Women’s Baseball - The Inside Pitch

#AWBC2022 South Australia’s Bianca Smith drops in for a chat from Adelaide

#AWBC2022 South Australia's Bianca Smith joins the show to chat about the rise of women's baseball in the state, her work developing the state league, repping the red and blue at Nationals and her work with the Grow Her Game initiative.
 
#womensbaseball
 

#AWBC2022 2022 Queensland and former Victorian rep Amanda Torrington

#AWBC2022 I chat to 12x Nationals rep and 2012 Team Australia World Cup rep Amanda Torrington who is repping the maroon for Queensland at the 2022 Australian Women's Championships in Adelaide this week.
 
WATCH THE INTERVIEW https://youtu.be/WOAKf4lvNHc 
 
Torro's nationals career started with Queensland in 2010, before she moved to Victoria where she pulled on the blue and claimed the national title in 2017.
 
Torro chats to us about providing leadership to the young Queensland team and what it is like being a mum at Nationals.
 
#WomensBaseball #WomenInBaseball #WomenInSport
 
The Inside Pitch #awbc2022 podcasts will be coming at ya daily from the 2022 Australian Women’s Baseball Championship in Adelaide! 

#AWBC2022 Victoria V NSW battle recap with Tahnee Lovering, Brooke Shiels, Morgan Doty & Ticara Geldenhuis

#AWBC2022 Day 3 Victoria v NSW Game Recap with NSW duo Brooke Shiels and Tahnee Lovering plus special episode drop ins from Ticara Geldenhuis (NSW) and Morgan Doty (VIC)!
 
WATCH THE EPISODE https://fb.watch/csZhyG2FJL/ 
 
A dual Team Australia alumni (2006, 2010) Brooke Shiels was part of Australia's 2010 silver medal-winning outfit. A proud NSW team member, across multiple nationals, Brooke claimed the 2006 national title before moving on to become the team's pitching coach for three years from 2014-2016.
 
Since 2004, Tahnee Lovering has amassed one of world baseball’s most stunning resumes including contesting seven World Cups for Australia, winning silver and bronze medals, selected to the 2016 All World Team, plus a host of national titles with New South Wales.
 
The Inside Pitch #awbc2022 podcasts will be coming at ya daily from the 2022 Australian Women’s Baseball Championship in Adelaide!
 
#womeninbaseball #womeninsport #womensbaseball
 

#AWBC2022 Victorian opening day double header recap - Kathy Welsh & Bronwyn Gell

The Inside Pitch #awbc2022 podcasts will be coming at ya daily from the 2022 Australian Women’s Baseball Championship in Adelaide!
 
Australian and Victorian alumni Kathy Welsh joins the show to chat about all things nationals, opening day, Victoria's double header and more! Plus Aussie and Vic star Bronwyn Gell drops in live from Adelaide following a huge double-header day for the Vics who took two wins.
 
WATCH THE EPISODE https://fb.watch/csZj8oAkqa/ 
 
(Please excuse the audio delay late in the episode, due to an Optus network shutdown in Victoria on Saturday, was a bit chaotic at the end!)
 
#womeninbaseball #womeninsport #womensbaseball
 

S02 E07 - Tanith Harley - History Of Australian Women’s Baseball including 1934 All-Australian Women’s Baseball Interstate Series

 
In an epic episode, I chat with Australian baseball history enthusiast Tanith Harley who takes us through the origins of baseball in Australia for girls and women which date back to 1909!
In the second half of the episode, we bring to you a full rundown of the 1934 All-Australian Women's Baseball Interstate Series held at the University of Sydney including an in-depth discussion on the teams, players, uniforms, equipment and a game-by-game recap!Head to our socials for photos!  Facebook @WomensBaseballInsidePitch 
Instagram @womensbaseballinsidepitch 
Twitter @womens_baseball
#womensbaseball #womeninbaseball #womeninsport #womenssport #sportshistory 

