By Tanya Faulkner
A local baseball player has returned to Knox after representing Australia in the sport he loves.
Upwey-Ferntree Gully local player Jack Ratcliffe has recently returned from the Baseball Under 18 Baseball World Cup tournament in Taiwan, after a career-developing experience.
The Australian U18 Baseball team faced gruelling competition in sweltering heat, against tough international competition.
Jack’s father, and fellow Upwey-Ferntree Gully Baseball Club member, Simon Ratcliffe also made the trip to Taiwan to support the Australian team, and said it was a great experience for all involved.
He said despite not getting the result the boys were hoping for, they played really well throughout the tournament.
“The team had a Competitive Tournament up against the Best U18s in the World with a lot of the teams having Professional Baseballers on their roster.
“Jack managed to be in the starting lineup for every game, and played a total of eight games in the tournament, which is awesome for him being one of the youngest on the team” he said.
The Australian team won 3 games and lost 5 in very close results, which didn’t go their way, and unfortunately ended up missing out on Medal games, ending up placing 10th in the world.
Mr Ratcliffe said it’s a great achievement for the boys, considering the competition and conditions.
“It was very hot and humid in Taiwan for the tournament.
“I think we had an average of 36 degrees each day with 100% humidity, so when you looked at your phone’s weather it said it felt like over 40 degrees outside.
“Most of the teams the boys played against had eight or nine professional players, where our Australian team only had one,” he said.
The pressure was on right from the get-go for the Aussies, who played against the Chinese-Taipei team for the opening match following the opening ceremonies, and played their games in front of audiences of approximately 10,000 each day.
Mr Ratcliffe said the Aussie boys had an experience of a lifetime doing something they love, and learned a lot from the experience to prepare most of them for US College and Professional Baseball in the next year coming, for most of them.
For Mr Ratcliffe, however, his highlight moment was watching his son play for Australia, in the sport they both play and love, in a World Cup on Father’s Day.
Since returning from Taiwan, Jack has recently played in the state league finals, which unfortunately did not go Victoria’s way, and will return back to the Upwey-Ferntree Gully Baseball Club to prepare for the upcoming baseball season at home.
The Upwey-Ferntree Gully Baseball Club are hoping to win their third premiership in a row, and will be celebrating their 50th anniversary in November this year.
