SIX teams are competing in the 'world first' National Little League girls baseball championships at Lismore.
Create a free account to read this article
or signup to continue reading
New South Wales has entered two teams along with Adelaide, Brisbane, Victoria and Western Australia.
NSW White coach Amy Saliba said it is a big event and a new launching pad for junior girls in the sport.
"It's exciting to be part of the first one," she said.
"We had 65 girls at tryouts and we ended up with two even teams of 14.
"There is a lot of talent out there and hopefully the ones who missed out will be here next year.
"This tournament gives the girls a taste of what's to come in baseball."
Some of the girls will progress to the Barclay Cup in the coming years which is a national competition aimed at 13-16-year-olds.
Once they get beyond that the focus turns to women's competition.
The Lismore event adds another layer of competition between junior and women's competition.
"Our youngest only just turned 10 last week," Amy said.
"My first national youth tournament was at under-15s, so they have a lot more opportunities now.
"We still have a long way to go, but it's definitely nice to see these girls out here at such a young age.
"It's a lot of effort for the kids and parents to be here during the school term.
"These are the girls who are looking for more competition and they'll just keep improving the more they play."
Games continue on May 11 and 12 with free entry both days.
Each team will play each other once over the first four days of the tournament - a total of five group stage games each.
The top two teams will advance straight to the Gold Medal Game on May 12 at noon.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community:
- Sign up for our newsletters
- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Google News
- Have your say and send a letter to the Editor.