Courtesy of 
'Flintoff & Dunn's AUSTRALIAN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL'
We will provide the latest STATISTICS for Waverley players as they do their best to represent our club (and themselves) in the US professional leagues.

To see up to date statistics for ALL Australian players in the 
US Pro Leagues (including the majors) and including many of our familiar local BV opponents, visit Flintoff & Dunn's web site, click here.
Updated AT LEAST three times per week!

Wildcats whiz kid JIMMY BERESFORD earned a share of 'Flintoff & Dunn's PRO PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD' once again this week after another superb streak of hitting and defence for Minnesota's 'A' Beloit Snappers. James is finishing the longest season of his career very strongly with a sequence of 14 games where he has only failed to hit once, including several multi-hit games. Settled at short stop and batting leadoff, Beresford batted 2-4 in his team's latest 1-3 loss to the Burlington Bees as the only plural hitter in the game. In their previous 2-1 win over the Bees in a seven inning affair he batted 1-2 with a sacrifice. It has been another season of upswing for him!

Waverly's own DANNY BERG was a pretty solid contributor overall for the Grand Prairie Air Hogs after joining them late in the American Association Independent League season. In their final game of the year, 'Bergie' batted 1-3 plus a walk and a sacrifice as a leading contributor to the A-Hogs 5-3 victory over the Wichita Wingnuts.
Quite typical of the team player he has always been, Danny also had a walk and a sacrifice in their previous 5-4 win over Wichita. On both occasions he played at second base and batted in the #2 slot for the Grand Prairie team that did not advance to the playoffs this season. His 2009 professional season is now at an end.

REPEATED FINAL REPORT:
Recent Wildcats' premiership anchor-man ADAM BLACKLEY has concluded his season with the Amsterdam Pirates in the Dutch Baseball League, as reported last time. As mentioned, Adam owned a mighty 7-3, 2.06ERA record from his 14 starts that in no way flattered the excellence of his pitching. And, not to introduce any bias, his win/loss record could easily have been better with some more run support on occasions! In similar fashion to his 2008/09 season with Waverley, Blackley capped off his efforts with a strong post season that concluded with a miniscule 0.79ERA from his total of 11.1 innings over two starts. He struck out 18 in those two playoff games but even his outstanding no-decisions could not help the Pirates to advance beyond the semi-final round.

Clearly aiming to finish his 2009 season in a positive way, Waverley's TRAVIS BLACKLEY was very sharp in his last outing, even though he allowed a couple of "careful walks" while pitching middle relief for the Reno Aces in their 14-6 win over the Las Vegas 51s. Trav's pitching line was 1.2ip 0h 0r 0er 2bb 1k and he may have only one or two more opportunities before the PCL 'AAA' season ends for teams outside the playoffs this week.

New Wildcat CODY HAMS pitched his last outing for the Arizona League Cubs this week and, to some extent, it proved to be a microcosm of his first rookie season with glimpses of some quite impressive stuff mixed up with youthful waywardness. Cody pitched 1.0ip 1h 1r 1er 3bb 0k in middle relief in what was a 2-5 defeat by the AZL Athletics. No doubt Hams will be looking to cut down on those walks to improve his effectiveness, but time is still very much on his side and he has the tools to really take him places if he can.

Not for the first time this season, young Waverley star JAMES BERESFORD was again the genuine game MVP for his Beloit Snappers in their last game that resulted in a hard-luck 3-4 loss to the Kane County Cougars after ten innings. Our Jimmy batted a prolific 3-5 in the leadoff slot with the only two RBIs for his team that came with two out in the inning. The game prior Beresford batted 1-5 in another tough 2-3 loss to the Cougars, however, he batted 2-4 and played stellar defence to help fellow Aussie Liam Hendriks to shut out the Cougars in their previous 4-0 victory. Jimmy has just clicked past 400 at bats in what has been a long season.

Waverly warrior DANIEL BERG continues to be a productive player for the Grand Prairie Air Hogs as the American Association nears the end of its regular season. In his most recent game 'Bergie' batted 1-4 in the #2 slot while starting at second base in a 1-0 win over the St.Paul Saints... he delivered one of just five hits for his team. In their previous 13-1 win over Sioux City Explorers Danny also batted 1-4, but this time he also walked twice and scored on all three occasions for a very useful contribution to the blowout victory.

Recent Wildcats' premiership anchor-man ADAM BLACKLEY has concluded his season with the Amsterdam Pirates in the Dutch Baseball League, as reported last time. As mentioned, Adam owned a mighty 7-3, 2.06ERA record from his 14 starts that in no way flattered the excellence of his pitching. And, not to introduce any bias, his win/loss record could easily have been better with some more run support on occasions! In similar fashion to his 2008/09 season with Waverley, Blackley capped off his efforts with a strong post season that concluded with a miniscule 0.79ERA from his total of 11.1 innings over two starts. He struck out 18 in those two playoff games but even his outstanding no-decisions could not help the Pirates to advance beyond the semi-final round.

Waverley's most notable ever import TRAVIS BLACKLEY hasn't pitched for a few days following his last middle relief appearance for the Reno Aces in what was to be a narrow 4-5 loss to the Albuquerque Isotopes. On that day 'Trav', who has been shuffled between starting and the bullpen, was required pick up the pieces when the Aces' starter was given the hook after just two innings. Once again he wasn't quite at his dominating best with a still decent 3.0ip 4h 3r 3er 2bb 2k effort that kept his team within striking distance in the contest.

Waverley recruit CODY HAMS was saddled with his third loss of his debut season when he was asked to pitch at the pointy end of a narrow 1-2 loss by his AZL Cubs at the hands of the AZL Giants. Cody was called upon to pitch the eighth inning of the tight pitching duel and, unfortunately, he allowed the winning run to cross the plate with his 1.0ip 1h 1r 1er 1bb 0k effort on this occasion. Such is the life of a late innings reliever! The Arizona Rookie League completes its schedule at the end of August and the Cubs are not in playoff contention.

