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BERWICK WOMEN’S COACH WEARNE OFF TO TOKYO.

Berwick/Springvale Coach and player Simone Wearne will later this month be heading to Tokyo, Japan where she will be Assistant Coach of the Junior Australian Team at the World Children’s Baseball Fair.

25 Countries will participate in the Fair, with Australia, Taiwan and Japan chosen this year to take part in special ‘International Exchange Games’. 2010 marks the first time that the Australian Baseball Federation have sent an all girls junior team to an International Tournament.

The club wishes Simone the best of luck in her first National Coaching role.

ROX’ SCOTT WEARNE IS THE WONDER FROM DOWN UNDER

Mark Ducharme, Enterprise News – 21 June.

Scott Wearne (Berwick VIC) is attempting to construct a professional baseball career for himself.

Wearne, the Rox’ rookie second baseman from Victoria, Australia, has started building a foundation for his professional career that has been pretty impressive. He took over at second base and is hitting .347, which is seventh in the Can-Am League as of Sunday. He is second on the Rox in hitting, behind Keith Brachold’s .360 average.

“He has been unbelievable so far,” said Rox manager Chris Carminucci.

“Scott is a kid who came as advertised. Our scout from Australia said that he can play and he used the term – a hard nosed dirty player. A dirty player in the sense that he gets dirty every time he plays. He plays hard day in and day out.”

Said Rox shortstop Dominic Ramos, who was a minor league player for the Red Sox: “You got to love him. He is a great team guy. He goes out there and leaves his heart out there every night. You could not ask for a better teammate.”

The 27-year old Wearne just loves to play baseball. He does whatever it takes to make the play as he started the middle game of the Rox recent three-game sweep of Pittsfield with a diving stop going to his left off a smash by the Colonials Danny Bomback to start the game and throwing him out. He finished the game with seven assists and five putouts, while at the plate he had three hits and three RBI.

Wearne has worked for the last five years in the construction field in Victoria and played baseball in Australia. He became part of the Rox Australian pipeline that includes teammate Wayne Lundgren as well as former players Craig Anderson and Donovan Hendricks.

“I have been working construction for the last five or six years,” said Wearne. “when you get to play baseball instead of construction, it is a better job.”

Said Lundgren: “Scott and I played many a year back in Australia. We played on the same team together. It is fantastic that he is playing second base behind me. It has been a great time having another Australian here.”

Wearne wanted to come back and play baseball so badly that he paid his way to come back to America and give professional baseball one last chance with the Rox.

“John Deebel,” said Rox principal owner Van Schley. “who is the Australian Olympic coach and works for the Red Sox, said that you will love Wearne. He can play second base and catch.

“I told John that is good, but we can’t afford a plane ticket for him, we’re broke. Deebel said that he will pay for his own plane ticket and he did.”

Said a smiling Wearne: “I did pay for my ticket. I got given a chance to come over and play professionally it was something that I wanted to do. You got to do what you have to do if you want to fulfill your dreams I guess.”

Wearne had played junior college ball in this country at Chipola (Florida) and he transferred to Nicholls State. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 41st round of the 2001 draft and decided not to sign.

He felt that the situation was not right for him at the time was drafted, and that is why he did not sign with the Pirates.

“Things did not turn out that well for me down there (after Nicholls State),” said Wearne. “I went back home and found myself and a passion for the game.”

“I found the passion and I have been having a ball playing. I was playing in Australia, but I did not want to reach 35 and say that is something (playing professionally) that I wanted to do and didn’t. I thought why not.”

Wearne came to the Rox after a 24-game season with the Claxton Shield in Victoria. He hit .320 with three homers and 15 RBI and scored 21 runs in the 24 games he played.

He is enjoying his new summer home in Brockton and playing for the Rox.

“I am around a bunch of great guys,” Wearne said. “They have really helped me and I love playing baseball. I get to play baseball every day and get to get paid for it.

“I have been playing baseball since I was 3 or 4 years old. I played T-ball and my family is involved in it. I always believed that I was a baseball player. I lost the passion for it and went back home and found it again.”

It is a passion that has helped Wearne start building his professional career.