The Wellington Baseball season is drawing to a close and, despite some disruptions this year, it’s been another one the Wellington City Pirates Baseball Club can be proud of. In this final issue of Pirates Post for 21/22, we share a round-up of our season, with reflections from our Coaches and acknowledge our supporters and sponsors.
CLUB CAPTAIN'S ROUND-UP ~ Scott Sullivan
The 2021-2022 season was another great one for Wellington City Pirates Baseball! As I look back on the season, I am particularly proud of the first half when we focussed on developing interest in the game, growing our players and showcasing our club.
TERM 4 MID-WEEK DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE In its second year, our Mid-week Development League had another successful season in Term 4. Supporting nearly 40 players, our Major Leagues featured four teams of 9 players battling it out each week. Thanks to the Coaches and our 16U Player-Coaches, the team skills improved with the last few weeks of the season seeing numerous 1-run games and even a few draws. Unfortunately the weather didn't allow us to crown a champion team, so we will have to crown a victor next year!
ROOKIE LEAGUE For the first time, our Mid-week League featured a Rookie division made up of younger players. This division of 12 players focussed on core skills and cultivating a love of baseball. It was wonderful to see the future of Wellington City Pirates each week, including the occasional call-up to the Major Leagues when a team was a short.
HOLIDAY HAM TOURNAMENT The first half of our season culminated in Pirates hosting the annual U13 regional Holiday Ham Tournament at The Pirates Lair. The pre-tournament action started with a friendly game and BBQ for our visitors - the Nelson Heat. Tournament day saw numerous Pirates volunteers prepping the grounds, umpiring games, fundraising, feeding hungry players and doing what was needed to make the day run smoothly. Our club hosted a full day of 11 games for the 6 teams. While our U13 Pirates were knocked out in the semi-final, 4 of our players made the all tournament team! It was a wonderful day for baseball in Wellington and for us to show the best of our club. Thanks to all involved!
COMPETITIVE TEAMS REVIEW
Our competitive teams performed well in the Wellington Baseball Association regional competition this season, with both our 16U and 13U teams reaching the play-offs.
16U SUNDAY TRAVEL LEAGUE Our Brendon Motors Karori 16U Pirates team battled all season and finished third place in the highly competitive Sunday Travel League. Throughout the season the team showed great character, resilience and positivity, and took learnings from every game. Read more about the 16U season from Coach Kevin Covert at the link below.
13U SUNDAY TRAVEL LEAGUE We saw some Pirate fun and swagger this season from our Lowe & Co 13U Pirates team. A strong core returned for the season, with some new friends joining along the way and helping the team achieve third place overall in their league! Read more about the 13U season from Coach Joe McGarry at the link below.
13U TUESDAY BLACK v GOLD SERIES During Term 1 we launched the 13U Black v Gold Tuesday night competition. This new series was designed as a fun way to develop and grow our competitive and upcoming 13U players, and to ensure the Pirates club builds a strong base of future talent. Read more about the Black v Gold series from Coach Clayton Willocks at the link below.
We're looking forward to celebrating together at prize-giving on Sunday 10 April. This is a special event to celebrate the achievements of our competitive 16U and 13U Sunday teams, and Tuesday Black v Gold teams, and to acknowledge the hard mahi of our volunteers. We will also take team photographs and collect player uniforms. For all the details, follow the link above.
THANKS, FROM THE CLUB PRESIDENT
Thank you all for your support again this season. It’s been a real pleasure seeing our club continue to thrive, welcoming new players and watching our seasoned players grow their game.
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Once again this year we’ve had incredible support from local businesses and sports charities. Thanks to them, we’ve been able to invest in new safety equipment and uniforms, and keep our registration fees affordable.
Mitre 10 Crofton Downs
Brendon Motors Karori
Charity Builders
New World Karori
Lowe & Co ~ Steve & Elise
The Lanes Bar & Bowling
Grassroots Trust Central
Pelorus Trust
NZ Community Trust
BEHIND-THE-SCENES EFFORT It takes a community to run a successful sports club and we’re so grateful for our Pirates whānau and volunteers.
I'd personally like to acknowledge our Coaches, Scorers and Umpires for so generously giving your time - Kevin Covert, Josh Broadway, Regan Taouma, Scott Sullivan, Andy Ferrell, Joe McGarry, Craig LeQuesne, Katrina McGarry, Lee Graham, & Jason Parry.
Thanks too, to our committee and parents for your continued support and enthusiasm.
Special thanks go to…
Our ‘club angel’ - Patricia. Her generosity has made it possible to purchase a leading-edge Pitching machine and generator to make our training sessions more fun and challenging.
Josh Broadway and Jodi Willocks - for revolutionising our website and communications
Sophie and Thomas Gray, and whānau - for your awesome sausage sizzles, despite having to drive across the city to get here!
Matt Charity - for always being ready to help with anything and everything construction-related for our club! Your tireless and willing work in the background is much appreciated.
Kris Richards & Craig Wallace - for leading the Term 4 Bullpen Sessions and Rookie League, and inspiring the next generation of Pirates.
Ros Doney & Regan Taouma for your help coordinating bake sales, coffee carts and raffles, and also for finding new sponsors!
Trina & Joe McGarry, Kerri Cox and Newton King - we're eternally grateful for your photography and social media talents!
I’m so proud of everything our club has achieved, inspired by our talented young Pirates, and hugely grateful for the support of you all and for the generosity of our new and returning sponsors.
See you all next season! 🏴☠ ⚾ Clayton
_________________
STAY IN THE KNOW
Go to piratesbaseball.nz for everything you need to know about the Pirates club and baseball season. For regular updates and club news, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
