Tag: Albury

Rounding Third By Line Drive October 2025

Posted on by LineDrive

 Third by Line Drive September/October 2025

Saturday, 20 September 2025

7:29 PM

Hello again. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy life to read baseball stories that no one asked for, and where everyone wants to be mentioned in, Rounding Third.

It has been another big month or more around the diamonds and the finals of the North Eastern Baseball Association are done and dusted. A big shout out to the Wodonga Warriors Baseball Club for hosting the final day of the season, the food, the service, the presentation of the facilities was excellent as ever and a credit to all. Michael, “Bill” Clear, flowers to you and your amazing team for a seamless grand final day.

It has been a slow burn of an edition, with life and friends getting in the way of publishing but here it is. Line Drive hopes all the tales are worth the wait.

Ben Campbell big ticker.

Line Drive was present to watch the A grade final vs Bears. In trying conditions for both sides, the Bears got the win. However, there was not one pitch, one minute of the game that Ben and his young Rangers did not give up. Even a play at the plate, Ben gave more than 100 per cent. He plays the game hard and fair, and that is a credit to him and his young chargers. It is noted and respected. We all love to win, but  win with integrity intact. That is what it is all about. Impressed, as Mornington Baseball teach them well.

Get well Cooper B

It has been tough few weeks for Line Drive and their editor. However, there are some tough as old boots individuals out there, and one of them is Yarrawonga’s rookie ball player the “Cowboy” Cooper Bennett.  Now Coop has been a breath of fresh air to the Rangers in season 2025, and the club are all in with him with his recovery. Line Drive had the good fortune to see him over the last couple of weeks at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where he saw evidence of Coops first love, a Brisbane Lions flag behind his bed, as well as a baseball from his cousin too. His first words to Line Drive were, “I got a home run trophy. I hit the same number as Owen”. It was fortunate enough that Owen, “The big table” Godenzi was in Melbourne to drop in and see Coop as well, and give him his baseball to sit behind him. Cowboy, we love you, we have loved the energy, the stories, the pepper you have brought through season 2025. If your club has a guy like Cooper walk through your door, your club is all the better for it. Cooper is now at a rehab centre at The Epworth Hospital, where he will do the hard yards to be able to come home ASAP.

Tony Smith Club person of the year.

Tony, “Spinner” Smith. President, treasurer, secretary, grounds person, committee member, saints life member, what has he not done. Spinners commitment to the Rangers is second to none. He just gets in and does the jobs no one sees. This past season Spin took two weeks off. Rosemary Drage was amazed that he “chose” to take two weeks off. However they came back early and Spin was back in his happy place. All clubs love people like Spin, and all of us can be a little bit like that. It is what makes all clubs run smoothly. No matter how small the job to do, always put your hand up to do it.

The Soak gets seen.

For long time readers, you all know who I am. For those who read Rounding Third, you joke and pretend to not know who I am. (Kelsey Burder, Cav to name two individuals) but Line Drive’s alter ego Cam, “The Soak”, Scott was seen and recognised by the wonderful people at Wangaratta Rangers Baseball Club. Here is word for word from the president Nathan Pool.


Life membership – Cameron James Scott 
Criteria for this privileged award is found on our website but Cam qualified this year by reaching his 150 games, spent 2 years on the executive committee and another 4 years as a general member, but what hit him over the line was his 12 year stint as Line drive, it started with a write up from Cam as an alter ego and became a state wide read, with many past players coming up to Cam at Masters weekends asking who Line Drive was, and we love what he does for the game.  So do we Cam, so do we.

First came to the club back in 2008. A member of this club actually called me, who was living in Yarra at the time, and said I heard this bloke played, I got his number and gave him a bell,  as typical Soak fashion, he had a chat and was probably sussing me out more than I was him, I just wanted another player.  But true to his word,  I gave him the couple of months that he asked for and I gave him another call and he came over for a run, he was and still is, a very handy first base player who batted on the chest side of the plate and was the voice of the team. 

Now there’s some people hear tonight that wouldn’t have seen Soak, Cam, Mr Scott, Lauren’s husband or the infamous Line Drive play, but in his prime and even to the lesser – this year, Cam would chat the entire time he was at first base, coming out with one liners and random sayings, it used to have everyone guessing what he was on about, but I loved it, it kept me in the game and it’s one thing I love about him, his passion for the basics and the club.
He was one of the founding members of the end of season trip away and up until last year, he and I plus Butts hadn’t bailed on consecutive trips. We even dressed up as Mormons together, bike helmets and all!

A 1978 model and September baby, he quickly became a close mate, we all know a great vintage when we see it. He was a helping hand in getting Cods Masters team going and travels from Yarrawonga regularly without much assistance.
He loves the game, but lives for his family and mates.  I am truly honoured to award this life membership to you and hope to keep seeing you around the club for a long time yet.

On that note…..sadly that means, Line Drive is going nowhere and will continue to bring you, the avid reader, more stories of baseball from the North East of Victoria.

As Line Drive has multiple times stated, no one asked for this but, all love to be mentioned.

Johnstone best lower order hitter

Now onto to the Ranger family in season 2025. From being the best no 9 hitter in a grade, creating a solid defence, and just being around the club, Steve has been the conduit. When awarded the trophy at presentation, someone called out his catchcry, “Come on Punkahhhhhh” He refrained. A solid outfielder, and plays the game how it should be played.  A great season, and another person you would love in your club. Steven Johnstone, the Rangers see you!

The tip bird returns

Rob Seymour was at his tip bird best at  the Rangers presentation. Mei, “Only play A grade” Sato, sat on left her dessert, and Butts was eyeing it off. 40 mins passed and Butts wanted the feed. Finally Mei gave her plate over. Eagerly Butts ate it. Never change tip bird.

The Ranger Ramble 2025

As is the norm at this time of year, the Ranger Ramble made its way to the metropolis of um……. Canberra. The theme for 2025 was tracksuits. This was the brainchild of Brad, “Undies” Murdoch, who had taken time out of his busy schedule to once again spearhead the weekend jaunt to our nation’s capital. There were only three originals left and those three, again, did not disappoint. Line Drive will leave that there! Great accommodation, great location, amazing comradery, Undies was a great host. Next year, we are going back to where it all began, Echuca. As always there is an open invite to all who wish to put up with the likes of Burder, Gilmore, Seymour, Scott, The Peruzzos, The Kings, just to name a few. A new organising committee and the planning for next years trip, started at the Tarcutta rest area! There is already a rumour circulating that a rookie may be making the trip, and a return of a big 6 member. Now who will that be???????

if you look carefully you might recognise Line Drive.

How many?

C grade MVP, Candice Jones had how many stolen bases for the season? The answer to that question was 33! In a 13 game season, that roughly is around 2.5 stolen bases per game! That is not taking into account how often Candice was on the base path in season 2025. In a game of statistics that number would have been very healthy. In 30 odd years of baseball, Line Drive wouldn’t have 33 stolen bases all up. Oh the gift of running is so useful in baseball. Great job Candice!

Cods 2026 Cods season looking to be the biggest yet!

Cods will return in 2026 and for those who are interested, need to make themselves known to the King Cod Nathan Pool. Last year was a bits and pieces year for a few people, but look for a few of them to put in a solid 4 day effort this time around. 2026 Masters dates are Thursday 26th March to Sunday the 29th March. A great weekend consisting of a little baseball, a little banter and most importantly, a catch up and a talk about how good we still are and used to be. Line Drive wonders if some past legends will return or if some new legends will be made. Keep an eye out for new merchandise in the new year. It’s time!

You could be like Duke at Cods in 2026

Now for a few cuts in the cage….

Look for ‘The Doc’ having a new knee next year, though his workmates still think they will keep hearing about his other knee too. Hope the operation goes well, Doc.

Tetsu back at Softball, could he go back to back MVP in a grand final?

Golf will happen once Pooly’s hectic schedule calms down. Maybe the club needs the Colonel Sanders to take over this idea!

Sweet Buzz playing at Tarrawingee Hall Friday night. Free show. Come along listen to Mrs Soak be awesome! If you know, you know!

Softball returns this week, for season 25/26. Good luck to you all playing and enjoy!

Congrats to the B-grade legends for bring home the premiership. Well drilled and all deserve the chocolates.

Good luck to those out there playing summer baseball in Melbourne. Safe travels, learn lots and enjoy doing it. Josh Wells, get better on the chirp. Make sure you are random, keep them guessing! Line Drive hears Kazu will be pulling out the ice cold shades once more and carving the diamond up.

Thanks to those who assisted with the Rangers garage sale recently. It was greatly appreciated.

The work doesn’t stop off the diamond in the off season, so please be present, be seen. All the little things do help.

Well that is about it. As I stated early on it has taken a little bit of time to complete this edition but sometimes life just gets in the way. Take care, enjoy one another’s company and keep spreading the word about baseball.

Share and like, Line Drive will talk and see you all soon.

Go Rangers!

