News

Matt Austin earns May Sports Star Award for Baseball success

2nd July 2009

20 year old Matt Austin has been playing representative Baseball since the age of 11. Matt, who plays locally with the Eagles Baseball Club, has also been representing Sunraysia, Victoria and South Australia in Juniors and now Senior baseball. This continued success has earned him the Northern Mallee Sports Star Award for May 2009.

Matt is the second baseballer from this region to be selected to represent the Australian Provincial team in an overseas tour. In order for him to gain selection Matt has been travelling and training for the past 3 years, firstly to gain selection in the South Australian Provincial team and then to gain selection in the Victorian Provincial team for the Australian National Championship.

As a result of his travelling, training and sacrifice, Matt's performance for Victoria was good enough to catch the eye of the team selectors, and he was then included in the extended squad for the Australian Provincial team. More travelling and try outs saw Matt reach the last cut, finally resulting in selection to represent Australia on their Asian tour.

To be selected in this team is no small feat - over 100 baseballers were participating in the Australian National championships and all with much more extensive resources than Matt has available to him here locally. Facilities and coaching are two major differences that Matt has been able to overcome and still outplay many baseballers to gain selection to the Australian Provincial team.

Matt’s dedication has been the result of playing baseball twelve months of the year. He plays locally in the winter with Eagles and in the summer travels each weekend to play for Waverley Reds in Melbourne or Woodville in Adelaide as there is no summer baseball played locally.

Matt receives a voucher proudly sponsored by Sportspower and is now eligible for the 2009 Harvey Norman 3MA FM Sports Star Of The Year Award...... Congratulations Matt.