Rounding Third By Line Drive October 2025

Posted on October 8, 2025 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!

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. Cods Masters edition 2025.

Posted on March 30, 2025 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.

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 March 25, 2025 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

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!

Rounding Third by Line Drive August 2024

Posted on August 27, 2024August 27, 2024 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 April 2, 2024 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 June 2022

Posted on June 29, 2022 by LineDrive

Hello and welcome back to the little look into the North Eastern Baseball Association. What is happening around the traps at Wangaratta Rangers?

Yes it has been a while since my last writing but they say sometimes less is more when it comes to this sort of stuff, and well you the readers have probably been wondering where Line Drive has been. Or maybe just happy to wait until he was ready to write again.

North Eastern Baseball season so far

The Northeast season is well under way, with Rangers fielding three Senior and two Junior teams in the 2022 season. All Ranger sides have been blessed with fantastic numbers which is most pleasing for all involved down at the Ranch. Juniors are progressing very well with many players putting their hand up to play in the North Eastern representative sides at under 14 and under 18 level respectively.

In the Seniors, Ranger stalwarts Ross “Legoman” Johnson, Nathan “FOMO” Pool, Tetsuya “look at me” Kamiyama and new to Rangers this season Johnathan “Hot Shot” Taylor travelled to Geelong with the rest of North East’s best to have a crack at the Winter Championships. By all accounts all were just as good as last time they attended pre-covid.

Over the weekend of June 25 and 26, North Eastern Association were given the opportunity to host the winter U/18 championships at Wangaratta. After a phone call to some club legends it was determined that it was the first U/18 side from the North East in a representative carnival in 12 years. Lead once again by Pool and NEBA legend Ed Simmons, the side were competitive in all games and learnt a lot about representative baseball over the two days of the carnival. Special mention to Nick “Fifty percent” Jonker who was awarded the the medal for North East’s best. Nice work fifty percent. Let’s work toward seventy five percent!

Under Fourteens are off to Bendigo

The North East U/14 side are heading over to Bendigo this weekend for their return after 12 years at a winter championship. The Rangers are well represented in this division and club coach Owen “Big Table” Godenzi is heading over as team manager. Good luck to all players, support staff and anyone else making the drive over to Bendigo.

O’Neil is on fire

One player who is just having an absolute wow of a season is Shaun “Old School” O’Neil. He is definitely going old school this current season against all sides in the A grade competition. Not to mention his banter with the other members of the side, pretty much telling everyone else how to do it. From this viewpoint, he can mouth off as much as he likes after coming off another 4 for 4 performance in the last round of A grade action. Just don’t turn up to training please Old School, it’s obviously working for you!

Frenchy comes up clutch!

A big shout out goes to Brendon “Frenchy” French who liaised with great ranger sponsor, Middy’s Electrical Wangaratta, to install new lights for the batting cage. Now with more energy efficient and reliable lighting, the cage can now be used with utmost confidence that the lights will stay on throughout the night at training. However, Frenchy wasn’t finished there.

With Tony “Spinner” Smith, they were able at a pinch, to get diamond four available for use on the Sunday. Special thanks to STY Metals for use of their truck to manoeuvre the artificial mound into place for use in Sunday’s matches. A big thank you to both for your efforts to go above and beyond!

Volunteers Thank you!

A MONUMENTAL THANK YOU must go out to those from all clubs of the North Eastern Baseball Association who gave up their time over the weekend to assist in a smooth running of the Under 18’s winter championships. From talk around the ranch, many of you continue to go above and beyond in assisting with marking grounds, cooking barbecues and helping in the canteen to ensure that the North East put on a great weekend.

Thursday night dinners hitting the spot.

It is great to see the return of the Thursday night meal in season 2022. Many a Ranger, especially those who travel, are very happy to partake in a meal for the bargain price of $10 with a drink. So far dinners have been Spinners mince, to Pool’s potatoes and White’s meat and potatoes. Rob “Butts” Seymour was very happy with the leftovers! It demonstrates the great club spirit and willingness to have a meal together. This week we have Griff’s hot dogs and coke for $5. Bargain! Get down there Thursday night.

