Brothers in baseball

Berwick City Cougars brothers Matthew and James Kennedy are set to represent Victoria in baseball on opposite sides of the country in January. 24334

By Marc McGowan
SIBLING rivalry will be put to the side early next year when Berwick baseball-playing brothers James and Matthew Kennedy represent Victoria at the national championships.
James, 13, will compete for the state under-14 team from 4 to 11 January in Lismore, New South Wales, while Matthew, 15, will play for the under-18 equivalent between 6 and 17 January in Perth, Western Australia.
They both attend St Francis Xavier College – James is at the school’s Berwick campus and Matthew is at Beaconsfield – and play baseball for the Berwick City Cougars.
All-rounder James will be stepping out for the Big V for the first time and is looking forward to playing “top-quality baseball” after trialling since July.
“I’m very excited. The trials were pretty hard because they put us through lots of running and different things like that,” the right-hander said.
“I didn’t really know what was going to happen (as far as selection).”
James won the best-and-fairest award for the Cougars’ under-14 side last season as they made it all the way to the semi-finals.
The Year 8 student has played many sports over the years, including Australian Rules football, tennis and golf, but enjoys baseball the most.
“I like the fact you get multiple bats – not like cricket, where you get just one,” he said.
James has set himself the lofty goal of making the Major Leagues in the United States, and trains five times a week to help reach that ambition.
“Dad (Peter) and I usually go down to the park and do some running twice a week on top of club and state training,” he said.
“It’s sometimes a bit difficult combining homework and training, but it’s usually pretty good.
“The (Victorian) coach has been pushing us pretty hard, so it would be good if all the training pays off and we can win.”
Left-hander Matthew is a seasoned veteran at national level, having pitched twice previously for Victoria.
The Year 10 student was thrilled to survive the cut for the under-18 outfit at such a young age.
“I only thought I was an outside chance and didn’t give myself much hope of making it, so it was really exciting and surprising,” he said.
“It’s great playing at the highest level you can in your sport and wearing the Victorian colours is also great.”
Matthew has four different pitches in his arsenal – a fast ball, curve ball, split finger and a change-up – but is not your stereotypical flamethrower on the mound.
“I’m not the fastest guy out there, but I’m pretty accurate. I work on being accurate and throwing strikes,” he said.
“I’d rather be accurate than just trying to throw as fast as I can.”
The strategy is clearly working for him and he has mostly avoided major injuries – other than tearing a ligament in his left arm in the under-14s.
Matthew offers plenty of tips to James and is proud to see him succeeding.
“We do a lot of training together. I give him a bit of ‘curry’, but I want to see him do well,” Matthew said.
“He’s been there with me the last couple of times when I’ve played for Victoria, so it’s good to see him have a go.”