Author: Herts Baseball News Editor

by Herts Baseball News Editor

BBF confirms promotion to Double-A League for Herts Hawks

Herts Baseball Club confirmed that the Herts Hawks have applied for promotion from the Single-A to the Double-A League of British Baseball and that the BBF has approved it.

It may not have the same promotion-clinching scenes that we have become accustomed to when watching English football with pitch invasion by fans and a ride through town in an open-top bus, but this news is just as exciting for Herts Baseball fans.

It comes after a 2016 season in which the Hawks became Single-A National Champions winning every one of their games from start all the way to the Single-A National Playoff Final against Tonbridge – a total of 18 games (15 in the regular season and 3 in the playoffs).

This will not be the first season in the Double-A League for the Hawks. They spent 10 years in Double-A between 2005 and 2014 (in 2005 Double-A was referred to as Division One). There were some triumphant years during that period including 2012 when the team reached the Double-A National Semi-Finals eliminating Southampton and Guildford in the Playoffs before being knocked out in the Semi-Final by a strong Nottingham Rebels side.

Herts Hawks win-loss % in the previous 6 seasons

Will the 18-game winning streak be extended in the Double-A League? It is difficult to predict what we can expect from the Hawks in the third tier of British Baseball this year. Co-Managers Andrew Slater and Greg Bochan have a very calm and diplomatic approach and you will not see them raise their voice during games in any circumstances, but this does not stop them from getting their team fired-up when they have a challenge ahead of them. Regardless of where the team ends up in the standings, the coaching staff and players have a great team spirit and they will enjoy every moment. The most exciting games of 2016 for the Hawks were the come-from-behind wins against the Cambridge Royals on Opening Day and in the Semi-Final against the London Musketeers. Their ability to come from behind will come in handy in the more competitive environment of the Double-A League.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Baseball Club prepares for its AGM this Sunday

Herts Baseball Club has confirmed that its 20th Annual General Meeting will take place on Sunday, 15 January 2017.

In 2016 the club continued its growth and success on and off the field. The AGM will provide a deeper understanding of the club’s present position, and will set out the plans for 2017 and beyond. Members will receive the AGM Information Pack in due course and that will give a better idea of what to expect at the meeting.

In accordance with the Constitution, a number of Board positions will be up for election at the upcoming AGM either as part of the annual retirement of a third of the Board positions or because they are vacant.

The club is now inviting nominations for the following Board positions:

  • President
  • Treasurer
  • Secretary
  • Manager Third Team – Herts Raptors
  • Youth League Commissioner
  • Head of U17 Baseball
  • Head of U13 Baseball
  • Head of U11 Baseball
  • Head of U8 Baseball
  • Communications Director

Those who are interested to put their name forward or second a nomination can contact the club for more details.

Although only 2016 club members have the right to vote at the AGM, the meeting is very much open to former members and those who are considering joining the club in 2017 as players, members of staff, volunteers and fans. This is a good opportunity for newcomers to learn more about the club and meet its members. The meeting is also open to observers who are not members of the Club. Non-members who plan to attend would need to advise the club in advance as spaces are limited. If you are not a current member and wish to attend the AGM please contact the club.

The AGM will be held just a few minutes away from Grovehill Ballpark. The venue is the Grovehill Youth Centre.

DATE:    Sunday, 15 January 2017

TIME:    Registration starts at 12:45pm, the AGM will commence at 1:00pm (expected to end at around 4:30pm)

VENUE:                Grovehill Youth Centre, Stevenage Rise, Hemel Hempstead, Herts HP2 6BH (Directions and Map)

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts, LYBL and London Sports are the HFT winners

This was another fantastic Herts Futures Tournament with 20 teams entering the four different age divisions.

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In the Under-17 Division Herts Kites had their revenge over the London Mets who beat them in an epic National Championship Semi-Final six days earlier.  Herts won 10-4 on this occasion and with a win over London Sports won the U17 division of this year’s HFT.

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Herts and LYBL finished top of their respective groups, but in the final LYBL proved too strong for Herts winning the U13 HFT championship convincingly.

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LYBL and London Sports were both unbeaten in the group stages.  The Final was a closely fought encounter which London Sports won 2-1

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The youngest age group saw players aged 4 to 7 from Herts, Leicester, London Mets and London Sports. London Sports and Leicester met in their final game of the day both with a 100% record.  Their head-to-head clash ended in a 13-13 so both teams finish in first place.

Click to view the full scoreboard and standings in all divisions.

2017 BASEBALL SEASON

The Herts Futures Tournament has rounded off the 2017 British youth baseball season in style. Teams up and down the country will now have to somehow survive the winter months without baseball. Thankfully Major League Baseball is about to enter its most exciting phase and we can follow the drama of the postseason on tv.

