Author: Herts Baseball News Editor

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Sunday’s Herts Spring League games rained out

Somehow the teams managed to complete today’s Herts Spring League games before the heavy rain came in. Unfortunately, that heavy rain flooded the diamonds at Grovehill Ballpark and the low temperatures will make it difficult for the standing water to drain and dry out, especially with periods of additional heavy rain expected on Sunday.

HSL spokesperson said “we have no option but to inform teams, umpires, players and fans that all HSL games scheduled for Sunday, 27 March, are cancelled. We hope that making this decision early will make it easier for you to make alternative plans for Easter Sunday.”

The HSL games continue next weekend with game son both Saturday and Sunday, 2 and 3 April.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Fulford appointed as Herts Under-17 Manager

Herts Baseball Club has confirmed that Andrew Fulford has been appointed as the club’s Under-17 Team Manager.

In an interview Fulford expressed his excitement at being appointed and provided more details about how he plans to approach this project. He said: “The most important thing for a baseball program for children and young adults is having an absolute blast and nurturing the maturity developing within youth players. To achieve this goal, I believe acquiring strong fundamental baseball skills is key. And it’s my aim to impart my baseball knowledge in a fun, creative, and effective way.”

A few weeks ago the club announced that they plan to invest in a new business model. This will involve investing in high quality coaches for the club’s youth programme. The aim of the experiment is to see if the investment would bring sufficient growth over the next 10 months. If the experiment is successful, the next step would be to adopt this new business model across most of its teams in time for the expected arrival of MLB to London in 2017.

“It was good to receive so many applications from coaches” said club board member, Aspi Dimitrov. He added that “the club is delighted to appoint Andrew. He already has so many fans at the club after joining as a player in 2012 and in just a few weeks he has become an integral part of the coaching staff in our youth programme. We very much hope that this new approach will succeed and Andrew’s appointment gives us a really good chance to do so”.

Fulford comes from Tampa, Florida, and he moved to Hemel Hempstead in 2012. He started playing when he was 4. After spending his early years in the Citrus Park Little League, Fulford went on to play for the varsity team at Sickles High School and later with Cambridge High School finishing as Florida Sate runners-up in 2009. During his career he has played under former MLB players Jody Reed, who played as second basemen for the Boston Red Sox, and Sam Marsonek who was a pitcher with the New York Yankees. He is 25-years-old and he will have the opportunity to pass on his many years of playing experience to the Herts boys and girls. As a player his primary position is catcher and he has also played in second base and pretty much in all other positions on the field.

“Growing up in Baseball, nothing was more empowering to my self-esteem than coaches who affirmed the abilities I possessed and encouraged me in my weaknesses” said Fulford. “At the same time nothing was more detrimental to my self-esteem than coaches who did the opposite. So it’s with great enthusiasm and a heart full of empowerment that I take on the role of Herts U17 team manager”

The club confirmed that they are continuing discussions with some of the other applicants with a view to considering them for other coaching projects which may come up this season or future seasons.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts announce preliminary HSL 2016 rosters

The managers of the Herts teams which will be playing in the Herts Spring League over the next 3 weeks have announced their 2016 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 2016 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.


HERTS FALCONS

Brodie Caress

Callum Vangundy

Conner Brown

Darrin Ward

Gilberto Medina

Jake Caress

James Hicks

John Blose

Jonathon Lewys

Jose Juan Garcia Santana

Lee Manning

Louis Hare

Mahendra Prasad

Mike Cattermole

Moise Vasquez

Sonam Lama

Takaya Miki

Warwick Byrne

Zack Longboy

 

HERTS HAWKS

Andrew Bragg

Andrew Slater

Andy Cornish

Arnold Longboy

Aspi Dimitrov

Ben Marques

Bobby Gould

Dan Bartram

Drew Mayhew

Gary Edwards

George Leeds

Greg Bochan

Hunter Devine

Ilya Dimitrov

Jamie Lang

Jamie Warren

Jim Arnott

John Kjorstad

Kennet Pike

Kenneth Bogner

Mark Caress

Matthew Gentry

Paul Auchterlounie

Ralph Bartholomew

Robert Gibson

Rod Naghar

Simon Langton

Tim Elkins

William Belbin

HERTS RAPTORS

Aaron Witter

Ac Masala

Adam White

Alessandro Sansica

Boruch Boudilovsky

Clive Johnson

Darren Priest

Emmanuel Banson

Hosea Liwanda

Jack Kelly

Joe Court

Jon Gamble

Karolis Krutulis

Matt Corran

Matthew Jackson

Michael Cresswell

Nick White

Nick White

Paul Barton

Phil Cunningham

Rob Jones

Simon Crouch

Thao Chau

Tim Lawrence

Toby Feszczur-Hatchett

Tom Fawcitt

Tom Weatherilt

Wes Moore


by Herts Baseball News Editor

Eagles withdraw from the Triple-A League

Herts Baseball Club has announced that it will be withdrawing the Herts Eagles from the BBF Triple-A League.

The club clarified that they have lost a number of players since last season and although they have added a good number of new players this is not going to be enough to field four teams in the BBF adult leagues.

