Author: Herts Baseball News Editor

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Falcons reach NBL National Final and will play in Europe next year

Against all the odds, the Herts Falcons are through to the National Baseball League Final after a dramatic day of NBL Playoffs.

HERTS FALCONS 18 SOUTHAMPTON MUSTANGS 17

At the start of the day, not even the most optimistic Herts baseball fans would have expected the Falcons to pull it off. Their first hurdle was the Southampton Mustangs, a team that had the best record in the NBL Regular Season, but had to go through the Playoffs because of an off-the-field infringement. Hopes of an upset were dwindling early on as Southampton took a 9-2 lead after just two innings. Self-belief and energy levels can drain away very quickly from a team in such a predicament. Whether it was something that was said by the manager or a player, or perhaps the team is made up of players with superior inbuilt perseverance, the Falcons somehow managed to turn the game around. Their offence was alive again and they were getting productive at-bats from 1 to 9 in the batting order. It took a big collective effort to tie the game up first at 9-9 and then 13-13 before taking a 16-13 lead with just two innings left to play. There is always a risk of losing some of the momentum from the feeling of relief after coming back from the dead twice. The Mustangs struck back in the top of the final inning to take a 17-16 lead. The pressure was back on the Falcons. They had only three outs left and they needed to score in order to avoid elimination. 17-year-old Tyler Badenhorst was the lead-off batter. He is arguably one of the club’s most promising young talents but he has been on the disabled list in recent weeks which is why he was brought into the game from the bench. Heavy weight on young shoulders but he did what was required of him and got on base with a walk. Walter Bates and Moise Vasquez also walked. Southampton responded by getting two outs against the third and fourth batter in the Falcons batting order. There was no room for error now. With the bases loaded Dany Bueno was hit by a pitch and that brought in the tying run and a sigh of relief among Herts fans. It all came down to Phil Clark whose walk-off hit started Herts’ celebrations with a final score of 18-17.

The psychological pressure of trailing 9-2 in this game must have been enormous and after the game player-manager, Cris Hiche, felt that keeping the belief within the team was going to be critical. “We knew to expect a high-scoring game and I think that helped to maintain the belief in those difficult periods of the game when Southampton had a big lead” said Hiche.

HERTS FALCONS 5 LONDON CAPITALS 3

There was no time for celebrations or a breather. The London Capitals were waiting patiently, fresh and ready to face the Falcons for a place in the NBL Final. With their pitching staff depleted from the first game, player-manager, Cris Hiche, was the Herts starting pitcher. He has not had many pitching outings in his career prior to this season, but, with pitchers missing due to international call-ups and injuries, he has been converted into a pitcher and has proved to be one of the team’s most effective pitchers this season. Unlike the earlier high-scoring game, the pitchers were controlling this encounter from the start. Apart from the quality pitching, both teams showed good defence including a 6-4-3 double play turned by Carlos Casal Jr and Moise Vasquez. Carlos Casal also contributed with the bat as he and Dany Bueno drove in a run each to put Herts into a 2-1 lead.  After five innings the Capitals tied the game up at 2-2.

In the top of the sixth inning the Falcons came up with a big 3-run inning, which included a sacrifice fly from Hector Miguel who was looking to redeem himself after being ejected in the first game.  Capitals responded again but their rally was limited to one run thanks to a diving catch at the wall by left fielder, John Blose, for the final out of the inning stranding two runners who would have scored if it wasn’t for that spectacular play which prompted all his teammates to run to left field to congratulate him. With a 5-3 lead, Cris Hiche maintained his composure in the bottom of the final inning to shut down the side in order and start another field invasion by Herts players, coaches and fans.

“It’s a big relief to reach the Final” said Falcons catcher, Conner Brown, and added that “After some ups and downs this year, it’s nice to see the team come through today and hopefully get some recognition that we are a good team”.

Regardless of the outcome in the NBL Final, reaching it implies that the Falcons will be playing in Europe next year. This is the first time that a Herts team has managed to qualify for European Club Competitions. The players were not aware that they were also playing for a European place today and manager Cris Hiche gave them the news only after the final out.

 

The focus now turns to the Final against the London Mets. It will be a best-of-3 series with Game One on Saturday, 8 September, at Farnham Park in Slough. Cris Hiche was under no illusion about the size of the challenge ahead of them. He said: “The Mets are a good team, and we go in the Final as the underdogs, as evident from the regular season standings, but we enjoyed the battle today and hopefully we can do it again next weekend”. The only previous time that the Herts Falcons have reached the NBL Final was in 2012 when they lost to the Harlow Nationals in Game Seven. Follow Herts Baseball on Twitter for more information about the Final and build-up ahead of the games.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Players have started registering for the 2018 Hunlock Series

The 2018 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 thirteenth 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 Sunday, 23 September. The second round of games will take place on Sunday, 30 September, with the final round scheduled for Sunday, 7 October. If weather conditions affect the first three weeks, 14 October is available as a backup date.

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 2019. 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

Existing Herts players are currently registering ahead of the Draft by simply updating their availability in the online Clubhouse. New players and players from other clubs can also sign up by contacting Herts Baseball Club.

