The first baseball games of 2014 at Grovehill Ballpark will be played in 22 March 2014
The Herts Spring League (HSL) has confirmed the game dates for the 2014 edition of the competition*.
HSL MAJORS
The HSL Majors involving the NBL teams will be played over two weekends.
HSL Majors (Week 1 of 2)
• Sat, 22-Mar-13
• Sun, 23-Mar-13
HSL Majors (Week 2 of 2)
• Sat, 29-Mar-13
• Sun, 30-Mar-13
HSL MINORS
The other HSL Division(s) involving AAA, AA, A-League and Under-17 League teams will be played over three weekends.
HSL Minors (Week 1 of 3)
• Sat, 22-Mar-13
• Sun, 23-Mar-13
HSL Minors (Week 2 of 3)
• Sat, 29-Mar-13
• Sun, 30-Mar-13
HSL Minors (Week 3 of 3)
• Sat, 5-Apr-13
• Sun, 6-Apr-13
Spring is the time when managers put together their teams and aim to turn them into winning machines ahead of Opening Day. Similar to the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues in MLB, the HSL provides a competitive edge to spring training. This is the seventh year of the HSL. Every year this competition keeps growing. The geographic spread of participating teams seems to be expanding as well. For more details visit the HSL site.
LEAGUE FORMAT
Teams will be placed in two or more divisions (HSL Majors and HSL Minors) based on the teams’ ranking going into the new season. The exact format will depend on the number of teams entering the HSL and the availability of venues, therefore full details will be published when the league line-up is confirmed.
TEAMS
Over the years the HSL has featured teams from the National Baseball League (NBL), AAA, AA and A-Leagues, as well as international teams such as the GB Under-19 and Under-16 National Teams and the ASL Eagles.
“The number of team entries has been going up every year. Last year we somehow managed to fit all of the entrants, however in 2014 we have to be mindful of the fact that we may once again reach our full capacity and we may have to restrict team entries when we reach that level again.” said HSL Commissioner, Aspi Dimitrov.
The addition of U17 league teams in previous years has worked very well. The high standard of most of the BBF U17 League teams will certainly enable them to comfortably compete at the level of adult teams from the AA and AAA League teams, or perhaps even NBL.
Teams from around the United Kingdom will be submitting their entries over the next few weeks and the HSL lineup and games schedule is expected to be published in early March.
WEAR THE HERTS BASEBALL JERSEY IN 2014
Herts Baseball Club welcomes youth players from 6 to 16 and adult players from 14 to 50+ from complete beginners to experienced ballpalyers. New players can join at any time of the year. For more details on how to give baseball a try contact us.
* – The HSL dates are based on the indication that the NBL season will start on April 6 and the AAA, AA and A Leagues on April 13. If these dates change the HSL may make adjustments where necessary.