Category: Wangaratta

Rounding Third By Line Drive May 17th 2016

Posted on by LineDrive
Hello and welcome to this weeks edition into the goings on at the Wangaratta Rangers Baseball Club. Last week the round was washed out with all grounds being unplayable. However this week glorious conditions greeted the players and supporters down at the Ranch on Sunday. IN the first game Rangers Orange put up a good fight but just could not get the knockout blow. They went down in a tough game to Porepunkah Panthers 8-5. In the afternoon game, it was a rematch of the grand final. Wangratta Rangers Black vs NASC Bears Green. Once again these two sides know how to turn up the blow torch on one another. A cracking game was played by both sides with Rangers Black coming out on top by the score of 8-2. A big thank you goes out to all the players, supporters scorers and umpires on the day for making the day down at Targoora Park a roaring success. Make sure you grab the Wangaratta Chronicle this week as I am sure Kev Pools write up will be a ripper! What else is news down at the Ranch? Well I am about to tell you.
Spins “Prez Prattle” the best yet? 
     With Line Drive having some technical issues over the weekend, it was awesome to read “Prez Prattle” on the Rangers Facebook page. His summary of the day, the week and what is going on down at Rangerland was absolutely spot on. Spin is doing a great job leading the dedicated committee and club who people who make up the Wangaratta Rangers Baseball Club. Let’s all continue to get around him and the club throughout the season.
The Foreign Legion
      In discussion as the boys do while watching the Rangers Orange vs Porepunkah game, Travis “Iceman” Frost and Cam “The Soak” Scott were talking all things Rangers as they often do. The conversation led to players and where they have come from and played baseball before coming to Wangaratta. Looking through the list of players over fifty per cent have come from other clubs from Melbourne and of course our international contingent. Many have come to the club through word of mouth. This is continuing with our newest Ranger Katy Toll hitting the track this week. Great to have you down at the club Katy. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Pooly’s pitching masterclass
     Nathan “Rubberarm” Pool put on a masterclass of pitching against Bears Green over the weekend. Pooly managed to throw six innings with the field behind him giving him great support. By the final batter Pooly’s rubberarm had just about snapped by like the true ball player, got the out and went straight to the freezer for the bag of peas. He did find it tough watching the last few innings of the game. However the middle reliever Aaron “Azza” Parker and Bryan “Moose” Wilson got Pool the win.  Hope the arm is not too sore this week Rubberarm!
Drage steps up once again
    Mark Drage loves the big game. After a slow start to the season, Drage came alive in the grand final rematch. Drage hit the ball and ran the bases hard. Not to mention his defense was outstanding. His best play came with a miscommunication with a fly ball and managed to dive low and flip the ball to Tetsu Kamiyama’s waiting glove to get the force out at second base. Another great defensive effort was his throw back in from the fence which halted the runner at third and stopped all momentum Bears way. Great game Mark Drage.
What’s wrong with wood Moose?
    It was overheard in the past couple of weeks that Bryan “Moose” Wilson was not rapt with wood bats. However this scribe is led to believed this has all changed. In his last game with Rangers moose crushed a pitch over the left field fence which landed half way up the gum trees. he was not finished. He then legged out a double on a hard hit ball down the line. think he is feeling happier about the choice of wood bats now!
Grigg and Jonker lead the way in Orange.
    Looking over the score book from the early game, both Sam “Goggles” Grigg and Jason “JJ” Jonker had good games once again.  Goggles collected three hits and chased down everything that came his way in the outfield. Jonker week in week out throws a few innings and always gives Rangers Orange a chance for a win. With a few players to come back in to the side in the next few rounds, Orange will continue to get stronger.
Wednesday Night Dinner and Scorer’s School a success.
     Dinner last Wednesday was Chicken Parma and chips. Skilfully heated up by Nathan Pool and Tony Smith. Chief scorers Rob “Butts” Seymour and Kelsey “Burderonthedancefloor” Burder then took the rest of the Ranger players through a scorers clinic. First graduate of the scorer’s clinic was Steve “Fernando” Peruzzo. His book work in the early game against Panthers was flawless. The book was colour coded correctly as well. Good first start Fernando! To all players and supporters come down to training for a look and a feed every Wednesday. All are welcome.
Voting on Team app  
    This year the club has introduced voting on team app. Each week four persons are asked to vote on the Orange game and four on the black game. They receive a notification on their phone to vote. They then have till Tuesday to place their votes in. Anny problems or questions see Cam Scott for more details.
Ranger Ramble 2016  
    The dates are set. The location is decided upon. Theme there is an idea. Adelaide is the venue for this year’s Ranger Ramble. This will be held over the AFL grand final weekend from Friday 30th of September to Monday 3rd of October. Past trips have been crackers and the boys are saving their pennies hard to make sure this trip is not one to miss. For more information on the trip see master of the tin Daniel “The Griff” Griffin for finer details.
Griff and the Tin  
    Ranger faithful, be sure to place your bottom of the bag gold in the fines tin for your strike outs and other misdemeanors seen fit by the committee of the tin. Griff will be coming after you for it. Most important rule is not to upset the master of the tin. Isn’t that right Rob Seymour?
Go pro Griff
    Speaking of the man called Griff he is busy editing the hours of footage from the Ranger derby the other week. In the next few weeks the finished product will be available. Commentary is provided by the umpire. Will be surely one not to miss.
Brownlie and Wilson donning the Ranger Orange once more.
    Two players are returning the the Orange and Black this week. Mick “Chief Cod” Brownlie and Ross “Strawberry” Wilson are chomping at the bit to return to the diamond. It has been a while for both players but it is great to have the Yarrawonga crew back in the fold. Hope you enjoy your return appearances.
Hello Jack B
    Just a small shout out to Jack Bradburn. Hope to see him down at training and back on the park soon. Lefty numbers are quite small at Rangers. With Jack there it increases by one third! Always been known in baseball circles that lefties do it better.
Wangaratta Rangers Club News
  • T-ball is back from 5pm Wednesday night. Get down and have a look
  • Training Wednesday night from 6pm Tea on after senior training. What’s the surprise this week???
  • Fees are now due See Jenko for more details
  • Rangers Orange vs Bears Green at Springdale 11:30am
  • Rangers Black vs Benalla at Benalla 2:15pm
  • Round robin weekend coming up June 5th and 19th Let club know of availability
  • Winter Rep weekend Queens birthday weekend June 7-9. Let club know if you are going
  • http://www.wangarattarangers.baseball.com.au
  • Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @WangRangers and Teamapp
Thanks to all for the week. Apologies for the lateness. Something ate through the cable which made line drive disconnected! Share this post around and spread the good word about the Wangaratta Rangers Baseball Club.
Talk you again next week and
Go Rangers

Rounding Third by Line Drive May 3rd 2016

Posted on by LineDrive

Hello and welcome to this weeks edition of Rounding Third. Baseball was on the agenda over the past weekend with The Ranger men battling it out against one another down at the windy Ranch on Sunday. In the showdown, the Rangers Black overpowered a very determined and rapidly improving Rangers Orange lineup. Rangers Orange had multiple chances to upstage their much fancied opponent but just could not get over the line. The scoreline of 13-4 is not a true reflection on how close this game was till the final inning. There were a few personal bests for the day but why spoil a good story? You are just going to have to keep reading to find out!

Fernando delivers again
Better not forget that the quiet achiever Steve  “Fernando” Peruzzo is adding to his tally of long balls for Wangaratta. After hitting two with wood last eyar against Porepunkah, Fernando added another home run to his tally. When Peruzzo hits a ball it certainly stays hit. Poor Jason Jonker found this out first hand but more was to come….

