MOUNT Gambier baseballer Tom Rundle became part of South Australian baseball history recently after the Under 18 SA representative team claimed the Australian National Baseball Championships in Blacktown, NSW.
The SA team broke a 30 year drought to defeat Queensland 9-0 in a one-sided grand final.
For Rundle it was a great reward after many trips to Adelaide for try outs and training sessions since early September 2017.
Not all went smoothly during the fortnight-long tournament for Rundle, as he suffered a dose of tonsillitis which forced him to miss the last two days’ matches leading up to the grand final.
However, he had a successful tournament overall, returning the fourth best batting average in the team at .316, while holding his own when playing first base with 27 put outs at a fielding percentage of .964.
For Rundle it was all a bit surreal, especially after breaking a 37-year drought for South Australia and claiming the 2016 Under 16 title just two years ago.
“It was pretty unreal really,” he said.
“They are things you dream about as a kid growing up.
“It is what we all aspire to do.”
The core group from the 2016 title was still in place, which Rundle said made it a bit more special this time around.
“Most of us have been playing baseball together since we were about 13, so we are a pretty close group,” he said.
“I think three or four of the kids’ fathers played in Under 18 team when they won 30 years ago.
“They were all there watching which was pretty good.”
While the championship result was a one-sided affair, the round games were by no means easy, with the South Australian side going down in two games, while several other close games showed the team could stand up under pressure.
“We were going in expecting to be a good team, which put a bit more pressure on ourselves, but we went out and played how we know we can and got the job done,” Rundle said.
“Then going into finals is always different.
“Everyone is putting more pressure on because anything can happen with one pitch or one at bat.”
Just to make the roster from Mount Gambier required a big commitment, with regular training in Adelaide leading up to the competition.
“We went up to Adelaide for training every weekend since late September, then still had training twice a week in Mount Gambier and extra work by yourself,” Rundle said.
“It was pretty full on, but was worth it in the end.
“It is one of my best moments in baseball.
“When I was growing up my goal was to make a state team.
“I made two and won gold.”
Both of those gold medals have been historic wins, which Rundle is still coming to terms with.
“It has not quite settled in yet,” he said.
“It feels pretty strange.”
Mount Gambier was also well represented in the U16 ranks, with Ethan Chuck, Brock Keding and Kane McMillan all heading to the national titles and finishing fourth overall for the tournament.
