[lead]This year we welcome the Balzke family to the Shoalhaven, our newest family from Sydney with 5 children.  Josh Balzke  (Dad) who has had many years’ experience in playing and coaching in Sydney and has re located down to our local area. Josh will be taking on a coaching roll with our Juniors on  Friday afternoons with our Shoalhaven Mariners Junior Baseball. Shoalhaven Mariners Baseball are looking forward to Josh’s experience and knowledge being filtered into our Junior players.[/lead]

Josh started baseball at 11 years old at Hawkesbury baseball club, from there he went on to represent Hills District in state cup and progressing to NSW winning championships in both years as a representative of the NSW U18 team.

Throughout this josh was part of the NSWIS program (NSW Institute of sport)

Josh also played NSW Schoolboys and represented Australia in the Oceana tournament in American Samoa.

Josh has clocked up more than 50 seasons either playing or coaching and playing and coaching.

Josh started out coaching and umpiring as a teenager and has coached:

• U/16’s division multiple times.
• U/16’s State Cup Hills.
• U/16’s NSW development.
• Dozens of senior teams including head coach of Hawkesbury Major league squad and a player in the squad for more than 12 years.
• Coached Kai and Milla in U/8’s.
• Coached Kai and Morgan in U/10’s (Morgan received a dispensation to play up an age bracket).
• Most recently have been welcomed as one of the coaches at Shoalhaven Mariners.

Kai and Milla started tee-ball in the under 6’s Junior Comp at Hawkesbury Hawks.=

Morgan started tee-ball in under 6’s at Rouse Hill Wildcats where Danica coached the team through an undefeated season.

When our families merged Morgan  moved to Hawkesbury Hawks where he received a dispensation to play in the under 10’s on Kai’s team.

In late 2018 we moved from the Hawkesbury to the Shoalhaven where we started scouting for a local baseball/tee-ball club.

We were sad to move away from the club Josh had been involved with for over 27 years and is a life member at but looked forward to a new setting and all the fun and challenges that come along with a sea change.

This year is Matilda and Lexi’s first season playing tee-ball and both are keen to continue developing their skills.

On weekends as a family we spend time on our property throwing a ball around and practising fielding and batting skills.

We love that no matter the age or skill level, baseball brings us closer together as a family and we are all looking forward to the rest of the season as part of the Shoalhaven Mariners Family.