Wildcats' whiz kid JIMMY BERESFORD continues to maintain a very solid standard late in his longest professional season with the Beloit Snappers. Back where he belongs at short stop and batting in the leadoff slot, he still owns the second best batting average for his team, behind only the second baseman / designated hitter who happens to be 23yo. In their latest 1-3 loss to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, Beresford batted 2-4 and scored the only run for his team. In their prior 2-4 loss to Wisconsin, James batted 1-4 with a double and a run scored.

Wildcats' favourite DANNY BERG appears to have settled well in the American Association and his batting quality is starting to shine through for the Grand Prairie Airhogs. Still playing in the somewhat unfamiliar position of short stop 'Bergie', quite typically, is happy to do whatever it takes to help his team. In their latest 6-3 win over Shreveport-Bossier, Dan batted in the #2 hole with a useful 1-4 that included a sacrifice hit, a stolen base and a run scored. His 27 hits for the Airhogs so far have included four doubles and two home runs.

Waverley's ADAM BLACKLEY proved once again what a brilliant pressure performer he is with his outstanding post season performances for the Amsterdam Pirates in the Dutch National League. If I am reading the Dutch web site correctly, it appears that the Pirates finished the regular season in second place on the table, but they were then edged out in the semi-final 1-3 by Konica Pioneers who had finished third. Adam pitched the opening game of the series plus the fourth and, although he was consigned to two no-decisions, he pitched splendidly on each occasion and the Pirates' only win came after his start in Game 1. On that occasion he pitched cleverly around a few too many walks with 5.1ip 3h 2r 1er 6bb 8k and his team went on to win the game comfortably 11-3. In the fourth game he pitched a dominant 6.0ip 3h 1r 0er 3bb 10k and he had Amsterdam in line for the win until their bullpen coughed up three runs in the ninth inning of a hard-luck 2-4 loss. Blackley pitched the second most innings in the playoffs with 11.1 and his 18 strikeouts were more than twice as many as any other pitcher. We reckon that Adam Blackley should be extremely proud of his season in the Netherlands this Australian winter!

Waverley's ace TRAVIS BLACKLEY continues to ride a bit of a "roller coaster" with his 'AAA' Reno Aces since he has been restored to the starting rotation. His last outing produced another loss as he has laboured somewhat in a very tough "hitter's league". 'Trav' was not at his sharpest with 5.0ip 8h 5er 3bb 3k in what was a high scoring defeat for the Aces on the wrong side of a 7-10 game against the Round Rock Express. One thing we know about Travis is that he will continue to persist and we wish him the best for a strong end to the season.

Little known Waverley recruit CODY HAMS was just one of eight pitchers used by the AZL Cubs in their latest 3-13 defeat by the AZL Padres. The game had already started to slide into melt-down for the 'Cubbies' by the time that Cody was asked to stop the bleeding in the fifth inning. Three unearned runs would make his efforts appear much worse than they may have been. In the end he was saddled with an ugly 0.2ip 3h 5r 2er 1bb 1k and, as we have repeated, it will be a steep learning curve for the highly rated youngster in professional ranks.

Waverley star JAMES BERESFORD collected his fourth 'Flintoff & Dunn PRO PLAYER OF THE WEEK Award' this week after another period of consistent success both offensively and defensively. He batted 9-27 for the week and, significantly, the extra base hits that have eluded him this season came with three doubles for the week.
In his latest game Jimmy was back starting at short stop, batting 2-4 with a double and a RBI as the leadoff hitter in a narrow 3-2 victory over the Fort Wayne Tin Caps. In the prior 5-6 loss to Fort Wayne, he batted a tremendous 2-3 with a double and two walks as a near perfect contribution for a leadoff batter.

Waverley's DANIEL BERG may have suffered a temporary setback after his release from the Minnesota Twins but, typically, he has re-grouped quickly and accepted an offer to play out the rest of this season with the Independent League Grand Prairie Air Hogs in the strong American Association. After starting at second base, 'Bergie' has been forced to take over at short stop after a team injury and, while it is a somewhat unfamiliar position for him, he has done very well both offensively and defensively. Danny has settled well into the new environment with some key performances for the Hogs, including glimpses of his dangerous hitting power.

Wildcats ace starting pitcher ADAM BLACKLEY is firmly back in the groove again with his second successive win making it seven for the season after he anchored the Amsterdam Pirates recent 13-4 win over Mr.Cocker HCAW. Adam had to call upon his noted determination to battle this one out with 7.0ip 6h 4er 2bb 7k, but at least he got some decent run support on this occasion and, typically, he made some big pitches when needed most. He did allow only his third home run of the season when Jason Rees whacked a solo shot in the fourth inning. Adam continues to prove himself one of the leading starters in the Dutch National League.

Waverley's recent major leaguer TRAVIS BLACKLEY put up five scoreless innings in his latest start for the Reno Aces, but he was ultimately consigned to the tough loss when his team was overrun late in a 2-9 defeat by the Tacoma Rainiers. Overall it was a pretty solid effort by 'Trav' who hasn't stretched too many innings while relieving recently and he may have been tiring when a leadoff homer and a single saw him given the hook with none out in the sixth inning. We have mentioned before that the PCL is a renowned "hitter friendly league" but Blackley would admit that he has leaked a few more hits than he'd prefer this season. His 5.0ip 7h 2er 2bb 7k performance in this game was a lot better than it looks on paper.

Mystery Wildcat CODY HAMS continues to suffer normal form fluctuations for a young pitcher, mixing occasional waywardness with some very solid performances. His latest outing in middle relief was a good one, pitching a scoreless stint of 3.0ip 3h 0er 1bb 1k for the AZL Cubs as a key contribution to a narrow 7-6 win over the AZL Rangers. Hams continues to consolidate after inflating his ERA in his first few appearances in his rookie season.

