If you can’t beat them, join them. After Baseball Western Australia State All-Star Pitcher Greg Van Sickler held Perth scoreless and struck out five in his four innings of perfection in the Heat’s 3-2 loss to the BWA All-Stars in a Spring Training exhibition game on October 20th, the three-time All-American Van Sickler made quite an impression on the two-time reigning Australian Baseball League champions. So much in fact that Perth wasted little time in calling him up from the Carine Cats, member of the 12-team WA State League, to join the Heat.

From Virginia to Australia by way of Belgium, Perth Heat pitcher Greg Van Sickler has ventured on the road less traveled in pursuit of his dream in playing baseball professionally. After a stellar season playing for Belgium’s Premier League Namur Angels of the Ligue Francophone Belge de Baseball et Softball, the Virginia native is now on an Aussie baseball odyssey in Perth.

Greg Van Sickler, the first player in the USA South Conference history to be named both the Player and Pitcher of the Year in the same season, was 11-1 on the mound for 2011 Shenandoah University Hornets while batting .390 with seven homers and 46 RBI from the three hole in the batting order to earn first-team accolades at the utility position. The Division III All-American led the team to the NCAA Division III College World Series twice and was named 2010 and 2011 Virginia state Player of the Year by the Virginia State Sports Information Directors Association (VaSID). Van Sickler was a four-time VaSID All-State selection who earned All-America honors during his final three seasons. In both 2010 and 2011, he was a first team All-America honoree by both D3baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association.

The six-foot-two 23-year-old tipped off his talent early on while playing baseball at Winchester, Virginia’s James Wood High School, where he was named team captain and MVP twice as well as 2007 Northwestern District Player of the Year. Over five years later, Greg Van Sickler finds himself nearly 12,000 miles away from home playing for the defending ABL champs Perth Heat. In his 6.2 innings of bullpen relief, the
Top 40 American has been dominant with seven strikeouts and a 1.35 ERA.