Category: Raptors

BBF PUBLISHES 2010 SEASON DETAILS AND SCHEDULE

 

The Brtish Baseball Federation has issued details of the 2010 League Season.  It is set to be another exciting season for all four Herts baseball teams in each of the four leagues of the British Baseball league structure.

 

The Club’s first team, the Herts Falcons, open the National Baseball League (NBL) season on Sunday, 18 April, at home against the Southampton Mustangs who are one of the three expansion teams entering the NBL this year. The Herts Eagles will start their AAA-League campaign on 25 April with a trip to the Bristol Badgers, who will have building work at their field in the second half of the season, so they will play all their home games in the first half of 2010. On the same day the Double-A Herts Hawks travel to the Essex Archers.  This means that the Hawks will be one of the first teams to play at the revamped Townmead Field in Waltham Abbey.  The fouth Herts team, the Raptors start the season on 18 April making their longest trip of the year to Southampton where they will face the Mustangs.

 

The following are additional details about each of the BBF leagues in 2010.

 

2010 ADULT LEAGUE SEASON PREVIEW

 

The BBF Adult Leagues have made tremendous progress recently and going into the 2010 season there are positive news in all departments. The number of teams entering the league has grown from 45 to 51 teams (13% increase). This includes nine new teams entering the BBF leagues (the leagues they will be playing in are shown in brackets):

 

 

· Bracknell Blazers III – A (South)

 

· Chelmsford Clippers – A (South)

 

· Essex RedBacks – AAA (South)

 

· Glasgow Baseball Association – AAA (North)

 

· Horsham – AA (South)

 

· Leicester Blue Sox II – AA (Midlands)

 

· Mildenhall Bulldogs II – AA (Midlands)

 

· Poole Piranhas – AA (South)

 

· Tonbridge – A (South)

 

 

The BBF has just concluded a contract with the number one baseball brand in the world, Rawlings, confirming them as the official ball supplier of British Baseball. New baseball fields are starting to appear on the British Baseball map, with the Essex RedBacks, the Chelmsford Clippers and Herts Baseball Club unveiling new diamonds this season. Existing baseball venues are being improved by clubs receiving grants from BSUK and other organisations, as well as carrying out separate fundraising projects. Essex is one of the clubs which will be unveiling its improved facilities including an impressive grandstand with a 150-seat capacity. Baseball clubs are putting emphasis on increasing publicity by working closely with regional and national media organisations which is starting to generate a lot of interest from new players who want to get in the game and former players who want to get back into baseball.

 

 

National Baseball League (NBL)

 

The NBL has been expanded from 5 to 8 teams. The new members are the Essex Arrows, the Mildenhall Bulldogs and the Southampton Mustangs. The British Baseball Federation’s decision to expand the league will not only bring excitement to the NBL in 2010, but the hope is that the three clubs will take advantage of this unique opportunity to continue their growth and development and create vibrant baseball communities in their regions.

 

 

The following is the NBL line-up in 2010:

 

 

· Bracknell Blazers

 

· Croydon Pirates

 

· Essex Arrows

 

· Herts Falcons

 

· London Mets

 

· Mildenhall Bulldogs

 

· Richmond Flames

 

· Southampton Mustangs

 

 

Number of regular season games per team: 28 games

Number of weeks: 15 weeks (13 double-headers and 2 single games as part of NBL Special Events – see below for more details)

League Format: Teams play 4 games against each of their opponents.

Postseason: teams finishing in first and second place progress automatically to the National Baseball Championships. Teams finishing third, fourth, fifth and sixth will have to win in a single 9-inning playoff game to progress (see Postseason Playoffs and NBC section below for full details).

AAA-League

In a change from the 2009 structure, the Northern Conference has been divided in two, with the top 6 teams forming the AAA (North) League. In AAA (South) Essex and Southampton may have moved up to the NBL but in their place the BBF has approved the addition of the Bracknell Blazers II, the Kent Mariners and the Essex RedBacks, which is a new club in Essex comprising adult and youth teams entering the league for the first time.

AAA (North)

· Glasgow

· Halton

· Harrogate

· Liverpool

· Manchester A’s

· Menwith Hill

Number of regular season games per team: 28 games

Number of weeks: 14 weeks (14 double-header)

AAA (South)

· Bracknell Blazers II

· Bristol Badgers

· Essex RedBacks

· Herts Eagles

· Kent Mariners

· London Metros

· Oxford Kings

Number of regular season games per team: 24 games

Number of weeks: 12 weeks (12 double-header)

League Format: Teams play 4 games against each of their opponents.

