Harper Sercombe
Sunshine Eagles’ Darryl George has etched his name in the Melbourne Aces’ history books, as one of the clubs most prolific run scorers.
The power hitter nailed his 39th career home run for the Australian Baseball League club against the Perth Heat earlier this month, tying with club legend Brad Harman.
George played his first game for the Altona Meadows-based club back in 2011 and while the record was never a goal of his, he said it is something he is proud of.
“I’m very humbled. It’s been a long journey with the Aces, I’ve played there since I was 18, I pretty much grew up around the club,” he said.
“You don’t really realise it, I guess you just take it one game at a time then you look up and you’re there.
“Everyone’s making a big deal out of it now but it hadn’t been on my radar and I don’t think it will be once I reach the milestone. I’m just going to get back to playing the game and having fun.
“It’ll be awesome. It’ll give myself and the boys something to cheer and smile about. But for me I definitely don’t focus on to be honest. I just want to play for the enjoyment.”
The 30-year-old said he wasn’t particularly close to Harman during the time they spent together at the Aces, yet he was someone he watched closely. George said working with Baseball Victoria’s talent development manager Damian Shanahan had a lot to do with the record he now holds.
“Brad played in the major league, so growing up he was definitely someone that you look up to for that reason,” he said.
“I think big props goes to Damian Shanahan for a lot of the work that he did. When I came back from the US and my stint with the Tampa Bay Rays we reconfigured and redesigned my swing and that’s definitely when the results started to flow.”
More importantly for George is the success of the Aces. It was heartbreak on the weekend as they went down to the Adelaide Giants in a best-of-three series with a spot in the grand final series on the line.
“We’re looking forward to it,” he said before the games. “We’ve got a really talented roster and we match up well against Adelaide.
“We only need to win two games. It could go either way really so we’re feeling pretty confident.
“When you’re on the road there are definitely less distractions, you’ve got less to worry about, you’re there just for the baseball.
“I’m looking forward to just getting away and playing some baseball in Adelaide and hopefully enjoying some really nice weather.”
Following the ABL season, the Australian national team is set to take to Melbourne Ballpark for a two-game series against Korean baseball team the Hanwha Eagles. February 17 will be the first time the national team has played on home soil since 2020.
George has been a part of the Australian outfit since 2015.
“That’s definitely what keeps you playing and keeps you in the game, for me anyway,” he said. “Being able to play for Australia at the elite level is incredibly fulfilling, so I’m looking forward to that.
“Getting to do it in front of a home crowd as well will be really cool, so I’ll have some friends and family that will get to see me wear the jersey so I think they’re more excited about it than I am.
“There’s definitely a lot of interest there and if we get a bit of promotion behind it, I think we’ll be pretty stoked with the turnout.
“We want to be able to put our best foot forward and continue to beat some of the powerhouse teams and hopefully start making a good push at the Olympics in LA.”
When George is not dominating with the Aces or Australia he is hitting homers with the Sunshine Eagles. While he has a busy period of baseball coming up, he said he loves heading down to Barclay Reserve.
“The boys have been playing pretty well without me to be honest, I might dampen their chances by coming down, might be better off to let them keep dominating,” he said with a laugh.
“’Once the ABL season is finished up, I’ll be heading back down there and it’ll be good to get around the club and just being around the younger guys and helping them get better but also hanging out with old friends as well and being able to take the field wit them, it’s just a bit of fun that I really enjoy.”
