SA Footy

Baseball is a sport with little to no exposure in this country, but a sport that Australian's do very well in.
South Australian baseball is in decline, with lower participation rate in most areas than that of 10 years ago. Obviously, being played during summer time, baseball struggles to match up against cricket, tennis, basketball and other lesure activities and the local comps around the state need as much exposure as possible.
So lets here it baseballers, scores, stats, info, news and anything anybody feels may be relevent to your local comp. (Metro or Country)
My background in baseball is I begain playing at age 8 in the country town of Port Lincoln. I have continued playing for every year since and am coming into my 20th season.
during 6 of those years I was lucky enough to play and coach at the Glenelg Baseball Club, the greatest baseball club in the state IMHO.
Upon returning to Port Lincoln I returned to the Saints Baseball Club, the club I started with.
I was nominated as President of the Lower Eyre Peninsula Baseball League for this coming season and am also on the SACBA Board, the body that governs South Australian Country Baseball.
Obviously my input will be largely centered around the SABL Comp (Metro Adelaide) and the Lower Eyre Peninsula Baseball League (Port Lincoln and areas)
I would love to hear how other country centers are going in regards to numbers, competition strength and how you guys run your local competitions.
With that in mind....................bring on summer time and baseball once again.

So this coming weekend sees the country areas meet at the Glenelg Baseball Club for the anual State Country Championships.
I believe, at this stage, 5 areas will compete in the senior competition with Lower Eyre, Riverland, Sunraysia, Whyalla and Mount Gambier doing battle for the title.
Mount Gambier will start favorites, as they should having won the past half dozen or so carnivals. Lower Eyre will be coached by yours truely and I'm sure the lads will will enjoy the 8.30am start on Saturday after the 7 hour drive the day before.
Looking forward to seeing how the weekend pans out for us, we are sending an almost full strength outfit with only maybe 3 first choice players unavailable due to work, sport and drinking commitments.
Hopefully we go OK and an appearance in the final would be fantastic for us. If anyone else has any input on the teams for other areas any input would be welcomed.
Here's to a good weekend and a few wins for the Lower Eyre lads.
If not I'm sure there will be plenty of this to make up for it.

Never been a huge baseball fan, but last year went out the back and watched West Torrens def Glenelg in a cracker of a GF.
Bloody loved it, will be going out the back gate a few time this year to watch the Eagles...

Are Northern Districts still in Div 1? I didn't agree with us getting into Div 1 when we did, and for the life of me, I cant work out why we are still there!!! I would have though success in Div 2 was a prerequisite for a promotion to Div 1?

Haloman, did you know a guy by the name of Damien Kolen in your time at Glenelg?
Was a very good mens softball player as well and apparently a few years back while playing baseball for Glenelg he put Shayne Bennett over the fence while Bennett was still in the Major League system.
Remember a guy who filled in for softball about 10 years ago for West Torrens who apparently was a pitcher in the minors at the time and could pitch in the low to mid 90 mile an hour range.
Whatever became of the baseball career of Gene Vaninetti?
Wasn't there a guy who might have been on the doorstep of the major leagues from Adelaide a few years back? From memory he shared a surname with an SANFL player at the time but I can't remember his name.
Think there are only two Australians in the major leagues at the moment, one guy from WA and another one from NSW.

ORDoubleBlues wrote:Wasn't there a guy who might have been on the doorstep of the major leagues from Adelaide a few years back? From memory he shared a surname with an SANFL player at the time but I can't remember his name.

Prokopec????

westcoastpanther wrote:

ORDoubleBlues wrote:Wasn't there a guy who might have been on the doorstep of the major leagues from Adelaide a few years back? From memory he shared a surname with an SANFL player at the time but I can't remember his name.

Prokopec????

I think you might be right there wcp, it might have been Luke
that went to America a few years ago. From memory i think
he hails from a strong baseball family from the riverland.

Dermie wrote:

westcoastpanther wrote:

ORDoubleBlues wrote:Wasn't there a guy who might have been on the doorstep of the major leagues from Adelaide a few years back? From memory he shared a surname with an SANFL player at the time but I can't remember his name.