In 2015 the Herts Eagles were made up predominantly of students some of whom are also members of the various Great Britain National Teams. This resulted in severe shortage of players during the school holidays and during the weeks when players are called up to the GB Teams or have upcoming exams.

A club spokesperson said “We have six or seven fewer players compared to this time last year and we really needed to have three or four more than last year to be able to overcome the seasonal player shortage later in the year during the weeks when students are away.”

Given the unpredictable nature of player recruitment over the course of the season the club may suddenly find itself with too many players for three teams, but we understand that they are already considering ways of ensuring that the club can integrate all newcomers who decide to join the club in the coming months.

The last time the club had to go down from four league teams to three was in 2011. That step back was followed by two or three steps forward over the subsequent seasons as larger and stronger rosters bring many advantages which Herts will be hoping to benefit from in the coming season.

 

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts alumni to play US college baseball this year

Herts fans love to follow the progress of former Herts players.

Today we learned that Herts’ winning pitcher in the final of the 2010 U14 National Baseball Championship is now playing college baseball. Yes, that’s right Jesse Reinebold is the starting second baseman for the United States merchant Marine Academy.

They just completed their Florida trip and are now getting ready for their conference play. Given his lights-out performance on the mound in the 2010 National Final Herts fans will be surpirsed to learn that Jesse will be playing second base for his college team. You can keep track of Jesse’s progress on the official USMMA website.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Countdown to HSL – first chance to see the teams ahead of the 2016 British baseball season

The biggest pre-season baseball competition in Britain is back. Commencing on March 19, the Herts Spring League (HSL) will see 15 teams compete over the 3 weeks of the HSL. Organised by Herts Baseball Club, it is Britain’s very own version of MLB’s Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues currently under way in the US, and it signals that the season is just around the corner.

FORMAT

The 15 teams will be entered into three HSL tiers. The top teams in the country from the National Baseball League and Triple-A Leagues will play in the HSL Majors. The HSL-AA is the second tier of the Herts Spring League. It will feature predominantly British Double-A League teams. The third tier is the HSL-A consisting mainly of Single-A teams.

The organisers considered the possibility of a tournament format, but ultimately adopted a league format in the same way as the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues in MLB. “The objective of the HSL is to enable the teams to prepare for the new season and we have noticed that teams are increasingly starting to approach the HSL in the same way as MLB teams approach the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues” said HSL Commissioner, Aspi Dimitrov. He added “we have taken this into account when formulating the schedule putting greater emphasis on the preferences and preparatory requirements of the teams over the format of the competition”.

The teams finishing at the top of their respective division will win the HSL. The “games-back” column in the standings will be critical, but undoubtedly some teams will end up with the same record and so it may go down to the number of runs conceded per game to break the tie.

THE VENUES

The action will take place at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead, the home of Herts Baseball Club.

SCHEDULE

24 games are scheduled to be played on the two diamonds. The competition begins on March 19 with a clash between the Herts Hawks and the Essex Redbacks in the HSL Double-A bracket. The HSL Single-A commences on the same day while HSL Majors division commences 24 hours later and includes the mouth-watering clashes between the Essex Arrows and Herts Falcons, and the Cambridge Royals and the surging London Mammoths.

Click to view full 2016 HSL schedule

EXCITEMENT BUILDING UP

The Herts Spring League adds a competitive edge to Spring training. It’s the time for managers to work out their winning formula going into the BBF league season. It is an opportunity to evaluate existing and newly recruited players. Which players will earn a spot in the pitching rotation and who will be batting where in the batting order? Who will make the first team and who will have to work their way up with the minor league teams? Not forgetting, it’s a chance to size up your rivals for the year ahead. It’s the first big challenge and the first big excitement of the baseball year. Don’t miss it.

GET IN THE GAME

For more details about the event or if you are interested to give baseball a try in this competition contact Herts Baseball Club.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

15 teams will signal the arrival of Spring in the 2016 HSL

Herts Baseball Club has confirmed that 15 teams have entered this year’s Herts Spring League (HSL). The teams come from all British baseball leagues including the National Baseball League (NBL), Triple-A, Double-A and Single-A Leagues.

The HSL teams will be divided into three divisions as follows:

 

HSL – MAJORS

TEAM

CLASS

HSL RANKING

Cambridge Royals

AAA

3

Essex Arrows

NBL

2

Herts Falcons

NBL

1

London Mammoths

AAA

4

Milton Keynes Bucks

AAA

5

HSL – AA

TEAM

CLASS

HSL RANKING

Daws Hill Spitfires

AA

2

Essex Redbacks

AAA

1

Herts Hawks

AAA/A

4

London Musketeers

AA/A

3

HSL – A

TEAM

CLASS

HSL RANKING

Cambridge Monarchs

A

2

Herts Raptors

A

5

Kent Mariners

A

6

London Mercenaries

A

4

Milton Keynes Coyotes

A

3

Tonbridge

A

1

 

SCHEDULE AND FORMAT

The HSL will be played over three weeks commencing on the weekend of 19 and 20 March and ending on 2 and 3 April. The HSL format and games schedule are expected to be announced shortly and hertsbaseball.com will bring this and all other HSL news as they happen.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Hiche signs contract to play in Austrian top league. Expected to return to Herts at the end of the season.

