The 2024 Australian Baseball League season is down to the final four teams. The Adelaide Giants, Perth Heat, Brisbane Bandits, and Melbourne Aces are the organizations that have qualified for the postseason.
The Giants finished the regular season with the best record, 29-11, in the ABL and will face the fourth-seed Melbourne Aces, who finished 21-19, in the semi-finals. The No. 2-seed Perth Heat (24-15) will battle the three-seed Brisbane Bandits( 22-18).
Both semifinal series will be three-game sets and will be played from Jan. 26-28. The winners of each series will face off in the best-of-three Australian Baseball League Championship Series from Feb. 2-4.
Adelaide Giants vs. Melbourne Aces – Both teams have enough offensive firepower to win this series. The Giants are led by second baseman Nick Ward and left fielder Cade Fergus, who finished the regular season with 13 stolen bases in 14 attempts. In 38 games, Ward had 26 RBI and led the team with a .915 OPS.
In the other dugout, the Aces have two experienced veterans, first baseman Greg Bird and shortstop Robbie Glendinning. Bird played four seasons with the New York Yankees and is no stranger to postseason heroics, hitting a go-ahead solo home run off Cleveland Guardians reliever Andrew Miller in game three of the 2017 American League Division Series. Bird hit 11 home runs with 40 RBI during the regular season and has the potential to lead the Aces to the championship.
Glendinning has played five seasons in the ABL and played for the Australian national team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. His experience and veteran leadership can help his team advance to the next round.
On the mound, it may be Adelaide who has the advantage. Left-handed pitcher Lachlan Wells went 6-0 and posted a 0.94 ERA in nine starts for the Giants, striking out 63 in the process. His performance earned him a contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, and he should start game one for the Giants.