Baseballers take a swing to Japan

By Ed Merrison
FOUR local Tiger cubs are itching to sink their teeth into a unique sporting and cultural experience.
James Blair, Kevin Mynott, Chris Zissis and Ben Kernick from Upwey-Ferntree Gully Tigers under 12 baseball team have been selected to represent Victoria in the upcoming International Friendly Series against Japan.
The boys are part of a 42-man squad to be split into three teams before taking on six Japanese sides and teams from each state in Australia.
The tournament will be held in the final week of March with each team playing nine games in five days at a number of venues all over Melbourne and Geelong.
At the completion of the upcoming tournament, the Victorian players will again be divided, with the cream travelling to Japan to take part in the Annual World Rubberball Championships.
The remaining players will be split between a side going to the Gold Coast and another heading to Adelaide to take on South Australia.
During the initial series, the Japanese players will be billeted with Australian families, an arrangement reciprocated when the lucky few travel to Japan.
Tigers summer coach Phil Natale said the exchange gave the players a chance to experience other cultures and to strike up ongoing relationships.
“To play for Victoria against Japan is a big accomplishment for these kids.
“If they go to Japan, they’ll be representing their country and if they go to Queensland or Adelaide they’ll be representing their state.
“To me that’s a pretty big thing for a 12-year-old,” Mr Natale said.
The boys are currently training with the Victorian team every Saturday in Port Melbourne.
“All 42 are pretty talented so to make the cut the coaches must have seen something in them.
“Now they have some of the best youth coaches working with them, they’re playing a lot of games and they’re facing some tough competition,” Mr Natale said.
All four Tigers said they wanted to go to Japan, a stepping stone on their desired career path towards major league baseball.
Certainly, there is no lack of confidence in the Tigers’s lair. As Chris put it: “If you’re going to Japan when you’re 12, where are you going to be when you’re 18?”