The Herts Falcons will go into the 2016 NBL season without one of its most valuable players over the last four seasons. Centerfielder Cris Hiche has signed a contract with the Dornbirn Indians in the Austrian top league. The contract is for one season only and Hiche is expected to rejoin the Falcons after the end of the Austrian baseball season.

Cris Hiche joined the Falcons for the start of the 2012 season and it is not a coincidence that his four seasons with Herts proved to be among the best in the club’s history and included reaching the NBL playoffs in three out of these four seasons. That included finishing as NBL runner-up in 2012 and reaching the NBL Playoff semi-finals in 2013 and 2015.

His outstanding performances were recognised with the award of the NBL Outfield Gold Glove in 2012 and 2013 when he did not commit a single error. In 2013 he was also the team’s home run leader.

The Chilean has also been instrumental off the field for Herts. He joined the club’s executive board as the head of the Under-17 and Under-19 programmes. In 2013 he led the Herts Under-17 team to the National Final finishing as runners-up which is the club’s best position in that age group.

The club has already started the search for a new head of the Under-19 and Under-17 programmes, but as club president, Aspi Dimitrov, pointed out “Cris has played a massive role at the club on and off the field and it will be difficult to replace him, but it is great news for the club that he plans to be back with Herts after the end of the Austrian season”.

Hiche joined Herts in 2012 after arriving from the USA where he played at the high school, college and semi-professional league level as well as at international level representing Chile at Under-12, Under-16 and now at senior level with the National Team. In 2002 he joined the International Baseball Academy in Brazil where he played alongside the legendary Cuban player, Lazaro Vargas, who won the Olympic gold medal with the Cuba National Team twice, in 1992 and 1996. Hiche then went on to play for Glendale Community College in Arizona, followed by two seasons (2005-2007) with the Athletics in Liga Valle del Sol. Between 2008 and 2010 he played for the Sahuaripas in the Mesa Semi-Pro League alongside former or injured Minor League players trying to work their way back into the pros, as well as former MLB players such as pitcher Omar Daal, who played for the LA Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks and ended his career with the Baltimore Orioles in 2003.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Unveiling the new Herts Baseball Cap model

Herts Baseball Club has unveiled its new baseball cap model, the 59FIFTY Diamond Era Technology by New Era.

The club chose New Era as its official baseball cap supplier before the start of the 2014 season and has not regretted that decision. New Era is an international brand with sports heritage that dates back over 90 years. Best known for being the official on-field cap for Major League Baseball and the National Football League, New Era is the brand of choice not only for its headwear collection, but also for its accessories and apparel lines for men, women and youth.

The brand is worn as a symbol of self-expression by athletes, artists and celebrities around the world. The Company is headquartered in Buffalo, USA and operates facilities in Canada, Europe, Brazil, Japan and Hong Kong.

The new Diamond Era model will be available to buy from club shop this weekend.

Of course the Diamond Era model is not the only one that fans can choose from. There are three other New Era baseball cap models. The original 59FIFTY cap is New Era’s signature fitted cap. It is a structured cap with a flat visor, that has the ability to curve. The 59FIFTY cap has a full crown and six panels. The cap has eight rows of visor stitching and a button on top. The 39THIRTY is a casual cap with a stretch fit. It is a structured cap with a pre-curved visor. The 39THIRTY has a contoured crown and six panels. The 9FORTY has more of a classic, collegiate feel. It is a structured cap with a pre-curved visor. All the models carry the club’s traditional letter “H” on the front which is done with raised embroidery. The New Era logo is on the left side of all the models. The 59FIFTY and 39THIRTY models also have Herts embroidered on the back of the cap similar to the designs adopted by many of the MLB teams.

New Era beanies are also available at the Herts Baseball shop and have proven to be a very popular product, especially at this time of year.

For more information about the new Herts Baseball caps and details how to buy, contact us.

 

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Baseball Club experimenting new business model

Herts Baseball Club has made an announcement which may not hit the headlines, but is something which will be followed with interest by the front offices of other British Baseball Clubs over the next 10 months.

In 2015 Herts Baseball Club grew by 21% and had over 150 members, which is more than at any point in its 19-year history. The club’s board has been considering ways to grow the club further and has identified the need for more coaches who can bring value to the youth teams, inspire a new generation of players and give them a great experience which the families would be happy to recommend to others.

As an experiment, the club has decided to invest in improved financial terms for youth team managers of the club’s Under-15 and Under-19 teams this season. The aim of the experiment is to see if the investment would bring sufficient growth over the next 10 months. If the experiment is successful, the next step would be to adopt this new business model across most of its teams in time for the expected arrival of MLB to London in 2017.

Below are links to the advertisements to appoint U15 and U19 team managers, where interested candidates will find details of these roles including financial terms.  The majority of coaches in British baseball are not paid for the work which they do, so it will be interesting to see if the financial reward offered by Herts will attract a good number of candidates.

If you are interested in any of these coaching roles, follow the links below for details how to apply.

U15 Team Manager

U19 Team Manager

For more information, contact us.