Town and Country Tea Sundays

After home games on a Sunday, many of the Ranger family have been heading over to the major sponsor, The Town and Country Tavern for dinner. This year the turn outs have been fantastic with many taking the chance to get together and chat about the days play. A big thank you to the visiting clubs who have also taken then opportunity to dine with us. There are still a few more dates coming up after home games. Be sure to stop into the Town and Country Tavern for a soda water or a meal.

Presentation evening.

This year Rangers presentation night will be held on Saturday October 1st 2022 at the Town and Country Tavern Wangaratta. President Nathan Pool was letting Line Drive know early, so we are all ready to celebrate season 2022. The Juniors will begin presentation with the under 11s and under 15s respectively, followed by dinner, care of the Town and Country Tavern.

Senior presentation will follow the Annual General Meeting (which is usually held on presentation day)

Beginning time is yet to be determined. All tickets need to be pre purchased prior to the event. Keep an eye out on the socials for more details.

Mid winter break

With the Juniors winter championships in Bendigo this weekend, it gives the many volunteers of the North Eastern Baseball Association a breather weekend.

Baseball will resume on the 10th of July for the run in to the finals in August. Daniel “Levels” Griffin and his merry band of helpers have been keeping the canteen ticking over this year very nicely. It has been hectic but with the aid of a roster, it has made the running of the canteen much smoother. Just remember to check your shift times and day. If you cannot make it please arrange a swap with someone else. Be sure to get a canteen card from Griff as you get a good discount on Sundays! See Griff for more details.

In other news in Baseball

A big shout out goes two absolute superstar legends of Hawks Baseball Club in Mildura.

Ben “Barnold” Arnold, played his 300th game for the blue and gold last weekend. Barnold is part of the institution of Hawks Baseball and is to be congratulated on his milestone.

Another pillar of the club, Clinton “Tabaret” Williams, is set to play his 400th game this coming weekend (July 2nd). Line Drive, really enjoyed his three years in Sunraysia where these two superstars still are, apart of a fabulous club.

Line Drive wishes he could be there (no accommodation) to enjoy the game and festivities, but congratulates both on these fantastic landmark achievements. Enjoy the night!

Sponsor Corner

A big thank you to a couple of our long time sponsors for season 2022-

Londrigan Beef and Lamb

Londrigan Beef & Lamb is in North East Victoria. We raise our own cattle using ethical methods and HGP free. Our cattle are bred and raised in a way to produce top quality meat for the home and professional cooks. When in Wangaratta drop in to 130 Rowan Street or visit the website http://www.londriganbeefandlamb.com.au/

Quantech Design

Quantech Design Pty. Ltd. (QD) is a Wangaratta based company supplying contract mechanical engineering, design and drafting to industry.

The company was established in 2005 and has quickly grown to become a recognised professional service provider that is relied upon by many companies within our fields of expertise. For more information visit http://quantechdesign.com.au/

Now for more club stuff

Please make sure you are up to date with playing subscriptions for season 2022. If you require more information please contact Spinner.
Under 14’s Bendigo 2nd and 3rd of July. Good luck to all!
Happy Birthday to Ross Johnson. How old now?
Merchandise available from the club. Hit up Butts for a really nice, warm hoodie for this cold weather. Maybe some beanies available too!
Teamapp is still there and ticking along, check us out on all the other socials for all your Rangers information.
Training from 5pm Thursday for Juniors and 6pm for Seniors @ Targoora Park Wangaratta. All welcome.

Well that’s about it for this edition. Until next time. Line Drive will return

Go Rangers

Rounding Third By Line Drive August 2021

Posted on August 20, 2021 by LineDrive

Hello to all out there and welcome to a late winter edition of Rounding Third. A few months and a couple of lockdowns have passed since we last caught up with the goings on at Wangaratta Rangers, but we are lucky that some baseball has been managed to have been played over the past month or so. This week, there will be two games with Rangers juniors and seniors in action at Targoora Park. At 12pm, the under 15’s will play against Porepunkah in the grand final while at 2:15pm the A grade Rangers will be tackling a very determined Porepunkah for the right to play Albury Bears in the Grand Final. More about this and that later. Let’s get down to business!