Postseason: The team finishing in first place progresses automatically to the National Baseball Championships. Teams finishing second and third will play a single 9-inning playoff game to qualify for the NBC (see Postseason Playoffs and NBC section below for full details).

AA-League

This season the AA League has a structure which resembles that of MLB in that it has several separate sub-divisions of five teams. A total of 20 teams from every corner of the country are part of the AA League line-up and with a MLB-like postseason format the season in the AA is expected to bring a lot of excitement.

AA (North)

· Bolton

· Humber

· Manchester Torrent

· Oldham

· Sheffield

Number of regular season games per team: 24 games

Number of weeks: 12 weeks (12 double-header)

AA (Midlands)

· Birmingham Maple Leafs

· Leicester Blue Sox

· Leicester Blue Sox II

· Mildenhall Bulldogs II

· MK Bucks

Number of regular season games per team: 20 games

Number of weeks: 12 weeks (8 double-header and 4 single)

League Format: Teams play 5 games against each of their opponents (2 double headers and 1 single game).

Postseason: Teams finishing in first and second place progress through to the postseason where they will play two rounds of playoff games to qualify for the NBC. Teams finishing in third and fourth place progress through to the A-League postseason where they will play two rounds of playoff games to qualify for the NBC (see Postseason Playoffs and NBC section below for full details).

AA (South) Pool A

· Croydon Pirates III

· Horsham

· Poole Piranhas

· Windsor Bears

· Thames Valley Bisons

Number of regular season games per team: 18 games

Number of weeks: 13 weeks (5 double-header and 8 single)

League Format: Teams play 2 single games against each of their opponents plus interleague double-header against each of the teams in the other AA (South) pool.

Postseason: Teams finishing in first and second place progress through to the postseason where they will play two rounds of playoff games to qualify for the NBC (see Postseason Playoffs and NBC section below for full details).

AA (South) Pool B

· Brentwood Stags

· Essex Archers

· Herts Hawks

· Richmond Knights

· Sidewinders

Number of regular season games per team: 18 games

Number of weeks: 13 weeks (5 double-header and 8 single)

League Format: Teams play 2 single games against each of their opponents plus interleague double-header against each of the teams in the other AA (South) pool.

Postseason: Teams finishing in first and second place progress through to the postseason where they will play two rounds of playoff games to qualify for the NBC (see Postseason Playoffs and NBC section below for full details).

A-League

The A-League will also have two sub-divisions of five teams and the top two teams in each of them will qualify for the postseason where they will be joined by teams finishing third and fourth in AA (Midlands) and AA (North). The A-League (South) welcomes three new teams to the line-up this season – the Chelmsford Clippers, Tonbridge and Bracknell Blazers III.

A (South) Pool A

· Bracknell Blazers III

· Guildford Mavericks

· Richmond Dragons

· Southampton Mustangs II

· Tonbridge

Number of regular season games per team: 13 games

Number of weeks: 13 weeks (single games)

League Format: Teams play 2 single games against each of their opponents plus one interleague game against each of the teams in the other A-League (South) pool.

Postseason: Teams finishing in first and second place progress through to the postseason where they will play two rounds of playoff games to qualify for the NBC (see Postseason Playoffs and NBC section below for full details).

A (South) Pool B

· Braintree Rays

· Chelmsford Clippers

· Herts Raptors

· London Marauders

· Old Timers

Number of regular season games per team: 13 games

Number of weeks: 13 weeks (single games)

League Format: Teams play 2 single games against each of their opponents plus one interleague game against each of the teams in the other A-League (South) pool.

Postseason: Teams finishing in first and second place progress through to the postseason where they will play two rounds of playoff games to qualify for the NBC (see Postseason Playoffs and NBC section below for full details).

Special Events

This year British Baseball will introduce several special events as part of the league schedule. The objective is to start to turn our league games into a real celebration of baseball which will not only enhance the enjoyment of players but will add a sense of occasion. This is expected to generate interest from the general public and attendances at our events are expected to rise.

As our clubs continue their development and improve their facilities in the next two or three seasons, they will have the capabilities to turn every one of their league game days into special events. This will be a gradual process which will have to start at the NBL level where the clubs are in a stronger position to execute this. AAA, AA and A teams that make progress and show that they are capable of staging such events will move up the leagues and the hope is that in time all teams at all league levels will be in a position to turn their regular season game dates into special events.

