Gold Coast Cougars aiming to be Australia’s most successful side at Little League World Champs
THEY made history as the city’s first team to claim the Aussie Little League title. But the Gold Coast Cougars have another national record in their sights at the World Championships.
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THEY made history as the first team from the Glitter Strip to claim the Australian Little League Championship.
But the Gold Coast Cougars have another national record in their sights as they step up preparations for a World Championship assault in the US.
Still riding high after taking out the national Little League (under-12) crown in Lismore in June, the Cougars are now desperate to become the first Australian team to win more than two games at the world event.
First-year coach Klae Calvert, a former Australian representative and pro star in the US, said a “perfect storm” had given the Cougars a golden opportunity to defy that record in Williamsport from August 16-26.
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“It’s incredible really, what has been accomplished. Historically, the Sydney teams have been the strong ones that end up going (to the World Championships), no other Queensland team has ever done this,” Calvert, who will fly the Virgin Airlines plane that takes the team to Williamsport, said.
“The best team that’s ever gone there from Australia has won two games so our goal is to go there and win at least three. We want to be the best Little League team ever (from Australia) to go there.
“It’s the hardest competition in the world over there and places like Japan, they’ve just got military precision. But (our players) will hold their own and now that you’re there, anything can happen on the day.
“I look at the draw and the pitching that we have, they’ve actually got a chance of going a long, long way. They’re no joke.”
With TV audiences of up to 30 million per game and 10,000 to 30,000 spectators in the stands, the players will have the chance to put their names before scouts from some of world baseball’s biggest brands.
However, Calvert is hoping Cougars’ impact — led by young guns Oscar Hyde and Billy Baker — can reach the Coast as well.
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WEEKLY GOLD COAST FOOTBALL REPORT CARD
“It’s a really good time at the moment to be able to promote this (success) and have the kids do well over there to really push baseball ahead on the Gold Coast. Brisbane has notoriously been a little bit better competition than on the Gold Coast but now it’s swung so everyone from Brisbane wants to come down and play for teams here because we’re more competitive.
“It’s a good thing for baseball on the Gold Coast and a good thing for Queensland baseball as well.”
The Cougars leave on Thursday before playing their first game against Mexico on August 16.
PLAYER PROFILES
NAME: Billy Baker
AGE: 13
SUBURB: Upper Coomera
CLUB: Coomera Cubs
ROLE: short stop/pitcher
YEARS PLAYING: 8
NAME: Oscar Hyde
AGE: 13
SUBURB: Upper Coomera
CLUB: Coomera Cubs
ROLE: pitcher
YEARS PLAYING: 9
NAME: Mitchell Anderson
AGE: 12
SUBURB: Upper Coomera
CLUB: Coomera Cubs
ROLE: catcher/outfielder
YEARS PLAYING: 4
NAME: Jake Calver
AGE: 12
SUBURB: Hope Island
CLUB: Surfers Paradise
ROLE: utility
YEARS PLAYING: 7
NAME: Tyler Salmon-Patrick
AGE: 13
SUBURB: Helensvale
CLUB: Coomera Cubs
ROLE: infielder
YEARS PLAYING: 4
NAME: Zack Smith
AGE: 12
SUBURB: Worongary
CLUB: Mudgeeraba
ROLE: infielder
YEARS PLAYING: 7
NAME: Ben Mathews
AGE: 13
SUBURB: Banora Point
CLUB: Mudgeeraba
ROLE: outfielder/pitcher
YEARS PLAYING: 7
NAME: Fynn Komulainen
AGE: 12
SUBURB: Highland Park
CLUB: Mudgeeraba
ROLE: third base/pitcher
YEARS PLAYING: 6
NAME: Matt White
AGE: 13
SUBURB: Arundel
CLUB: Surfers Paradise
ROLE: third base/pitcher
YEARS PLAYING: 9
NAME: Jake Scott
AGE: 11
SUBURB: Burleigh
CLUB: Surfers Paradise
ROLE: outfielder
YEARS PLAYING: 3
NAME: Ty Iddon
AGE: 12
SUBURB: Mount Cotton
CLUB: Coomera Cubs
ROLE: outfielder/infielder/pitcher
YEARS PLAYING: 7
NAME: Jett Grimmond
AGE: 12
SUBURB: Biggera Waters
CLUB: Runaway Bay
ROLE: Outfielder/pitcher
YEARS PLAYING: 2
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