# 2022–23 Australian Baseball League season

The 2022–23 Australian Baseball League season was the twelfth season of the Australian Baseball League (ABL). After the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the 2021–22 season and reduced the 2020–21 season to six teams, this season was the first in three years not to feel the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports. The regular season began on 10 November 2022 and concluded on 22 January 2023 with the Adelaide Giants winning the Claxton Shield over the Perth Heat. This season was the last season to feature Auckland Tuatara and Geelong-Korea, with both teams folding at the conclusion of the season.

## Teams

Both the Auckland Tuatara and Geelong-Korea returned to the competition for the first time since the 2019–20 Australian Baseball League season. The Tuatara purchased the National Basketball League team the Auckland Huskies, who now go by the same name.
Teams in the ABL :
| Team | State / Territory/ Country | Stadium |
| Adelaide Giants | South Australia | Diamond Sports Stadium |
| Auckland Tuatara | New Zealand | North Harbour Stadium |
| Brisbane Bandits | Queensland | Holloway Field |
| Canberra Cavalry | Australian Capital Territory | Narrabundah Ballpark |
| Geelong-Korea | Victoria | Geelong Baseball Park |
| Melbourne Aces | Victoria | Melbourne Ballpark |
| Perth Heat | Western Australia | Baseball Park |
| Sydney Blue Sox | New South Wales | Blue Sox Stadium |

## Regular season

The league returned to a 10-round, 40 game schedule, with teams playing division rivals eight times and inter-division teams four times.
Auckland, Brisbane, Canberra and Sydney grouped into the "Northeast Division" with Adelaide, Geelong, Melbourne and Perth grouped into the "Southwest Division".
Scheduled doubleheaders consist of a seven inning game followed by a nine inning game. The league uses the WBSC tiebreaker rule for all games going beyond the 9th inning, or extra innings beginning less than one hour before a curfew.
Baxter Field was previously announced to be hosting the first Australian Baseball League All-Star Game since 2017, but was delayed due to the damage caused by the 2022 eastern Australia floods.
Milestones during the regular season included Tim Atherton becoming the first pitcher to 400 strikeouts. The first Canberra Cavalry player to 300 games for Robbie Perkins and the first Brisbane Bandits player to 350 games for Andrew Campbell.
The Adelaide Giants broke the win streak record with 12 games between 24 November and 10 December 2022. Trent D'Antonio broke the record for most career appearances on 8 January 2023 with 387 games. Dae-sung Koo who held the record for the oldest player to play in the ABL when he pitched an inning for Geelong-Korea at age 48 in 2018, came back out of retirement to break his own record, pitching a scoreless inning against at age 53.
T.J. Bennett broke the single-season homerun record with 17 homeruns, a record he previously held with 16 alongside Kellin Deglan and Donald Lutz.

### Standings

Key :
* Secured Semi-finals berth
Northeast Division :
| Pos | Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
| 1 | Brisbane Bandits | 30 | 10 | .750 | - |
| 2 | Auckland Tuatara | 17 | 17 | .500 | 10.0 |
| 3 | Canberra Cavalry | 18.5 | 19 | .493 | 10.25 |
| 4 | Sydney Blue Sox | 12.5 | 27 | .316 | 17.25 |
The game between Canberra Cavalry and Sydney Blue Sox scheduled for Sunday 23 January was rained out before play could begin. Because that was the last Sunday of the regular season, the game could not be rescheduled, and both teams were awarded a half win per the League's rules.
Southwest Division :
| Pos | Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
| 1 | Adelaide Giants | 25 | 15 | .625 | - |
| 2 | Perth Heat | 23 | 17 | .575 | 2.0 |
| 3 | Melbourne Aces | 15 | 21 | .417 | 8.0 |
| 4 | Geelong-Korea | 13 | 27 | .325 | 12.0 |