Jenkins. Is putting it all together
Man of beard and these days seems to be ever present in Rounding Third.
Scott “The Hammer” Jenkins is white hot with the timber at this present moment in the season. Coming off a five hit game up at Porepunkah and a couple of hits against Wodonga, Jenkins followed up with a day out. After not wanting to swing in his first at bat and paying the full price for looking at three straight strikes, “The Hammer” unleashed a monster shot over a stationary Brad “Undies” Murdoch at left field. It was Jenkins first home run for Wangaratta.  He was not finished. In his last at bat Jenkins proved it was no fluke and pounded another well over the fence. Multiple home run day for Scotty Jenkins. Congratulations #14

Swing before the swing
Jenko’s swing before “The Swing” Socks look good boys!

Moose’s Vision
Wangaratta’s favorite Canadian, Bryan “Moose” Wilson was very busy before the showdown on Sunday. You see Dan “Griff” Griffin and Moose had organised to use four gopros to film footage of the game. One each side of the diamond, one on Tetsu’s helmet and the other on Rob “Butts” Seymour umpires face-mask. Moose has been wanting to film a Rangers game all year and he finally got his wish over the weekend. The highlights of the vision will be the three home run swings and other little unique plays such as Buttsy getting hit in the mask by a ball and  Brad “Undies” Murdoch cover drive for a hit. One must say it was a great idea to have this vision for games and will be great to view in the future.

Chopper takes to the mound.
Multi sport athlete Dan “Chopper” McCullough is really getting into his baseball.
He, under the respected tuteledge of Nathan “Rubberarm” Pool, threw three innings of baseball against Rangers Black. For his first real outing on the hill as we call it in baseball speak, Chopper threw very well. In a short amount of time Chop, had mastered the art of the curve ball. Most new guys who take to the mound just want to get it over the plate and straight not try different pitches. Greta job Chop. Another to eat up some innings in a game is always appreciated.

Who owes money to the tin for what?
The local derby each time is double fines for the Ranger players. Many pay their dues and accpet the Tin Master’s verdict on their actions. Others do not. Tetsu “Heston” Kamiyama falls into the latter category. After leaving his helmet at Porepunkah a couple of weeks back Tetsu was subbed out of the derby and took on coaching duties. This all sounds very standard, but Tetsu made a few other players very jealous while still playing. So the boys took it out on him and doubled his dues for the day. To Tet’s credit he did pay his dues after the game in the form of a couple of refreshments for the boys.

The threat from centre field
One thing Mark “The Rage” Drage likes doing is patrolling centre field. The other is throwing runners out. Drage took great pleasure in throwing out a runner at third from his number one position. He let out a large audible roar after doing so. One remarked the arm must be getting better. Drage replied “always got one good throw in it each game!”

This week at training.
    This weeks tea is brought to you by the ever reliable Lauren “Mrs Soak” Grenfell. This will be pumpkin soup and a special request for a cob loaf style concoction. It will be good. Make sure you get down to training and savor the great food which will be on offer.
Wangaratta Rangers Club news
  • Fees are now due. See Jenko for more details
  • Looking for umpires and scorers. Re numeration is available for umpiring. See club for more details
  • Committee meeting Wednesday night after training. meal available too. All welcome
  • Rangers Black vs Warriors White Wodonga Sunday
  • Rangers Orange vs Benalla Benalla Sunday
  • Senior Carnival Queens Birthday weekend. If interested let the club know
  • New hoodies are on the way. One again let club know if you wish to buy one $45
  • Keep putting vulnerabilities on teamapp. Look us up http://www.teamapp.com
  • Follows us on twitter @wangrangers and find us at http://www.wangarattarangers.baseball.com.au
  • Thanks to all our valued sponsors. Your support is greatly appreciated.
  • End of season trip AFL Grand Final Weekend. Destination….Adelaide
Well that is about it for the week. I am pretty sure there were more stores, but let’s keep them for another week shall we? Have a great week and……………………
Go Rangers

Rounding Third By Line Drive April 26th 2016

Posted on by LineDrive
Hello and welcome to this weeks edition of Rounding Third. Much has happened in the past couple of weeks since Line Drive wandered along to the baseball. The two Ranger sides have had a mixed opening to the season. It was good to see over the past weekend that the Rangers Orange squad get the job done against Wodonga Warriors Maroon, while the Rangers Black squad had the week off with a make up double-header to be played later in the year. More about that later on. Now down to business
Rangers Orange bats come alive
    It has been a slow start for the Orange squad this season. Over the past couple of weeks, there has not been much to cheer about on the scoreboard. The boys have worked hard the past couple of training nights and that work paid off against Wodonga Warriors Maroon. Looking at the score book four players hat three hits while the “Mayor of Nambrok” Kelsey Burder led the way with five hits. It has taken a little time to adjust to the wooden bat but looks like things are turning around for the boys and their upcoming showdown against the Wangaratta Rangers Black line up.
Jenkins is in the swing of things
    Now we all like good hitting and good hitting stories. Now here is a man to look for out on the diamond Man of beard Scott “Moneyman” Jenkins has tinkered with his right hand swing. He was telling Line Drive Wednesday night at training that he just moved his front elbow a little and relaxed a bit more. This little adjustment has seemed to work a treat. Last week up at Porepunkah, Jenko went five for five, driving in three runs. Not all singles either. The Moneyman hit the ball with power with two doubles registered. He came on late in the game over the weekend and continued his red-hot form with the bat.
Frost: The Big Freeze
    One of the best on field leaders of Wangaratta Rangers Travis “The Big Freeze” Frost is swinging a hot bat too. He even put in a couple of innings work on the mound up at Porepunkah. From the look of the score book Frost had it all going on. Let’s hope he can keep it rolling along all season.
Wednesday night meals are back!
    Wednesday night meals have returned for another season. Cam “The Soak” Scott was thinking on his weekly drive over that gee it would be good to eat at a good hour. So he took it on his own to organise meals the past two weeks. The other boys are happy with that. They get the benefits too. First week was Soaks BBQ. Last week saw Jenko’s Pie night and this week, Dim sims and hot chips is on the menu. Numbers have been consistent down at the Ranch this season but it is always good to see a couple more come down have a throw and a feed. Everyone likes dim sims and chips! Wait till the real competition heats up when the weather gets cooler.
Ranger Ramble news
    Well it has been decided on a tentative date of Ranger Ramble 2016. Destination as stated before is Adelaide. The boys have been talking about the date and it looks to be the last weekend in September. Those who are looking to take part are starting to look at flights now for the weekend. One things for sure the two Dans plan a great trip.
Be aware of Griff and the tin. Where you put your fines in.
    Master of the tin, Daniel “The Griff” Griffin is keeping am eagle eye on all proceedings every Sunday. From forgetting your helmet or glove running out onto the field, to strike outs and double plays, Dan is looking for any misdemeanors. To stay away from any tiffs make sure you look after the man Griff.
It’s a game changer
    This year has seen the introduction of the use of Game Changer software. So far this year, Rangers results and some statistics have been entered on using the game changer online platform. Game Changer is an app designed for baseball, softball and basketball scoring. The first few games have been entered with a variety of stats. They aim to be accurate, however like anything humans can make an error from time to time. Go and have a look https://gc.com/ go and become a fan of Wangaratta Rangers Orange and Wangaratta Rangers Black season 2015/16. (the admin did not know how to change the season till later!) Now there are things the admins are working through with so bear with it till we work out how we use it most efficiently. In the long run it will be a game changer!
The competition is back to eight teams.
    Very pleasing to hear that there are once again eight teams in the North Eastern Baseball Association. NASC Bears have decided to enter a second team which is good news and removes the bye. The more teams the better.
The Yarrawonga connection
    The bosses at Wangaratta have put the call out to the Yarrawonga connection Mick “The Big Cod” Brownlie and Ross “Strawberry” Wilson for possibly one-off appearances in May. They have both agreed to make the trek over for one off (or maybe more) guest appearances in a few weeks time. Will be great to see you boys back in the Orange and Black of the Wangaratta Rangers.
Ranger Showdown this coming weekend.
    The first Ranger vs Ranger showdown is this coming weekend. Orange plays Black down at Targoora Park on Sunday. Both teams will be looking to get one up on their opposite numbers. In past years these games have been played hard and in great spirit. Definitely the one game all Ranger players like to win during the regular season. Come down have a look Sunday from 1pm onward.
Wanted: Line Umpires and Scorers
    Each week the club is in need of line umpires for away games and scorers for all games. So far this year a few have put their hands up to do the job. The club is looking for more people who would like to give umpiring the bases and scoring a go. Line umpiring is a good way to watch the game closely. You could only be required once to do it all year. If you are interested make sure you put your hand up to help out. It is worth it.
Quote of the week.
    Looking for a quote? Go see Bryan “Moose” Wilson for all your quote needs. He has quotes for all situations and they are always positive! Good job quote master.
Ranger News 
  • Fees are now due and payable to Scott “Moneyman” Jenkins see him for more information
  • End of season trip to be held AFL Grand Final weekend (at this stage)
  • Wednesday night T-Ball from 5pm followed by senior training. Stick around for a feed and chat
  • Orange vs Black this Sunday 1pm down at “The Ranch” Targoora Park.
  • Join us for dinner at Cafe Martini after the game
  • Join us on Team App. Look for Wangaratta Rangers http://www.teamapp.com
  • Like and follow on Facebook and @WangRangers on Twitter
  • Thanks to all our valued sponsors. Your support is much appreciated.
Now there may be some creative license in the tales this week. But heck!  When have they been one hundred percent accurate! It is about time Line Drive actually went to some games and see first hand what is going on.
Till next week
Go Rangers

