Max Stagg is a baseballer who was awarded a Tier 1 Scholarship within the 2023 Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship and Mentoring Program. His Mentor is three-time NBA Champion, Luc Longley AM.
Max was born in Melbourne in 2004 and moved to Adelaide with his family in 2012 where he discovered baseball while attending primary school. He began playing baseball outside of school, at the West Torrens Baseball Club as a 10-year-old in 2014.
Max’s obvious talent were identified at a young age as he was selected to represent South Australia in junior representative competitions, however, it wasn’t until 2021 that he enjoyed a run of form that was good enough, for long enough, to be recognised by National selectors. The successful performances he showcased throughout that 12-month period in 2021 saw him receive the Baseball SA High Performance Athlete of the Year Award, before he was selected to represent his hometown team, Adelaide Giants, in the Australian Baseball League (ABL). He used this opportunity to showcase his talents on a national level. Following the completion of the 2021/22 ABL season, Max continued to prove he was one of the top players in the local South Australian Baseball League as he led the West Torrens Baseball Club to a State League Division 1 premiership. In a 7 game finals series, he had 16 hits, scored 5 home runs, batted 15 runs in for his team.
In a quirky turn of events that saw his worlds collide, following the 2021/22 ABL season Max was selected to play for the Australian Futures team in an exhibition series against the team he had just played with, the Giants. He continued a hot streak of form with a 4 hit game, wearing the green and gold for the first time.
Further opportunities came throughout 2022 as Max became the first ever Australian to receive an invitation to attend the Perfect Game National Showcase at Tropicana Field, a prestigious amateur showcase that hosts 300 of the top high school players from around the world, the majority of which come from the home of baseball – the USA. He competed well and has since helped create a pathway for more Australian athletes to follow through a partnership between Perfect Game and Baseball Australia.
In late 2022, Max will make his Australian team debut at the U18 World Cup in Bradenton, Florida, and is pursuing his dreams of playing baseball in the United States. He’s currently exploring both the college system and professional pathway.
Away from the diamond, Max aspires to be a business/sports manager while continuing to give back and support the continual growth of baseball in Australia.
“It means so much to be a recipient of a Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship, and even more so to have the opportunity to learn and pick the brain of one of Australia’s finest athletes. It is important for me to continually learn more about elite sport and how to best approach the way I go about the game. The scholarship will allow me to take my career to places it hasn’t been before. I hope that between them, I will be able to grow my career as well as baseball in Australia. Super excited to get started, and thankful for the opportunity SAHOF has provided!”– Max Stagg on being selected as a 2023 Tier 1 Scholarship Holder.
Honours & Achievements
- 2019: U16 Australian Youth Championships – State Team Selection
- 2020: U16 Australian Youth Championships – Bronze Medal and SA MVP
- 2022: Australian Baseball League Season with the Adelaide Giants
- 2022: Team Australia Futures Selection
- 2022: South Australian Baseball League Finals Premiership
- 2022: U18 National Junior Squad Selection
- 2023: Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship Holder