### Statistical leaders

Batting leaders :
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
| AVG | Alex Hall | Perth Heat | .360 |
| HR | T.J. Bennett | Brisbane Bandits | 17 |
| RBI | T.J. Bennett | Brisbane Bandits | 42 |
| R | T.J. Bennett | Brisbane Bandits | 36 |
| H | Pete Kozma Erny Ordonez | Perth Heat Sydney Bluesox | 41 |
| SB | Jake Mackenzie | Canberra Cavalry | 16 |
Pitching leaders :
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
| W | Tim Atherton Brock Gilliam Sam Holland | Brisbane Bandits Perth Heat Brisbane Bandits | 5 |
| L | Josh Guyer | Sydney Bluesox | 6 |
| ERA | Jordan Fowler | Adelaide Giants | 1.63 |
| K | Gunnar Kines | Perth Heat | 61 |
| IP | Gunnar Kines | Perth Heat | 56+2⁄3 |
| SV | James Meeker | Brisbane Bandits | 11 |
* ↑ Minimum 2.7 PAs per team game.
* ↑ Minimum 0.8 IP per team game.

### Awards
## Postseason

The playoffs will see four teams compete in two rounds. The semi-final round saw the winner of each division host the runner-up of the other division in a best-of-three series. The winners of each semi-final will compete in a best-of-three final round, with the first game being hosted by the lower seed and the remaining games hosted by the higher seed. This format is similar to that used for the 2017–18 season.
| Semi-final Series | Semi-final Series | Semi-final Series | Championship Series | Championship Series | Championship Series |
| 1 | Brisbane Bandits | 1 | | | |
| 2 | Perth Heat | 2 | | | |
| 2 | Perth Heat | 2 | W-A | Perth Heat | 1 |
| | | | W-B | Adelaide Giants | 2 |
| 1 | Adelaide Giants | 2 | W-B | Adelaide Giants | 2 |
| 2 | Auckland Tuatara | 1 | | | |

### Semi-Final: Brisbane Bandits (NE1) vs Perth Heat (SW2)

Brisbane Bandits hosted Perth Heat for a best-of-three semi-final at Viticon Stadium (Holloway Field). Brisbane won the first game, but Perth won the remaining two to secure a place in the finals.
| 27 January 2023 18:00 (UTC+10:00) Game 1 | Brisbane Bandits | 3-2 | Perth Heat | Holloway Field, Brisbane Attendance: 1,650 Umpires: HP: Paul Latta. 1B: Matthew Pearson. 2B: Tom West. 3B: Ben Nash. |
| 27 January 2023 18:00 (UTC+10:00) Game 1 | WP: David Huff (1-0) Sv: James Meeker (S, 1) | Boxscore | LP: Tyler Beardsley (0-1) | Holloway Field, Brisbane Attendance: 1,650 Umpires: HP: Paul Latta. 1B: Matthew Pearson. 2B: Tom West. 3B: Ben Nash. |
| 27 January 2023 18:00 (UTC+10:00) Game 1 | | Boxscore | HR: Ulrich Bojarski (1) | Holloway Field, Brisbane Attendance: 1,650 Umpires: HP: Paul Latta. 1B: Matthew Pearson. 2B: Tom West. 3B: Ben Nash. |
| 28 January 2023 18:00 (UTC+10:00) Game 2 | Brisbane Bandits | 4-14 | Perth Heat | Holloway Field, Brisbane Attendance: 1,825 Umpires: HP: Matthew Pearson. 1B: Tom West. 2B: Ben Nash. 3B: Paul Latta. |
| 28 January 2023 18:00 (UTC+10:00) Game 2 | LP: Tim Atherton (0-1) | Boxscore | WP: Gunnar Kines (1-0) | Holloway Field, Brisbane Attendance: 1,825 Umpires: HP: Matthew Pearson. 1B: Tom West. 2B: Ben Nash. 3B: Paul Latta. |
| 28 January 2023 18:00 (UTC+10:00) Game 2 | HR: Dai-Kang Yang (1) | Boxscore | HR: Ulrich Bojarski (2), Will Simoneit (1), Jake Bowey (1), Connor Owings (1) | Holloway Field, Brisbane Attendance: 1,825 Umpires: HP: Matthew Pearson. 1B: Tom West. 2B: Ben Nash. 3B: Paul Latta. |
| 29 January 2023 14:00 (UTC+10:00) Game 3 | Brisbane Bandits | 8-10 | Perth Heat | Holloway Field, Brisbane Attendance: 852 Umpires: HP: Tom West. 1B: Ben Nash. 2B: Paul Latta. 3B: Matthew Pearson. |
| 29 January 2023 14:00 (UTC+10:00) Game 3 | LP: Cameron Wagoner (0-1) | Boxscore | WP: Will Sherriff (1-0) Sv: Connor Higgins (S, 1) | Holloway Field, Brisbane Attendance: 852 Umpires: HP: Tom West. 1B: Ben Nash. 2B: Paul Latta. 3B: Matthew Pearson. |
| 29 January 2023 14:00 (UTC+10:00) Game 3 | | Boxscore | HR: Ulrich Bojarski (3), Jake Bowey 2 (3), Caminero (1) | Holloway Field, Brisbane Attendance: 852 Umpires: HP: Tom West. 1B: Ben Nash. 2B: Paul Latta. 3B: Matthew Pearson. |