Rounding Third By Line Drive April 10th 2016

Posted on by LineDrive

Hello and welcome once again to another edition of your one and only insight into the people and personalities, which make up the Wangaratta Rangers Baseball Club. It has been a few weeks since the ‘CODS’ edition and much has been going on down at “The Ranch”. The sun was shining and many were eager to hit the diamond for the opening round of the 2016 North Eastern Baseball Association season . All games were played down at “The Ranch”, in Wangaratta. In the early game, The Wondonga Warriors, with some middle inning clutch hitting, overcame Wangaratta Rangers Orange 9-1.  In the later game, the reigning premiers, Wangaratta Rangers Black, were too strong for Wodonga Warriors Maroon by a score of 21-4. Benalla played Porepunkah on diamond two and Porepunkah came out on top. It was great to see all the familiar faces, characters  and most importantly supporters, that make up the North Eastern Baseball Association. All are looking forward to the next fourteen weeks of matches throughout the season. Best wishes to all clubs involved. Now what else has been going on? Keep reading and you may just find out!

Skipper takes the reigns for another year

Mick ,”The Skipper” Wyatt has had a great off season. From winning major raffle prizes to having good times away with his family, Mick has been doing it all. Now he has turned his hand back to The Rangers Black squad. Mick has taken the reigns for this year to be ably supported by Nathan “Rubberarm” Pool. Once again Mick leads from the front. This was evident in the weekends game against Wodonga Warriors. Just having purchased new pants, “The Skipper” hit, slid, dived and did it all in the Rangers victory over the Warriors. He did remark at one stage, “can I get a refund on these pants?” after he put a hole through them in their first outing out of the bag. I am sure you can put some sewing into those knees for the next few weeks Skip.

Burder leads the Orange Squad

The Godfather of Nambrok, Kelsey “Burderonethedancefloor” Burder, has put his hand up to be the skipper of the Wangaratta Rangers Orange squad for season 2016. Year in year out Kelsey works hard for the club on and off the field. He will be ably supported by his trusty lieutenants, Kyle “Thrillmore” Gilmore and Brad “Undies” Murdoch. Not to mention the wise heads of Jason “JJ” Jonker and Brendon “Frenchy” French and many others. Great job Kelsey for putting your hand up to do this important job for the club.

Thommo welcome to Wangaratta.

There is a phrase that Line Drive likes. ‘Always good to see good people’. This was the case today when Boneo baseball club legend, Brett Thompson came down to have a look at baseball North East Style. He had all his gear in the car and Kelsey Burder told him to suit up. Thommo has a wealth of baseball experience and knowledge and is looking forward to partaking in baseball the Ranger way. In many ways Ranger Baseball is very similar style to Boneo Braves Baseball. Play hard and have a good time doing it. Welcome to Brett and his wife Lyn to Wangaratta Rangers Baseball Club.

 Who is wearing my helmet?

Those who play baseball are a funny lot. From not stepping on lines, to the way the ball is thrown around the infield, superstition and method play a big part in this great game. Now a few Ranger boys have bought their own helmets and the only one who NEVER has an issue with someone taking their helmet is Tetsu, “The Fly” Kamiyama. Now why does Testu never have an issue with this, compared to Rob “Butts” Seymour and Nathan Pool? Tetsu has his number on the outside of his helmet. Butts was getting a little more steamed than usual over the weekend, as others kept taking his helmet. Cam “The Soak” Scott was not helping his mood by declaring, “Is this anyones lid? Is it okay if I use this lid?”  every time he went to put his batting helmet on. The Soak then went on to offer to buy some numbers to put on the back of the helmet when Buttsy replied “It’s on the inside of the helmet.” Butts, please put your number on the back of the helmet like the vast majority of ball players do.

Griff and the Tin. That’s where you put your fines in.

Hume highway veteran Daniel, “The Griff” Griffin, is in charge of what is now known as “Griff’s Tin” He will be on the sharp eye for misdemeanors on and off the diamond this year. Already the tin has got off to an unfortunate start with just a “couple” of strike outs against Warriors White. From walking out onto the diamond without a hat to just doing something fine worthy, Griff will be after you. All in good jest of course.

Wanted. Those willing to have a go on the pitchers plate.

It was pleasing to see today two boys have a go on the pitcher’s rubber. Daniel “Chopper” McCullough for Orange and Scott “The Beard” Jenkins for Rangers Black.  One thing every club is looking for, are players willing to have a throw and gobble up some innings for their club. It looks like the Rangers have unearthed a couple of hungry innings eaters. Let’s hope they stick at it. The more the merrier.

Wednesday Night T-Ball returns

Champions of T-Ball Bryan, “Moose” Wilson and Kevin “Don’t need gifts” Pool, will be kicking off another term of Wednesday night T-Ball from 5pm on Wednesdays.  Last term, over twenty kids honed their skills under the many different coaches the Rangers baseball club employs. If you are looking for something to do, come down early and give the boys a hand. The future is  bright for the Wangaratta Rangers.

Punters Club is back

For those who are interested in a flutter on most things that run around, come see Cam “The Soak” Scott and register your interest in the Punters Club. It’s $10 a week for the duration of the season. The collective bets half and saves half. At the end end of the season you have the choice of a payout, or use it towards the End of Season trip. Destination: Adelaide. Your choice. Open to all comers. See Cam Scott for more details.

Online is a Gamechanger

How things are changing in our world. Most things we once did by the committee are now done virtually through the many realms of the world wide web. The club has introduced ‘Game Changer’. This is an online scoring application, where scores will be entered and uploaded. For more information look up http://www.gc.com and just type in Wangaratta’s postcode to find the teams of Orange and Black.

Now for the Club stuff

  • T-ball 5pm to 6pm Wednesday nights
  • Training Wednesday 6pm (maybe a feed too)
  • Rangers Orange play Bears @ Porepunkah 11:30am
  • Rangers Black play Porepunkah @ Porepunkah 2:15pm
  • Fees are now due
  • Follow us on Twitter @WangRangers. Look for the ‘Team app’, Game Changer and on Facebook.

