OLD GUILDFORDIANS
Baseball WA Hall of Fame Inductees
James ‘ Kaye ’ Greenham ( St 1953-1958 ), Simon Eissens ( St 1981-1985 ) and Shane Tonkin ( St 1986-1988 ) have been inducted into Baseball WA ’ s Hall of Fame . They , along with 31 other inductees , were formally recognised in front of their peers , friends and family at the Baseball WA Awards Night on 30 March 2021 .
Baseball WA launched the Hall of Fame this year and recognised those who played a major role in shaping the game in Western Australia with outstanding on-field contributions .
As quoted on the Baseball WA website , Simon Eissens spoke passionately on behalf of the inductees , “ It is an honour and a privilege and truly humbling to be part of the rich history of baseball in WA .” Simon went on to say that many have given their hearts and souls to the game they love , and the game “ Has just given us back something a little bit special . We are Claxton Shield winners , life members , president medallists . We are major leaguers , professional players , world champions , Olympians , Australian players and World Series winners .”
The following Old Guildfordians have contributed a great deal to baseball and we celebrate their Hall of Fame status as inaugural inductees .
James ‘ Kaye ’ Greenham A pitcher , hitter and infielder , Kaye was known for being a dominant player throughout his career and among the top players nationally . While still at Guildford Grammar School , Kaye was the first ever schoolboy representative of the Western Australia senior state team , and he was selected in every team he was eligible for , between 1957 and 1974 . He won five premierships with Swan Districts ( between 1957 and 1963 ), one at South Perth ( 1966 ) and one at East Fremantle ( 1974 ).
In 1959 , the New York Yankees approached Kaye , making him one of the first Australians to be offered a professional contract by a US major league franchise . This opportunity to compete for a spot in the US major leagues was something that Kaye and his family agonised over . The offer was turned down and Kaye instead pursued and achieved his goal of becoming a doctor in Perth .
Kaye ’ s impact has been recognised before with his induction into the Australian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 .
Simon Eissens A celebrated pitcher once called ‘ Mr Consistency ’, Simon was born in Liverpool which allowed him to play for both Australia and Great Britain . He made his Australian Baseball League debut in the 1990 / 91 season and his superb performances saw him selected in the national team for the Barcelona Olympic qualifications in China . Simon later represented Australia at the 1994 Baseball World Cup in Managua , Nicaragua .
A member of Team Australia in 1991 , 1992 , 1994 and 1995 , Simon also played for the British national team at the European Championships in 2003 in the Netherlands , and 2005 in the Czech Republic .
Simon was a Claxton Shield Team Member for the state team , whether it be playing for the Perth Heat or the Western Heelers , from 1986-2007 . In 2006 , Simon held the record of 39 wins for WA ’ s Heat and Heelers and he won Claxton Shield Championships in 1991 , 1997 and 2000 .
Shane Tonkin Known for his prowess on the mound as a pitcher , Shane originally played for the Perth Baseball Club and competed there from 1987-2003 . The club with Shane was dominant during this time , winning premierships in 1994 , 1995 , 1996 and 1997 .
With the arrival of the Australian Baseball League in 1989 , Shane was elevated to the Perth Heat and played there until 1999 , with Claxton Shield Championships in 1991 and 1997 .
A member of Team Australia between 1993-2001 , Shane played at the 1993 International Cup in Italy , the 1994 Four Nation International Cup in Japan , the 1994 World Cup in Nicaragua , the 1996 Honk Ball Tournament in the Netherlands , the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and the 1997 World Championships in Barcelona . At the Atlanta Olympics , Shane pitched with tremendous efficiency and recorded the lowest earned run average ( ERA ) of any Australian pitcher .
In addition , Shane also played for international teams in Taiwan ( 1999 , 2000 ) and Italy ( 2001 , 2002 , 2003 ). He won a Taiwanese Major League Championship with Taipei Gida Suns in 2000 .
Continuing his commitment to developing Baseball in WA and Australia , Shane transitioned to the front office where he has
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T O N K I N worked as both the CEO of Baseball WA and CEO of the Perth Heat , and he has served on the Baseball WA Board of Directors as well as the Baseball WA Facility Redevelopment Committee . Currently , Shane is the General Manager , Commercial and Marketing , at Baseball Australia .
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