More than 300 students converged on Kelso Park East Hills for the Sydney Catholic Schools Annual Baseball Gala Day.
In excellent weather, 30 teams across three age groups from 18 secondary schools competed in a series of 30-minute round games, culminating in a final at the end of the day.
The format of the day was revised to ensure maximum participation for all students as well as multiple games for each team.
In the senior division, Marist College Kogarah and Patrician Brothers Fairfield played in the final, and in an entertaining match, Kogarah Marist came away with the victory 12-5, only two weeks after also taking out the senior division at the SCS Hockey gala day.
The intermediate division was won by Rosebank College, Five Dock, in a thriller against De La Salle Revesby. However, Revesby were able to turn silver into gold in the Junior’s defeating De La Salle Caringbah 12 -1 in a dominant display.
Elijah Craig, a member of the Revesby junior team, commented that “the day was a great opportunity for baseballers like myself to play alongside school friends.”
“The day was such a great opportunity to meet baseball players from other schools,” he said.
“We don’t get many opportunities to play baseball within school, and it was great to play against other baseballers whom we compete against outside of school”.
Another student from the winning Revesby team also stressed how great the experience was, saying it was a “great day out playing the sport that I love. We got to play a sport that is not very big in Australia, and winning was even better.”
The winning Revesby coach, Monique Toal, said it was a great day to see so many boys showcasing their talents.
“The opportunity it provides for students to develop new skills and make new friendships was lovely to see. Students who play at a high level were helping boys from all schools who had not played before. A display of true sportsmanship.”
The Baseball gala day is just one of the many gala days offered to students at Sydney Catholic Schools.
This term, students had the opportunity to participate in baseball, softball, and hockey gala days. Unfortunately, the girls’ softball day had to be postponed due to poor weather.
Later in Term 4, students will have the opportunity to compete at futsal, badminton, and flag football gala days. Flag football has been introduced this year on the back of the sport being part of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
