Category: Headlines

by Herts Baseball News Editor

BBF confirms NBL lineup for 2015. Nationals not listed.

The British Baseball Federation (BBF) has just announced that the National Baseball League will be reduced down to 6 teams for the 2015 season.

The six teams will be: Bracknell Blazers, Essex Arrows, Herts Falcons, London Mets, Southampton Mustangs and South London Pirates.

The NBL had seven teams in 2014. The one team which does not appear in the 2015 lineup is the Harlow Nationals. Does this mean that they have been relegated to the Triple-A League or have they been dissolved? The latter is a very likely scenario as the BBF Annual General Meeting in November revealed that the Nationals have outstanding debts not only to the federation but to other parties. The team was founded in 2011 and won the NBL Championship in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Last year they finished in fifth place.

Today’s announcement would also suggest that the 2014 Triple-A National Champions, Cambridge Royals, have either not applied for entry to the NBL or their application has not been accepted.

source: Project COBB

The table above shows how the composition of the NBL has evolved between 2000 and 2015. The reduction in the number of NBL teams for 2015 seems to go contrary to the overall growth in the number of BBF teams which has doubled since 2000 from 35 to 71 and currently stand at a 20-year high as announced a few months ago. Are teams finding it daunting to enter the NBL due to the higher calibre competition, the higher costs of running an NBL team, or some other reason? The benefits of having a team in the NBL are enormous in terms of growth, promotion, publicity and everything else linked to competing in Great Britain’s top league tier. Hopefully clubs around the country will recognise the enormous boost to their club from entering the NBL and we will see an increase in the number of teams aspiring to compete in the NBL.

Another note from looking at the chart is that it would be fantastic to see the Northern and Midlands teams return to the NBL. With the emergence of the Cambridge Royals, Hull Scorpions and several other teams, hopefully this is something which will happen sooner rather than later. An NBL made up of between 12 or 16 teams would seem to be a reasonable target in the coming years if it is going to compete with growing leagues such as the German Bundesliga which currently has 15 teams in its top league tier.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts 2015 Spring Training dates announced

At its Annual General Meeting, Herts Baseball Club announced details of its Spring Training schedule. Adult, under-19 and under-17 players will be the first to report for Spring Training on Sunday, 11 January 2015. In the first few weeks preparations will take place indoors at JFK Catholic School.

On 22 February the teams will have their first outdoor training session on artificial grass playing surface. The under-14, under-12 and under-10 age groups will also get their Spring Training underway on the Astroturf field.

The Herts teams will return to Grovehill Ballpark for the first time on the weekend of 14 and 15 March 2015 where training will continue until the Herts Spring League (HSL) pre-season games. After that it will be ShowTime as the Herts teams get their 2015 league seasons underway.

We will keep you updated as soon as the British Baseball Federation confirms the Opening Day of the 2015 season. This will also dictate the HSL dates.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Slater and Russell triple play is Best Play of 2014

Herts fans have been voting over the last few weeks and they have determined that Andrew Slater and Nick Russell’s 3-6 triple play was the Best Play of the 2014 baseball season.

It happened on Opening Day, 13 April 2014, in a Double-A league game between the Herts Hawks and the eventual national champions, London Mammoths. With runners on first and second and no one out, the ball was hit sharply on a frozen rope to first base where Andrew Slater caught it for the first out. Without hesitation he stepped on first base for the second out and then threw to Nick Russell at second base for the third out with runners in both cases desperately diving back into the bags but unable to stay alive.

Zac Malone’s 2-3 double play versus London Mets in the NBL was one of the contenders for Play of the Year (photo by Paul Holdrick)

Even as early as April, both Slater and Russell were confident that this rarest of defensive plays in the game of baseball will be votes Play of the Year. This was despite facing some stern competition from Zac Malone (2-6 double play from his knees in extra innings vs London Mets), Cris Hiche (grand slam vs London Mets on Opening Day in the NBL), Carlos Casal Jr. (outfield catch on his horse vs Southampton Mustangs) Joseph Osborne-Brade, Takaya Miki and Ilya Dimitrov (all three with diving or leaping outfield catches) and again Cris Hiche (acrobatic line drive catch at first base in the Hunlock Series Final).

The 2014 Nob-Out was awarded to Ralph Bartholomew for trying to retrieve a ball stuck high up on the backstop fence using a bat, only to lose the bat in the process by lodging it up onto the backstop.

by James Dwyer

Herts Baseball appoints new Communications Director

Herts Baseball Club has continued to strengthen its front office ahead of the 2015 season with the appointment of James Dwyer as Communications Director and board member.

James has a strong background in journalism, marketing and communications and will bring these skills to the club to help develop existing links with local and national media, as well as communications within the club and the wider baseball community across the country.

James combines his skills and experience in communications with a passion for baseball and particular focus on growing the popularity of the game in the UK.

On his appointment, James said: “I am delighted to be joining one of the country’s most successful baseball clubs and look forward to seeing further growth and development throughout next season and beyond. As baseball becomes more popular in the UK and more people express an interest in playing, clubs such as Herts Baseball face an exciting opportunity to increase the number of people involved and be at the forefront of developing the game. Combine that with the fact that Herts is one of the most successful clubs in the country and the future looks incredibly bright and hopeful – and I am thrilled to be part of it.”

