The BCO history The BCO first discussed in detail during the 1989 Baseball Confederation of Oceania Congress. Since 1993 a fulltime Development Officer, Mr. Ray Brown has been engaged to promote the development of Baseball throughout the Region. Head Office: 48 Partridge Way BACKGROUND Mooroolbark 3138 Victoria, Australia The Baseball Confederation of Oceania was established in 1989, it currently has 15 member nations. Baseball arrived in most parts of Oceania as a result Tel: +613 9727 1779 of USA influence; particularly following World War 11. Fax: 613 9727 5959 E-mail: Baseball was a Gold Medal sport for the first time in the 1992 Barcelona [email protected] Olympics, with 8 teams competing. Website: Baseball was a Gold Medal sport at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. www.Baseballoceania.com Baseball was a Gold Medal sport at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Baseball was a Gold Medal sport at the 2004 Athens Olympics. President Australia (The Oceania Champion) won Silver at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Mr. Ron Finlay 1st Vice President Bob Steffy nd The BCO Development Officer has implemented the following programs 2 Vice President and initiatives Mr. Laurent Cassier Secretary General The BCO Regional Training Center Mr. Chet Gray Assisted in the hiring of 3 Sport Development Officers in Palau, [email protected] American Samoa and Fiji. Executive Member The revitalization of the youth program in the FSM Mr.David Ballinger Little League Baseball became a viable part of the Australian Mrs. Rose Igitol Baseball Federation Mr.Ronald Seeto The Development Officer completed 10 country visits ranging from 10 days to 3 months during the period2005-2011 to Australia, American Samoa, CNMI, Fiji, FSM, Marshall Island’s, New Development Officer Caledonia, New Zealand, Palau and Samoa. Mr. Ray Brown [email protected] American Samoa Australia Cook Islands Federated States of Micronesia Fiji Guam Marshall Islands New Caledonia New Zealand Ray Brown and Ben Solaita + (American Samoa) Republic of Palau Papua New Guinea working with young baseballers. Saipan (CNMI) Solomon Islands Samoa Life Members: Mr. Neville Pratt (Australia) Mr. Ben Solaita + (American Samoa) Mr. Dennis Zermeno (Guam) - 1 - Scott Campbell (NZ) Solomon Islands coaches celebrate Guam Little League Signs Pro Contract their first international win AA 2003 2011 South Pacific Games BCO Region New Caledonia welcome for 2009 RTC _Noumea 2008 RTC – Darwin Australia Baseball in Samoa 2004 Olympic Qualifier Australia vs Sth Africa School program in Fiji Club development in Fiji Baseball Page | 2 Office Bearers President: Mr. Ron Finlay (Australia) 1st Vice President 2nd Vice President Mr. Bob Steffy (Guam) Mr. Laurent Cassier (New Caledonia) Secretary General Mr. Chet Gray (Australia) [email protected] Executive Members Executive Members Executive Members Mr. David Ballinger Mr. Ronald Seeto (Fiji) Mrs. Rose Igitol (CNMI) (New Zealand ) Page | 3 Ray Brown – Development Officer Continental Vice President – Oceania Mr. Ron Finlay Development Officer Mr Ray Brown raybrown48@hotmail Person responsible for Press office and communication: Chet Gray | BCO Secretary General Baseball Confederation of Oceania 48 Partridge Way, Mooroolbark , Victoria 3138 Australia t: +61 3 98186144 | f: +61 3 97275959 | Mob: +61 (0) 416227253 E: [email protected] E: [email protected] Life Members: Mr. Neville Pratt (Australia) Mr. Ben Solaita + (American Samoa) Mr. Dennis Zermeno (Guam) Development Activities in the region Mr. Ray Brown continues the development throughout the Oceania region, aided by 3 regional development officers in American Samoa, Fiji and Palau. Page | 4 Youth players that have played in the 1999 Senior (Guam) 2003 “AA” (Sydney) , 2004 “AAA” (Palau) 2006 “AAA” (Gold Coast) or the 2007 “AA” (Sydney) or 2011 “AA” Oceania Championships that have gone on to be signed to MLB professional contracts Australia Professional Club Mitchell Nilsson Cleveland Rory Rhodes Minnesota Twins Todd VanSteensel Phillies Cory Adamson San Diego Padres Joshua Spence San Diego Padres Stefan Welch NY Mets Alan Schoenberger Philadelphia Phillies James Beresford Minnesota Twins Jarrad Eacott Minnesota Twins Chris House Toronto Blue Jays Liam Hendricks Minnesota Twins Thomas Fiebig Cincinatti Mitchell Dening Boston Red Sox Patrick Maat NY Mets Matt Tims Atlanta Matthew Lawman Minnesota Twins Brad Tippett Atlanta Aaron Thorne Seattle Mariners Jay Nilsson Cleveland Indians Daniel Schmidt Phillies Allen De San Miguel Minnesota Twins Dean Zorn Seattle Mariners Donovan Hendricks Atlanta Dylan Peacock Anaheim Angels Matt Ryan Anaheim Angels Ross Hipke Colorado Rockies Mitch Graham Phillies Timothy Kennelly Phillies Tristan Loetsch Kansas Matt Williams Minnesota Twins New Zealand (2011 