The Adelaide Bite are a professional baseball team who plays in the Australian Baseball League and is one of the six founding teams of the league.
The Bite have multiple alumni who have played in the MLB in following years and many players who play for Team Australia in an international level. The team is made up of up-and-coming MLB draft prospects who play minor league baseball in the USA or established Australian players. Former big-league players often play in the ABL.
Their home ballpark was the historic Norwood Oval in Norwood, South Australia which is based in the city of Adelaide, South Australia from 2009 to 2016, They however made the moved down to West Beach in the 2016/2017 season. The team name originates from the nearby hydrographic landmark, the Great Australian Bight as well as the Great White Shark which inhabits the southern coast of South Australia.
The Bite are famous for their Shark Tank - the only section in Australian sport where you can sit on the actual playing surface during the play of the game.
Adelaide's first general manager was former New York Yankees infielder Pat Kelly. He served as the General Manager from 2009-2013. Since the beginning of the 2013/14 season, former Adelaide Giants and Team Australia baseball player Nathan Davison took over the team as GM and CEO.
In three seasons under Davison the Bite have made the Australian Baseball League Championships Series twice - falling to the Perth Heat in 2015 and the Brisbane Bandits in 2016.
In 2010 South Australian power company ETSA Utilities was announced as the major sponsor of the Adelaide Bite and that the team would be known as the Adelaide ETSA Bite. After an ETSA rebrand to SA Power Networks the Bite became the "Adelaide Bite, proudly presented by SA Power Networks."
Video Adelaide Bite
Game day atmosphere
The Adelaide Bite are known for their unique sports atmosphere. Their speciality is the Shark Tank - a section where fans can sit on the field right next to the Adelaide Bite home dugout and interact with players. They also served a pig roast on the field as well as a drinks package. [2]
The nature of baseball allows kids to run around and chase foul balls. They even can run on the field in-between innings. There are many catchy songs, quirky Walk up music selections from the players, and lots of in-game activations.
In 2016, players from the Adelaide Football Club, Port Adelaide Football Club and Adelaide Strikers showed up to participate in a pre-game home-run derby that brought thousands of people to the stadium.
Various entertainers appeared for their games including Ethan Hall (or "Hiccup Kid") who sang the national anthem while hiccuping before a game. Other famous anthem singers include Darth Vader.
The Bite are known for their quirky off-field antics. On April 1, 2016, the Bite fooled the world by announcing that baseball legend Derek Jeter would be joining the club as a player manager. It would have been the most high-profile signing in Australian sports' history. The practical joke garnered international headlines including a story in the New York Times and the Yankees' twitter account.
Maps Adelaide Bite
Recent history
The Adelaide Bite has experienced recent heartbreak having been to the Claxton Shield final four times since 2009 and unable to win in the championship game.
The Bite went to the ABL Championship Series back-to-back years in 2015 and 2016 but fell to the Perth Heat at home and the Brisbane Bandits on the road respectively. The Adelaide Bite hosted the 2015 ABL Championship Series and set a record for single game attendance in the ABL on the Saturday night with over 5,000 people attending the game.
In Mid 2016 they shifted, their home down to the 5,000 capacity Diamond Sports Complex located at Barratt Reserve on West Beach Road, West Beach adjacent to the Adelaide International Airport. This was due to scheduled renovations at Norwood Oval.
Team Australia players
The Adelaide Bite send numerous players to represent team Australia on various international stages including the World Baseball Classic, World Baseball Classic qualification, Olympic baseball and Honkbal Hoofdklasse in Harlem.
Notable alumni
The Adelaide Bite are the only ABL team who have had a former player progress to the big leagues every Major League Baseball season since the ABL's reincarnation. Some notable players include:
Brandon Maurer - San Diego Padres pitcher, played for the Bite in 2010/11
Tom Brice - 2004 Olympic silver medalist for Team Australia
James Jones (baseball) - Seattle Mariners outfielder. Played for the Bite in 2011/2012.
Rinku Singh - The subject of the film Million Dollar Arm. Played for the Bite in 2011/2012.
Ji-man Choi - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim outfielder. Played for the Bite in 2012/2013
Rocky Gale - San Diego Padres Catcher. Played for the Bite in 2014/15.
Mitch Dening - Australian baseball player. Played in the top league in Japan for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows
Chang Tai-shan - Taiwanese baseball player. Holds record for all time most CPBL home runs. Played for the Bite in 2017/18.
Year by year results
Current Roster
See also
- List of current Australian Baseball League team rosters
References
External links
- Official website
- Australian Baseball League website
Source of article : Wikipedia
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