2011–12 Australian Baseball League season
Encyclopedia
The 2011–12 Australian Baseball League season is the second Australian Baseball League
(ABL) season, and is being held from 4 November 2011 to either 11 or 12 February 2012, depending on the number of games required in the best-of-three game championship series. The season was scheduled to start on 3 November with a single game between the Perth Heat
and the Adelaide Bite
at Baseball Park
in Perth
, but the game was postponed due to wet weather.
The season consists of six teams competing in a 45-game schedule followed by a three-round postseason to determine the ABL champion. During the regular season, defending champions Perth Heat will participate in the 2011 Asia Series
against the champions from Japan
, South Korea
and Taiwan
. The 2011–12 champions will likewise qualify for the 2012 Asia Series.
, Korea Professional Baseball's (KPB) Korean Series
, Chinese Professional Baseball League
's (CPBL) Taiwan Series
, and China Baseball League
's (CBL) championship series. The 2011 tournament
will not feature the CBL's champions, but officials have stated that a team would participate in future editions. Unlike all four previous editions of the tournament which were held in Japan, the 2011 edition will be held in Taiwan. The tournament follows a round-robin
format, where each team plays each other once. The top two teams then face each other in a single game to decide the champion.
The Asia Series is held in November, which would otherwise create a conflict for the ABL champion team as the following season would have already commenced. To avoid this, the League announced that during the 2011–12 season, the Perth Heat
—2010–11 champions—would be scheduled to have a bye
while competing in Taiwan.
included 40 games for each team and facing each team eight times, four at home
and four on the road
. This will be expanded for the 2011–12 season to 45 games, by increasing one of the series between each team from four to five games, so that there will be nine games between each team. This will also result in three teams playing one more game at home than on the road, and the reverse for the other three teams.
To allow for Perth Heat's participation in the 2011 Asia Series, all six teams will receive a bye during the early rounds of the regular season. The Heat and Brisbane Bandits
' bye is timed to line up with the tournament in round four, with the Adelaide Bite
and Canberra Cavalry
's bye in round three, and the Melbourne Aces
and Sydney Blue Sox
' bye in round five.
. Not counting Australia, there are players from eleven countries on the rosters of the teams participating.
. Each stage will be decided by a best–of–three game series. Unlike regular season games, which make use of a variation of the International Baseball Federation
's mercy rule after seven innings, no such rule will be in place for postseason games; all games will go the full nine innings, with the only exception being games that are tied after nine innings, therefore requiring extra innings
.
Australian Baseball League
The Australian Baseball League was a baseball league, established in 1987 and disbanded in 1999.-Formation:Before the formation of the Australian Baseball League, the Claxton Shield, established in , was Australia's premier baseball tournament...
(ABL) season, and is being held from 4 November 2011 to either 11 or 12 February 2012, depending on the number of games required in the best-of-three game championship series. The season was scheduled to start on 3 November with a single game between the Perth Heat
Perth Heat
The baseball team Perth Heat is a team in the current Australian Baseball League and a foundation member of the now-defunct Australian Baseball League...
and the Adelaide Bite
Adelaide Bite
The Adelaide Bite are a professional baseball team who plays in the Australian Baseball League and is one of the six founding teams of the league. Their home ballpark is Coopers Stadium at Norwood Oval which is based in the city of Adelaide, South Australia...
at Baseball Park
Baseball Park (Perth)
Baseball Park, also known as Barbagallo Ballpark for sponsorship reasons, is home to Baseball in Western Australia, Australia. It was built in 2004, with a seating capacity of about 500 and standing room for a further 3,500. This is the first baseball-exclusive stadium in Perth since the...
in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, but the game was postponed due to wet weather.
The season consists of six teams competing in a 45-game schedule followed by a three-round postseason to determine the ABL champion. During the regular season, defending champions Perth Heat will participate in the 2011 Asia Series
2011 Asia Series
The 2011 Asia Series was the fifth time the Asia Series has been held, and the first after a two-year break. The tournament was held in Taiwan, the first time it has been held outside of Japan...
against the champions from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. The 2011–12 champions will likewise qualify for the 2012 Asia Series.
Entry to Asia Series
Announced after the inaugural ABL season had been completed, the league's champions each season will be invited to the restarted Asia Series. The event had previously been contested between the winners of Nippon Professional Baseball's (NPB) Japan SeriesJapan Series
, or is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a seven-game series between the winning clubs of the league's two circuits, the Central League and the Pacific League....
, Korea Professional Baseball's (KPB) Korean Series
Korean Series
The Korean Series is the championship series of the Korea Baseball Organization. It has been held since the KBO's first season in and is the final series of in the post-season play-offs. From , the winner of the Korean Series goes on to play in the Asia Series....
, Chinese Professional Baseball League
Chinese Professional Baseball League
The Chinese Professional Baseball League , or CPBL, is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 2003...
's (CPBL) Taiwan Series
Taiwan Series
Taiwan Series is the championship series of the Chinese Professional Baseball League. It is usually played in October, after the regular season. It was formerly known as the CPBL Seasonal Championship Series , and was renamed the Taiwan Series after the merger of the Chinese Professional Baseball...
