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“They played well in the tournament last month, and since we’ve been back into training after the break, we’re focusing on training at game speed and executing our fundamentals well.” says Gratton. “The biggest challenge will be adapting to the new environment interstate, because we don't have many players that have been away like this before, so the quicker we can settle in, the quicker we'll get to playing good baseball.”

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In their recent tournament win in April, the Marlins coaching staff only made one change to the batting order, and Gratton has indicated it’s likely they’ll take a similar approach at the nationals.

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“We haven't examined the batting order closely yet, but whatever lineup we do settle on, we will likely use consistently while we're away. It's always difficult to change things during a tournament because it can work both ways, but we have confidence in all our hitters to do their role and help us win games“, he said.

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Twelve teams will compete in the six-day event, with the Marlins in Pool B, joined by the Canberra Rangers, Gold Coast Cougars, Manley Eagles NSW, Melbourne Twins, and the Southern Titans WA. Brisbane North Vikings, Eastern Phantoms WA, McArthur Colts NSW, Melbourne Rangers, Northern Territory Buffaloes, and Ryde Reds NSW, make up the Pool A lineup.

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The pitching roster is another area the Marlins will look at planning strategically, with five preliminary games leading up to the finals.

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“Fortunately, we've got a lot of great arms in our team, so our focus there will be making sure they are all stretched out and ready to contribute however we need them. Connor (Yeatman) and I will be working towards identifying roles for each of our guys; whether it be as a starter, long relief, or closer, and those roles we hope will contribute toward our goal of preventing runs at the tournament.”

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The Marlins used Archer Spratt, Hunter Ung, Cameron Majewski, and Zac Gratton in starting roles during the state tournament in April, with Gratton, Casey Sanders, Flynn Dienelt, and Ryder McGuire-Thomas called upon to come in for relief duties. The coaching staff also has five others on the roster; Liam Harris, Noah Sutherland, Aaron Davis, Jimmy Newbold, and Chevy Roach who they can call on to pitch, should the circumstances arise.

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The Marlins finished with 3 wins and 1 loss, scoring 34 runs, while allowing 23 at the state tournament in April, and Coach Gratton believes his squad will hold their own offensively at the nationals, but the emphasis will be reducing the number of runs allowed.

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“The biggest challenge, and our focus, will be runs prevention. The teams we're going against will be dangerous from top to bottom, so we'll have to be on our game from the jump,” he said.

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“We've got two training sessions a week organised as well as matches against players from the Baseball SA Prospects program. Those trail games will be crucial to get the group up to game speed and they will also give us an idea of what areas we need to spend more time training" added Gratton.

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“We’ve identified roles in the field for each of the boys as we feel that helps us to tailor trainings and best simplify things for them. We will move the magnets around if given the opportunity though as several of the boys will be in line to compete at this level again next year.”

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The Marlins outfield consists of; Sutherland, Newbold, Sanders, Roach, and Oscar Patman, who is also a promising catching prospect and could slot in behind the plate when needed.

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Davis, Gratton, Dienelt, Majewski, Ung, Spratt, Chase Mazurek, and Liam Harris make up the infield positions, with Mazurek holding down the starting catcher’s role, backed up by Spratt, McQuire-Thomas, and Patman. 

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As for the opposition Gratton and his coaching staff have viewed footage of the interstate opposition teams, and he says, they’re expecting some impressive opponents. “I’ve watched some footage from the relevant state championships and my takeaways are that the teams are incredibly well coached and drilled. They're clean in the field and make good at bats and don't ‘beat themselves’, so we'll have to be able to do the same. It presents a great challenge for us and I'm excited to see what our group is made of” said the enthusiastic Adelaide coach.

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Last year, two teams, the Marlins, and the Rays represented SA at the Nationals in Blacktown. The Rays finished third overall, after winning their Pool with 4 wins and 1 loss, but then lost in the semi-final. They finished third overall, following a win in the consolation game. The Marlins finished with a 2-3 record. This year however, only one team, the Marlins, will represent SA.

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No team from South Australia has represented Australia at the prestigious event in Pennsylvania, since Little League International granted the Australian Region the right to send a representative team, beginning in 2013. In 2013, Perth Metro Central defeated Adelaide Southern 8-2, to become the country's first-ever qualifier, and then the following year Perth Metro North edged Manly in seven innings, to advance to the American series, and there they defeated South Moravia of the Czech Republic to earn Australia's first-ever World Series victory.

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The tournament fixture was released recently, with the Marlins opening game slated for Sunday 8 June at 1:30pm AEST against Canberra, followed by Monday 9 June – 1:30pm against Gold Coast (Qld.).

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Adelaide will face their toughest test on Tuesday 10 June when they play two games, starting at 9:00am against the Melbourne Twins, and 1:30 pm against Manley. Their final game of the Preliminary Round will be on Wednesday 11 June at 9:00 am when they play the Southern Titans.

 

The finals round will be on Thursday and Friday, 12-13 June.

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