Participation boom lifts Geelong baseball

BASEBALL is gathering quiet momentum across Geelong, with participation and interest climbing as the 2026 Geelong Baseball Association (GBA) season got underway last month.

The competition features 34 senior men’s teams across four divisions, five women’s sides and 16 junior teams, the strongest junior numbers in several years.

GBA executive officer Jessica Curnow said growth at the grassroots level had been particularly encouraging, with increased exposure to elite and international teams helping spark interest.

“We have seen an increase in participation on a junior level over the last couple of years, which is great to see,” she said. “Sixteen teams across the three age groups is the most we have seen in quite a while.

“Having the Geelong-Korea team in the Australian Baseball League from 2018–2023, who were based at the Geelong Baseball Centre (GBC), brought top-level baseball to the area.

“Also having the Korean team KT Wiz recently spend the summer training at the GBC while hosting community days has attracted younger players to the sport.”

Curnow said Geelong’s facilities were a major drawcard, with the recently upgraded Geelong Baseball Centre in Grovedale now among the best in the state.

“The GBC has some of the best facilities in the state and attracts many tournaments and teams because of it,” she said.

“The grandstand seating, large netting, electronic scoreboard, game-approved lighting, large dugouts and indoor training facilities are just some of the reasons Geelong is placed well with its facilities.

“The field just having works completed on it also adds to the attractiveness and it gives players a consistent field to train on to improve their skills. It also gives local players a hint of playing on a top-level field just in their backyard.”

The region has produced a growing number of representative players in recent years, with several progressing to state and national levels, while interest from Major League Baseball scouts is beginning to filter into Australia.

Despite competing with more established sports such as football and netball, Curnow said baseball’s appeal lay in its accessibility and strong club culture.

“It’s a great team sport,” she said. “All clubs are happy to welcome people in and teach them the sport they love to play.

“It has a real community feel to it because it is not a sport that is quite as known in Australia.”