For Herts fans who can’t wait until Spring Training to see new arrival Pau Sancho, here are some video clips of him in action with FC Barcelona.
Category: Headlines
Herts Baseball AGM details announced
Herts Baseball Club has confirmed that its 18th Annual General Meeting will take place on Sunday, 23 November 2014.
Following one of its most successful seasons in 2013, this year Herts teams have seen more losses than wins on the field of play. Despite this the club has continued its success off-the-field and with two high-profile off-season player signings already announced, the club is in a good position to bounce back in 2015. The AGM will provide a deeper understanding of the club’s present position, and will set out the plans for 2015 and beyond.
Members will receive the AGM Information Pack in due course and that will give a better idea of what to expect at the meeting, but speaking ahead of the event, club President, Aspi Dimitrov, said that “Herts Baseball Club is at a stage where some pivotal decisions are about to be made and if we get them right we could see the club make big strides in the next few years”.
As part of the meeting, club members will elect members of the Board to fill the positions which will be vacated as part of the annual retirement of Board members. The positions which will be up for election at this AGM are Club Secretary, Third Team Manager, Fourth Team Manager, Youth League Commissioner, Head of under-14 Baseball, Head of U-12 Baseball and Communications Director. Nominations for Board members are currently invited and those who are interested to put their name forward or second a nomination can contact the club for more details.
The Most Valuable Players of the various Herts adult and youth league teams will also be announced at the event.
Although only 2014 club members have the right to vote at the AGM, the meeting is very much open to former members and those who are considering joining the club in 2015 as players, members of staff, volunteers and fans. This is a good opportunity for newcomers to learn more about the club and meet its members. The meeting is also open to observers who are not members of the Club. Non-members who plan to attend would need to advise the club in advance as spaces are limited. If you are not a current member and wish to attend the AGM please contact the club.
The AGM will be held just a few minutes away from Grovehill Ballpark. The venue is the Gadebridge Community Centre.
DATE: Sunday, 23 November 2014
TIME: Registration starts at 12:45pm, the AGM will commence at 1:00pm (expected to end at around 4:45pm)
VENUE: The Halsey Hall, Gadebridge Community Centre, The Nokes, Rossgate, Gadebridge, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 3LF (Directions and Map)
Pau Sancho joins Herts Falcons from German Bundesliga
Herts Falcons can officially announc the free agent signing of Pau Sancho from German side Bonn Capitals, their second signing of the offseason thus far.
At 27 years of age, Pau brings a wealth of experience with him, having played in America, Spain and Germany to date. He most recently helped the Capitals to a 17-7 record in the German Bundesliga.
Pau is a natural baseball athlete having been a part of the Under-15 Spanish National Team in 2002, even winning the European Championships MVP award in the same year. His success as a junior earned him a call up to the senior Spanish National Team, and was the second-youngest player at the Baseball World Cup in 2005. In 2008 he won the Under-21 European Championship with Spain defeating Italy in the final.
Pau was invited to the MLB European Academy in 2003, 2005 and 2006, an event attended by a host of MLB teams and scouts. He then went on to play and study at San Diego City College and Rogers State University, Oklahoma, – NCAA Division II – between the years 2007-08 and 2009-10 respectively.
Having played at second-base, shortstop and third-base in the past, the right-hander will add versatility to the Falcons infield and will be an offensive threat in the line-up. Over the last four seasons with Barcelona FC and Bonn Capitals, Sancho maintained a .389 average in 103 games and hit 9 home runs over that period.
Everyone connected with Herts Baseball Club will look forward to seeing Pau on the field in 2015.
By Daniel Levitt @DanielLevitt32
Follow Herts Baseball on Twitter: @HertsBaseball
2015 Spring Training starts today for Louis Hare
Louis Hare wearing the Herts Falcons jersey in game 5 of the 2012 NBL Postseason against the London Mets (photo by Will Baxter)
Herts pitcher and infielder, Louis Hare, has just received clearance from doctors to start running again.
