Tag: Victoria

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 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 3 2024

Posted on by LineDrive


Hello from the Gold Coast. Line Drive is here with the Voodoo Masters once more, bringing you an insight into the people and the characters that are part of Voodoo Masters 2024.

Saturdays game has been played and won. There was plenty of nervous energy in the Voodoo squad as there always is in the first game of a tournament. Voodoo’s opposition came out and hit the ball hard. After a bit of a nervous start, Voodoo warmed to the task. Led by a Ben Laux double, this sparked the Voodoo to life and got them off and running. It was a grind after a morning meeting with so much more merchandise and competitions to remember, each at bat Voodoo hitter remembered what to do and got to work. Great team hitting by rookies Jay “Ray Ray” Ziersch, and Wayne, “Beato” Beaton, solidified the Voodoo, breaking the game open with Voodoo running out 10-6 victors.
Sunday sees the Voodoo having the day off, and they’ll return to the diamond on Monday for a game against Surfers Paradise.
Now the formalities are out of the way. Let’s get to what the Voodoo Diaries is all about and what  the people who make up Voodoo have been up to?

Welcome to Voodoo Masters 2024
The Pan Pacific Games has only just begun for the characters of the Voodoo, but many have already made their presence felt. No more so than Rookie Tom “Energiser” Simmons.
The rookie Simmons has been one very excitable fellow for the past few days leading up to the games. Many of the Voodoo faithful got the full treatment of Cyclone Tom on Thursday night. However, during game time, the energiser was able to repay the faith in spades. Simmons was tasked with the job of playing right field. Many a North East player could not think of a time when Simmons has played so far from the infield, if at all. However, the joy of youth for a 35 plus masters side, Simmons stepped up to the challenge by being flawless in windy conditions. At the plate, he managed to get hit twice. He did remark to the first base coach, “Did not get hit once all season in 2024” Welcome to Voodoo #43!

Butts arrives.
Ben Laux is relieved. After at least six mentions after Saturdays game, Rob “Butts” Seymour has arrived.
The last playing member has touched down on the Gold Coast. The man we all love, “Butts”  has had an eventful day. He is here, but his gear has not. It is”somewhere” between the Gold Coast and Sydney. However, Buttsy just rolls with the punches and will be ready to go for Bravehearts on Sunday. From the rest of Voodoo, we’ll be watching on from afar.

Catch the dream Boo
The first person award with the dream catcher for Voodoo 2024 was Brendan “Boo” Simmons. After a tough first up game, Cam “The Soak” Scott thought it was a very even performance and would be tough on anyone to get the dreamcatcher. However, after consultation with Bradley, “Groundspreson Willy” Pratt, there was a clear winner in Boo Simmons. His mind is as sharp as a tack, and the reason was simple. Boo made an error his first play of masters 2022 and then repeated it in 2024. Catch that dream Boo.

The Watcher
Every side needs a person to do the hard yards. Every side needs a person to watch over the players. Voodoo is no different. We have John, “The Watcher,” Kus.
The Watcher sees all from afar. Like a good shepherd, he knows his flock. Even when the watcher is not in attendance, Kus knows. Now, many would say this is creepy, but if you have to deal with middle-aged aged baseba, lers then you need a Watcher. Kus portrays the role perfectly.

Voodoo doctors
One thing is, for sure, the ability of Voodoo members to diagnose medical and social conditions that many of the general public may have never heard of.
Davis Long legs don’t seem to stop moving, so the Voodoo doctors declared ‘restless leg syndrome.’
Nathan “Joe Cocker” Pool has been diagnosed with hat fishing. Hat fishing is a condition where a middle aged men always wears a hat or cap. After looking down from above, or ‘where love lifts us up where we belong’,  as Joe Cocker crooned.
You can leave your hat on.

DJ Denouto
Every member has a role to play in the Voodoo machine. From Cam “The Soak” Scott making sure Jude Power is organised and on time, to Wayne “Beato” Beaton having the to Dennis “DJ Denouto” Smith spinning the decks in the dugout. No dodgy legal advice from Denouto, just great vibes and songs that you all know and love. Look for the DJ playing all the hits this week at Surfers Paradise Baseball Club Voodoo bench.

Now for baseball stuff
The Voodoo are enjoying the Sunday with a day off before getting back into it Monday. Line Drive will keep you all updated as the week progresses. More stories to follow. Hope you enjoyed the read with Line Drives’ mistakes and all.

Go Voodoo.



Luke Hornstra just deals in strikes.