Wildcats' whiz JIMMY BERESFORD has found his red-hot bat cooling down a little lately, as it had to, as just one of the Beloit Snappers hitters to find the opposing pitching tough lately. James batted 0-4 in his latest game when his team were four-hit in a 1-10 hammering by the Lansing Lugnuts. The previous day, he may have enjoyed returning to his short stop position after a sequence of games at second base when he batted 2-4 and scored the only run for the Snappers in a 1-3 defeat by Lansing. Still a very young player in this league, Beresford's batting average has remained consistently in the top two or three for his team this season as leadoff batter. And, quite significantly, his speed is being utilised on the base paths with two more thefts during the past week.

We are disappointed to report that one of Waverley's favourite sons DANIEL BERG was released from his professional contract with the Minnesota Twins during their 'AA' All-Star break just about a week ago. It is no secret that Danny has, for reason or other, not been able to replicate the offensive form that saw him put up solid numbers at 'AA' level towards the end of last season. However, after giving 100% during his four years in professional baseball, 'Bergie' has nothing to be sorry about and plenty to be very proud of. When the dust settles on this temporary setback, he should realise that very players have achieved what he has at Waverley, for Victoria, for the Australian National team and in pro ranks. He is a player who can be completely satisfied that he has extracted the best from himself and, most importantly, he has carried himself with class throughout.
The 'Waverley Nation' extends its sympathies to Danny at this time and we all wish him the very best for the future... we certainly hope that this involves a return to Waverley sooner rather than later.

If Waverley's ADAM BLACKLEY endured perhaps his one sub-par start for the season last time out, then he certainly bounced back with one of his best this past week, pitching a sizzling 7.0ip 3h 0r 0er 2bb 9k as part of a combined shutout for his Amsterdam Pirates in their 2-0 win over MediaMonks RCH. Adam produced his 12th quality start for the season which is second most for the Dutch National League as he further reduced his ERA to a tiny 1.82 and his opponent batting average to an equally microscopic .183. Blackley has simply built upon the form and confidence he took away from his Championship success with our Wildcats last summer.

Wildcats star TRAVIS BLACKLEY has found himself re-cast as a starting pitcher recently after enjoying much better success pitching out of the bullpen for Arizona's 'AAA' Reno Aces over the past month. Unfortunately, he didn't last too long in his last start while taking a loss in a 2-9 defeat by the Fresno Grizzlies. As ever, 'Trav' was very tidy, throwing 39 of 55 pitches for strikes. A home run in the second inning and a leadoff double in the third were to cost him the two earned runs but, as usual, he battled hard and made sure that the damage was minimised as much as possible. His record stands at 2-5, 5.17ERA in a tough "hitters league".

Waverley new boy CODY HAMS continues to settle into his life as a professional baseballer with increasingly impressive performances lately. In his last outing he pitched three innings of NO HIT baseball to earn a hold as part of a combined shutout for the AZL Cubs who blanked the AZL Athletics 7-0. Hams walked three but he had enough stuff to overwhelm the opposing hitters with 3.0ip 0h 0r 0er 3bb 0k. He suddenly looks capable of making big strides over the next few years.

Waverley star JAMES BERESFORD has been very good so far this year since his promotion to Minnesota's 'A' team Beloit Snappers, but he has taken his game to yet another level lately with a burst of stunning sustained offence that has lifted his batting average back above the .300 plateau. His .455 average last week earned him yet another 'Flintoff & Dunn PRO PLAYER OF THE WEEK Award' and in his past 12 games he has only failed to get a safe hit on one occasion... in that game he had just one at bat. Jimmy has been playing mostly at second base lately and, remarkably, his offence has at least matched his brilliant glove work. We won't go into detail of individual games on this occasion, but in one span of six games last week he batted 14-29 with two doubles, including successive games of 2-5, 3-5 and 4-5 v West Michigan and Burlington. Don't touch him, he's red hot!!!

Wildcats' favourite DANIEL BERG has not played since our report last week and we are awaiting confirmation of his current situation. Although 'Bergie' would hate us to make any excuses on his behalf, there are legitimate and unfortunate reasons why he has been unable to recapture the impressive offence that saw him prosper at both 'Advanced A' and 'AA' levels for Minnesota last season. No doubt Dan loved to represent his country at the World Baseball Classic, but his lack of playing time there at the expense of his normal spring training certainly would not have helped him return directly to 'AA' level or to groove his stroke for this season. We should not underestimate the sacrifice some professional players make to play International baseball for Australia. Good luck Danny!

In this case an extended mid-season break was not helpful for Wildcats' ace ADAM BLACKLEY who was far from his sharpest in making the first start for the Amsterdam Pirates upon resumption in a narrow 5-6 loss to DOOR Neptunus. Adam was uncharacteristically wayward, issuing eight walks during his 6.1 innings no decision.
Yet, for all that, Blackley allowed only four earned runs and he kept his team in the game in more typical style. Although he may not have been at his best, his fighting qualities were in ample evidence again with virtually one strike out per inning for a final pitching line of 6.1ip 4h 4r 4er 8bb 6k.

Business is definitely looking up for Waverley champion TRAVIS BLACKLEY whose last two outings for Arizona's 'AAA' Reno Aces have resulted in impressive saves. 'Trav' was as sharp as a razor last time out with a decisive closure of Reno's 6-3 win over the Sacramento River Cats with 2.1ip 0h 0r 0er 1bb 2k.
On this occasion he slammed shut any little opening in the door for the 'R-Cats', throwing 21 of 35 pitches for strikes and allowing just one base runner via a free pass. Blackley has now positioned himself well in case an opportunity arises for a spot in the Diamondbacks' big league bullpen.

