Cairns pitcher will become a baseball pioneer
BASEBALL CAIRNS baseball prodigy Ryota Kusumoto will add more Australian flavour to Montana’s Miles Community College after he signed to play for the Pioneers for the 2019-20 season.
In a press release issued on Saturday, Kusumoto said it was the perfect place to start his baseball life in the USA.
“I chose Miles Community College as I’ve had several mates go there and improve drastically and say how great the facility and the overall vibe to the place is,” Kusumoto said.
“It was the perfect place to get a start on the baseball life in America as an Australian and hopefully, after my first two years at MCC, I will transfer and be able to finish off my 3rd and 4th years while still playing competitive baseball.”
The Cairns Bandits pitcher will play for the Pioneers alongside fellow Far North pitcher Luke Turner, on a roster packed with Australians.
Brisbane’s Jordan Thomson, Adelaide’s Jack Stead, Sydney’s Chris Rofe and Northern New South Wales pair Will Riley (Lismore) and Lewis Johnson (Evans Head) all play for the Pioneers.
The most notable for former Dodgers junior Kusumoto is the Cairns connection in Turner.
As of Sunday, Turner has a 3-1 record, throwing 25 strikeouts in 19.2 innings with an ERA of 4.12.
The right-handed sophomore has thrown one complete game this season, his second in 18 appearances over two seasons at the Montana college.
Pioneers head coach Jeff Brabant said Kusumoto brought versatility and speed to the team.
“Ryota is a versatile sign for us,” Brabant said.
“He is very polished and can play anywhere in the infield. His foot speed will also be a special tool that we will be able to use in a lot of ways.
“Ryota has played for great teams against great competition, which makes him prepared for the next level of play.
“We are excited to see what kind of player Ryota will turn into while coming over and training with us. We feel that he will play a big role for us when it is all said and done.”
When Kusumoto was elevated to now four-time Australian Baseball League champion Brisbane Bandits’ roster on a developmental contract over the summer, his Cairns Bandits teammate and former Austra- lian Olympic silver medallist Brett Roneberg described the teen as “the future” of baseball in the region.
“It’s very hard to maintain your level of play, but he always does,” Roneberg said. “No matter who he’s playing against, he’s always ready to go, ready to step up and ready to win. He executes and trains like no other and it shows.”