There has already been interest from non-Herts players located in other regions of the United Kingdom and overseas. They are all welcome to sign up and play in these games. Just like last year, the Hunlock Series could provide a glimpse at new players who could be wearing the Herts jersey next season.

To be eligible for selection during the Draft, players must register and enter their availability details online by Friday, 14 September. If you miss this Draft deadline or the first one or two weeks of games, don’t worry. Players will still be eligible to play but would be added to teams as free agents. To be eligible to play in the Hunlock Series, players must be 14 years of age or above on 31 December 2018.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

British baseball teams have started entering the 2018 HFT

Herts Baseball Club has announced that the 2018 Herts Futures Tournament will take place on Saturday, 22 September 2018.

The Herts Futures Tournament (HFT) has been held every year since 2008 and is now a permanent fixture in the British baseball calendar. The number of teams entering the tournament has been going up. The highest number of entries which we have managed to accommodate in previous years has been 20 teams. It will be interesting to see how many teams will enter this year. If the number continues to increase the club will have to consider ways of expanding the venue further.

The event brings together youth teams of all age groups from across the country for a day of baseball at one of the best baseball venues in the UK. Grovehill Ballpark is the home of Herts Baseball Club. Over the years the venue has been selected to host some of the biggest events in the British baseball calendar including the National Baseball Championships. During the Herts Futures Tournament additional diamonds are added to cater for all the age groups.

This year’s edition is expected to cover the Under-17, Under-15, Under-13, Under-11 and Under-8 age groups.

For more information about the event, how to enter your team in the Tournament or how players can join the Herts teams in time for the HFT, visit the Herts Futures Tournament homepage or contact Herts Baseball Club.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

British baseball players and coaches to work with former Miami Marlins pitcher this August

Herts Baseball Club is preparing to welcome Chris Squires, a pitcher who eight years ago was drafted by the Miami Marlins. He will be visiting the United Kingdom in the first week of August and Herts will be making the most of the opportunity by running a number of events and clinics which will give players from Herts and from other British baseball clubs a chance to work with him to polish their mechanics and generally to improve their game.

The 30-year-old spent three seasons in the Marlins organisation playing for the club’s various Minor League affiliates. In the last 3 seasons he has been with the Dornbirn Indians in the Austrian League, where in 2016 he played alongside Herts Falcons player-manager, Cris Hiche. Despite being only 30 years of age he is already heavily involved in a coaching capacity working with both adult and youth teams.

Chris Squires interview on the day he was drafted by the Miami Marlins in June 2010

The first event will be from 6pm to 8pm on Friday, 3 August, at the club’s venue in North West London. On the following day, Saturday, 4 August, the action moves to Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead. Apart from clinics with coach Chris Squires, the day will include a Home Run Derby, games, food, drinks and a lot more. In addition, at 5pm on Saturday coaches will be able to join Chris Squires for an informal evening to chat about throwing and pitching mechanics, pitcher development, mental aspects of pitching, and his experience playing in professional baseball. This will take place at the Hilton Hotel in Watford. On Sunday 5 August, coach Squires will run private lessons, one-to-one (£15 per hour for one player) or in small groups (£20 per hour for groups up to 4 players). Contact us if you are interested to book a private lesson with coach Chris Squires.

These events are for adult and youth players. See event timetable below for more details. With exception of the private lessons on Sunday, all other sessions on Friday and Saturday are free entry.

 

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Friday, 3 August (venue Hampstead Heath Extension, NW London)

6:00pm-8:00pm: Training session with Chris Squires – for Adult (ages 14 to 55+) and Youth players (ages 8 to 17)

 

Saturday, 4 August (venue Grovehill Ballpark)

09:45 – 12:00: Training session with Chris Squires and Herts Falcons Manager Cris Hiche – for U13 and U11 youth players (ages 8 to 12)

12:15 – 12:45: Home Run Derby, food and drinks

13:00 – 16:00: Training session with Chris Squires – for Adult (ages 14 to 55+) , U17 and u15 players (ages 13 to 17) Note: U17 and U15 players report at 12:00pm

16:00 – 16:15: Wrap-up.

17:00: Evening Coaches Meeting:  (venue Hilton Hotel, Watford) An informal evening to chat about throwing and pitching mechanics, pitcher development, mental aspects of pitching, his experience in pro-ball, and more.

 

Sunday, 5 August (venue Grovehill Ballpark)

09:00-14:00: One-to-One or small groups private lessons with Chris Squires (Contact us for more details and to book a place for these private lessons)

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Baseball is coming to North West London ahead of New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox

In a press conference on 8 May 2018 London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, and MLB Commissioner, Rob Manfred, announced that one of the most legendary rivalries in sport will come to London on 29 and 30 June next year when the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox will play in a two-game regular-season series at the London Stadium, the centrepiece of the 2012 Olympic Games. This announcement has prompted Herts Baseball Club to accelerate the timetable for the creation of a baseball programme and venue in North West London. Over the years the club has had a lot of inquiries from this area from players keen to try the sport, but it’s been hard for them to get to Hertfordshire.