The BBF Special Events which are being introduced this season are listed below. Most of these events will be subject to a bidding process and clubs from all parts of the country are able to submit their bid to host them. Full details of how clubs can apply to host these events will be provided in the coming weeks.

The BBF Adult and Youth League Commissioners will be considering ways of combining both adult and youth games as part of these BBF Special Events, if possible, in order to make them even more vibrant. This would be fantastic for club spirit.

NBL Independence Day Weekend

Date: Saturday, 3 July 2010

Venue: To be confirmed (Subject to bidding process). Venue requires two baseball diamonds.

Format: All 8 NBL teams come to the same venue and play one single game each as part of their regular league season. The games which will be played are as follows.

DATE

TIME

VENUE

LEAGUE

VISITING TEAM

HOME TEAM

FORMAT

03-Jul-10

TBC

TBC

NBL

Croydon Pirates

Bracknell Blazers

9 innings

03-Jul-10

TBC

TBC

NBL

Herts Falcons

Essex Arrows

9 innings

03-Jul-10

TBC

TBC

NBL

Richmond Flames

London Mets

9 innings

03-Jul-10

TBC

TBC

NBL

Mildenhall Bulldogs

Southampton Mustangs

9 innings

NBL Summer Classic

Date: Saturday, 5 June 2010

Venue: To be confirmed (Subject to bidding process). Venue does not necessarily have to have two baseball diamonds so clubs with one diamond can bid for this event.

Format: All 8 NBL teams play one single game each as part of their regular season similar to the NBL Independence Day Weekend event or, in order to enable clubs which have only one diamond to host these BBF Special Events, the event can be split into two smaller events with 4 teams playing a single 9-inning game each at one venue and the other 4 teams doing the same at a different venue. The games which will be played are as follows.

DATE

TIME

VENUE

LEAGUE

VISITING TEAM

HOME TEAM

FORMAT

05-Jun-10

TBC

TBC

NBL

Croydon Pirates

Bracknell Blazers

9 innings

05-Jun-10

TBC

TBC

NBL

Herts Falcons

Essex Arrows

9 innings

05-Jun-10

TBC

TBC

NBL

Richmond Flames

London Mets

9 innings

05-Jun-10

TBC

TBC

NBL

Mildenhall Bulldogs

Southampton Mustangs

9 innings

The Postseason Playoffs

The postseason of all four Leagues (NBL, AAA, AA and A) involve playoff games on the weekends of 21 and 28 August 2010. The BBF will consider ways of bundling playoff games together to turn them into larger and better attended events. An example of a Playoff event could include the following games at the same venue and on the same day:

DATE

TIME

VENUE

LEAGUE

VISITING TEAM

HOME TEAM

FORMAT

28-Aug-10

10:00

TBC

AAA

AAA South (3rd)

AAA (South 2nd)

9 innings

28-Aug-10

13:00

TBC

NBL

NBL (5th)

NBL (4th)

9 innings

28-Aug-10

16:00

TBC

NBL

NBL (6th)

NBL (3rd)

9 innings

National Baseball Championships (NBC)

The NBC brings together all of the best NBL, AAA, AA and A League teams from around Great Britain to one venue. This is the climax of the season and is the most prestigious event on the British Baseball calendar. See Postseason Playoffs and NBC section below for full details.

Other Events

As part of the process of creating the league schedule in the Southern Adult Leagues where there is a large number of multi-team clubs, we have selected a few dates where several teams from the same multi-team clubs can all play their league games at the same venue. Throughout the season teams from the same club have limited opportunity to spend time together as their league schedule usually sends them to different locations on a given weekend. The objective of this trial is to bring large baseball communities together and enhance club spirit. These events are experimental and there is no requirement to apply for them. It is up to the clubs concerned to determine to what extent they wish and are capable of utilising these dates as larger promotional/fundraising events. If this experiment is successful we will look to increase these events as much as possible in future seasons. The following is an example of one such event involving multi-team clubs:

DATE

TIME

VENUE

LEAGUE

VISITING TEAM

HOME TEAM

FORMAT

25-Jul-10

11:00

Herts1

NBL

Bracknell Blazers

Herts Falcons

7 innings

25-Jul-10

12:00

Herts2

AAA (South)

Bracknell Blazers II

Herts Eagles

7 innings

25-Jul-10

13:30

Herts1

NBL

Bracknell Blazers

Herts Falcons

7 innings

25-Jul-10

14:30

Herts2

AAA (South)

Bracknell Blazers II

Herts Eagles

7 innings

25-Jul-10

16:00

Herts1

A (South)

Bracknell Blazers III

Herts Raptors

9 innings

Another example is combining league games with other events. For example, the Essex Archers are scheduled to play their AA home game vs Thames Valley on Saturday, 26 June 2010 , while the Essex Arrows will play their home NBL game against the Croydon Pirates on the following day Sunday, 27 June 2010. This is done to coincide with the Waltham Abbey Town Show attracting more fans and generating publicity for Essex Baseball Club and British Baseball in general.

