28 August; Mrinal Asija
It has been the season of World Cups in the world of women’s sport. While we celebrated the Matildas’ historic run on home soil, and the Diamonds’ title win in South Africa, the University of Melbourne had plenty to cheer about at the Baseball World Cup as well, as one of its student-athletes, Lili Cavanagh was representing the Australian Emeralds.
The Emeralds were drawn in Pool A along with Canada, United States, South Korea, Hong Kong and Mexico. Their leg of the tournament took place in Ontario, Canada from August 8-13. Pool B will be held later in September in Japan and the top 2 teams from each pool will play in the final round, which will be held in 2024, along with two additional wild card teams.
Cavanagh, a third year Bachelor of Arts Student, is a pitcher and plays in the outfielder position. A brilliant run for Victoria at the domestic level, which included winning a Golden Glove and Golden Bat at the Australian Youth Championships, earned her a call up to the senior national side. While the Emeralds, ranked eighth in the world, did not progress to the finals after finishing in fourth position in the pool stage, it was a great learning experience for Lili, who described it as surreal.
“The level of competition was not just great to play against, but also to watch,” Lili said after returning from Canada. The youngster had to quickly learn to get over the awe of playing at the biggest stage. “Playing for your country requires a whole other mindset. When you're on the field, you're there just to play the game. If you make it bigger than it needs to be in the moment, it becomes so much more overwhelming, so for me, I had to separate the sheer significance of the event from the game itself so I could get through each game.”
Lili already has an eye on the next World Cup and is focusing on her health with the aim to stay fit for national selection. Being a full-time student poses an additional challenge to her goals, but Lili has found a way to strike a balance. “It has taken a lot of organisation and compartmentalisation to balance my studies and my sport well enough to excel in both. The Elite Athlete Program helped take some of the weight off my shoulders in my own preparation for the national championships earlier in the year, which helped me secure a spot in the Australian squad. Having access to the gym while I was on campus for my classes was really helpful too in terms of staying consistent with my routine - something I wouldn't have accessed without the EAP. I commute into university for my classes, which takes a lot of time out of my day, so having the ability to train on campus gives me more time to work on my assignments at home.”
Cavanagh was not the only Melbourne University connection in the Emeralds camp at the World Cup. She was also accompanied by two University alumni and experienced campaigners Abbey Kelly and Morgan Doty. Kelly was the star of Australia’s upset of the USA at the 2016 World Cup and Doty is regarded as one of the best female baseball players in the world currently. Lili credited their guidance for her success. “I've played against Abbey and Morgan in the local competition in Melbourne for years, and looked up to both of them for even longer, so to play at the highest level with both of them was really special. Abbey taught me a lot when it came to game strategy and pitching, which I was really grateful for. I got to train alongside Morgan for the past three or so months in the lead up to selection, because we both play in the outfield. Morgan was our team's starting center fielder, and I was fortunate enough to play next to her in both the games I played in at the World Cup. I even got some time in center field when she wasn't in the outfield, which I definitely wouldn't have been ready for without her help. I've been really fortunate to be able to train and play both with and against two of the best players in the country, which has definitely helped get me to where I am today.”
While women’s baseball players in Australia are not full-time professionals yet, the game is progressing towards that step-by-step. Lili played for the Adelaide Giants in the inaugural Women's Baseball Showcase in 2021 and is happy to see the growth of the game. “This normalisation of girls and women competing in a traditionally male-dominated sport can only mean good things for women's baseball in Australia. I was fortunate enough to be born at a really good time for baseball in Australia – even my junior age group was stacked. At my age, I feel super excited to be part of this movement for both women's baseball and baseball in general in Australia,” she noted.
“I know I've still got a long way to go to be the best player I can be for my country, and this experience has definitely offered me more of that perspective and drive to get better,” taking all the positivity and learnings, Lili is setting herself for a remarkable career.