Rounding Third by Line Drive July 1st 2025

Posted on by LineDrive

Hello and welcome to the June/July edition of Rounding Third. The North Eastern Baseball Association season is well over half way completed, with the next few weeks very busy for our representative sides. It was another massive weekend down at Targoora park Wangaratta, where the entire round was played over the past weekend. It was typical cold north eastern winter weather. Grey foggy conditions greeted the players, supporters and volunteers on Sunday morning. Lucky there was some great baseball played in the morning, that lifted the fog for the rest of the day. Senior results for Wangaratta were as follows:

C grade lost to the Bears

B Grade Black defeated the Bears

A Grade Black defeated the Bears

B Grade Orange got the win over Wodonga Warriors

A Grade Orange also got the win late over Wodonga Warriors

More information of the scores and so forth are available from the excellent IT team down at Wangaratta. As usual if Line Drive makes any errors, then it is an error. But Line Drive deals in the  stretching of the truth.

Let’s now see who has made the edit in this week’s edition…

Winter time blues

Year in and year out, it does not ever change. June and early July have always been the most difficult weeks to field sides in, no matter what sport you play. Baseball is no different. From jet setters looking for warmer exotic climates, to the annual pilgrimage toward the northern states, as well as just life getting in the way of baseball, some players have been unavailable for one or two games. It has placed the Ranger roster under a little duress at times, but each week, Coach Owen Godenzi and his merry band of helpers have navigated their way through. A big thanks goes to those players out there who may have done double duty on a weekend, and there are a few. But with that comes more chance to play and get up to speed quicker too. Line Drive knows who you are and from their point of view they are very grateful. Here’s to the run into finals getting a bit easier for all involved.

Pronger’s new name

A long time favourite of Line Drive is the man we all know as ‘Pronger’. Sean Whiteman rolled into the B Grade Orange game unannounced on Sunday down on diamond two. This pleased the coach Kelsey “Marathon Man” Burder, as now he had an extra player at his disposal. The issue is that Pronger can be quite injury prone on diamond two. This lead to a few players thinking his name could remove the “g” and become known as “prone” to injury. After a little bit of dicey base running “Proner” got through the game unscathed. Well almost unscathed. He was quick to leave after the game after being picked off at 3rd base! Just to avoid the fine.

Traveling man

It has come across the desk at the office of Rounding Third, that there is one player who just loves to play, and the tyranny of distance is not a hurdle. New to the Rangers this year is one, Alex, “Traveling man” Williams. Williams is not new to the sport, having played the past few years with Benalla, but with no Benalla team, Alex chose to continue to ply his developing game with the Rangers. So far this year he has been a star. He has often doubled up to help out the Ranger cause. From throwing in Dropsy Burders Orange side and then with A grade Orange.

This was the case again on Sunday where Williams got the chance to show off his prowess as an outfielder.  He flashed the leather and fired the cannon of his arm by throwing a runner out at the plate from left field on two bounces. A very solid day of baseball all round from The Traveling Man.

Burder relays the “extra” mile

It has come to Line Drive’s attention that Rangers legend and all round good guy Kelsey, “Dropsy” Burder, has taken up running. This doesn’t sound revolutionary as many people decide that they like to run, but Dropsy has taken to the sport of what is known as the ‘Beer Mile’. Basically, for those who are not sure what this involves, it means after each lap of a 400 metre track you are to consume a beer and then do another lap. In other words, 1600 metres of running with four beers dispersed throughout the run. His coaching team lead by Brad, “Undies” Murdoch, were there to make sure Burder was hydrated and ready to run. Coupled with his tracksuit, Burder definitely looked the part. This is the direct quote from the coach about Dropsy’s athletic prowess…

“Yeah went pretty well, was pretty cold but we drank ourselves a blanket, Kelsey ran well, he was set up as the anchor and ran last in the relay leg, to everyone else It was a 400m lap but to Kels  was a 100m sprint and his lap time was up there with the best on the evening. We came 5th out of 7, completing our task of not coming last” Brad Murdoch.

Kelsey Burder Beer mile
Coach Murdoch was most pleased

Great job team. Now to put that teamwork to make the dream work on the baseball diamond.

The Bestie at it

As mentioned in past editions, Shannon, “Bestie” Whiting, was down at Targoora Park trying to get his Wodonga Warriors over the line. Bestie had the usual repertoire of comments, sledges and all round pestering. One of his best was aimed at the bronzed Nathan “Nathos” Pool who has been sunning himself around the Mediterranean during June. “Nathan, I have not seen you out in centre field in 20 years. Are you lost?” (sic) Cam, “The Soak” Scott overheard the exchange as he wandered off at the change of inning and remarked “Not on diamond two at least. You’re right in that regard!” Good banter once more. The way it always should be.

Great to Strut

It was great to see on the socials of the North Eastern Baseball Association, that Strut Baseball ran a session for the emerging ball players in Wangaratta over the past weekend. A great take up of 40 young players took to Wangaratta diamonds under the watchful eyes of some of the best from Strut Baseball. From all reports and commentary, it was an extremely worthwhile exercise, with both players and coaches alike from across the clubs getting valuable insight and ways to improve their performances at their respective clubs. A big shout out to all those who took their time out of the weekend to attend and take their baseball to the next level.

Rangers turn 25.

Put it in your calendars if wish to have a day out watching baseball, and celebrating the fact that Wangaratta Rangers Baseball turns 25. Over the course of the day, all Rangers sides will be playing against one another, followed by a dinner catered by everyone’s favourite slow cook maestro Daniel, “Set it out” Griffin. There will be a collection of other offerings and one thing is for sure, Griff caters for all tastes and dietary requirements.

There will be a club photo taken during the day. This will be probably earlier rather than later as the club would love as many junior players to be part of the photo as possible.

Rangers seniors, please make sure you are available even if you are a bit sore to come together and celebrate, laugh, share memories and thank everyone for keeping the baseball story alive in Wangaratta. A ‘Quarter Century’ team will be announced on the day. Line Drive is pondering who will be in Rangers best 9 plus bench. Come along to Targoora Park on Sunday the 27th of July to catch up and find out.

Rolling the sleeves up and getting it done

Special mention goes out to the myriad of Rangers being players, parents, and people who are just around the club this season. It has been the biggest one yet with the number of games being held in Wangaratta for the season, and it has been fabulous that we have members willing to put their hand up and do their part. It has been great to see that the volunteer of the week is getting a run on the social platforms and we thank all of you out there for rolling the sleeves up and chipping in where needed. Line Drive knows the president and the committee really appreciate the assistance.

This is all straight out of left field!

  • Mei Sato likes to keep the fire burning. When not playing, Mei was happily tending to her fire pit. This was before and after the game see the before and after images!
  • Do some cleaning up, just throw those sticks on the fire as you go past Paul Maiden!
  • “That is some write up Line Drive does, always worth a read” a direct quote from a younger player Heath, “Bring the heat” French. Maybe there is still a place for the written word after all.
  • Meat tray winners this week were those who worked in the canteen late in the day, Dan and Matt. Nice work you two. Or is this too much coincidence of coercion?
  • Trip away theme this year is tracksuits to Canberra. A personal favourite of Undies Murdoch right? Cash is King!
  • Always have the right under garments on while you play Cooper Bennett!
  • Bunts gets the win. Shout out to Brendon French for dropping the game breaking bunt for Rangers Orange when called on at a pinch late in the game.
  • Welcome back to Cam “The Soak” Scott. He was overheard to say, “Yeah, O found me”
  • Tough hard fought win by Rangers Black over Bears. From the sounds coming from Line Drives position it was one arm wrestle of a match. Credit to all involved on both sides of the result.
  • Who left without paying their donations to the trip away fund? Those who know and go, know who you are! Tetsu even paid his dues for slip up at short stop! Long stops in next time.
  • Dan Wells is after you for the 45 club. Go find him as part of a small syndicate of people and you could win! A few places left, and if you are outside the club just send us a message on the socials to be part of it.
  • New jerseys are available and for a great price (if you have ordered one) it is yours. See the friendly people at training or on the weekend to get yours.
  • Dinner on Wednesday 2nd July, is brought to you by Rangers Orange B grade. Chef Kelsey is in the house this week. Get around him
  • Reminder that playing subs are now due. Please see a member of committee to sort this out.
  • Working bee reminders, always looking for those who have a spare little time to help out. Next one is Saturday 5th July…
  • Junior carnival coming up in July 12 and 13, so many hands make light work.
On the slow burn
Stay warm Mei

Another massive edition. Line Drive will be seeing you good folk soon. Stay warm and as always,

Go Rangers….

Rounding Third By Line Drive May 13th 2025

Posted on by LineDrive

Hello again and welcome to Rounding Third by Line Drive, your inside pitch on everything Rangers! The North Eastern Baseball Association has three rounds in the books already and Line Drive even made an appearance at one of the rounds.

It was thought that it was time to give what you the avid consumer of north Eastern Baseball wanted, and that was the strange and unique tales of what has been going on around the various characters and personalities that make up the Rangers. This year there is even more to talk about with the Rangers having FIVE senior teams! A lot of potential gossip and stories from THAT many people.

In baseball action over the weekend, C grade went down in a close score of four to three.        Both B grade sides had a large turnover of players but both put two competitive sides out on the park. Neither got the chocolates, while in A grade, a stellar outing from Ben Campbell propelled Rangers Black to a shut out win against Wodonga.

Rangers Orange had the week off. Enough about that, let’s get to see what has come across Line Drive’s desk from the weekend.

