the game that Hawks win. I like to select a rank outsider now and then. So I will stick my neck out and choose the Hawks to win.

Rockingham Rams v. West Stirling Indians – The Rams have recorded their second win of the season and if they stop their error count they may record another victory. I still think they will get six wins this season. They will get half way there by defeating the West Stirling Indians who would still be smarting after their lost to South Perth in the last round.

Vic.Park-Belmont v. Morley Eagles - Who Knew. The Eagles are in first place and the Reds in third. So a top of the table clash here. The Eagles in recent years have handled Vic.Park-Belmont. Both teams come off good wins in the last round. I see the Eagles winning the game, but it will be close.

Wanneroo Giants v. Swan Districts – In previous years these two teams have had classic games. However, a quick glance at the ladder shows that they are in the bottom half of the ladder. As mentioned before, Wanneroo may be in a bit of a decline, and for that reason I go with Swans. However, I will put in a caveat here – the Swans lost both games against the Eagles last round and their form is shaky too.

Wembley Magpies v. South Perth Cubs – Is this the time that the Magpies stop swooping and start dropping games? They come up against the South Perth Cubs who are in second place. Whereas, Wembley are now in equal sixth position.  I will go with form here and choose the Cubs in this game.

Melville have the bye

Comments/Opinions

Before The Blogger makes his predictions for the upcoming round. There are a few things I would like to say.

Firstly, Vale Mickey Riley - as stated on the BWA website Mickey was an influential individual in Western Australian baseball in the late 80's and early 90's. He will be sorely missed.

Secondly, Congratulations to Team Australia Baseball for making the second round of the IBAF World Cup Baseball Championships. WA is represented by Tim and Matt Kennelly, Brendan Wise and Alan DeSan Miquel. We wish them all the best for the next round.

Thirdly, why don't the home team in the State League Championship provide decent shade shelters for the away teams and their spectators?

Well here we go.

Tuesday  11th October - Morley Eagles v. Rockingham Rams  This match will really test Rockingham and I feel that this game might end in a Mercy rule victory for the eagles.

Wednesday  12th October - Gosnells Hawks v. Melville Braves. The Hawks will be desperate to win here, however, I will choose the Braves to win this one.

Friday 14th October - South Perth Cubs v. Wanneroo Giants. I think Wanneroo may be struggling at the moment, and I feel the Cubs will record a win here.

Sunday 16th October - Morley Eagles v. Swan Districts (Double Header). The car may be pointed towards Crimea Park to watch the games. There have been some memorable games between the two teams in recent years and it will come down to whose teams have depth in pitching. Swans to take the two games.

Gosnells Hawks v. Rockingham Rams. Will the hawks avenge their round two lost to the Rams? I think not.  Most people are predicting the Rams will win six games this season. They will get their second here.

Perth v. Vic.Park/Belmont. Perth are top of the ladder at the start of this round, and will be aiming to be undefeated. Vic.Park/Belmont recorded a thrilling victory against Gosnells last Sunday. I feel that Vic.Park/Belmont may come away with a win here.

Wembley Magpies v. Gosnells Hawks. As we all know the Magpies are swooping at the moment and are therefore dangerous. However, after a short while they stop being aggressive. When that happens with this group of magpies - who knows? It is bound to happen, but they will be too strong for the Hawks this Sunday.

West Stirling Indians v. South Perth Cubs. I would like to see the West Stirling Indians do well this season. After all many people have felt that they should have merged with a PL team down the road. I think they will account for the South Perth Cubs.

Wanneroo Giants have the bye

Comments? Predictions?

Round 2 of the State League Championship ends on Sunday the 9th of October. Checking out the BOM site it looks like the weather will be perfect for baseball and some great games are on the cards. As the season is still young, it is hard to see any trends, but one will try and make some predictions. All games start at 3:15pm and everybody should encourage family, friends and club members to come out and support thier teams.

Melville Braves v. Morley Eagles @ Winnacott - though Morley lost their first game The Blogger is thinking they will record a close win.

South Perth Cubs v. Perth @ Grayden - the cubbies should record an easy win. Welcome back to Adam Courcha - who would have gained a lot of experience playing college ball in New Mexico.

Swan Districts v. West Stirling @North Swan - the money is on Swans to win. However, you never know with Swans and West Stirling have gained the services of Kent Dixon. It would be good to see West Stirling do well this year.However, I don't see them winning this game.

Vic.Park/Belmont v. Gosnells@ Forster - This should be an interesting game, but I think Vic Park will just edge out the Hawks. Good the see Peter Torpy back at the State League level. Hopefully, his expereince will help guide the Vic.Park team to more wins this year.

Wanneroo Giants v.Wembley @Mateljan - Wanneroo should start out as clear favourites here. Eventhough they have lost Jordan McDonald and Luke Shipway to the college system, and Steve Fish has stepped down as head coach. They have enough depth to cover those losses and Wembley may get hammered here.

