Kyan helps lift Aussies in baseball World Cup with power hitting

A FEW years ago while out shopping Kyan Roach pleaded with his mum, Nicole, to buy him a baseball bat.

Kyan Roach has just played baseball for Australia in Guam at the world championship qualifiers.

• Racing the clock to be fit
• Yeo wants starting spot
• Davies dreams big

A FEW years ago while out shopping Kyan Roach pleaded with his mum, Nicole, to buy him a baseball bat.

“Initially I thought ‘why would I spend $60 on something he’ll just throw away soon’,” Nicole said.

“But after a bit of hassling me for it I bought it for him and said ‘we’ll sign you straight up for a baseball club then’. And he said ‘OK’.”

Kyan Roach fired for Australia in Guam. Pictures: David Swift

Roach didn’t let his mum’s investment down either and despite only in his third season at Penrith Baseball Club he’s just helped the Australian under-12 team qualify for the World Cup in Tiawan later this year.

Roach was a key figure in the recent World Cup qualifying tournament in Guam, which the Aussies won.

Roach, a catcher, scored a number of hits to help change the Australians’ fortunes around mid-tournament. A win against the host nation in the final match, after losing to them in their opening game, would see them go through to the World Cup.

“The Guam team was hard to beat in the first game but they became easier to play in the second and we beat them 19-0,” Roach said.

Kyan Roach has only been playing baseball for three seasons.

“I’m not quite sure why we beat them so easily. Maybe they were feeling last game. It was long game and they may have still been tired from that.”

Mum Nicole said buying him his first baseball bat was one of her best decisions.

“He’s always played sport but I’ve never seen him shine like this,” she said.

“Since he found baseball he hasn’t stopped. It’s become an obsession.”

Roach, who was the only Australian representative from western Sydney, said he would be training the house down ahead of the World Cup.

“We’ll play teams like Japan and Russia. Japan will be very hard because baseball’s everything to them and it’s becoming the same for me now,” he said.