Junior Rangers make the grand final

As previously mentioned in past editions of Rounding Third, one of the success stories of 2021 has been the reintroduction of the junior baseball season, with all clubs being represented in either the under 11’s and under 15’s age groups. Line Drive was watching the young Rangers being put through their paces last night under the tutelage of some of the best, and the way all have developed over the season has been absolutely sensational. This was evident over the past weekend when they managed to get over the line against Wodonga in what Line Drive understands was a highly entertaining affair. This week at 12pm will see them take on Porepunkah on Sunday at 12pm. Good luck!

Shout out to all of those little things!

A big shout out go to all those who has assisted with the development, implementation, enthusiasm and commitment to the North Eastern Baseball Association Junior League 2021. From coaches each week at training, on game days, to parents and guardians for making the effort on some cold Sunday mornings, to those volunteers who do the canteen week in week out. To all those across the association who do the one percenters to showcase and spread the word about baseball in the North East of Victoria. A BIG THANKYOU!

Rangers Canteen. What an effort

It has been a big year between lockdowns for the club. With the ability to host more than one game at a time at Wangaratta, this has seen an explosion in the number of games at Targoora Park. This has put a little bit of pressure on superstar two sport athlete Daniel “The Griff” Griffin. Griff has been fantastic this year once again getting the the canteen stocked, restocked and restocked once again to feed the hungry baseball fanatics young and old. Not to mention the variety and the kindness of others to make up treats each week for the players and supporters of all clubs to enjoy. If you see Griff around the grounds let him know his efforts are appreciated.

Two B grades. No problem

With the introduction of a second B grade side in 2021, the club was taking a leap of faith in that by going bigger, it would encourage more players to the club and also give everyone more game time. This was most certainly the case in 2021. With two very even sides, both were highly competitive throughout the season, with Rangers Grey finishing on top of the ladder, while Rangers Orange were third. The percentage difference between second and third was 5 runs! Rangers Grey have secured their spot in the grand final and unfortunately due to current restrictions, the higher ranked team on the ladder, Albury Bears will play off in the Grand Final (to be determined at a later date.) Sadly this means Rangers Orange season is over. To paraphrase President Nathan “FOMO” Pool sums it up beautifully;

“I would like to thank Steve Peruzzo, Mick Wyatt and Sean Warfe for their coaching efforts this year with orange, grey and all players, new and old. It has been an awesome effort to split out one B grade into two sides and have the results we have had this year. I’m extremely proud of our club and the way it carries it self on and off the field. Please get behind our juniors for their grand final this weekend and A grade in their preliminary final”

Moose returns. Old School mouths off again!

A late season inclusion into the Rangers A has been Bryan “Mr Pickleball” Wilson who has returned to playing after taking a break from the game. He has been a welcomed inclusion in the lineup and for the first time in a long time Rangers had a full compliment on a Sunday. Another luxury which has seldom been enjoyed in season 2021, is having impact player Shaun “Old School” O’Neil come off the bench and in his words against Wodonga a while back, “Show you how to do it as you shown nothing so far (sic)”He did and the the rest of the lineup then got into the groove of the game. Lets hope this continues on Sunday against Porepunkah.

Scott’s talk goes to another level.

Also during the above mentioned match against Wodonga Cam “The Soak” Scott decided to play word association games with last names of the Rangers A grade. With no spectators in attendance, some would say good, others would say rather horrible word play was the order of the day, with even the Wodonga boys getting involved. Most of it centred around the exaggerated Bryyyyyyaaaan and the Nathan “Fomo” Pool’s last name. Phrases such as “put a fence around it” was back, and also, “a game played on a green table in pubs” was bellowed between plays. Then it turned to what goes with Pool. It even brought a smirk from Nathan who was pitching at the time. You do a lot of standing around on the diamond so may as well enjoy it between plays!

Goggles forget something?

Good to see Sam “Googles” Grigg has returned to his forgetful best. His glove was last seen sitting on a concrete table out the front of the clubrooms a week or so back. Would Goggles have collected it yet? This scribe thinks not, but I am sure one of his crew would have had his back for him. Where’s the tin when you need it!?