If young Wildcats' prospect CODY HAMS has endured a very torrid start to his professional career to date, then it all came right for him a hurry this week. Big Cody looked every bit the hot prospect that many have projected with a quite brilliant display of middle long-relief for the AZL Cubs as the star of their 3-1 win over the AZL Padres. Hams was the winning pitcher of record with his 4.0ip 4h 0r 0er 0bb 5k. It should be the kind of performances that convinces him that he can compete in professional ranks. His effort earned him an "Honourable Mention" among 'Flintoff & Dunn's PRO PLAYER OF THE WEEK Awards. Nice work young fella!

Waverley prodigy JIMMY BERESFORD earned yet another special mention among 'Flintoff & Dunn's PRO PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS' after a week that saw him bat 7-19 plus three walks for a .455 on base percentage. In typical Beresford style he has adapted his game rather brilliantly as a leadoff hitter and he has become the major "table setter" for Minnesota's Beloit Snappers. In his last game James helped the Snapping Turtles to beat the West Michigan Whitecaps 9-8 by batting 1-5 with two RBIs, one of which was a two out RBI. Preceding that he batted 2-5 with a RBI and a run scored in a 5-1 win over the South Bend Silver Hawks.

Stalwart Wildcat DANNY BERG played at right field for the New Britain Rock Cats and he was only one of his team to struggle at the plate with 0-2 in a 1-14 shellacking at the hands of the Binghamton Mets. In the previous game 'Bergie' delivered an important two RBI single with two out while playing at left field in a much tighter 8-11 loss to the Mets' affiliate. Dan is still searching hard for a consistent stroke at 'AA' level this season.

Waverley's premiership pitcher ADAM BLACKLEY continues to enjoy some well earned rest during the mid season break in the Dutch Baseball League that resumes on 16 July.

Waverley's recent major leaguer TRAVIS BLACKLEY collected his first save of the season with a solid relief effort for the Reno Aces in their 9-5 victory over the Las Vegas 51's. Blackley threw 27 of his 42 pitches for strikes and was only damaged by a two run homer in the eighth innings en route to his 3.0ip 3h 3r 2er 1bb 3k. 'Trav' continues to own a strike out versus walk ratio of better than 3/1.

Wildcats' prospect CODY HAMS continues to be a little wayward in the very early days of his fledgling professional career, even though he lowered his ERA with a middle relief effort for the AZL Cubs during a heavy 6-12 loss to the AZL Giants. Cody did not allow an earned run while he tip-toed around three hits and three walks for a pitching line of 1.2ip 3h 1r 0er 3bb 2k in the game. He had the tough task of coming in early after the 'Cubbies' starting pitcher had been shelled from the mound with six runs after his 1.2 innings.

Wildcats' star JIMMY BERESFORD continues to enjoy a strong first season at 'A' level with the Minnesota Twins' Beloit Snappers. Playing at short stop and batting in the leadoff slot, he batted a useful 1-3 plus a walk, a RBI and a run scored in a 4-2 win over the Peoria Chiefs. In their previous 4-1 win over the Chiefs, James batted 2-5 and scored a run while featuring in no fewer than FIVE double plays defensively!

Ever popular Wildcat DANIEL BERG may not have found his most potent stroke since his promotion back to Minnesota's 'AA' New Britain Rock Cats but, typically, this has not stopped him finding a way to contribute for the team. 'Bergie' batted 0-4 in his most recent game while patrolling left field, but he walked to push across a RBI in a 5-0 victory over Trenton Thunder. In the previous game, won 7-6 by Trenton, Danny did all he could as a pinch hitter by drawing a walk from his only plate appearance before taking over at left field.

Keen observers of this site might realise that the statistics for Waverley's ADAM BLACKLEY have not changed and we can tell you that this is because the Dutch Baseball League is enjoying a mid-season break. Hostilities will not resume there until 16 July. We can only expect that 'Blackers' is enjoying the rest and recreation in Europe while he can be content with the league's fifth best ERA at this stage after a fine half-season.

Waverley's ace of Aces TRAVIS BLACKLEY continues to enjoy much better success as a reliever after starting the season slowly in the role of a starting pitcher. In his most recent outing 'Trav' ran into a little trouble while putting the lid on what was already destined to be a 8-13 loss to the Sacramento River Cats. Even though Blackley struck out four during his two inning stint, he allowed two runs on three hits while trying to pound the strike zone at the end of a losing cause. His line ended at 2.0ip 3h 2r 2er 1bb 4k (4.81ERA). In his previous outing Blackley was rock solid, collecting his fourth hold of the season with 1.2ip 0h 0r 0er 0bb 1k in a 3-1 win over the Las Vegas 51's.

Waverley's new kid on the block CODY HAMS is still acclimatising to his rookie professional life with the Chicago Cubs' Arizona Rookie League team. The tall lefty still hasn't locked-in his radar in the USA with a rather shaky relief effort of 1.2ip 3h 3r 2er 4bb 2k (18.69ERA) in his most recent outing for the AZL Cubs. Thankfully it didn't prevent his team from winning comfortably 13-3 over the AZL Indians. He will find the learning curve to be steep!

Waverley's JAMES BERESFORD earned yet another 'Flintoff & Dunn's PRO PLAYER OF THE WEEK Award' coming off his league All-Star break. During the past week Jimmy batted 6-14 (.429) with a couple of walks that boosted his on base percentage to a gaudy .500. In a recent game he batted 2-3 plus a walk and a run scored to help his Beloit Snappers to beat the Clinton Lumber Kings 6-2, while he also initiated a sparkling double play.

It was great to see Waverley stalwart DANNY BERG earning due reward for some impressive games recently with promotion back to Minnesota's 'AA' New Britain Rock Cats. 'Bergie' has not yet had the chance to settle back into the new environment with just three games so far but, given reasonable opportunity, he will be hoping to find the same type of productivity that he delivered at this level towards the end of the 2008 season. He has played both corner outfield positions during his recent time with New Britain.
We know that he will be giving 110% as always!

