All posts by IndyBallIsland

31. Baseball fan. I prefer indy ball and the minors over the majors. If it's summer, you can find me at a ballpark. The Washington Wild Things and the Pittsburgh Pirates are my "hometown" teams, but I'm always up for taking a baseball road trip! Follow me on Twitter: @kmthomp29
Independent Ball

The Adelaide Giants Win The Claxton Shield

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After a 43 year drought, the Adelaide Giants have brought the Claxton Shield to South Australia. Their Australian Baseball League championship is Adelaide’s first in the modern ABL era.

The Adelaide Giants with the Claxton Shield

Earlier this season, Indy Ball Island reported on their record-setting 12 game win streak which featured current and former indy ball players… many of whom I have personally gotten to know and see play over the years.

For the last two years, I’ve had what I consider the best post I’ve ever written saved in drafts never to see the light of day. That post is ready to go whenever the Washington WildThings win their first Frontier League championship.

It highlights players such as Quincy Latimore, Luke Wilkins and Nick Ward… players who were all integral parts of both the Washington WildThings and Indy Ball Island.

The 2022-23 Adelaide Giants have three former (and one current) Washington WildThings on their roster Latimore, Wilkins, Ward and current player Ian Walters who joined the Giants after the Christmas break.

The Giants had six current or former Frontier League players and 14 total players with American indy ball experience on their roster at some point this season.

2022-23 Adelaide Giants with Indy Ball Experience

  • Adam McKillican – Quebec (Frontier League)
  • Bubby Rossman – Sioux City and Cleburne (American Association), York (Atlantic League)
  • Josh Tols – Trinidad (Pecos League), Kansas City and Kane County (American Association)
  • Luke Wilkins – WildThings (Frontier League), Fargo-Moorehead, Sioux Falls and Chicago (American Association)
  • Miguel Cienfuegos – Quebec (Frontier League)
  • Quintin Torres-Costa – Gastonia (Atlantic League)
  • Todd Van Steensel – St Paul Saints (American Association)
  • Luis Aviles Jr. – Sugar Land (Constellation Energy League – COVID Season)
  • Nick Ward – WildThings (Frontier League)
  • Quincy Latimore – WildThings (Frontier League) High Point (Atlantic League)
  • Ian Walters – Southern Illinois and WildThings (Frontier League)
  • Michael Martinez – Lancaster and High Point (Atlantic League)
  • Joe Johnson – High Point (Atlantic League)
  • Sam Street – Kansas City (American Association)

During the season, it was announced Mitch Neunborn would be joining them as he signed a contract with the Quebec Capitales in the Frontier League.

Also during the season, two Adelaide players left “Indy Ball Island” and signed affiliated contracts: Nick Ward (Phillies) and Miguel Cienfuegos (Padres).

Nick Ward

Along with the signings, there were some career milestones and highlights reached.

Latimore hit his 250th professional homerun. He is currently 71 games away from 2,000 career professional games played.

Quincy Latimore

Van Steensel and Wilkins, both native Australians, have been playing in the ABL together for 13 years. This championship is the first for both of them. Additionally, Tols and Street hail from Australia.

Todd Van Steensel and Luke Wilkins
13 years in the making

And even though this website is based around independent baseball players, it would be a shame not to recognize some of the other players who had such an impact for the Adelaide Giants this season.

Jordan McArdle, a former Diamondbacks prospect, is South Australian through and through. “The Captain” has been called the “heart and soul of the Giants” and it is extremely evident when you watch him play. McArdle was named the MVP of the championship series with some clutch hitting including multiple homeruns in the three game series.

Championship Series MVP
Jordan McArdle

Since the Giants are lead by manager Chris “Tank” Adamson, a coach for the Jersey Shore BlueClaws in the Phillies organization, the team is a winter (Australian summer) destination for many Philadelphia Phillies prospects.

Pitchers: Starlyn Castillo, Jordan Fowler, Austin Ross, Bubby Rossman
Catchers: Arturo De Freitas, Anthony Quirion
Infielders: Nikau Pouaka-Grego, Rixon Wingrove
Outfielder: Jared Carr

6 additional players are in other affiliated organizations:
Adam McKillican (Colorado), Jack O’Loughlin (Detriot), Riley Yeatman (San Diego), Luis Aviles Jr. (Miami), Ryan January (Los Angeles), and Liam Spence (Chicago Cubs)

This team was something special to watch. The guys played with heart and passion. They had FUN, and it was a blast getting to watch them play. They absolutely left it all out on the field night after night.

Congratulations to the 2022-2023 Australian Baseball League Claxton Shield championship winners, The Adelaide Giants! Hell of a ride!

