RELATED: Loyal Hawk Alex Waterman lining up for 250th game for Huntly Troy Waterman voted best at Falcons Baseball Club Big time baseball in Bendigo FOURTEEN A-grade premierships, league best pitcher awards, two club MVP awards, fielding and batting trophies and now club coach. There is little - if anything - Troy Waterman has not achieved for his beloved Falcons Baseball Club. And now he's added the mantle of club 300-gamer. Waterman, who carved his reputation in the Bendigo Baseball Association (BBA) as a clever pitcher and lusty hitter, but now spends Sundays in the outfield, ticked over the milestone earlier this month. It was the same weekend his wife Alex, notched her 250th game for Heathcote District netball club Huntly. Talk about longevity in sport. Waterman started his career with Falcons as a 10-year-old, and according to club life member and teammate Terry Smith, it was evident within years that he was a gifted left handed pitcher with a big future. He first appeared as a senior player in 1997, and became a regular at that level the following year.  In his first full senior season, he won Falcons' Rob Boxshall Trophy for the club’s best rookie, and was part of the squad in 1998 when Falcons A-grade were victorious for the first time in seven years. Waterman's performance in the finals that year was nothing short of spectacular. He pitched 30 innings, gave up only six earned runs and struck out 22 batters, to propel Falcons to the flag. The now 36-year-old would pitch for a further 10 seasons as Falcons went on to notch an impressive 14-consecutive premierships. It's those flag wins and his Falcons life membership gained in 2007 that Waterman rates as two of the three obvious standout highlights in his time in baseball. The other arrived when he got to line-up alongside 16-year-old son Bailey in their first A-grade game together. "I had a season off a couple of years ago and Bailey came and played his first senior game, so we played together in the C-grade competition," he said. "Last year he played half a season with us and half in C-grade, but this is his first full season in A-grade." Asked if Bailey was a chip off the old block, Waterman believed it was his son who was the more gifted of the two. "If you ask any of the boys they will tell you, he's the better Waterman," he said. It's a big call given his own considerable talent, which has been more than plenty to win Waterman a starting pitcher's role with Essendon in Victoria's premier competition in 2005, a John Newman Pitching Award for the best pitcher in the Bendigo league, and dual Falcons MVP awards in 2011 and '14. This season, Waterman has answered the call to become Falcons' playing coach, a role he has approached with his trademark fervor and professionalism. A regular Bendigo league representative and former BBA senior coach, Waterman spoke proudly of the standard of play and competition in the BBA. "We have only got four clubs in Bendigo the last few years, which makes keeping numbers tough," he said. "The junior program is hard given we are up against football and soccer with those games played on Saturday. "But it's still great competition. I've played down in Melbourne and watched plenty of games down there and it's impressive, but for the clubs we have in Bendigo, it's always been a good competition." Waterman, who now sits third on the list of games played at Falcons, said there were no plans to hang up his glove anytime soon, especially with younger son Hudson, 9, now donning the Falcons uniform in the under-13s. "As long as the body can keep going and the boys are happy to give me a game each week I'll keep going," he said. "With Hudson playing, a goal would be to one day play a senior game with him in say six years' time." The final word on Waterman's career so far came from teammate Smith. "Regardless of how many games he eventually plays, Troy will be revered at Falcons for his long and outstanding career, the quality of his onfield performance, and his support of the club in every way," he said.