It is not our custom to make excuses for our players, but it has to be said that Wildcats' pitching ace ADAM BLACKLEY has been a most unfortunate victim of lack of run support lately, as you will see again with respect to his latest hard-luck defeat. It would be hard to expect much better than his lion hearted 8.1ip 3h 2r 1er 3bb 3k in his Amsterdam Pirates' latest 1-2 loss to Konica Pioneers. Even though his record dipped to 5-3, his ERA actually improved to a miniscule 1.67 and opposing hitters can only manage a paltry .188 against him. Blackley continues to be one of the very best pitching stars in what is a very good quality league.

Waverley's recent major leaguer TRAVIS BLACKLEY earned a share of 'Flintoff & Dunn's PRO PLAYER OF THE WEEK Award' this week with a combined 5.1ip 5h 0er 1bb 6k from his last two appearances.
His most impressive performance came when he secured the victory for the Reno Aces with an outstanding 3.2ip 1h 0r 0er 1bb 4k in what was to be a 6-5 win over the Tacoma Rainiers. 'Trav' was the winning pitcher when he relieved Reno's hard hit starter after just four innings.

Some Waverley people may be wondering why the name CODY HAMS is appearing here on our WBCWEB? Well, we can tell you that this hot young prospect transferred to our club from Bonbeach during the 2009 summer season, even though he has yet to appear in action in a Wildcats' uniform. Clearly the tall left-hander has found the going a bit tough during his first couple of outings with the Chicago Cubs' Arizona Rookie League team, but we will not judge him just yet. We will be following his progress with interest.

Waverley star JAMES BERESFORD has just seen his at bat tally creep past the 200 mark and, although he has cooled a tad just lately, he should still be quite proud of .278 batting average and more so his .348 on base percentage as the Beloit Snappers' leadoff batter. In the most recent series against a tough pitching Swing of Quad Cities team, he batted 1-5 in a 4-6 loss and 0-3 in a 1-6 defeat. He fared somewhat better in the first game of the set with 1-3, a hit by pitch and a run scored, along with some superb defence, in a 6-0 shutout win.

Popular Waverley utility DANIEL BERG may have been the victim of bad timing again because his league All-Star Game break has just coincided with a hot streak of batting form for our man! Just prior to the weekend break Danny had been enjoying a superb series for his Fort Myers Miracle against the Dunedin Blue Jays. He batted 1-3 with a walk in their most recent 7-2 win while playing at first base. Just prior to that 'Bergie' had a great contribution as second baseman in a 4-8 defeat with his 2-2 that included a double, a triple and a run scored. The previous day he played at first base in a 5-3 victory with 1-4 and a run scored. He just missed out on a special mention in 'Flintoff & Dunn's PRO PLAYER OF THE WEEK' Awards because of too few at bats.

I'm not sure what was going on with the Dutch Baseball League statistics last week when they obviously overlooked ADAM BLACKLEY's most recent start on the 13th June. Well, at least we can belatedly inform you that it was yet another BRILLIANT winning start for our popular new Wildcat star. The statistics line tells you enough about how good he was with 7.0ip 2h 0r 0er 1bb 8k (1.74ERA) for his fifth win of the season. In this case he anchored his Amsterdam Pirates to a solid 5-2 win over ADO. Not only is Adam maintaining a "Travis Blackley like" strike out to walk ratio, but he has also lowered his opponent batting average below "two bucks"!

Waverley's major league ace TRAVIS BLACKLEY couldn't quite find his best stuff in his latest relief outing last week during an 8-5 win by his Reno Aces over one of Trav's former teams (Seattle's) Tacoma Rainiers. Travis was unusually wayward on this occasion with 2.2ip 2h 2r 2er 2bb 0k (5.30ERA) as his radar was in a little need of readjustment. We're sure that this will turn around next time out!

Waverley prodigy JAMES BERESFORD may be feeling the rigours of playing more games already this season than in his brief professional career, but it is hardly showing in his performance. After raising his average above the .300 plateau again over the weekend it has just dipped below with an "O-for" after today's game against the tough Clinton Lumber Kings. Prior to that he walked and scored a run in a 4-1 win for his Beloit Snappers over the Burlington Bees. This followed his brilliant 3-5 with two RBI's, a walk and a run scored in a 10-5 win over the Bees. Typically, James has recorded his share of errors as the starting short stop but, let us assure you, there are errors and there are errors in top level baseball. The vast majority of Beresford's errors are not of the fundamental or mental variety, but more of the "push the envelope" kind. It is an unfortunate fact of baseball scoring that fielders who try to make spectacular or near impossible plays often get tagged with errors when inferior fielders would not have even touched the ball. From radio and other reports, Jimmy has been little short of sensational in the key defensive post and his coaches will not mind the fact that he continues to expand his range. The occasional spectacular out is a great team lifter and a genuine boost to any pitcher!

Waverley all-rounder DANIEL BERG returned from a brief spell of inactivity to find himself in an unenviable "platoon" situation with Minnesota's 'High-A' Fort Myers Miracle. This past week he has barely been given an opportunity every second game, and this exclusively as the designated hitter or as a pinch hitter. As Waverley's Jimmy Russell would say, the "designated hitter position has been a poisoned chalice" for Waverley hitters over the past few years (apart from Kerry Gassner) and Danny might not be enjoying the difficult task of batting while not playing defence? One thing we do know is that he will keep working at it!

ADAM BLACKLEY has not had an opportunity to improve upon his brilliant season so far with his Amsterdam Pirates relatively inactive during this past week. They have played only one game since last Sunday and it wasn't Adam's turn to start in the rotation. The way he has been pitching since our past summer season he probably will not enjoy the inactivity?... unless of course he gets the chance to do some European sight seeing?