Peruzzo goes swiping left

This is a recollection from about a month or so ago (who can remember!!) but while reading the recaps from Game Changer an interesting statistic caught the eye of Line Drive. Multi talented farmer Steve Peruzzo swiped three bases in a B grade game! Going back through the records of the past few years, one thinks this is the most bases he has stolen in the past three years! When asked about his penchant for on pinching bases, Peruzzo put on his coach hat. “I had to lead by example”. It worked as Orange went on to win the game!

Getting the extra work in

Great to see Nick “The Rookie” Jonker getting some tips from a Ranger legend at training last night. From out on the field with Rob “Butts” Seymour to working with Butts in the batting cage on his hitting. Coupled with another young Ranger out there on the field last night, it is great seeing these young men want to improve their game like the rest of us. The season may soon be over but let’s stick together and continue to enjoy one another’s company into the warmer months no matter by just having a throw or a hit in the cage. Being connected through the club is one way to keep healthy and happy.

Jonker demands the return of Line Drive

Resident male model for sunscreen, Jason Jonker was asking The Soak about the whereabouts of Line Drive. He was demanding it was time he got off his backside and wrote something. The Soak assured him that he’d been in contact with Line Drive and that something was in the works in the past few days. Rest assured Jason, Line Drive even has some photos this week too! Line Drive is present and always looking to mention whoever for something good or something amusing.

Now onto the club stuff

U/15s vs Porepunkah from 12pm Targoora Park (maybe a livestream for you all out there)
A grade Rangers vs Porepunkah 2:15pm.
Got your fees in? See Spinner and sort it out please.
Presentation penciled in for Saturday 11th of September for both Juniors & Seniors.
Rangers 21 + 1 is postponed till a later date. Was slated for 18th of September. More details to follow in the warmer months.
Got a personal sponsor? Line Drives’ friend does. Make sure you get around local businesses and show your support for them.

The final word. Look after one another, get around the club and the banter in the following weeks, no matter what happens. Stay awesome and Rounding Third will be back sooner rather than later,Go Rangers

Rounding Third By Line Drive March 10th 2020

Posted on March 10, 2020March 10, 2020 by LineDrive

Hello and welcome to a March edition of Rounding Third. It has been a while since we last brought some news. Summer can be a busy time for all involved and this summer was no different. There has been a bit going on on and off the grounds around the Wangaratta Rangers. With the ground receiving some more sand, to a shed clean-out, to a wedding as well, much has been happening. The season is rapidly approaching and the club is looking to expand this coming season. More about that later.

Farmer gets his wife!

It has finally happened. The Farmer has a wife! A huge congratulations and shout out goes to resident farmer and all round nice guy. Steve “Fernando” Peruzzo married the lovely Lisa “Miss Adelaide” Cambareri out at Whorouly. It was a big Ranger affair with both Mick and Kylie Wyatt playing their roles with a place in the bridal party and Lauren “Mrs Soak” Grenfell taking care of the floral arranging. Another Ranger got to play his role to a tea. Kelsey “Dropsey” Burder was the Flower man on the day and rolled down the aisle to some considerable effort on his electric tractor. If you need a flower person at your weeding hit up Kelsey he is more than happy to do it.

Minifigs are seeing the world.

Well two of them were. This year the Rangers have introduced little Lego Mini-figs for all players, committee members and supporters. These little guys and gals have been up to all sorts of shenanigans throughout the summer time. Two of note, Cam “the Soak” Scott and Lauren “Mrs Soak” Scott were seen all over the place in Europe. From opposite the opera house at dawn in Copenhagen, Denmark to down town Galway and even in a cable car in Hong Kong, they saw the world. Some of them do have some life like characteristics. One for sure in Rob “Butts” Seymour who’s facial expressions are close to real life. Look for them in the coming months and if you are a part of the club, keep it somewhere in your possession at all times.

The English Border

Garden in Hong Kong

Cods update

Yes Cods is approaching at a rapid rate and it has been a bit of a Topsy turvy off season. Looks like the blue algae has got to the Cod stocks this year, however they will still be heading down the Hume to Ballarat in the coming weeks. This year sees the return of some seasoned Cods including the likes of “tap n go” while the Porepunkah boys are more than excited to head away again. The draw looks quite good for the Cods with two Friday games, an early Saturday and a game mid Sunday morning. Line Drive will be back in attendance at Ballarat this year and will be bringing you all the action from on and off the diamond in his typical style. If you need more information check out Cods Master Baseball for all your Cods needs.

