Newport Rams have revealed the steely character that will serve them well for years to come on the big stage of Baseball Victoria’s summer league division 1.
The Rams were not the most talented side but were one of the toughest nuts for other sides to crack in their first season at the top level.
“Coming back up into first division, our goal was to be respected and we’ve done that,” Rams assistant coach Gavin Young said. “We haven’t been an easy-beat for anyone. This is the start of something that can possibly be very big for the Newport Baseball Club.”
There was a real emphasis on teamwork under coach Grant Weir this summer.
“We’ve got a good core group of guys that have got each others’ backs,” Young said.
The Rams made up for lack of experience and depth by doing the one per centers right. They kept the opposition on their toes with smart base running and their defence was watertight in most games.
Team hitting was a priority, with batters constantly moved around.
“Talking to some of the old members at Newport who were around when we were a strong first-division club, they’re saying that we’ve broken a lot of the records that have been around the club,” Young said.
“We’ve had a lot of milestones in this season. We’ve beaten every side except Essendon.”
What did hold the Rams back from a finals appearance this summer was a lack of depth.
The Rams’ disappointing midweek form showed their depth was severely tested when facing three games in seven days.
“The big challenge for us as a club is to bring up the younger guys, our juniors, and develop them so that we can have more depth,” Young said.
“We’re relying on 10 to 12 guys to get the work done – we need to spread that to 16.
“There’s a number of kids … it’s something that’s high on our priority list, to get those guys up to speed.
“We’re on the right track and there’s a lot of good energy around the club at the moment.”
