Author: Herts Baseball News Editor

Mystery team enters the 2021 Hunlock Series
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Mystery team enters the 2021 Hunlock Series

The opening day of the 2021 Hunlock Series is approaching and it has just been announced that a mystery team named the Formosa Islanders has entered the Series.

What do we know about them? We have very little information but a quick search on the internet indicates that The Republic of Formosa was a republic that existed on the island of Taiwan in 1895 between the formal cession of Taiwan by the Qing dynasty of China to the Empire of Japan by the Treaty of Shimonoseki and its being taken over by Japanese troops. That’s as much as we have at the moment but our investigative journalists are on the case and we will keep you updated as we find out more but we may have to wait until the Hunlock Series games to get a first look at the Islanders.

The LIve Draft is next week
For those who are new to the Hunlock Series, in the days leading up to the Draft, the 100+ Herts players (aged 14 and over) and newly registered players are listed as available to pick in the Hunlock Series Draft. The team managers then take turns picking players one by one over 20 or so rounds of the Draft. It will be interesting to see which players among the club’s 100+ players will be picked in the first round and who will be the very first pick.  In previous years, that honour has gone primarily to Conner Brown. Who will it be this year? The Draft will be done live on Tuesday evening, 14 September.  We will provide more details in due course.

Make sure you are in it
Historically the Herts adult league team managers have used the Hunlock Series games to evaluate current and new players in preparation for the new season, to populate their rosters and positions and to decide which leagues the Herts teams should go into in 2022.

HOW TO REGISTER

All Hunlock Series players will be drafted into teams. To be eligible for the Draft players will need to update their availability for all the Hunlock Series dates in the online Clubhouse by 6pm on Tuesday , 14 September. If you miss the deadline or the first one or two weeks of games, don’t worry. New players will still be eligible to play but will have to be assigned as free agents after the Draft.

If you already have a Clubhouse account you can update availability by logging on with your existing username and password. Click here to go to the Clubhouse.

If you do not have a Clubhouse account but wish to play in the Hunlock Series, please register here and select “Play Hunlock Series” in the membership category list. After registering you can log on and mark your availability.

To be eligible to play in the Hunlock Series, players must be 14 years of age or above on 31 December 2021.

ENTRY FEE
2021 club members do not have to pay an entry fee as the Hunlock Series is part of their membership package. If you don’t have a Hunlock Series team shirt, you can buy one before your first game. The cost is £6.

New players or players from other clubs can play by paying the £12 entry fee which includes a free Hunlock Series shirt of the team which has drafted them.

Basing Hill Ballpark project to commence this week
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Basing Hill Ballpark project to commence this week

Earlier today Herts Baseball Club confirmed that they have appointed Inscapes as the contractor for the Basing Hill Ballpark project. They are a company with extensive experience in this industry and among their clients are some high profile venues such as The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff (video below), Plymouth Argyle Football Club, Gleneagles Golf Course, Hampton Court Palace among others.

Inscapes Millennium Stadium Pitch Construction

They are scheduled to commence work at Basing Hill this Friday, 10 September.  The project is almost identical to Herts’ 2009-2010 project of building Diamond One at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead.

They will first spray off the playing area and a week or two later will cultivate, re-grade and level the field before they plant the new grass seeds.

It is expected that the new grass playing surface will be ready for its first baseball league games in May 2022 in time for the new season.

Below are images from some of the projects implemented by Inscapes.

Players have started registering for the 2021 Hunlock Series
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Players have started registering for the 2021 Hunlock Series

The 2021 BBF league season will soon be coming to a close, but arguably the best part of the season is still to come.

Every year, just when the MLB season enters its most exciting stage, players come to Grovehill Ballpark for a competition in memory of Herts Baseball Club’s number 36, the late Kyle Hunlock.

This is the fifteenth year of the Hunlock Series. In its inaugural year in 2006 two teams were involved, the Falcons and the Hawks. Herts Baseball Club has been growing rapidly since then and the format of the competition has evolved. As players sign up over the next few weeks we will know how many teams will enter the Series this year.

SERIES FORMAT

This year’s competition will be played over three Sundays. The opening games will be played on 26 September. The second round of games will take place on 3 October, with the final round scheduled for 10 October.