Thanks to all who volunteered their time over the weekend marking diamonds, mowing, raking, in the canteen, the list goes on. Clubs do not run without the tireless work you all do. That’s enough for this week. Have a great week and….

Go Rangers

Rounding Third By Line Drive CODS edition 2016

Posted on by LineDrive
Hello and welcome to this weeks edition of Rounding Third. It has been a few weeks since the last edition and much has been happening. Many of your favorites put on the ‘Cods’ teal and black, for their second appearance at the Victorian Masters Baseball Carnival, hosted by the great folks in Ballarat over the weekend. There were a few changes from last years ‘Cod Squad’ which added to the variety of personalities already in the team.
How did the boys go you ask? Well, the Cods won one game last year and managed to win two games this year. The Cods were competitive in all four games played across the 3 days of competiton. For more information about the games, check out “The Pres” write up on Cods Masters baseball Facebook website. So, what else happened while we were away? Keep reading,  Line Drive hopes you enjoy it.
Rookies represent.
     The Cods were fortunate enough to have a couple of seasoned veterans of baseball make their first appearance in the Cods colours. Ash “Punter” Meyers and Mick “The Beast” Brownlie. As soon as both of them got in the car to head to Ballarat, they showed some good form. Mick had a memorable three days on and off the diamond. Catching up with his mates from camping was one of the highlights of the weekend. Ash put in a solid three days on and off the diamond also, doing it all on the mound behind the plate in the field and most importantly in the TAB. Rob “Butts” Seymour was particularly impressed with Brownlie’s input into the weekend. Buttsy also loved getting hugs from the big guy.  Great job boys. Hope you enjoyed your time as a Cod.
Who is the bigger pest? Buttsy or Big Mick
     Rob Seymour has always pride himself on being an antagonist off the field. However he may have been given a run for his money by the big guy Mick Brownlie. Round two may be later this year on the end of season trip if Brownlie decides to pull on the orange and black for the Rangers. This scribe will wait and see.
Who won the lottery?
Not ‘that’ lottery, but the ‘golf ball lottery for batting line up and positions.’ A novel approach was taken this year with the line up for the first game being just pot luck. Sadly, for Mick Brownlie, he drew short stop. The boys soon found out that short stop is no good for a left hander. He did have one play at third base, and going his natural way he was still unable to deliver a strike throw. Lucky the scorers were lenient and only gave him three errors for the inning. For the rest of the time Mick happily plied his trade at right field.
Cods turning up to play on Saturday
     The Cods have a simple theme for when they go to Masters. “Have some fun and win a game or two”. This year The Cods managed two wins from their four games. On Saturday the Cod boys had a day out. This was largely to do with how their pitchers performed. Nathan “Rubberarm” Pool,  Heath “H” Anders threw an assortment of off speed stuff, to have the opposition hitters off balance all day. In the second game Jason “JJ” Jonker and Cam Rogers, threw combination after combination of different pitches to keep the hitters guessing. Skilfully backed up in the field by some good fielding, The Cods did not disgrace themselves. The boys then celebrated in style, as a good Cod does.
Beaker vs the baseball
     Rob “Beaker the ball magnet” Barbour, had an interesting weekend. Beaker had a good Friday on and off the diamond, but on Saturday it all went a little pear shaped. The Cods had just arrived at the ground and were watching a bit of the first game, while Beaker wandered off to get something to eat. A ball was fouled over the back net high in the air, and people called “heads!”. Beaker ducked his head and kept moving. Beaker then copped it right between the shoulder blades making a nice audible “thud.” This put the Cods into hysterics at Beakers misfortune. Later on in the game against the Big Cat Tomatoes, Beaker ventured to the plate and was greeted with a fast ball to the arm. Twice in one day! There was even a remark that if Beaker were to stay indoors a bird would still be able to poo on him! More was to follow.
     Sunday had arrived and the boys had found a bike helmet on the walk home back to the rooms the previous night. This was presented to Beaker as a gift for him to not get hit again. Steve Maggs asked to him to use it as an arm guard at one point. Beaker did not take to this suggestion. In the final game, poor ‘ball magnet,’ was struck again by a pitch in the same spot on his arm. Then to add insult to injury, the Tassie ‘Tigers’ catcher, tried to hit him while on third base. In true Beaker style, he copped it all on the chin (see that pun?) and got on with it. You can’t  be THAT unlucky again next year Beaker!
Beaker Be careful
Friday’s action from the scorers hut
Dino’s Day out
     The warrior was at it again over the weekend. Ian “Dino” Dinsdale had a weekend to remember with the bat. On Friday Dino got his usual game hit, but more was to follow on Saturday. In the first game against the Big Cat Tomatoes, Dino slapped baseballs all over the place. In the second game against the top placed team,  Pandas, Dino took it to the next level. In his final plate appearance for the day and facing a Pandas ace, Dino saw the ball and smacked it. Not just half hit it, smashed it over short stop and into the the gap for a base hit. It was remarked that the pitcher did not like that too much. The boys on the Cods bench took great delight in it. Next up, Rob “Beaker” Barbour had a small change of luck also picking up a hit. Just goes to show the older you get the more wily you get with your bats.
Has anyone seen Cam Rogers arm?
     Last seen at 9:08am Sunday morning oon diamond one in Ballarat. On the Saturday Cam managed to pitch a couple of innings in the game against Pandas, recreating his memorable windup of knocking his cap off his head and pitching a strike from last year. Cam paid for it today. He still managed a few plays amongst the best once again. Hope you get your arm back for next year, Cam.
Cods and Punting
     There was one thing many of the Cods could agree on and it was having a go on the punt. As per usual, good friend of this scribe, Cam “The Soak” Scott was in amongst it all. The boys had a crack at the quaddie between games on Saturday, with very little interest from the rest of the table. However, for the other tipping comp there was plenty of interest and a nice dividend was paid. On the Saturday night it was decided to have a crack at anything that ran. From South Africa to the Finnish Harness racing. The boys were going alright, thanks to Steve “Fernando” Peruzzo jagging a 20 plus dollar winner. However when things turned bad one Cod branched out on his own and bet against his brothers.   End result?  A nice payout for him. Does anyone know who that was?
The rules of base running
     Sunday’s game was unique for many reasons. From base running to bribery for a walk from the opposition. One thing was a constant. The Cods inability to know how to run the bases. Case 1-  Jason “JJ” Jonker, running into Tassie’s first ever triple play. It played out as follows…. Dino smashed the ball to third base and was caught out. Heath “H” Anders was left stranded in no mans land at second. That’s two out. Jonker at first just kept running and ran in being the third man out. Triple play. Later on, Spinner at third, Scott at second, Maggs at first. More base running antics. Ball wasn’t caught. Spinner  stayed put at third and Maggs given out at first. Scott wandered off second as he thought he was out. Scott then given out for abandoning his base. Maybe just maybe this time Spin should have run? Lucky for us, Spin got home on the next hit. Next year we might need to learn how to run bases properly.
Cods Sunday 2016
Nice Sunny Sunday in Ballarat
Spinners updates.
     Special mention needs to go to The President of Rangers Tony “Spinner” Smith, who kept all those Cod supporters out there informed of how the boys played. His write ups were a good insight into what happened with each game. If you have not seen his write ups as yet, search for Cods Masters Baseball on Facebook. Like and join the page and then you can read about how all went on their second trip to the Victorian Masters Carnival.
The Punkah boys know how to cut up a dance floor
     It was great once again to have Porepunkah Panthers as part of the Cods. Heath Anders, Damon Barker and Shane Tatterson were outstanding on and off the field.
Heath “H” Anders, once again won the dance off stakes, grooving on Saturday night. On the field, Barks and Tatt’s were rock solid. “H” was very impressive on the mound. Great job boys, we hope to see you all soon.
In Final
On behalf of the Cods Master Baseball, it was great to have the support of our sponsors again this year.
Thank you to Cafe Martini, Plumbforce Plumbing and Bright/Beechworth Ice Creamery.
Our ability to promote and gain sponsors for the weekend was remarked by many opposition players over the weekend.  Not to mention North Eastern Baseball Association who have been supportive in this venture.  Great job, Pooly, Dino, Maggsy, Ash, Jason, Spinner, Buttsy, Barks, Heath, Shane, Mick, Soak, Beaker, Fernando and Cam Rogers for pulling on the teal and black. We may not be getting any better, but we are certainly having a good time being competitive on and off the diamond.
Most importantly, getting the chance to play baseball against old  and new mates was great.
Now to some club news
Rangers Punters Club soon to start.
A call has been put out by leading rails bookmaker Cam “The Soak” Scott for a punters club. The deal is simple, $10 a week. The club will have two punters per week, with a portion bet and a portion saved. At the end of the season the money is either paid as a dividend, or used towards the end of season trip. Completely up to you. For more information message The Soak or come find him. Open to all comers.
NEBA Season to begin April 10th
A preliminary draw has been devised. The season is to begin Sunday 10th of April. Clubs are now discussing and have until the 25th March to make revisions and suggestions. Nice work to those who have put their hands up to take on this task. By no way is it an easy one.
My Ranger Rules? Is it coming back for season two?
Has the contract been renewed? Can Daniel, “The Griff” Griffin retain his crown? Will Kyle, “Thrillmore” Gilmore step up and cook a roast to rival the best around? Or will it be someone else who will take the mantel?  Stay tuned for future updates.
Wow, Rounding Third has been a long one this week. Make sure you like and share and let others know about The Wangaratta Rangers. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter @WangRangers and Team app for all your Ranger news.
For Cods news, look for Cods Masters Baseball on Facebook. Thanks for reading!
Until next time
‘Go Cods’
Oh, and ‘Go Rangers’

