Mr ALISTER HENSKENS (Wahroonga) (14:25): I am delighted to share with the House the great success of one of my community's young talents, Travis Bazzana, who recently was the only Australian drafted in the first round of Major League Baseball in America. Amazingly, he was selected as the number one pick overall. Competing against college and high school students and players from across the world, Travis was selected number one. He was also the first second-baseman to be selected as the number one pick overall. At only 21 years of age, Travis was picked by the Cleveland Guardians and will play with them in the upcoming baseball season. This is an incredible and wonderful achievement. A representative of the Guardians said that, after reviewing the statistics in the lead-up to the draft, they were compelled to select Travis.

Travis is a great homegrown talent. He began playing T-ball for the Ryde Hawkes, before going on to play as part of the Ku-ring-gai Stealers Baseball and Softball Club. He spent hours in the batting cages at the Golden Jubilee oval in Wahroonga, mastering the sport and building up the skills he needed to succeed around the world. Not only is he a fantastic baseball player; he also was a talented cricketer in his youth, captaining Turramurra High School to its first State championship in cricket. His former teammates at the Stealers recall the immense amount of time he spent practising his baseball skills, saying they knew he would go far. At the age of 18 Travis moved to America, where he dominated the Corvallis Knights in the West Coast League in the summer of 2021. Travis thrived in the program, becoming the all-time leader in home runs, stolen bases, runs scored, doubles, hits and walks, and he also held the single season record for homers, runs scored and total bases.

Travis then played college baseball at the highly ranked Oregon State University. In his last season with the Oregon State University Ducks, Travis was ranked in the top 10 division one college players in the three most important statistical categories for batting. This means he excelled in his hitting average, home runs and slugging percentage. Even during his college breaks Travis would come home to the Golden Jubilee oval in Wahroonga and spend every night practicing in the batting cages.

The Ku-ring-gai Stealers Baseball and Softball Club hosted at the Golden Jubilee clubhouse a live‑streamed party of Travis's draft. His former teammates and coaches were there to watch this history-making moment. Undoubtedly, Travis has inspired the next generation of players in Australia. Many young Stealers were watching Travis's big moment, too, with many Australian players, no doubt, looking to be the next Travis Bazzana. Travis's success is a huge testament to his personal dedication to developing his skills and also to the outstanding player development of the Ku-ring-gal Stealers Baseball and Softball Club. I thank club president Shaun Joffee, volunteers, coaches and parents for their dedication to raising the next generation of softball and baseball superstars. The club was established in 1977 and received the inaugural Baseball Australia Club of the Year award in 2006. It now has over 500 members.

I am proud that the Ku-ring-gai Stealers Baseball and Softball Club has received a range of government grants since I have been the local member. These have included a substantial grant for flooring in the batting cages, portable benches, seating, shading and even a differential regulator. It is critical that governments right across Australia continue to invest in our grassroots sports programs and in our youngest athletes. We know the benefits that exercise has on our physical and mental health, and it is important that we continue to do everything we can to encourage the next generation of our community.

I once again congratulate and thank Travis for his hard work and dedication that has led to this outstanding achievement. We wish him all the best in the coming MLB season, and look forward to seeing him smash more records and succeeding at the highest level of his sport in the world. It is absolutely incredible. I do not think Australians really understand how passionate Americans are about baseball or how incredibly difficult it is to not only be selected in a major league baseball team but to also be number one in the draft. It is an incredible achievement, and Travis will become undoubtedly one of the highest paid athletes that Australia has ever produced. It is so exciting for Travis, and we all wish him the very best.