In 2014 we introduced “The 9th Inning Games” where games are played over a single inning. We will be doing this again this year. This format recreates the tension and drama of the ninth inning. Can the teams manufacture the all important go-ahead run? Can they deliver the walk-off hits? Can the pitchers and defence execute with the game on the line?

THE DRAFT

As in previous years, the teams will be selected by the team managers during the Hunlock Series Draft. Who will be the first round picks? How will minor league players and newcomers perform alongside NBL players?

Over the years we have seen how decisions made during the Draft can shape the outcome of the Series before a pitch has been thrown. The managers will have to make carefully calculated decisions if they are to put together a team which can compete for the Hunlock Series title, otherwise they face miserable few weeks.

With all of the club’s managers and coaching staff observing these games, players who have been pushing for promotion to a higher league team will have the perfect opportunity during the Hunlock Series to make a claim to play on the bigger stage in 2022. The club has also received enquiries from many potential new members over the last few weeks and this event is the ideal opportunity for them to come and play.

HOW TO REGISTER

All Hunlock Series players will be drafted into teams. To be eligible for the Draft you will need to update your availability for ALL the Hunlock Series dates in the online Clubhouse by Tuesday, 14 September. If you miss the deadline or the first one or two weeks of games, don’t worry. You will still be eligible to play but will have to be assigned as a free agent after the Draft.

If you already have a Clubhouse account you can update availability by logging on with your existing username and password. Click here to go to the Clubhouse.

If you do not have a Clubhouse account but wish to play in the Hunlock Series, please register here and select “Play Hunlock Series” in the membership category list. After registering you can log on and mark your availability.

To be eligible to play in the Hunlock Series, players must be 14 years of age or above on 31 December 2021.

ENTRY FEE
2021 club members do not have to pay an entry fee as the Hunlock Series is part of their membership package. If you don’t have a Hunlock Series team shirt, you can buy one before your first game. The cost is £6.

New players or players from other clubs can play by paying the £12 entry fee which includes a free Hunlock Series shirt of the team which has drafted them.

Herts youth baseball teams about to commence preparations for the 2021 National Championships. New players can still join.
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts youth baseball teams about to commence preparations for the 2021 National Championships. New players can still join.

As the end of the school summer holidays nears, the Herts youth baseball teams will be returning to training on Saturday, 4 September, in preparation for the 2021 National Youth Baseball Championships (NBCs) which is scheduled for 18 and 19 September. 

Herts Baseball Club submitted a bid to host some or all of the age divisions  at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead and is awaiting the decision of the British Baseball Federation (BBF).

The club is planning to enter teams in all four age divisions, and the coaching staff of the five teams has been confirmed.

U18 Herts All Stars

Co-Manager – Colin Barrett

Co-Manager – Duane Badenhorst

U15 Herts All Stars

Manager – Will Zucker

Coach – Bryan Mencias

Coach – Aspi Dimitrov

U13 Herts All Stars

Co-Manager – John Kjorstad

Co-Manager – Donnie Parsons

Coach – Aspi Dimitrov

U11 Herts Falcons

Co-Manager, Jordon Fox

Co-Manager, Nick Barnaby

Coach – David Sanok

Coach – Joe Brown

Coach – Aspi Dimitrov

U11 Herts Londoners

Manager – Cory English

Deputy Manager – Marshall Stark

Coach – Marko Petromarkov

Coach – Mo Milosavljevic

Coach – Aspi Dimitrov

Preparatory Training Sessions

The training schedule ahead of the NBCs has also been confirmed as follows (note venues alternaing for some of the teams):

U18 Herts All Stars

DAYDATETIME (START)TIME (END)VENUE
Sat11-Sep-2109:4512:00Grovehill Ballpark

U15 Herts All Stars

DAYDATETIME (START)TIME (END)VENUE
Sat04-Sep-2109:4512:00Grovehill Ballpark
Sat11-Sep-2114:3016:30Basing Hill Ballpark

U13 Herts All Stars

DAYDATETIME (START)TIME (END)VENUE
Sat04-Sep-2109:4512:00Grovehill Ballpark
Sat11-Sep-2114:3016:30Basing Hill Ballpark