Rockingham Rams have the bye - but congratulations on their first win.

Again, Lets encourage everyone to get out to the games and support their local team. Also caps off to the many people in the clubs who get the fields ready and have food and drinks ready for players and spectators. So where is the best place to get a decent hamburger? The burgers at Barbagallo Ballpark a couple of years back were sensational and come to think of it so were the Nachos.

Opinions anyone?

Well the first round of the State League Championships have come and gone. The Blogger has looked carefully, at the teams this season and has come up with a prediction for where all eleven teams will finish. The Blogger predicts Morley Eagles to win this year and for West Stirling to win the wooden spoon. 

The Blogger predicts the teams will finish in the following position

1. Morley Eagles
2. Gosnells
3. South Perth
4. Wembley
5. Swans
6. Rockingham
7. Wanneroo
8. Perth
9. Melville
10. Vic.Park
11. West Stirling

The Blogger also notes that Rockingham have recorded their first win of the season, and because most people think Rockingham is sooo faarrrrr aawayyy from the big smoke. He is predicting that they will record at least 6 wins at home.

So is the Blogger right or worng? Let us know.

ABL and Perth Heat star Liam Hendriks will become the first Australian pitcher in seven years to make his Major League Baseball debut as a starter, with the Minnesota Twins set to throw him into battle from the opening inning against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday morning Australian time.

Italian players interested in playing in Perth

Fielders deal alerts - Sign up to receive the Fielders Choice deal alerts email newsletter

Fielders Choice Promo - Like us and subscribe to our deal alerts to be in with a chance to win a new Mizuno Pro baseball glove. Hurry promotion ends 10/10/11

Rumours are rife that Rockingham will be making a leap to the State League competition after two years of domination in the Provincial League.  

Update from the U/23 Championships

Baseball WA and the Perth HEAT invite you to join them for a special evening honouring all things baseball in Western Australia.

On April 6, attendees to Baseball WA's annual awards dinner will be in for a shock. Guests will get to stroll down a red carpet into a gold star catered cocktail function with 20 HD televisions streaming the greatest moments from WA baseball this past year.

What a surprise match up here. Coming into the playoffs most had UWA written off. However after winning a tight one against the Cats, followed by a Pete Torpy show against Balcatta, UWA finds themselves in a good spot to win the flag.

FINALS BOUND

Game of The Week South Division 

  Melville Vs. South Perth

    Melville must sweep South Perth to secure top spot in the south division.  If Melville splits Swans have the chance of taking top spot.  With the Kennelly boys gone and their lack of pitching Melville is going to have a tough time getting through the South Perth line-up. 

The ABL Champion Perth Heat had an interesting experience last week after receiving an invite to Pariament House.

Minsiter for sport Terry Waldron met  with the team at the enterance of Pariament house to intorduce himself and congratulate each player individually. After question time he again met with the Heat players along with Colin Barnett to congratulate the team and get the low down on what lays ahead. 

Please see below the official Hansard from Question time during the HEAT visit....... 

game of the week - Swans vs Melville

Peacock and White will have a tough time facing the Melville offense with the 2 Kennelly brothers in their lineup. Baron and Schmidt are available for this weeks games plus Melvilles import is healthy again. Look for Melville to be in a dog fight to stay in the second spot in the south division. Look for a split weekend.

Morley vs Wembley 

Wembley will have a tough time trying to beat the morley side with 2 imports in Ecker and Peters getting deported. With the Heat season being over the Morley side will get back alot of their guns in Graham, Bonomi and The Dales. Wembley with the pitching of Williams is strong but Morley will put up a good fight against him. Wembley facing the Morley pitching in Thomas and Murphy with their import Sonnenberg being SHUT DOWN till finals. Morley to take Wembley by sweep.

Vic Park vs South Perth

Vic Park with the pitching of Caughey and O'Connor or Redden has to try and get passed the offense lineup of South Perth. South Perth will have to rely on Saupold and Nichols to get them over the line of Vic Parks scrappy line up for them to sweep Vic Park to stay in the hunt for finals birth. Vic Park and South Perth to split series.

West Stirling vs Perth

Perth with Zachary out of action, they have to rely on Home and their unknown starter for game 1 to keep West Stirling from winning. Look for West Stirling to throw their Ace starter in Moore and also Knight. Perth to take the sweep on West Stirling.

Gosnells vs Wanneroo

Gosnells having a tough season but always fight for victory. With Wanneroo fighting for second spot in North division they need a win in a single game against Gosnells. With Wanneroos Krueger pitching on Monday night they will have either Thomas or Fisch throwing this week. Upset for Wanneroo with Gosnells taking out a win. 

Game of the Round

Balcatta vs. UWA

Congratulations to the Perth HEAT boys for securing a home Championship Series

Things you need to know

After a dissapointing series at home against the Sydney Blue Sox,the Perth Heat have battled their way back into top spot in the ABL rankings, rattling off a very impressive 8 game winning streak. A tough task in itself, but considering all 8 games were on the road it makes that streak all that more impressive. With the Heat's final 4 games of the season being played this weekend at Barbagallo Ball Park, they will need to wi 3 out of the 4 to secure top spot and ensure a home series.