This evening his facebook status said “Just been on my first run in over a year. Next goal – get back to Herts Baseball”. This news will be a boost for Herts fans. 2014 was a difficult year for Herts as all four of its adult league teams finished the season with a win-loss ratio of below .500, bringing back memories of 2011 which was the club’s most painful year. The club will be looking to mount a big comeback when the 2015 baseball season commences and the return to fitness of key players like Louis Hare is exactly what the club will need.
Hare suffered a double blow in 2013. First he fractured his elbow and then underwent a knee ligament operation – both injuries were football related.
Before the injuries his 2013 batting average was .312 and his slugging average .438. His return will also help in the pitching department having had some outstanding starts for the Herts Falcons (NBL), Herts Eagles (Triple-A) and Hawks (Double-A) in the past.
These types of injuries usually require a great amount of hard work to recover full mobility and put strength back into muscles which have not done much work for more than 12 months. The next few months will not be fun for Hare, but it will pay off in the Spring.
Herts Falcons sign GB star Maikel Azcuy from Essex Arrows
The Herts Falcons can officially confirm the signing of Maikel Azcuy from national champions Essex Arrows.
Azcuy joins the Falcons after winning four straight national titles, a feat achieved by only 16 other players, with the latest coming this year with the Arrows. Azcuy’s three other titles came with the Harlow Nationals.
A full list of all the four-time winners can be viewed here.
From the 2014 Herts Falcons roster, only Darrin Ward and John Blose have worn the Great Britain Senior National Team uniform in the past, but Azcuy is the first Herts Falcons player in the club’s history who is a current GB Senior Team player. He has been a key member of the GB squad in the last 3 years playing in the 2012 and 2014 European Championship campaigns. In this year’s European Championships in Germany and the Czech Republic, Maikel Azcuy had an impressive .370 batting average.
The Falcons have come up against Azcuy on many occasions over the years, but in 2015 he will be wearing Herts uniform (photo by Richard Lee richardleephotography.org)
Herts Baseball Club is delighted to add such a gifted player to its roster, both on offense and defense. Maikel has won five home run titles in 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014. He has a career average of .421 in 9 seasons in the National Baseball League.
Azcuy currently has 33 career NBL home runs and, in 2015, will chase down the all-time record, currently held by Simon Pole with 35.
MAIKEL AZCUY NBL CAREER STATISTICS
|
TEAM |
SEASON |
PA |
AB |
R |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
BB |
HBP |
SO |
SB |
BA |
OBA |
SLA |
|
Essex Arrows |
2014 |
74 |
68 |
24 |
28 |
6 |
4 |
3 |
30 |
5 |
0 |
13 |
7 |
0.412 |
0.446 |
0.750 |
|
Harlow Nationals |
2013 |
66 |
54 |
18 |
19 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
10 |
9 |
3 |
7 |
7 |
0.352 |
0.470 |
0.648 |
|
Harlow Nationals |
2012 |
89 |
76 |
15 |
32 |
8 |
0 |
4 |
26 |
8 |
3 |
12 |
9 |
0.421 |
0.478 |
0.684 |
|
Southern Nationals |
2011 |
84 |
71 |
25 |
30 |
5 |
1 |
4 |
23 |
9 |
2 |
17 |
11 |
0.423 |
0.494 |
0.690 |
|
Croydon Pirates |
2010 |
96 |
85 |
19 |
36 |
5 |
2 |
6 |
31 |
9 |
1 |
18 |
3 |
0.424 |
0.479 |
0.741 |
|
Croydon Pirates |
2009 |
44 |
39 |
15 |
12 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
5 |
0 |
7 |
8 |
0.308 |
0.386 |
0.590 |
|
Croydon Pirates |
2008 |
37 |
34 |
8 |
16 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
12 |
1 |
2 |
10 |
1 |
0.471 |
0.514 |
0.912 |
|
Croydon Pirates |
2007 |
71 |
58 |
33 |
31 |
4 |
1 |
5 |
31 |
11 |
0 |
6 |
6 |
0.534 |
0.592 |
0.897 |
|
Croydon Pirates |
2006 |
25 |
23 |
9 |
10 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
6 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
2 |
0.435 |
0.480 |
0.826 |
|
TOTALS |
586 |
508 |
166 |
214 |
38 |
12 |
33 |
173 |
59 |
11 |
94 |
54 |
0.421 |
0.485 |
0.738 |
Source: Project COBB
On the defensive side, the Falcons welcome the reigning Best Third Baseman in the NBL, an award equivalent to Major League Baseball’s Gold Glove Award. Azcuy also won the same award in 2010 with the Croydon Pirates.
