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The 2023–24 Australian Baseball League season was the thirteenth season of the Australian Baseball League (ABL), and began on 17 November 2023.[1] The Adelaide Giants won their second consecutive championship, beating the Perth Heat two games to one in a best-of-three Championship Series.
| 2023–24 Australian Baseball League season | |
|---|---|
| League | Australian Baseball League |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | 17 November 2023 – 4 February 2024 |
| Number of teams | 6 |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | Lachlan Wells |
| Postseason | |
| Champions | Adelaide Giants |
| Runners-up | Perth Heat |
Six teams competed in the season, down from eight in the previous season, due to Auckland Tuatara being liquidated[2] and Geelong-Korea's exit from the league.[3]
The regular season began on 17 November 2023 and is scheduled to end on 21 January 2024.[1] Due to the departure of Auckland Tuatara and Geelong-Korea, the ABL returned to a six-team, single-conference model.[1] Each team will play 40 games (20 home and 20 away) across 10 rounds and will face every other team twice (once at home and once away) in four-game series.[1]
The 1 December game scheduled between Canberra and Perth was originally postponed due to rain but later cancelled due to the lack of suitable schedule space to make up the game. Adelaide was the first team to clinch a playoff position in Round 8, followed shortly after by Brisbane and Perth in the same round. Canberra was eliminated in the same round, leaving just Melbourne and Sydney to fight for the final playoff spot in the final two rounds.
Highlights from the regular season include Adelaide's Nick Ward tying the single-game hit record (6) on 14 December with Shuhei Fukuda, formerly of Brisbane.[10] Tim Kennelly surpassed Trent D'Antonio's all-time games record of 395 on 15 December 2023 and became the first player to 400 games in Round 8.[11]
Trent Thomas, the league's most capped umpire became the first to surpass 300 games 19 November 2023.
Standings
| Postseason |
| Pos | Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adelaide Giants | 29 | 11 | .725 | — |
| 2 | Perth Heat | 24 | 15 | .615 | 4.5 |
| 3 | Brisbane Bandits | 22 | 18 | .550 | 7.0 |
| 4 | Melbourne Aces | 21 | 19 | .525 | 8.0 |
| 5 | Canberra Cavalry | 12 | 27 | .308 | 16.5 |
| 6 | Sydney Blue Sox | 11 | 29 | .275 | 18.0 |
Statistical leaders
|
|
Awards
| Award | Player | Team | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helms Award (MVP) | Lachlan Wells | Adelaide Giants | |
| Postseason MVP | Todd van Steensel | Adelaide Giants | |
| Pitching Champion | Lachlan Wells | Adelaide Giants | |
| Hitting Champion | Nick Ward | Adelaide Giants | |
| Reliever of the Year | Sam Gardner | Brisbane Bandits | |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Logan Wade | Brisbane Bandits | |
| Rookie of the Year | Alex Skepton | Brisbane Bandits | |
The postseason is scheduled to begin on Australia Day, 26 January 2024, with four teams making the playoffs.[1] All postseason series will use a best-of-three format, with the first-placed Adelaide Giants hosting the fourth-placed Melbourne Aces and the second-placed Perth Heat hosting the third-placed Brisbane Bandits.[1][14] The winners of the semi-finals will compete for the Claxton Shield, beginning on 2 February 2024.[1]
Postseason bracket
| Semi-Final Series | Championship Series | ||||||||
| 1 | Adelaide Giants | 2 | |||||||
| 4 | Melbourne Aces | 1 | |||||||
| SF1 | Adelaide Giants | 2 | |||||||
| SF2 | Perth Heat | 1 | |||||||
| 2 | Perth Heat | 2 | |||||||
| 3 | Brisbane Bandits | 1 | |||||||
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