Rounding Third by Line Drive March 8th 2016

Posted on by LineDrive
Hello and welcome to this weeks edition. Baseball training is back in full swing down at the ranch. The boys are starting to roll their arms over and put the WD-40 on their swings for the upcoming season. Numbers have been pretty good so far for a Friday night. However, the Rangers could always do with more players. If you are interested wander on down and have a look on a Friday night for the next four weeks. All are welcome. Anyhow into what has been going down at Rangerland.
Hot Wednesday night T-ball a slippery sliding success.
     T-ball has continued throughout February every Wednesday and it has been great to read such positive feedback from the public. Kev, Moose and Pooly and Jack Bradburn have been working hard each Wednesday with the junior Rangers. Last week it was a cool affair with sliding practice done on some black plastic and detergent. From all accounts the kids had a great time. This week more hot weather. Bet there will be a few looking to hone their sliding skills!
New Lights
     Over the past couple of weeks, The committee and members of the baseball club have worked hard on erecting a new light tower for training. This all came to fruition on the past weekend. The new tower is looking back into towards the diamond. This will help improve the light situation in the winter months where batting practice can become a little bit of a dangerous pastime. Thanks to all who donated their time and efforts on this project.  There are so many to list who helped make this happen. The Rangers are a can do club.
Cods update
     The Cods are slowly coming out of their summer hibernation. Over the past couple of week there have been twelve of the squad on the track rolling over the arms and having a hit. New Cod Mick Brownlie is looking to have a good time with fellow Cods and Ringwood legends Steve Maggs and Cameron Rogers. Mick is starting to hit peak form so look out for Mick over the three days. The boys will have one more run at a date to be determined before they head to Ballarat. The draw has been released and it looks to be not too taxing on the bodies. The goal this is year once again…..to win a game or two!
Welcome back Kev Cooper
     Line Drive may have not been at training but did hear Kev Cooper has returned to the club after a few years away from the game. It’s is great to you have back down at the ranch Kev. Roby Seymour said it was just like old times having him back.
Doing your bit to help out.
     One great thing about Wangaratta Rangers is their willingness to get in and help out. This is from maintaining the diamonds to help run training and to help chase players. Every little bit helps. If you get a free hour or so head down there and just help out. It’s the Ranger way.
Moose’s T-Ball Tyros
     One thing we like to feature this year is Moose’s quotes. Now this week we do not have one but fear not they will return. On a another note check out the great writing Moose has been doing on behalf of the T-ball program which is currently running on Wednesday nights. Moose’s Musings are found on the club website http://www.wangarattarangers.baseball.com.au
Anyone Seen Dylan Cowan?
     Just a general shout out to Dylan “Dylpickle” Cowan. Not seen him for a while. Or is it just this writer?
Now the club stuff
  • Training on Friday nights 6pm till the season starts
  • CODS Masters is rapidly approaching. Pay your insurance through the Rangers website or Baseball Australia Website
  • T-Ball Wednesday nights 6pm Targoora Park
  • Committee Meeting Wednesday night 7pm club-rooms. All Welcome
  • Season start is approximately four weeks away
  • look for us on Facebook, twitter and of course Team App for all other Ranger news
A short one this edition. Try and stay cool for the rest of the week and look to heat up the diamond!
Go Rangers

Rounding Third By Line Drive February 21st 2016

Posted on by LineDrive

Hello and welcome to a new year and a new edition of Rounding Third. Line Drive is all you avid readers out there have had a great new Christmas and new year and are enjoying the summertime with your families. Even though the Ranger men are not playing, the busy bees down at the Ranch in Targoora park have a few irons in the fire and this little write up will quench your thirst for knowledge about what the guys and gals of Wangaratta Rangers Baseball Club have been up to.

New year and New ideas.

Tony “Spinner” Smith is full of ideas and motivation for the season ahead. Ably assisted by his merry band of men and women on the Wangaratta Rangers committee, Spin has got some great ideas to help engage us all in the smooth running of club. Looking at the list of agenda items down for discussion in the next few months, times are going to busy. So far the club has already poured a new footing for a light pole which will be stood up in the coming weeks. The club is looking to spruce the place up a bit and ideas are most welcome. If you got some spare time and get a tap on the shoulder to help out. Just get in and have a crack. It’s the Ranger way!

Wyatt is the Captain of the Ship

Well not a ship as such, Leader of men and all round great bloke, Mick Wyatt capped off a successful year by winning not a ship but a boat in the 2015 Cod Classic. It took a couple of phone calls to get “The Skipper” to pick the phone up. Once he did then the fun began. Well done Mick. Superstar!

About time Cam

It has been a season of celebration over the past few months. Just before Christmas a good friend to this writer Cam “The Soak” Scott finally popped the question to Lauren Grenfell. It was most romantic said Lauren. Cam pretty much said it in his usual matter-of-fact way. Yeah well done Cam and Loz. Cam has been reminded by many it was about time!

Nice one Sean

It has also been noticed on social media that Sean Warfe quietly got engaged overseas over the festive season. Many congrats to you and your fiancee Sarah. hope to see you down at the Ranch soon.

COD Season

The Victorian Masters Baseball Championships is fast approaching. The boys are pumped and ready to go with a few minor changes to the roster. The bulk of the inaugural squad are heading to Ballarat from March 18th-20th with a few new editions to the roster. Mick Brownlie and Ash Meyers have been added to the Cod squad. Welcome boys. For the rest training is on Mondays from 6pm in Wangaratta. Find the glove and roll down to get organised for what is a great weekend.

Wednesday night t-ball

Wednesday night t-ball has returned to ranger land with over thirty in attendance the past two Wednesday nights. Ranger legend Kevin Pool is leading the way with his trusty assistant Bryan “Moose” Wilson and many other ranger players lending a hand. Line Drive saw it first hand last week and it was great to see the kids running around  having a great time. Without the help of the club members these great programs would not happen.

A Moose is a Moose and he felt like a little bit of a Goose!