Waverley recent major league star TRAVIS BLACKLEY did all that you could ask of him in his most recent outing for Arizona's 'AAA' Reno Aces with four scoreless innings of long-middle relief in what would eventuate into a 3-5 defeat by the Salt Lake Bees. 'Trav' did extremely well to plug the gaping hole in the dyke after Reno starter Petit had allowed five runs from just 2.2 innings. Blackley kept the Aces in the contest with a very steady and impressive 4.0ip 2h 0r 0er 1bb 2k (5.29ERA) under difficult circumstances. He may be getting somewhere near his best?
It earned him a special mention among 'Flintoff & Dunn's PRO PLAYER OF THE WEEK Awards'.

For the first time in four weeks, Wildcats whiz kid JIMMY BERESFORD did not do quite enough to earn himself a mention in 'Flintoff & Dunn's PRO PLAYER OF THE WEEK Awards, but he continues to enjoy a fine season as the regular starting short stop and leadoff batter for Minnesota's Beloit Snappers in the Midwest 'A' League. James has been a terrific contributor for a "cellar dwelling" team with his exciting defence and intelligent leadoff batting. His last game saw him bat 1-5 and score a run during a 7-5 win over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. The previous day he batted 2-4 in a 4-1 win over the 'T-Rattlers' in the nightcap of a double-header.

For some reason Waverley's star utility DANNY BERG has not been playing the last few days so we are keeping our fingers crossed that it is not another injury, or at least not a long-term one. This continues the disjointed season for Danny so far this year which could not be helping him to find his most consistent offence with Minnesota's Fort Myers Miracle. In his last game 'Bergie' batted 0-4 as the designated hitter in a tight 9-8 win over the Clearwater Threshers. Prior to that he was a valuable contributor at first base with 1-3, a RBI plus a walk as the only run producer in a 1-2 defeat by the Threshers.

For the first and only time this season Waverley's star left-hander ADAM BLACKLEY has looked anything other than supremely dominant as a starting pitcher in the Dutch National League. Although it was to be his second loss for the season, it was the first time that Adam has seemed to struggle for his usual pin-point control with three walks and six hits a high number for him this season from his first relatively short 4.1 inning start. Blackley pitched an uncharateristic 4.1ip 6h 7r 6er 3bb 1k with two hit batters for his Amsterdam Pirates in a 4-9 loss to Corendon Kinheim. We will look for Adam to bounce back hard next outing.

Waverley ace TRAVIS BLACKLEY returned to the bullpen this past week with a couple of quite solid relief performances for the Reno Aces in the 'AAA' Pacific Coast League. His most recent outing saw him close the final two innings of a 4-6 defeat by the Portland Beavers. On this occasion he couldn't have done much more than keep his team in the game with a solid 2.0ip 2h 1r 1er 0bb 4k (5.76ERA), throwing 20 of his 29 pitches for strikes. His previous outing was a very good 1.2ip 0h 0r 0er 0bb 1k in middle relief during a 10-4 win over the Tacoma Rainiers. Our information from the US is that 'Trav' is looking much more settled and confident lately.

As an indication of his stunning form and consistency lately, Waverley prodigy JAMES BERESFORD was again among the Flintoff & Dunn PRO PLAYER OF THE WEEK Awards for the third successive week; this time as the sole winner of our top award for the past week. Here is the extract from the Flintoff & Dunn web site:
Earning a special mention for the third week in succession, and this time scooping our top award, was Minnesota Twins World Baseball Classic tyro JIMMY BERESFORD whose 11-28 as a short stop and leadoff hitter is spectacular with a .433 on base percentage, five RBIs and just two strike outs during the term. In fact, Beresford has struck out just five times in his last ten-plus games... you know what they say about putting the ball in play!
Doing his job splendidly as a prototypal leadoff batter, Jimmy batted 1-3 with a walk and scored a run for his Beloit Snappers in their most recent 4-11 loss to the Kane County Cougars. He had identical stats in the previous game also lost by the Snappers 2-5 to the Cougars. Beresford was better still in the game before that when he helped fellow Aussie Brad Tippett to hammer the Cougars 15-2 with his own 3-4, plus two walks and three runs scored!

Waverley's 'Mr.Versatile' DANNY BERG is doing his level best in spite of the often mentioned variety of roles he is asked to fill for the Fort Myers Miracle, including some inconsistent playing time lately. In his latest appearance 'Bergie' batted 1-5 and scored a run while playing at first base in a 7-1 win over the Brevard County Manatees. His previous game, also stationed at first base, saw him bat 0-2 but he walked twice in a 3-8 defeat by the Tampa Yankees. The day before that Danny was the starting third baseman and he produced a terrific 3-5 with a double and a run scored as a big contribution to their 8-0 shutout win over the Yankees affiliate.

Waverley pitching ace ADAM BLACKLEY was the unfortunate victim of lack of run support for the second straight outing when his brilliant start ended with a no decision in a 0-1, ninth inning loss by his Amsterdam Pirates against Sparta/Feyenoord. In fact, Adam could not have done any more than pitch a mighty eight inning shutout against former major leaguer and Dutch World Baseball Classic star Rob Cordemans. In the end he was certainly unlucky not to notch his fifth win with 8.0ip 7h 0er 1bb 5k to shrink his ERA further to a microscopic 1.13ERA.

After seeming to settle in nicely as a middle / long reliever, new Waverley ace TRAVIS BLACKLEY found himself back in the starting role for the Reno Aces, collecting a no decision in what would be a 5-9 loss to the Salt Lake Bees. 'Trav' pitched a decent 3.0ip 5h 3er 2bb 3k in that game which was the nightcap of a double header. Our "inside mail" is that Travis is hoping to establish himself more in the bullpen as opposed to starting because he views this as maybe a better chance to make it back to the big leagues with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Seemingly back near full stride after his short injury inactivity, Waverley young gun JAMES BERESFORD continues to ramp up his batting average with a very healthy .293, especially for a specialist short stop. Jimmy earned his second successive "Honourable Mention" in Flintoff & Dunn's PRO PLAYER OF THE WEEK for batting .300 over the span, including four multi-hit games. In a quite typical outing for Beresford lately, he batted a strong 2-4 with a RBI and a run scored as the leadoff batter in a 4-0 shutout win for his Beloit Snappers over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. And, if anyone would like to view some pictures of James' home field environment at Beloit, including a picture of Jimmy at bat (NOTE: CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE THEM), just click here.

