The Bull Oceanic League has announced their 2016 season player awards today. Competition was fierce in the league’s inaugural season, but few would disagree that the selected players were deserving of their accolades.
Continue reading “Bull Oceanic League Player Awards Announced”
The number-one ranked hitter in the Australian League for 2016 is Les Groves.
The Newcastle Nuclears catcher won the league batting crown with 68 hits in 175 at-bats. No one in the league had a higher average.
Groves played in 48 games and finished his standout season with 5 home runs, 38 RBIs and scored 36 times.
When the season ended, Chris Lemmons went out in a blaze of glory — he topped off a fine year with the New Zealand League batting championship.
The Invercargill catcher finished the regular season with a .342 batting average, 52 hits, 6 home runs and 24 RBIs.
The last few days of the regular season for the Bull Oceanic League have been marked by an uptick in free agent signings some have called a “frenzy”, according to league reports.
The free agents were all Bull Baseball League veterans, many of whom were languishing awaiting offers from teams in that league that were not forthcoming. But the Oceanic League has opened up opportunities for lesser known free agents who talents were not projecting them to the top of teams “want lists” in the BBL. Continue reading “Last Days of Oceanic Season Marked by Free Agent Frenzy”
Winning the Oceanic Cup is no easy task. Winning it as a wild card is even more challenging.
But the Sydney Sailors are up for the challenge.
“If we get hot at the right time, it will be pretty tough to stop us,” said starting pitcher Palaina Lopaka as he celebrated his team’s wild card berth. “I think we’ve got the players and coaches to make it happen.”
With their record sitting at 29-17, the Sailors will indeed have a challenge ahead if they hope to win the 1st Oceanic Cup in team history. Newcastle has clinched first place, and has guaranteed a first round bye in the upcoming playoffs. Sydney will either square off against Tasmania or Melbourne.
The Newcastle Nuclears have taken a first big step in winning the franchise’s first Oceanic Cup.
“We’re champions of the AUS Division and now it’s time to get that championship,” said catcher Les Groves. “The fans deserve it and all the guys in this room want to bring that title home.”
It is the Oceanic League’s inaugural season and the Nuclears proudly claim the honor of being the first to finish in first place in the premiere year of the league. Manager Dylan Maccarone said the club will “certainly be prepared” once playoffs begin.
