Simon Sheldon-Collins

Simon Sheldon-Collins (Spike)

• Bats Right, Throws Left
• Height 5' 9", Weight 159 lb.

• Born July 4, 1967 in Melbourne, Victoria Australia

Biographical Information

Simon Sheldon-Collins is the younger brother of Matthew Sheldon-Collins and joined him on the Australian Olympic team one year.

Sheldon-Collins was with the Melbourne Reds from the beginning of the Australian Baseball League. In 1989-1990, he was 5-2 with a 3.17 ERA to help the team win the league's first pennant. The next year, the portsider fell to 1-1, 5.30, allowing a .376 batting average. In 1991-1992, Sheldon-Collins was 0-1 with a save and a 5.04 ERA out of the bullpen.

The Melbourne native bounced back in 1992-1993, posting a 8-4, 2.25 record as a starter and holding opponents to 60 hits (2 homers) and 15 walks in 80 innings in a career year. He ranked fifth in the ABL in ERA and lowest opponent batting average.

Sheldon-Collins joined the Australian national team for the 1993 Asian Championship. In the 1993 Intercontinental Cup, he was 2-1 despite a 7.53 ERA. He led Australia in wins, strikeouts (18), innings pitched (14 1/3), runs allowed (12) and homers allowed (a whopping 8). He was lit up for 5 homers and 9 runs in two innings against the Cuban national team, but pitched well against South Korea (3 R in 6 IP, 9 K) and Spain (no runs in 6 1/3 IP, 2 hits, 8 K). He tied 7 others, including Rolando Arrojo and Osvaldo Fernandez for second in the Cup in wins, two behind leader Hidekazu Watanabe.

Spike fell to 5-8, 6.06 in the 1993-1994 Australian Baseball League as opponents hit .299 against the diminutive left-hander. He was still kept on the national team for the 1994 Baseball World Cup, where he was 0-2 with a 14.14 ERA, allowing 13 hits and 11 runs in 7 innings. He led Australia in losses and only Jon Deeble had a worse ERA. He took defeats against two of the top teams that year, Cuba and Nicaragua.

Back in Australia that winter, Sheldon-Collins' record was 6-1, 4.90 while he helped Melbourne to the 1994-1995 Australian Baseball League pennant. In 1995-1996, he was 7-4 with a 3.40 ERA. He concluded his baseball career in the 1996 Olympics, where he was overwhelmed for 12 hits (6 for extra bases), 2 walks and 2 hit batsmen in 2 1/3 IP, leading to 13 runs (9 earned). He allowed four runs in one inning against Team USA, 5 runs in 1/3 of an inning against the Dutch national team and 4 runs in an inning against the Italian national team. He took the loss against the Netherlands when he started and could not make it out of the first inning. His 34.71 ERA tied Eelco Jansen for the second-worst in a high-scoring Olympics, ahead of only Italy's Paolo Passerini.

Due to work commitments outside of baseball, Sheldon-Collins retired. He had gone 32-21 with a save and a 4.07 ERA in 82 games in the Australian Baseball League and 2-4 in international competitions.

Sheldon-Collins was noted for his control and the movement on his pitchers as he was not a hard thrower.

Sources:

• Flintoff & Dunn Australian Baseball Almanacs
• IBAF website