Star Pitcher To Spearhead Flame Attack
Illawarra Mercury
Thursday September 12, 2002
Illawarra Flame will be looking to starting pitcher Brad Drain to spearhead their young baseball side in the 2002-03 Sydney Major League season opener against Baulkham Hills Kookaburras at Blacktown Olympic Park tonight.
Drain capped a magnificent 2001-02 season by taking out the Sydney Major League MVP award.
Even though Illawarra have a youthful first grade line-up, the return to the Flame of experienced pitcher Jonathan Hall should take some of the pressure off Drain.
It will be up to the fielders and batters to support Drain and Hall if Illawarra are to upset their opponents away from home.
``It should be a good test for us as we are taking a young squad up there, so hopefully some of the young blokes can stand up and be counted," Flame head coach Andrew Coad said yesterday.
``Brad is probably going to have a little bit of pressure on him this year but the addition of Jonathan Hall back this year should help with some of the work load."
With Josh Hill not expected back from the Minnesota Twins organisation in the United States until early next month, the main thrust of Flame pitching responsibility will be with Drain and Hall.
Having just completed a long Illawarra Baseball League season, a number of more experienced campaigners will have a reduced input into the Flame this season.
Nathan March may play only occasionally if required.
March has been with the Flame since the club's inception in 1994.
Coad remains hopeful that March may come back and play at some stage this season.
Lethal left-handed slugger Jye Pitt also will be unavailable for a few weeks because of work commitments but is expected to play at some stage.
Two of the promising younger players who will be in the Flame line-up tonight are Josh Dean and Brett Single.
Dean is a member of the NSW Institute of Sport baseball program and 18-year-old Single played second grade with the Flame last year.
In addition to tonight's premiership season opener, the Flame and the Kookaburras will play a second game at Northmead Reserve, Northmead, on Sunday, in keeping with the new format introduced by the NSW Baseball League this season.
© 2002 Illawarra Mercury