Canberra Cavalry
|
Most recent season: 2015–16 Australian Baseball League season | |
 | |
| Team Details | |
|---|---|
| League | Australian Baseball League |
| City | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory |
| Ballpark | Narrabundah Ballpark |
| Year founded | 2010 |
| Inaugural season | 2010–11 |
| Postseason | |
| Asia Series Championships | 1 (2013) |
| ABL Championships | 1 (2012–13) |
| Finals appearances | 2 (2013-14) |
| Uniforms | |
 Canberra Cavalry home and away orange uniform (also white shirt with orange and black writing) | |
| Colours |
Orange Black White |
| Management | |
| Manager |
 Michael Collins |
| Owner | ABL |
| General Manager |
Current - 2010-11 Tony Fraser [4] |
| Assistant GM |
2013-14 Anthony Cangelosi 2011-12: Thom Carter[5]2010-11: Megan Salic[6] |
The Canberra Cavalry is a professional baseball team in the Australian Baseball League. The team was runner-up in the 2013-14 League.
In the 2012–13 season, the Cavalry won the Claxton Shield, having defeated the Perth Heat in the Championship Series in Canberra over 8/9 February 2013.[7] In November 2013, the Cavalry won the 2013 Asia Series resoundingly (14-4),[8] becoming the first non- Japanese or Korean side to do so.
The team is based in the Capital city of Canberra, Australia at the home ground, Narrabundah Ballpark.
Originally to be called the Colts, the team faced legal issues with the ACT Brumbies[9] that uses the same name for a local Rugby Union team.
On 8 September 2010 former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher and Lakewood BlueClaws pitching coach, Steve Schrenk, was announced head coach.[10]
Since 2012-13, former Cavalry player, Michael Collins has been the coach.
The current major sponsor, since the 2014-15 season, is Canberra Elite Cabs.[11]
Seasons
2010–11 Australian Baseball League season
- 6th place (of 6); 12-24 record,[12] winning 11-9 at home but 1-15 away.
2011–12 Australian Baseball League season
- 6th of 6: W 20, L 25
2012–13 Australian Baseball League season
- Top of the stats by Christmas, then pulled away with significant wins against Perth Heat in away then home rounds in early January 2013.
- Minor Premiership winners.
- Premiership winners (Claxton Shield).
- During the 2012-13 season, fan action caused the team to change the shirt number of a player. Marcus Knecht was wearing 51 but fans pointed out that he should have the number 4, in allusion to the game Connect Four; and, this became his catch-cry.
2013 Championship Series
- Champions: Canberra Cavalry
- MVP of Finals Series: Aaron Sloan
- Venue: Narrabundah Ballpark, Canberra
- Report: Strike Zone[13]
Game 1
Score: Canberra Cavalry wins 6-4 over Perth Heat[7]
Game 2
Score: Canberra Cavalry wins 7-6. Takes Championship and Claxton Shield.[7]
2013 Asia Series - Champions
- Cavalry won its first game against the CPBL Rhinos (2-0).
- NPB Golden Eagles lost the second game (6-3).
- Cavalry won the third game against the KBO Lions (9-5).
- Cavalry advanced to the final, and played the U-Pres Lions, winning 14-4, to be Asia Series champions.[8]
- The Cavalry was the 'home' side, on a coin toss. After being 2-0 up in the first inning, the Lions replied to be 4-2 up. The Cavalry replied in the fourth inning to be 4-3 down. In the seventh inning, Cavalry scored 5 runs, to be up 8-4. In the eighth inning, Jack Murphy scored a homer with loaded bases to make the score 14-4. The Cavalry's Toler pitched out the Lions to end the game.[8]
2013–14 Australian Baseball League season
2nd place out of 6. W:22, L:24. Cavalry defeated the Sydney Blue Sox in the Preliminary Final, held in Sydney, before losing to Perth Heat in the Final series.
2014–15 Australian Baseball League season
As December 2014 drew to a close, the Cavalry was equal second on the ABL standings. Cavalry finished fourth in the regular season with a win-loss record of 22-24 (.478) but the home-away record favoured the equally scored Sydney team.
2015–16 Australian Baseball League season
On the opening weekend (23–25 October 2015), the Cavalry won the first three of four games against Brisbane.
Roster
| Canberra Cavalry roster - 2015–16 ABL | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active roster | Coaching staff | |||
| Pitchers Right-handed pitchers
Left-handed pitchers
|
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
|
Manager Coaches
| ||
| Correct as of 25 October 2015 version of ABL website. | ||||
Venue
Mascot
The Canberra Cavalry team mascot is a Yosemite Sam-type character named 'Sarge', with an Australian slouch hat, Cavalry-orange shirt, Auscam pants and brown Army boots. The team song, played after winning games, is "I Wanna Be in the Cavalry" by Corb Lund.
Car
Sarge got a 'quad' car for the 2014-15 season.
MLB players
Players with the Cavalry who have played in the USA's Major League Baseball (MLB) teams include:
- Didi Gregorius - 2010-11 (SS) - Cincinnati Reds in 2012, Arizona Diamondbacks in 2013 and 2014, New York Yankees in 2015-
- Donald Lutz - Cincinnati Reds outfielder
- Kevin Kiermaier - Tampa Bay Rays center fielder
- Aaron Thompson - Minnesota Twins pitcher
Community work
In the 2012-13 season, the degree of community work and outreach was markedly up on previous seasons, with game-day shirts for sale to assist community organisations for most days of home seasons. This began with Legacy Australia that supports family members of service people, and included the Canberra Hospital Trust, the Heart Foundation, Red Cross ACT, and The Global Poverty Walk's Matt Napier.
Local politicians
Narrabundah Ballpark is owned by the Government of the Australian Capital Territory. The Cavalry management regularly hosts local politicians and their families at games, to raise their awareness of baseball and the Australian Baseball League. This is extended to each part of the political spectrum.
References
- ↑ The Canberra Elite Cavalry, and Baseball ACT welcome the appointment of Mr Donn McMichael, The ABL, 16 September 2014, accessed 6 January 2015
- ↑ Canberra Times, Cavalry CEO returns to States 1 July 2014
- ↑ , Team Story about appoiontment
- ↑ , SMH about Fraser's hiring with Basketball ACT and reference to time with Cavalry
- ↑ team story, 3 January 2012, accessed 7 January 2012
- ↑ Meet the Cavalry, Barry Barnes, 28 September 2010, accessed 25 January 2011
- 1 2 3 Canberra Cavalry win ABL championship, Sydney Morning Herald, 9 February 2013, 11:12PM
- 1 2 3 Canberra Cavalry wins Asia Series, David Polkinghorne, Canberra Times, 21 November 2013
- ↑ The countdown is ON! Only 3 days to go!, 2 November 2010, ABLbuzz.com, accessed 25 January 2011
- ↑ Fraser, Tom (8 September 2010). "Former Philadelphia Phillies Pitcher to Serve as Canberra Cavalry Head Coach". Canberra Cavalry. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
- ↑ http://web.theabl.com.au/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140625&content_id=81644562&fext=.jsp&vkey=pr_l595&sid=l595
- ↑ A case of the Blues for Canberra in ABL, Joe O'Sullivan, 24 January 2011, The Roar, accessed 25 January 2011
- ↑ Strike Zone, ABC Grandstand Sport, 15 February 2013, accessed 17 February 2013
External links
Media related to Canberra Cavalry at Wikimedia Commons
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