HSL WEEK1 BOX SCORES: WINDSOR @ HERTS RAPTORS

Windsor Bears at Herts Raptors
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Windsor Bears 6 7 4 0 5 9 31 21 0
Herts Raptors 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 7

Windsor Bears 31, Herts Raptors 0
Windsor Bears Herts Raptors
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Newbury lf 6 5 3 2 Bobby Gould 3b 3 0 1 0
Clift 1b 3 5 1 1 Tom Green 2b 2 0 1 0
Milner p 7 3 7 11 (t4) Chris Deacon rf-cf 1 0 0 0
Gible ss 7 4 2 1 Rob Jones 1b-ss 1 0 1 0
Mnikkinen c 4 3 1 1 Jeff Witter 1b-p 3 0 0 0
Morriss 2b-3b 10 7 5 5 Bryan Drummond p-cf 2 0 0 0
Neads cf 3 3 2 5 (t5) Jon Gamble rf 1 0 0 0
Swayne rf 5 1 0 2 Jim Arnott p-lf 2 0 1 0
Ken Pike ss-p 2 0 0 0
Simon Elkington cf-2b 2 0 1 0
Phil Gover rf-lf 2 0 0 0
Kal Dimitrov c 1 0 0 0
(t5) Ilya Dimitrov c 1 0 1 0
TEAM TOTALS 45 31 21 28 TEAM TOTALS 23 0 6 0

E: Bobby Gould(2), Tom Green(2), Ken Pike, Kal Dimitrov, Rob Jones. LOB: Herts
Raptors 5, Windsor Bears 9. 2B: Milner(3), Neads, Rob Jones, Jim Arnott. 3B: Milner,
Neads.

Windsor Bears IP H R ER BB SO
Milner W 6.00 6 0 0 0 8
Herts Raptors            
Bryan Drummond L 3.00 11 17 8 5 7
Jim Arnott 2.00 6 5 4 2 3
Ken Pike 0.67 4 9 6 5 0
Jeff Witter 0.33 0 0 0 0 0

HBP: by Bryan Drummond (Swayne). . . . . WP: Bryan Drummond(2). PB: Kal Dimitrov. T:
3:00. A: 45.

RECORD-BREAKING YEAR FOR THE HERTS SPRING LEAGUE

Article by Rob Jones

The biggest pre-season baseball tournament in Britain is back, and this year it is even bigger and better than ever. The Herts Spring league will see a record 17 teams travel from as far afield as Leicester and Southampton to hone their skills and compete for the title. Organised by the Herts Baseball Club, it’s Britain’s very own version of the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues currently under way in the US, and it signals that the season is just around the corner.

Herts Baseball Club President Aspi Dimitrov was delighted by the surge in interest: “Every year we have had more teams wanting to play in the HSL. It’s fantastic to have another big jump in the numbers, and I think it’s going to be a great competition.“ He added: “We are also pleased to confirm that BarrysTickets.com have continued their association with Herts Baseball Club and have just been confirmed as the Official Sponsor of the 2010 Herts Spring League. The financial contribution which they are making will be used to improve and maintain facilities at Herts Baseball Club so that all teams coming to play at Herts can benefit.

Last year’s winners Bracknell will be returning to defend their crown, led by their star slugger Ryan Trask. In 2009, their victory in the HSL was a springboard to taking the National League title, and top teams this year will be hoping to emulate that feat. Bracknell’s opening HSL game is a mouth-watering clash with the Richmond Flames in a repeat of the 2009 National Baseball Championship Final. Ryan Bird’s Richmond Flames will be battling them hard and the host team, the Herts Falcons, will count on flame-throwing Dan Kerry (pictured) to keep the offenses in check. The big guns will be joined by teams from all levels of the British game, including the current AA Champions, the Mildenhall Bulldogs, and the reigning masters of the British Single-A League, the Leicester Blue Sox.

