Hello and welcome back to the little look into the North Eastern Baseball Association. What is happening around the traps at Wangaratta Rangers?
Yes it has been a while since my last writing but they say sometimes less is more when it comes to this sort of stuff, and well you the readers have probably been wondering where Line Drive has been. Or maybe just happy to wait until he was ready to write again.
North Eastern Baseball season so far
The Northeast season is well under way, with Rangers fielding three Senior and two Junior teams in the 2022 season. All Ranger sides have been blessed with fantastic numbers which is most pleasing for all involved down at the Ranch. Juniors are progressing very well with many players putting their hand up to play in the North Eastern representative sides at under 14 and under 18 level respectively.
In the Seniors, Ranger stalwarts Ross “Legoman” Johnson, Nathan “FOMO” Pool, Tetsuya “look at me” Kamiyama and new to Rangers this season Johnathan “Hot Shot” Taylor travelled to Geelong with the rest of North East’s best to have a crack at the Winter Championships. By all accounts all were just as good as last time they attended pre-covid.
Over the weekend of June 25 and 26, North Eastern Association were given the opportunity to host the winter U/18 championships at Wangaratta. After a phone call to some club legends it was determined that it was the first U/18 side from the North East in a representative carnival in 12 years. Lead once again by Pool and NEBA legend Ed Simmons, the side were competitive in all games and learnt a lot about representative baseball over the two days of the carnival. Special mention to Nick “Fifty percent” Jonker who was awarded the the medal for North East’s best. Nice work fifty percent. Let’s work toward seventy five percent!
Under Fourteens are off to Bendigo
The North East U/14 side are heading over to Bendigo this weekend for their return after 12 years at a winter championship. The Rangers are well represented in this division and club coach Owen “Big Table” Godenzi is heading over as team manager. Good luck to all players, support staff and anyone else making the drive over to Bendigo.
O’Neil is on fire
One player who is just having an absolute wow of a season is Shaun “Old School” O’Neil. He is definitely going old school this current season against all sides in the A grade competition. Not to mention his banter with the other members of the side, pretty much telling everyone else how to do it. From this viewpoint, he can mouth off as much as he likes after coming off another 4 for 4 performance in the last round of A grade action. Just don’t turn up to training please Old School, it’s obviously working for you!
Frenchy comes up clutch!
A big shout out goes to Brendon “Frenchy” French who liaised with great ranger sponsor, Middy’s Electrical Wangaratta, to install new lights for the batting cage. Now with more energy efficient and reliable lighting, the cage can now be used with utmost confidence that the lights will stay on throughout the night at training. However, Frenchy wasn’t finished there.
With Tony “Spinner” Smith, they were able at a pinch, to get diamond four available for use on the Sunday. Special thanks to STY Metals for use of their truck to manoeuvre the artificial mound into place for use in Sunday’s matches. A big thank you to both for your efforts to go above and beyond!
Volunteers Thank you!
A MONUMENTAL THANK YOU must go out to those from all clubs of the North Eastern Baseball Association who gave up their time over the weekend to assist in a smooth running of the Under 18’s winter championships. From talk around the ranch, many of you continue to go above and beyond in assisting with marking grounds, cooking barbecues and helping in the canteen to ensure that the North East put on a great weekend.
Thursday night dinners hitting the spot.
It is great to see the return of the Thursday night meal in season 2022. Many a Ranger, especially those who travel, are very happy to partake in a meal for the bargain price of $10 with a drink. So far dinners have been Spinners mince, to Pool’s potatoes and White’s meat and potatoes. Rob “Butts” Seymour was very happy with the leftovers! It demonstrates the great club spirit and willingness to have a meal together. This week we have Griff’s hot dogs and coke for $5. Bargain! Get down there Thursday night.
Town and Country Tea Sundays
After home games on a Sunday, many of the Ranger family have been heading over to the major sponsor, The Town and Country Tavern for dinner. This year the turn outs have been fantastic with many taking the chance to get together and chat about the days play. A big thank you to the visiting clubs who have also taken then opportunity to dine with us. There are still a few more dates coming up after home games. Be sure to stop into the Town and Country Tavern for a soda water or a meal.
Presentation evening.
This year Rangers presentation night will be held on Saturday October 1st 2022 at the Town and Country Tavern Wangaratta. President Nathan Pool was letting Line Drive know early, so we are all ready to celebrate season 2022. The Juniors will begin presentation with the under 11s and under 15s respectively, followed by dinner, care of the Town and Country Tavern.
Senior presentation will follow the Annual General Meeting (which is usually held on presentation day)
Beginning time is yet to be determined. All tickets need to be pre purchased prior to the event. Keep an eye out on the socials for more details.
Mid winter break
With the Juniors winter championships in Bendigo this weekend, it gives the many volunteers of the North Eastern Baseball Association a breather weekend.
Baseball will resume on the 10th of July for the run in to the finals in August. Daniel “Levels” Griffin and his merry band of helpers have been keeping the canteen ticking over this year very nicely. It has been hectic but with the aid of a roster, it has made the running of the canteen much smoother. Just remember to check your shift times and day. If you cannot make it please arrange a swap with someone else. Be sure to get a canteen card from Griff as you get a good discount on Sundays! See Griff for more details.
In other news in Baseball
A big shout out goes two absolute superstar legends of Hawks Baseball Club in Mildura.
Ben “Barnold” Arnold, played his 300th game for the blue and gold last weekend. Barnold is part of the institution of Hawks Baseball and is to be congratulated on his milestone.
Another pillar of the club, Clinton “Tabaret” Williams, is set to play his 400th game this coming weekend (July 2nd). Line Drive, really enjoyed his three years in Sunraysia where these two superstars still are, apart of a fabulous club.
Line Drive wishes he could be there (no accommodation) to enjoy the game and festivities, but congratulates both on these fantastic landmark achievements. Enjoy the night!
Sponsor Corner
A big thank you to a couple of our long time sponsors for season 2022-
Londrigan Beef and Lamb
Londrigan Beef & Lamb is in North East Victoria. We raise our own cattle using ethical methods and HGP free. Our cattle are bred and raised in a way to produce top quality meat for the home and professional cooks. When in Wangaratta drop in to 130 Rowan Street or visit the website http://www.londriganbeefandlamb.com.au/
Quantech Design
Quantech Design Pty. Ltd. (QD) is a Wangaratta based company supplying contract mechanical engineering, design and drafting to industry.
The company was established in 2005 and has quickly grown to become a recognised professional service provider that is relied upon by many companies within our fields of expertise. For more information visit http://quantechdesign.com.au/
Now for more club stuff
- Please make sure you are up to date with playing subscriptions for season 2022. If you require more information please contact Spinner.
- Under 14’s Bendigo 2nd and 3rd of July. Good luck to all!
- Happy Birthday to Ross Johnson. How old now?
- Merchandise available from the club. Hit up Butts for a really nice, warm hoodie for this cold weather. Maybe some beanies available too!
- Teamapp is still there and ticking along, check us out on all the other socials for all your Rangers information.
- Training from 5pm Thursday for Juniors and 6pm for Seniors @ Targoora Park Wangaratta. All welcome.
Well that’s about it for this edition. Until next time. Line Drive will return
Go Rangers
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