Matt Roxburgh, getting the call

When opportunity knocks, someone still has to get up and answer.

That’s what Matt Roxburgh did, not letting the chance pass him by to play for the Brisbane Bandits when it was presented to him.

The 25-year-old outfielder was representing his club ball team, the Windsor Royals, in a Brisbane All-Stars game against the Bandits prior to the beginning of the Australian Baseball League season, and put on a show impressive enough for manager Kevin Jordan to take an interest.

“I got a call from KJ and he asked if I was available to play in the upcoming series,” Roxburgh said. “I had a chat to my bosses because I knew it would mean taking some time off work and they were really supportive and allowed me to play. I was pretty excited about the opportunity to play in the ABL because I knew it would be the highest level of baseball I will get to play in and I got a little taste of what it’s like to play professional baseball.”

While facing a higher calibre of competition would be somewhat of a challenge for any player coming from A-grade baseball to pro ball, the biggest adjustment Roxburgh had to make was getting used to going from having two games and one practice per week to having up to five games plus training and batting practice with the Bandits.

“It’s been awesome being able to play at such a high level of baseball against guys that are in Double-A and the big leagues. It’s exciting,” Roxburgh said. “It was tough the first few series, as I wasn’t used to playing so many games but I eventually got used to it and so did my body.”

Roxburgh also had to make amendments to his schedule for the Bandits, fitting more baseball into his already hectic days, in addition to working full-time as an account manager for Ready Towing, looking after trade customers who move construction and hire equipment machinery from job site to job site.

“I work 10 hours a day, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday,” Roxburgh said. “When we have a home series, I finish at four o’clock so I can be at the field in time for stretching.”

Dedication to the game and to a full-time job can be a difficult task, but it was something that the young fielder handled well, managing his time and priorities efficiently.

“It can be hard sometimes, especially working all day and then having to go straight to the field for a game,” Roxburgh said. “And then you don’t get home until 11 or 12 at night and try and cook some dinner and get to bed just to be back up at seven again for work. It’s a little easier on the road, as you don’t have to work so you can get a bit more sleep in, but with my job I still get phone calls on the road about work and still have to sort out issues." 

Roxburgh has a great appreciation for the allowances he gets to play ball and to take time away from his workplace for the sport.

“My bosses are fantastic with allowing me time off, as they are both heavily involved with baseball,” he said. “And they are sponsors of the Bandits and also have a corporate box, so they are always at the games cheering myself and [fellow employee Ryan] Searle on.”

Roxburgh, in his rookie season, hit .283/.333/.396 with three home runs, three doubles and 16 runs driven in over his 28 games this year. The Brisbane native made the necessary adjustments to the league and ended the season even better than he started, batting .414/.514/.690 over his last 10 games and finished the year on a six-game hitting streak. The outfielder’s inaugural season in the ABL was significant enough to garner him a spot on the ballot for Rookie of the Year voting.

The most memorable moment for the Bandits left fielder this season came in his first series against the Sydney Blue Sox at the RNA Showgrounds.

“[The highlight of my season] was probably my first professional home run in the second game I played in,” Roxburgh said. “My family was there to see it so it was pretty special.”

Roxburgh’s family are baseball supporters and are also the reason that he got into it in the first place. A five-year-old Roxburgh saw his older brother playing the sport and began following him around before eventually getting his own start in the game. But the biggest enthusiast and follower of his game has been Roxburgh’s dad.

“He’s followed me my whole life and watched nearly every one of my games,” the 25-year-old said of his father. “And he is always supporting me and giving me advice on things I need to work on.”

What Roxburgh is going to work on this off-season, after finishing out the club ball season with the Windsor Royals, is coming back and vying for a spot in the Bandits lineup again for next year.

“I hope so,” he said of potentially being back in the ABL next season. “I’ll try and stay in shape and get in the gym during the off-season and hopefully get another chance to come back and play.”