The action will be spread across three weekends – starting on Saturday, 27 March and ending on Sunday, 11 April – and at two excellent venues, Grovehill ballpark in Hemel Hempstead, and Ham Ground in Richmond. The clubs will be split into two groups, HSL Majors and HSL Minors, based on the team rankings going in to the new season – NBL and AAA teams will be joined by the expansion team the Essex Redbacks in the Majors; the AA and A teams will make up the Minors. The winners of two mini-leagues will then go head to head for the Championships.

The Herts Spring League adds a competitive edge to Spring training. It’s the time for managers to work out their winning formula going into the BBF league season. It is an opportunity to evaluate existing and newly recruited players – which players will earn a spot in the pitching rotation and who will be batting where in the batting order? Who will make the first team and who will have to work their way up with the minor league teams? Not forgetting, it’s a chance to size up your rivals for the year ahead. It’s the first big challenge and the first big excitement of the baseball year. Don’t miss it.

 

Visit the official HSL website for more details.

FIELDS OF DREAMS

For the average person, pulling on a baseball glove or clubbing a home run would be an exciting novelty. So, for those us who get that thrill regularly, what novelty provokes similar excitement?  The answer, it seems, is a mini-digger and a dumper truck.  On a bright Spring Saturday, some of the finest talent that Herts Baseball Club has to offer turned out to help prepare our brand new field, and touch up our existing diamond for the season ahead.   They could barely contain their glee at two life-size Tonka toys to play with. One of them told me that when the call for volunteer drivers went out, his hand had never gone up so quickly.  But this was not just about sandpit play on a grand scale.  This was serious work.  The machines were there to dig out the areas around the three bases, home plate, and the pitchers' mound on the new field, so that several enormous piles of sand and gravel could be poured in.  Marty Cullen, Lee Manning and Dave Westfallen took turns at the controls, taking strides towards turning one small patch of Hemel Hempsted from plain old grass, to a magical baseball diamond.  The germ of the idea was planted years ago; the turf was laid last autumn in a blaze of wet weather glory; and in just a matter of weeks, it should be hosting Herts games. The second field will give the club the room it needs to run four adult teams, as well as a burgeoning Little League project, throughout 2010 and for many years to come.

Over on the original field, the work was less dramatic but no less important. The grass had to be edged neatly, the new Redgra spread evenly, and the mound repaired lovingly, so that it can remain a Hertfordshire landmark. Baseball fields are rare enough in the UK — a field with a full, cut-out infield is even more rare, and with a bit of maintenance it can be a thing of beauty. So Greg Bochan, Mark Hoffman and Phil Hynes were among those who helped it become reality. They used the more mundane tools of shovel and wheelbarrow to five the field a facelift. In the course of the day, more than two dozen baseball  stars put in their time as volunteer groundsmen. This has been the scene of many Herts triumphs — let's hope it can be even better looking when the next triumph comes around.

BBF ANNOUNCES DEAL WITH THE #1 BASEBALL BRAND IN THE WORLD

The following article was first published on www.britishbaseball.org

LONDON (11 February 2010) – The British Baseball Federation (BBF) has signed a contract which confirms Rawlings as the official ball of British Baseball. Six major baseball suppliers were invited to take part in the bidding process. All of them submitted very competitive offers and Rawlings were confirmed as the winner. The contract will run until December 2010.

Rawlings is the number one baseball brand in the world and has been setting the trend in baseball technology since its establishment in 1887. It is because of Rawlings’ dedication to baseball that the “Annual Rawlings Gold Glove Award” bears the name of Rawlings. The Rawlings Gold Glove Award has been presented to players for fielding excellence since 1957. Rawlings sponsors more than half of the current MLB Players. Among them are the world’s biggest baseball stars who are also some of the best paid athletes on the planet. This includes players like Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols (pictured), Derek Jeter, Jose Reyes, Chase Utley and many others.

The Rawlings ROLB model will be designated as the official ball of the National Baseball League (NBL). It features the revolutionary Extra Innings Technology™ (EIT). The patented polymer layer repels moisture, both liquid and vapour, which improves performance and makes it longer lasting compared to traditional baseball technology.

The ROLB1 model will be the official ball of British Baseball’s Minor Leagues (Triple-A, Double-AA and Single-A Leagues) and the Under-16 League. The BBF will also recommend the ROLB1 ball for its Under-13 Competitions.