Herts Falcons fans will be able to see Azcuy for the first time when he joins the team for spring training in 2015.
By Daniel Levitt @DanielLevitt32
Follow Herts Baseball on Twitter: @HertsBaseball
What is the best league system for British Baseball?
The 2014 league champions in the various BBF leagues have been determined and attention now turns to the 2015 season. The Annual General Meeting of the British Baseball Federation will be held on 15 November in Leicester. This event usually sees a large number of proposals and initiatives being considered with a view to implementing them in the new season. Over the years some of these proposals have contributed to the growth of the league which we are enjoying at present (Number of adult baseball teams reaches 20-year high, 15 August 2014).
Herts Baseball Club has revealed that it is considering submitting a motion to the BBF AGM for the introduction of a system for the promotion and relegation of teams in the various BBF leagues. The Club has decided to make the first draft of this motion public in order to encourage a discussion on the subject and invite feedback which may help Herts decide whether or not to submit this motion to the BBF AGM and, if so, to determine whether this first draft could benefit from one or two amendments taking on board different perspectives from the wider British baseball community.
The first draft of the motion is shown below. Herts members can submit their views on the Herts Baseball Forum. Representatives of other clubs can post their views on Facebook.
DRAFT MOTION FROM HERTS BASEBALL CLUB
BACKGROUND
Over the last few years promotion and relegation of teams in the BBF senior leagues has been determined not on the basis of a team finishing in the pre-determined promotion and relegation places in the top or bottom of the standings, but instead the process involves clubs submitting a written request to the BBF after the end of the season.
If a system is introduced where teams are promoted or relegated based on where they finish in the standings, this is expected to bring the following benefits to the BBF and its members:
• more exciting league;
• removes the ambiguity over the BBF’s decision-making process which is currently in place;
• teams have a clear understanding of what they must do to secure promotion or avoid relegation;
• dramatic reduction in the number of meaningless games, especially in the second half of the season when a large number of teams are already eliminated from the postseason race;
• reduction in the number of meaningless games will also reduce the number of forfeited games – a problem which the league is still struggling with. In 2014 there were 61 forfeited games in the 4 leagues (NBL, AAA, AA, A). In addition, there were another 66 games which had no scores reported which may imply that some or most of them were forfeited. 82% of the forfeited games were in the second half of the season (June to August) when a large number of the teams learn that the results of their remaining games do not matter as they are out of the race;
• the option to introduce relegation-promotion playoffs would provide postseason drama for teams which have missed out on the postseason playoffs;
• the British media gets very excited when their home town team is involved in a promotion or a relegation battle. In such circumstances we have seen how communities rally behind their local team and this could provide much needed publicity for clubs and British baseball as a whole;
MOTION
With effect from the 2015 BBF season to introduce a promotion and relegation system with the following parameters:
1. The rules and format which will determine the promotion and relegation of teams in the BBF senior leagues shall be announced before the start of the season;
2. One or more teams which are ranked highest at the end of the season of their respective league are to be awarded automatic promotion to the next higher league tier of the BBF. They shall take the place of the team or teams ranked lowest in that higher league tier, which shall in turn be relegated to the next lower league tier. As an alternative to automatic promotion/relegation, the BBF, at its own discretion, may introduce a promotion-relegation playoff between or amongst the highest ranked team(s) of the lower league tier and the lowest ranked team(s) of the higher league tier. Promotion-relegation playoffs are recommendable especially when there is a significant disparity in the standard of play of the two league tiers and thus reduce the risk of a weaker team being promoted to a higher league tier in place of a stronger team;
3. If promotion and/or relegation is to be determined in a playoff with teams from the same or higher/lower league, such game(s) are to be played after the end of the season at a venue and with a format to be determined by the BBF. Such game(s) is to be treated as a postseason game with all the resulting implications such as postseason eligibility of players etc.;
4. To protect the integrity of the National Baseball League (NBL), which is the BBF’s highest league tier, a team from a lower league shall not be promoted to the NBL if another team affiliated to the same club already competes in the NBL. In such circumstances the promotion place, or promotion playoff place, shall be awarded to the next eligible team in the standings.
