By JARROD POTTER
PAKENHAM Pumas are one step closer to their first summertime swing with the announcement this week of inaugural summer coach Shaun Fahy.
Fahy will make the switch from Berwick summer baseball up to Toomuc Reserve where he’s called winter home for many years and hopes to generate the same interest.
“New era definitely – it’s definitely exciting,” Fahy said. “Not just for me, but to work with a good committee and a good bunch of people to work with.”
“At the moment the kids and senior players go elsewhere over summer, but if we have a summer club they don’t have to travel and they know they have a club close by.”
While leaving Berwick was a difficult prospect – considering the hard yards Fahy had put in to get them to a level of junior success – the challenge of doing it again 20 kilometres up the road is extremely motivating.
“Definitely tough – I was part of the junior build-up through Berwick and there when we implemented the junior program – helping build it to the club it is now,” Fahy said. “To step away is hard, but to do it all again for me is worth it.
“I don’t measure success by premierships, I measure it by the amount of kids that get into the sport and to see them become successful seniors is much more satisfying.
“I’m 40 this year, so I’m not really into the playing and competitive side as I used to be, but to help start something new and be there from the ground up is exciting and rewarding.”
Fahy hasn’t dipped his toes in the Baseball Victoria Division 3 competition in a fair while, but he believes his side can match it in their new found division.
“Haven’t played Division 3 for a fairly long time – it is uncharted waters for me at the moment and I’ve played mostly Division 1 and Division 2,” Fahy said. “Not putting any expectations on us whatsoever.
“I think we’ll be successful – not looking at a premiership in the first three years, but we won’t be easybeats and will be around the mark with personnel.
“We’ll be fairly competitive for the first couple of seasons as we establish ourselves in the league for the first time this year and see how we fare.”
The Pumas hope to put two or three senior sides into the Baseball Victoria Division 3 competition and fill up the junior ranks with around three or four sides across the age groups.
Fahy rated the Pumas’ winter season as the side continued to make inroads into the Dandenong Baseball Association’s premier A1 competition.
“We had a very good season – got an older side unfortunately so other sides that have talented youth and older guys – late twenties, early thirties – we have a team primarily in our thirties and some moving on from that as well.
“Had five wins – which is great considering we’ve only been in A Grade for three years – we beat Berwick twice and beat Mornington so we’ve definitely got the talent.”
A new team has brought new additions to the roster with Pakenham getting Scotty Dale – New Zealand high-calibre softball player – Shane Evans, John Beech and Martin Kennedy to join the Pumas’ pride for 2015-’16.
The Pumas will announce a sign-up date for the newly formed summer squads soon. For more information on joining the Pumas’ summer team, visit the club website at www.pakenhampumas.com or email pakenham.pumas@gmail.com.