The games in London are part of MLB’s efforts to market Major League Baseball around the globe and to promote the development of baseball as a world and Olympic sport. They will present a unique opportunity to grow the game of baseball and softball in this country and London in particular, and Herts Baseball Club is determined to make the most of this occasion.

The Club has been based at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead since it was founded in 1996. In 2013 the club recognised that in order to accommodate the growing number of new players who want to play baseball, it needed to expand. “Around 30% of our members are based in North West London and our data also showed that we receive many enquiries from potential new members from that part of London, however many of them have not been able to start playing because the public transport connections from North West London to our ballpark in Hemel Hempstead are very poor” said Club President, Aspi Dimitrov. He added that “currently there is no other club located in the North West quadrant of London which offers adult and youth baseball so the natural progression for the club was to expand by establishing a baseball programme in this densely-populated area.”

In view of the impending arrival of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in 2019, the implementation of the project has been speeded up and the club has announced a series of events in North West London which will give the local community the opportunity to come and try baseball. Events have already commenced with open sessions for boys and girls, men and women of all ages at Hampstead Heath Extension. For details of upcoming sessions and how to take part click here. Those who enjoy these sessions and wish to play on a more regular basis will have the opportunity to join the Herts adult and youth teams playing in the various leagues of the British Baseball Federation.

 

Hampstead Heath is the picturesque setting for baseball in NW London this summer.

Baseball has been reinstated as an Olympic sport for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the news of MLB’s arrival in London next year is an opportunity which Herts Baseball Club is relishing.

For more information about the project, the club or playing baseball with Herts contact us.

It’s official. MLB is coming to London.
by Herts Baseball News Editor

It’s official. MLB is coming to London.

The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will play each other in two Major League Baseball regular season games at the London Stadium in 2019. The matches, which will be held on 29 and 30 June, will be the first MLB games to be staged in Europe.

The long-awaited announcement was made at a press conference earlier today by London Mayor, Sadiq Kahn, and MLB Commissioner, Rob Manfred.  The games themselves will be surrounded by an exciting range of events and activities related to baseball and to the cultures of the rival teams from Boston and New York.

Further details will be released soon on the timing of the games and ticket arrangements, but even with a capacity of 55,000, the London Stadium games are expected to be sell-outs.

 

MLB says it intends to play again in 2020 and establish “a long-term footprint in the city”.

MLB regular season games have already been staged outside the USA in Mexico, Japan, Puerto Rico and, most recently, at Australia’s Sydney Cricket Ground in March 2014.

It is now for Herts Baseball Club, and for the sports of baseball and softball in this country as a whole, to take full advantage of this incredible opportunity to grow and develop the game.

Contact our club for more details about tickets for the MLB London Series 2019, how to get involved playing baseball and softball, or to get involved in the game in other capacities such as umpire, scorer, reporter, event staff, front office personnel and many others.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Arrows, Mets, Hawks and Musketeers win the 2018 HSL titles

 

In the NBL Division the Essex Arrows and Birmingham Bandits were the favourites going into the final weekend of the 2018 Herts Spring League (HSL). Despite losing to the Herts Falcons, the earlier win over the London Mammoths was enough for the Arrows to clinch first place.  The Birmingham Bandits had two shots at overtaking them but first the London Mammoths and then the Southampton Mustangs took the wins in closely fought games.

Their strong performance in the second week was enough for the London Mets U19 to win the HSL Triple-A title. The rain on Saturday scuppered the eagerly awaited encounter between them and the Lakenheath Regulators which was built as the title-decider in the Triple-A bracket.

In the Double-A Division the Herts Hawks’ record of three wins and no losses secured first place for them.

In the Single-A Division calculators were needed to break the tie between the London Musketeers and the London Archers. The Musketeers clinched it thanks to conceding fewer runs per inning, 0.111 compared to the Archers’ 0.556 runs per inning.

The 2018 Herts Spring League proved to be a major struggle in the face of sub-zero temperatures and snow in week one and torrential rain on the final Saturday which flooded both diamonds. These certainly were the worst weather conditions in the 11-year history of the HSL, but, despite this, 21 games were played which is 53% of the original schedule.

View HSL scoreboard

View HSL standings

We saw home runs, spectacular defence, lights-out pitching, many players who will be making their BBF league debuts in 2018 and a whole lot more over the last three weeks of the HSL.

With Spring Training completed, British baseball teams up and down the country will hope that this will be their year. The NBL teams will open the 2018 season next Sunday, 8 April, while the other three leagues start later in April. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for a comprehensive coverage of the 2018 baseball season.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts teams announce preliminary 2018 rosters for the HSL

The managers of the Herts teams which will be playing in the 2018 Herts Spring League over the next 3 weeks have announced their preliminary rosters. We understand that these rosters are not fixed and it is very likely that there may be movement between teams over the course of the HSL. Some players may be asked to play for more than one team as managers look to evaluate players ahead of the announcement of the 2018 Opening Day rosters.

New players are registering every week, therefore some new names may be added over the course of the HSL and into the league season.