Prokopec????

I think you might be right there wcp, it might have been Luke
that went to America a few years ago. From memory i think
he hails from a strong baseball family from the riverland.

Spot on there. Luke Prokopec was his name and he spent some time in the majors with the LA Dodgers and a couple of other teams from memory. His father Ken Prokopec is 50+ years old and beat us in the last Country Carnival pitching for the Riverland. Some arms never die!
I think his brother was a forward for Centrals in the SANFL. Didn't see any of him this season though, not sure what happened to him.

ORDoubleBlues wrote:Haloman, did you know a guy by the name of Damien Kolen in your time at Glenelg?
Was a very good mens softball player as well and apparently a few years back while playing baseball for Glenelg he put Shayne Bennett over the fence while Bennett was still in the Major League system.
Remember a guy who filled in for softball about 10 years ago for West Torrens who apparently was a pitcher in the minors at the time and could pitch in the low to mid 90 mile an hour range.
Whatever became of the baseball career of Gene Vaninetti?
Wasn't there a guy who might have been on the doorstep of the major leagues from Adelaide a few years back? From memory he shared a surname with an SANFL player at the time but I can't remember his name.
Think there are only two Australians in the major leagues at the moment, one guy from WA and another one from NSW.

Yea I know Boof Kolen. Hit one of the biggest home runs ever seen at Glenelg in a Div 3 game one afternoon. On diamaond one he smashed this thing and I swear I saw it hit the guard rail on Tapleys Hill Rd and go back into the river........... massive.
He was an awesome softballer to from all reports and had a mate, Scott Grady, (I think that was his name) who came down to the Bay as well. Both were aparently exelent softballers in their day.
As for this Gene V fella I can't say I've heard of him.

SJABC wrote:Never been a huge baseball fan, but last year went out the back and watched West Torrens def Glenelg in a cracker of a GF.
Bloody loved it, will be going out the back gate a few time this year to watch the Eagles...

I had a mate at Glenelg giving me play by play descriptions of that series on the phone and he commented that he thought that was the best finals series of baseball he has seen. Unfortunatly, Westies got the better of the bay boys in the 10th inning of game three on the last pitch of the day. Wish I'd been there.

pafc1870 wrote:Are Northern Districts still in Div 1? I didn't agree with us getting into Div 1 when we did, and for the life of me, I cant work out why we are still there!!! I would have though success in Div 2 was a prerequisite for a promotion to Div 1?

Norths apparently started last season on fire and looked the goods to make the play offs in div 1 for the first time since Jesus played full back.
They recruited pritty well in the off season and flew out a gun recruit from America who played short stop for them and was blitzing everyone. Mid season this guy apparently got the call to go home for some reason and Norths returned to shite. Not sure how much longer the SABL will keep them in Div 1 if they can't get their acts together soon.

haloman wrote:I think his brother was a forward for Centrals in the SANFL. Didn't see any of him this season though, not sure what happened to him.

Nick Prokopec spent some time at Westies this year played the first leauge game?? dropped to the reserves then gave up due to work commitments I think

heater31 wrote:

haloman wrote:I think his brother was a forward for Centrals in the SANFL. Didn't see any of him this season though, not sure what happened to him.

Nick Prokopec spent some time at Westies this year played the first leauge game?? dropped to the reserves then gave up due to work commitments I think

I'm sure I watched a game last season on the ABC in which there was a Prokopec boy running around at Broadspectrum Oval for Centrals. I reckon he boated 4 or 5 that day as well. I'll drop the name on the SANFL forums and see if anyone can back that up.

Ive sent a PM to Spell Check, he should be able to help us out haloman

He did play league for Central, then crossed to West a few years ago. Not sure exactly when may have been either 2004 or 2005 - he definitely played for West in 2005.