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Independent Ball

Pioneer Baseball League Tryout Camps

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PIONEER BASEBALL LEAGUE ANNOUNCES SPRING TRYOUTS

PBL Partners with Yakkertech, BaseballCloud, and Prospect Wire for Preseason Tryouts in Florida and Arizona

Windsor, CO – February 1, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Pioneer Baseball League presented by TicketSmarter, a professional minor league an official MLB Partner League, announced today that it will hold tryouts on both the East and West Coasts for 2023 roster spots on each of its 10 teams.

Additional information and registration for the Tryout Camps, including an Early Bird Special, can be found here: PBL Preseason Tryout Camps.

The PBL also announced that its Tryout Camps will be operated in partnership with BaseballCloud and Yakkertech, industry leaders in advanced analytics, player data, and scouting, and their baseball camp operations partner, Prospect Wire. Under the umbrella of DS
Sports Ventures (“DSSV”), these partnerships will add state of the art technology and operational expertise to ensure each prospect has ample opportunity to showcase their skills.

“I couldn’t be more excited about this incredible partnership with BaseballCloud, Yakkertech and Prospect Wire,” said PBL President Mike Shapiro. “This is an extraordinary opportunity to enhance the value of our player development program to include advanced analytics with a
state-of-the-industry skills showcase for talented players looking to play professional baseball.”

The PBL Tryout Camps will feature two four-day pro-style camps.

The East Coast camp will operate from March 30, 2023, through April 2, 2023, at the Northeast Regional Park in Davenport, Florida, mid-way between Orlando and Tampa.

The West Coast camp will take place from April 17, 2023, through April 20, 2023, at the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, AZ, spring training home to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies.

Managers, coaches, and scouts from all ten Pioneer League clubs will be on site at each camp.

The comprehensive pro-style four-day camps are open to all eligible prospective professional players with no more than three years of professional experience. During the tryout camps, prospects will undergo pro-style workouts during which scouts will evaluate athletic ability as well as batting, pitching and fielding skills. These evaluations will include extended infield/outfield sessions, two days of bullpens for pitchers, batting practice sessions, and multiple live scrimmages.

“DSSV is excited to offer a tryout series that utilizes data and analytics from top to bottom, through the integration of our Yakkertech ball-flight data capturing systems, BaseballCloud software, and Diamond Connect showcase app”, Kevin Davidson, CEO of DSSV noted. “Not
only will coaches and clubs gain valuable insights on attendees, but attendees will also leave with detailed reports to aid in their own player development.”

“Prospect Wire is thrilled to embark on this innovative venture as we enter the professional baseball arena” said Rob Sitz, CEO of the Events Division at DS SportsVentures. “The Pioneer League is a highly reputable league in the United States, and we are eager to elevate its Tryout
Camps by infusing them with data and analytics. This will undoubtedly establish a new benchmark in the industry.”

The PBL Player Draft will immediately follow each camp, with the PBL clubs committed to each sign at least one player from each camp to a 2023 Spring Training contract. Additionally, all prospects in attendance will leave with a professional prospect profile on Diamond Connect
that includes their career stats and their performance in the professional drills and advanced analytics during the showcase.

Over the past two years over 300 prospects have attended PBL tryout camps, with 47 players drafted by PBL clubs. Several players attending PBL tryout camps have gone on to be signed by Major League Clubs.

For more information and registration, go to: PBL Preseason Tryout Camps

About the Pioneer Baseball League presented by TicketSmarter:
Since 1939, the Pioneer Baseball League has operated in the Mountain West region as an MLB affiliate league. Beginning in 2021, the PBL became an MLB Professional Partner League with clubs in Montana
(Billings, Missoula, Great Falls, and Kalispell), Idaho (Boise and Idaho Falls), Utah (Ogden), and Colorado (Grand Junction, Fort Collins, and Colorado Springs).

For more information go to www.pioneerleague.com.

About DS SportsVentures – BaseballCloud, Yakkertech, and Prospect Wire: BaseballCloud offers a revolutionary suite of tools to empower baseball and softball players at all levels to optimize performance. The company’s flagship product, Yakkertech, is a real-time camera system that captures and analyzes ball-flight data with unparalleled precision. Alongside Yakkertech, Prospect Wire events integrate the company’s technologies to provide players with valuable insights for improvement.
BaseballCloud is a leader in shaping the future of the sport with cutting-edge technologies and a focus on player development.

About TicketSmarter:
TicketSmarter is the official ticket resale partner of Rose Bowl Stadium and the title sponsor of the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl with ESPN Events – for more information, follow @Birmingham_Bowl
on Twitter. Additionally, TicketSmarter is the official ticket resale partner of more than 40 minor league baseball clubs, 35 collegiate conferences including the Pac-12 Conference and Big Ten Conference, and
300-plus universities nationwide. Stay updated with TicketSmarter at https://TicketSmarter.com

For more information, please contact Jackson Shapiro at jshapiro@pioneerleague.com