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 March 2022

Posted on by LineDrive

Hello and welcome to the March edition of Rounding Third. Over the past month, the good folk in Wangaratta have been busy getting organised for the upcoming 2022 North Eastern Baseball Association season. Some great things are happening  down at the Ranch. Ground progress now real with the home run fence progressing, and the second annual country cup between Wangaratta and Strathfieldsaye has been played and won. Cods is fast approaching and the busy bees in charge of that have been frantically confirming birth dates and getting organised for the trip to Ballarat.

What else has been happening? Please continue reading.

Country Cup result- Rangers hold onto the cup for another year

Over the labour day long weekend, Wangaratta welcomed Strathfieldsaye to the ranch for the second edition of the Beyond Blue Country cup. New skipper Ross Johnson was looking forward to his chargers having a good hit out against a quality opponent. Numbers were good for Rangers with fourteen players putting their hand up to take part in the game for a great cause. The Rangers offence got started early, putting runs on the board to back up pitchers Jason Jonker and Brendon French. Johnson continued to tinker with the lineup tossing Tetsuya Kamiyama in as pitcher as well. The Dodger hitters jumped on Kamiyama’s variety of pitches and worked themselves back into the contest. Nathan Pool closed it out after a nervy last innings with the end result 16-12, Rangers way. Once again the game was played in great spirits. So much so, that one Ranger favourite took it upon himself to show some of the visitors the sights of Wangaratta later on. A big pat on the back to organisers on both sides from the visiting Strathfieldsaye Dodgers and Wangaratta Rangers.

A big thank you to the supporters of both clubs who came along and enjoyed the afternoon of baseball.

Special mention goes to Londrigan Meats for donating the sausages and hamburgers, and Greg Rothenberger for the donations of the two $100 Ausport vouchers. In all over $1600 was donated to Beyond Blue.

Next year back to Bendigo.

Cods update

The weekend is soon to arrive! The Cods are assembling! Car pooling details are being discussed! Uniforms are being dugout of the cupboard. Socks ensembles are being finalised. The Victorian Masters Baseball is upon twenty two intrepid Cods, on the weekend of April 1st in Ballarat. This year there is an even split between the two teams; 11 in the 35 plus division and 11 in the 45 plus. So it looks like many a Cod is going to get a bit of game time, which is great for all involved. One of the most difficult decisions for the masters of Cods is what to wear? You see with the balmy northern Italy like climate of the North East of Victoria (as I type, it’s 29 degrees) at this time of year, it comes as a bit of a shock to the Cods thermostats as they venture south and up the hill to Ballarat. One Cod has already packed for every weather event. Best be prepared one thinks. Once again Line Drive will be present giving an update here and there about the goings on of all Cods related content for the weekend.

Pufferfish goings on

With two sides once more venturing to Ballarat, the race for the pufferfish is sure to be red hot this year.With a few returning past winners, the race is looking to really step up a gear this time round. One thinks that there might be a dark horse or two looking to take the trophy out for the work on the diamond. Mick “Tap n Go” Wyatt is looking for a big return to Cods this year and has put in work over the off season. Another who is crushing the ball at training is his great mate, Steve “The Farmer” Peruzzo.

After his stellar performance off the bench over the long weekend telling everyone how to play and then backing it up, look for Shaun “Old School” O’Neil to be back with a vengeance and looking to gamble his way to the top of the vote cards. The Porepunkah men are return to the Cods this year, and with a smattering of superstars from Albury Wodonga area, anyone could snatch the trophy.

Good luck to all who are attending this year. Safe drive down the Hume and see you all in Ballarat.

Meyers, Carmody, Johnson and Whiteman…. Cods Carpool Karaoke

Two of the bigger personalities of the Cods collective are raring for Ballarat. They are Wodonga’s Matt Carmody and Ash Meyers. Meyers, a two time pufferfish will be regaling stories of past years, while for Carmody, this is his maiden voyage with the Cod collective. Just to add a bit more flavour to the car pool, Ross “Lego man” Johnson and Sean Whiteman complete the quartet. If you are fly on the wall in that car it will be an entertaining ride to Ballarat. Speaking of that, who is taking Tetsu? Those who have been on road trips with Tets, know what I am talking about!

Juniors take to the diamond

Over the past six weeks it has been great to see the Junior Rangers out on the diamond before the seniors.

The chatter about baseball has all been positive and the Rangers are looking for more juniors for the upcoming season. The club has the equipment, we are just looking for a more players. If you know of anyone who is interested please drop a line to The Rangers via email or on the socials.

We would love to see you in Ranger Orange in season 2022.

Warning track installed, now for a fence!

The warning track has been installed, the fence is soon to be erected. Head of all things fence related, Nathan “FOMO” Pool, is looking for more sponsors to place their advertising on the home run fence. I believe it is a very good deal as mentioned before. For $400 you get your business on prime real estate and that is for the lifetime of the sign. For more information please contact the club. It doesn’t matter where your business is, we are happy to advertise!

