The 2025-26 Australian Baseball League season kicks off this Thursday, Nov. 13. The ABL, founded in 2009, will have four organizations compete this winter, though it’s actually summer in Australia.
The league, governed by the Australian Baseball Federation, watched the Melbourne Aces withdraw from the ABL due to “unresolved concerns,” the club said in a statement released in April. Instead, the Aces competed in the Ulsan-KBO Fall League from Oct. 15 to Nov. 2. Despite winning the 2024-25 championship, the Canberra Cavalry announced this past May that the club would not participate this season, either.
The exclusions of the Aces and Cavalry leave four teams in the ABL this upcoming season: the Sydney Blue Sox, Brisbane Bandits, Adelaide Giants, and Perth Heat. The ABL’s regular season is divided into 10 rounds of three- and four-game series, often including doubleheaders on weekends.
Where to Watch – Australia’s ABL streams its games live on the app Baseball+, available through the App Store and Google Play. You can also watch online at plus.baseball.com.au.
Sydney Blue Sox
Stadium – Blacktown Baseball Stadium
Manager – Brooke Knight
Notable Players – Alex Wells, LHP; Briley Knight, OF; Solomon Maguire, OF
Last Year – 24-16 (first place), lost to Canberra Cavalry two games to none in the semifinal series
Outlook – The Blue Sox enjoyed their first winning season last year for the first time since 2018. They are now under new ownership, the Black Pearl Sports Group, which hopes to help with “a complete reimagining of what Sydney baseball can become,” per an announcement on their official website in June. Left-handed pitcher Alex Wells is the only member of the roster with Major League experience, making 13 appearances (eight starts) with the Baltimore Orioles from 2021-22.
Brisbane Bandits
Stadium – Viticon Stadium
Manager – Jim Bennett
Notable Players – Hayate Nakagawa, RHP; Noah Barber, OF; Robbie Perkins, C
Last Year – 17-23 (sixth place) failed to qualify for postseason
Outlook – The Bandits roster will have two players from Nippon Professional Baseball’s Yokohama DeNA BayStars (RHP Hayate Nakagawa, 1B Kyosuke Mashiko) and two from the Korea Baseball Organization’s Samsung Lions (OF Ham Soo-ho, LHP Lee Seung-hyun). Catcher Robbie Perkins ranks fifth all-time in ABL hits with 354 and brings a veteran presence, having played for Australia in the previous two World Baseball Classics and Premier12 tournaments. Brisbane stole 50 bases last year, good for second in the league behind the Blue Sox’s 65.
Adelaide Giants
Stadium – Diamond Sports Stadium
Manager – Chris Adamson
Notable Players – Conner Greene, RHP; Nick Ward, 2B; 1B/3B Yu Aramaki
Last Year – 23-17 (second place), lost to Perth Heat two games to none in the semifinal series
Outlook – The Giants will have several imports from the Philadelphia Phillies’ minor league system and four players from NPB’s Yomiuri Giants, including 22-year-old corner infielder Yu Aramaki, who hit .296 with a homer in 31 games in the Central League. Second baseman Nick Ward finished second in ABL MVP voting in 2023 and 2024. Utility man and one of Australia’s 2023 WBC participants, Robbie Glendinning, will report to Adelaide after Christmas.
Perth Heat
Stadium – Empire Ballpark
Manager – Perry Roth
Notable Players – Warwick Saupold, RHP; Tim Kennelly, OF; Alex Hall, C
Last Year – 20-20 (third place), lost to Canberra Cavalry two games to none in the championship series
Outlook – Perth has three of the most seasoned veterans in the ABL, with their notable players listed above. Leading the way is 38-year-old outfielder Tim Kennelly, who’s the league’s all-time leader in hits, home runs, RBIs, and games played. Warwick Saupold pitched three seasons out of the Detroit Tigers’ bullpen from 2016-18, and catcher Alex Hall is the top candidate to be Australia’s starting backstop at the 2026 WBC.
Photo: Tim Kennelly (23) follows his pop fly against Taiwan in the eighth inning of their World Baseball Classic first round game at the Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan, Saturday, March 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)