Puffer-fish is wide open.

Line Drive caught up with previous Puffer-fish winner Mick Brownlie out at the cricket over the past weekend and he was asking if the trophy is still going around. He was happy to know and hear those illustrious names are slowly starting add up on the trophy. This year is wide open as reigning puffer-fish Matty Shennan and past winner Ash “Steel” Panther Meyers are both unavailable to defend or take back the trophy. Maybe it’s time for a new winner. Maybe Tony “Spinner” Smith can wind back the clock or maybe the newly wed Steve “Fernando” Peruzzo can come from the clouds and take the trophy. The most open race in years at Cods 2020. Good luck to all players.

The boys run the Beer Mile

Over the summertime a few of the B grade men turned their hand to running the Wangaratta beer mile. Now for those who are not familiar with a beer mile, the concept is to run 400 meters, stop have a drink and then run another lap and repeat the process for four laps. Now I will not name anyone but the four hardy souls were definitely up for the challenge. The running was not a problem but the oppressive condition’s and choice of hydration made it quite a difficult task. Still they soldiered on and got through the event. Rumor has it they needed a year under the belt and will be ready for a repeat campaign in season 2021.

Rangers Orange Black and Grey!

This year after good playing numbers in 2019, the club has taken the plunge and nominated three teams in season 2020. This will ensure that all are getting a good go of Rangers Baseball in season 2020. The club are continuing to look for anyone who may be interested in playing this coming season. So if you feel like coming to have a look training will begin this week on Thursday at 5pm for juniors and 6pm for seniors. Location – Targoora Park Wangaratta. All are welcome.

Club are seeking a few more coaches

The Rangers are looking for anyone who might be interested in lending their expertise to help out across training and game days. Particularly for the A grade. Due to a variety of circumstances the Rangers are looking for any interested parties to help out with the running of the teams in the coming season. If you feel this is you drop the club a line.

Congrats Lauren and Matt

Congratulations goes out to Lauren and Matt on the safe arrival of their baby boy Theodore. From all of us at Wangaratta, “Congratulations!” He has already taken his first game of baseball in. Great stuff.

Butts and his Culinary oddessy

Over the past weekend Rob “Butts” Seymour got to do something he has wanted to do for a long time. After a day enjoying the hospitality of the Yarrawonga-Mulwala Cricket Club, Buttsy was keen to go to the Oriental Pearl over at Club Mulwala. Butts has sampled the Chinese cuisine far and wine throughout the North East and beyond and he was ready for a good feed. Butts set off at a cracking pace with the food but then started to slow late on. Finally he tapped out full and happy. He was impressed by the range of buffet and the food on offer. Once he had eaten he wandered off into the night and was not seen again. We think Butts will be back for another go at the Oriental Pearl at Club Mulwala.

Now for the club stuff

Training from 5pm for juniors Thursday 6pm Seniors. All are welcome
Need to pay your registration? Click on the link on http://www.wangarattabaseball.com click on members login to pay your registration or find Wangaratta rangers on teamapp
Season to begin Sunday 19th of April. Draw will be posted online soon.
Cods Ballarat Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd of March
Check us out on all the socials we are all over them!

It has been a while but the season is coming rapidly. Shaping aup to be another great season of baseball in Cods and the North east.

till next time

Go Cods

and Go Rangers

Rounding Third By Line Drive August 27th 2019

Posted on August 27, 2019 by LineDrive

Hello and welcome to a long overdue edition of Rounding Third. It has been a very busy couple of months for Line Drive, so unfortunately he has not had enough time to watch and observe the goings on down at The Ranch. However things have slowed down a little bit and he’s now had a chance to run an eye over what has been happening.

The North Eastern Baseball 2019 season has come to an end with both Rangers sides Orange and Black making their respective Grand Finals. Unfortunately through no want of trying, neither side could not get over the line. Congratulations goes to Porepunkah Panthers and North Albury Bears for their Grand final wins. Enjoy the celebrations. More about that sort of stuff later.