New warning track. Now for a fence!

Calling for umpires

Like all sports across the North East, baseball is not immune to the shortage of officials to umpire matches each week. The Wangaratta Rangers are looking for persons who are willing to umpire games on a Sunday each week. Re-numeration is available for each game. The club is calling out any former players or umpires living in the area who are interested in making a some extra cash and spending some Sundays on the diamond with us, to get in contact with the club via email wangarttarangers@hotmail.com or via our socials.

An umpires training course is slated at this stage for Sunday the 9th of April in Wangaratta.

Now to the club stuff

  • Victorian Masters Baseball- April 1st to 3rd 2022 Ballarat. Safe drive to all travelling.
  • Umpires course slated for 9th April in Wangaratta.
  • RSA course 26th April. Contact club if interested.
  • Training- 5pm Juniors, 6pm Seniors Thursday nights Targoora Park Wangaratta.
  • Special thanks this week to sponsors Old Town and Country Tavern, Londrigan Meats and Plumbforce Plumbing. Locals support us, let’s support them.
  • Pay your insurance via the logins on Teamapp or via the website https://wangarattabaseball.com/
  • Looking for more Juniors and Seniors, come down and find out how much fun baseball is.

Well that’s it for this edition. Line Drive will be reporting over the weekend so look for Cods updates from Ballarat.

Til next time

Good luck Codsters

and

Go Rangers !!

Rounding Third By Line Drive August 27th 2019

Posted on 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 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.

IMG_5103
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 !!

Rounding Third By Line Drive April 15 2019

Posted on by LineDrive
Hello and welcome to the round one and two edition of Rounding Third.  Season 2019 in the North Eastern Baseball Association got underway for the boys and girls of Wangaratta Rangers Baseball Club. The first round saw a return to the two division system, for the first time in over five years. Rangers Orange who play in B grade had the early game against Benalla B. Rangers Orange proved to be too strong for the newly reformed Benalla B, running out winners 26 to 5. In the late game, Rangers Black took on Benalla A. Rangers jumped out to an early lead and were in control for long parts of the match eventually winning 12-3.
    Week 2 and warm weather greeted all the clubs to sunny Wangaratta. In B grade, Rangers Orange and Porepunkah played out an 8 all draw as time had run out, while in A grade, Rangers Black welcomed Wodonga Warriors White. It was a tight struggle early, with the Rangers eventually gaining some momentum after leaving many early base runners to grind out a win by the score of 11-0.  Once again a very good crowd was in attendance for both games and the club thanks you for your continued support to start season 2019. This is going to be a big edition so let’s get into the news!
French Jonker and Sons
Over the first two rounds it has been pleasing to watch both Jason “Sunscreen” Jonker and Brendon “Frenchy” French get the opportunity to take the diamond with sons Nick Jonker, Heath and Damien French respectively.
It was seen on their social media pages that both men were wrapt to be playing the game they have played for many years, and have passed on their love of the game to their sons too. Congratulations gentlemen, hope you both have an enjoyable year of baseball with your sons in 2019.
Jenko begins season with a bang
Scott “The Beard” Jenkins is a busy man these days. With a young family to look after, and to his time as an apprentice plumber. What else can Jenkins add to his bow? Pitching is something Jenkins has identified as something he would like to do more over season 2019. He got his chance in week 1 down at Benalla where he threw two innings to get the Rangers over the line against Benalla A. He woke up a bit bit battered and bruised come Monday morning, but by Thursday night he was coming good. On Sunday against Wodonga, he let his bat do the talking. He sent a towering shot over left field to open his home run account for season 2019. Could this be the year of Jenkins?
 
Goggles Returns
Good to see Sam “Goggles” Grigg return to the diamond to play. He had made a deal with his fellow Esmond Street comrades that he would play some games this year. This has come about after Kelsey “Dropsie” Burder (who again lived up to his nickname in round 1 vs Benalla) said to him he could not buy into Ranger Ramble VIII to be held later in 2019. Grigg was his usual busy self on the diamond getting on base and speeding his way around the base paths. His coach Mick “The Skipper” Wyatt was impressed with his speed on the diamond,  but was bemused by his lack of it, off it. He was telling Line Drive that Sam was the first one there and getting organised for warm up but one of the last to actually get out to warm up. Save the speed for the game Goggles!

Rangers 2019
Let’s win this! 