Our favorite Canadian has been at it again. Last week Cam “The Soak” Scott was doing some club business and asked the committee for a “quote” on some uniform items. Cam assumed everyone in the group conversation knew what “quote” he was after. Moose then rattled off baseball lyrical quotes from everywhere. Finally Kyle Gilmore stepped in and informed Moose that Cam was after a monetary quote on uniforms! For the record there were some very good “quotes” in there. Maybe we could grab one a week from you Moose for our Facebook page and for Rounding Third too!

Ranger Ramble V 2016

Already there has been movement at the station in regards to Ranger Ramble V. Over the past week, the Big ideas man of the trip Dan “Chopper” McCullough has been thinking how to to lasts years trip to Bendigo. He has come up with a plan. Adelaide!!!!. Already seven of last years members have signed up. Looks like the punters club may return this year too to help get the boys get over the border. Watch this space for more details in the coming weeks.

Muster night a success. 

Last Friday saw the come and try night for season 2016. From what Line Drive has been told all your usual favorites were there with a few new additions. Sean Warfe was up and about taking some drills. While the usual suspects supported the club in the best way they know how! Training for 2016 will be on Friday nights till the start of the season from 6pm. All are welcome to come join the Ranger family.

Well that is about it for the first edition of 2016.  Might be a bit rusty on this episode, but like anything got to do the preparation to get the results (is that a quote Moose?) Some club things to let you know about

  • Cods training 6pm Mondays Wangaratta.
  • Victorian Masters Championships March 18th-20 Ballarat
  • Rangers training Friday nights from 6pm Wangaratta
  • Punters club interest. Register with Cam Scott.
  • keep up-to-date with all Rangers news on Facebook Wangaratta Rangers and on Twitter @WangRangers and team app Wangaratta Rangers
  • http://www.wangarattarangers.baseball.com.au

Have a great week. Stay cool going to be a hot one in the north east!

Go Rangers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rounding Third by Line Drive Presentation edition 2015

Posted on by LineDrive

Hello and welcome to a final wrap up of season 2015 for the characters and personalities that make up the Wangaratta Rangers Baseball Club. Over the weekend saw the Ranger family get together to celebrate what has been a remarkable season for the club. The boys and girls celebrated in style at Cafe Martini on the balcony upstairs, with all having a good laugh and reflection on the season that was. Now what did Line Drive see while he was sitting in the background taking notes. You are just about to find out.

2015 Annual General Meeting new record?
The Rangers AGM kicked off proceeding last night with master of Ceremonies Tony “The Pres” Smith getting down to formal business. The meeting was opened at 6:10pm and was all done by 6:21pm. A new record perhaps? Meetings are easy with willing dedicated volunteers willing to put their hands up to fill positions. The Pres’s new executive includes for 2016
Nathan Pool-Vice President
Scott Jenkins – Treasurer
Cam Scott – Secretary
     Big special thank you to Dylan Cowan for his past two years as secretary, Kelsey “Burderonthedancefloor” Burder as Vice President and of course Kevin “The Legend” Pool for all his work he has done in the treasurers role. Every member of the club should be proud of their efforts this year. The thing that stands out for this writer is the willingness of club members to put their hand up and chip in and help out. Makes things much easier throughout the season.
Winners are Grinners. 
Now to the award winners.
Best & Fairest for Rangers Orange Brendon French and Jason Jonker
Runner up Ian Dinsdale
Most improved Jack Bradburn
Best performed in the Semi Final Daniel McCullough
Best Performed in the Grand Final Jason Jonker
Best & Fairest for Rangers Black Tetsuya Kamiyama
Runner up Cam Scott
Most improved Steve Peruzzo
Best performed in a Semi Final Cam Scott
Best performed in a Grand Final Nathan Pool
Club-man of the Year: Scott Jenkins
Thanks to all our sponsors of awards Kevin and Joan Pool, Carmel Seymour, The Lewis family and Di Parker. Also to our sponsors for 2015 STY Metals, Plumbforce, Reflex Glass, Pave Crete, Action Smash Repairs, Shanley Signs, Rea & O’Keefe, Winsec, Elect Solar, Insite Real Estate, Whitty Produce, Ref-Ridgetech, Your Everyday Gourmet, Cafe Martini and Wangaratta Motor Group. Your support is greatly appreciated.
The other awards:
It was interesting to see the winners for the other two awards give out on the night. Firstly it is the award that no one wants. The award for showing how many times you swung and missed. In baseball speak it is called fanning or more basically….Striking out. Kyle “Thrillmore” Gilmore took this award home. Nathan Pool did comment that the weather worked in his favor this year as his number could have been higher if not for washouts. Think of the positives Thrillmore, you get the money back on the trip and this writer knows from first hand experience that onwards and upwards. You will get the swing back.
     The other award was for the highest number of flyballs. Tetsu was happy to hand over the award to good mate and ultimate gamer Rob “Butts” Seymour who had an impressive number of catches. Nice work Gentlemen.
Who is that number 13 for King Valley or was it 16?
Over the weekend, few of the Ranger faithful ventured over the Ovens and King grand final to watch King Valley and Ranger favorite Angus “The Spaniard” Young try and win his second flag for the year. However at times he was confused with the number sixteen for King Valley who looked much like a second Spaniard. However after initial confusion and consultation with the footy critic we looked up to see 13 having a shot for goal from the pocket. Man of beard Scott Jenkins remarked to The Soaks Cam Scott and Lauren Grenfell that he will not kick this. The kick was perfectly weighted swung on the breeze and split the uprights to seal the win for The Valley. Congratulations to Gus and all of King Valley on their wins over the weekend. Enjoy your week!
Get the important updates Gus
     The boys are having a bit of banter on-line before their annual end of season trip. You see there are the regular contributors and then there are the watchers. There is also a third group or really just one person in the group. Last time Gus checked his in-box there was 96 messages. He asked was there anything worth reading? Probably not. This time around 110 messages and anything worth reading? Maybe a few congrats on winning a flag maybe? If you read banter well then probably not Gus.
Ranger Ramble 2015 Back to Bendigo.
     The trip is booked, All is paid up. The bus is hired. The driver has been found. Now to organize the costumes for Ranger ramble 2015. This years theme is religion based. Will be interesting to see what the gentlemen come up with this year. Can Dan “The Griff” Griffin go back to back on best costume? Or will a bolter come from the cloud in the form of Rob “Beaker” Barbour? One thing for sure it will be interesting if those coming from Melbourne on the train will be in costume on the way up?  Now if they do then there is definitely points there. Get organised gents. Like past years will not be a trip to be missed. How goes the fines tin Griff?
Premiership Print
     At presentation a framed team photo was presented to the club by photographer Marc Bongers. It had the winning team with both score sheets and a place for the medallion in the middle. And of course was in Rangers colors. The writers pretty sure that Marc will have eleven confirmed orders for this print. As was said a good use of the medal. Question is who’s meal was in the copy for the clubrooms? Maybe Dylan Cowan’s? Thanks to Marc for all his work throughout the year taking photos. It is greatly appreciated by all.
A picture is worth how many dollars.
     Many of the boys at Wangaratta have been in the paper from time to time this year. However some more than others. Number 18 Chopper McCullough has coughed up plenty of dollars for random things such as guess where the footy is. One person who continues to find Chopper in the paper is one and only Kelsey Burder. Maybe if Burder keeps such a close eye on Chopper’s appearances he should pay some of the dollars too!
In the off season. 
Don’t be a strange Ranger guys and girls. Make sure you keep updated on what is going on by looking at Facebook or follow @WangRangers on Twitter or even find us on Team app Wangaratta Rangers. One thing about The Rangers we have difficulty keeping quiet. And I for one think that is not such a bad thing. Good luck to those boys who are playing cricket amongst other sports over the summer time. This scribe hopes there will be a few golf games in here and there hopefully not in Wangaratta eh Dyaln Cowan? Maybe even some Australian Baseball League games too.
That’s about all this writer has to say about that! Now for the club stuff
Committee meetings to held monthly. Dates will be confirmed by The Pres.
Relay for life Rangers have a team 26th and 27th of September. Donate or join the team all are welcome
Orders of prints to Brendon French. Nice work Frenchy
Ranger Ramble AFL grand Final weekend. Bus leaves when Fernando says so! Bendigo is the destination Religious figures is the theme
Cods time is coming….
Never know where Line Drive may pop up next.
Till next time
Go Rangers

Rounding Third By Line Drive Special Edition September 7th 2015

Posted on by LineDrive

Hello and welcome to a special edition of Line Drive a recap of the grand Final by number one correspondent The Legend, The master and great bloke Kevin Pool

North East Baseball Association wound up their season on Sunday playing the Grand Final games at Targoora Park Wangaratta in perfect conditions.

