The Perth Heat have revenge on their mind against the Melbourne Aces this weekend at Empire Ballpark but more importantly a successful series will go a long way to locking in an ABL playoff appearance.
The Heat are back home at Empire Ballpark this weekend against the Aces and it’s the last chance until a hopeful finals appearance to play in front of the local fans for the 2024/25 season.
Perth will be playing host to Melbourne with the Heat in fourth place and the Aces in fifth so there’s plenty at stake with the series getting underway on Friday night ahead of the Saturday double-header, and then Game 4 to wrap things up on Sunday afternoon.
Saturday is also the Claxton Shield Reunion night at Empire Ballpark with all former players welcome and encouraged to attend whether they have pulled on a Perth Heat or any Western Australian representative team uniforms in their career.
Coming into the series and the Heat are currently in fourth position with a 13-15 record on the back of splitting the series last weekend also at Empire Ballpark in a Chamiponship Series rematch with the Adelaide Giants.
That was enough for the Heat to replace the Aces in fourth position with Melbourne now making the trip west in fifth spot with their own 12-15 record.
That means that there’s plenty on the line for both teams coming into the series and a positive result either way will go a long way to that team reaching the playoffs heading into the final fortnight of the regular season.
Last time the teams met was in Melbourne and that didn’t go to plan for the Heat with the Aces winning all four matches on home turf and outscoring Perth 37 runs to 20 to do so.
Veteran Heat pitcher Warwick Saupold was part of the team’s heart to heart discussions after that series loss in Melbourne and feels it was the turning point in their season that he hopes continues now into this weekend.
“It was a conversation that needed to be had and it was just about mindset and focus, and the way we attacked certain guys and the way we handle at bats,” Saupold told 91.3 SportFM.
“It was pretty basic stuff but I think when you touch on it then it comes to the front of your mind and you start thinking a little bit more, and can put it into play pretty quickly.
“The boys have turned it around and we’re playing some pretty good baseball at the moment so they are eager to get back out there to start this series.”
Playing at home is something that Saupold feels will naturally make a difference to last time the two teams met, but beyond that he feels the Heat are just playing much better all-round to deserve to feel confident heading into this last home series.
“It’s different scenery obviously, a different ballpark and a much bigger ballpark that we play on over here,” he said.
“Probably that series was the turning point for us where we had a deep conversation after it about how we were going to go about things moving forward.
“It was probably a real wake up call for us and since then we’ve played a lot better baseball. Hopefully we can continue on from our form on Sunday and take it to Melbourne and win a series to put us further out in front in the playoff picture.”
The weekend’s series also presents the chance for Heat captain Tim Kennelly to create another piece of history.
Just last weekend and he became the first player in the modern ABL era to reach 250 runs batted in, and now he’s sitting on 499 hits all-round in his career and Saupold would love him to become the first man to 500 in front of the home crowd.
“It’s amazing what TK does week in and week out, and he’s just a true professional. If you want your kid to idolise someone it’s definitely him,” Saupold said.
“Things might not be going well for him at times, but he always still shows up and runs out baseballs, plays the game hard and he’s such a professional.
“He deserves everything that comes his way, he’s such a great bloke, teammate and leader, and plays the game the right way. He’s one of those guys who is a marvel and keeps getting better with age like a fine wine, and it’s fun to go out there with him and play every game.
“He’s a good mate of mine so it’s extra special, and hopefully he can touch that record this weekend in front of a packed house.”
ABL SEASON 2024/25 – ROUND 8 (January 3-5)
PERTH HEAT v MELBOURNE ACES – at EMPIRE BALLPARK
GAME 1 – Friday 7pm WST
GAME 2 – Saturday 4pm WST
GAME 3 – Saturday 7pm WST
GAME 4 – Sunday 2pm WST