### Semi-Final: Adelaide Giants (SW1) vs Auckland Tuatara (NE2)

Adelaide Giants hosted Auckland Tuatara for a best-of-three semi-final at Diamond Sports Stadium. Game 2 was postponed and moved to the next day due to rain, resulting in double-header being played. Adelaide won the first and third games to secure a place in the final against Perth.
| 27 January 2023 19:05 (UTC+10:30) Game 1 | Adelaide Giants | 5-3 | Auckland Tuatara | Bennett Field, Adelaide Attendance: 1,145 Umpires: HP: Trent Thomas. 1B: Ryan Harder. 2B: Blake Halligan. 3B: Andrew Bell. |
| 27 January 2023 19:05 (UTC+10:30) Game 1 | WP: Austin Ross (1-0) Sv: Adam McKillican (S, 1) | Boxscore | LP: Chase Walter (0-1) | Bennett Field, Adelaide Attendance: 1,145 Umpires: HP: Trent Thomas. 1B: Ryan Harder. 2B: Blake Halligan. 3B: Andrew Bell. |
| 27 January 2023 19:05 (UTC+10:30) Game 1 | | Boxscore | HR: Jake Bowey 2 (5), | Bennett Field, Adelaide Attendance: 1,145 Umpires: HP: Trent Thomas. 1B: Ryan Harder. 2B: Blake Halligan. 3B: Andrew Bell. |
| 29 January 2023 14:00 (UTC+10:30) Game 2 | Adelaide Giants | 0-2 | Auckland Tuatara | Bennett Field, Adelaide Attendance: 614 Umpires: HP: Ryan Harder. 1B: Andrew Bell. 2B: Trent Thomas. 3B: Ian Reval. |
| 29 January 2023 14:00 (UTC+10:30) Game 2 | WP: Dylan Unsworth (0-1) | Boxscore | LP: Toru Murata (1-0) | Bennett Field, Adelaide Attendance: 614 Umpires: HP: Ryan Harder. 1B: Andrew Bell. 2B: Trent Thomas. 3B: Ian Reval. |
| 29 January 2023 14:00 (UTC+10:30) Game 2 | | Boxscore | HR: Matt Feinstein (1) | Bennett Field, Adelaide Attendance: 614 Umpires: HP: Ryan Harder. 1B: Andrew Bell. 2B: Trent Thomas. 3B: Ian Reval. |
| 29 January 2023 18:00 (UTC+10:30) Game 3 | Adelaide Giants | 4-2 | Auckland Tuatara | Bennett Field, Adelaide Attendance: 811 Umpires: HP: Trent Thomas. 1B: Blake Halligan. 2B: Andrew Bell. 3B: Ryan Harder. |
| 29 January 2023 18:00 (UTC+10:30) Game 3 | WP: Luke Wilkins (1-0) Sv: Adam McKillican (S, 2) | Boxscore | LP: Ryo Kohigashi (0-1) | Bennett Field, Adelaide Attendance: 811 Umpires: HP: Trent Thomas. 1B: Blake Halligan. 2B: Andrew Bell. 3B: Ryan Harder. |

