Adelaide Bite

Adelaide Bite
Most recent season:
2015–16 Australian Baseball League season
Team Details
League Australian Baseball League
City Adelaide, South Australia
Ballpark Diamond Sports Stadium
Year founded 2009
Inaugural season 2010–11
Postseason
ABL Championships 0
Minor premierships 1 (2015)
Uniforms
Colours      Prussian blue
     Crimson
     Gold
Management
Manager United States Steve Mintz
Owner ABL
General Manager Nathan Davison

The Adelaide Bite are a professional baseball team who plays in the Australian Baseball League and is one of the six founding teams of the league.

The Bite have multiple alumni who have played in the MLB in following years and many players who play for Team Australia in an international level. The team is made up of up-and-coming MLB draft prospects who play minor league baseball in the USA or established Australian players. Former big-league players often play in the ABL.

Their home ballpark was the historic Norwood Oval in Norwood, South Australia which is based in the city of Adelaide, South Australia from 2009 to 2016, They however made the moved down to West Beach in the 2016/2017 season. The team name originates from the nearby hydrographic landmark, the Great Australian Bight as well as the Great White Shark which inhabits the southern coast of South Australia.[1]

The Bite are famous for their Shark Tank - the only section in Australian sport where you can sit on the actual playing surface during the play of the game.

Adelaide's first general manager was former New York Yankees infielder Pat Kelly.[2] He served as the General Manager from 2009-2013. Since the beginning of the 2013/14 season, former Adelaide Giants and Team Australia baseball player Nathan Davison took over the team as GM and CEO.[3]

In three seasons under Davison the Bite have made the Australian Baseball League Championships Series twice - falling to the Perth Heat in 2015 and the Brisbane Bandits in 2016.

In 2010 South Australian power company ETSA Utilities was announced as the major sponsor of the Adelaide Bite and that the team would be known as the Adelaide ETSA Bite.[4] After an ETSA rebrand to SA Power Networks the Bite became the "Adelaide Bite, proudly presented by SA Power Networks."


Game Day Atmosphere

The Adelaide Bite are known for their unique sports atmosphere. Their speciality is the Shark Tank - a section where fans can sit on the field right next to the Adelaide Bite home dugout and interact with players. They also served a pig roast on the field as well as a drinks package.

The nature of baseball allows kids to run around and chase foul balls. They even can run on the field in-between innings. There are many catchy songs, quirky Walk up music selections from the players, and lots of in-game activations.

In 2016, players from the Adelaide Football Club, Port Adelaide Football Club and Adelaide Strikers showed up to participate in a pre-game home-run derby that brought thousands of people to the stadium.[5]

Various entertainers appeared for their games including Ethan Hall (or "Hiccup Kid") who sang the national anthem while hiccuping before a game.[6] Other famous anthem singers include Darth Vader.

The Bite are known for their quirky off-field antics. On April 1, 2016, the Bite fooled the world by announcing that baseball legend Derek Jeter would be joining the club as a player manager. It would have been the most high-profile signing in Australian sports' history. The practical joke garnered international headlines including a story in the New York Times and the Yankees' twitter account.[7]

Recent History

The Adelaide Bite has experienced recent heartbreak having been to the Claxton Shield final four times since 2009 and unable to win in the championship game.

The Bite went to the ABL Championship Series back-to-back years in 2015 and 2016 but fell to the Perth Heat at home and the Brisbane Bandits on the road respectively. The Adelaide Bite hosted the 2015 ABL Championship Series and set a record for single game attendance in the ABL on the Saturday night with over 5,000 people attending the game.

In Mid 2016 they shifted, their home down to the Diamond Sports Complex, West Beach Road, West Beach

Team Australia Players

The Adelaide Bite send numerous players to represent team Australia on various international stages including the World Baseball Classic, World Baseball Classic qualification, Olympic baseball and Honkbal Hoofdklasse in Harlem.

Player Name Years Represented Level(s)
Angus Roeger 2015 2015 ABL All-Star Game
Stefan Welch 2009-2016 World Baseball Classic
Steven Chambers 2015-2016 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers, Honkbal Week, ABL All-Star
Josh Tols 2015-2016 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers, Honkbal Week, ABL All-Star
Matthew Williams (baseball) 2009-2016 Baseball World Cup, World Baseball Classic, World Baseball Classic Qualifiers, ABL All Star
Tom Brice 2002 - 2008 Olympics, Baseball World Cup
Wilson Lee 2016 Honkbal Week Harlem
Dushan Ruzic 2009 - 2016 Baseball World Cup, World Baseball Classic, Honkbal Week

Notable Alumni

The Adelaide Bite are the only ABL team who have had a former player progress to the big leagues every Major League Baseball season since the ABL's reincarnation. Some notable players include:

Brandon Maurer - San Diego Padres pitcher, played for the Bite in 2010/11

Tom Brice - 2004 Olympic silver medalist for Team Australia

James Jones (baseball) - Seattle Mariners outfielder. Played for the Bite in 2011/2012.

Rinku Singh - The subject of the film Million Dollar Arm. Played for the Bite in 2011/2012.

Ji-man Choi - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim outfielder. Played for the Bite in 2012/2013

Rocky Gale - San Diego Padres Catcher. Played for the Bite in 2014/15.