Waverley's all-purpose pro star DANIEL BERG continues to fill whatever position he is asked by Minnesota's Fort Myers Miracle while doing his best to maintain his offensive production. In typical unselfish Waverley fashion, 'Bergie' just about always finds a way to help his team, even when he's not finding a safe hit. In his most recent game he went 0-2 as the designated hitter, but he walked and drew a hit by pitch to score a vital two-out RBI for the Miracle as a decisive moment in their 2-1 win over the Charlotte Stone Crabs... it was to be the winning run!

New Wildcat favourite ADAM BLACKLEY finally proved that he was somewhat human when he was a touch unfortunate to take to take his first loss for the season. Adam pitched another quite terrific complete game for his Amsterdam Pirates but his 8.0ip 7h 3er 3bb 6k left him unlucky to be on the short end of a 2-3 defeat by the oddly named team Mr.Cocker HCAW. Of course, in this instance, it does not mean that Blackley was anything other than very good once again and he still leads the Dutch league with his 54 season strike outs. His ERA took a small jump to a still brilliant 1.31, while opponents can still only manage to hit a miserable 1.86 against him.

Hold the phone... rumours about the decline of Waverley ace TRAVIS BLACKLEY would seem to have been premature! Just kidding, but nonetheless it was GREAT to see 'Trav' deserving some better fortune lately as he seems to be enjoying the role of a middle-reliever for the Diamondbacks' 'AAA' Reno Aces. Blackley has continued to maintain his brilliant strike outs per inning statistic and his strike outs versus walks ratio, but he has also been mighty effective in keeping the runs off the board just lately. Travis pitched two separate three inning stints during this past week for zero earned runs and six more strike out victims. He was a joint winner of Flintoff & Dunn's PRO PLAYER OF THE WEEK Award. As we said, the cream always rises to the top... good on you Trav!

Waverley tyro JAMES BERESFORD produced a stunning week of offensive and defensive baseball for his Beloit Snappers to earn "Honourable Mention" among Flintoff & Dunn's PRO PLAYERS OF THE WEEK. During this span Jimmy has batted 9-25 with a double and four RBIs as the starting short stop for the team. His latest game saw him bat 3-5 with two RBIs and a run scored as a star of Beloit's 9-6 win over the Peoria Chiefs. Previous to that he batted 1-4 with a walk and another pair of RBIs as their major run producer in a tight 5-6 loss to the Chiefs. Thankfully James appears to have no after affect from his recent stint on the disabled list.

Versatile Wildcat DANIEL BERG confirmed our suggestion last week that he looked to be getting into his stride with one of his customary hot hitting streaks. 'Bergie' lifted his average again this past week with another solid streak of performance for his Fort Myers Miracle. It becomes redundant to mention that Dan has played just about everywhere defensively. In his last game he batted 0-2 but he walked twice and scored a run while playing at second base in a 2-3 defeat by the Jupiter Hammerheads. Prior to that, Danny batted a marvellous 3-6 with two RBIs and a run scored as a key effort in a 11-9 win over the St.Lucie Mets. He played left field and third base!

Popular new Wildcat ADAM BLACKLEY continues to enjoy a tremendous start to his career in the Dutch Baseball League with a "perfect" six from six quality starts, not to mention his blistering 4-0, 0.90ERA... WOW! Even his major league big brother Travis would be impressed with his one-plus strike outs per inning. 'Blackers' was his usual brilliant self while collecting his fourth win of the season in his last start when he anchored his Amsterdam Pirates to a 6-0 shutout win over the MediaMonks RCH team. Adam pitched a superb 6.0ip 4h 0er 3bb 11k.

It is a little hard to fathom why Waverley ace TRAVIS BLACKLEY cannot seem to take a trick while pitching for Arizona's new 'AAA' affiliate Reno Aces so far this season. We know that it is a tough league, aren't they all?, but this would be nothing new to 'Trav' who knows what it takes to get major league batters out. However, while he has continued to post impressive numbers for strike outs per inning and strike out versus walk ratio, he just can't seem to stem the flow of hits he is allowing just yet. Even in his most recent relief effort in a 4-8 loss to the Nashville Sounds, he was very tidy but a home run hurt him among his 2.0ip 5h 1er 0bb 2k. We know that Travis has the quality to turn this around and we know that he will persist in trying to do just that... Good Luck!

Waverley whiz kid JIMMY BERESFORD is doing just about all that is asked of him for Minnesota's Beloit Snappers after a recent stint on the disabled list. James has settled back nicely as the Snappers' starting short stop and regular leadoff batter in a tough league. While everyone would like a few more hits and some extra bases, Beresford is mixing a steady number of walks into his approach and his .380 on base percentage is good. In addition, he is limiting his strike outs to provide more quality at bats and he has swiped five bases. There wouldn't be much need to mention reports of his outstanding defence to any Waverley supporter would there?

Wildcats' favourite DANNY BERG continues his rather typical "upswing" lately after battling for his best form early in the 2009 season. Danny finds his average rapidly increasing after a recent hot hitting streak, including his most recent 2-4 with a double and a walk for his Fort Myers Miracle as a major contribution to their 7-5 win over the St.Lucie Mets; he played at both third base and first base in this game. 'Bergie' featured for "Honourable Mention" among Flintoff & Dunn's PRO PLAYERS OF THE WEEK today with 6-19, including a double and a home run.