, and China Baseball League
China Baseball League
The China Baseball League or Chinese Baseball League or CBL is a professional baseball league under the administration of Chinese Baseball Association, founded in 2002.-Teams:...
's (CBL) championship series. The 2011 tournament
2011 Asia Series
The 2011 Asia Series was the fifth time the Asia Series has been held, and the first after a two-year break. The tournament was held in Taiwan, the first time it has been held outside of Japan...
will not feature the CBL's champions, but officials have stated that a team would participate in future editions. Unlike all four previous editions of the tournament which were held in Japan, the 2011 edition will be held in Taiwan. The tournament follows a round-robin
Round-robin
The term round-robin was originally used to describe a document signed by multiple parties in a circle to make it more difficult to determine the order in which it was signed, thus preventing a ringleader from being identified...
format, where each team plays each other once. The top two teams then face each other in a single game to decide the champion.
The Asia Series is held in November, which would otherwise create a conflict for the ABL champion team as the following season would have already commenced. To avoid this, the League announced that during the 2011–12 season, the Perth Heat
Perth Heat
The baseball team Perth Heat is a team in the current Australian Baseball League and a foundation member of the now-defunct Australian Baseball League...
—2010–11 champions—would be scheduled to have a bye
Bye (sports)
A bye, in sports and other competitive activities, most commonly refers to the practice of allowing a player or team to advance to the next round of a playoff tournament without playing...
while competing in Taiwan.
Regular season schedule
The previous season2010–11 Australian Baseball League season
- Rosters :During the season each team made use of a 22-man active roster, drawn from 35-man squads announced on 28 October 2010.- Venues :Four of the six teams used their existing venues from the Claxton Shield: the Adelaide Bite, Perth Heat and Sydney Blue Sox all used the same grounds used...
included 40 games for each team and facing each team eight times, four at home
Home (sports)
In sports, home is a term referring to both the city and stadium, arena, or field where an athletic team plays games at their venue, whilst when the team plays elsewhere then they are considered the away team. The home term can refer to either the sponsoring institution or the place where it is...
and four on the road
Road (sports)
Road game , more commonly known as an away game, is a reference to all cities and stadia/arenas/fields/venues where an athletic team plays games for which it is not the host. Most professional teams represent cities or towns and amateur sports teams often represent academic institutions...
. This will be expanded for the 2011–12 season to 45 games, by increasing one of the series between each team from four to five games, so that there will be nine games between each team. This will also result in three teams playing one more game at home than on the road, and the reverse for the other three teams.
To allow for Perth Heat's participation in the 2011 Asia Series, all six teams will receive a bye during the early rounds of the regular season. The Heat and Brisbane Bandits
Brisbane Bandits
The Brisbane Bandits were a foundation team in the Australian Baseball League which was bought by a private owner and shut down in 1999. The Bandits have now been resurrected as a team in the new Australian Baseball League which is due to start in November 2010...
' bye is timed to line up with the tournament in round four, with the Adelaide Bite
Adelaide Bite
The Adelaide Bite are a professional baseball team who plays in the Australian Baseball League and is one of the six founding teams of the league. Their home ballpark is Coopers Stadium at Norwood Oval which is based in the city of Adelaide, South Australia...
and Canberra Cavalry
Canberra Cavalry
The Canberra UberGlobal Cavalry is a professional baseball team in the Australian Baseball League. The team is based in the city of Canberra, Australia...
's bye in round three, and the Melbourne Aces
Melbourne Aces
The Melbourne Aces is a professional baseball team in the Australian Baseball League based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.On Friday, 20 August 2010 it was announced that ex-Australian Baseball player Philip Dale would take up the head coaching role at Melbourne Aces.On Tuesday, 12 October 2010,...
and Sydney Blue Sox
Sydney Blue Sox
The Sydney Blue Sox are a professional baseball team, and one of six foundation teams in the re-formed Australian Baseball League . The team plays their home games at Blacktown International Sportspark Sydney , one of the two venues for used for baseball at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, when it was...
' bye in round five.
