Player registration for the 2019 season has commenced.
ADULT BASEBALL LEAGUES
Last season three Herts teams entered the BBF senior baseball leagues. How many teams will represent Herts in 2019? The next few weeks will be critical to see how many players will register to play for Herts in 2019 and on the basis of this the club will decide how many teams to enter before the BBF league entry deadline, and which leagues the teams will play in.
KEY DATES – ADULT TEAMS
February – players report for indoor Spring Training
March – first open-air training session of 2019
23-24 March – Start of the 2019 Herts Spring League (subject to confirmation of the BBF League Opening Day)*
23-24 March – Great Britain National Team Tryouts (senior and youth teams)
7 April – BBF National Baseball League and Triple-A League Opening Day (subject to confirmation)*
14 April – BBF Double-A and Single-A League Opening Day (subject to confirmation)*
May-August – Midweek Evening Baseball
10-16 June – Herts Falcons in the European Federation Cup
29-30 June – MLB London Series (See details below)
August-September* – BBF Postseason Playoffs and National Championships
September-October – Hunlock Series
* – these are preliminary dates. The BBF will be making its official announcements in due course.
YOUTH BASEBALL LEAGUES
The British Baseball Federation launched the Super League in 2017. It enhanced the youth baseball regular season and it is expected to be even more exciting in 2019. Many of our youth players will be moving up to the next age group to face a different challenge in 2019. They will be joined by the new players who are joining the club every week. The Herts youth teams welcome boys and girls aged between 4 and 17 from complete beginners to experienced players.
KEY DATES – YOUTH TEAMS
February – U18, U15, U13 and U11 players report for indoor Spring Training
March – first open-air training session of 2019
23-24 March – Great Britain National Team Tryouts (senior and youth teams)
April – U8 players report for their first session
7-14 April – U18, U15, U13, U11, U8 Season Opening Day*
June – Little League UK Qualifiers (U17, U15, U13, U11)
29-30 June – MLB London Series (See details below)
July-August – Little League Europe Qualifier (Poland and Italy) and Little League World Series (USA) (subject to qualification)
September – National Youth Baseball Championships (U18, U15, U13, U11)
September – Herts Futures Tournament (U18, U15, U13, U11, U8)
* – these are preliminary dates. The BBF will be making its official announcements in due course.
SOFTBALL
In 2017 Herts Baseball Club launched its softball programme which has enabled the club to offer playing opportunities to a much wider audience and to women in particular. Slowpitch Softball is the more recreational version of the game, which is equally appealing to male and female players. Softball is a social and enjoyable game that’s easy to learn and play, even for people who are not “athletes” or don’t have much experience of team sports. The fact that men and women play together in the same team and on an equal level gives the sport a social buzz.
Softball Spring Training will commence in February. The first few sessions will be indoors. All equipment will be provided so anyone aged 14 and over can come and enjoy the day, meet new friends and try a new sport. These will be followed by indoor softball pre-season games. For more details about the Herts Softball Programme click here. If you are interested to come and try softball at any of the upcoming open sessions contact us and we will provide you with full details and add you to our mailing list.
MLB LONDON SERIES – BASEBALL IS COMING HOME
In case you have not heard, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees will be playing two MLB official league games on 29 and 30 June 2019 in London. This is the first time that MLB games will be staged in Europe. Various events and activities will take place as part of the MLB London Series and details will be announced in due course. For now, baseball fans are advised to pre-register not later than 4:59 pm on 29 November 2018 in order to be eligible to access pre-sale tickets when they go on sale at 10:00 am on Monday, 3 December 2019. Click here for full details.
FIRST LONDON-BASED HERTS TEAM IN THE BBF LEAGUES
The first Herts baseball team based in North West London is set to make its BBF League debut in 2019. The club is in the process of securing the NW London ballpark and putting all of the components together in order to unveil the team in time for Opening Day. 2019 Player Registration has just commenced (see details below). The online registration form will ask each adult and youth player to indicate whether they prefer to play their home league games in Hemel Hempstead or in NW London, or whether they would be happy with either. This will provide vital information to club management about how to go about forming the first team which will play in NW London without affecting existing teams based in Hemel Hempstead.
HOW TO REGISTER FOR THE 2019 HERTS BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL SEASON
Herts Baseball Club has commenced the 2019 registration process for adult and youth players. For those who already have a Herts Online Clubhouse account they will be prompted to register when they log on next time (click here to go to the Herts Online Club House and log on with your existing username and password). Those who are new to Herts and do not have a Herts online account will be able to register as members by completing this form. For more details about joining our teams in 2019 click here or contact us.