“It is a tremendous boost for British Baseball to be starting this partnership with the world’s number one baseball brand. The contract represents great value for our member clubs and we look forward to working closely with Rawlings to ensure that they too benefit from this partnership,” said a BBF spokesperson. This news comes just weeks after the BBF announced impressive growth in the number of teams joining the British Baseball leagues which was followed by the news that the National Baseball League will be expanding in 2010.

“Rawlings is looking forward to working with the British Baseball Federation and the Baseball and Softball Shop to bring the latest baseball products, innovations, and technologies to the UK,” said Ralph Robert, Rawlings Director of International Sales. “The BBF is continually working to expand their organization and remain dedicated to promoting Rawlings as the leading baseball supplier in the world.”

The official ball will be supplied to British Baseball clubs by Rawlings’ distributor for the United Kingdom, The Baseball and Softball Shop Ltd. They are one of the largest suppliers of baseball and softball equipment in the UK. Apart from supplying the Rawlings balls for official BBF competitions, British baseball clubs and players can also count on the widest range of Rawlings products including fielding and batting gloves, bats, apparel and footwear, field equipment and more. The Baseball and Softball Shop will be able to offer absolutely any Rawlings product to its customers around the UK. This contract confirms them as BBF’s preferred baseball equipment supplier. Information on how to buy Rawlings products can be found on www.baseballandsoftball.co.uk

BASEBALL TEAMS GEAR UP FOR HERTS SPRING LEAGUE

Fans of Major League Baseball suffer over the long winter season but with Spring just around the corner everyone is getting an uplifting feeling that the start of the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues will signal the return of baseball. British Baseball is no different and over the last three years teams in Southern England have had their very own Grapefruit League to look forward to.

Organised by Herts Baseball Club, the Herts Spring League (HSL) adds a competitive edge to Spring training. The HSL is the time for managers to work out their winning formula going into the BBF league season. It is an opportunity to evaluate existing and newly recruited players. Which players will earn a spot in the pitching rotation and who will be batting where in the batting order? Who will make the first team and who will have to work their way up with the minor league teams? Not forgetting scouting your opponents. These are just some of the questions which will have to be answered during the upcoming HSL.

This is the third year of the competition and it is expected to be the best yet. In the first year of the HSL in 2008 ten teams took part. In 2009 due to overwhelming demand, the league had to expand. 13 teams played 21 games over three weekends at three different venues – Grovehill Ballpark in Herts, Ham Ground in Richmond and the £100,000 purpose-built baseball facility in Harlow. In fact demand was so high that two other teams had to be turned away as there simply were not enough fields to stage all the games.

The 2010 HSL will be played over three weekends commencing on Saturday, 27 March and ending on Sunday, 11 April. Teams will be placed in two divisions, HSL Majors and HSL Minors, based on the teams’ ranking going into the new season. HSL Majors is expected to include BBF teams from the National and AAA Leagues, while HSL Minors is expected to include BBF teams from AA and Single-A.

Last year the HSL Champions were the Bracknell Blazers and they went on to become the 2009 British National Baseball League Champions, so the more superstitious teams in the league will have an extra incentive to win the HSL this time around.

 

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES TO THE HSL: Monday 15 February 2010.

 

Teams are currently submitting their entries for this year’s Herts Spring League. For more details on how to enter and a copy of the 2010 HSL Pack contact Herts Baseball Club.

THE SNOW IS GONE. HERTS BASEBALL PLAYERS REPORT FOR SPRING TRAINING

This Sunday, the Herts adult teams reported for training for the first time in 2010.  Over the next nine weeks the players will be going through the process of regaining their physical fitness, restoring their arm strength and conditioning their bodies.  Every imaginable aspect of baseball will be covered to get the players ready for fielding, hitting, pitching, base-running and performing at their optimum level in their respective positions. 

 

After this, the teams will play their first games of the year in the Herts Spring League (HSL), which is the British equivalent of the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues in America.  The HSL is played over three weekends starting on 27 March and ending on 11 April.  This is the last chance for the British Baseball teams to fine-tune their game plans before the 2010 British Baseball League season commences.

 

Spring Training always brings the excitement of meeting the new players who will be wearing the Herts jersey in the coming season and it was pleasing to see that around twenty five percent of the players in this first training session of the new season were newly recruited members, so even at this early stage it seems as though Herts will have strength in depth going into the 2010 season. 