This edition will be quite wide as there have been sections written over the past couple of months. Stick with it and enjoy the read.

Butts is the man…and is the game.

There are few players that I know that give as much effort in finals as one Rob “Butts” Seymour does. Year in and year out Butts puts the Orange and Black on with pride and will always give 110 per cent out on the diamond. He continues to throw himself around like a 20 year old and many of the plays he has made at second base this year, others would not even get near. His hitting and base smarts need to be mentioned as well and many pitchers find him a nightmare to pitch against. Butts has one of the longest histories with the club and is respected by many, for the way he plays the game. Always hard, fair and wants to win. Sometimes others look to gain an edge over him and ruffle his feathers, however Buttsy’s ability to just play the game and support his team is a testament to his nature. Most players show the respect deserved to him as a player, a coach and a friend. Another great year of diving and countless double plays! Keep playing the way you do Rob. We all love and respect what you do for the game In the North Eastern Baseball Association.

Grand Final day 2019

As mentioned above it was a wonderful effort for both Rangers Orange and Rangers Black in making the grand final for 2019. The hired a bus and many Ranger players and supporters jumped on to enjoy the trip up the Hume to Wodonga. Coupled with others who travelled far and wide to come watch the great atmosphere on the day.

In the early game Rangers challenged Porepunkah for long periods of the game but Porepunkah proved too strong in the end to take out the 2019 North Eastern Baseball Association B Grade title.

In A grade, Rangers Black jumped out of the blocks behind some strong pitching from Bryan “Moose” Wilson and took and early 3 run lead. One thing for sure is that the Bears would not rest and would come back at Rangers strong. A few hits here and there Bears slowly clawed their way back into the game and continued to scratch and fight for runs. Rangers Black threw everything at them but could not get over the line going down 11-4 in the end. It sounds like a big scoreline but the game was much closer than that. Rangers should be proud of the way they played the game and represented the club. From juniors to seniors, we are continuing to grow and thrive with plans to enter a third senior team, and a second junior side in season 2020. This is through the committed efforts of the current committee and the many helpers the Wangaratta Rangers are fortunate to have. Watch this space for news in the off season. There is much planning to do!

GF day 2019 — View of the B Grade from the outfield. Was a busy day so only picture Line Drive got.

Junior Final day

A typical winters day greeted the 2019 Junior Finals day held at Wangaratta on July 14th. The weather was cold, dreary, and it threatened to rain, but the enthusiasm and the play on the diamonds under some trying conditions was hot! The car park was full. The the numbers of parents, friends, former players and members of the North Eastern Baseball community coming together to celebrate and support juniors finals day was amazing to witness. Already many of the junior Rangers have recommitted for season 2020. A big thank you to Coaches Owen Godenzi and Nathan Pool, helped by a variety of others throughout training and on game-day in season 2019. Not to mention sponsors Wangaratta McDonalds and Frasca’s Steel.

Presentation Night

This year the Rangers night to celebrate a fantastic 2019 season will be held on Saturday September the 7th at Wangaratta Gateway Hotel. It will be sit down affair with two course feed being the order of the night. Numbers are being taken online for those who want to go along and have a night of laughs and a good time. Some of the Ranger crew and their partners have already mentioned that they are going to ‘frock up’, so get the suits and dresses out ladies and gents. A best dressed award could be in order. Brownlow eat your heart out! Dale “Humpernickle” Stevens has been checking out the menu and is looking forward to trying the chicken or the veal. Night will kick off with the Annual General Meeting followed by presentation starting at 6:30pm. If you are interested in becoming part of a vibrant forward thinking committee drop the club a line and come along on September the 7th.

Griff and no beard

A shock to the system when wandering to get a some food from the Wangaratta Canteen a few Sundays back, was being greeted by a clean shaven Daniel Griffin. A good friend of Line Drive was rather taken aback by being greeted by a clean shaven Daniel, so much that he could not call him by his usual nickname, “Griff”. He will now be known simply as ‘Daniel’ till it grows back. One wonders what the rest of Esmond street posse would look like if they shaved their defining features off too?