Round 14 Preview

Game of the round- Balcatta vs. Rockingham

Big game this week as the Bears look to continue their winning ways, and the Rams try to get back on track and knock off the Bears for the second time this year. The big question in this one is whether or not Grice with throw. With the Heat having 4 games this weekend it is unlikely that Grice will be ready. Gobbo will most likely throw for Balcatta and why not? The guy is a machine and has shut down every team he's throw against and picked up their imports mess as well. The Wisharts will most likely throw for the Rams in this one. I have to give the edge to the Bears in this one. They have been playing great lately and coming off a big win against the Cats will only make them more confident. Bears by 3.

WA Provincial HEAT

Baseball WA is proud to announce that the current Rockingham Provincial League head coach, Chris Eckley has been recently awarded the head coach job for the WA Provincial Heat team due to take part in the Australian Provincial Championships in April of 2011. Although the ABF has yet to announce the location for the tournament, dates are confirmed for Easter Saturday the 23^rd thru to Saturday the 30^th April.

SL Half Way Point

Looks like the heavy favourites are at the top of the league Morley, Swans, Melville, and South Perth and a three way tie for fifth, and Morley winning the Christmas Cup for the second year in a row. Are there any surprises to the top four, who to watch out for in 2011? 

Another week of Provincial League Baseball is among us. The top 3 teams will be playing the bottom 3 teams this week, meaning lots of runs and lots of errors, should make for a very long sunday this week.

Who’ Hot?

Robbie Widlansky

         He is leading the team in batting with a .373 average. Racking up 25 hits in 67 at bats, 6 doubles and 2 home runs.

Players to watch in the PL

Who are the HOT players in State League right now.

With the first 7 rounds out of the way the Provincial League is starting to take shape. The Rams and Bears stand at the top of the ladder, whereas the boys from Kelmscott are yet to have a win. A handful of competitive games, and way too many blow outs is making for a very long season. Here's a look at the  teams thus far.

Round 6 report from blogger.

Check out the new look ABL Perth Heat website. The MLB has transformed the new website into a stat of the art site.

Fielder's Choice would like to remind bloggers that this is not a forum to make personal attacks on individuals. Please keep your comments relevent to baseball in general and try and keep it positive. If there are any other suggestions to what you want to see more of on the blogs then please let us know.

Another quality preview from our mystery Provincial League blogger.

Summary of Standings and stats after 4 rounds...Any surprises?

New trading hours for Fielders Choice Perth store

The first 2 rounds have produced some major blowouts, fingers crossed for some close baseball action this weekend. Balcatta v Curtin These two teams are coming of completely seperate form lines from last weekend.

If you think you have what it takes to give unbiased and informative weekley State League or Provincial Leagure reports in the form of blogs e-mail blogs@fielders.net with a sample blog of State League or Provincial league action. If we like what we see then you could be the man for the job.

Round 3 State League results

Perth Heat highlight footage dug up from the channel 9 archives. A must see for any Australian Baseball Leagure fan. Classic stuff, hard nose baseball at his best.

Round 2 of the season will see exciting match ups that will hopefully see all games played after the rain out at Rockingham last weekend.

Wembley baseball club has gotten of to a flying start this year in the WA State League. With the Collingwood Magpies winning this years afl premiership, could this be the year of the Wembley Magpies?

Win tickets to the World series, hurry up the special ABL competition ends October 21.

iPhone application. Home run Battle 3D. The ULTIMATE HOMERUN hitting baseball game in 3D!
Play ONLINE MATCHUP & go Head-to-Head against millions of Homerun Battle sluggers around the world.

Round 2 match up's are about to get under way for the new revamped W.A State League, with some interesting match ups for the weekend. Divisional Rivalry, What do you think about it? And who is going to take out each division this year? So many questions have been left unanswered, maybe this weekend will give us a better insight into answering these questions.

Well a pretty good tournament run by UWA has got everyone ready for the season to start this weekend. Now that everyone knows who is playing at what clubs lets look at the chances of each club 1. Rockingham - PL Champ winners and in most people eyes favourite to win the premership in 2010/11. New 3rd base import looks pretty decent at the plate, but not all that convincing at 3rd base

Professional baseball is coming home!  After a nationwide 'Name Your Team' competition, the Australian Baseball League (ABL) today unveiled names and logos for its six inaugural teams. The Adelaide Bite, Brisbane Bandits, Canberra Cavalry, Melbourne Aces, Perth Heat and Sydney Blue Sox will be the founding clubs of the ABL when the inaugural 40-game season begins in November.

Opening day for Provincial League is upon us. What are your predictions for the outcome of this weekends results?

Some interesting results from round one of State League. Do these results give us any insight into what will take place for the rest of the season?