Social Indoor Wheelchair Softball
Photo courtesy of Softball Australia (Softball Australia Facebook Page)
Social Indoor Wheelchair Softball was established in February, 2019 by Softball Australia's Club and Community Development Officer, Tim Hatzi, Casey Softball and Casey Stadium. The competition was set up using adapted rules from Softball Australia's Social 7s competition as an all inclusive wheelchair sport. Each team consisted of 6 players of mixed genders, with or without disabilities and players that had or hadn't played softball or baseball before.
The first season which began in February, 2019 was a 6 week competition which consisted of 4 teams: Raptors, Narre Warren Rolling Thunder, Cranny Cats and Julie's Alpacas. Each team played one another twice and with all 4 teams making the finals. Minor Premiers the Raptors beat 4th placed Narre Warren and 2nd placed Julie's Alpacas beat 3rd place Cranny Cats to see the Raptors and Julie's Alpacas advance to the grand final. Julie's Alpacas beat the Raptors to be crowned the Inaugural Social Indoor Wheelchair Softball Competition Premiers.
After the success of Season 1, Season 2 started in May, 2019, quickly after Season one's grand final. Two new teams in D Squad and the Cobras were added as well as new players for the Raptors, Narre Warren and Julie's Alpacas. Each team played one another once making it a 5 round competition, with finals scheduled over 2 weeks. Week 1 of finals saw the 5th placed Raptors beat the 4th placed Cobras in elimination final 1 and the 3rd placed D Squad beat the 6th placed Narre Warren in elimination final 2. Minor premiers Cranny Cats also advanced straight to the Grand Final after beating the 2nd placed Julie's Alpacas. Week 2 of finals saw the Raptors beaten by D-Squad in the Semi Final who were then beaten by Julie's Alpacas in the preliminary final to advance to the grand final. The Cranny Cats beat last year's winners Julie's Alpacas to be crowned Season 2 premiers. It was great to see the competition expand to include new teams and players.
Season 3 got underway in August, 2019 and after 6 teams in Season 2, the competition lost 2 teams in Julie's Alpacas and Cobras, but added a new team, Spice Girls. With only 5 teams in the competition, the season was reduced to 4 rounds and one week of finals, with the Top 4 battling it out. Cranny Cats finished minor premiers (undefeatred)., the Raptors finished 2nd, D Squad were 3rd, Narre Warren Rolling Thunder were 4th and The Spice Girls finished 5th. A special mention must go to Narre Warren who claimed their first ever win in 3 seasons when they beat The Spice Girls. The finals saw D Squad beat the Raptors by 2 runs to make their first grand final and Cranny easily defeated Narre Warren to make their 2nd grand final in succession. Last year's premiers, the Cranny Cats went into the game as favourites but D Squad proved they were too good and were crowned premiers.
The covid-19 global pandemic saw no indoor social wheelchair softball being played in 2020. Season 4 finally got started in April, 2021 and saw a 6 week competition with 4 teams involved. Foundation teams Raptors, Narre Warren Rolling Thunder and Cranny Cats welcomed back the Cobras, a team of junior and senior softball players from Casey Softball. Cranny Cats finished minor premiers without losing a game, the Raptors finished 2nd, the Cobras were 3rd and Narre Warren were 4th. After Victoria's 4th snap "circuit breaker" covid-19 lockdown, the finals were played on the 25th June. Semi-final 1 saw the Cranny Cats easily defeat Narre Warren Rolling Thunder 77-12 and semi-final 2 saw the Raptors edge out the Cobras 53-45 to both advance to the grand final. It would be the Cranny Cats 3rd grand final in 3 seasons, whilst the Raptors were playing in their 2nd grand final. The Cranny Cats proved to be too good and cruised to their 2nd premiership with a 52-26 win.
The covid-19 global pandemic again stopped an indoor social wheelchair softball being played for the remainder of 2021. Season 5 finally got started in May, 2022 and saw a 9 week competition with foundation teams Raptors, Narre Warren Rolling Thunder and Cranny Cats as well as the Cobras playing. The Cranny Cats again were minor premiers with a 7-2 record, Raptors finished 2nd, Cobras finished 3rd and Narre Warren Rolling Thunder finished 4th. The finals were played on July 29th. Semi-final 1 saw the Cranny Cats defeat Narre Warren Rolling Thunder 57-38 earning a spot in their 4th grand final in a row. In semi-final 2, the Cobras made up for last year's narrow loss by beating the Raptors 46-39, earning a spot in their first grand final. The Cranny Cats dominated the game and very comfortably won their 2nd premiership in a row 44-22.
After 5 seasons, there have been 7 teams who have played in this competition: Raptors, Narre Warren Rolling Thunder, Cranny Cats, Cobras, D-Squad, Julie's Alpacas and Spice Girls. The competition has also seen over 50 players play at Casey Stadium with come and try days ran in Geelong (Vic), NSW and the Northern Territory. This is a testament to Softball Australia's commitment to make softball inclusive for all.
GRAND FINAL WINNERS
February 2019- Season 1: Julie's Alpacas v Raptors
May 2019- Season 2: Cranny Cats v Julie's Alpacas
August 2019- Season 3: D-Squad v Cranny Cats
April 2021- Season 4: Cranny Cats v Raptors
July 2022- Season 5: Cranny Cats v Cobras