Club President Aspi Dimitrov said: “In 2014 we managed to maintain our position as one of the leading clubs in British baseball when it comes to media coverage. We did this despite the fact that the Communications Director position remained vacant.  With James’ appointment on the board we are now in a strong position not only to stay at the top but to explore new opportunities and enhance our media coverage further.”

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts confirm Jeff Witter’s board appointment as head of under-14 baseball

At its Annual General Meeting, Herts Baseball Club announced the appointment of Jeff Witter as a board member heading the under-14 baseball department. He has been a member of the club since 2009 acting both as a player and as a member of the club’s under-12 and under-14 coaching staff, in addition to other roles.

For the last two seasons the under-14 baseball department was headed by Jake Caress, who has now moved to the club’s Triple-A League department, as the co-manager of the Herts Eagles alongside Arnie Longboy.

The club is currently preparing its plans for the 2015 season and the under-14 department is an area it hopes to grow and develop further. “The next two years are critical for the Herts youth baseball programme and we need passionate and professional people like Jeff to realize the ambitious plans which we are putting in place at the moment” said club president, Aspi Dimitrov. If these plans materialise Jeff Witter will be hoping to add quite a large number of coaches to his department. The club’s annual general meeting indicated that these expansion plans depend on a grant application which was submitted recently. Securing such funding would give Jeff Witter and the club’s other youth baseball departments the start-up capital needed to launch this expansion project.

by Rob Jones

Raptors get their rewards

The winter weather means different things to different people. For those of us in the baseball world, it means a bit of rest for aching bones, and it also means awards! Herts Baseball Club is looking back on the season and handing out the silverware.

For the Raptors, who battled to 3 wins in the Single-A league, there were plenty of heroes both old and new. After a close-run vote, the players chose Michael Cresswell as their MVP for 2014. In his third year with Herts, this was a well deserved honour.  Not only did he lead key categories, as you will see below, Cresswell was also among the team leaders in others.

Joint manager Rob Jones said: “Mikey was part of everything this year. Above and beyond the stats, he had the x-factor that you need to compete and drive on your team-mates.”

And so here, to complete the picture, is the full list of Raptors winners. There are no actual trophies — this is the age of austerity after all — but raise a glass to them all.

Best pitcher – Michael Cresswell. The young lefty never even expected to be a starting pitcher when the season began, but he became the most reliable go-to guy as the Raptors searched for leadership from the mound. His consistency improved further from his pitching debut in 2013, and by the year’s end he had achieved the best ERA on the staff and the best K/BB ratio. An almost flawless pickoff move — which claimed numerous victims — only added to his achievements for the year.

Infield Gold Glove – Jamie Lang. The long-suffering Mets fan missed part of the year due to a visit to the United States, but either side of that he was a solid figure in the middle of the infield defence. He ended with more than a dozen assists and got the honour of securing the final out of the year at the Essex Redbacks.

Outfield Gold Glove – Joseph Osborne-Brade. A classic story of an impressive return from injury. After missing the entire 2013 season following a broken leg, Joseph stamped his authority on the Raptors outfield in 2014. He took a series of spectacular catches – including one at Essex which was nominated for play of the year – and perhaps even more importantly he was a safe pair of hands in every inning.

Batting title – Rob Jones. The team’s co-manager played in more games than usual in 2014, and used them to fight to another .500 year with the bat. He might have moaned publicly about his batting in July, but in fact the stats showed him with the most hits and the most runs, and the highest average (based on a minimum of 15 PAs).

Most RBIs – Tomasz Kosak. The Warsaw Express – in what turned out to be his final year with the Raptors  – claimed the title with the help of big offensive outbursts against Tonbridge and at Haverhill. It’s a trophy which caps years at Grovehill which saw a big impact from a big character.

Stolen Base King – Michael Cresswell. A close-run thing (terrible pun intended) on a team with many keen base thieves…. but our leading pitcher also racked up the most steals. Honourable mention should go to Jeff Witter, who was in the mix despite the fact that some might think he lacked the traditional skill-set of a base-stealer!

Rookie of the Year –  Daniel Bennett. New recruits did sterling work for the Raptors, and showed great dedication. Daniel made himself a tough out at the plate and – in the field — played several positions, including acquitting himself well at shortstop and trying out as a catcher.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Bochan-Slater era begins for Herts Hawks

Yesterday we reported on the appointment of Arnie Longboy and Jake Caress as co-managers of the Herts Eagles. Further managerial appointments were announced at Herts Baseball Club’s Annual General Meeting. With Longboy moving up to manage the Herts Eagles and Herts Hawks co-Manager, Andy Cornish, stepping down to spend more time with his family in 2015, the club announced a new managerial team to head the Herts Hawks in 2015.

The two co-managers are Greg Bochan and Andrew Slater. Bochan has been a manager of the Herts Hawks for many years so the camaraderie and continuity of the team will be preserved. The 7-foot-tall Slater gave Double-A opponents a weekly dose of crafty pitching and clutch hitting this year and in 2015 he will look to add his managerial nous to that. He brings an impressive win-loss record as a manager having previously led the Herts Raptors to their first season over .500 in the Single-A League.

