Pitching prodigy Blake Townsend hopes Australia's breakthrough performance on the world stage will help encourage a new generation of talent to take up the sport.
Key points:
- Blake Townsend grew up in Traralgon in regional Victoria and is making a name for himself in baseball
- Townsend is one of 35 Australians playing professional baseball
- Baseball Australia says the sport is gaining in popularity
Australia's shock run at the World Baseball Classic earlier this year came to an end with a 4-3 quarterfinal loss to Cuba, in what was the team's best performance at the tournament.
The team qualified for the knockout stage after winning three of its four games in Pool B, which included an upset win over South Korea.
It was a proud moment for Townsend, whose choice of baseball was an unconventional path for a young athlete growing up in the regional Victorian town of Traralgon, where football, netball, basketball and cricket dominated the sporting calendar.
His love affair with America’s favourite pastime started at the age of 10, when a flyer was dropped at his primary school inviting junior players to a come-and-try day at the Traralgon Red Sox.
"I remember when I was a kid throwing a tennis ball around with my dad in the backyard, so it was sort of easy to transition into something like baseball," he said.
Now just over a decade later, the 21-year-old has already ticked several items off his career bucket list.
He said the match against Japan was his personal highlight, where he had the opportunity to pitch against his idol Shohei Otani, in front of a crowd of 41,000.
"It was a surreal experience," he said.
"Australia has been looked at as not one of the top teams in the world, but now I feel like we showed that we belong in that conversation."
Love of the game
Baseball became a central focus for the Townsend family as Blake became more engaged in the sport.
With opportunities to compete in tournaments in Guam, Taiwan and most recently Japan, Blake's mother Nicki said the family never missed an opportunity to tag along.
"He loved it from the first time he tried," she said.
"Holidays for probably the last 10 years have always been baseball related, so Blake's taken us on some great trips.
"I feel we're a reasonably close family because we've spent so many hours in the car travelling to training."
Traralgon Red Sox club president John Kus said he remembered Townsend standing out from the rest of the junior players due to his strong work ethic.
Blake was 14 when he pitched in a senior C grade premiership with his dad Peter.
It was Kus who first identified his strong left arm and helped him to develop his skills as a pitcher.
It put him on a path to representing Australia and led to him signing a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners in the United States.
Kus said he would like to see more players progressing through the system.
"I think most people are very proud of Blake, he's a very humble person and was a very coachable kid," he said.
"There's a lot of other good Australian kids that would progress through the pathways so much quicker than they would if they were playing football or cricket."
Growing the game
Baseball Australia chief executive officer Glenn Williams said the sport had never been healthier.
"We are Australia's best kept secret," he said.
Williams said there were more than 50,000 active players across the country and participation numbers had grown for the past nine years.
There are 35 Australians playing baseball professionally, including Townsend, who said he hoped to see more youngsters giving the sport a crack.
"Any bit of exposure that we can gain for the sport and try to pass on the baton to the next generation … it's huge for the development of baseball in Australia," he said.