The Herts Eagles have confirmed that Reece Crawley is the team’s new manager.
The 41-year-old Londoner joined Herts last month having played at the London Mets organisation over the last few years. Like most British players, his interest in baseball came about after watching MLB games on TV. This prompted him and his friend to go and watch a British baseball game in Enfield and that was enough to convince him to start playing.
That first British baseball game which he saw was a Triple-A league game which apparently featured many of the players on the Herts Cardinals roster so Reece had the opportunity to reconnect with those players when he reported for Spring Training at Basing Hill Ballpark a few weeks ago.
His primary position is catcher. He also plays other infield positions. He now has to combine playing with managing and he is looking forward to that challenge.
These may be new surroundings for Reece but he will be able to count on the support of highly experienced players like Matt Jackson and Jamie Lang-Richards, who have previously managed the Herts Raptors and the Herts Eagles, respectively.
Upcoming HSL games for the Eagles
| Date | Home | Time/Results | Away | League | Field |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eagles  |  Dukes | HSL (Single-A) | Grovehill D2 | ||
Islanders  | Eagles | HSL (Single-A) | Grovehill D2 | ||
Bucks 2  | 19 - 6 | Eagles | HSL (Single-A) | Grovehill D2 |
The team has five weeks of Spring Training remaining including three games in the Herts Spring League against the Richmond Dukes, Formosa Islanders and the MK Bucks.
Last year the Eagles finished the season with a 7-18 record (.280 winning percentage). Can the team move up in the league standings this year?