The BBF U18, U15, U13 and U11 national baseball championships will be played on Saturday, 16 September, at Farnham Park.
U18 team
In addition to its U15, U13 and U11 teams, Herts will also be entering a team to compete in the U18 national championship. The club has confirmed that the Herts Falcons U18 team will be managed by Will Zucker. In February 2021 he was elected as the club’s co-Director of Youth Baseball. Zucker is a product of the Herts youth baseball programme and went on to play for the club’s first team, the Herts Falcons, in the National Baseball League (NBL) and has also been selected by the Great Britain U18 and U23 national teams. He co-founded the Durham University Baseball programme and his work was recognised when he received the BSUK Young Coach of the Year Award in 2017.
The club’s best finish in the U18 national championships was as runner-up in 2013 when they beat the London Mets 6-4 in the semi-final and lost 6-9 in the final to the Cobham Cougars. Zucker was 16 years old and was the starting pitcher for the Herts Harriers in the final so this year he will have another shot at the U18 national title, this time as team manager.
His coaching staff will include Herts Falcons outfielder, Mike Cresswell, who will be familiar with many of the Herts U18 players, having coached them over the years and playing alongside a large number of U18 players this season with the Falcons in the National Baseball League.
Players who are aged 17 or under on 31 August 2023 who are interested to play for the Herts Falcons U18 team can contact the club for more details.
U15 and U13 teams
The Herts U15 team will be managed by Nick Sanders who brings a wealth of experience from his time as a player and coach in Canada.
The U13 team will be managed by Stephen Wong who is also a pitcher with the Herts Cardinals and has experience of playing and coaching in Hong Kong and Japan.
The Herts youth coaching staff also includes Cory English, Daniel Rose, Joe Brown, John Kjorstad, Jordon Fox, Larry Peters, Martin Saluzzo, Mike Long, Philip Meyers and Aspi Dimitrov.
Starting this week, coach Stephen Wong will run a series of extra baseball sessions for the U15 and U13 teams as follows:
- 15:00-18:00 – Wed, 26 July, Grovehill Ballpark
- 10:00-13:00 – Sat, 29 July, Grovehill Ballpark
- 15:00-18:00 – Wed, 2 August, Grovehill Ballpark
- 10:00-13:00 – Sat, 5 August, Grovehill Ballpark
- 15:00-18:00 – Wed, 9 August, Grovehill Ballpark
- 10:00-13:00 – Sat, 12 August, Grovehill Ballpark
- 15:00-18:00 – Wed, 16 August, Grovehill Ballpark
- 10:00-13:00 – Sat, 19 August, Grovehill Ballpark
- 10:00-13:00 – Sat, 26 August, Grovehill Ballpark
- 15:00-18:00 – Wed, 30 August, Grovehill Ballpark
U11 team
The manager of the Herts U11 team will be confirmed in due course.
The Herts U11 players will take a few weeks break during the school summer holidays but they will back in training on Wednesday, 30 August (London branch) and Saturday, 2 September, (Hemel Hempstead branch).
HYBL Playoffs and Herts Futures Tournament
Herts youth players can also look forward to the Herts Youth Baseball League (HYBL) Playoffs on 9 and/or 23 September and the Herts Futures Tournament on 30 September, as the 2023 youth baseball season reaches its climax.
New players can still join the Herts teams
The youth teams welcomes boys and girls aged 6 to 17, from complete beginners to advanced players, with ballparks in Hemel Hempstead and in London. Contact us for more information.