“Winning Premierships isn’t easy, but being at the top and consistently being in a position to challenge for Premierships is the biggest challenge, and possibly our greatest achievement”.
It was October 1994 when the Springy Big Cat Chicks took to the field to participate in the first year of women’s baseball in what we now know as the Victorian Summer Baseball League (Women’s). In their first game, the girls would lose 44 nil, and that trend would continue across the next few seasons. In fact, back then, without 7 run rules, and struggling to field 9 players each week, it was a tough slog. Scores were piling up quickly, well, opposition scores that is.
The OG Big Cat Chicks were made up predominantly of mothers of men’s players, sisters and girlfriends, and a few local girls who wanted to give the sport a go. But with little to no knowledge of the game, and most taking up the sport for a bit of a hit and giggle, it was tough going against some of the stronger clubs. “I was 13 when the club played their first women’s game, and back then you had to be 14 to play – and have parent permission”, said Simone Wearne, who participated in the first season of women’s baseball with the club. “I joined the team in that first season once I turned 14, and it was a real struggle, for a variety of reasons. We didn’t have a lot of players, the players we had didn’t really have baseball experience, and overall, it was a team that just wanted to have a bit of a laugh”.
That ‘just wanting to have a laugh’ attitude, whilst at the time meant getting wins on the board was scarce, has ultimately led the club to a ‘dynasty’ that is quite hard to believe. Though the team didn’t win many games across it’s first 9 seasons, it was a journey that was ever important when we look back on it. Amassing a few Division 2 South victories, one Premiership versus local rival Chelsea where the winning hit came off a lesser known member of the Wearne family, ‘Annie’ (who was wearing a pair of gardening gloves at the time), wins were certainly hard to come by. “It took us a long time to put wins on the board, if you were to look solely at scorelines. But we loved the game, and we just loved playing ball”, says Mandi Avent, 20+ year veteran of the Big Cat Chicks program. “We also wanted to get better, and we trained hard. Billy Reay, a stalwart of the Springvale Lions club, Mick Wearne, Greg Morley, those guys who really helped us at the start, they set the culture and they set an expectation that if you wanted to learn and get better, the club would support you. But we would never sacrifice enjoying the game over putting wins on the board”.
The fact that winning came tough set a solid foundation. “There was never an expectation that games were easy, in fact, it was the opposite”, said Shae Lillywhite, the only player to take the field in every Division One Grand Final over the past twenty years. “As the Springy women’s program grew, so did our competitive nature. More players saw opportunity at the club, and people saw that we were trying to achieve something, working hard. Our numbers started to grow, and with that, our depth grew, and we added one and then two teams to our program. I think it would be remiss of us not to acknowledge the importance of having multiple teams in our program and how much that has helped us at the Division One level”.
Winning was certainly rare from 1994 until the early 2000’s, however, the program pushed forward, spending a few tough years in Division One down the bottom of the ladder. “The bigger clubs were dominant back in the late 90’s, early 2000’s”, said Simone Wearne. “Port Melbourne were the benchmark, Malvern, and then Doncaster grew their program after a move from Monty. As state baseball started to become an option for women’s players, my mates from other clubs would often ask ‘why are you playing at that club, they’re hopeless’. My response was that I loved the place, that I had fun, and ultimately, the club really supported me and the women’s program. I will admit though, I never ever thought that we were on a path to achieving what we have over nearly 30 years”.
Fast-forward to 2023, and the club’s women’s program has realised great success. The 2022/23 season saw the Division One team play in their twentieth grand final in a row, an amazing achievement in its own right. “If you were to look at our Premiership success over recent years, and saw we’d won 14 Division One flags (including a Springvale/Berwick combined Premiership), plus a number of Division Two and Three flags along the way, you’d think that was quite the accomplishment”, said Siobhan Stephenson, 20+ year veteran. “But the fact that we’ve been at the top for such a long time, and putting ourselves in a position to challenge year after year for Premierships, that’s what stands out to me. Amazingly, some of our players in the Division One team at the moment weren’t even born when we played in our first Premiership”.