5. The restriction in article 4 shall not apply to league tiers below the NBL;
6. The BBF may from time to time introduce minimum requirements which may apply to teams competing in a specific league tier. Such minimum requirements may relate to ballpark and other facilities, youth development, financial stability, etc. The BBF shall have the right to relegate a team to a lower league tier if that team fails to meet the applicable minimum requirements in their respective league tier. Such minimum requirements shall be announced by the BBF in advance in order to give teams adequate time to satisfy them.
7. Teams are permitted to apply for transfer from one conference to another e.g. from Central to North, but must remain at the same league tier. If the conference which the team is moving to does not have that particular league tier, they shall be assigned to a league tier at the discretion of the BBF;
8. The BBF may change the number of teams in a particular league tier or pool or division within such league tier. Such changes shall be announced one year in advance with confirmation of the promotion and relegation implications. For example, if the BBF decides that in 2016 the Triple-A North division should increase from 6 to 8 teams, the BBF must make an announcement before the start of the 2015 season indicating the promotion and relegation process which will be put in place, e.g. award two extra promotion places to Double-A North during the 2015 season.
9. A new team or club which enters the BBF leagues shall enter the lowest league tier. If such new team or club feels that they are better suited to play at a higher league tier, they have the option to approach team(s) in a higher league(s) with a view to acquiring their licence or right to play in such higher league. For example, if a new team wishes to enter Triple-A, they must reach an agreement with a team from the Triple-A and a team from the Double-A league tiers to each move one league down, to Double-A and Single-A, respectively. In all cases, such transfers of the right to play at a certain league tier shall be subject to approval by the BBF and will be valid only if all teams involved in such transaction comply with any minimum requirements applicable to the league tier which they intend to move to;
10. If, for any reason and during or after any season, any team ceases to participate in or to be a member of the BBF, the BBF may take such steps and make such determinations as to league position and/or promotion and/or relegation and participation and/or results in and outcome of any competitions or games and any and all such further or other steps or measures as the BBF shall consider appropriate in the circumstances.
11. If the system of promotion and relegation is deemed to be unsuitable for one or more of the league tiers or conferences e.g. North or Central, the BBF may decide not to adopt that system in those conferences and/or tiers.
RELATED MATERIALS
• Pages 27 to 30 of this document contain some additional information which may be relevant.
Herts Falcons ace Abel Salas is National Baseball League MVP
Abel Salas launches another home run (photo by Paul Holdrick)
Project COBB has published the 2014 National Baseball League award winners in the various categories and Herts Falcons’ ace Abel Salas has scooped up all three of the Most Valuable Player awards. These are the most prestigious prizes awarded to individual players and are the equivalent of MLB’s MVP and Cy Young Awards.
