Play ball: Wangaratta Rangers take to the diamond

OIL up your glove and take a few practice swings of the bat, because baseball is starting up again in the North East. The 2025 North Eastern Baseball Association season commences this weekend for junior and senior squads, and Wangaratta Rangers are eager to make their mark early. The Rangers boast five senior teams and four junior squads, with players from under 12s all the way up to the A grade keen to play. Club vice-president and club coach Owen Godenzi said numbers were booming out at Targoora Park ahead of the season. “We’ve actually got 60-plus senior members this year which means we’re going to be fielding two A grade sides, two B grade sides and a C grade side, which is massive,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of young kids coming up, so we’ve split our senior sides a little differently and give the kids a bit more opportunity. “There’s going to be a junior senior side, a junior A grade side, and a senior A grade side, so there’s going to be a little difference in the club this year which hopefully give those kids a bit more game time. “We’ve got two under 15 and two under 12 sides again this year - they’re looking good, we probably need a couple more under 12 players.” Godenzi said the club’s come-and-try days and summer softball programs had helped bolster player numbers. “We’ve had come-and-try days at the start of the year, those numbers have helped us - there are a whole heap of new kids who haven’t played the sport before,” he said. “A lot of cricketers have come over because cricketers use the same type of skillset - hitting a ball, throwing a ball, catching a ball, so those kids who play cricket but don’t play footy or soccer have come over to baseball. “We had softball over the summer, we played a bit in the Albury Wodonga competition, so there’s starting to be a bit of a resurgence of softball in Wangaratta, that’s helped with our female participation.” After a strong showing in the 2024 season, the Rangers will be hoping to take home silverware in every grade, a reflection of how far the club has come in a few short years. “We won A grade last year, won B grade last year, and played finals in C grade but didn’t take home the chocolates, so we’re just looking to capitalise on that again this year,” Godenzi said. “We’ve recruited well, we’ve got a few past players returning which is good for our senior ranks. “In 2017, we had two sides, an A and a B grade side - now we’ve got five senior sides and four junior sides, so it’s going well.” The season kicks off with round one at Targoora Park on Sunday, 27 April, with the Rangers playing a derby in all grades bar C grade, who will host Bears. For more information about the club and training times, visit Wangaratta Rangers Baseball on Facebook.

Play ball: Wangaratta Rangers take to the diamond

Don’t let spring garden growth become summer danger

North East Victoria faces heatwave after coldest start to December since 1987

ENGIE work to house local widlife at solar farm

NGV Kids on Tour makes welcome return to Wangaratta

Support local with free festive parking

Rufous Whistler – arrival of a summer songbird

Bombers go back-to-back in A grade

“No stone unturned” – Police committed to the long-haul in manhunt

Start your engines, Wilby Drags are back

Most popular stories