Hornets Baseball Club Wagga

🐝 HORNETS BASEBALL CLUB — 2026 END OF SEASON REVIEW 🖤💛

And just like that, the first chapter in Hornets Baseball Club history is complete.

When we started this club, we really didn’t know what our first season would bring. We were a brand-new team finding our feet, bringing together players with different levels of experience and trying to build something that people genuinely wanted to be part of.

There were always going to be growing pains. We had tough losses, close games, mistakes and plenty of lessons along the way. But every week we kept turning up, improving and backing each other.

And slowly, the results started to come.

We celebrated our first win as a club, picked up more victories throughout the year and eventually finished the regular season in 3rd place, earning a spot in the WWBA Final Series in our very first attempt.

Then came a moment we won't forget anytime soon.

Facing the Bulls in our first ever final, we somehow managed to scrape home 9–8, keeping our season alive and sending the Hornets through to the Semi Final.

Unfortunately, that's where our run ended. The Jackals were outstanding and handed us a very convincing 18–0 defeat. Sometimes baseball has a way of reminding you exactly how far you still have to go!

But one result doesn't define this season.

Our first season ended with the Hornets as WWBA Semi Finalists.

More importantly, we finished the year with something much bigger than a win-loss record.

We built a club.

We built friendships, created an identity and established a culture that we hope will continue for many seasons to come. Players stepped into unfamiliar positions, people volunteered their time, families and supporters got behind us, and everyone contributed in their own way.

A massive thank you must go to Coach Dave for taking on the challenge of coaching a completely new club and helping bring this group together.

To every player who pulled on a Hornets jersey this season — thank you. Whether you played every week or only when you could, you helped create the first ever Hornets team, and nobody can ever take that away from you.

To our committee, scorers, volunteers, families and everyone who helped behind the scenes — we couldn't have done it without you.

And of course, a huge thank you to the businesses that took a chance on a brand-new baseball club and supported us throughout our inaugural season:

💛 Victoria Hotel Wagga
💛 Sticky Fingers Diner
💛 777 Media
💛 MGM Garden Care
💛 Lake Village Butchers

Your support helped turn an idea into an actual baseball club, and we're incredibly grateful.

Finally, thank you to the Wagga Wagga Baseball Association and to the Bulls, Rubberducks, Jackals and Giants for welcoming another club into the competition and giving us plenty of enjoyable and competitive baseball throughout the year.

There is plenty we can improve on.

There is plenty we learned.

And there is plenty to be excited about.

From simply hoping we could put a team on the diamond…

to finishing 3rd and playing in a Semi Final.

For Year One, we'll take that.

🐝 HORNETS BASEBALL CLUB
EST. 2026

Season One complete.

Now we build for Season Two and maybe something a little new 🖤💛⚾

🏆 HORNETS BASEBALL CLUB – 2026 AWARD WINNERS 🐝⚾

What a way to celebrate our inaugural season!

Our first Hornets Awards Night gave us the chance to recognise the people who have helped make this club what it is — from performances on the diamond to leadership, commitment, teamwork and the countless contributions made behind the scenes.

A massive congratulations to our 2026 Award Winners:

🏆 Batting Award – Ashton Close
🏆 Fielding – Infield – BJ Burnett
🏆 Fielding – Outfield – Delisle Lowsley
🏆 Players’ Player – Chris Ebsworth
🏆 D. Abbott Coaches Award – Ashton Close & Charli Young
🏆 Most Valuable Player – Chris Ebsworth
🏆 Club Person of the Year – David Abbott & Kara Hall
🏆 Utility Player – Delisle Lowsley
💛 Heart of the Hive – Appreciation Award – Chris Hurst & Ange Close

😄NOVELTY AWARDS😄

Most Stolen Bases: Ashton Close — 11

Most Hit By Pitch: Chris Ebsworth — 5

Most Strikeouts at Bat: Charli Young — 11

Most Errors: Ashton Close — 22

No one walked away empty handed tonight! We have made sure that each player received their own personalised baseball "card" photo with their stats from the season and an engraved HBC baseball in a display case as literature thank you gift.

Tonight we were also incredibly proud to honour David Abbott and the contribution he has made to baseball over many years.

In recognition of David and his contribution to the game, we have officially named our Coaches Award the:

🏆 D. ABBOTT COACHES AWARD 🏆

We’re incredibly fortunate to have him as part of the Hive. 🖤💛

A special congratulations also goes to BJ Burnett, who couldn't be with us to receive his award because he was selected to represent Country in the City v Country clash today— an achievement we are extremely proud of.

Every award tells only part of the story. Our first season has been built by an entire group of players, coaches, families, supporters, volunteers and sponsors who took a chance on a brand-new club and helped turn an idea into the Hornets Baseball Club.

To every winner — congratulations, thoroughly deserved.

And to everyone who has been part of our first year — thank you.

🐝 Season One is officially in the books. The Hive is only getting started.

🐝 A HUGE THANK YOU! 🖤💛

A massive thank you to everyone who has supported the Hornets throughout our first season by buying tickets and getting behind our weekly raffles!

Thanks to your incredible support, we’ve been lucky enough to raffle off more than 36 meat trays throughout the season, and we’ve even seen the Joker Poker jackpot go off twice!