Whiteman lays it all on the line for a run

Early on in the Rangers Orange vs Bears Gold match on diamond two, Shaun “Pronger” Whiteman was commended by Chris Tracey on his sacrifice he made to score that one run. Sacrifice? Pronger, along with others, were a little perplexed with his achievement. It was one run and it will live in the halls of baseball folklore forever! However for poor Pronger, this was to be his only contribution to the game. He managed to roll an ankle with an awkward slide into second base. “I thought the bases moved” was Prongers explanation. Err no, they have not moved in at least three years! Still what a first run you added to the Ranger cause Pronger. Amazing!

That’s not a home run

The scorers discretion was at it again in Rangers B grade where late in the game Chris, “I’m excited” Tracey, had a three run home run ruled as an error. When asked after the game, scorer extraordinaire Jamie King ruled it a E7 muffed fly with 3 runs scoring. From Line Drive’s point of view this was the correct scoring decision but still a sweet strike by Tracey. Maybe next week. I’m excited!

Fill out that shirt properly Owen

The number 51 shirt has done a little bit of double time over the first few rounds of the 2025 season. New to the game and soon to be Yarrawonga’s best ball player Cooper “Brew Review” Bennett, has been having a lend of the number 51 shirt while the new ones are on order. It was noted by club president and original FOMO (more about that later) Nathan Pool that Bennett’s  biceps really fill the shirt out in true “Terry Crews” style. Many a Ranger took the time to point this out to the owner of the 51 shirt, Owen “O’ Godenzi, remarking that that’s how the shirt should be worn and why is there a button missing at the top? Get back in the gym O. One thinks Bennett might have you covered.

The tin returns

It has been a long time coming with a few false dawns and setbacks, but the Rangers fines tin has returned in season 2025, much to delight of those legends of the trip away. After the round of B grade games on Sunday, many long time contributors including Brad, “Undies” Murdoch and Kelsey “Bad back” Burder, were quick to begin to put the coin in the tin. After last weekend’s round of matches, the tin has more cash in it than the last four years combined. For those who want to get in on this madness, make some errors, do some silly stuff and you can be part of the fun which is the rangers trip away.

45s club is here

A great initiative this season has been the introduction of the 45’s club. Devised by Daniel “The Wishing” Wells it sees 45 individuals spend $100 over the season. The winner each week is the first number to be drawn from Wednesday’s night lotto draw. Already, Wellsy has managed to sell one block of 45 numbers, with the second selling very nicely too. However typical lotto randomness with Owen Godenzi winning two of the first three weeks! Let’s hope the next few are a little more random. If you are interested in a number see Wellsy on a Wednesday night or on a Sunday.

The apple does not fall far from the tree.

Another Sunday another day of baseball. Many were keen to play, however others were not as keen. One who was not so keen was Ranger media influencer Mikayla “KK” Pool and for a good reason. Not only was KK going to be playing in A grade against a very good Wodonga Warriors outfit, but KK may be just like her father. Now in fairness, that last sentence came from the original FOMO Nathan Pool but judging by the body language, KK had a late night after her debutante ball. Eventually KK reluctantly decided to play and proceeded to play beyond her years getting a base hit and playing flawless second base. Very impressive KK.

Who is that in right field?

Line drive was spectating the Rangers Black vs Wodonga Warriors A grade game where it took them a while to realise who was playing right field. It was a double take when there was the revelation that Aaron, “Azza” Parker was plying his trade out in the unfamiliar surrounds of right field!   Over the years Aaron has been patrolling left side of the infield at short stop and third base, but now as the elder statesman of the youthful A grade Rangers Black side, he is now become a utility ready to fill in a gap, no matter where it is on the diamond. One hell of a right fielder you have right there in that team Rangers.

Rossco reappears.

It was great to see another Ranger down at Targoora park recently. Ross, “Rossco” Johnson attempted to slide down and watch some baseball incognito in between his jet setting lifestyle. It would not be an edition of Rounding third if it did not have a Ross Johnson reference at least once in the season. So welcome back to the fold Rossco.

Sato only plays A grade

President Nathan Pool found out a bit of interesting information from Mei Sato.  Pooly made reference that Mei should have played on the weekend. This was Mei’s response

was “no only A grade, when I’m not good enough for A grade. I retire” Sato laughed. One thinks Mei has been hanging around Tetsu Kamiyama too long! Mind you saying that Tetsu helped out in B grade last round…….hmmmmm!

Rangers Ball 2025

A night to dress up, dine in style, and dance the night away as we celebrate 25 incredible years of Wangaratta Rangers. Included in your ticket is a two course meal with entertainment brought to you by ‘Me and the Girl’, at The Gateway in Wangaratta, on Saturday 27th June 2025, from 7pm.

Early bird tickets are available and can be purchased using the link below. Dress attire is formal. Line Drive could be there too. So bring your partner, or your friends and come along and celebrate 25 fantastic years of Rangers Baseball.

https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1397368

Let’s aim for the short porch.

  • What’s with these new numbers? 00, 02? Will there be a 007 eventually? Maybe time for the turnover of playing numbers.
  • Special mention to the volunteers who have assisted in the canteen this season. It has been a very busy time and a big thank you to all.
  • Did anyone notice that Mrs Soak is sporting a brand new Rangers hat? That’s right, Dan Wells did a great job spruiking the new social club, and she took the bait as the first $150 sponsor…..impressive, Mrs Soak, impressive! For those who would like to see the options for social club membership, see Dan Wells.
  • Wednesday night meals have been on fire. For $10 plenty to eat and a drink. An absolute bargain. Get around and get involved.
  • Great to see the photos from the first few weeks. Available to purchase! Have a look you might see yourself! Yack Drone gallery, check them out!

Now for the club stuff

Fees are now due. See the website and Team app for more details!

Not sure what is going on? Download the Team app and keep up to date all things Rangers!

Check the rosters and help out where you can!

45’s club is on sale see Wellsy for more details!

New playing shirts have been ordered, should be in stock soon!

Check out the Rangers website and Facebook. If you have any questions just ask!

That is enough from me. Till next time,

Go Rangers!

Rounding Third By Line Drive. Cods Masters edition 2025.

Posted on by LineDrive

Hello and welcome to the 2025 edition of Cods Capers. The Cods tested their baseball stamina in the Victorian Masters baseball Championships, which was held from 37th to the 30th of March 2025 in Ballarat. This year the Cods were in the 35B division. It was another solid performance from the Cods over their four games. Here are their results….

Thursday 27th March

Cods 11 defeated Baulking Dead 2

Friday 28th March

Cods 2 lost to Bald Eagles 9

Cods 7 defeated Rebels 4

Saturday 29th of March

Bendigo Dragons 9 defeated Cods 4

So after the four games played, the Cods finished third with a record of two wins and two losses, 24 runs for and 24 against. What amazing symmetry by all. A massive thank you needs to go out to all the volunteers and organisers of the tournament. It was the biggest one yet and from this scribes point of view, it was once again expertly organised and run. To all the Cods who made it at some stage over the three days for laughs and baseball, thank you again. One is sure that it will be done again in 2026.

Now enough about the baseball content,  Line Drive knows many of you are here to hear about what the characters of the Cods have been up to on, and off, the diamond. There is a lot to write about, so settle in and enjoy the read.

Scootle Butts shenanigans

The Cods were back again in Ballarat on Thursday, and already the boys have made themselves known to the establishments and the pavements of Ballarat.

There are many ways to navigate the streets of Ballarat. Taxis  buses, Uber and the old Cods favourite…. Scooters. Those long time readers of the Cod Capers, would remember one Brendan, “Camma” Cameron had a bit of a fall from a scooter, with some bark taken off his face around 5 years ago. One would think we would have learnt our lesson. Enter Rob, “Duke Kaboom” Seymour. On the way to get a late night snack with Kelsey, “Dropsy” Burder and Brad, “Undies” Murdoch, Duke took it upon himself to commentate his ride on Snap Chat, riding a scooter down the street. Unknowingly documenting his ride with the phrases, “I’m scared! I’m scared!” Duke then decided to go stuntman mode by attempting to ride the scooter one handed while recording with the other. Unwittingly, Duke recorded his demise into the pavement.

4 metres Duke?

Not to outdone, Duke jumped to his feet and made sure he sent the video to at least three or four different groups. For many who were not even in Ballarat yet, waking up Friday morning to watch this video of some of Duke’s best work was surprising and concerning. But Duke was ok, a little bark off his face wasn’t going to stop him! When Line Drive caught up with our favourite stuntman on Friday night, you wouldn’t have guessed that he had not stuck the landing. Good to see the helmet did its job Duke.

Safari Friday night

Line Drive rolled into town on Friday night and was greeted with the sight of two Cods who decided to go on a safari. Dropsy Burder and Matt, “Bulldog” Carmody. The ivory polyester was resplendent and both Bulldog and Dropsy were very happy with their work. Dropsy did say a bit later on in the evening it was not the best outfit to wear while dancing and it was not the most breathable. The price you pay to look good Kelsey.

Tetsu makes a funny. Hot baseball Jonker didn’t get it

Testsu, “BOG” Kamiyama has had a big week. Spies tell me that he had an absolute blinder for Wodonga Softball Wednesday night. So one would think he would carry that form into Thursday’s game for Cods. How wrong Cods were! The very first play of the game The “BOG” decided that the ball was too small and very hard to field booting the first play of Cods 2025. However he was fast with his mouth to make up for it on during Friday’s win against the Rebels. Jason, “Sunscreen” Jonker, had a rough outing and after a long ball which many say was one of the biggest home runs hit against Cods in years, Tetsu fumbled the ball back to Jonker. “The ball is too hot still. Very hard to handle!” Unfortunately Sunscreen didn’t get the reference. Mind you, everyone else there did.