Teams
| Team | City | State | Stadium | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide Adelaide Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million... |
South Australia South Australia South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland... |
Coopers Stadium | ||
| Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of... |
Queensland Queensland Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean... |
Brisbane Exhibition Ground Brisbane Exhibition Ground The Brisbane Exhibition Ground , is a showground established in Brisbane during 1875 especially for Ekka . The Exhibition ground is owned and operated by the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland... |
||
| Canberra Canberra Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne... |
Australian Capital Territory Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory... |
Narrabundah Ballpark Narrabundah Ballpark Narrabundah Ballpark is an 1,500 capacity ground in Canberra, Australia. It was redeveloped in 2010 for use by the Canberra Cavalry for the Australian Baseball League, the Australian Capital Territory Government funded the $1,000,000 upgrade.... |
||
| Melbourne Melbourne Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater... |
Victoria Victoria (Australia) Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively.... |
Melbourne Showgrounds | ||
| Perth Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000.... |
Western Australia Western Australia Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east... |
Baseball Park Baseball Park (Perth) Baseball Park, also known as Barbagallo Ballpark for sponsorship reasons, is home to Baseball in Western Australia, Australia. It was built in 2004, with a seating capacity of about 500 and standing room for a further 3,500. This is the first baseball-exclusive stadium in Perth since the... |
||
| Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people... |
New South Wales New South Wales New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales... |
Blue Sox Stadium |
Venues
Each of the six teams are returning from the previous season, and are continuing to use the same grounds for their home games. The name of Sydney's home ground changed during the off season, changing from Blacktown Olympic Park to Blacktown International Sportspark Sydney, and the main baseball diamond in the complex being called Blue Sox Stadium.Rosters
As in the previous season, each team has an active roster of 22 players available each round. These players are drawn from 35-man squads. Each team has several foreign players in their squad, and each team includes at least one player from the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Not counting Australia, there are players from eleven countries on the rosters of the teams participating.
| Team | Number of players | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 United Kingdom |
 Germany |
 India |
 Italy |
 Japan |
 South Korea |
 New Zealand |
 Puerto Rico |
 South Africa |
 Republic of China |
 United States |
Total | |
| 1 | 1 | 8 | 10 | |||||||||
| 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 8 | ||||||||
| 5 | 1 | 8 | 14 | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | |||||||||
| 11 | 11 | |||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
Statistical leaders
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| AVG Batting average Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :... |
Tim Kennelly Timothy Kennelly Timothy James Kennelly is an Australian baseball player with the Philadelphia Phillies organisation and Perth Heat. He primarily plays catcher and third base, but also plays outfield and first base... |
.529 | |
| HR Home run In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process... |
Alex Burg | 5 | |
| RBI Run batted in Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI... |
Mitchell Graham | 16 | |
| R Run (baseball) In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured... |
James McOwen James McOwen James McOwen is a professional baseball player in the Seattle Mariners organization. He currently plays for the Class-A High Desert Mavericks. He was Mariners' sixth-round selection in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft; signed by Mariners scout Mike Tosar. He plays outfield, primarily right... Dominic Ramos |
13 | |
| H Hit (baseball) In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice.... |
4 tied at | 20 | |
| SB Stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate... |
James McOwen James McOwen James McOwen is a professional baseball player in the Seattle Mariners organization. He currently plays for the Class-A High Desert Mavericks. He was Mariners' sixth-round selection in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft; signed by Mariners scout Mike Tosar. He plays outfield, primarily right... |
7 |
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| W Win (baseball) In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only... |
Steven Kent Steven Kent Steven Kent is an American television producer, writer, director, and media executive.-Career:In June 2007, Kent was named Senior Executive Vice President of Programming at Sony Pictures Television, overseeing the studio's daytime dramas The Young and the Restless on CBS Daytime and Days of Our... |
3 | |
| L | Simon Morriss | 4 | |
| ERA Earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine... |
Warwick Saupold | 0.45 | |
| K Strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters.... |
Mike McGuire | 26 | |
| IP Innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two... |
Craig Anderson Craig Anderson Craig 'Ando' Anderson - is an Australian motocross rider from West Wallsend in the Hunter Valley Region of New South Wales.In 2003, Anderson travelled to the United States to compete in the AMA 125cc national championship for the Yamaha of Troy team, he finished the year in seventh place overall... |
25.2 | |
| SV | Benn Grice | 3 |
Postseason
At the completion of the regular season, the top four teams will progress to the postseason. It will be contested over three weeks, following the Page playoff systemPage playoff system
The Page playoff system is a playoff format used primarily in softball and curling at the championship level. Teams are seeded using a round-robin tournament and the top four play a mix of a single-elimination and double-elimination tournament to determine the winner...
. Each stage will be decided by a best–of–three game series. Unlike regular season games, which make use of a variation of the International Baseball Federation
International Baseball Federation
The International Baseball Federation is the worldwide governing body recognized by the International Olympic Committee as overseeing, deciding and executing the policy of the bat-and-ball sport of baseball at the international level...
's mercy rule after seven innings, no such rule will be in place for postseason games; all games will go the full nine innings, with the only exception being games that are tied after nine innings, therefore requiring extra innings
Extra innings
Extra innings is the extension of a baseball or softball game in order to break a tie.Ordinarily, a baseball game consists of nine innings , each of which is divided into halves: the visiting team bats first, after which the home team takes its turn at bat...
.
Awards
| Round | Player | Team | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Tolisano | ||
| 2 | Masashi Nohara | ||
| 3 | Mitchell Graham |
| Round | Player | Team | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benjamin Moore | ||
| 2 | Mike McGuire | ||
| 3 | Nic Ungs Nic Ungs Nicholas John Ungs is a professional baseball pitcher for the Somerset Patriots in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.-Minor league career:... |
External links
- The Australian Baseball League – Official ABL Website
- Official Baseball Australia Website