Waverley ace ADAM BLACKLEY is forging a big reputation for himself in the Dutch Baseball League as one of their leading pitchers so far in 2009; perhaps No.1 at present! Adam improved his record to 3-0 with his latest win coming in a 4-2 victory for his Amsterdam Pirates over DOOR Neptunus. In that game Blackley pitched a strong 6.0ip 5h 2r 1er 3bb 5k start to anchor the positive result for his team. He is in brilliant form in 2009.

It was great to see Waverley's TRAVIS BLACKLEY finally enjoying a bit more fortune this season when he was given a break from starting. He earned his first hold of the season with 2.1 scoreless innings for the Reno Aces in their 4-1 victory over the Sacramento River Cats. 'Trav' pitched a strong 2.1ip 4h 0r 0er 1bb 1k and it will be interesting to see whether he returns to the starting rotation or stays in the bullpen for a while? On a lighter note, we know how much Travis enjoys batting... well, he would have loved the chance to pinch hit in Reno's most recent 8-12 loss to the Fresno Grizzlies... he drew a one out walk in the bottom of the tenth inning!

There was a degree of relief in the fact that our JIMMY BERESFORD was not more seriously injured when he was reactivated after a couple of weeks on the disabled list for Minnesota's 'A' Beloit Snappers. In layman's terms, it is understood that James suffered deep bone bruising to the shoulder and there was no structural damage. It hasn't taken long for him to get back into stride as the Snappers preferred short stop and their current leadoff hitter. In his most recent game Jimmy batted a nice 3-5 with a RBI to lift his early season average back above the .300 plateau. It was a good week for James Beresford who also scooped the Victorian Aces Coaches Award for the 2008/09 Claxton Shield at Friday's Baseball Victoria Awards Night... he deserved it!

Waverley's established minor league pro DANNY BERG is showing signs of finding some of his better batting form lately after a somewhat slow start to his 2009 campaign. The World Baseball Classic was a great privilege for all Australian players, and others, but it didn't help some like Danny who did not see much playing time while missing a big chunk of Spring Training... I'm guessing that he wouldn't want to change this by the way!
It becomes redundant to mention that Danny has been asked to play anywhere and almost everywhere for Minnesota's 'Advanced-A' Fort Myers Miracle already this season. In his most recent game 'Bergie' batted 1-4 as the designated hitter in a 6-5 win over Charlotte. We know he'll continue working his hardest!

Wildcats' premiership hero ADAM BLACKLEY continues to thrive as the ace starter for the Amsterdam Pirates in the Dutch Baseball League. He remains high among the league pitching statistics leaders with a sub-ONE ERA from four high quality starts. His latest start produced another brilliant seven inning complete game shutout when he led the Pirates to an 11-0 win over Corendon Kinheim with his mighty 7.0ip 3h 0er 0bb 6k... WOW!
We are also delighted to report that Waverley's Adam Blackley was voted Victorian Claxton Shield Player of the year for 2008/09 at the recent Baseball Victoria Awards dinner. What a tremendous season he had!

TRAVIS BLACKLEY has been doing it a bit tough lately with an elevated ERA from his five starts so far for Arizona's new 'AAA' affiliate the Reno Aces. In typical fashion, 'Trav' has been pounding the strike zone and while he maintains a very healthy 20/5 strike out versus walk ratio, he wouldn't want me to avoid the obvious fact that he has been hit too hard, too often so far this season. After a couple of really nasty starts, Travis was much better in his most recent no-decision with 6.0ip 8h 5er 1bb 8k in a tough 5-6 loss to the Portland Beavers. As often when things are not going your way, Travis was victimised most by a three run homer with two out in the fifth inning. Our Pacific Coast League "spy" tells us that Blackley hasn't had a lot of luck on occasions this season, even though he has only seen him pitch once in person. Let's hope that his eight strike outs in this game will give him the confidence to turn things around as we know he can... keep at 'em Trav!

To start with Adam on this occasion, as we may not be able to provide too many details about his efforts, it would not surprise anyone at Waverley that he has continued to build upon his brilliant Premiership success with the Wildcats in 2009 while playing for the Amsterdam Pirates in the Netherlands Baseball League. After pitching superbly during their European Championship campaign, Adam has opened the season with two stunning starts for the Pirates where he has pitched 15.0 innings without allowing an earned run to date. Obviously he sits atop the pitching statistics for the entire Dutch League at this early stage of the season. Way to Go Adam!!

Following his marvellous success at the 2009 Claxton Shield and at the World Baseball Classic, it was great to learn that our JIMMY BERESFORD promptly earned promotion with the Minnesota Twins when he was assigned to their 'A' Level Beloit Snappers. He follows in the footsteps of brother Simon who also played with the Snappers when they were a Milwaukee Brewers minor league affiliate. James started the season in terrific style with 2-5 and a pair of stolen bases, but a minor shoulder injury has limited his appearances to date. We understand that the injury is not serious, but the Twins will be taking a cautious approach with their young star.

Another of Waverley's Claxton Shield and World Baseball Classic stars DANNY BERG is entitled to feel a trifle disappointed that he was not assigned to Minnesota's 'AA' team New Britain, where he finished the 2008 season in very good style. Competition for positions is obviously tough and Danny will have to fight his way back via their 'Advanced A' Fort Myers Miracle for the time being. Most recently 'Bergie' played at first base in a 4-2 win over the St.Lucie Mets. In typical "utility mode" he played at left field and third base in his two previous games.

TRAVIS BLACKLEY was most unfortunate to just miss a spot on the major league roster with the Arizona Diamondbacks to start the 2009 season, but he will be aiming to grasp any opportunity to return to the big leagues via their new 'AAA' affiliate the Reno Aces... at least he will will be familiar with playing for Aces as he has for Victoria in recent years.
'Trav' was victim of a couple of home run balls in his first outing to take a hard-luck loss, but he hit back strongly with a 4.2ip 5h 1er 2bb 3k start for a no-decision in the Aces 11-1 win over the Salt Lake Bees.