Kelsey Dropsy. Warfe blinders

There were tales of many a play throughout the three days of baseball. Many Cods were quick to alert Line Drive to two differing styles of catch. It ridiculous that one was actually caught, and the other was absurd with how they caught it.

During game two on Friday v the Rebels, Sean, “The Doc” Warfe decided to do his best superman impression while playing centre field. The ball was drilled to the left centre alley where The Doc proceeded to track it and make an outrageous dive to make the catch 5m from the home run fence. Both sides were in awe of what they just witnessed.

Now here is the difference in two plays. Kelsey, “Dropsy” Burder was at it again. This time he was playing 3rd base, where he has the knack of making the routine look extremely difficult. Here’s the play. Hitter pops the ball up towards Dropsy at 3rd base. All he has to do is take 3 to 4 steps to get there and catch it. However, Kelsey completely misread it and somehow catches the ball back behind his head in a most contorted manner. Again the Cods were in amazement that somehow Dropsy had been able make an easy play so difficult. One remarked that one play was top shelf, while Dropsy’s attempt looked like it had come from a play from Temu. Never change Kelsey.

Side note, it has been the fifth year in a row that Dropsy has knocked over Rob Seymour’s drink at some stage over the weekend.

Who took the last lamb cutlet? Mixed grill Murdoch and Pooly.

The Cods thought it would be a good idea to have a spot of lunch at a different place on the way to Saturdays’ game, and it was lamented by many that the good old mixed grill had gone by the wayside on many pub menu. Enter the Queens Head Ballarat! A classic mixed grill with lamb cutlets. King Cod Nathan, “FOMO” Pool, was quick to order followed by Brad, “Undies” Murdoch. However, it was discovered that the cutlets are off the mixed grill menu. One would think, that without the lamb cutlets, should drop the price by ten dollars. However it did not. Both men tucked into the impressive mixed grill with Pool polishing it all off. Undies was struggling. Enter Rob, “Duke Kaboom” Seymour, who swopped in and helped out Undies. What a guy!

Where are you Cods?

There was a bit of a miscommunication on Saturday afternoon. Half of the Cods went for a catch up right next door to the accommodation while the other four decided to venture yonder. When it came time to catch up the five Cods went to where they thought the others were, while they thought to come back to where the five were. Cue the music. Nathan, “FOMO” Pool, then made veiled threats against the rogue five Cods who were having a sophisticated evening at another venue. “Big fines” was the threat. The rogue five all agreed that was all good, and it was an enjoyable evening none-the-less.

Griff goes missing again

Daniel “The Griff” Griffin is beginning to make a habit of going missing. After playing the first three games of the weekend, Griff confided to Cam “The Soak” Scott that he would not be making an appearance at Saturday’s game. He was off to play Marvel “Crisis Protocol” for the day. Now, over the years we have had Cods not play due to weddings, birthdays, being ill and heck even for playing the pokies, but this was a first and one of the most random reasons for not playing. When Chief Cods Nathan, “FOMO” Pool heard, his face was one of shock and surprise. The last time Griff was sighted was going off up over the hill to his secret handshake society. Wonder how it all went?

Welcome back Mr Whiteman

It was great to see Shaun, “Pronger” Whiteman return to the Cods fold. Over the weekend Pronger was thereabouts giving out advice on a few occasions at others misfortune.  On Saturday against the Bendigo Dragons, things took an turn. Pronger was tasked with the difficult job playing left field with day three pitching specialist Ash, “The Game” Meyers. Now from the first few plays, it looked like it was going to be a busy day in left field. The first couple went through the cones for two bases, the next, straight to our man Pronger. The pick up no problem, the throw in to his great mate Fomo Pool, basically spiked into the ground and reached Fomo rolling along it. This had the Cods infield in stiches, or was it the mixed Grill that Nathan had eaten that had him doubling over in pain? Who knows!

When you are having an unlucky day, the ball tends to follow you and this continued for Pronger. With his parents looking on, Pronger went for a flyball, turned the wrong way stumbled, composed himself and turned the wrong way again to drop the flyball. The play had a start, a middle and an ending. It was a sight to behold. From there, a change was made and our man of the moment wandered over to centre field. The ball followed him over there, but this time it was a home run. That was it for Whiteman, he was happy to sit on the bench to see the game out. In all, the Cods are absolutely wrapped to have him back out there.

Now for the short of it from Cods 2025

  • Brendon, “Frenchy” French’s favourite number? Is it the number 6 or the number 7, or number eight ah ah ahhhhhhhhhhhhh (Enter the Count from Sesame Street)
  • Have a great trip Damon “Barks” Barker. Barks drove down for the day on Thursday, goes 3 for 3 and heads home before going straight to the airport to jump on a plane to Europe. Cods commitment right there.
  • Fair trade? Cods checking out Friday night Jason Jonker, Tetsu Kamiyama, Michael “Bill” Clear. Cods checking in….Cam “The Soak” Scott!
  • Calling a fines meeting at 10:30pm? Maybe the fine was paying to get into the venue in the first place!
  • Wandering Cods. Cods were seen at many a different venue. But not all in the one place at once. The way the Cods roll.
  • What is the adequate number of spas one can have in a day? Also, how long does it take to fill? Enough time to go out for breakfast? Ask Bulldog for an idea.
  • New shirts for next year Cods? Watch this space. The new hats are good too. Well done to Duke Kaboom.
  • Meyers goes yard. One of the longest home runs hit on Diamond 6 at the footy ground ever seen. 450ft Ash?
  • Want another Guinness Doc? Peruzzo maybe? Maybe a bottle of Vino is more our style.
  • Pufferfish 2025? Watch this space……………………..
  • Well done to all players, volunteers, vendors, and anyone who assisted in the running of their teams compete in the 2025 Masters Baseball. The biggest yet.
  • Line Drive only had a limited time there this year, but look for him to return for the whole event again in 2026.

Cods 2025 were-

Nathan Pool

Rob Seymour

Brendon French

Damon Barker

Ash Meyers

Matt Carmody

Steve Peruzzo

Kelsey Burder

Daniel Griffin

Tetsu Kamiyama

Jason Jonker

Michael Clear

Shaun Whiteman

Sean Warfe

Cam Scott

Line Drive is sure not everything has been covered, but if you are still reading now you are always in the for long haul. Thank you to all out there who share read and enjoy.

Go Cods.

Rounding Third By Line Drive March 2025

Posted on by LineDrive

It’s a new year, a new season, and that means Rounding Third returns for its 12th year in 2025.

Hello, and welcome to Rounding Third for year 2025. Line Drive is back to look into the stories and characters that make up the largest baseball club in the North Eastern Baseball Association. The Wangaratta Rangers.

Rounding Third has always been at places online, and easy to find. This will continue to be the case. However, those with a short 45 second attention span (or 200 words) have probably already given up reading (Mikayla Jonker, just wondering if you are sticking with it?)

However for the rest of you, Line Drive welcomes you back and hope you are all well.

It has been a while, and to be honest Line Drive has certainly been soaking up the sun around the North East, amongst other pursuits, but now his mind has turned to what has been going on around the Wangaratta Rangers baseball community. One thing is for sure, what he does not know, he will certainly make it up and make it sound pretty plausible!

Let’s get to it.

New website.

The time had come, all things Wangaratta Rangers needed a refresh. It required a new spin on things! A new spin on the story of Wangaratta. The new and improved Wangaratta Rangers website is now live and taking hits. Candice Jones has spent a considerable amount of time talking to members of the club, getting the right feel and spin to propel the club forward. So, it’s time to update your bookmarks (Line Drive readers generally do bookmarks) and checkout Wangarattarangers.com

Cod season 2025

Cod season is only a mere a week away, and the King Cod, Nathan Pool has been busy once again making sure there are enough of his codlings migrating downstream to Ballarat over the March 29th weekend. It will be a bit of a different Cods line-up in 2025 but there will be some heavy hitting veterans appearing once more. It was declared last week to Line Drive that Ash,”The Game” Meyers is looking for puffer-fish award number four. Line Drive is aware that Meyers has put in some pre-season work and is itching to play.

There are a few new Cods swimming down south in 2025. Line Drive has been looking at the list and hearing the chat around the water cooler that Michael, “Bill” Clear is debuting this year. When asked about his preparation, Bill was happy with the schedule. He plans to play for two days then have a 35hr break for umpiring duties back on the border, then to come back to Ballarat.                                                                                                                                                                   For the Cods in the know, only one player in 12 years has gone back to the border and returned to the masters competition. This individual did go on to win the puffer-fish that year. Could it be done again?

Barks doesn’t miss

It has come to the attention of the Cods in the know, that since the inception of Cods, only two players have never missed a tournament. One being the Big Cod Nathan, “FOMO” Pool and the other, Porepunkah’s Damon, “Barks” Barker. It was looking like Cod trip 2025 was going to be the first one that Barks would be missing with other adventures planned. However, Barks had different ideas on this one and will be suiting up for at least one game on Thursday afternoon, keeping his streak intact before flying out to Europe. For that effort,  this deserves a vote in the Puffer-fish award. Safe travels Barks.

