Baseball

Dates
28 April - 4 May 2024

Age Groups
18 Years and Under

Participating States and Territories
ACT, NSW, QLD, SA, VIC, WA

Host
School Sport ACT

Venue
Narrabundah Ballpark, Kyeema St, Narrabundah 
Kyeema Street, Narrabundah, ACT

Age dispensation
There is no age dispensation provided in the SSA Baseball Championship.

Contact
For all Baseball Championships enquiries please contact the School Sport Australia National Baseball Advisor:

Mr Chris Norrie
Phone: 0400 638 130
E-Mail: cnorr11@eq.edu.au

 

Rules and Guidelines

To view the 18 Years and Under School Sport Australia Baseball Rules & Guidelines click here (updated January 2024).

To view the School Sport Australia Policies click here.

School Sport Australia Championships

SSA 18 Years & Under Baseball Championship will be using the GameChanger app for the posting of results during the Championship. Download the app here.

Canberra, ACT: 28 April - 4 May 2024

 

Previous championship results

THE HISTORY OF SCHOOL BASEBALL IN AUSTRALIA

Baseball has been played in schools since the early 1900s. In New South Wales the longest running School Knockout happens to be in the sport of Baseball, the Proud Shield competition as it is known, began in 1908, and was won by Fort Street High. The sport is presently played in over 500 Secondary Schools around Australia.

At the interstate level, competitions have existed since the 1940's, with some evidence suggesting competitions in the 1930's. These competitions involved New South Wales and Queensland teams with spasmodic representation from South Australia and Victoria. Throughout the 1970's and early 1980's only New South Wales and Queensland teams competed, until 1987 when Australian Capital Territory played in a three-way Championship. Michael Chapman, the New South Wales Combined High Schools Baseball Convener, worked tirelessly throughout this time to have other States participate and for Baseball to come under the umbrella of the Australian Schools Sports Council.

In 1988, Michael was elected the first National Secretary of the Australian Secondary School Baseball Association under the banner of the Australian Schools Sports Council. The Championship of 1988, held in Canberra, had four teams - New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. It was a trial Championship before the full acceptance into the Australian Schools Sports Council. The venue for the inaugural Australian Secondary Schools Baseball Championship was Oriole Stadium, Sydney in 1989 where Victoria also competed for the first time. This year saw us playing our 29th Championship. With the greater interest in the community, baseball standards have improved in schools.

The Australian Secondary Schools Baseball Team toured for the first time in 1992. This seven-game tour of Japan was an outstanding success. With the team finishing the tour with a 3.5/3.5 win/loss record against some of Japan's leading prefectures. In 1995, the Australian Secondary Schools Baseball Team toured Canada participating in the BC Falls Classic, winning all 10 matches and having an outstanding tour in the process. A National Team also toured to American Samoa in 1996 and to Florida in 2000. Beginning in 2005, with a tour to South Africa, and then in 2007 to Canada, and 2009, 2011 2014 and 2016 to the USA, the National Schools Team will be undertaking an international tour every second year. Such future tours will give added incentives to be involved in School Baseball.

The following information is provided as an insight into School Baseball and should you have added information regarding its history please do not hesitate to advise the National Secretary.