You’ll often hear people in sport talking about how ‘winning isn’t easy’, in particular, success at the highest level in which you compete. And it’s a true statement, there’s no doubt about that. But what really stands out for this program is the real commitment to the game, year after year finding ways to keep improving, and a pure love for baseball driving a dedication to their craft. We’ve seen players come and go, like any other club, and there have been some real challenges over the journey so far. “We are always looking for ways to get better”, said Shae Lillywhite. “We know the other clubs and teams are working hard and want to beat us. So every year we go back to the drawing board and look at how we’re going to keep competing with the best. We know it’s hard to continue competing, particularly as our main group gets older, but we keep working hard to put ourselves in the best position and to help the younger players develop and get opportunity. Having two and then three teams for so long has really helped provide a pathway for our players to learn, develop and grow, in a really supportive environment”.
Whilst you won’t hear the girls talk a lot about the wins, rather focusing their attention on getting their work in on the field at training, the twenty year milestone is one that is important to make note of. “A lot of people have contributed to the success of our program over the last 29 seasons”, said Mandi Avent. “Our club has always respected both our men, women and juniors, and all are treated equally. We have had amazing support across the club at all levels, and that has made it a really great place to be. I have no doubt that has played a part in our on-field success in all three of our teams to date”.
As the sun sets on what was a big year for the club, and in particular the women’s program, we felt it important to highlight the twenty year milestone. There are too many people to mention when it comes to thanking those who have contributed, but those who have been involved in any capacity over the last 29 years should smile and be proud of their involvement in something that really has taken a lot of people, and a long time to build. “The early days really set the scene for us”, said club stalwart Jade Hough. “We stuck it out over many years of struggling to even field 9 players, but we never forfeited, and we haven’t until this day. It’s a credit to all involved really. Our club has always been a tight knit group, and a lot of effort from many people within the club, both men and women, have given a lot to help make the program what it is today”.
Current game day Managers for the Division One team, Cat Kenny-Row and Sinead Flanigan both shared their thoughts on the journey so far. “There’s been a real dedication from the club as a whole to help make the women’s program a success”, said Cat, a member of the inaugural 2004/05 Premiership team almost 20 years ago. ‘I definitely agree with Cat around the commitment from many”, said Flanigan, who last season was involved for her tenth season. “There has been a very dedicated group of leaders who are so passionate about the program and the club, and they have continued to provide opportunities, create pathways and show a genuine care for the players. It’s an environment where everyone feels part of the Big Cats family”.
Success can turn on a dime, and there is no doubt that any sporting team, program or club has it’s ups and downs. Whilst winning and sitting at the height of your division in any sport can never last forever, the Dynasty that our club has created through it’s women’s program will be remembered forever. The lows, the highs, the challenges, the learnings, the times we got it wrong, and then the times we found a way to get ourselves through….all of them have made this program what it is, and all have allowed so many of us to be part of something truly, truly special.
When we look back in another 29 years, the Dynasty we’ve been part of will still be there, and we will still be telling stories of how much fun we all had taking the field in our Big Cats jerseys. The memories we shared, and all of the fun times we had playing ball will last forever. And all of it was built from a pure love for the game, and the focus on having a laugh along the way. “I love winning, there’s no doubt about that, but it’s the memories along the way, and the struggles, that have made it so memorable”, said Simone Wearne. “Alby throwing her glove at a flyball in left field and giving up two bases at Port Melbourne, Annie Wearne playing in gardening gloves, Houghy and her ghetto blaster in the Altona changerooms, or even the hard-fought victories against teams who were probably better on paper, yet we found a way to win. Those moments, and the people who we have shared the field with, those memories trump any of the Premierships. But ultimately, we play competitive baseball to win, and we don’t celebrate the small wins enough along the way. What we have achieved over the last 29 years is quite exceptional, particularly this 20 year milestone. I’m super proud to have been a small part of it, and can’t wait to see what the next 29 years hold for the program”.
If you want to hear more from some of our passionate leaders who were part of the 2022/23 Division One Premiership, check out the Facebook link below for the post-game video from game day on March 11th. What a great day to play baseball.
