The Hobart Hurricanes are pleased to announce the re-signing of Naomi Stalenberg on a one-year contract, keeping her as a key member of the Big Bash squad for WBBL|09.
Stalenberg has made 40 appearances for the Hurricanes, bringing up her 100th WBBL appearance last season. She is one of only 26 players to have done so.
The right-handed batter didn’t shy from success beyond the WBBL last season, after winning the Kim Fazackerley Medal in Cricket Tasmania Premier League for the 2022-23 season.
She scored an impressive 414 runs with an average of 59.14 in the premier league, including a high score of 132.
Stalenberg also played a key role in the WNCL Final, which helped the Tasmanian Tigers secure back-to-back titles scoring 75 runs off 89 balls.
A key member of the middle order, Stalenberg finished off the 2022-23 WNCL season with 267 runs and an average of 38.14.
Stalenberg excited to be back in purple
“Obviously it’s always an honour to play WBBL cricket and with Hobart being my home, I’m really excited to be back in the purple for another season, hopefully we can use the momentum from the backend of last season going into this season,” Stalenberg said.
Stalenberg praising new coach Jude Coleman
“I think Jude is an exceptional operator and she’s great at holding people accountable, and I think she’ll use her experience from winning the WBBL with the Strikers last year to help us take the next step.”
Stalenberg excited to play with Shabnim Ismail
“It’s great to be reuniting with Shabnim, I enjoyed playing with her at the Thunder. She’s a fiery character and likes to have fun, she is exceptional with the new ball and it will be nice for us to have some express pace,” Stalenberg said.
Head Coach Jude Coleman speaks of Stalenberg’s importance to the squad
“Naomi is a powerful hitter who can really add value throughout the middle order, we have seen in other competitions that she’s not afraid to go big when needed.”
“She’s been working really hard to expand her game during the preseason and we’re really excited to see her bring this to life in WBBL|09,” says Coleman.
“It’s exciting to see the final pieces of the squad coming together, I don’t doubt that with the list that we have that we’ll be able to go all the way this season.”
Hurricanes squad shaping up well
Stalenberg joins Nicola Carey, Maisy Gibson, Heather Graham, Shabnim Ismail (o/s), Ruth Johnston, Lizelle Lee (o/s), Emma Manix-Geeves, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Amy Smith, Bryony Smith (o/s), Molly Strano, Rachel Trenaman and Elyse Villani as players currently announced as contracted to the Hurricanes for WBBL|09.
The Hurricanes will get their WBBL|09 season underway on Friday 20 October, when they take on the Perth Scorchers at Launceston’s University of Tasmania Stadium.