The King is here
Great to have Angus King on board in season 2019. Gus has watched a game or two and been seen with the Esmond Street band at numerous Ranger functions. Now Gus has put the glove on and is having a crack out on the diamond. There are a few new faces down at The Ranch this year. A big welcome to Jimi “Winner” Wingrave who made his debut for Orange on Saturday with Dale “Lefty” Steven and Marcus Therkelman. Great see new players, welcome aboard!
Parker picks it perfectly
Aaron “Azza” Parker took to the hill against Wodonga Warriors and after a little bit of an unlucky start, found his groove. With the spluttering Ranger offense in the early innings Parker did a masterful job on the mound to keep the Wodonga bats subdued. Eventually the Ranger bats woke up and started giving him some run support. Once he had finished his stint on the mound, it was difficult to keep Parker out of the game at short stop. A great “eye open” short hop to get an out at first. This was followed by a loose ball that got away from Owen “The Gaffer” Godenzi, to stop a run scoring at home plate. This had the Ranger supporters in full applause for his efforts. Not to mention another supply of top notch lollies! Azza really did have a great day.
Juniors begin in Porepunkah on 28th of April
In what is definitely a step forward for the association, for the first time in ten years, junior baseball is back. After a power of work behind the scenes by all clubs, an under fourteen competition will commence a ten week season to be played at 12-1:30pm on each game day. Coaches Nathan “Fomo” Pool and Owen Godenzi are very excited and pumped about the next generation of ball players who will be wearing the Rangers colours. Training for juniors has moved to Thursday nights from 5pm at Targoora Park. All seniors, if available, are encouraged to head down early before their training and lend a hand to help run drills and teach the basics of baseball. The following Thursday night will see the juniors be presented with their playing tops following training and a good old fashioned pie night will be the order of the night too. These are exciting times for baseball in the North East, and all clubs are to be congratulated on working hard to ensure they have a team ready to go in season 2019. Good luck to all juniors out there. Hope you enjoy the game as much as I have for the past 25 plus years.
Teas on Thursday nights
After an amazing Spag Bol last week catered by Shaun “Old School” O’Neil, Azza Parker steps up this week for his famous steak sangas. Always a crowd favorite, no one will go home hungry with that on the menu. The club now has EFTPOS and for $10 includes a meal and a drink….. and maybe seconds if you are lucky. So now no excuse for not having cash. No cash, no worries. Look for the poll on the Rangers Facebook for more information.
 
Want to know what is going on? Multiple ways to do so! 
Just a friendly reminder of where you can find Ranger information out there. Check out http://www.wangarattabaseball.com for game reports, courtesy of game changer. A link will be available to this report Team app and Twitter. There is always the Facebook site and of course this little blog if you really really want to know what the characters of the Wangaratta Rangers are up to. I hope to write this fortnightly during the season to get a real idea of who is doing what and all the other exciting things we have planned for the year.
Gilly and the Tin; to put your fines in
The tin is back and already the change is flowing into it. From strike outs to Mick Wyatt saying about a batter that, “he doesn’t want to hit it” , proceeds to hit a home run, wrong coloured socks on home days, to leaving a piece of uniform on the ground, there are plenty of ways that Gilly is looking to fill the coffers. Now we all know it is all in good fun, it’s always good to have a laugh about it after the game each week. So keep working hard at training on Thursday nights and then maybe, just maybe, you may not have to contribute as much as others…..Maybe.
 
Beaker where are you?
Rob “Butts” Seymour and Cam “The Soak” Scott were discussing past players and were wondering where Rob “Beaker” Barbour is hiding. Last year we were able to flush him out for an appearance at a Rangers home game and by writing about him, so hopefully once again it might just be enough to get him down to watch his beloved Rangers. I am sure your read this Beaker, and it would be great to see you and other past players down at Targoora Park over the course of the season.

Beaker and Bunsen 2
Where are you Beaker??

Now for the club stuff
  • Junior training from 5pm Thursday. Senior to follow on Thursday after the completion of juniors. All are welcome.
  • Want to know all that is happening in the juniors? Check out  https://www.facebook.com/wangarattarangersjuniorbaseball/ for all your information and needs
  • EFTPOS facilities available to pay your fees and merchandise. Available each Thursday and game day
  • After each home game dinner is on at our great sponsor Cafe Martini from 5:30 pm. All are welcome.
  • Punters Club returns. Interested? See The Soak for details
  • If you are unavailable place it on Team App of when you cannot play. Just let us know!
  • Rangers u/14 vs Porepunkah at Porepunkah April 28th
  • Rangers Black vs Bears Green at Porepunkah 2:15pm Sunday April 28th Rangers Orange have a the bye
Wow that was a big edition. Exciting times ahead. Till next time you avid readers (Jonno from Wodonga) out there and others……
Go Rangers!