S02 E06 - Karina Connors (nee Sexton) - Australia

Karina Connors
My guest today is Karina Connors, or Sexo, cos when I met her she was Karina Sexton so that is what so many of us still call her. 
A born and bred Lismorian (Lismore is on the far north coast of New South Wales just 100km south of the NSW/QLD border), Karina first picked up a tee-ball bat in the 80s before then taking up softball.
Once she switched to baseball as a teenager, Karina begin building one enviable resume which leaves her as the only far north coast baseballer to have been selected for the Australian women's baseball team and the longest-serving Queensland baseball team representative - male or female - with 17 years spent in the maroon! 
But beneath the stats is a story of hard work, determination, heartbreak and joy, from three career-threatening injuries to the birth of her daughter in the middle of her career, to a long-awaited World Cup debut after she had officially retired. 
Now Karina is still involved in coaching baseball, but more significantly, doing her part to help rebuild a local community and baseball family in her hometown of Lismore, which was recently devastated by the floods of February 2022.
How you can help
From a world-class baseball facility, home of the Australian Little League Championships and Timberjacks Friendship Series, to a disaster zone. Far North Coast Baseball is actively seeking support to help rebuild the Albert Park baseball complex following the devastating floods that have impacted our region. All proceeds will go to the restoration of the complex and the clubs that make up the Far North Coast Baseball Association under the guidance of the FNC Baseball Association board of management. Every $$ helps us get one step close to having kids playing baseball and bringing tournaments back to Lismore.  
Far North Coast Baseball
GoFundMe 
Donations Register
#WomensBaseballInsidePitch #Podcast #WomensBaseball #InsidePitch #WomenInBaseball #WomenInSport 

S02 E05 - Janine Thompson - Umpire - Australia - International Women’s Day 2022

International Women's Day (March 8) is a global day to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness against gender bias, and take action for equality. The theme for 2022 International Women's Day (IWD) is #BreakTheBias.
In baseball, many women have had to break bias at some point in their baseball journey, whether it has been as a player, an umpire, coach, scorer, in the media or management positions. 
On 2022 International Women's Day, I have chosen to feature and celebrate three women in baseball in Victoria, Australia who are leading by example on and off the field. 
Jennie Moloney is changing the game off the field from the scorer’s box. A life member and member of the team of the century at the Williamstown Baseball Club, Jennie began her scoring career at her very first game of baseball in 1976. Jennie has since scored at three Olympic Games, is currently one of just five members of the WBSC Scoring Commission, was named the 2019 WBSC Scorer of the Year, and in 2021 was appointed to the Baseball Scoring Director for the Tokyo Olympic Games. 
When Janine Thompson saw no women on a list of registered umpires in Melbourne in 2006, she thought would do something about it by umpiring herself. 15 years later, Janine is the only woman currently umpiring in the Baseball Victoria Victorian Summer Baseball League, has umpired countless Women’s National Championships, and has also umpired in Hong Kong and the USA. She was part of an all-women’s umpiring crew at the Baseball Australia Showcase in 2021 which she will do again in 2022. 
Abbey McLellan’s journey in baseball has been one of commitment and persistence. Bursting onto the scene as a 11yo playing in Footscray Baseball Club’s Under 16 team, the hard hitting outfielder turned catcher’s career was almost derailed at just 21 years of age when a knee reconstruction ended her 2016 National Championships and World Cup aspirations. However, in a story of never letting go of your dreams, Abbey came back to represent her country at the 2018 World Cup and is now a leader of the Victorian Women’s Baseball team. 
#IWD2022 #WomensBaseballInsidePitch #Podcast #WomensBaseball #InsidePitch

S02 E04 - Abbey McLellan - Player - Australia - International Women’s Day 2022

International Women's Day (March 8) is a global day to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness against gender bias, and take action for equality. The theme for 2022 International Women's Day (IWD) is #BreakTheBias.
In baseball, many women have had to break bias at some point in their baseball journey, whether it has been as a player, an umpire, coach, scorer, in the media or management positions. 
On 2022 International Women's Day, I have chosen to feature and celebrate three women in baseball in Victoria, Australia who are leading by example on and off the field. 
Jennie Moloney is changing the game off the field from the scorer’s box. A life member and member of the team of the century at the Williamstown Baseball Club, Jennie began her scoring career at her very first game of baseball in 1976. Jennie has since scored at three Olympic Games, is currently one of just five members of the WBSC Scoring Commission, was named the 2019 WBSC Scorer of the Year, and in 2021 was appointed to the Baseball Scoring Director for the Tokyo Olympic Games. 
When Janine Thompson saw no women on a list of registered umpires in Melbourne in 2006, she thought would do something about it by umpiring herself. 15 years later, Janine is the only woman currently umpiring in the Baseball Victoria Victorian Summer Baseball League, has umpired countless Women’s National Championships, and has also umpired in Hong Kong and the USA. She was part of an all-women’s umpiring crew at the Baseball Australia Showcase in 2021 which she will do again in 2022. 
Abbey McLellan’s journey in baseball has been one of commitment and persistence. Bursting onto the scene as a 11yo playing in Footscray Baseball Club’s Under 16 team, the hard-hitting outfielder turned catcher’s career was almost derailed at just 21 years of age when a knee reconstruction ended her 2016 National Championships and World Cup aspirations. However, in a story of never letting go of your dreams, Abbey came back to represent her country at the 2018 World Cup and is now a leader of the Victorian Women’s Baseball team. 
You can find Women’s Baseball - The Inside Pitch on Apple iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music/Audible, Google Podcasts, Podbean, or wherever you listen to your podcasts!  
#IWD2022 #WomensBaseballInsidePitch #Podcast #WomensBaseball #InsidePitch

