Werribee Giants kicked off the Baseball Victoria summer league premier 1st nine competition in perfect fashion.
In their second season back in the top flight, the Giants are keen to show some improvement on what they did last season.
On Saturday, they kicked off their season with a 4-3 win against Essendon in a confidence boosting win.
Speaking before the opening round, new coach Cameron Brown said they were excited for what was to come this year.
“We’re really excited for the weekend and it will be good to get into the swing of things and see how we stack up.
“I’ve really enjoyed things and I feel we are starting to build and the group will build with me.”
Brown said he has some strong opinions on things which don’t always mesh with everyone, but it was so far, so good.
He said the club had been really welcoming and he was excited to see the results.
“The participation has been strong and it has built up towards the start of the season,” he said.
“Usually every session we’ve split into two groups having started with numbers in the low 20s and now up to 35, which is a good number.”
The Giants have kept a lot of their core together from last season, but have also added some key pieces to the puzzle.
Brown, who scored a run in the opening round win, comes into the side and replaces Wade Blazer, who was a big out.
Brown said it was a substantial change but both play a similar role and like to add a lot with the bat.
The Giants have added two imports this season.
Brown said they had added a catcher, Elias Nordsell. He has been around the Swedish national team.
While he missed round one, he is expected to have a big impact for the Giants.
“We’ve locked in someone who identifies as a catcher which we didn’t have last year,” he said.
“It meant we had to play players in different positions. Catching is its own craft and an important defensive position.”
Mauro Van Mook is the Giants other import and made his debut on Saturday in the win.
Brown said having imports helped the group both on and off the pitch.
“They always bring different personalities and experiences and are good characters,” he said.
“Sport connects the world.
“The younger players, juniors are drawn to them.”
Brown said they wanted to push for finals and see what they can do this season.
He said last season was a solid base to build on.
“We want to play every game the best we can take it down to every pitch,” he said. “Our best is right up there. It’s about closing the gap week in, week out on what our best is.
The Giants reserves also beat Essendon.
The Giants women’s state side started the season with an 11-8 loss to Chelsea on Saturday.
