Another championship-winning baseball player has joined the Herts Falcons to help the club push for the National Baseball League (NBL) title in 2016.
Osmel Vazquez was part of the Southern Nationals team in the NBL in 2014. He hit .386 with 2 doubles and drove in 13 runs in that year . The Cuban also stole 11 bases, and scored 18 runs.
He has a rich baseball experience, which began in Cuba with the National Series team, Matanzas. Moving to Italy, he played with clubs such as Castenaso and the Yankees di San Giovanni in Persiceto, winning two league titles. In the UK, Osmel has also played in the Richmond organisation, pitching as well as continuing his hitting performance.
Last year, the Falcons had Maikel Azcuy on board setting home run records, but the team has been remodeled this year and Osmel Vazquez provides valuable spark and experience. He’s excited to help out Herts, and he has been welcomed by manager Lee Manning.
“2016 will be a transitional year for the Falcons, but it’s definitely going to be a fun year”, Manning said.” Our main goal this year will be to develop our younger ball players – but that’s not to say we won’t win some games along the way!”
One of the team’s brightest young stars, catcher Conner Brown, has just returned from the MLB Spring Academies youth tournament in Barcelona — and has gone straight into action for the Falcons. He was one of only three British players taking part in Spain — the others being former Herts star Carlos Casal Jr and Rory Chandler of the Leicester Blue Sox.
The NBL action starts this Sunday, April 3rd, with three games. There will be a rematch of last year’s final, with the Southampton Mustangs taking on the London Mets. The Essex Arrows host the Brighton Jets while the London Capitals travel to the South London Pirates.
The Falcons will be playing their final games of another successful Herts Spring League, facing first the Milton Keynes Bucks then the London Mammoths. They open their NBL campaign on the road on April 10th against the Southampton Mustangs, before playing a home opener at Grovehill the following week, versus the newest member of the NBL, the Brighton Jets.