A rising star in Byford’s baseball circles has earned himself a trip to the USA after impressing coaches at the Down Under Winter Classic on the Gold Coast in July.
Kyron Schwarz, who plays for the Byford Bushrangers, was selected to join the West Coast Rays U13 team in their shot at the Down Under Winter Classic.
West Coach Rays coach Luke Hulbert described the young player as “a ripping kid with a great attitude.”
“I was a coach in the West Coast Rays U13 team – that team was pulled together from a group of kids who play in our state tournament,” Luke said.
“The two winning teams from that tournament go on and play at the Nationals.
“The rest of the teams who don’t win, those kids are eligible to make that West Coast Rays team and Kyron was one of those kids.
“He’s a fantastic kid, really good skills, he pitched well for us over there – he’s a left-handed pitcher – but he’s a very well-rounded player as well, he has really good glove skills and is a pretty decent hitter.
“From that tournament Kyron was selected as one of the Aussie Waves kids to go and compete in a tournament in the US in October.
“It’s well-deserved, he played really well at the Winter Classic. We didn’t have a lot of success over there, so for him to be selected from our team says a lot about him.”
Kyron described his reaction to his pick as “excited and nervous.”
“I’ve worked hard and spent a lot of time practicing so to be recognised is amazing,” Kyron said.
“I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has supported me in this amazing journey, I appreciate it a lot in helping me make my dreams come true.”
Looking forward to Kyron’s October trip, where the young player will be demonstrating his skills in front of US scouts and coaches, Luke, who plays for Morley and coaches at Willetton, wished him well.
“I just hope he has a wonderful experience over there playing on some great grounds against some quality teams from other international baseball programs.
“It’s a hell of a fun sport to play. A huge part of it for most people is about the friends you make on the journey, and I always encourage the kids I coach to keep playing the game because the real treasure is the mates they will make.
“I’m sure he will meet some people he wouldn’t have otherwise met and hopefully make some good friends out of it.”
To support Kyron on his trip, visit gofundme.com/f/kyron-schwarz-get-to-america
