Baseball – it's the great American pastime, and it could soon be one here in Tauranga if Richard Gilligan has anything to do with it.

The Tauranga City Baseball Club founder is busy, along with other club members, preparing for their family open day at Gordon Spratt Reserve, Papapmoa on September 13.

Tauranga City Baseball Club founders Shane Woolley and Richard Gilligan. Photo: File.

Since forming the club in May this year, the club has been calling for expressions of interest in the sport. Richard says they have had more than 60 people respond and are now holding an open day to show what Baseball has to offer.

'We've got New Zealand baseball players coming down to do exhibition hitting and have competitions with a lot of kids in baseball gear,” explains Richard.

'We'll have a social round of baseball, plus we've got a speed pitching contest with radar guns and a longest hit contest.”

Richard says the popularity of the sport is growing in Tauranga because there are a number of ex-pat Americans who are keen to get their children involved in the sport.

Baseball has gathered a lot of momentum recently among Kiwis, with the likes of Daniel Bradley, Ben Thompson and Cooper Hutchinson all in the semi-professional leagues or on baseball scholarships in the US.

Richard says Tauranga was one of the first outside of the main cities looking to start a baseball league.

Baseball New Zealand chief executive Ryan Flynn says over the last five years, player numbers have jumped from 600 to 6000 and three clubs have turned into 18 nationwide.

He says such statistics have buoyed Baseball NZ into becoming an international powerhouse, despite feeding off far less resources than the likes of rugby and cricket.

For more information on registering, contact: [email protected] or visit Tauranga City Baseball Club on Facebook.