Grunt the Pig makes and appearance at the Baseball

Do you remember the day that you batted a thousand for the cycle and stole three bases? No? Not really, but Grunt the pig was at Targoora Park. Yes Grunt and his owner were out for a wander a couple of Sunday’s ago and all sort his presence. Shaun “Old School” O’Neil quipped to Rob “Butts” Seymour before the game that if he had a big day, no one would remember what Buttsy did on the diamond but many would remember Grunt being at the baseball. For the record, what did Buttsy do that day? It was so long ago now that you might need to ask him. Ask Grunt, he might know.

Thursday nights in 2019

The commitment shown by all who have pulled on the Orange and Black this year is to be commended. Week in and week out this year there has been on average no less than fifteen having a throw, a hit and generally improving their all round skills and knowledge at training on Thursday nights. I know to many readers at other clubs, 15 does not sound like many but for a small club this has been a huge effort. There are few who travel from afar each week for training and their effort is recognized too. A big thank you to all those who have put their hand up to cook a meal, run training, set up the diamonds, help out with juniors among all the other little activities we all have going on in our lives. It makes the drive over always worth it.

What on Earth is going on with the trip?

The 2019 Rangers Ramble has taken many twists and turns over the past few months. At this stage it is still in a holding pattern. This has given the chance for a few Ranger trip veterans to realise they may have a chance to make the trip after all in 2019. Once determined, it will be full steam ahead for all. This does give the punters of the group a chance to continue to try raise funds and the tin is still open until those who go get on the bus. Watch this space.

Softball anyone keen?

Softball is played on the border over the summer months and a few Rangers players travel up and play in the Albury Wodonga Softball Association. There are varying times that they play, but I do recall it is either Wednesday night or Saturday. The club is putting the feelers out there for anyone who is keen to play softball. For more information contact the club and let Kev Pool know.

Summer time is no time to rest.

With so many plans that have come to fruition in season 2019, the club now looks to the off season to continue the revamp and resurgence of baseball in Wangaratta. A job to be completed over the coming months is to top dress the diamond to help promote more grass growth and improve overall appearance of diamond one. Diamond one had a bit of a tough winter and needs a bit of TLC. The club are looking to get together once a month over spring and summer to do work around the grounds and rooms. When plans are more solid we will update the Facebook page, Team app and web page for more details. The club are on the look for more players so would love to see new faces down at the Ranch in the coming seasons.

Cod Season

Did someone say Cods? Are we allowed to talk about Cods now? Esmond Street are you tailgating again on the weekend of March 19-22nd in Ballarat? Of course you are!

Now for the club stuff

Presentation at Gateway Wangaratta Saturday 7th of September $42 for a two course meal. Will be a great night.
Interested in Softball? Let Kev Pool know.
Got raffle tickets for the Rotary Wangaratta Raffle? Make sure you sell them and get them back to Kev Pool as soon as you can.
Working Bees will be posted online. Hope to see you there.
Interested in playing next season? We got spots for you! Come along and join the most progressive club in the North East!
Pickle ball on Tuesday and Saturdays. Message Moose if interested.

Well I think I have said enough this week. Apologies for the lack of writing over the past couple of months. I know there are many out there who do enjoy the read, and the catch up on what is going on in North Eastern Baseball. Look for another edition once presentation is done and dusted. I am sure there will be much to talk about then. Maybe I will save the big wrap up till then.

Till next time,

Go Rangers !

Rounding Third by Line Drive April 30th 2019

Posted on April 30, 2019May 1, 2019 by LineDrive

Hello and welcome once again to another edition of Rounding Third. A couple of weeks has passed since we least checked in to see what has been happening down at the Ranch. I seem to say this every time but those ladies and gentlemen of the Wangaratta Rangers are not resting on their heels during season 2019. Last weekend for the first time in around ten seasons, junior baseball returned to the diamonds of Porepunkah and Benalla respectively. Our junior Rangers looked all the part in their new jerseys and grey pants. The game ended in a 5-all draw and was enjoyed by all. A big thank you to the parents and supporters for heading up the valley to watch the game once again. In the late game Rangers Black took on Bears Green. After a rough start on the diamond the boys worked themselves into the game, but unfortunately the horse had bolted the yard and Bears came away with a 13-7 victory. This coming weekend sees games played in Wangaratta where Rangers will play host to Benalla on Sunday. Hope to see you there.

