ROB’S RECAPS - CAPPS MEDAL 2025

MAGPIE UTILITY IS CAPPS WINNER

By Robert Laidlaw [photos Gavin Karjalainen]

Port Adelaide’s Sammy Steigert is the 2025 Capps Medallist as the best player in division one baseball.

In an exciting count, Steigert pipped Henley & Grange outfielder Jack Partington by one vote (32-31), with Woodville’s Drew Janssen and West Torrens’ Masa Sawada equal third on 27 votes.

Born in Germany, Steigert is in his third season with Port Adelaide and is one of the Magpies’ key pitchers, while in the field plays shortstop.

From the mound Steigert threw 110 innings for 102 strikeouts, while pitching Port to six victories. With the bat he had a .380 average.

Steigert played baseball for the Bonn Capitals in Germany, before attending Auburn University in Montgomerie, where he played collegiate baseball. He also has played in Prague, Czech Republic for the Eagles.

Partington is one of the competition’s best outfielders, often making difficult catches look routine, while as a lead-off hitter he is the Rams’ sparkplug, batting at a .466 clip, while stealing 31 bases and scoring 44 runs – as well as hitting six home runs.

In the women’s division one count, Georgia Davis from Sturt won with 25 votes, from Southern Districts’ Jess Maslin (21) and Woodville’s Alice Brown (20).

Partington won the batting award and Golden Glove outfielder, while Ky Hampton from Sturt won the pitching ERA with 1.077, with his team-mate Austin McClure the Rookie of the Year. South’s Jake Campbell won Golden Glove infielder.

Maslin was the women’s batting champ with a .676 average, while Brown won the pitching award (2.51 ERA) and Rookie of the Year, while the Golden Gloves went to Charlotte Lightbody (infield) and Debbie Hutchings (outfield).

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The men’s all-star team: pitchers – AJ Verastegui (Woodville), Riley Yeatman (Adelaide), Tomoya Kawakami (South); catcher – Brett Hattersley (South); infield – Austin Gallagher (WT), Mitch Lightbody (Sturt), Liam Bull (H&G), Koki Yonezawa (H&G); outfield – Billy Sutton (Goodwood), Jack Partington (H&G), Harry Knuckey (Sturt); DH – Mason Clavell (WT); coach – Wilson Lee (H&G); scorer – Leanne Smith (Adelaide); umpires – Ian Reval, Daniel Cotar.

The women’s all-star team: pitchers – Alice Brown (Woodville), Georgia Davie (Sturt), Peyton Daniels (Glenelg); catcher – Bethany Lee (Woodville); infield – Charlotte Lightbody (Sturt), Aleesha Mead (Adelaide), Indie O’Hazy-Zschorn (Woodville), Kylie Lok (Glenelg); outfield – Debbie Hutchings (South), Jamie Stott (H&G), Jenna Handy (Glenelg); DH – Jess Maslin (South); coach – Shane Brown (Woodville); scorer – Jo Owen (Woodville); umpires – Paul Sowter, Paul van der Koogh.

LEAGUE MVPs

MEN: D1 – Sammy Steigert (Port); D2 – Declan Quinn (Woodville), Flynn Luders (Glenelg), Peter Nangle (Adelaide); D3 – Ashton Bradley (Goodwood); D4 – Steve Whitehead (GGCD), Mitchell Eiffe (Gawler); D5 – Hayden McGearey (Glenelg); D6 – Kane Galloway (ET); D7R – Jarome Snader Vernocchi (GGCD); D7B – Ryan Simunsen (H&G). WOMEN: D1 – Georgia Davis (Sturt); D2 – Kelsea Barker (WT); D3 – Jessica Nolan (H&G).