U11 Herts Falcons

DAYDATETIME (START)TIME (END)VENUE
Sat04-Sep-2109:4512:00Grovehill Ballpark
Sat11-Sep-2109:4512:00Grovehill Ballpark

U11 Herts Londoners

DAYDATETIME (START)TIME (END)VENUE
Sat04-Sep-2114:3016:30Basing Hill Ballpark
Sat11-Sep-2114:3016:30Basing Hill Ballpark
Tue14-Sep-2117:0019:00Basing Hill Ballpark

Team Rosters

The five teams currently have a total of 75 registered players with three additional players on standby. Click here to view the full roster.

There are a few available places in some of the teams so new players can still register in time to play in the National Championships.  They can also come to try baseball at the upcoming training sessions to help them decide before they register.  Those interested to register or to try baseball before registering should contact the club.

Contact us for details about joining or trying baseball before registering
Baseball fans around the world react after Herts Falcons’ heroics
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Baseball fans around the world react after Herts Falcons’ astonishing comeback

It is no secret that this has been a difficult season for the Herts Falcons competing in the NBL – Britain’s top baseball league. Going into last weekend’s games they had lost all 22 of their league games this year.  They were also missing most of their players who have previous National Baseball League experience.

On Sunday, they went into the final inning trailing by 10 runs to the London Legends but they managed to do something almost unheard of in the game of baseball, scoring 11 runs to win it 20-19.

The news started spreading on social media like wildfire and a post on Reddit has so far generated 236 comments from baseball fans around the world. A very enjoyable read for Herts baseball fans to see what the rest of the world thinks about Herts and British baseball from a distance. Some of the people commenting even took the time to look into Herts Baseball Club’s team structure asking the question “and why are there Double-A and Single-A affiliates for these teams. Are there farm systems involved here?”.

Click here to view this, mostly light-hearted, discussion on Reddit. Note: There is some adult language in some of the comments.

A look at the greatest comebacks in MLB regular season history shows just how rare this achievement is. In 1994, the Houston Astros did come back from 0-11 down in the fourth inning to beat the St Louis Cardinals 15-12, but we cannot see an 11-run comeback in the ninth inning.  The biggest ninth-inning comeback in MLB regular season history that we can see was in 1986 when the California Angels scored 8 runs in the bottom of the ninth to win it 13-12.

With manager Cris Hiche out of the country due to family bereavement and interim manager Phil Clark also away, it was up to Michael Cresswell and Will Zucker to lead the team on Sunday and they certainly did that. Cresswell ended up hitting his first home run at NBL level and, despite not usually being used as a pitcher, he picked up the win pitching six innings in that game.

This first win of the season will not be enough to bring the team back into the playoff race, but the Falcons have certainly won many new fans.

This is not the first time that the Falcons attract international attention.  In 2019 after a rain delay became a cancellation, the team washed away their disappointment by stripping down to their underwear, sprinting from the dugout, through the rain, and sliding across the outfield. The moment was memorably caught on camera. It proved a success not only on Herts social media channels, but on a Facebook page covering baseball around the world – where it racked up more than 20,000 views.

We have 14 days to make the Basing Hill Ballpark project a reality
by Herts Baseball News Editor

We have 14 days to make the Basing Hill Ballpark project a reality

The Basing Hill Ballpark project has been given a lifeline in the campaign to secure funding but the odds are still stacked heavily against it with the deadline looming.

In March, Herts Baseball Club came very close but missed out on receiving funding from the Mayor of London for the project.  Despite securing pledges from 125 other backers, the original crowdfunding target of £55,000 was just too far to reach without the support from the Mayor. 

That campaign’s deadline passed last week so it has now ended. All 125 pledges have been cancelled and no money will be taken from the bank accounts of those who made a pledge.

Over the last few weeks the club has been exploring ways to keep to the original timeline so that the playing field can be re-graded, levelled and the grass seeds can be planted this September, while the later stages of the project can be implemented when the club secures the required funding. If this cannot be done in time for the September grass-growing season, the project would be delayed by at least 12 months which means that the growing number of adult and youth baseball teams would have to play one more year on the same grass surface which is not fit for purpose.

