Softball Partners with RBI in bid to Hit Home Run

Written on the 11 March 2022 by SWSAS

Members of the Softball Squad at the RBI Indoor Training Facility.

RBI Australia are proud Sport Pathway Partners for the Academy's Softball Program, and Wests Future Stars Program's Baseball athletes. 

Despite lower-than-normal numbers trialling for the Academy’s Softball squad this year due to many well-known worldwide factors, the Academy had no doubt that it was going to provide a quality development program for our local up and coming talented Softball athletes. 

“Softball is undertaking somewhat of a re-alignment and transition phase amongst the NSW Regional Academies of Sport performance structure at present. The Macarthur and South West Sydney region has a long and proud history within Softball, which makes our decision to remain committed to its future an easy one. Whether Softball remains an Olympic sport, or a high-performance pathway point to the US collegiate system, we intend to stand our ground so to speak, and continue to develop our region’s best athletes”. Said Academy Sport Programs Manager Daniel Currinckx. 

The Academy pathway has provided a significant number of players to NSW State and Australian National Softball squads and teams throughout its 25-year history. Joining these esteemed athletes are the 2022 squad, including; Aaliyah Milford, Bella Desfosses, Bella Ma, Blaze Pus, Caleb Salanoa, Cassandra Taylor, Harrison McDonald, Jasmine Taylor, Jordan McSavaney, Lachlan Boland, Markayla Butler, Mikaere Terito, Muhammad Cabello, Neveah Holden Netane, Tag Barrington and Teysharn Giusti.

Head Coach is Shane Milligan, with Harrison Pudner, Marsheal Walker, Blake Jackson, Crisy McSavaney and Colleen Franks assisting in over-seeing the program. Which has already celebrated success, with Alliyah Milford, Bella Ma and Markayla Butler being selected into the NSW U14 Metro Strikers Girls representative squad, and Neveah Holden Netane being selected into the NSW U14 Country Sliders Girls squad, which will be coached by Academy coach Marsheal Walker. 

Not to be out done, Blaze Pus, Caleb Salanoa and Lachlan Boland have been selected into the NSW U14 Metro Slammers Boys squad, and will compete against their coach, with Shane Milligan selected as an Assistant Coach to the NSW U14 Metro Strikers squad. 

They say it takes an entire village to help raise a child. In sport, that village encompasses team coaches, parents, managers, administrators, fans and supporters. 

The South West Sydney Academy of Sport itself has a growing number of corporate supporters made up of local business owners who’s support of junior sport is their passion. 

And after a COVID challenged 2-years, the support of local businesses is greatly needed to ensure the ongoing success of each Academy program. 

The Academy is delighted to announce a new sport pathway partner in RBI Australia that has allowed a focus on quality coaching across multiple aspects of the game, and not just on field conditioning or competition.

Narellan-based RBI Australia owner and local baseball identity Matt Redman leapt at the opportunity to partner with not only the Academy’s long-seasoned Softball program, but also with the Academy’s Wests Future Stars program, which boast a number of the regions up and coming baseball athletes. 

“RBI Australia has a fully equipped indoor batting and pitching facility in Narellan, which has already proved useful for our softball squad which has moved its training sessions indoors due to the recent wet weather,” said Academy Sport Program Manager Daniel Currinckx.  “It seems only apt that when we first visited RBI to discuss the opportunity to partner with the Academy that it was raining. It may have well been a pre-cursor to the start of the program, where the last few weeks would have been washed out, if it wasn’t for RBI”. 

The partnership with RBI helps provide the Academy’s 17-strong Softball squad with a specialised indoor training facility, providing two lanes of batting cages, allowing the athletes access to hit, or pitch many balls in a relatively short period of time, without having to keep chasing, or running after them on the playing field diamond. 

“The ability to train both outside as a team, as well as indoors in specialised positions adds that extra level of professionalism to the program” said Currinckx, who mentioned that gaining access to quality indoor training venues for Academy sports is an ongoing challenge.

“The partnership with RBI has also allowed the Academy the ability to offer our Wests Future Star Baseball athletes the opportunity for a training venue and “cage time” as a part of their program. This is the value of local business support of the Academy programs. Already we are seeing athletes such as Adam Bates recording pitches around 85 miles per hour, so being able to provide an environment where he can train at that speed consistently, will only help his goals as he continues to work towards representing Australia,” said Currinckx.

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