Around this time of the year Herts baseball fans keep checking their smartphones for the official announcement of the Herts teams which will play in the various leagues of the British Baseball Federation (BBF).
The club has just confirmed that they have submitted five team entries. Its flagship team, the Herts Falcons, will be looking to improve on last year when it finished in third place in Britain’s top league, 17 games back on the London Mets and 8 on the London Capitals.
The big change this year is that the Herts Hawks have applied to move up from the Double-A to the Triple-A League, while the Herts Londoners are moving down from Triple-A to Double-A. Tetsuro Shinkawa was appointed as the new Triple-A manager at the club’s annual general meeting last month and he will be taking charge of the Hawks in that league. The name of the new Herts Londoners manager has not been revealed yet.
There is no change for the Raptors and Eagles. They both remain in the Single-A League which means that their rivalry continues and they will meet again in a Herts derby in 2020. As reported last month, Herts Raptors begin a new era under manager, Mantas Poderys.
Last year adult player numbers grew by 54.7%. 2020 player registrations so far are 20.8% higher compared to the same time last year. We are pleased to see many new players who are completely new to the game. We are leaving room in our rosters to accommodate further growth. pic.twitter.com/flRTkz4dff
— Herts Baseball Club ?? (@HertsBaseball) February 3, 2020
A tweet from the club two days ago indicated that there has been a 20.8% increase in the number of registered players compared to the same time last year. We understand that the club did consider the possibility of adding a sixth team for the first time in its history, but that they chose not to overstretch the squads.
The teams have once again left room in their rosters so new players, from complete beginners to advanced, can join the club and go straight into the races for the playoffs with a team suitable for their level.
Existing players who have not reactivated their registration for the 2020 season can do so here. New players can register for the new season here or, if you would like to take part in one of the upcoming open sessions to give baseball a try and help you decide whether to join the club, then contact us for more details.