The club has now launched a scaled down crowdfunding campaign on Spacehive with a target of £21,409 which covers this first phase of the project. 

It has pitched to the London Borough of Barnet who have just made a £4,000 pledge which has given the project a lifeline.

Pledge to the Basing Hill Ballpark project on Spacehive

It is now up to the club to mobilize its members and fans as well as the community and businesses around Basing Hill to see if they can reach the target in the limited time that remains.

If the club succeeds, Basing Hill Ballpark will not only bring baseball and softball into the heart of the community but will also revitalise this small, but cherished, outdoor space. The park will become a family oriented setting with organised events for the whole community in a Covid-secure environment.

The campaign must reach the target by 16 August 2021.  The money pledged will be received by the club only if the project hits the target.  If it doesn’t, all pledges will be cancelled.

If the target is reached, work on the project is expected to commence in September and the resurfaced playing field and the new grass should be ready in time for the 2022 baseball season.

For more information about the campaign and to make a pledge, go to the Basing Hill Ballpark (Phase 1) project on Spacehive.

Herts to battle on all fronts in the national youth baseball championships. Badenhorst and Barrett to manage the U18s.
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts to battle on all fronts in the national youth baseball championships. Badenhorst and Barrett to manage the U18s.

The Herts adult league teams may be struggling to qualify for the playoffs, so the club’s youth teams may have to carry the flag in the national baseball championships (NBCs) this season.

Herts is preparing to enter teams in all age divisions, U18/U17, U15, U13 and U11.  The club has submitted a bid to host the Youth NBCs at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead.  The event is expected to take place on 18 and 19 September.

The Herts youth baseball programme was restructured this season and has seen significant growth from 21 registered players last year to over 70 this season and that number is continuing to grow as new players are still registering to play in the NBCs.

The majority of these players are playing baseball for the first time in their lives so they will have the difficult task of competing against the more experienced teams from around the country, but it will be interesting to see how they will respond to the challenge.

The club has also confirmed that Duane Badenhorst and Colin Barrett (pictured above) will be the joint managers of the Herts U18/U17 team. Both bring a wealth of baseball experience having played and coached in South Africa and Great Britain, including at international level with the South Africa U12 National Team, South Africa Men’s Softball Team and, currently, the Great Britain Men’s Softball Team.

Duane Badenhorst (centre) with the Herts U17 team in the Youth NBC

Six members of the Badenhorst and Barrett families have worn the Herts jersey over the years and fans of the club will be delighted to see them back.

For more details about joining the Herts youth baseball teams for the upcoming national youth baseball championships contact us.

The kids put on a show in dramatic season finale
by Herts Baseball News Editor

The kids put on a show in dramatic season finale

The Herts Londoners clinched the Under-11 division of the Herts Youth Baseball League after a dramatic race with the Herts Raptors and the Herts Falcons which went right down to the wire.

At the start of the day the Londoners and Eagles were in third and fourth place, two games back on the Falcons and Raptors. 

The Eagles struck first with a 3-2 win over the Hawks helped by Sterling de Vita’s first home run of the season. On the other diamond the Londoners also won in their clash with the Falcons. This win proved to be crucial later in the day.

The Hawks may have been eliminated from the race but they were determined to leave their mark and they did so by causing a major upset beating the league leading Raptors and then the Falcons to derail their title push.

The gap at the top was beginning to close. The Londoners and Eagles were now just one game back but they were to face each other next, knowing that the losing team would no longer have a chance to win the title. The Londoners came out on top, 6-2. The Eagles were now out of the race.

It came down to the final games of the day. The Falcons, Raptors and Londoners were tied in first place. The Londoners faced the Raptors. The Falcons were up against the Eagles.  Both games started at the same time on adjacent diamonds which enabled the fans to witness the drama on both diamonds as it unfolded.

