Nelson Baseball Heating up

Nelson Heat Baseball has gone from strength to strength in recent years.

As they count down to nationals in mid-February, the club’s 16U team is stacked with talent, while the 14U team has returned from their national baseball festival with bronze.

With multiple players trialling for a number of age-grade representative national teams, the club has shown there’s a well-trodden pathway for players searching for higher honours.

Quinn Heiford, James Matthews and Cameron Lukey are all part of the PAC-MEN 16U team and have been selected to travel to the Babe Ruth 16U World Series in Branson, Missouri, later this year.

Beiro Polanco, son of a former NY Mets signed player Eliooth Polanco, will travel to California this year for the 14U International World Series, while Jacoby Golding, Bodie Ingereson and Max Heiford were named in last year’s National U-15 Squad.

Nelson Heat 16U coach Dwayne Smith says while the club and region doesn’t punch above their weight, they certainly hold their own.

Last year, the 16U team were named the New Zealand domestic team of the year in 2022, with Dwayne saying it was for their results and culture.

“We’ve got a pretty good culture with the youngsters. And we’ve got great people behind the scenes.

“It’s growing, there’s lots of kids in the 12U who will filter through to the 14U and hopefully then the 16U.”

Dwayne says that kids see the likes of MLB players such as Shohei Ohtani, who just signed a $600 million dollar contract with the Yankees, and imagine themselves there one day too.

“These kids still aspire to be something and there is a pathway for them if they apply themselves and do the hard work.

“There’s different leagues all around the world, like the Japanese league and the Australian League.”

Nelson Heat Baseball Club was established in 2017 in Richmond by friends Rachel Knowles and former Black Sox pitcher Marty Grant, who were seeking baseball opportunities for their sons and their friends who were interested in the sport.

Beginning with one team of fifteen players who managed to take the bronze medal at their first-ever Club Nationals, the club has since grown to five teams, and the region has a second club providing extra competition.

But, there’s a lack of local competition and the Nelson Heat players often have to travel to tournaments to get game time under their belt.

The club does host their own invitational tournament over Labour Weekend for 12U teams through to 19U teams, the second largest club tournament in the country, but they still have to go out of town to get regular games.

Alongside the travel comes the expenses, with club president Rachel Knowles saying it costs up to $18,000 per team to attend nationals.

With two teams travelling to Auckland this year for their respective tournaments, she says it’s funding programmes such as NZCT, who have provided $7,237 to help cover transportation and accommodation.

“A vital part of our baseball programme is trying to ensure that all our members have the opportunity to compete, regardless of their personal financial situation.

“As a regional Club with a limited number of teams, it is important for our players to get out of the region and play against and with other baseballers from around the country.”