MOST VALUABLE BATTER
Abel Salas’ outstanding offensive numbers secured the Most Valuable Batter Award after he led or was among the top players in all of the main batting categories. He had the highest slugging average (.848), tied with Maikel Azcuy of the Essex Arrows for most home runs (3), third in batting average (.435) behind Martin Tucker of the London Mets (.525) and Fraser Duggan of the Bracknell Blazers (.522), fourth in on-base average (.567), third in runs batted in (20). We understand that the formula used to determine the winner indicated that the race for the Most Valuable Batter title was very close and Abel Salas’ grand slam home run against the South London Pirates in the final game of the season may have clinched it.
MOST VALUABLE PITCHER
NBL batters struggled to make contact with Abel Salas’ pitches all season long (photo by Paul Holdrick)
In the pitching category Abel Salas was just as impressive. He led in wins (5) a 4-way tie, strike-outs (56), was second in earned run average (3.73) behind Pietro Sollecito (2.95) of the London Mets. It was the strike outs per 9 innings where Salas stood apart from the rest with 12.3. We have to go back to 2009 when Cody Cain had 12.8 and 2008 when Ryan Bird led this category with a mind-boggling 16.9.
BEST TWO-WAY PLAYER
If the top batting and pitching awards were very closely fought, the Most Valuable Two-Way Player Award must have been easier to determine given Abel Salas’ offensive and defensive numbers. It is very rare for a player to dominate both the batting and the pitching categories. Baseball has become a game where players specialise in one or the other so Salas’ feat is significant. We have to go back to 2005 and 2002 when Simon Pole won both the Most Valuable Batter and Most Valuable Pitcher Awards playing for the London Warriors.
FIELDING AWARDS
Ryan Hackel filled the hole in the Falcons infield left after the departure of Robbie Unsell and Xavi Gonzalez (photo by Paul Holdrick)
The Herts Falcons’ biggest weakness in 2104 was fielding. It was the main reason for the team missing out on the postseason for the first time in 3 years. However, it is not a surprise to see Ryan Hackel named as the best shortstop in the NBL this season. Hack’s arrival at the end of May played a key role in bringing the team back into the playoff race after a string of injuries to key players resulted in the team’s poor start of the season.
FALCONS AMONGST THE LEADERS
John Blose played hard all season long (photo by Will Baxter)
John Blose led in the Runs Scored category (27) to round of a season in which his numbers have exploded compared to 2013, making him one of the most productive players for the Herts Falcons. Jamie Gregory’ batting average was .429 which puts him fourth overall in that category. There were two Herts Falcons players whose season was cut short due to injury to Cris Hiche and transfer to the USA in the case of Ryan Bird. If their season was not cut short, they would have been right up with the leaders. Cris Hiche had a batting average of .778 with 1 home run from 14 plate appearances. Ryan Bird batted 1.000 with 1 home run from his 5 plate appearances. 17-year-old Will Zucker also impressed with a batting average of .571 from 7 at bats in his NBL debut season, while another Herts youngster Carlos Casal Jr had an average of .400 from his 25 at bats – a very promising sign for the future of the club.
WHAT WILL 2015 BRING?
In 2013 Robbie Unsell won the Most Valuable Pitcher and Most Valuable Two-Way Player Awards. This was his final season in the NBL as he moved to America. Ryan Bird won the Most Valuable Batter Award and also moved across the Atlantic shortly after the 2013 season. 2013 team MVP Xavi Gonzalez signed with Stuttgart Reds. 2014 was Abel Salas’ final season in the NBL as he too will be moving to the USA so there is a trend for the Herts Falcons to attract the league’s star players and lose them shortly after that, however the noise coming out of the club’s front office is that there are positive signs that the Falcons will be able to make the player acquisitions needed to get back in the playoff race in 2015. We will keep you updated as soon as the club makes any announcements in the coming months as we build up to the 2015 season.
Red Roosters win Hunlock Series after late-inning drama
.
A heavyweight battle between pitcher Jamie Gregory and batter Cris Hiche in the final of the 2014 Hunlock Series
The Red Roosters came back from behind in both the semi-final and the final to win the 2014 Hunlock Series.