The Disco falls silent

Over the past month or so, Line Drive was informed that Shaun, “Old School” O’Neil, is having a sabbatical year in 2025. This has caused a bit of a stir in the office of Rounding Third due to Old School being a rich source of content over the years of Rounding Third. It looks like others are going to have to fill the big concrete holes left behind by number 2. Enjoy your season off Old School. You will be missed by this Ranger.

Trip away footy tipping

There is a little pocket of the Rangers playing and support cohort who have been on many an end of season trip away over the years. There have been many reports about masters weekend too. This year, the trip crew are going back to basics and looking for ways to raise revenue. One way that cohort decided raise a bit of cash, was to enter the footy tipping at a local establishment. The real test is that each member of the trip will be asked to tip a round.     Kelsey, “Dropsy” Burder offered to tip the last round. Line Drive will let everyone know when they will be tipping, so don’t worry! 

Training returns to Wednesday

It has been warm in the north east for the first three weeks of Rangers training. This has not stopped the numbers from being impressive. Coach Owen, “Sits at the big table” Godenzi, has been impressed with the attitude and the willingness of everyone to be involved and learning how to improve. So if you are yet to attend, senior training is from 6pm on-wards on Wednesdays. You might even sight Line Drive there too.

Taylor terrorising twos attacks

Dancing man John, “Johnno” Taylor, has had a very good season of cricket with the Yarrawonga-Mulwala Cricket Club. On more than one occasion, Taylor has dug the Yarrawonga-Mulwala Lakers A reserve side out of a hole with some lusty striking. One wonders if Taylor will be gracing the diamonds of the north east this winter with similar lusty hitting. One could only wonder.

Rangers Bringing Light to the Dark

Big thanks go to Steve and Lisa Peruzzo, Mick and Taylah Wyatt, Jamie and Gus King and Frenchy for helping out at the Project 365 concert at Avian Park on February 22nd. They ran the merchandise stand throughout the night in some very warm conditions, and in true Ranger style, helped put a very important message out into the community. The crew at Project 365 loved having the Rangers involved. Remember, ‘it’s ok to not be ok’ You can get some help. Talk about your feelings…. Lifeline.org.au 13 11 14

A big thank you for all your efforts

Now onto the club stuff

Congratulations to Kate and Azza Parker on the arrival of their son Nelson. Nice work, what a ripper!! It’ll be great to see young Nelson join his brother Patty on the diamonds in the coming years!

Need to pay your registration? Head through the club website and click through to winter registration. Process is quick and easy. See the club if having difficulties….

Anyone seen Scott “Jenko” Jenkins? One heard he may be making a comeback in season 2025.

Good luck to Cods Masters who head to Ballarat for the weekend. Have fun and stay safe,

Well that’s enough from me. Try and stay cool and hydrated in the heat (if it is warm where you are reading this) and speak to you soon…….

Go Rangers

And Go Cods!

Line Drive presents The Voodoo Diaries November 11th 2024

Posted on by LineDrive

Hello and welcome to the final edition of The Voodoo Diaries 2024, from the Pan Pacific Games on the Gold Coast.It has been another epic chapter of Voodoo Masters Baseball both on and off the diamond. Line Drive has been ever present and is feeling pretty gassed right about now. This a long edition as it covers the past three to four days of games, not to mention what makes the diaries worth reading! So get comfy and grab a coffee or water or whatever you need to re-hydrate after a large 10 days!

Thursday game vs Surfers Bluewave

On Thursday Voodoo were playing Team Surfers Bluewave after drawing with them on Monday. After a little distraction on who were the home side, it was Voodoo’s turn to lead it off. Tom Simmons duly obliged by getting on base. A quick double play was then turned by Surfers Bluewave to quickly put 2 outs on the board. Patient batting by Jay Ziersch and the rest of the middle order helped build a lead. Jude Power was backed by the Voodoo field, by shutting the Bluewave hitters down. A couple of big hits to Power and Owen Godenzi saw them trade second base tacking on another run. Bluewave worked their way back into the game but old rubber arm Nathan Pool was then deployed to once more, keep the hard hitting Bluewave subdued. To make things interesting, Voodoo had a quick 1,2,3 batting inning and gave Bluewave the right of reply. A couple of hits here and there gave hope for another comeback. But, basic baseball was the order of the day with Damon Barker taking the last out at centre field for the Voodoo to win 6 to 4. Voodoo now are in the final against the Chugganaughts on Saturday.

Friday vs Chugganaughts

On Friday, and in extremely sultry conditions, Voodoo played the Chugganaughts in their final preliminary round game.To be fair, both sides were more interested in getting the game done and dusted as quickly as possible. So much so that the Chugganaughts retired 10 Voodoo hitters on end. Pitcher Davis Long remarked at one stage “I may as well just stay out there.”

Chugganaughts got an early lead, and after a bit more of last night had come out of the pores of the Voodoo boys, they woke up and got the lead. Chugganaughts fought back and tied the game much to their own bewilderment. Both teams were happy to call it square and be ready for the Gold medal game Saturday.

Saturday Gold medal match Voodoo vs Chugganaughts

As mentioned earlier Voodoo and Chugganaughts played off in the final of the 35 plus division of the Pan Pacs. Luke Hornstra got the start and after a little bit of bad Voodoo, the Chugganaughts put three out of the yard. To be fair each home run got longer. That was enough for Hornstra. He had to be substituted due to a severe case of whiplash. It was then tasked to Tom Simmons to quell their power hitters, however the boys from Adelaide just kept chugging. Voodoo got a couple of runs back, but it looks like someone drank Jobu’s rum as nothing seemed to go Voodoos way. A late home run to Ben Laux, but it was too little, too late. There were a few in the crowd who said the same thing. Chugganaughts far too good winning 11 to 3. A game played with great spirit by both sides and it was great to share a soda water with them after the game. Nice work Chugganaughts. A huge thank you to the Surfers Paradise Baseball club for again providing top class facilities, from diamonds to food and beverage options. It was a massive effort.

Now the recaps are complete, what have those Voodoo boys and girls been up to?

Scott puts himself in

Masters tournaments are long and arduous affairs. As the week moves through, players are become pretty banged up with the grind of one, and sometimes two games a day. Not to mention the extracurricular excursions out and around the Gold Coast.

It was time for Cam “The Soak” Scott, to help out those weary bodies. After a shaky start and a little bit of nervous energy left near the diamond, Scott returned with his first game since May. A few stretches here and there at first base, and it just felt like old times for Cam. No hits for Cam but he was very happy to have helped out the Voodoo cause.

To the point

Owen “O” Godenzi, dreamt up a little bit of a friendly competition. Each player picked a Voodoo hitters name out of a hat and would win a prize for the amount of hits, runs and strikeouts etc. O thought he would give an update after Thursday’s game. However, it was like the first 18 rounds of the Brownlow medal. Long and tedious. So much so, that the dream catcher award was pushed right back. After a good 15 minutes of very confused dribble, O finished. Top three only next time, O. Like any event only the top three matter. Line Drive doesn’t even know who is leading…..

Word of the week

The week away with Voodoo can be described with one word. Relentless. This can have many different connotations. Relentless can be applied to the verbal barrage that Tom Simmons gave Luke Hornstra after the final. Relentless was the laughter at each other’s expense. Relentless was the pursuit of a great breakfast place. When you ask a Voodoo about the Pan Pac games the answer will be ‘Relentless’

Davo knows his tunes

Davis ‘Juke Box’ Long has a lot of music rattling around inside his head. Line Drive does not think there was one song which came on the boom box, at each and every game that Davo did not know. This also extended to the evenings at the convention centre where each time you looked over at him he was looking at you mouthing each song word for word. Another skillful Voodoo player both on and off the diamond.

How tall are you?

Michelle Pratt, scorer extraordinaire, thought on Thursday night that she would get closer to the front at the Killer Queen tribute night.  However the tall timber of the Voodoo muscled in to obscure the view. Owen Godenzi helped Michelle out by picking her up to improve the view.

Check your accounts

After a good meal and a bit of banter Thursday night, it came to the part of the evening where it was time to settle the bill. A pretty easy, standard thing we have all done. However, Dennis “Denuto” Smith, couldn’t quite figure it out.

John Kus and Cam Scott were just finishing their drink before leaving, and upon checking the bill after a wonderful meal at the Loose Moose, they discovered Dennis may have had a few difficulties fixing up his part of the bill. Plenty of swiping but no transaction Dennis!! IT issues that were in the end sorted and paid. Dennis soon disappeared after that!

Early games

This time around, the Voodoo have been very fortunate to have drawn afternoon games. However, the sting in the tail was Friday morning. Rob “Butts” Seymour, who has been doing double duty with The Bravehearts, warned that it is hotter and very still in the morning, out at the grounds. The Voodoo did not take Butts sage advice and were whacked with the sauna no one asked to have. Wayne “Beato” Beaton, was looking quite frazzled after those oppressive conditions.

Yep Butts you were right, again!

Voodoo is a family

This has been the second time Line Drive has been asked to diarise the Voodoo. Like any operation, there are many moving parts. From our wonderful scorers Michelle and Rosie who have both been on the book, and the iPad using game changer. It does not go unseen by Line Drive.

Another individual who has one of the more demanding roles that is umpiring, is Law and Order’s own, Greg Howard. From plating two games in a day, to listening to players whine, Greg just tells it as it is. Some rules are there to protect runners, from bonehead plays. A big thankyou to you all, who just make the week work so much better.