Players of all ages can contact Herts Baseball Club with a view to signing up for the 2017 season or giving baseball a try when the teams return to the ballpark in the new year.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Can you survive 8 ninth innings in one day?

The games schedule for the 2016 Hunlock Series has been published. All games will adopt the “9th Inning” format where games are decided over one inning only. This format recreates the tension and drama of the ninth inning. The Red Kites open with a 4-game series against the Blue Squirtles, while the Black Hawks will have to wiat until 2:30pm for their first game when they will face the Red Kites.

The Hunlock Series Rules have also been published and they include the following regulations which apply to the “9th Inning” format.

• The batting order of each team remains unchanged for the duration of the day unless a substitution is made.

• A substituted player cannot re-enter the same game, however that player can re-enter a subsequent game.

• The batter who was next to bat upon completion of the previous game will be the first batter in the next game with the rest of the batting lineup coming up to bat in order.

What is also noticeable from the schedule is that the home team alternates over the course of the 4-game series which implies that the fielding team in the bottom of the inning will remain on the field in the top of the inning of the subsequent game. This scheduling approach was adopted in previous years and it sped-up the games enormously as there was no need for teams to go in and out of the field. There even was no need for warm-up pitches as the pitchers were ready. The downside is that a pitcher will need to stay on the mound for 6 outs without a break as opposed to the usual 3 outs, which could mean twice as many pitches thrown in an inning. This is where the defence can really help pitchers, by minimising errors and not adding to the pitcher’s pitch count.

Over the course of the Series each team will play a total of 24 games, 12 games against each of their opponents. The team finishing top of the league standings will be the 2016 Hunlock Series Champion.

The other rules which differ from what teams are used to in the BBF leagues are:

• Pitching Restrictions. A player can appear as a pitcher in one, two or more games per day, but no player shall accumulate more than 3 innings (9 outs) as a pitcher over the course of the day. It is the responsibility of the opposing team to inform the umpire when a pitcher reaches the limit. Managers must inform opponents of the number of innings pitched by each of their pitchers during the day prior to the start of each game.

• No Mercy Rule will be in force.

• If the game is tied after completion of the final inning, each team is awarded half a win and half a loss in the standings.

The 2016 Hunlock Series Draft takes place this Thursday, 15 September at 8:00pm. This year the Draft will not be televised but, with social media challenging TV as a media platform, coverage of this year’s Draft will be via Facebook. It will enable participants to interact more easily as the managers make their picks. For more details follow Herts Baseball Club on facebook.

Who will be the first Draft pick?

If you have not signed up to play in the Hunlock Series, it is not too late. Contact Herts Baseball Club for details on how to sign up.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Hunlock Series managers announced. The Draft is at 8pm Thursday, 15 September

We are counting down to the 2016 Hunlock Series Draft which will take place this Thursday, 15 September at 8:00pm. This year the Draft will not be televised but, with social media challenging TV as a media platform, coverage of this year’s Draft will be via Facebook. It will enable participants to interact more easily as the managers make their picks. For more details follow Herts Baseball Club on facebook.

Three teams enter this year’s competition and the managerial appointments have just been announced.

Black Hawks, will be managed by Dan Bartram, Hunter Devine and Jon Lewys who are all members of the 2016 Single-A National Champions, Herts Hawks who won all 18 of their games this year. Can they take that winning Hawks team spirit into the Hunlock Series?

Red Kits will be managed by Matthew Jackson who has had an outstanding season with the Herts Raptors this season.

Blue Squirtles will be managed by Will Zucker and Charlie Mayhew. Both of them started their university studies this year and have been heavily involved in the Durham and Loughborough university baseball programmes. How will they approach the Draft? Will they pick the best players regardless of age or will they try to build a team made up of the best young prospects with an eye on next season perhaps?

Fans will see some new faces in the Hunlock Series this year who have joined the club in the last few weeks, so there will be an element of surprise in Thursday’s Draft. Some of them may be new to Herts fans but they are not new to the game. The Hunlock Series could be a glimpse at some of the new players who will be wearing the Herts uniform for the first time in 2016.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

20 teams heading to the Herts Futures Tournament this Saturday

20 teams will be in action at the 2014 Herts Futures Tournament (HFT) which will take place this Saturday, 17 September 2016.

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Three teams will play a league format facing each of their opponents. The team finishing top will be the U17 HFT champion.

