HBHS Students Become National Baseball Champions

The Waikato under 17 boys' softball team, comprised of a number of HBHS players, has won the top prize at the national competition in Paraparaumu. Top players Vinny Harris (Yr 12) and Khalid Gilbert (Yr 12) left before the final to ply to Guam with New Zealand's under-19s baseball team.  The boys faced Hawke's Bay in the final, a team they played and lost to twice during the week.  The game was tied up 2-2 at the bottom of the seventh inning until Waikato got their first batter on base.  Third batter up, Jackson Baird-Gillet (Yr 13), secured the win when he hit the walk off home run and the final score tipped 4-2 to the Waikato team.

The top batter of the competition was Jackson Baird-Gillet.  Team-mate Toa Tauranga (Yr 12) was the most valuable player, which team coach Vinny Harris was named coach of the tournament.