From Line Drive

It has again humbled me this week with the kind words and praise for doing what I really like doing.Even old team mates are surprised to learn who Line Drive is (see Cav, there’s the mention), trying to give you all an insight into each of the wonderful individuals and moments, that make up Voodoo. Line Drive has enjoyed the week immensely. I was having a glass of red last night, and as said previously, Voodoo is a big family who get to come together every two years, eat, drink, laugh, play a sport we all love and enjoy one another’s company.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to come away again, chronicle the people and hopefully give life to each and every wonderful person who make up the Voodoo family. It may not be as fancy as a pod cast or as immediate as a tik tok, and, generally it is always over 200 words long. Given the chance of an audio book or podcast, Josh Graham still is my choice to voice it.

To all you baseball folk out there, thank you for taking the time to read the musings of a slack swinging left handed hitter who generally talks rubbish, loves high sock Sunday, and is happy to sit in the back ground, bringing your tales to life.

Line Drive will return in 2025, where there may be some ‘Cod Tales’ and of course, ‘Rounding Third’ for Wangaratta.

Voodoo Pan Pacific Games 2024

Umpire- Greg Howard

Scorers- Rosie Ziersch and Michelle Pratt

Captain- Grumpy Bradley Pratt

Lead Booker Merchandiser- Davis Long

Coach- John Kus

Game Changer Coordinator- Owen Godenzi

Players-

Nathan Pool

Rob Seymour

Brendan Simmons

Tom Simmons

Luke Hornstra

Dennis Smith

Wayne Beaton

Josh Graham

Jude Power

Ben Laux

Jay Ziersch

Damon Barker

Cam Scott

And me, Line Drive. If you know, you know.

Time for Line Drive to get some rest. It has been my great pleasure writing these all week.In the words of Shoresy, “We go till we can’t go no more”

Go Voodoo.

Voodoo 2024

Rounding Third by Line Drive August 2024

Posted on by LineDrive

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Rounding Third. It has been a little while since Line Drive has run his eye over the goings on in the North Eastern Baseball Association.

However over the past weekend, he was able to ride on out to the Ranger dome and catch up with some new, and many old faces who have been on the end of a bit of light hearted banter over the years in this little bit of writing.

This year the social media game has certainly gone up a notch which has been sensational for the clubs exposure. It’s been looking pretty schmick.

A big shout out goes to Rangers Grey who have been just out of luck most of this season. However they gritted their teeth yesterday and finished off the season with a walk off win over Bears Gold in A grade. It was fitting that Rob, “Butts” Seymour was the winning run across the plate. Great work ladies and gents.

A Grade grey season finished on a winning note. What is Kelsey looking at?

Next week sees the start of finals with the Rangers being represented across numerous grades. It is Grand Final weekend for the juniors too. The under 15’s will be playing Wodonga in the Grand final. Games to be played out at Targoora Park in Wangaratta. A BIG Sunday coming up this Father’s Day.

Line Drive will leave all other correspondence to the wonderful IT gurus we have at Wangaratta and the North Eastern Baseball Association. He is returning to his traditional values, with a bit of sass and some tongue in cheek observations of the varying individuals who play in the Orange,  Black (and Grey) of the Wangaratta Rangers. 

Now with all of that out of the way, what has been going on?

Soaks rambling dribble returns

Not much has been seen of Line Drive’s good friend Cam “The Soak” Scott over the 2024 season. Many have reported the diamonds have been much quieter, and let’s be honest, much more refined. On Sunday just gone, The Soak rode in to Ranger land to support his brothers and sisters of the Rangers with what many of you may know as his own unique approach to ‘talking it up’  Ably assisted by some current Rangers, Jason “Sunscreen” Jonker and past Ranger,

Scott “#Jenkoselbow” Jenkins, The Soak decided to run his mouth at Rangers B Grade vs Wodonga Warriors B Grade. First target. B grade “Skipper” Mick Wyatt, who had decided to take his turn on the pitchers rubber.

The Soak was in one of his upbeat weird kind of moods and he was choosing chaos.

“I’ve ridden down here just to watch you pitch number 11” Wyatt the chose to spike the next pitch into the dirt, and his next remark was “Shut up Cam!” When asked later about his grumpy outburst, Mick clarified that he was attempting not to laugh at what had been said.

With that in mind, many others in the B Grade dugout got a little bit of the bizarre inner workings of The Soaks mind too.

Another target was Paul, “6 dots” Maiden. Cam thought that one was pretty clever, however a little too clever for young Mikayla, “I find Line Drive boring” Jonker, where both Jenko and Cam had to explain the reference. Once explained, Mikayla doubled down on her dislike for cricket. Sadly still, the reference was lost. Sometimes, the banter is a little too refined and obscure and that is the way Cam likes it.

Peruzzo and his new veneers.

In between explaining obscure references to younger members of the side, The Soak turned his attention to Steve, “Fernando” Peruzzo and his nice looking veneers. It has been a while since Fernando has had a full smile, but they were certainly on show On Sunday. Cam asked Dan Wells if he should mention Fernando’s great, new looking chompers, and Dan was all in for it.

When mentioned, all Fernando did was well….smile.

Murdoch’s Moustache masterclass

Brad, “Undies” Murdoc, has been many things to many people over the years at Wangaratta. A great club person, knock around bloke, a great dancer to the odd midnight oil song, but one thing that is underestimated is the majestic nature of his upper lip. The Rangers do have a few great beards, but only one true superstar moustache. Undies owns that. The man of great beard, Scott Jenkins, did a little bit of commentary on the true style of Murdoch’s mo.

“Best tache in the Association” Jenko said…..It’s hard to argue with that commentary Jenko.

 It was also noted that Matt, “The Colonel” Sanders top lip is also looking nice and full of hair follicles too. Maybe Murdoch’s mo mantel is under threat in B grade? Watch this space for updates.

Dropsy’s new trick

It was duly noticed on the weekend, during the Rangers Grey vs Bears Gold game on diamond 1 that Kelsey, “Dropsy” Burder has a new trick. Early on in the game, Burder surprised those watching by throwing his catchers helmet at the batter. Kyle Gilmore was even impressed as this was a new skill Burder has built into his repertoire this season. Dropsy no more? Never.

Always be Dropsy!

Mei see you around!

Mei Sato has really enjoyed her return to the diamond in season 2024. She is at every training and always looking for ways to improve. Mei had become ever reliable for the Wangaratta Grey in season 2024. Mei has filled a variety of positions over the season and under the watchful eye of Tesuya “Tets” Kamiyama, the improvement has been excellent. Mei was quoted as hoping the season was continuing. It’s always great to have positive up beat individuals like Mei involved at the club.

KK. The new queen of all things Rangers

Once just the domain of Line Drive, this year has seen many others take on small roles and responsibilities around getting information into the public domain. From creating many of the week to week posts on Instagram and Facebook, Mikayla “KK” Pool has turned her hand to the podcast world as guest host. From all reports, this has been well received as KK has basically threatened the playing group into listening to it. The players have responded by always having a a listen and giving it a like. If you would too would like to have a listen at what KK is producing, head over to the Wangaratta rangers Facebook page or look for it on Spotify or whatever podcast app you use.

What’s my name again?

It has come to Line Drive’s attention that a couple of the Godenzi’s like to mix names up.

Tanner Godenzi has a habit of calling Cam Scott Mick Wyatt, and Owen made a habit of calling Oscar Maiden “Issac”. It’s alright, Cam also gets Campbell a lot too. Coincidence?

Presentation time.

Line Drive may have had a little bit of a quieter year, but the club certainly has not. Games at Targoora park each week, to junior representative carnivals to social nights. The Rangers have certainly had a full plate in season 2024. Silver circle once again was a great night along with Junior Rangers movie night and now the upcoming presentation evening.

Leader of many, Owen “O” Godenzi was having a conversation with the young travellers from Melbourne and comparing presentation nights with their respective clubs. It was mentioned that this could be the biggest yet. Friday the 13th of September Wangaratta Turf Club is the venue. Food and entertainment is on the cards. Maybe a birthday song for the president too. Make sure you get your tickets. It is sure the be a great night.

Happy trails Ryan Kenny

Safe travels back home to treasurer Ryan, “Mr Canada” Kenny who has headed back to the northern hemisphere and home to Canada. Kenny managed a farewell appearance at a Rangers function over the Kings birthday weekend in June before relocating. True to form Kenny put in a big effort. Last to bed and was the first to rise from his swag. Rumour has it he was pretty happy the Rangers don’t have too many functions as they just always seem to be epic. That’s the Ranger way. Hope you have a read of this Ryan. You will be missed.

Anyone seen Old School?

Shaun “Old School” O’Neil got a little bit jumpy seeing Line Drive on Sunday. He was that jumpy that he decided to be named on the bench. “You can’t put me in there for anything this week!” However, true to Line Drive form, a special mention to Old School. Keep being you Old School.

Now onto the club stuff

Finals this weekend Sunday at Targoora Park. Murdoch road Wangaratta

Check out K.K’s podcast on Spotify. “you better” not my words, they are KK’s!

Training Wednesday from 6pm for Seniors

Presentation Night, Friday 13th of September at Wangaratta Turf Club. Tickets are available through the Rangers Facebook page.

C grade Rangers play Wodonga.

