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.
