HERTS BASEBALL LITTLE LEAGUE PLAYER SELECTED BY GREAT BRITAIN NATIONAL TEAM

The Herts Baseball Little League was created only 9 months ago and already one of its players has been selected by the Great Britain National Team.  10-years old Marty Cullen Jr from Hitchin in Hertfordshire received a confirmation earlier today from the GB National Team that he will be a member of the GB Juveniles this season.

This comes after several weeks of highly competitive tryouts at the Great Britain baseball academy in Upper Heyford.  The tryouts were attended by nearly 100 players from around the country and despite being one of the youngest in his group Marty Cullen Jr proved to be one of the top performers.  He was evaluated in several positions and is expected to continue his development as a pitcher and a shortstop.  Apart from attending the regular training sessions and practice games at the Great BritainBaseballAcademy, Marty Cullen Jr can look forward to the Kenko Tournament in Florence, Italy from the 23rd August – 31st August 2008.

Baseball may not be the most popular sport in the United Kingdom, but this is a good example of the opportunities available for kids in and around Hertfordshire to play the game of baseball and if they show commitment, desire and talent then there is a clear path for them to progress all the way to the highest level including earning the honour of representing their country.

The timing of this news is perfect as it coincides with the build-up to the first ever season of the Herts Baseball Little League.  The players, most of whom are aged between 7 and 12, will soon be starting their pre-season training to get ready for Opening Day in June.  It promises to be one of the top events for kids in and around Hertfordshire this summer and Herts Baseball Club is very pleased about the growing number of parents who have contacted the club to pre-register their children for the Little League on the official website www.HertsLittleLeague.com

The Little League coaches saw many talented kids during last year’s summer camps and the hope is that Marty Cullen Jr will be the first of many Herts Little League players to be selected to play for Great Britain.  The last Herts player to play for Great Britain was Lee Manning from Hemel Hempstead.  Lee is now one of the heads of the Little League and will be the manager of the Red Sox team in 2008 so he will be in a great position to pass on his knowledge to the kids and hopefully they too will be able to represent Great Britain.