What an amazing week we had at the 2026 Australian Youth Championships right here in Melbourne. A huge thank you to all the dedicated volunteers at Essendon, Port Melbourne, and Preston Baseball Clubs for hosting and helping to make these tournaments such a success.
It was an absolute pleasure to watch our Victorian State Teams shine on the national stage, making it all the way to their respective championship games. Our U16s won silver and our U18s defeated the previously unbeaten WA to bring home gold.
It was so great to see our Victorians playing as a team, backing each other up, and leaving a mark on the competition at nationals.
The future is incredibly bright for these baseballers and the next generation of athletes coming through the BV Performance Pathway.
Head to the
baseball.com.au AYC hub to catch up on all the action.
2026 Australian U18 Champions
Brandon Elton, Brody Stokes, Cooper Bishop-Worn, Cooper Busch, Ethan Kei Nakamura, Euan Clarkin, Harrison Brodie, Jai DiBlasi, Jake Bertucci, Jordan Ellis, Keinosuke Lee, Lachlan Brennan, Liam Puncher, Marcus Murphy, Mitchell Langworthy, Riley Peoples, Roman Coote, Ryley Shanks, Sam Walk, Windsor Breckenridge. Coaches: Marshall Skinner (Manager), Lachie Condie (Assistant), Daniel Chircop (Pitching), Jason Davis (EO).
2026 Australian U16 Silver Medallists
Alessio Petruzziello, Bodhi Evans, Cale Morris, Chase Potts, Cruize Chase, Parks Halasz, Daniel Hwang, Darcy Squire, Edison Bush, George Steer, Jackson Burton, Jack Northfield, Jack Thomas, Jacob Tayler, Lucas Joel, Ollie Allen, Oscar Shimakura, Sam Stafilis, Spencer Tyers, Thomas Hill. Coaches: Ben Laux, Ethan Epifanio, Bryan Kloppe, Trifon Stafilis.
Photos:
hughwhittle.media2026 AYC Award Winners
U18 Most Valuable Player – Cooper Bishop-Worn (Vic)
Cooper showed dominance in all aspects of the game. He was great at third base, tossed 2.0 innings shutout in the gold medal game to close it, and crushed it at the plate. Cooper led the tournament with 17 hits, including three in the gold medal game. He also hit a homer and batted .586 (2nd) in the tournament.
Golden Arm – Liam Puncher (Vic)
Liam shined the brightest in the finals, where he tossed 5.0 innings with 9 strikeouts in an electric performance and win over New South Wales. He finishes the tournament with 7.1 shutout innings, allowing just five hits, three walks and racked up 12 strikeouts across his two appearances.
Golden Bat – Brody Stokes (Vic)
Brody was a consistent presence throughout the week. He finishes with a stat line that reads: 15-for-33 with three doubles, a triple and 9 RBI. He also worked four walks and stole four bags while batting second for the national champions. Brody came through with three hits in the gold medal game.