Despite finishing the 2014 regular season with 6 wins and 14 losses, the Hawks produced some impressive performances when their team was at full strength. What will 2015 bring for the Hawks? One thing is certain, with Bochan and Slater at the helm, the Herts Hawks will have a fun season.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Managerial duo to lead Herts Eagles into 2015

Jake Caress (left) and Arnie Longboy (right) will hope to turn Herts Eagles’ fortunes around in 2015 (photo by Paul Holdrick)

At its Annual General Meeting Herts Baseball Club announced that Carlos Casal will be stepping down as manager of the Herts Eagles.  In his place the club has appointed two co-managers – Arnie Longboy and Jake Caress.

Longboy is a long-standing member of the club who has managed the Herts Raptors in the Single-A League, the Herts Hawks in the Double-A League and now he makes the step up to the Triple-A League with the Eagles.

Jake Caress is a product of the Herts youth programme.  He has grown through the ranks playing for the club’s Under-14, Under-17, Single-A, Double-A and Triple-A teams.  His progress has not gone unnoticed and this summer he was a member of the Great Britain Under-19 National Team which had a successful qualifying campaign in Croatia winning promotion to Pool A for the European Championships next year. In the last two seasons Caress was the manager of the Herts Cardinals in the BBF Under-14 League. He led the Cardinals to a bronze medal finish in this year’s U14 National Baseball Championships.

The Herts Eagles had a difficult 2014 season in the Triple-A League.  They finished last in the standings with a record of 2 wins and 14 losses (W-L% .125).  Can the new managerial team improve the team’s record in 2015?

by Herts Baseball News Editor

2014 Herts MVPs announced

The 2014 Most Valuable Player awards for the Herts adult and youth baseball teams were presented on Sunday at the club’s annual general meeting.

Abel Salas was voted Herts Falcons 2014 MVP. This came as no surprise given that a few weeks ago his outstanding season was recognised by awarding him all three MVP awards in the whole of the National Baseball League, including Most Valuable Batter, Most Valuable Pitcher, Most Valuable Two-Way Player. He also won the 2014 NBL Home Run title which he shared with Essex Arrows’ Maikel Azcuy who will be wearing the Herts Falcons uniform in 2015.

The Herts Eagles MVP award went to Takaya Miki. He joined the club one month into the season after a move from the Essex Redbacks, but quickly established himself in the team. He rounded off an excellent season with a leaping catch at the wall in the Hunlock Series Final which was later nominated as one of the plays of the season.

Greg Bochan has been an unsung hero of Herts Baseball Club for many years being a major contributor in numerous departments and one of the best loved members at the club. On Sunday his on-field contribution was recognised as he was voted 2014 Herts Hawks MVP. His consistent performances at third base and on the mound combined with him being one of the most dangerous hitters on the Hawks roster made it a very easy choice for members when they cast their votes.

There was a very close race in the Herts Raptors MVP poll. It went right down to the wire. At the end the MVP award went to Michael Cresswell. 2014 was his third season with the club and he has been taking his game up a notch every year. This year he proved to be a key player offensively, defensively and on the mound for the Raptors. For the Herts Raptors coaching staff, Michael Cresswell was always one of the first players in the lineup.

The MVP race in the club’s Under-17 team, the Herts Harriers, proved to be just as close. Only one vote divided the top candidates and the MVP award went to pitcher Zack Longboy. He may have missed a large proportion of the U17 season due to his commitments in the American Varsity League and the GB Under-17 National Team, but there can be no doubt about the progress which he has made to become one of the top young prospects at Herts and in Great Britain as a whole. He was recording wins with more or less every one of his starts this season in the U17 league, Varsity League, Little League Europe Qualifier, GB U17 Team, Herts Hawks (BBF Double-A League), Herts Eagles (BBF Triple-A League) and even made a winning debut with Herts Falcons in the NBL, Britain’s top league.

The Herts U14 programme had a difficult year as part of its restructuring process, but managed to put together a team which surprised everyone by eliminating Brentwood Bucks, Essex Redbacks and London Sports in the bronze medal game. One player in particular stood out and he was voted 2014 Herts Cardinals MVP. Mikey Sylvester maintained a 0.00 ERA throughout the U17 National Championships with an opponent’s batting average of just .061 and 23 strikeouts per 9 innings which is unheard of. His offensive numbers were just as good – batting average of .900, slugging average 1.600, 1 HR and 8 RBI.

In the Herts Under-12 programme the MVP was awarded to Aaron Witter. There was little doubt about the identity of the winner as Aaron Witter made a real impression not only with Herts fans but with coaches from other clubs and the Great Britain national Team programme. On Sunday, Aaron could not pick up his MVP trophy during the club’s annual general meeting as he was attending the GB under-17 National Team tryouts. This is his first ever tryout with GB and he will face very tough competition as he has just turned 12 years of age, but it will be exciting for Herts fans to follow his progress in the coming years.