Women’s Baseball - The Inside Pitch

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.

S02 E01 - Genevieve Beacom - Australia

17-year-old Australian Genevieve Beacom made history in January 2022 as the first female pitcher for an Australian professional baseball team. 
Gen took to the mound in the sixth inning for the Melbourne Aces in the team's Melbourne Challenge Series game against the Adelaide Giants. She pitched a scoreless inning without giving up a hit at Melbourne Ballpark.
It wasn't the first time however that Gen has become the first girl or woman to break a new barrier or set a new milestone in baseball with the Melbourne pitcher also boasting the honours of being the first woman to pitch in a Victorian Summer League division one game, the first girl selected to a Victorian U16 team and to play for Australia at the Cal Ripken Series.
Listen to Gen's story about this memorable night, about why she chose baseball, why she loves the sport, and what the future holds! 
#WomensBaseballInsidePitch #WomensBaseball #InsidePitch
 

S01 E09 - Loes Asmus (NED)

#WomensBaseballInsidePitch Up next on The Inside Pitch, I head to Europe, Rotterdam in The Netherlands to be specific, to chat with five-time World Cup veteran Loes Asmus.Loes chats about her start in baseball at seven years of age, before a switch her sport of choice to softball as there were no opportunities in the Netherlands for girls to keep playing baseball as a teenager.  Loes was part of the inaugural Dutch National Team in 2010, and her journey has included five World Cups, the first European Women's Championships and a trip to play ball down under. 
 
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#WomensBaseball #WomeninBaseball #WomenInSport 

S01 E08 - Kate Psota (CAN)

2021 signifies the twentieth anniversary of the inaugural Women's World Series held in July of 2001.
The World Series, which was won by the USA and featured games at the Toronto SkyDome, was the precursor of the Women's World Cup as we know it today.
The first episode in a special three-part series on the World Series featured Donna Mills of the USA, with episode two featuring Canada’s Kate Psota.
At just 15 years of age, Kate was one of the youngest at the World Series, and credits the experience in launching her international career which boasts a record eight World Cup appearances including six medals! 
Amy McCann caught up with Kate to talk all things World Series, World Cup, her move from player to coach and more! 
Key Links
Baseball Canada Women's National Team 
Olympic Team Canada Kate Psota
Women's Baseball World Series 
Psota announces retirement from Canada Women’s Baseball National Team 
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S01 E07 - Donna Mills (USA)

#WomensBaseballInsidePitch In celebration of the 2021 Women In Baseball Week which runs July 25-31, and in recognition of the 20th anniversary of the inaugural Women's World Series held in July 2001, we bring to you a special three-part mini-podcast series!
The theme of Women In Baseball Week in 2021 is 'Breaking Barriers: Women in Baseball Around the World' and the 2001 Women's World Series did just that!
In 2000, American Jim Glennie made a call to Japanese, Canadian and Australian baseball representatives asking them to travel to Canada to play an international women’s tournament. 
The World Series, which was won by the USA and featured games at the Toronto SkyDome, was the precursor of the Women's World Cup as we know it today.
The first episode in this series features Donna Mills of the USA. Donna took part in the 2001 World Series and credits the tournament for launching her baseball career that boasts dual World Cup gold in 2004 and 2006, in addition to World Cup MVP honours in 2006.
Amy McCann caught up with Donna to discuss her beginnings in the game, breaking college softball records, her World Cup feats and what she remembers of that first World Series all these years later!
#womeninbaseballweek
 

S01 E06 - Chelsea Forkin (AUS)

For Episode 6, we travelled to Ota City, Gunma prefecture, about 80 kilometres outside of Tokyo, to chat with Chelsea Forkin!
 
From her start as the 2003 Baseball.com.au Women's Nationals batgirl to the 2004 World Cup Baseball All-World Team, onto numerous World Championships with Softball Australia and a USA Pro Softball career, before returning to the Team Australia Baseball in 2016, Chelsea's resume with either bat and ball is one to be envied.
 
And on July 1, she was named to the Australian Olympic Team 15-woman softball squad for Tokyo 2020! 
 
#WomensBaseballInsidePitch #WomensBaseball #WomenInSport #womeninbaseball #Softball #Tokyo2020

S01 E05 - Risa Nakashima (JPN)

#WomensBaseballInsidePitch Episode 5 has dropped!
After travelling from Australia to the USA, over to the UK, back across to Canada, this week we are off to the land of the rising sun - Japan!
We chat with five-time World Cup rep Risa Nakashima who started her Team Japan playing career in 2002 before going on to win four world titles between 2008 and 2014.
Moving into the coaching ranks, Risa was an assistant coach for Team Japan in 2016 and Team Australia in 2018.
For the 2020/21 World Cup (fingers crossed we see it played soon) Risa will aim to lead Japan to a seventh straight World Cup gold as the Women’s National Team Head Coach.
Enjoy! 
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