Baseball: Ferris leads Tamworth to an upset win on day one of baseball carnival

But the Tamworth-based pitcher is still very much in the midst of his baseball story, which extends back three decades, and eyeing what he hopes will be another successful chapter as the coach of the Tamworth A Grade team in this year's Tamworth Baseball Association June carnival.

And when asked what kept his commitment to the sport going after so many years, Ferris' answer was simple.

"Just the love of the game," Ferris said.

"I just love it. Being able to give back to these guys and provide a little bit of leadership for them, I think it's something they need. [It's about] being able to give back after all the years that I've played."

Though he is the senior member of the Tamworth team, Ferris' contributions on-field have by no means diminished.

He pitched in the side's first game of the carnival today, in which they went on to score a 2-0 win over NSW Country. It was the kind of performance, Ferris said, which gave him confidence that he could still contribute to the team as a player.

"I suppose I'm still performing at a good enough level to be playing," he said.

"If that changes, I'll reconsider (laughs). But to pitch against [NSW Country] and win, it reiterated to me why I play. I still have the ability to be competitive."

The Tamworth side, Ferris said, are typically underdogs at the tournament, and wins like this morning's bolster the side's belief in their ability to compete against top teams.

"To win our first game, that was maybe a little bit unexpected," he said.

"To do that against Country was really a confidence boost and really lifted the boys. It gave them confidence to be able to perform at this level."

Though Ferris conceded it was "disappointing" to follow that bright start up with an 11-4 loss to the Sydney Deadstars, who he said are a "really experienced" outfit, he knows his side will be better for the experience.

"This carnival is going to be good preparation for our Country Championships later in the year in Sydney," he said.

"To play at this level is going to be good momentum going into the next carnival."

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