.6 years back, throughout an Environment-friendly Shield cricket match in Sydney's interior west, a slim young adult from the northern beaches was bombing sixes onto capital at Drummoyne Oval.Representing Northern Area in the state's premier under-16 competition, the left-hander clobbered 34 (31) during the course of the certifying last against Sydney Cricket Nightclub to assist go after the 208-run intended along with a handful of rounds to spare.That budding cricketer was Travis Bazzana, that today became the 1st Australian to be selected in the position around of the Big league Baseball Draft.On Monday morning, the Oregon State second baseman was gotten due to the Cleveland Guardians as the No. 1 general selection with a prospective signing bonus of approximately AU$ 15.5 million, although the particular body is actually yet to be confirmed.But prior to starting a financially rewarding baseball profession, Bazzana was actually a proficient cricket natural born player assembling hundreds at university, nightclub as well as depictive level.Cricket train Josh Miller, who has actually mentored the Northern District Green Defense side for nearly a many years, still keeps in mind Bazzana's Drummoyne strike." It was an incredible innings," Miller informed Fox Cricket recently." You don't truly see things like that in Green Cover cricket." Enjoy every round of the England v West Indies Exam series LIVE & special to Fox Cricket, available on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free of cost trial today > Aussie makes MLB past history, general no. 1!|00:26 Miller, the Director of Cricket at Barker College and also the Junior Path Supervisor at Northern District, trained Bazzana for two times between 2016 and 2018 prior to the featuring professional devoted to baseball." He was a really, terrific batter and also an incredibly skilled ball-striker," Miller continued." Surely certainly not a slogger whatsoever, however he took the video game on. He can score all around the ground." Things that stuck out along with him was actually probably his athleticism. He clearly had a cannon throw, as individuals that participate in baseball carry out, however simply the means he moved in the field, you understood he was actually an unique athlete." Bazzana, who likewise participated in basketball, rugby and also volleyball during the course of his young people, led Turramurra Secondary school in the direction of its maiden Alan Davidson Shield headline before participating in third-grade cricket among grownups at Roseville District CC, ending up being the nightclub's youngest centurion.He was chosen for the Veggie Defense side in 2016, participating in alongside future Sydney Thunder gamer Toby Gray and Australian under-19 rep Corey Miller.But his true contacting was actually baseball-- just before cricket suits, Bazzana will warm up through practising his baseball swings." He was actually a convenient cricketer, it's frequently discussed whether he might have been a cricketer or otherwise," Bazzana's father Gary told CODE Athletics." Yet he was actually regularly a lot more enthusiastic concerning baseball." Oregon Condition's Travis Bazzana. Picture by Jeff Moreland/Icon Sportswire using Getty ImagesSource: Getty ImagesApart from his uncooked skill and also abnormal athleticism, Bazzana's competitiveness as well as reliability were actually quickly obvious to Miller. He may not have been one of the most talented cricketer in the Northern Area team, however he functioned more difficult than some of his allies." Travis' devotion was actually incomparable. I have actually not observed a young athlete as steered," Miller claimed." The hard work, the drive, that was actually all incredibly evident to observe." He excelled when the video game was tough and also when he had an actually clear goal to become trying for. That consistently supports you in good standing as an athlete, if you possess that affordable streak when you are actually under the gun." Although managing both summertime sporting activities was exhausting for the university trainee, along with cricket and also baseball consuming his whole entire weekend break, Bazzana profited from the skill-sets he accomplished in both sporting activities. In 2013, he told MLB Pipe that cricket's focus on steady connect with helped cultivate his bat-to-ball skills.Since moving to the United States in 2021, Bazzana has received approval for his layer specialty, recognizing which pitches to open at or even resist. His hand-eye balance and decision-making at home plate can, a minimum of partially, be credited to his time as a cricketer." The method he hit the sphere and the swing of the baseball bat was actually elite," Miller clarified." It was actually fairly apparent how properly his baseball side transmitted all over." Oregon State's Travis Bazzana.Source: News Corporation AustraliaIn a gliding doors second, Bazzana decided on to prioritise baseball in 2018, creating his launching for the Sydney Blue Sox later that year and also working with Australia at the 2019 Under-18 World Cup.Needless to claim, it turned out to be the correct phone call, yet baseball's increase was actually cricket's reduction." His performance entering into Veggie Defense screamed that he was actually heading to be an exceptional cricketer," Miller carried on." Just because of his devotion and also just how much effort and time and also discipline he needed to what he was actually performing, I believe he can possess located a technique to become a decent cricketer." He didn't have the most effective year in Green Shield ... my estimate is baseball was the right choice." Those guys, they often tend to discover a means to prosper in whatever they do, only by means of that willpower as well as discipline." Nonetheless, speaking to Guide of Joe podcast earlier this year, Bazzana confessed he from time to time misses the emotion of natural leather on willow." A ton of my bestfriends were actually playing cricket as well as I was having fun with all of them as well as enjoying it extensively, however I was always placing in the extra work with baseball," Bazzana claimed." I will be actually striking baseballs just before I mosted likely to go play my cricket game." I had a great time participating in cricket and did skip the sport after I completely committed to baseball at sixteen.".