The day began with the Blue Dogs’ shock win over White Lightning in the Quarter-Final elimination game. They had a win-loss percentage of just .146 finishing bottom in the league stage of the competition miles behind the other three teams. Everyone had written them off ahead of the elimination stage of the Series and they took full advantage of the low expectations. Their opponent was third-placed White Lightning. They were missing several key players and struggled to respond to the Blue Dogs’ onslaught who won convincingly 15-7.
Next up for the team in blue was a semi-final elimination game against the Red Roosters who didn’t want to take any chances and put their ace pitcher, Zack Longboy, on the mound. Despite the Blue Dogs taking an early 3-0 lead, this proved to be just a hiccup for the Roosters. They moved up a gear and eased to a 15-5 win, but the Dogs should feel satisfied that they reached the semi-final against all the odds.
The stage was set. It was down to two teams – Black Widows and Red Roosters. The managers went with Lee Manning and Jamie Gregory as their starting pitchers, respectively. The expectations of a pitchers’ duel didn’t materialise. It was all about offense as both teams put together big rallies. After three innings the Black Widows took a 7-6 lead thanks to a 3-run home run by second-baseman Fraser Duggan hit over the right-centerfield wall.
Both teams brought in their relief pitchers who did very well to quieten the bats, but not before the Roosters drove in 3 runs to take a 9-7 lead. A George Blaskett single in the penultimate inning reduced the deficit to 8-9. Fraser Duggan came within a few feet of his second home run of the game which would have scored 2 runs, however left-fielder Takaya Miki showed great range with a leaping catch at the wall for the third out with Red Roosters holding onto their slender 9-8 lead.
Black Widows brought in leftie closer Cris Hiche. He was faultless recording three quick outs to take the game into the bottom of the final inning. Mike Cattermole led off with a single. Dan Whitton was hit by pitch and very quickly the Black Widows had the tying run on third and winning run on second base. The infield moved in and so did the outfield. Jimmy McCormick made solid contact but grounded straight to shortstop Carlos Casal who managed to make the play and get the out at home. Relief pitcher Simon Langton was doing very well and he managed to strikeout the next batter for the second out of the inning. With two outs and the tying and winning runs on third and second base, respectively, this was the type of situation in which Black Widows would bring on their walk-off hero Colin Whitton who has had a 1.000 batting average (2-for-2) in these do-or-die situations in the previous two weeks of the Series, but he wasn’t available on this occasion. It came down to Aspi Dimitrov to try to do a “Colin Whitton”. He swung at the first pitch taking the ball to left-centerfield where Takaya Miki was on hand again to make another running catch to end the game and secure the Hunlock Series Championship for the Reds.
These were the final baseball games of 2014. Hopefully these enjoyable Hunlock Series will help players survive the dark and cold months of winter which will be upon us soon. 2015 Spring Training seems far away. There may not be any baseball action until then, but the members of Herts Baseball Club know that the club will shortly be entering a period of frantic off-field activity which could shape the 2015 season and could prove to be the difference between success and failure both on and off the field next year. For more information about getting involved as a member of staff or as a board member, contact Herts Baseball Club.
Widows come out on top in 3-horse race. Managers face risk-reward dilemma on Sunday
(photo by Paul Holdrick)
The Red Roosters were on the verge of an incredible achievement, but they slipped up in the final league game missing out on the top spot. Despite this they can be very pleased with their effort as they leaped over White Lightning to avoid the dreaded Wild Card game on the final day of the 2014 Hunlock Series.
The Roosters started the day in third place, three games back on the leaders with 12 games remaining. They had the best possible start with four wins over the Blue Dogs and then two wins and two draws against the league-leading Black Widows. This elevated them into the first place for the first time in the Series.
