Richards pitches in

– Stuart Teather
SPRINGVALE Lions pitcher Glen Richards made his return to the Australian squad on Tuesday, stepping up to the hill as a relieving pitcher in a friendly game against Chinese Taipei.
Richards, who heads the pitching for Springvale’s Division Three State League side, got the call-up last Friday for the Australian team after a number of players were unavailable due to international club commitments.
As a result, Richards rested his pitching arm when playing for Springvale against Berwick City on Sunday, with the aim of throwing in the first clash with Chinese Taipei on Monday.
But things did not go according to plan, and Richards took a Jude Power curveball to the elbow while batting, and was forced to sit out Monday’s international.
He recovered well enough for the Tuesday game, and said the only thing he had to contend with was nerves.
“Whenever you strap it on for Australia you get nervous, but I’m just excited to be playing that standard of baseball,” he said.
Playing in a team laced with stars, Richards acknowledged it would be a significant step up from the lower divisions of state baseball, but added he was confident he could match it with the best.
“I’m actually pretty comfortable, the last couple of weeks I’ve been throwing I’ve been making good pitches and feeling pretty comfortable on the mound.
“It makes it easier to do your job as a pitcher when you’re out there doing your job and know they’re going to be able to back up everything you do plus more that you wouldn’t expect them to be able to do.”
It was not the first time Richards had pulled on the green and gold; in 2005 he lined up for Australia at the Baseball World Cup in the Netherlands.
While he is no longer on the Australian roster, Richards said he would use his opportunity to push his case to make the squad for the World Baseball Classic later this year.
“Playing in the tournament this week, Jon Deeble — the head coach — is going to be there so if I can perform and do all the right things, you never know what can happen.”