AA) Beau Bishop Boston REdsox Guam (1999 SPG and Oceania Championship) John Hattig Boston Red Sox & Toronto Blue Jays Page | 5 MLB PROFESIONAL SIGNINGS IN THE OCEANIA REGION (who have played in the MLB) Player Born In Debut Year Final Year Grant Balfour Sydney, Australia 2001 Active Shayne Bennett Adelaide, Australia 1997 1999 Travis Blackley Melbourne, Australia 2004 Active Cameron Cairncross Queensland, Australia 2000 2000 Trent Durrington Sydney, Australia 1999 Active Mark Ettles Perth, Australia 1993 1993 Brad Harman Melbourne, Australia 2008 Active Justin Huber Melbourne, Australia 2005 Active Luke Hughes Perth, Australia 2010 Active Mark Hutton South Adelaide, Australia 1993 1998 Graeme Lloyd Victoria, Australia 1993 2003 Damian Moss Darlinghurst, Australia 2001 Active Peter Moylan Western Australia, Australia 2006 Active Dave Nilsson Brisbane, Australia 1992 1999 Trent Oeltjen Sydney, Australia 2009 Active Chris Oxspring Ipswich, Australia 2005 Active Luke Prokopec Blackwood, Australia 2000 2002 Joe Quinn Sydney, Australia 1884 1901 Ryan Rowland-Smith Sydney, Australia 2007 Active Craig Shipley Parramatta, Australia 1986 1998 Josh Spence Victoria, Australia 2011 Active John Stephens Sydney, Australia 2002 2002 Brad Thomas Sydney, Australia 2001 Active Rich Thompson Hornsby, Australia 2007 Active Glenn Williams Gosford, Australia 2005 2005 Jeff Williams Canberra, Australia 1999 2002 John Hattig Guam 2001 Page | 6 Tournaments Youth: AAA 2004 Palau (Australia, Palau, CNMI ) -Australia won 2006 Australia (Australia , New Zealand) Australia won 2012 Guam to be played January 2012 AA 2003 Australia (Australia , New Zealand, Sol. Islands) - Australia 2007 Australia (Australia, New Caledonia, New Zealand) - Australia 2011 New Zealand ( Australia, Guam, New Zealand ) - Australia Senior: 1999 Guam v American Samoa - Oceania Championship - Guam 1999 Guam v South Africa - Olympic Qualifier Sth Africa won 2003 Australia v Guam – Leo Palace , Guam – Australia won 2004 Australia v Guam – Olympic qualifier . Guam withdrew 2004 Australia v South Africa Australia qualified 2007 Australia v New Zealand - New Zealand withdrew Olympics: 1992 Barcelona , Spain 1996 Host LA 2000 Host – Sydney Australia - Bronze 2004 Athens – Australia won Silver Regional Training Centres 2005-6 Auckland, New Zealand 2007 Wellington, New Zealand 2008 Darwin, Australia 2009 Noumea, New Caledonia 2010 Hagatna, Guam 2010 Pago Pago, American Samoa South Pacific Games: 1999 Paseo Stadium, Guam 6 Teams American Samoa, Palau, FSM, Guam, CNMI, New Caledonia Guam won the SPG 2003 Fiji Guam, FSM, American Samoa, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Fiji 2007 Samoa American Samoa, Fiji, Palau, New Caledonia, Samoa 2011 Noumea, New Caledonia American Samoa, Palau, CNMI, Fiji , Guam, New Caledonia Page | 7 (IBAF) Olympic Qualifier Playoff 2003 South Pacific Games - Baseball 2004 Baseball Oceania Championship 2005 South Pacific Mini Games - Baseball 2006 Micronesian Games - Baseball 2007 AA BCO Qualification Championship 2007 BCO Championships 2007 South Pacific Games - Baseball BCO AAA Playoff (2006) Junior Oceania AAA 2004 Championships 2011 “AA” Oceania Championship Micronesian Games and FSM games 1 1969 Saipan Northern Mariana Islands July 2 1990 Saipan Northern Mariana Islands July 3 1994 Agana Guam 27 March - 1 April 4 1998 Koror Palau 3-8 August 5 2002 Pohnpei Federated States of Micronesia July 6 2006 Saipan Northern Mariana Islands 23 June - 4 July 7 2010 Koror Palau 1-10 August Competitors Participants include four sovereign countries (the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, and Palau), a commonwealth in political union with the United States (the Northern Mariana Islands), an organized unincorporated territory of the United States (Guam), and the four constituent States of the Federated States of Micronesia (Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae and Yap, which compete separately from one another). These ten countries, States and territories are all located within the Micronesian region of Oceania. All participants also take part in the Pacific Games, although the Federated States of Micronesia competes as a unified country there. Events Athletes compete in the fields of athletics, baseball, basketball, beach volleyball, coconut tree climbing, coconut husking, fast pitch softball, golf, Page | 8 slow pitch softball, spearfishing, swimming, table tennis, triathlon, va'a canoe, volleyball and wrestling, as well as the "micro all around". The Micronesian Games thus combine events that may be found in other international competitions with events more specific to Micronesian countries. Coconut tree climbing and coconut husking appear to have been demonstration events at the 2006 Games: they are listed as events on the Games' official website, but are