Aiden Sadler is quite the catch – in baseball parlance, that is.
The 15-year-old Williams Landing resident is fresh from a two-week trip to America, where he took part in The Ripken Experience – at a one-of-a-kind youth baseball complex at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where junior players compete, watch major-league games and see the sights.
Aiden attended as part of the under-16 Victorian Kookaburras side, which played six games overseas, winning one, tying one and losing the rest.
He excelled in the winning match and didn’t drop a ball, helping to ensure no bases were stolen by the opposition.
“We were definitely competitive compared to other years,” Aiden says.
“Every high school had a baseball pitch; it’s quite different to here.”
He also visited Clemson University (also South Carolina), where the year 9 Bacchus Marsh Grammar student hopes to study after graduating from high school.
Aiden began playing aged 12 and now divides his time between the baseball clubs of Williamstown in the summer and Essendon in winter. His favourite player is Yadier Molina, of the St Louis Cardinals.
“It’s different compared to a lot of other sports,” he says.
“In other sports, it’s frowned upon if you fail; in baseball, if a batter gets a hit three times out of 10 you’re one of the best players and you’re playing the major leagues.”
Scheduling in three gym sessions and two baseball training sessions a week, Aiden hopes to compete at national level after he tries out for the Victorian team.
