When one thinks of the untamed landscape of Australia, red dirt and kangaroos come more readily to mind than baseball, but Louis Gabel ’04 is one of a number of American and Australian baseball players trying to change that. Baseball has always been an integral part of Gabel’s life, but when he arrived at Stony Brook in the fall of 2000 there was not a diamond in site. Instead, he became a stand-out on the track and field squad, earning All-League honors and helping the 4×400 relay team win gold at the Penn Relays in 2004. Despite not being able to play baseball for the Bears, he earned a spot on the Wesleyan University baseball team and had the squad’s third-best earned run average. After graduating, he was signed by the Brockton Rox of the independent Canadian-American League and now his love of America’s pastime has taken him to the Land Down Under.

Playing for the Adelaide Angels of the South Australian Baseball League, Gabel  is one of two imported players on the roster and is one of the club’s starting pitchers. He and the other members of the league’s 13 clubs not only pursue their passion, but seek to burgeon the sport on the continent.

“Baseball is still a growing sport over here so part of the team’s responsibilities are to encourage younger kids to play,” said Gabel.

The Angels attend the practices of local teams, encourage younger players and hold community dinners at their clubhouse each Sunday to help spread awareness of the sport.

“It really is like a family within the baseball community,” commented Gabel. “Every now and then a kid will come up to me and tell me about their game or ask about the best glove to buy. I think stuff like that is really cool.”

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