Mackerels Baseball Club officials hope the developing club and its new facilities will invigorate the sport on the Sunshine Coast.
The Buderim-based outfit was formed last year and is making big strides.
The Mackerels now boast the region’s first diamond in more than two decades, built with help from Maroochydore Cricket Club, Sunshine Coast Council and the Queensland Goverment.
“We started the club to try and build the sport,” club president Bill Johnston said.
“There’s not much of an inter-club league here, so it was a matter of trying to kick off something here and to grow the sport.”
The diamond, opened in July, is crucial to their cause.
The cricket bodies allowed the club to build one in the back corner of their precinct at Elizabeth Daniels Park, and council and the state government provided the necessary funds.
“They were very supportive and helped us establish the first diamond on the Coast for 20-something years,” Johnston said.
“To train baseballers to pitch, catch and run, you need a diamond, with a decomposed granite and clay base.
“The players can learn how to pitch off a mound and how to run around the bases and how to slide.”
The Mackerels don’t have a full field yet, but the diamond allows club-members to train and have practice games. They play Brisbane league games during the season (October to March).
It’s hoped the club will have a full field in the near future.
“The diamond is a start. It gets us a training facility and the players can have scrimmage games,” Johnston said.
“We’re hopeful we can have our own junior development league here in the next two or three years, and we can play here.”
Johnston said the Sunshine Coast lagged behind other regions in baseball development, and needed to make up ground.
“There are leagues in Brisbane and Gold Coast is one of the strongest baseball regions in Australia. They have even competed in the Little League World Series in America (in 2018). They’re developing a strong league there.”
“So, we’re trying to catch up and develop our own groundswell for baseball.
“We got the funds to build a diamond and we’ve got the equipment. Now it’s about building a base for kids to play baseball and to give them a space to play games.”
The sport wasn’t even on Johnston’s radar until a few years ago.
“I’ve never played but my son said he wanted to play, and I was like ‘I don’t even know where you would play’.
“Baseball is one of those big sports that is left out in Australia.
“It is international – in America, Japan, Korea and South America – but it hasn’t taken a hold in Australia.
“Australian sport is dominated by rugby league, soccer and AFL.
“But baseball is starting to build its appeal. It’s great for kids, with lots of running and bat and ball skills.
“I think there’s a place for baseball in Australia and I think it will only keep growing.”
Johnston said baseball had a building connection to cricket.
“There’s a lot of cross-over, and I think it’s a good marriage for us to be at the home of Maroochydore cricket.
“We can transfer skills between the two sports.
“Kids in baseball and cricket learn how to throw well and protect their shoulder.”
Johnston said the club is likely to contact schools to help in their promotion of the sport.
“We hope to delve into school programs during the next couple of years and offer training programs as part of physical education,” he said.
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“There is a lot of softball at schools, but not baseball, and I think we’ve got room to be active in that space and build our programs.
“We’re only a new club and we need a lot more support to get it out there and make people aware of it.
“But we already have people ringing us all the time, coming along and having a go, and hopefully it will keep going in the next few years.”
There is a baseball presence in the region, with the Sunshine Coast Baseball Association, based at the North Shore Multi-Sports Complex at Mudjimba.
It boasts junior development programs and hosts games and Johnston said the association was working towards getting its own diamond, which would further promote the sport.
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The Mackerels have a small number of members, mainly from ages 10 to 16. But the club accommodates ages 6 to adults.
“At the moment, we’re focused on juniors but hopefully we can build some adult leagues down the track when we get more people involved,” he said.
“We’re working towards something early next year, when we we can try to have some games between kids from Mudjimba and Gympie and start to have that inter-club competition. That will only help to build the sport in the region.”