B grade  Rangers play Wodonga.

A grade Rangers Black play Bears Gold

That’s enough from me. Yes it is the old school way of doing things, but sometimes just writing it is a little bit easier and therapeutic for this scribe. Line Drive will be back again in the near future. Good luck to all this coming weekend for their finals no matter where you are reading from.

Have a great Fathers day out there. Miss you Dad.

Till then thanks for reading and….. just thought I would add another photo of Rangers Grey. Thanks to Mei Sato!

Some are the consummate professional for photos aren’t they!.

Go Rangers.

Rounding Third By Line Drive April 2024

Posted on by LineDrive

Hello there! Yes I’m back! The baseball tales from the North East of Victoria no one asked for, but you are aways here to read! It has been a while since the musings of Line Drive has been put down on paper. It was time to step away from the deck of the local cricket club and its unique blend of characters, and return to safe territory. It is time to place the spotlight back on the eclectic individuals who all come together to play under one banner. One club. The Wangaratta Rangers. It has been a great off season for many, so let’s get you up to speed with the goings on around Wangaratta and beyond.

Azza ties the knot

A massive congratulations goes out to Aaron “Azza” Parker who got married in the past couple of weeks to the lovely Kate. From all of us at the Rangers, we wish you a lifetime of happiness! Love your work #5!

Cods 2024

The start of the new baseball season brings together some of the older heads of the association, who combine their considerable talents into the one entity called The Cods. It has been a very quiet summer for The Cods with many being rather busy with other commitments. However, The Cods have been able to put a side together again this year, so they can see how good they ‘used to be,’ in the Victorian Masters Baseball championships, being held in Ballarat from the 5th to the 7th of April. Big Cod Nathan “FOMO” Pool has once again done the heavy lifting getting a place to rest some weary cod heads organised. There are a few new Codlings attending this year with some particular Rangers FINALLY being the right age now. Look for Daniel “The Griff” Griffin to put in a good display along with long time tailgater Brad “Undies” Murdoch, stepping up to be full Cod players. Not to mention Cod legends Ash Meyers and Damon Barker once again showing off their talents on the diamond in Ballarat. The Pufferfish award to the best Cod for the weekend is wide open, with some unavailabilities limiting the field. Line Drive is back in attendance after travelling the world last time around in 2023. Good luck gentlemen!

Driving the Hume.

It has been a big summer for a few families in the North East. After a very successful winter season in 2023, a clutch of Wangaratta Juniors thought they would play and refine their already considerable skills in different settings. Some headed off for Melbourne while others headed up to Albury to play in the Albury Wodonga Softball Association. Now with training back in full swing, it is definitely noticeable to Line Drive the confidence that this has brought to many of the younger players. This places them and the club in a good position for a great winter season in 2024. It is really pleasing to see this happening and full credit to parents, guardians, coaches, umpires and whoever else assisted in their development as ball players.

Juniors ready to go

Season 2024 is rapidly approaching. It has been a busy month down at “The Ranch”. The juniors are being put through their paces under the guidance of Under 12s coach, Daniel Wells and Under 15s coach, Nathan Pool. The numbers have been impressive in both junior grades coming off the back of a successful month of ‘come and try’ days. The club has decided to enter two Under 12s and two Under 15s teams into the winter comp for 2024. One of the Under 15s will be merged with the Benalla Bandits. If you are still interested come on down on Wednesday from 5pm to have a look and a throw.

New players a plenty

Another season approaches and it was time to find the baseball gear and head to training. The weather has been warm, training in natural light is something of an oddity. However, it has been worth the drive over to Wangaratta to see so many new and returning faces to the Wangaratta Rangers. Many have come off a season of softball over the summer time, while others have just heard about us and thought they would come down for a run around. It has been great. This scribe has a lot of names to learn and remember over the coming weeks of the season. Welcome to all, it’s wonderful to have you be a part of a great club.

Hitting the Gym

Line Drive has heard that a certain Kelsey, “Dropsy” Burder has been hitting the gym in readiness for the upcoming season. This comes as a surprise to many that Kelsey has decided that NOW is the time to hit the weights. Maybe he is getting ready for the dancefloors of Ballarat? However it seems to have come at a cost. Poor Kelsey has been battling a bit of sickness the past couple of weeks. Coincidence? One wonders. Hope you’re feeling better Kelsey.

Trivia time

The Wangaratta Rangers is holding a trivia night on Friday the 19th of April which is to be held at the Wangaratta Rangers Baseball Softball club located on Murdoch Road. Tickets can be bought via the Wangaratta Rangers Facebook page by clicking on the link below. It is sure to be a brilliant night for the club, however there will be a couple of noticeable absences with trivia masters, Line Drive and his wife being in Melbourne that night….. This does open up doors for another trivia master to take the helm and be awarded as the coveted champion of Targoora Park!! Congratulations to the ‘Cool Committee’ on arranging a ripper evening. Hannah Clancy and co have been working very hard!

Wangaratta Rangers Trivia April 19th 2024

Din Dins A doo dah

Training dinners will be back in full swing after training the week before the start of the season. This means there will be dinner on Wednesday 17th of April to be prepared by gourmet chef Aaron “Azza” Parker. Azza has kindly volunteered to cook the first week, and each week following will be on a volunteer basis. For those who are reading Rounding Third for the first time, then the deal is simple. Let us know if you are keen in partaking in dinner. And then for $10 you get a great feed and your first drink. A great way to sit down and have a chat after a good run around on the diamond. Line Drive is very appreciative of dinner at the club as much nicer eating at 7:30pm instead of 9pm! Please approach your coach if you would like to volunteer one week and whip up a feast for the masses after training.

Doing the groundwork.

A big shout out goes to the members of the club who have put in the hours over the summer time to continue to upgrade the diamond and surrounds at Targoora park. Just last week the running track from home to first and home to third have been completed. Not to mention a layer of sand that has been spread over the outfield filling in some of the lower spots. The ground is looking in good shape moving forward and that is a testament to many members of the club over the years.

Now onto the club stuff

  • Junior training Wednesday nights from 5pm at Targoora Park Wangaratta. All are welcome!
  • Seniors training this week is brought to you by Rob “Butts” Seymour and Jason “Sunscreen” Jonker. Be out on the field at 6pm ready to go.
  • First dinner will be the 17th of April. Thanks Azza.
  • Registrations are open and ready to go for the upcoming season. Check the Rangers player chat and the website (TBA) to register for the season. It is an easy process and quick too!
  • Trivia night Friday 19th April at the clubrooms- buy your tickets on Rangers Facebook page!
  • Good luck Cods for the weekend.

Anyhow, it is nice to be back, writing and bantering with you about the Rangers. Welcome to new readers and those who just like the musings of a rather average ball player. Much more will follow this upcoming season. So as per usual, spread the word, share and like.

Have a good week and…..

Go Rangers!

Rounding Third By Line Drive July 2023

Posted on by LineDrive

Hello and welcome to the July edition of Rounding Third. The season has been ticking along albeit in a stop start manner. This is due to weather, many a junior carnival and being the depths of winter in the North East, where many are looking to escape to warmer locations. Despite all of this, there was some baseball played over the weekend in Benalla and Wodonga respectively. Here are the results from Sunday 16th of July.

Under 12’s Rangers 11 lost to Wodonga Warriors 22.

Under 15’s Rangers 12 defeated Wodonga Warriors 6

C Grade Rangers 6 lost to Wodonga Warriors 11

B Grade Rangers Grey 15 defeated Benalla Bandits 8

B Grade Rangers Orange 19 defeated Wodonga Warriors 3

A Grade Rangers 15 defeated Wodonga Warriors 4

A big thank you to the hospitality of both Wodonga and Benalla respectively. Both grounds were in great condition, and from first hand experience, the Wodonga canteen was excellent. A big shout out to those who travelled to watch us play. It is much appreciated by all.

Now what else has been happening? In a word, heaps!

North East juniors represent.

At the beginning of July, the North Eastern Baseball Association headed over to Bendigo to play in the Under 14 Victorian Winter Baseball championships. In this case the North East were able to send not just the one side, but TWO sides to participate over the weekend. In a first for the association, North East were able to send a stand alone girls side to participate in Baseball Victoria’s all girls Winter Invitational. Line Drive must mention that the North East were the ONLY association who were able to put an all girls side together. On the Saturday the girls aged 11 to 17 got to play as North East, where on the Sunday, all the girls were mixed into the other Baseball Victoria Girls sides from throughout Melbourne. From all reports it was a hugely successful weekend with both boys and girls sides, learning a heap and playing very good baseball.

With thanks to Field of View sports photography

Over the past weekend North East headed off to Werribee as it was the under 12’s turn to test themselves against the other associations from around the state. They finished a very creditable 3rd overall in pool two with 2 wins and 3 losses for the tournament.

It has only been a few short years since the association took the plunge and relaunched the junior competition. In such a short span of time, the North East has been able to send a side away for all of the junior carnivals. Putting a girls invitational side together is fantastic for the growth of the game in the North East. One that every club should be certainly proud of. The next challenge for all of us in the baseball community is to continue to grow the game and gain opportunities and exposure for all our talented juniors. Line Drive has been talking this great game up for a long time. Now it’s up to the each one of us, young and old to keep the momentum up and show that we have a presence and a place in the communities of Albury, Benalla, Porepunkah, Wangaratta and Wodonga.