### Final: Adelaide Giants (SW1) vs Perth Heat (SW2)

Adelaide Giants and Perth Heat played a best-of-three final. The first game was hosted by Perth at Empire Ballpark, and the remaining games were hosted by Adelaide at Diamond Sports Stadium.
Adelaide and Perth last faced each other in the final of the 2014–15 Australian Baseball League season, when Perth won the Claxton Shield. Despite Adelaide making the final four times since the ABL's inaugural season in 2010–11, a team from South Australia has not won the Claxton Shield since 1980.
Perth won the first game, but Adelaide won the second and third games and consequently the final, ending South Australia's 43-year Claxton Shield drought.
Adelaide-born Jordan McArdle was named the Postseason MVP, hitting three home runs across in both of the Giants' Championship Series wins.
| 03 February 2023 19:00 (UTC+08:00) Game 1 | Perth Heat | 9-5 | Adelaide Giants | Empire Ballpark, Perth Attendance: 3,426 Umpires: HP: Paul Latta. 1B: Trent Thomas. 2B: Tom West. 3B: Matthew Pearson. |
| 03 February 2023 19:00 (UTC+08:00) Game 1 | WP: Tyler Beardsley (1-1) | Boxscore | LP: Jordan Fowler (0-1) | Empire Ballpark, Perth Attendance: 3,426 Umpires: HP: Paul Latta. 1B: Trent Thomas. 2B: Tom West. 3B: Matthew Pearson. |
| 04 February 2023 19:00 (UTC+10:30) Game 2 | Adelaide Giants | 9-5 | Perth Heat | Bennett Field, Adelaide Attendance: 2,540 Umpires: HP: Trent Thomas. 1B: Tom West. 2B: Matthew Pearson. 3B: Paul Latta |
| 04 February 2023 19:00 (UTC+10:30) Game 2 | WP: Mitch Neunborn (1-0) | Boxscore | LP: Gunnar Kines (1-1) | Bennett Field, Adelaide Attendance: 2,540 Umpires: HP: Trent Thomas. 1B: Tom West. 2B: Matthew Pearson. 3B: Paul Latta |
| 04 February 2023 19:00 (UTC+10:30) Game 2 | HR: Jordan McArdle 2 (2), Quincy Latimore (1), Jared Carr (1), Jarryd Rogers (1) | Boxscore | HR: Jake Bowey 2 (5), | Bennett Field, Adelaide Attendance: 2,540 Umpires: HP: Trent Thomas. 1B: Tom West. 2B: Matthew Pearson. 3B: Paul Latta |
| 05 February 2023 18:00 (UTC+10:30) Game 3 | Adelaide Giants | 5-2 | Perth Heat | Bennett Field, Adelaide Attendance: 2,036 Umpires: HP: Tom West. 1B: Matthew Pearson. 2B: Paul Latta. 3B: Trent Thomas. |
| 05 February 2023 18:00 (UTC+10:30) Game 3 | WP: Adam McKillican (1-0) Sv: Todd Van Steensel (S, 1) | Boxscore | LP: Brock Gilliam (0-1) | Bennett Field, Adelaide Attendance: 2,036 Umpires: HP: Tom West. 1B: Matthew Pearson. 2B: Paul Latta. 3B: Trent Thomas. |
| 05 February 2023 18:00 (UTC+10:30) Game 3 | HR: Jordan McArdle (3) | Boxscore | | Bennett Field, Adelaide Attendance: 2,036 Umpires: HP: Tom West. 1B: Matthew Pearson. 2B: Paul Latta. 3B: Trent Thomas. |