Now onto other news.

One in we all in

Porepunkah Panthers are the team of the Ovens Valley. They are situated 8km from Bright right next to Porepunkah primary school. The ground is one of the most picturesque grounds you could play baseball at through Victoria with the Autumn leaves, colour and the mountains as a backdrop. In recent seasons they have struggled for numbers, but the determination of a small band of baseball die-hards has kept this great little club afloat. On Sunday it was great to see that they have pulled some juniors together to form a team to play this year in the junior competition. If not for the work of the Porepunkah faithful this would have not been the case. Porepunkah Panthers Baseball Club is the towns only sporting team and this writer feels that many may not even know it is there. After a quick search online, via various sites shows that there is limited knowledge of their existence. But exist they do. This is not just a call for players but a call for anyone out there who would like to get involved or reconnect with baseball with a down to earth club who want to keep the game alive up in the valley. In the past few years a couple of sporting clubs have either folded or merged with others down the valley. Come down and have a look at Porepunkah Recreation Reserve next home game, say hello and help support a great club of the North Eastern Baseball Association.

Where else can you play in such a picturesque location? Thanks to Lauren Scott for the image

Old School punting.

There are a few down at the Ranch who like to have a little flutter from time to time. Over the past weekend Shaun “Old School” O’Neill declared he had the winner in the Ranger Ragtag Punters. After the poor start to the game and Old School not having one of his better days along with Cam “The Soak” Scott, he thought they were on a winner with Carlton out to a big lead at half time over Hawthorn. However in the second half the optimism for the punt diminished like Carlton’s lead and the Hawks won in a thriller. Maybe more luck next week, hopefully Kelsey “Dropsy” Burder might turn it around.

Fernando and Skipper: The mower men

A couple of weeks back Orange managers Steve “Fernando” Peruzzo and sidekick Mick “The Skipper” Wyatt went for a road trip up to Sydney to pick up the clubs new purchase. A mower to help keep the upgraded Ranger number one diamond in tip top condition. From what my spies have heard, the boys did enjoy themselves on the trip and are very chuffed with the mower. This purchase will help improve the quality of the surface at Targoora park as the club are looking to continuing to improve their facilities. Thanks for your efforts gentlemen. Now who is going to drive it first?

Thursday night training

This Thursday will see Cam “The Soak” Scott and Lauren “Mrs Soak” Scott provide dinner for the masses. Now when we talk masses in baseball speak, we refer to the 15-25 members who come down to training week in week out. It does not sound like many but for us at the Ranch this is a healthy turn out, and it’s getting healthier by the week. On the menu is pumpkin soup with scones. Now many of you will be thinking Mrs Soak will be doing most of the preparation but don’t be fooled. Mrs Soak says Cam can cook. Rain hail or shine dinner will be on Thursday night after training for $10 and includes a drink too. Head down earlier to watch the junior Rangers put through their paces, then warm-up from 6pm. See you there.

Rangers Junior News

Photos from the past weekend are now up online on the Junior Rangers page. A big thanks to Brendon French for taking the photos throughout the first game in Porepunkah. The link is https://www.facebook.com/wangarattarangersjuniorbaseball/ More photos to come over the coming weeks. If interested, come down to the club on Thursday nights from 5pm and see what it is all about. One thing is for sure, exciting times lie ahead for Wangaratta.

We will keep it short this week so now to the club stuff

Players if you are unavailable please place it on teamapp. Download the app and look for Wangaratta Rangers.
Rangers play host to all games this week
Rangers Orange play Bears Gold from 9:30am
Rangers Black play Benalla A from 2:15pm
Committee meeting after training this Thursday for those who are interested
Punters club is back once again see Cam for details
Merchandise is available from the club. Just ask and we hope we can accommodate your wishes

More to talk about next week. In the mean time….

Go Rangers !!

TalesofLineDrive

A look into the life and times of the personalities of the Wangaratta Rangers Baseball Club

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