Trent Oeltjen

1983 -

Trent Oeltjen won a silver medal for Australia in baseball in 2004. Athens was the third consecutive appearance at the Games for Australia’s baseballers, with the team having placed seventh in both Atlanta and Sydney. Australia reached the semi-finals by winning four of its seven preliminary round matches, finishing fourth. This meant it would face Japan, the top-ranked team in the competition. However, Japan’s only loss had been to the Aussies, a 9-4 drubbing. Australia again proved too much for the all-professional Japanese outfit, winning 1-0. In the final, the Aussies fell to Cuba 6-2. The silver remains Australia’s only Olympic baseball medal. Oeltjen, a centrefielder who bats and throws left-handed, has enjoyed a solid professional career in the US.