 

New players are able to join Herts Baseball Club at any time.  The Club welcomes new players regardless of their baseball abilities and experience – from complete beginners to experienced ball players.  Male and female players aged 14 or above are eligible to play in the British Adult Baseball League, while boys and girls aged between 5 and 16 have the opportunity to join the Herts youth programme and play as part of the exciting Herts Baseball Little League.  For more details contact Herts Baseball Club.

 

This Sunday’s session was held at the John F Kennedy School in Hemel Hempstead and, as soon as the weather becomes suitable, the players will be returning to Grovehill Ballpark, which has undergone significant developments since the end of the 2009 season, including the resurfacing of the second diamond and the installation of the backstop (pictured above).  These projects were made possible thanks to the support of Dacorum Borough Council, the Dacorum Sports Network, BaseballSoftballUK (BSUK), as well as other supporters of the club, including its many youth and adult members.

 

Click here for more images from Grovehill Ballpark.

 

    

VIDEO: INTERVIEW WITH HERTS RAPTORS MANAGER KEN PIKE

Herts Baseball TV brings you exclusive interviews from the 2009 Herts Baseball Awards Night.  In the coming days you will be able to see Herts Baseball TV Presenter, Marty Cullen, look back at 2009 and preview the 2010 season with members of the four Herts teams. Today, newly elected Herts Raptors Manager, Ken Pike, is under the spotlight.  On Thursday, it will be the turn of 2009 Raptors MVP, Jon Lewys.

43 TROPHIES PRESENTED AT 2009 HERTS BASEBALL AWARDS NIGHT

The 2009 season was officially put to bed with the announcement of the 2009 award winners of Herts Baseball Club’s adult programme.  The achievements of the Raptors, Hawks, Eagles and Falcons over the past 12 months were recognised at the club’s annual end of season event.

 

For the Raptors one name kept coming up throughout the night and that was the outstanding Jon Lewys.  He will need to make some extra space at home if he is to fit the five trophies which he picked up, including, Batting Champion (.750),   Stolen Bases (29), Home Run Champion (2), Play of the Year Trophy and the prestigious Most Valuable Player Award voted on by the players themselves.

 

The Hawks voted their Manager, Marty Cullen, as the team’s MVP in 2009.  Cullen also collected the Hawks Batting Title (.562) and the Most RBI’s (13).

 

Similarly, the Eagles players also chose their Manager, Dave Westfallen, as the team’s Most valuable Player, but it must be noted that the vote was very close indeed with Louis Hare and Mike Wakelam receiving a very large proportion of the votes.  They didn’t go empty-handed though.  Hare picked up the Eagles Coach’s Award, Best Pitcher and Home Run Champion Award which was shared with Wakelam who also received the Most RBI’s (16) trophy.

 

Darrin Ward was confirmed as the outstanding player of 2009 for the club’s National League team, the Herts Falcons.  He received three trophies in total, Best Pitcher, Batting Champion (.413) and the coveted Herts Falcons MVP Award.

 

Matt Johnston was awarded the 2009 Rookie of the Year Award (a club-wide award) to add to his Herts Hawks Outfield Gold Glove.  He announced at the awards ceremony that he will be choosing baseball over American football in 2010 which is a tremendous boost for the club.  A lot will be expected of him in the coming seasons.

 

Herts Baseball living legend, Andy Cornish’s contribution and dedication was recognised when he was presented with the Excellence in Leadership Award.

 

More images from the 2009 Awards Night

 

FULL LIST OF 2009 AWARDS

 

HERTS FALCONS

MVP, Darrin Ward

Batting Champion, Darrin Ward (.413)

Infield Gold Glove, Luis Goncalves

Outfield Gold Glove, Dan Kerry

Best Pitcher, Darrin Ward

Most Stolen Bases, Luis Goncalves (10)

Home Run Champion, Jason Greenberg (1)

Most RBIs, Yuchih Lin (15)

Most RBIs, Andy Cornish (15)

Coach's Award, Riley Fisher

 

HERTS EAGLES

MVP, Dave Westfallen

Batting Champion, Carlos Casal (.515)

Infield Gold Glove, Rod Ariss

Outfield Gold Glove, Dave Hamilton

Best Pitcher, Louis Hare

Most Stolen Bases, Carlos Casal (17)

Home Run Champion, Louis Hare (1)

Home Run Champion, Mike Wakelam (1)

Most RBIs, Mike Wakelam (16)

Coach's Award, Louis Hare

 

HERTS HAWKS

MVP, Marty Cullen

Batting Champion, Marty Cullen (.562)