U17 TEAMS
Herts Kites (U17)
London Mets (U17)
London Sports (U17)

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The seven U13 teams have been divided into two pools of 4 and 3 teams. They will play in a league format, facing each of their opponents in their pool. The teams which finish top of their pool will play in the Final for the U13 HFT Championship.

U13 (POOL A) TEAMS
Herts (U13)
London Mets (U13)
London Sports (U13)
Northampton Centurions (U13)

U13 (POOL B) TEAMS
Brighton (U13)
Essex All Stars (U13)
LYBL Bulldogs (U13)

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The six U11 teams have been divided into two pools of three teams. They will play a game against each of their opponents in their pool. The teams which finish top of their pool will play in the Final for the U11 HFT Championship.

U11 (POOL A) TEAMS
Herts (U11)
Leicester Blue Sox (U11)
London Sports (U11)

U11 (POOL B) TEAMS
Brighton/London (U11)
Forest Glade RedBacks (U11)
LYBL Bulldogs (U11)

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The four U8 teams will play each of their opponents in a league format. The team finishing on top of the standings would be the 2016 U8 HFT Champion.

U8 TEAMS
Herts (U8)
Leicester Blue Sox (U8)
London Mets (U8)
London Sports (U8)

The opening ceremony will take place at 10:30am. The first games begin at 9am and continue into the early evening. To view the games schedule click here.

“Herts Baseball Club welcomes new players at any time of the year” said club president, Aspi Dimitrov. “Any children aged between 4 and 16 who are interested to give baseball a try should contact the club. It is not too late to take part in this event.”

Traditional Baseball snacks will be on offer including hot dogs, chilli dogs, big league chew, Krispy Kreme Donuts and more. Imported baseball merchandise will also be on sale at the Herts Baseball shop.

The HFT has been held every year since 2008 and is now a permanent fixture in the British baseball calendar. It 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 United Kingdom.

For more information about the event visit the Herts Futures Tournament homepage.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Rain affects all Saturday YNBC semi-finals. Sunday games schedule revised.

After the cancellation of all YNBC games on Saturday the British Baseball Federation has published the revised games schedule for Sunday, 11 September, which is as follows:

U16 SCHEDULE

Sunday, 11 September 2016

8:00am, Semi-Final: Herts Kites (U16) @ London Mets (U16) (on Field 1)

10:o0am, Semi-Final: London Sports (U16) @ LYBL (U16) (on Field 1)

12:00pm, Final: SF1 Winner vs SF2 Winner (on Field 1)

 

U13 SCHEDULE

Sunday, 11 September 2016

10:00am, Wild Card Eliminator: Brighton (U13) @ Herts (U13) (on Field 2)

12:30pm, Semi-Final 1: Winner of Wild Card Eliminator @ LYBL (U13) (on Field 3)

12:30pm, Semi-Final 2: London Mets (U13) @ London Sports (U13) (on Field 2)

3:00pm, Final: SF1 Winner vs SF2 Winner (on Field 2)

by Herts Baseball News Editor

2016 Hunlock Series to commence on 18 September. Players currently signing up.

The 2016 BBF league season is done and dusted, but the best part of the season for everyone connected with Herts Baseball Club is yet 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 eleventh year of the Hunlock Series. In its inaugural year in 2006 only two teams were involved, the Falcons and the Hawks. Herts Baseball Club has been growing rapidly since then and the number of teams in the Series has been increasing every year. As players sign up over the next few days we will know how many teams will enter the Series this year.

SERIES FORMAT

This year’s competition will be played over 3 Sundays. The opening games will be played on Sunday, 18 September. The second round of games will take place on Sunday, 25 September with the final round scheduled for Sunday, 2 October. 9 October is available as a backup date if weather conditions affect the previous weeks.

After its success in the 2014 we will see the return of “The 9th Inning Weekend” where games are decided over one inning only. 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 2016 Hunlock Series managers will select their teams via Draft. Who will be the first round picks? How will minor league players 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 monitoring these games, players who have been pushing for promotion to a higher league team will have the perfect opportunity to make a claim on the big stage in the coming weeks of the Hunlock Series.

PLAYERS LOOKING TO REGISTER AHEAD OF THE DRAFT

Herts players are currently signing up ahead of the draft. 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. Just like last year, the Hunlock Series could provide a glimpse at players who could be wearing the Herts jersey in 2017.

To be eligible for selection during the live draft, players must register and enter their availability details online by 7pm on Monday, 12 September. If you miss this deadline, don’t worry. Players would still be eligible to take part but would be added to teams as free agents. Players who wish to register for the 2016 Hunlock Series should contact Herts Baseball Club. To be eligible to play in the Hunlock Series, players must be 14 years of age or above on 31 December 2016.