A special thank you to The Vic for giving us the opportunity to host our raffles each week and for supporting our club throughout our inaugural season. Your support has played a huge part in helping us get the Hornets off the ground.

Although the baseball season is coming to an end, we’re not disappearing! We’ll still be at The Vic fortnightly during the off-season, so make sure you come down, say hello and grab a ticket or two.

Every ticket purchased and every bit of support goes directly towards helping our club continue to grow.

Thank you for backing the Hornets in Year One. We can’t wait to see what the future brings!

🐝💛 THANK YOU TO OUR AMAZING SPONSORS! 🖤⚾

As our inaugural season comes to an end, we want to give a massive THANK YOU to the businesses that backed the Hornets from the very beginning.

Starting a brand-new baseball club takes more than just putting players on the field. Our sponsors believed in what we were trying to build and their generosity helped us with equipment, uniforms, awards, fundraising and everything else that goes into getting a new club off the ground.

A huge thank you to:

Victoria Hotel Wagga Wagga
Sticky Fingers Diner
Ebsworth Bat Company
Lake Village Butchery
777 Media

Whether it was financial support, prizes, products, photography, promotion or simply getting behind our players each week, every contribution made a difference.

To each of these businesses — thank you for taking a chance on a brand-new club and becoming part of the Hornets family.

We hope our players, families and supporters can return that support by getting behind the businesses that got behind us. 💛

Season One is in the books, but we're only getting started.

🐝 HORNETS BASEBALL CLUB
Proudly supported by some incredible local businesses.

💛🖤OUR FIRST SEASON COMES TO AN END 🖤💛

Today wasn’t our day.

Congratulations to the Jackals, who were simply too good today, taking out the Semi Final 18–0 and earning their place in the Grand Final against the Rubberducks.

For us, that brings the curtain down on the Hornets’ very first season.

When we started this club, simply getting a team onto the diamond was an achievement. To finish our inaugural season by making the Final Series, winning our first final and reaching the Semi Final is something every person involved with this club should be incredibly proud of.

We’ve had wins, losses, close games, plenty of laughs and probably a few moments we’d rather forget — but most importantly, we built a baseball club and a group of mates that we can’t wait to bring back even stronger next season.

A massive thank you to our players, coaches, committee, families, supporters and sponsors who backed the Hornets throughout year one. None of this happens without you.

As for the Hornets…

Year One: Semi Finalists.
Not a bad place to start. 🐝💛🖤

We’ll be back.

Lets gooooo!!!!

The stage is set for the WWBA Semi Final.

After keeping their season alive with a thrilling 9–8 win over the Bulls, the Hornets now face their next challenge — the Jackals.

The Defending Champions The Jackals will be looking to bounce back after their Preliminary Final defeat, while the Hornets will be hoping to continue their run in their very first season.

There’s plenty on the line.

HORNETS vs JACKALS
STARTS - 1 PM

The winner moves on to the WWBA Grand Final, where the Rubberducks are already waiting.

That's our Boy! Give it everything you got BJ! Make us proud!

What. A. Finish.

The Hornets are through after an incredible 9–8 win over the Bulls, we were incredibly lucky to get away with that one! Right down to the final seconds, we held on by the skin of our teeth in a game that could have gone either way.

We couldn’t be prouder of the effort from this entire team. Everyone has put in the long yards throughout our first season, and that includes the players who couldn’t make it down today because of work, family and other commitments. Every single person who has pulled on the Hornets jersey this year has played a part in getting us to this point.

A huge thank you and congratulations to the Brahman Bulls. You’ve been one of our biggest rivals throughout the season, and every time we’ve met it has been competitive, tough and entertaining baseball. Today was no different. It’s been an absolute battle between our two clubs all year, and we have nothing but respect for the way the Bulls competed right until the very end.

For the Hornets, our first season continues.

Next week we head into the Semi Final for the first time.

Waiting for us will be the Jackals, and our games against them have always been fun, competitive and played in great spirits. We’re looking forward to continuing that tradition even when there’s a place in the Grand Final on the line.

Our very first season has led us to this moment.

After a huge year of learning, improving and building together as a club, the Hornets finished the regular season in 3rd place, edging out the Bulls by just a few points on the ladder.

And it seems only fitting that our first-ever finals game is against them.

The Bulls have been one of our biggest rivals all season. Every time we’ve met, it’s been competitive, physical and played with plenty of passion — and now there’s even more on the line.

Hornets vs Bulls
Preliminary Final
Sunday – 11:00am

For a club in its first season, making it to finals is something we’re incredibly proud of, but we’re not finished yet.

Make sure you get down to the grounds and get behind the Hornets as we take on the Bulls in what should be an exciting opening game of the WWBA Finals Series.

GO HORNETS!

🟡⚫️🟡⚫️ SAVE THE DATE ⚫️🟡⚫️🟡

The Hornets Baseball Club Presentation Night is locked in, and we'd love to celebrate the season with all our players, families, supporters and sponsors.

Saturday, 29 August
Victoria Hotel – Upstairs in The Loft
Arrive from 6:00pm
Presentations commence at 6:30pm

Join us as we recognise the achievements, dedication and memorable moments from the season, with plenty of laughs along the way.

More information will be released soon, but for now, mark the date in your calendar – we can't wait to celebrate with everyone! 💛🖤