N.A.S.C. Bears and Wangaratta Rangers Black played off for the “A” Grade pennant, Rangers Black batted first and were off to a good start when their lead- off batter, Mark Drage hit a two base git to centre field. Drage then went on to third off their second batters hit and with two runners out was brought home when their fourth batter got on base from a fielding error to have one run on the board before their third out was made. Angus Young started on the mound for Rangers Black and threw well for the first three innings, having only four batters face the plate in each inning and no batter got past first base safely. Rangers Black brought two more runs in their third turn at bat when some good base running forced Bears into rushing their fielding throws and ending in errors to Rangers advantage allowing them to hold a three runs to nil lead going into the fourth inning. Rangers Black batters went three up – three down in their turn at bat. The Bears first batter to face the pitcher in their dig. Greg Daniel hit a home run to centre field with the second pitch thrown to him, their next three batters got on base. Two from walks and one from a two base hit with bases loaded. Bears youngest player in Brad Nicholson, hit the very first ball pitched to him over the cones at centre field for a home run, bringing on a Grand Slam – another four runs for Bears and a pitching change for Rangers Black, Young had thrown 70 pitches, 38 of them strikes and Bears were starting to get his style.

Rangers’ Canadian player Bryan Wilson was their lucky player brought on to pitch and to try and stem Bears run flow. After walking the first batter to face him, Wilson struck-out the next batter to get the first out. Their fourth batter was put out at first base for the second out and the third out was made at home when the runner was caught trying to steal a run and Bears run rate was brought to a holt. With one out in their fifth inning, Rangers Black brought in another run when Nathan Pool was forced around the diamond by his fellow batters after hit a stand-up double to centre field, Rangers trailed by just one run at the bottom of the fifth inning with the score Bears five runs to Rangers four. Bears were held from scoring in their turn at bat, in fact neither team could get a break in the next four innings with the most batters from either side to face the pitcher was four in any one dig. With time running out and at the top of the ninth inning, Rangers Black had nothing to lose but to throw everything into their last turn at bat. With Bears pitcher, Greg Daniel already having thrown over 130 pitches and showing signs of tiring, Rangers lifted their game and being back at the top of their batting order, had their first three batters on base. Tetsu Kamiyama hit to the outfield to bring in two runs and the Rangers hit the front for the first time in the game. With a safe hit to the outfield, Rangers Black brought in another four runs before they lost their third out and held a five run lead. Bears were yet to bat and the pressure remained to hold them out. Bears first batter was thrown out at first by a perfectly fielded ball by Nathan Pool at third base and thrown to Cam Scott at first. Their second batter was struck-out watching a strike go over the plate and Wilson finished off a good stint on the mound with another strike-out for the game after throwing 89 pitches, 58 of them strikes and after being bridesmaids to Bears for so many years, Rangers could celebrate well into the night with a well-deserved win 10 runs to Bears 5.

Rangers Orange played Wodonga Warriors 1 for the “B” Grade trophy and were soundly beaten by a much better side on the day.

Chris Jones started on the mound for Warriors 1 and had only thrown ten pitches when Rangers Oranges third out was made. Not to be disheartened, Rangers first pitcher, Brendon French only had to throw six more before they had side away and it looked like we had a game on our hands. Another three up – three down for Rangers Orange and Warriors were back into bat and bat they did and the errors mounted up by Rangers in their fielding and by the time Rangers got the third out, Warriors 1 had 16 runs cross the plate, all from fielding errors. Rangers lost heart, everything they did went wrong and although Warriors stopped stealing bases and running on past balls, they still managed to bring in another five runs in each of their next five innings to run out with a massive 36 runs to Rangers Orange scoreless and only one safe hit for the game.

Benalla Bandits played Porepunkah Panthers for the “C” Grade cup and won in a tight nine innings game with Bandits 10 runs to Panthers 9.

Rounding Third By Line Drive Grand Final Edition 2015

Posted on by LineDrive

Hello and welcome to this weeks edition of your weekly insight to the personalities who make up Wangaratta’s only Baseball club; The Wangaratta Rangers. Since the last edition much has happened both on and off the field in Rangerland. Last Sunday under cloudy then sunny,then cloudy then sunny skies, the players from six clubs had the opportunity for one last shot at some silverware. In the C-grade game, Benalla and Porepunkah played out a very entertaining and thrilling game with Benalla getting over the line in the last innings. In the B-grade Wodonga were just too good for Wangaratta Rangers Orange. While in the A grade game in-front of a large jovial crowd Wangaratta left it really late in the game to finally overcome a gallant Bears team by the score of 10-5. From all accounts the game was played in great spirit and many players flashed the bat and leather throughout the game. This writer is pretty sure that more will be said about these games in the Wangaratta Chronicle during the week. So it’s now time to wrap up North Eastern Baseballs’ biggest day on the calendar. Through the eyes of Line Drive.

