Bazzana gives Australian Little Leaguers up-close look at path from Down Under to the bigs

CLEVELAND -- It wasn’t that long ago when Travis Bazzana was a kid dreaming of taking the road less traveled to MLB from Australia. Now, as he enjoys his rookie season in the Majors, the 24-year-old stands as an inspiration to those looking to follow in his footsteps.

On Saturday, a group of kids from back home didn’t have to dream about it. They got an up-close look at what’s possible.

Bazzana hosted the Ryde Hawks team that represented Australia at the 2026 Little League World Series at Progressive Field on Saturday. It was a special occasion for all involved, and a full-circle moment for Bazzana, who played for Ryde from when he was 9 to 17 years old.

“A lot of the people that are behind the scenes with the team,” Bazzana said, “who helped grow the game for them, or build the practices and the fields and stuff that are in place, are the same people who helped me. It's pretty cool to see them being the champion.”

The Little Leaguers took a four-plus-hour bus ride to Cleveland from Williamsport, Pa., on Saturday morning, and Bazzana spent time with them before the Guardians’ matinee against the Royals. They toured Progressive Field and got an inside look at the second baseman’s daily life.

Ryde dropped its pair of games in Williamsport to Canada and Mexico, but the journey to the U.S. has nonetheless been an incredible experience for the kids, manager Paul Jones noted. Spending time with Bazzana added another incredible memory to a thrilling trip.

“It's been fantastic,” Jones said. “We had a great tournament. The results didn't go our way, but we really had some fun there, and Williamsport's such a fun place. You just can't describe it. But to be here today and to see Trav again is pretty cool.”

Bazzana said the kids on Ryde are all from roughly the same area as where he grew up. Before he embarked on his baseball journey in the U.S., which began with his college career at Oregon State, he was in their shoes.

Bazzana played three years in the Little League age group, and he went to the national championship tournament (which determines who goes to Williamsport) three times. He even got an exemption to play for Ryde a year early, when he was 9 years old, as it looked to secure a trip to Williamsport.

“I was 9, batting leadoff, tiny,” Bazzana said. “We lost in the quarterfinal that year, but the team that beat us was the national champion, and we were right there with them. We just got a tough draw. [Those are] some of my great memories playing.”

Andrew Ross, who is a coach on this year’s Ryde squad, coached Bazzana as a kid. He recalled Bazzana having the same intensity then as that which has defined a journey in which he became the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft and an All-Star as a rookie this season.

Ross recalled Bazzana getting to the park early and taking 100 swings right-handed and another 100 left-handed. He was always first to put his hand up when the team needed someone to play a position defensively, and he wanted to be his best at each spot.

“I was probably just a stepping stone, a small part of his journey,” Ross said. “But to see him make it all the way is absolutely fantastic. So many kids in Australia dream of making that journey. If you ask all these kids, they’ll all be wanting to go to college and see where that takes them. To see people achieve that dream is fantastic.”

Going forward, Bazzana hopes to continue being an inspiration to those back home. Through his baseball journey, he has had other opportunities to meet up-and-coming players from Australia who have asked him for advice. What’s the most important thing Bazzana has learned? What would he tell his younger self now?

For Bazzana, it’s simple: Don’t let anyone set limits on what you think you can do. You don’t have to look too far to see why.

“Before I ever stepped foot in professional baseball,” Bazzana said, “I wanted to do enough and have a career that people would want to aspire to be like, and just leave a mark on the younger players and hopefully give back. To now be doing that is really fulfilling.”