After a 10-year absence, David Boyton’s men competed in most of their six matches at the 2018 Senior Country NSW Baseball Championship at Blacktown.

But a lack of depth proved too much to overcome.

Hastings defeated Central Coast 10-4 in their second match which turned out to be their only win of the tournament.

“We won one game from six which wasn’t too bad; I only really expected us to win one or two games,” Boyton said.

“The whole tournament came down to our pitching depth.

“We were really competitive against Newcastle and had a 6-3 loss and they went on to win it.”

Boyton, however, was satisfied they would be better equipped next time they appeared at the country championships.

Hopefully it won’t be in another 10 years’ time.

“Overall the weekend was really good, well organised and rest assured we’ll take a bigger squad next year,” he said.

“It was the unknown a little bit for us, but we do have the talent in the Hastings to win that competition.”

The performances of teenagers Jarrod Taylor and Lachlan Barnes were impressive.

“The young kids in particular really helped us old buggers out,” Boyton said.

“It was a tough weekend because we just needed the depth; we suffered a few early injuries which really hurt us.”

Boyton said the experience of playing on the main ground under lights in their first game was a highlight for many of the players in the team.

“The young blokes really loved it; playing Friday night under lights was a good opportunity to play in a showcase event on that field,” he said.

“There were nerves early, but they started to relax by the end of it.”

As baseball continues to grow in the region, Boyton was confident of sending a stronger team to next year’s country championships.

“We know next year will be a big difference because we’ll have a squad with more depth,” he said.