Out to rediscover Paradise

DESPITE finishing last in the 2018-19 Greater Brisbane League baseball season, new Surfers Paradise head coach Kevin Fenn (pictured) has declared the club will waste no time returning to the championship mix this year.

After leading Surfers to a memorable GBL title in the 2017-18 season, exiting coach Matt Corbitt endured a tough second year at the helm and earlier this month informed the club he would be moving to Cairns to further his career.

Fenn, 35, is a well-known figure in baseball circles on the Gold Coast and has been associated with Surfers for more than 20 years, most recently leading the Division 2 side to multiple finals starts.

“We want to finish in the top four which is obviously a big jump but we believe that if we can compete in one out of the two games we play each week and split every series then we’ll finish around the middle pack,” he said.

“I think stepping up and working with a younger group might be a little bit easier but also difficult as well because we’re competing against the best players in the state each week.”

The new coaching appointment marks a change of tide at the Bluewaves after president Tony McPhail also stepped down after two decades in the role. McPhail has opted to stay on as events co-ordinator, with Justine White elected the new president.

“We’re looking forward to having a good season but it might be a bit of a rebuilding year for us because we’ve had a lot of change at the club with obviously Matt leaving and our president stepping down,” Fenn said. “We’re indebted to (McPhail) because he’s put us in the position we are now.”

The GBL season will commence in October.