During most of the season the Falcons relied on the home run power of Connor O’Neill-Thompson.  He continued his bombardment adding to his tally to finish the season as the league’s leading home run hitter with five home runs. Rory Graham, who comes from the same school as O’Neill-Thompson, joined the Falcons partway through the season but he proved to be another power hitter for the team.  It was his home run that clinched the 2-1 walk off win for the Falcons. On the other diamond, the Raptors and the Londoners were tied 3-3 and the game had to go into extra innings.  On the hottest day of the year so far, to avoid heat exhaustion, the league had decided in advance that tied games would be determined in a hitting contest where the teams would nominate one of their players and the team whose representative hits the ball furthest would be awarded the win.  A high flying shot by Cosmo English won it for the Londoners.

HYBL U11 Division – Final Standings

PosTeamWLPctGB
1401.0000
2110.5002
2330.5002
4560.4552.5
5230.4002.5
View full table

This meant that the Falcons and Londoners were still tied in first place.  The league rules state that “the head-to-head results between the tied teams should be used to establish placings”.  The players and fans had to go through an anxious wait while the league commissioner and team officials were going through the season’s scores between the two teams. The confirmation came over the public announce system that the Londoners are the 2021 Under-11 Herts Youth Baseball league Champions having won two of their three games against the Falcons over the course of the season.

In the Under-15 Division, the championship was decided in the final game between the Hawks and the Londoners who found themselves tied in first place.  The age superiority of the Londoners was a big factor on the day as they won the game to become the U15 champions.

HYBL U15 Division – Final Standings

PosTeamWLPctGB
1401.0000
2110.5002
3340.4292.5
4460.4093
5010.0002.5
View full table

An outstanding act of sportsmanship by one of the youngest players in the league was recognised during the trophy presentation. 5-year-old Mason Barnaby from the Herts Raptors U11 asked for time during one of the games in order to run to the team bench area to encourage his teammate Owen Ridgway to rejoin the game after he had picked up a knock earlier in the day.

A considerable number of players missed out on these dramatic last few weeks of the season as they were required by their schools to self-isolate in compliance with Covid guidance, but the baseball season is not over.  The national championships are coming up in September and it will be interesting to see how the new generation of Herts youth players will do on the national stage against teams from around the United Kingdom.

Players are still able to register in order to represent Herts in the national championships. For more details contact us.

Herts Falcons appoint Clark as interim manager
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Falcons appoint Clark as interim manager

Herts Baseball Club has confirmed that interim manager, Carlos Casal, has stepped down from his position and the club has appointed Phil Clark as the new interim manager while manager Cris Hiche is out of the country for family reasons.

Clark is one of the longest serving members of the Herts Falcons.  He joined the team in 2012 when they recorded their best season in the NBL reaching the national final where they lost to the Harlow Nationals in game 6.

The Falcons have had a difficult season so far but in the last few weeks there have been signs that the team is regaining its competitiveness coming close to picking up their first win in extra innings against the Lancashire Legends.

Their next game is this Sunday, 4 July, against the London Legends at Roundhsaw Playing Fields in Croydon. First pitch is at 11:30am.

vs

Details

Date Time League Season
4 July 2021 11:30 am National Baseball League 2021

Field

Roundshaw Playing Fields
Roundshaw Park Playing Fields, London Borough of Sutton, London, Greater London, England, CR0 4RW, United Kingdom

Results

Team12345678910RHEOutcome
London Legendsxxxxxxxxxx15xxWin
Falconsxxxxxxxxxx3xxLoss
Herts Hawks appoint Purewal as new manager
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Hawks appoint Purewal as new manager

Earlier this month Herts Hawks player-manager, Tetsuro Shinkawa (pictured below), was informed that he will have to undergo a non-baseball medical procedure and he is expected to require a period of recovery after it which will keep him away from baseball.

Everyone at the club hopes that the procedure will go well and that Tets will be back to full fitness quickly after that.

The club has just announced that Kyle Purewal (pictured at the top) has been appointed as the new player-manager of the Herts Hawks.  The 28-year-old joined the club at the start of this season having previously played in Canada and in the UK with Bracknell. Since joining the club in the Spring, Purewal has also been actively involved off the field taking on a role in the club’s media department.

His first game as Hawks manager is this Sunday, 27 June, when the Hawks will host the Essex Archers at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead. First pitch is at 12pm.