Infield Gold Glove, Hunter Devine

Outfield Gold Glove, Matt Johnston

Best Pitcher, Greg Bochan

Most Stolen Bases, Matt Johnston (10)

Home Run Champion, Tim Grant (1)

Most RBIs, Marty Cullen (13)

Coach's Award, Liam Green

 

HERTS RAPTORS

MVP, Jonathon Lewys

Batting Champion, Jonathon Lewys (.750)

Infield Gold Glove, Jeff Witter

Outfield Gold Glove, Iwan Evans

Best Pitcher, Andrew Slater

Most Stolen Bases, Jonathon Lewys (29)

Home Run Champion, Jonathon Lewys (2)

Most RBIs, Andrew Slater (23)

Coach's Award, Paul Curtis

 

CLUB AWARDS

Excellence in Leadership, Andy Cornish

Rookie of the Year, Matt Johnston

Most Improved Player, Ilya Dimitrov

Play of the Year, Jonathon Lewys

Nob-Out Award (Stuck in the Mud), Marty Cullen & marty Cullen Jr

THE YEAR OF THE RAPTOR

They came, they saw, and no, they didn’t conquer, but they played hard, and they had fun. This was the Raptors second year in existence but there were only a handful of players from last year’s roster still in place – and many of those had changed positions — so it was a genuine band of rookies. There were personal triumphs — Jeff Witter was one of three first-time pitchers to record a win; Paul Curtis hit more RBI's than any other rookie in the entire Herts club. And the team as a whole came within a couple of whiskers of a .500 record, which would have been an amazing achievement.

The rollercoaster nature of the season was typified by the first game, at home to the London Marauders. The Raptors built up a substantial lead and looked on course for a comfortable win to kick off their year. Instead, a meltdown allowed the London side to score 16 runs in one inning and, improbably, overhaul the Raptors. Yet more improbably, the home side then came from seven runs behind to win in the bottom of the ninth. The game ended 35-34, in near total darkness.

Throughout the year the team would usually try to make a game as difficult and as exciting as they could. In Guildford, the Raptors raced out to a big lead which they held until the bottom of the ninth, only to be finally edged out 21-20. It was here that Jon Lewys hit two 3-run homers, and Steve Nippress took six catches in the outfield, but all to no avail. The second game against Marauders threatened to go awry several times. And the final loss to the Old Timers was a see-saw game – after finally holding the visitors scoreless, then putting up 9 runs in the sixth inning to surge ahead, the Raptors promptly surrendered 14 runs and went behind again. It was a miracle that the manager, Andrew Slater, had any fingernails left by the end of the year.

 

There was unwelcome drama during the season, too. Shortstop Ken Pike pushed his Iron Man credentials just a little too far at one training session, and got a really nasty injury which ruled him out of the rest of the season. Those players who were there will never forget what they saw. Just a week earlier, Iwan Evans had made his latest attempt to break himself apart with a steal of home plate. His back survived this audacious leap over the catcher (thankfully), and it didn’t put him off stealing everything which wasn’t nailed down for the rest of the season. The defeat at Richmond was so bad-tempered that the club’s top officials had to smooth things over with the game’s ruling body. The Raptors might be rookies, but they would not lie down and die for anyone.

That’s not to say they didn’t take a few poundings. Richmond visited Grovehill a week after the legendary win over the Marauders, and instantly burst the new boys’ bubble . They won by twenty runs, thanks to their aggressive base-stealing and some basic errors from the home boys. Bracknell’s team, peppered with  GB players, also overpowered the Herts rookies, despite what many saw as the team’s best performance so far. The nadir was perhaps a thirty run drubbing, at home, in the drizzle, by the Essex Arrows.

And so what can we say about the Herts Raptors now it's all over? First of all, they came. Rain or shine, thick or thin, they came and they kept coming. The enthusiasm was there from the first moments to the very end, and the team spirit was superb, which was a tribute to the manager. Secondly, they saw. By which I mean, they learned, and they improved. Rookie errors were far less common by the end of the season. Some players could point to the statistics to show their progress — Slater and Lewys were the other two first-timers to master the pitcher’s mound; Ilya Dimitrov developed patience at the plate to claim an extraordinary 19 walks.

And thirdly, yes, they did conquer. Not only did they conquer the London Marauders three times, but also the Dragons of Richmond, one of the other premier southern clubs. They were within inches of conquering Guildford. And they conquered any notion that the lowest of four teams, full of novices, could not perform admirably in a competitive league. The Raptors came of age, and showed the way to other members of the club and the baseball world.