Jaret Chatwood has been everything the Sunshine Baseball Club expected and more since arriving from Canada.
He was recommended to Eagles coach Earl Byrne by Dustin Northcott, one of the import players he coached at the Werribee Giants and a person whose scouting information he trusted.
Chatwood is a teacher by trade but wanted to take a year off and see what he could achieve in baseball abroad. He, too, trusted what Northcott told him about Byrne and playing baseball in Australia.
“As soon as Earl got Dustin’s word that I was the player that I was claiming to be, it kind of just went from there,” Chatwood said.
“I was teaching in Canada and wanted to take a break and try for a little bit more baseball while my body would let me.”
The next step was for Byrne and Chatwood to learn more about one another. Byrne sold the club on Chatwood, while Chatwood sold Byrne on what he could offer as a player.
The talks amounted to a one-year contract and neither party has looked back in what has been a remarkable summer.
“It’s been a great experience so far,” Chatwood said.
“The season has been really good and everyone has been super friendly.”
The Eagles hold a two-game advantage at the top of the Baseball Victoria summer league division 2 ladder.
They had a tough outing on Saturday before clinching an 8-5 win over Berwick City at Barclay Reserve to improve their record to
17-2.
In a recent interview, Byrne admitted his club would not be in the lofty position it is without the impact of Chatwood, who has taken on various important roles for the team.
Even for his team back home, Chatwood had been used as a bit of a spare parts man, but he’s not too worried about chopping and changing his roles.
“Just as long as I get to play, I don’t really care where I’m at,” he said. “Back home I pitched a little bit, but I mainly played third base and catcher.
“It’s helped with my development to be able to play a bunch of different positions.”
At Sunshine, Chatwood has worked as a starting pitcher; he’s one of the top infielders and is the best hitter at the club – the full package.
Chatwood’s future with the club is up in the air depending on his teaching commitments back home, so he wants to leave a legacy this season in case he doesn’t return next season.
The 25-year-old from Red Deer, Alberta, believes it’s important for overseas imports to give back to their clubs’ younger players. He is working closely with some of the young Eagles and has enjoyed seeing their progress.
It seems you can’t take the teaching out of this teacher – even when he’s supposed to be on an extended break. “I’m a teacher by trade so it fits right in perfectly,” the Westmeadows resident said. “I like to be able to help them and see them progress, especially when they listen to what you’re trying to say and it works for them.”
The best legacy Chatwood can leave is to play his part in gaining the Eagles promotion and a premiership.
They are closing in on the minor premiership, which carries with it automatic promotion to division 1.
“There’s a lot of good vibes going on here,” he said. “We’ve put ourselves in a really good spot and we want to keep the pedal down and try and stay on top.”
