Australia continues to overcome adversity this summer
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When asked about the biggest challenges Hills Little League faced on its way to an Australian regional title, manager Brad Abel had a quick and simply answer.
Staying healthy.
While being together as a team since February, it's unclear if they've ever had a training session where all 12 or 13 guys were there, according to Abel. And yet, despite that demoralizing issue, the team made it through the Australian regional without suffering a loss, earning a spot in the Little League World Series.
A run to the series is never an easy one. And when a roster is constantly rotating around due to injury, it borders on the line of improbable.
It's difficult to build chemistry when enduring problems of that nature. But for Abel and the team, it's just something they had to push through and deal with to make it here.
"Everyone else has got to step it up," said Abel, referring to his message to the players throughout the season. "Everyone else has got to go contribute and fill those voids."
Unfortunately for the team, those issues wouldn't disappear when they left Australia for the states. The first day they arrived, starting right fielder Jack Drummond, who also plays pitcher, broke his foot rolling his ankle.
"He's one of the starters and unfortunately, this is a 12-year-old's dream," said Abel. "He gets here through hard work, and you get to the first day he's here and he breaks his ankle."
Without much time to adjust and with 2022 World Series runner-up Curacao as its first opponent on Thursday, Australia was in a tough spot heading into game one. Coupled with the fact that Australia has not advanced past the first round of the tourney since 2016, and it was considered an underdog.
According to manager Abel, these teams don't have that much time together, which plays a large role in the region's struggles.
"I've spoken to a few coaches at some of these sites they've had them since they were 6-7 years old, like we've only had these guys together for eight months," said Abel. "What we need to do back home is get together at eight or nine, give them two or three years together and then come here."
But with all those factors in its way, along with defensive struggles early against Curacao, Australia managed to impress most in attendance.
In the third inning, it evened the game up off a wild pitch one at-bat after securing its first hit of the game. Starting pitcher Adrian Jankuloski and the Australia outfield managed to keep the score deadlocked at 1-1 until the bottom of the fifth, where Curacao scored off a Jayvery Felicia RBI.
"I will credit the pitching of the Australian pitcher was amazing, just mixed his balls," said Curacao manager Zaino Everett. "I can't talk too much because I would keep crediting the pitcher because that was a great job for him."
Though it was knocked down to the losers' bracket, it showed it could match up with some of the tougher teams in tournament. Abel credits the team's success through regionals and in the first round of the Little League World Series on one key aspect: teamwork.
"It's the Aussie way, I suppose, that we stick together with the formal ways," said Abel. "Whether we're good, bad or ugly, we always stick together as a team. From an advantage point of view, it's a team effort and if we win games, which we're here to do, it'll be all 12 players that contribute. Won't be one-fourth."
It'll face Cuba is a losers' bracket matchup this afternoon, where it'll look to continue fighting to avoid elimination.