Rangers win for the first time since 2004
It has been a while between drinks for the boys down at the Ranch. Year in and year out the Ranger boys have turned up on grand final day against rivals Bears, looking to turn the tables on their dominance over the North Eastern Baseball Association. After coming agonizingly close last year the Boys from Black were determined to notch  a win. The game was an absolute cracker. Rangers jumped on the board early through “The Rage” Drage sending a ball to the line, with the Rangers tacking on a few more runs to race to a 4-0 lead. Rangers Black pitcher, Angus Young looked composed on the mound till the fourth inning, when the Bears bats ran white hot. One thing about The Bears, they are a formidable hitting lineup. Two home runs including a grand slam put Bears on top 5-4. Change of pitcher for Rangers saw Mr Canada, Bryan “Moose” Wilson, come on and backed by some sparkling glove work silence the Bears hitters. Meanwhile for the Bears, Greg “Jack” Daniel, was keeping the Rangers hitters in check. Daniel’s control and pitch selection to the rangers batters was second to none. He was pitching his heart out. In the eighth inning, Rangers had runners on second and third. This was their chance to claw their way in front. Daniel’s was having none of it and through some excellent pitches, got out of a jam. Was it going to Bears year again? After Wilson cruising through the bottom of the eighth it was all in-front of the Rangers hitters in the ninth. Drage set the table by drawing a walk and then the Ranger bat’s came to life. Six runs scored in the top of the ninth. score is now 10-5. But the work was still not done. Never take NASC Bears lightly, no matter how many runs you score. Ranger favourite, Nathan “Pooly” Pool was going to have none of that and pulled off one of the finest defensive plays seen in a while at third base. Moose then did the rest on the mound and the Rangers had done it. North Eastern Baseball Association Premiers 2015. Congratulations Wangaratta Rangers.
Rangers moments after winning the 2015 final. Thanks to Tania Pool for the image
Rangers moments after winning the 2015 final. Thanks to Tania Pool for the image
Ranger Monday 
it was a quiet affair for the Ranger boys down at Cafe Martini. The boys came in bits and pieces, still reminiscing about the day before. All had celebrated long into Sunday night. Some longer than others. Most other players had made an appearance by 3pm but still no skipper Mick Wyatt! Eventually he was coaxed into making an appearance. We all love the big guy and a big special thanks goes to his efforts on and off the diamond each week for us as a club.
Rob Seymour is “The Game”
What is that old saying that you can’t keep a Rob Seymour down? Well maybe not exactly that phrase, but after a tough week last week against Wodonga Warriors, Buttsy was looking to put on a big one in the grand final. As mentioned last week, Buttsy is a big occasion player. Tough to get out and always attacks on the bases. None more so, than when he took home on a pass ball. Here is how it played out. Ball in the dirt past catcher. Catcher goes to get it, Buttsy sees his chance. Takes off for home. Pitcher coming in to cover the base looking for the tag, Buttsy dives head firdt into home plate spraying gravel everywhere. Call…SAFE! Buttsy gets up and then spits out half the diamond on the team mate Aaron “Azza” Parker. Face covered in dirt and the battle scars on his arm to prove to anyone he slid! He always has been and always will be, “The Game”.
Warriors bring the Venga Bus to Wangaratta
The Wodonga Warriors sure know how to have a good time. For their B-Grade final over the weekend it was decided by The Pres, Steve “Scooba” McMahon that a bus to the game was in order. The faithful piled onto the bus headed for Wangaratta. In a dominant display of pitching by Chris Jones and excellent hitting by all players, the Warriors were never headed cruising to a commanding victory. Then the boys decided to stick around and watch the A-Grade final. When that game was over, did they choose to leave? ‘No, let’s hang around a bit longer.’  Scooba tried on three occasions to gather the troops to no avail. Finally when the sun was long gone, the boys got on the bus to head back up the Hume. Thanks for sticking around and having a yarn with us. One thing, the stories got better about how good we once were as the night went on, didn’t they? Me included of course!
Thanks Blue
It was great to have two great umpires and great blokes make the time to come up and umpire the B grade and A grade finals for the North Eastern Baseball Association. They were amazed about the distance the players travel just to play baseball each week. It was commented that some guys in Melbourne do not like even driving 15 kilometers for a game. In many ways it’s just what we do in the country, travel for sport. It is just part of it.
On another note, the atmosphere down at Targoora Park was excellent over the weekend. With three games of baseball on, it gave the opportunity for all supporters and players to mingle and chat with one another before or during or after their games. Each person who pulls on their uniforms each weekend and drive the kilometers to play a sport they love in the North East, should be proud of their efforts. Thanks to all who came down to Targoora Park or volunteered and cheered throughout the season for your respective clubs. Keep working hard and spreading the word about baseball in north eastern Victoria.
Nambrok the name Being Blokes is the game
The Nambrok crew were at their best on Sunday. Not just comfortable sitting in chairs, the boys had the idea to watch the game in style by bringing down their well traveled couch. The boys lounged and cheered in style and comfort .At the conclusion of the match it was decided to drag it onto the diamond and have a drink there. However from last reports the couch is still down at Targoora Park just lounging around. Thanks for the support this year boys. Never a dull moment from you guys and one of the many reasons why the Rangers are such an enjoyable club to play baseball at.
Watching the game in style. Thanks to Tania Pool for the image
Watching the game in style. Thanks to Tania Pool for the image
When is a Selfie stick a good idea for your phone? How about on gravel?
It seemed like a good idea at the time but Lauren “Mrs Soak” Grenfell thought it was a great idea to break out the selfie stick during post match celebrations at Ranger ranch. It was a great idea until her phone fell out of the bracket. Not once, but quite possibly more than twice to completely destroy her screen. The photos from the selfie stick? Not too bad Mrs Soak!
Tetsu’s speech
In warm up before the final Tetsu Kamiyama was recounting his round of golf on Saturday to Cam “The Soak” Scott. He informed The Soak he could not put a foot wrong carting 24 points on the front nine. He was dreaming of winning the day and making a speech to fellow club members. Sadly his back nine fell apart, only having 15 points for a total of 39. So no speech for Tetsu. After the game on Sunday Tetsu was awarded best player for the grand final and when asked to give a speech, it consisted of “Thanks.” Wonder what he would have said at the golf club if he had won?
Wangaratta Chronicle. Supporting local sport.
Hats off to the Wangaratta Chronicle for their support over the past baseball season. This was especially evident over the past week when the Wangaratta Rangers graced the front page. This scribe is trying to think to when  the last time baseball locally graced a front page of the paper? It has to have been a long time. The action shots taken over the year have been excellent and the writing to the living legend Kevin Pool and support crew for typing it up are to be commended. Each time a score is placed on Twitter it is re tweeted. All these little things help get us known and that we do play baseball in Wangaratta and the North East.
Who owes what for what?
If you have seen Wednesday’s Wangaratta Chronicle there are a few individuals who owe some coin to
“Griff’s Tin.” There has been plenty of discussion on who owes what for what? Front page must be worth a bit, and the rest? Well it was called by The Griff that it would be ‘double fine finals.’ Ever the voice of reason, Nathan Pool,  said for those going on the trip, just tip a nominated amount into the tin. Best thing about that? On the Saturday we all get to celebrate again together. Special thanks needs to go to Griff for his mastery of the tin this year, and Chopper McCullough who have planned what will surely be a memorable Ranger Ramble IV.
A picture tells a thousand words.
So true that is, from over the past weekend. If anyone has any photos from any games past or present, have a look through them and place them in the folders on the Wangaratta rangers Facebook website. It is interesting to see how our uniform has evolved over the past few years, also who was and still is, playing for the club.  Plus you never know your images may make their way onto Rounding Third!
Rangers Black Kylie Wyatt Rangers Orange Lyndal Bradburn
Relay for Life Rangers Baseball Club
The wise heads down at Wangaratta Rangers have entered a team in the relay for life in Wangaratta to be held at Barr Reserve Wangaratta on September 26th and 27th. Always a great event and a great time is had by all. Let the Pres Tony “Spinner” Smith know if you are keen to participate. Check the Wangaratta Rangers Facebook page for more details.
My Rangers Rules The King is who?
Have to ask the Pres who the King is but I think most of you avid followers out there know already who has won this years crown. Once again man of lucious beard, an all round good guy and man of tin, GMBC player The Griff has taken the 2015 crown. Well done to Griff for what I have been told was an awesome cabonara. Get working on your recipes for next years ladies and gents.
Presentation Time
Presentation is set down for Saturday the 19th of September at Cafe Martini in Wangaratta. The Annual General Meeting will precede the presentation as per usual. All you Ranger players make yourself available and come along and get involved and as well celebrate what has been a great season.
Special thanks to our sponsors
STY Metals, Plumbforce, Reflex Glass, Pave Crete, Action Smash Repairs, Shanley Signs, Rea & O’Keefe, Winsec, Elect Solar, Insite Real Estate, Whitty Produce, Ref-Ridgetech, Your Everyday Gourmet, Cafe Martini and Wangaratta Motor Group. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Special thanks to all the hardworking members of Wangaratta and all the supporters who have been working real hard to improve our great club.
Now finally from me Line Drive 
Well that is about it for this edition of Rounding Third. It has been a big year. From Cods Baseball to winning the 2015 premiership. There have been plenty of stories in between. There are plenty more stories that could be told and will be told over the course of the journey. One thing Line Drive has found in writing this insight every week, is the amount of people who do check in on it and read it. Many of us have put hours and hours into Wangaratta Rangers and we wouldn’t have it any other way. I am pretty sure that this will not be the last edition for 2015 as one may be written after presentation night among other things. If anyone has any ideas and thoughts about this blog please let me know.
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So that’s it for this week. Hope you enjoy the read and please like and share. Till next time…..
Go Rangers