S02 E03 - Jennie Moloney - Scorer - Australia - 2022 International Women’s Day

2022 International Women’s Day: 
International Women's Day (March 8) is a global day to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness against gender bias, and take action for equality. The theme for 2022 International Women's Day (IWD) is #BreakTheBias.
In baseball, many women have had to break bias at some point in their baseball journey, whether it has been as a player, an umpire, coach, scorer, in the media or management positions. 
On 2022 International Women's Day, I have chosen to feature and celebrate three women in baseball in Victoria, Australia who are leading by example on and off the field. 
Jennie Moloney is changing the game off the field from the scorer’s box. A life member and member of the team of the century at the Williamstown Baseball Club, Jennie began her scoring career at her very first game of baseball in 1976. Jennie has since scored at three Olympic Games, is currently one of just five members of the WBSC Scoring Commission, was named the 2019 WBSC Scorer of the Year, and in 2021 was appointed to the Baseball Scoring Director for the Tokyo Olympic Games. 
When Janine Thompson saw no women on a list of registered umpires in Melbourne in 2006, she thought would do something about it by umpiring herself. 15 years later, Janine is the only woman currently umpiring in the Baseball Victoria Victorian Summer Baseball League, has umpired countless Women’s National Championships, and has also umpired in Hong Kong and the USA. She was part of an all-women’s umpiring crew at the Baseball Australia Showcase in 2021 which she will do again in 2022. 
Abbey McLellan’s journey in baseball has been one of commitment and persistence. Bursting onto the scene as a 11yo playing in Footscray Baseball Club’s Under 16 team, the hard hitting catcher’s career was almost derailed at just 21 years of age after a knee reconstruction ended her 2016 World Cup campaign. However, in a story of never letting go of your dreams, Abbey came back to represent her country at the 2018 World Cup and is now a leader of the Victorian Women’s Baseball team. 
#IWD2022 #WomensBaseballInsidePitch #Podcast #WomensBaseball #InsidePitch

S02 E02 - Tahnee Lovering - Australia

S02 E02 - Tahnee Lovering - Australia
When you’ve spent 18 years at the highest level of any sport, one thing is clear, you must be one of the very best in the game.     
And Sydney’s Tahnee Lovering is just that.  
Tahnee was hooked on baseball from the age of 6 and instantly fell in love with catching. 
Selected to make her National Championships debut with New South Wales at 16 as a bullpen catcher, in a cinderella story, just six months later, Tahnee found herself in the green and gold of Australia, and one of the youngest players at the 2004 World Series and World Cup. 
Since 2004, Tahnee has amassed one of world baseball’s most stunning resumes including contesting seven World Cups for Australia, winning silver and bronze medals, being selected to the 2016 all-world team, plus a host of national titles with New South Wales.
But between the list of accolades is one of the most inspirational stories of hard work and fierce determination. Tahnee discusses her start in the sport, setbacks, fightbacks, her favourite memories and just how she has spent 18 years at the top in one of the most brutal positions in all of world sport. 
Full disclosure, I did put her on the spot by asking her to name the best pitcher she has ever caught too…. and I fully appreciate the magnitude of the question days later after she has messaged me asking me to read a long list of names of people she didn’t say… so that’s on me, I will apologize to everyone she has ever caught too! 
Anyway, it was an absolute privilege to share the field with Tahnee at multiple world cups for Australia and be a part of her amazing career as a teammate and rival. 
And it is my honour to share her story with you today.