It came down to the final series of the day between the Reds and the Whites who were also in the running for top spot after three wins earlier in the day over the Blue Dogs. At the end the Reds and Whites split the series 2-2 which was the worst-case-scenario for their hopes of a first place finish. All they could do now was to hope for a Blue Dogs win over the Black Widows. They were halfway there after picking up a well-deserved 1-0 win. They followed this by taking a 2-run lead in the final game. With two outs, up stepped Black Widows manager, Colin Whitton. In the previous week he played a key role with a walk-off hit. This time he came through a 12-pitch at-bat which ended with a hit which drove in the tying run. Another week-one walk-off hero was about to step up to the plate. Jimmy McCormick added to his reputation with yet another walk-off hit to give the Back Widows a 3-2 win which secured first place for them.
ELIMINATION GAMES NEXT SUNDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER
This means that the Black Widows will go into the elimination phase of the Hunlock Series in pole position. They can sit back next Sunday and wait while the other 3 teams have to go through two gruelling games.
First up fourth-placed Blue Dogs will play third-placed While Lightning. Whoever wins this game will face the second-placed Red Roosters and the winner of this game will go into the final against the Black Widows.
Each of these three games will be played over 6 innings. The 9-outs restriction on pitchers will still be in force therefore the Blues, Whites and Reds managers will have some very difficult decisions to make as they try to save their ace pitchers for the Final, but they need to get there first. It will be very tempting for White Lighting to put one of their secondary pitchers in the game against the Blue Dogs who are seen as the underdogs. This could provide a lifeline to the team in Blue, so don’t write them off just yet.
We are all set for an exciting end to the season in front of a large audience as the three games will be played on one diamond, unlike the games in the first two weeks.
Bulldogs, Mets and Redbacks are the 2014 HFT winners
This was a record-breaking Herts Futures Tournament with 17 teams entering the four different age divisions.
UNDER-17
In the Under-17 Division the national champions, LYBL Bulldogs, didn’t show any mercy as they swept their opponents winning all four of their games. Their game against the Herts Harriers proved to be the deciding one. Both teams went into the game with 100% records and the HFT title on the line. Five Bulldogs came home in the first inning without reply to complete a perfect day for them. Herts Harriers managed to put that loss behind with a 4-0 win over the London Mets in the final game of the day to take the second place in the Under-17 standings.
UNDER-14
For the first time in the seven-year history of the competition all four teams in the Under-14 division ended up with identical win-loss records. The tie had to be broken on the “fewest conceded runs” rule. This meant that the LYBL Bulldogs secured the Under-14 HFT title as their team had allowed only 2 runs in their 3 games. London Mets and London Sports were in joint-second-place with 5 runs allowed. The Herts Cardinals conceded 11 so they had to accept forth place despite having the same won-loss record as the winners.
UNDER-12
The number of runs conceded was also the deciding factor in the Under-12 Division Pool A. The LYBL Bulldogs allowed 3 runs fewer than the Horsham Yankees and reached the final where they met the London Mets in a repeat of the National baseball Championship Under-12 Final. This proved to be a pitchers’ duel ending with a score of 0-0 which meant that the Mets were the Under-12 HFT Winners as they had a better win-loss record over the course of the competition.
UNDER-10
This was the first year that Under-10 teams entered the HFT and they produced arguably the most enthralling games. The Redbacks overcame the Mets in their best of 3 series to win it.
Click to view the full scoreboard and standings in all divisions.
GET YOUR PERSONALISED PHOTOS
The HFT was covered by DE Photo and participants can get their personalised photos, framed or otherwise, by visiting the HFT photo gallery (click to view)
2015 BASEBALL SEASON
The Herts Futures Tournament has rounded off the 2014 British youth baseball season in style. Teams up and down the country will now have to somehow survive the winter months without baseball. Thankfully Major League Baseball is about to enter its most exciting phase and we can follow the drama of the postseason on tv.
Players of all ages can contact Herts Baseball Club with a view to signing up for the 2015 season or giving baseball a try when the teams return to the ballpark in the new year.