He played three matches for West this year - Rounds 1, 8 and 9, for 3 goals 1 behind - kicked in Round 8.

cheers spelly, easier than try to argue it out

haloman wrote:Yea I know Boof Kolen. Hit one of the biggest home runs ever seen at Glenelg in a Div 3 game one afternoon. On diamaond one he smashed this thing and I swear I saw it hit the guard rail on Tapleys Hill Rd and go back into the river........... massive.
He was an awesome softballer to from all reports and had a mate, Scott Grady, (I think that was his name) who came down to the Bay as well. Both were aparently exelent softballers in their day.

Certainly know Scott Bradey as well and he went out of his way one winter to help me out when the Softball body in this state should have been doing it. Was certainly a very good hitter when he put his mind to it.
Gene Vaninetti was in the minor league system at least a decade a go and last played baseball for Southern Districts I think.
Do get some baseball scouts at Men National Softball championships and one guy I knew of from Queensland by the name of Shane King, who was the most unbelievable talent I ever saw, actually made the 26 man roster of the Toronto Blue Jays in the early 90's after being spotted playing softball.
Yes, Prokopec was definitely the bloke I was thinking of.

haloman wrote:

SJABC wrote:Never been a huge baseball fan, but last year went out the back and watched West Torrens def Glenelg in a cracker of a GF.
Bloody loved it, will be going out the back gate a few time this year to watch the Eagles...

I had a mate at Glenelg giving me play by play descriptions of that series on the phone and he commented that he thought that was the best finals series of baseball he has seen. Unfortunatly, Westies got the better of the bay boys in the 10th inning of game three on the last pitch of the day. Wish I'd been there.

Yep. In the last innings, they walked a WT bloke, as he could apparently hit em, then it went pear shaped and the next few blokes got hits and seeya later Glenelg...Awesome stuff.
Saw in the local rag that they (WT) are the hosts for this years masters games...may have to have a squiz at the old fellas having a go !!

ORDoubleBlues wrote:

haloman wrote:Yea I know Boof Kolen. Hit one of the biggest home runs ever seen at Glenelg in a Div 3 game one afternoon. On diamaond one he smashed this thing and I swear I saw it hit the guard rail on Tapleys Hill Rd and go back into the river........... massive.
He was an awesome softballer to from all reports and had a mate, Scott Grady, (I think that was his name) who came down to the Bay as well. Both were aparently exelent softballers in their day.

Certainly know Scott Bradey as well and he went out of his way one winter to help me out when the Softball body in this state should have been doing it. Was certainly a very good hitter when he put his mind to it.
Gene Vaninetti was in the minor league system at least a decade a go and last played baseball for Southern Districts I think.
Do get some baseball scouts at Men National Softball championships and one guy I knew of from Queensland by the name of Shane King, who was the most unbelievable talent I ever saw, actually made the 26 man roster of the Toronto Blue Jays in the early 90's after being spotted playing softball.
Yes, Prokopec was definitely the bloke I was thinking of.

Yea that's him. Played in a div 4 premiership with Scottie. He was way to good for that level of baseball but enjoyed the social aspect of the sport more than the training I think. Great bloke though.
Heard of Shane King also. I think from memory he came home in 95, the year the Blue Jays won the world series. Not sure if he was sent packing or decided he wanted to come home. I don't think he saw much big league action but was a super talent and could have easily seen plenty action at a lesser club.

spell_check wrote:He did play league for Central, then crossed to West a few years ago. Not sure exactly when may have been either 2004 or 2005 - he definitely played for West in 2005.

He played three matches for West this year - Rounds 1, 8 and 9, for 3 goals 1 behind - kicked in Round 8.

Nick Prokopec (who played for Elizabeth Football Club as a junior) is the nephew of Ken Prokopec, therefore cousin of Luke who played major league and is now at a baseball academy in Qld.

Luke has two other brothers Lars and Ace, who are also very talented. Ace is about 17 and has played at state junior level and has, I believe, been looked at by American clubs. He was last year's Riverland junior sportsperson of the year.

The whole family is baseball mad. The mother is Renmark's scorer and I think has played A grade, as has daughter Alice, who is currently a photographer at the Tiser.

Anything else you want to know boys?