Mitch Dening - Australian baseball player. Played in the top league in Japan for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows

Year by Year Results

Season Record Finals Manager Team MVP
2010/11 23-17 (3rd place) Lost in Championship Series to Pert (1-2) Tony Harris
2011/12 20-25 (4th place) Lost in semi finals to Sydney (1-3) Tony Harris
2012/13 21-25 (5th place) No finals Tony Harris
2013/14 21-25 (5th place) No finals Charles Aliano/Brooke Knight
2014/15 32-16 (1st place, minor premiers) Lost in Championship Series to Perth (1-2) Brooke Knight Aaron Miller (baseball)
2015/16 30-26 (3rd place) Lost in Championship Series to Brisbane (0-2) Steve Mintz

2015–16 Roster

The following are the players who appeared for the Adelaide Bite in the 2015–16 ABL season

Managers & Coaches

# Name Pos DOB
8 Andrew Scott Coach
13 Steve Mintz Manager 24-11-1968
49 Paul Green Coach
Darren Fidge Coach 12-11-1974
30 Chris Adamson Coach 30-03-1988

Pitchers (click column headers to sort)

# Name Pos Bat Thw Ht Wt DOB Status
50 Devon Barker P L L 191 cm 79 kg 12-03-1992 Reserve
9 Jake Cairns P R R 188 cm 87 kg 29-09-1991 Reserve
12 Steven Chambers P R R 175 cm 82 kg 08-11-1990 Active
42 Kevin Comer P R R 191 cm 93 kg 01-08-1992 Reserve
44 Daniel Desimone P R R 185 cm 88 kg 11-09-1988 Reserve
37 Chris Dula P R R 188 cm 91 kg 06-08-1992 Reserve
17 Dallas Gallant P R R 191 cm 89 kg 25-01-1989 Active
47 Christopher Horne P R R 183 cm 82 kg 01-08-1996 Active
15 Takuro Ito P R R 178 cm 82 kg 02-04-1983 Active
10 Kody Kerski P R R 178 cm 84 kg 18-04-1992 Active
26 Hei Chun Lee P L L 183 cm 98 kg 12-03-1979 Active
33 Wilson Lee P R L 185 cm 100 kg 12-12-1991 Active
28 Daniel Nilsson P R R 178 cm 84 kg 30-11-1993 Active
36 Matthew Swilley P R R 188 cm 80 kg 19-12-1990 Reserve
6 Nick Talbot P R R 175 cm 80 kg 16-03-1987 Active
20 Travis Tingle P R R 193 cm 100 kg 04-10-1989 Reserve
11 Josh Tols P L L 170 cm 75 kg 06-10-1989 Active
65 Elroy Urbina P L L 185 cm 82 kg 22-07-1989 Reserve
38 Loek van Mil P R R 216 cm 118 kg 15-09-1984 Active
51 Kyal Williams P R R 188 cm 108 kg 29-01-1991 Reserve
19 Matthew Williams P R R 185 cm 82 kg 28-02-1987 Active

Catchers

# Name Pos Bat Thw Ht Wt DOB Status
30 Chris Adamson C R R 188 cm 93 kg 30-03-1988 Active
35 Beau Te Wera Bishop C R R 188 cm 91 kg 06-07-1993 Reserve
18 Landon Hernandez C R R 188 cm 102 kg 08-02-1987 Reserve
16 Connar O'Gorman C R R 173 cm 90 kg 25-12-1993 Active
23 Davis Page C L R 175 cm 76 kg 10-08-1987 Active

Infielders

# Name Pos Bat Thw Ht Wt DOB Status
29 Jordan Cowan 2B L R 183 cm 73 kg 13-04-1995 Reserve
46 Travis Demeritte 2B R R 183 cm 82 kg 30-09-1994 Active
34 Mitch Lightbody 2B R R 175 cm 80 kg 29-05-1998 Reserve
32 Corey Lyon 2B R R 180 cm 75 kg 05-04-1995 Reserve
4 Kyle Petty 1B R R 196 cm 98 kg 01-03-1991 Active
22 Stefan Welch 3B L R 191 cm 86 kg 12-08-1988 Active
42 Marc Wik 3B L R 180 cm 101 kg 18-07-1992 Active

Outfielders

# Name Pos Bat Thw Ht Wt DOB Status
25 Tom Brice OF L L 196 cm 95 kg 24-08-1981 Active
40 Thomas Fiebig OF R R 191 cm 91 kg 24-03-1989 Reserve
43 Karl Hoschke RF R R 191 cm 84 kg 01-07-1995 Reserve
21 Ben Lodge LF R R 185 cm 84 kg 12-10-1991 Active
24 Gary Owens OF R R 183 cm 91 kg 05-12-1986 Reserve
39 Scott Quinlan OF R R 185 cm 93 kg 21-02-1992 Reserve
5 Angus Roeger RF R R 185 cm 84 kg 26-04-1990 Active
31 John Schultz OF L L 180 cm 89 kg 03-05-1989 Active

References

  1. ↑ Stockman, Jennifer (6 August 2010). "Adelaide takes a BITE at new ABL". Adelaide Bite. Australian Baseball League. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  2. ↑ Our Staff Adelaide Bite
  3. ↑ Boris Kilpatrick
  4. ↑ "ETSA Utilities named naming rights sponsor". Adelaide Bite. Australian Baseball League. 16 September 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  5. ↑ PTV: Home Run Derby Port Adelaide vs Adelaide - portadelaidefc.com.au, retrieved 2016-07-22
  6. ↑ "Boy who hiccupped through national anthem becomes internet sensation". ABC News. 2015-11-22. Retrieved 2016-07-22.
  7. ↑ "Australian team uses Derek Jeter in April Fools' Day prank". Retrieved 2016-07-22.

External links

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