Former Moorebank Royals baseball player Blake Gooding scores US scholarship

When he threw his first baseball at six-years-old, Blake Gooding knew he wanted to make his parents proud and compete around the world. Now, the Moorebank Royals player is gearing up for his US adventure.

18-year-old baseball player Blake Gooding will be heading to the US to play the sport professionally after scoring a on a scholarship.

When he threw his first baseball at six-years-old with his father, Blake Gooding knew he wanted to make his parents proud and compete in stadiums around the world.

Now around 10 years later, Gooding’s dreams have become a reality after scoring a scholarship at Hillsborough College in Florida – known for its world-class baseball and athletics program.

A scholarship coveted among players, the 18-year-old will embark on his US adventure in August and spend two years studying science and playing baseball full-time.

The former Moorebank Royals player said he moved to Australia from South Africa when he was 10 months old and had played baseball ever since.

“It’s a pinch yourself moment because playing in the US has been a big dream and getting this scholarship is the icing on the cake,” he said.

Blake Gooding and his dad are both avid players of baseball.

“My dad, his dad and his dad played baseball, so it was in the genes and it was something I wanted to do as I looked up to my dad and wanted to be like him.”

He started playing for the under 16s Moorebank Royals T-ball team before moving to the Macarthur Orioles and Sydney University.

Blake Gooding will be heading to the US to play the sport professionally after scoring a on a scholarship.

The Wattle Grove local’s journey to the United States started in 2021 when he was selected in an elite group of five to go on tour with the DownUnder Travellers – a showcase team that takes talented baseball players from Australia to play in tournaments in the USA – where he proved his skills to the coaching staff at Hillsborough and “fell in love” with the school.

But Gooding’s pitch for the states stopped short when he tore his UCL muscle and pulled out of the under 18s Baseball World Cup last year.

“I knew I wanted to be at Hillsborough so the injury made me work even harder and I really focused on a lot of forearm exercises so I would be ready,” he said.

It wasn’t until he played a tournament in Queensland just before his 18th birthday that his “dreams came true” and he received an offer to play for the college.

18-year-old baseball player Blake Gooding will start his US adventure in August.

“All of the hard work has built up to this moment,” he said.

“I’m going to be a sponge and learn everything I can and in five years I’m hoping to play for the big leagues and get drafted so I can help my family.”

Gooding’s mum Shelley said she couldn’t be prouder and the whole family had “so much love and pride in our hearts”.

“We see the time and effort he puts into his training, and we see how hard he works,” she said.

“He deserves this opportunity, and we can’t wait to see how far he goes.”