Last Sunday, the Gozo Tornadoes celebrated their championship victory at the Faces Bar, at Sannat, Gozo.  More then eighty people showed up to our barbeque, enjoying the evening with great food and good music.  After this successful barbeque, the Gozitan Baseball Committee is convinced to organize more barbeques this summer.  Details will be given out later.

EYES ARE NOW ON THE NATIONAL TEAM (02-07-02)

After another successful baseball season, most of the Gozitan ballplayers are now looking forward for National Team practice, which will start in late July.  Most of our players have the potential to be on the national team this year.

Only three players on the Gozitan team have played with the national team, which are Charlie Attard, Silvio Sultana and Jeff Tabone.  Attard and Tabone have been with the national team for two years now while Sultana made his debut last year in Paterno', Sicily.  All three players have been regulars for Patrick Pace's team in Paterno' last year, and all three performed well during the two exhibition games.  Tabone has no problem on his spot as a starting pitcher for Malta, being Pace's number one for the last two years.  Sultana might be playing as a regular in the outfield while Attard might get some action in the outfield and infield (and who knows??? Maybe pitcher too).  Tabone, having another fine season on the mound, topped the league in strikeouts with 65, posting a 1.25 ERA compared to his 2001 league leading ERA of 4.67, and achieving a 5-0 winning record.  2002 has been Tabone's best season ever.  2002 has also been a big season for Attard, gathering up a career season.  Attard led the league in triples (2), 4th in hits (13), 5th in runs (18) and stolen bases (14) and eight in batting average (.433).  Attard also batted .667 in the second half of the season.  Sultana also had his big days this season, hitting a homerun in his first at bat of the season against Pembroke and batted 6 for 12 in the season.  He only struck out once this season, in thirteen plate appearances.

Rookie players Don Drolet, Steve Ellis and Marlon Mercieca also have a good shot in going to Sicily this year.  Drolet led the National League in batting average (.684) and On Base percentage (.793).  Drolet started the season on second base, but was soon shifted to first, where he played brilliant all year long.  He also finished second in homers (1), fourth in hits (13), 5th in doubles (3) and 6th in Runs Batted In (11).  Ellis has been the gem acquisition of the year, where in just one season, he's already considered as the best catcher ever to play in our league.  Ellis is a very intelligent catcher, where his presence behind the plate has lowered our starting pitchers' ERA just after a year, and also increased their strikeout rate.  Thanks to him, Tabone has posted a 1.25 ERA compared to the 4.67 he posted in 2001, while Attard improved his ERA to 6.07, compared to the 18.00 ERA he had in 2001.  All this has happened, thanks to his mix of pitches and calling them at the right time.  On the other hand, Marlon Mercieca has been the most interesting player to watch throughout the whole league.  After struggling in the first few games, Mercieca batted .429 in the second half of the season, to improve his batting average to .273, a respectable number for a rookie who never played ball.  Having this brick wall on third has surely saved the team's butt at the hard times, especially at the end of the season.  He also finished 8th in the league in Runs Batted In (9).

Two other players have a chance to make their national team debut this year.  20 year old Mark Buttigieg and 19 year old Steven Galea have been impressive all year long.  Buttigieg, now playing centerfield, has been hitting the ball well this season, finishing 5th in doubles (3) and has also been running the bases well, sweeping 12 bases, just two short of Attard's team leading of 14 stolen bases.  Steven Galea had a lot of pressure this year, filling the spot that Shawn Camilleri left in off season.  Galea has been impressive all year long, making him one of the favorites to win this year's Fielder of the Year.  This kid has been backing up our second and third basemen like a pro.  He also led the team in Runs Batted In with 13, third in the league and batted .333.  

It would be great to see all these players on Pace's team this summer, and we all hope that they will.

HALF THE CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM IS OFF TO ITALY (20/09/02)    

Summer time for Maltese Baseball means the congregation of the best players on the island, to prepare themselves for a series of exhibition games abroad.  In the last two years, these players, along with player/coach Patrick Pace, traveled to Sicily, and had several positive results on Sicilian soil.  This year, Pace's team will be going to Reggio Calabria, where they will be playing at least two exhibition games. 

Among these talented players, there are five Gozitan ballplayers, ready to excel among the other Maltese players, in order to obtain a regular spot on the National Team by 2004.  The Maltese Association of Baseball and Softball (MABS) are trying their best to start competing in the European Championships, and there is a big possibility that MABS would be ready to start competing by 2004. 

The Gozitan with the most experience on Patrick Pace’s team is 2000 MVP and 2001 Pitcher of the Year, Jeff Tabone.  Tabone, who is only 22 years old, has been pitching for Gozo for the last four seasons, and also led the Maltese National League in strikeouts for the last two seasons.  Tabone also holds the record of most postseason wins with a 4-0 record.  Tabone, who has been the Tornadoes’ captain since Day 1 of the team’s existence, has also developed himself into a leading role on the National Team.  His experience of playing baseball in Malta and Canada has been very helpful for both the Maltese National League and also for his teammates, whether on the Gozo team or the National Team.  Tabone has been the number 1 pitcher for the National Team for the last three years, and is likely to keep that slot at Reggio Calabria.

Another young talented Gozitan who has been playing with the National Team for the last three years is 20-year-old Charles Attard.  Attard is one of the three players left from the original Gozo team established by former coach Mario Debono four years ago.  He has been showing improvement ever since.  Attard had a career season in 2002, leading his team in several offensive categories and also pitched his first full season.  Coach Patrick Pace hopes that Attard will take along his hot batting streak to Reggio Calabria, batting .667 in the second half of the season, and is 13 for 21 ever since.

The other three Gozitans will make their National Team debut this year, and we are expecting a lot from these players, after a brilliant 2002 season.

Rookie player, Steve Ellis, has been the type of player that the Tornadoes needed, after losing Shawn Camilleri and Mario Debono.  Ellis is a highly talented catcher and also a very intelligent one, who not only helped the Gozo Tornadoes fill in the defensive holes, but also has the knowledge and personality to help his pitchers improve their pitching.  Both Gozo pitchers have improved their career ERA and increased their strikeout total ever since Ellis took the field.  Ellis is also a hot candidate in the Defensive Player of the Year, after a brilliant year behind the plate.  Ellis is likely to handle most of the pitchers in Reggio, and is definitely going to leave some positive results.

The young athletes who started off as bench players three years ago, are today amongst the best of Malta.  Both Steven Galea and Mark Buttigieg have had impressive career seasons and are very promising for the future of the club.

Steven Galea is another original Tornado player who has been playing with the club for the last four years.  Galea is a pure infielder, who has mastered the middle of the infield for the last three years.  His batting has improved dramatically, pumping up his career batting average last year and also led the Tornadoes in Runs Batted In.  His excellent swing has helped Gozo win their second consecutive championship, and this same swing can help him earn a spot for the 2004 European Championships.  On the other hand, Mark Buttigieg has been a big help for the 2002 season, playing very well in the outfield and also had his first +.300 season ever.  Buttigieg has a few experience on the National Team, where he attended national practice three years ago.  Today, Buttigieg is a solid defensive outfielder, willing to win and also looking forward to obtain a regular spot by 2004.

The Maltese National Team is off to Italy on the 27^th of September and will be back on the 29^th of the same month.  We wish these five orange athletes good luck and we also thank them for the effort that they have been giving the Gozitan club.