Get well Keith Quinn

a shout out to a great baseball/softball person Keith Quinn who had a bit of bad luck over the under 14 weekend in Bendigo. From all reports Quinny is on the mend. Hope to see you again at the local diamond Quinny.

Tetsu did what?????

Over a long, long period of time, Tetsu Kamiyama has had the reputation of being one if not the best import ever to play in the North Eastern Baseball Association. He has hit many a home run, turned dozens of double plays and thrown countless runners out with those slick soft hands of his. Last weekend in Wodonga Line Drive witnessed something that he has never seen before from the little master. A dropped ball on a tag play to second base. The play was executed to perfection by catcher Aaron Parker and pitcher Nathan Pool, who threw a perfect throw to Tets. All Tets needed to do was catch the ball and tag Jesse Griffiths, who all but given up getting back to second base. However, Tets dropped the ball! Much to the surprise of all on the diamond, both dugouts, spectators, scorers, and even people walking past the ground. Some cars even slowed down to see what the commotion was about. Never mind Tets. It happens to all of us from time to time. Better pay the tin on Wednesday night number 9.

Got the tricks here Tets! Photo courtesy of Lauren Grenfell.

Lucky ticket is a week away

The 2023 Rangers Lucky Ticket draw is on again on Saturday 29th of July. It is the one big function we have each year and it would be great for all to get behind it. From selling some tickets to helping out on the night, every little bit helps. Kelsey “Dropsy” Burder has done a power of work again to get the night up an running, and from those who have been before, it is always a great night. Tickets are $25 and drop the club a message if you are looking for a ticket.

Kelsey OMG!

It is hard enough to hit a moving ball. As mentioned above, it is very hard to catch a moving ball. However Kelsey “Dropsy” Burder has out done himself once again. Dropsy was his usual laconic self behind the plate, even throwing out a runner or two. However he saved his best work for in the batters box. At one point while a pitch was coming towards the plate. Kelsey let out a rather audible OMG! and in the next movement, he proceeded to hit the ball! A very interesting skill to demonstrate there Dropsy. One thing is for sure, you never cease to surprise us all at the Rangers.

Look up! Photo courtesy of Lauren Grenfell

The Soak a threat on the base paths

Well not really. If you have seen how Line Drive’s good mate Cam “The Soak” Scott runs it is no where near lightning pace. However a little useless stat for you people who like all things statistics, it may be the most bases The Soak has swiped in over 15 years! How many you may be wondering? The answer is two. Note this information has no real fact in it. Line Drive just though it would be of some interest to those who have known Cam over the years and knows how he runs! In a word, Poorly.

Sunday dinner at the Town and Country

Don’t forget after the games against Porepunkah on Sunday that the club head to our great sponsor the Old Town and Country Tavern for dinner. From a report which came across Line Drive’s desk over the weekend, the last one was the biggest one for the season. More surprisingly this was after all games were cancelled in Wangaratta due to the state of the grounds! Maybe see you there for dinner on Sunday.

The Club is the sum of its members

Again the weather has played havoc on the fixture, with grounds being waterlogged hampering the ability to get continuity into the season. All clubs throughout the association work very hard behind the scenes week in and week out to get their diamonds prepared and playable. All volunteer time and money from the clubs own pockets. If you have been down to Wangaratta recently, you can see a home run fence, and off diamond pitching area has been completed. Also to mention the undercover area in front of diamond one and the extension of fences on diamonds two and three. The club is only as strong as all of you who give up your time to help out after work on week days and the weekends. Remember when it’s your turn to help out, just get in and get it done. By doing that one little bit makes the club run all the more smoothly.

Late in the day vibes at Wodonga July 16th 2023 Photo Lauren Grenfell

Now onto the club stuff

Rangers welcome Porepunkah Panthers Sunday Targoora Park

Rangers Orange vs Benalla at Benalla.

Lucky Ticket July 29th

After home games dinner at Old Town and Country Tavern.

Training from 6pm Wednesday. Dinner next week brought to you by B grade.

If it reads a little different this week, Line Drive’s proof reader is having a break this week. Please like and share.

Till next time.

Go Rangers

Rounding Third By Line Drive May 2023

Posted on by LineDrive

Hello and welcome to another installment of Rounding Third.

Season 2023 is now underway with the first two rounds in the books. All clubs converged on Wangaratta over the past weekend with a real festival of baseball on the cards.

All up 18, games of baseball were held down at Targoora Park on Sunday, ranging from Under 12’s all the way through to Seniors A grade in the afternoon. It was a huge day on an off the diamond for all involved at Wangaratta.

Mixed results from Rangers.

Under 12’s – Rangers 9 defeated by Bears 21

Under 15’s – Rangers 15 defeated Bears 2

C grade- Rangers 6 defeated by Warriors 12

B Grade- Rangers Orange 4 defeated by Bears 24

Rangers Grey- 21 defeated Warriors 11

A Grade – Rangers 16 defeated Warriors 4

In all the years of writing Rounding Third, Line Drive cannot think that the results have ever been listed like above. It’s a real testament to the determination of the North Eastern Baseball Association and its member clubs, to grow the game and give more exposure and opportunity to play baseball in country Victoria.

More to come about that later.

So what have the humans of Rangers been up to lately?

O’Neil is slowly adjusting

Shaun O’Neil likes to stay out of the limelight, or so he says, but he just continues to bring great stories to Line Drive’s attention. After another great weekend in the cold of Ballarat, it has been suggested that “Old School” was so pumped to get back to the sun of Wangaratta that he left all his baseball gear behind in Ballarat.

After plenty of posts, messages and comments later, he was reunited with his gear before the start of play. On another matter, O’Neil was upset with his belt not fitting his pants. Until someone let him know that those belts were adjustable. Old School could not believe it! Many a year playing baseball and not once had he looked at the belt and thought to adjust it. Don’t change Shaun O’Neil. There would be so much less to write about!

Cods Masters Baseball Pufferfish 2023

After play finished on Sunday, The Cods gathered to present the Pufferfirsh award. The votes were counted and were read out by “The Big Cod,” Nathan Pool. In the end it came down to two individuals, and for highly contrasting reasons.

In one corner there was the master of the slow cooked meats Daniel Griffin. Griff definitely left a lasting impression on many team mates after training, for his meals of smoked and slow cooked goodness over the three days at Masters.In the other corner, Matt “Bulldog” Carmody, from all reports had a good time on and off the diamond while at Masters.

In the end, this was the main difference with Bulldog polling 32 votes to 17 to get the chocolates and the adulation from his fellow Cods. Bulldog is already looking to go back to back in 2024 and has thrown out the challenge to all as “I was only in second gear!”

Good luck for anyone who is looking to wrestle the trophy off Bulldog in 2024.

Ossie has one very hot Bat

A rather poor choice of words for a sub heading, but how else can you describe the start of the season Ossie Osbourne in Rangers grey has had?

Against Rangers Orange in week one, Ossie had three hits in their 16-10 win.

On Sunday he was at it again, racking up the hits against Wodonga Warriors. Keep throwing the bat in front of the ball Ossie. We all hope your hot form continues.

Heath likes the hot corner

Young Heath French got the nod to start in the A grade game at third base against Wodonga on Sunday. From balls hit down the line, to going out to get them, French was clean throughout. A highlight was his double play by stepping on third, and throwing a strike to Cam Scott at first. “Silver service” was heard over and over by Scott, with each play French was involved in. Nice work kid. It looked like you enjoyed that game!

JT in the house

It was great to see dancing man Johnno Taylor over at Wangaratta on Sunday, using his vast knowledge of the game to help out as third base coach with both B and A grade games. Taylor is unfortunately injured at the moment, but is still a valued part of the Wangaratta machine.

A few older heads loved his enthusiasm and his calling of plays throughout the day, picking up on little things that others might have missed.

Looking for more players

This year the North Eastern Baseball Association has introduced a C grade competition. This is open to young players who are making the intermediate step between junior and senior competition. Included in C grade are players learning the game of baseball, and those new to the sport.

Wangaratta Rangers are on the look out for anybody who has ever thought of giving baseball a go, but were not sure about how to go about it.

This is open to those who are 16 years old and above.

Game times are Sunday mornings from 10:10am to 11:40am. If interested, head down to Targoora Park Wednesday night from 5pm for juniors training and 6pm for seniors. Also, feel free to message the club via the Wangaratta Rangers Facebook page. Spread the word!

Podcasts, media shows but Line Drive is still here.

It has been great to watch and listen about all things North East Baseball over the past few weeks. From the Friday night Baseball Show, featuring the characters of the North Eastern Baseball Association to the weekly Rangers Podcast by one, Owen “The Big Table” Godenzi.

A special mention to Benalla Bandits and Porepunkah Panthers who have been working really hard to grow the sport in their own areas too. This was prevalent with the growth of the game as mentioned above with 18 games being played at Wangaratta. As a long time writer on baseball in the North East, it is pleasing to see all these other avenues of media being used to grow the game.

Now onto the club stuff

Please make sure your fees are paid as soon as possible

Lucky Ticket 29th July See the club for your Ticket

Training Juniors 5pm, Seniors 6pm Wednesday

Draw is available on Rangers Facebook page and www.wangarattabaseball.com

There was a lot to write about and there is a lot still to write about in the coming weeks. Till next time

Go Rangers.