Express & Star

Titans pitching in for a bright future

Stourbridge Titans baseball club are looking to build on their success story by catching the next generation of stars.

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The Titans have made impressive progress since the dream of forming a club became a reality five years ago and compete in the British Baseball Federation AA Central Division.

Shaun Healy, Corey Millard and Samantha Smith were the founder members who got the ball rolling in 2011.

And after a testing couple of seasons the Titans have excelled on the field, winning the league title in 2014 and finishing runners-up last year.

They now boast a senior squad of up to 25 players and are looking to the future as baseball grows in popularity this side of the Atlantic.

"The founders of the club were Shaun, Corey, Samantha," said secretary Stuart Walton, who traded bowling off-spin for Coseley Cricket Club for a shot at pitching with the Titans.

"They all played at the start and Shaun and Corey still do now.

"They used to play for Birmingham Bandits, but they were travelling a long way because they lived in Stourbridge.

"So they said 'right, we want to start a new club of our own'. And so they started the club at Thorns Community College which is where we are based.

"We had one of the old playing fields and we built everything ourselves, an 18ft high backstop, the diamond, everything.

"It was the whole Field of Dreams – if you build it they will come.

Interest

"Then it was a question of recruiting players. I think I was one of the first to join up.

"I used to play cricket and I had an interest in baseball.

"But I was never going to get any further at cricket and I got more of a buzz from playing a new sport.

"I was enjoying the fact that it was something new and that I was learning new things."

Walton is now keen for other people to enjoy that buzz, especially youngsters looking to try a new sport and chase a possible Olympic dream.

"One of the things we are really trying to do is develop a youth team," he said.

"We started Junior Titans towards the end of last year to try to get more kids involved in the game from around our area.

"We were focused on getting the field ready and building the senior team and our next focus is getting the youth team together because we can't play forever.

"We need to keep the club alive.

"Baseball is going to be seriously considered for the 2020 Olympics.

"That won't be decided until this August, but it looks very likely. The Olympics are in Japan and it's Japan's national sport.

"In four years time you could actually be an Olympian and playing for the GB team."

No prior knowledge of baseball is required with Titans well-stocked with coaches and kit to help newcomers learn the ropes.

"We have got qualified coaches to run sessions and we don't expect any prior knowledge. And we have loads of equipment we can lend people.

"We have one guy who is from America who played at high school when he was in America but everyone else started from scratch.

"We have just learnt from watching games and playing.

"The first two years we got battered every week because we were learning and playing against guys who were a lot more experienced. A lot of teams had ex-pats from places such as America, Dominica, Canada and Venezuela playing.

"But last season we finished second to Long Eaton Storm, who went all season unbeaten, and the season before we won the league. The last couple of years have been good for us.

"One of the big things we need to do is to raise awareness. Most people don't even realise baseball is played in this country, never mind that there is a side in Stourbridge."

Titans compete in the third tier of the British Baseball Federation set up with the new season starting in April.

Birmingham Bandits, Long Eaton Storm, Nottingham Rebels, Leicester Blue Sox and Milton Keynes Bucks are their league rivals with matches played on Sundays on a double-header basis.

"We play double-headers over seven innings to cut down on the travelling," added Walton.

"If you get out, then another eight batters later you are in again. Your day is not ruined if you get out first ball.

"In cricket you can get out first ball and end up paying six quid for your tea to field for 50 overs. In baseball, if you get out it's not that big a deal because you get to bat again."

And while the sport is growing in Britain, Walton still feels it would benefit hugely if some of America's Major League stars checked in for a series of matches, similar to how the NFL stages games at Wembley.

"It is a growing sport, there are over 40 different clubs in the country and each of them has got one or two teams," added Walton.

"What it needs is the kick-starting effect that the Wembley game had for American Football.

"Every year they have the Wembley games and people think 'I fancy having a go at that'.

"There are moves towards doing that in 2017 and they have done it in Australia.

"Last season they played some of the opening fixtures at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The Arizona Diamondbacks and the LA Dodgers played.

"They converted the SCG into a baseball field and played three or four games.

"The sport is more established in Australia and there are a few Australian Major League players.

"There are a couple of British guys that are in the reserve teams but none in the Majors."

n Anyone interested in joining the Titans, or going along for a taster session, should contact Stuart Walton on 07854 353335.

Training is on Sunday mornings during the winter at Thorns Community Centre (11.30am-1.30pm) and Tuesday nights from 6.30pm at the same venue during the season.

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