Author: Herts Baseball News Editor

19 February 2016 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts announce 2016 HSL details

The Herts Spring League (HSL) has confirmed the game dates for the 2016 edition of the competition*.

HSL (Week 1)
Sat, 19-Mar-16
Sun, 20-Mar-16

HSL (Week 2)
Sat, 26-Mar-16
Sun, 27-Mar-16

HSL (Week 3)
Sat, 2-Apr-16
Sun, 3-Apr-16

Spring is the time when managers put together their teams and aim to turn them into winning machines ahead of Opening Day. Similar to the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues in MLB, the HSL provides a competitive edge to spring training. This is the ninth year of the HSL. Every year this competition keeps growing. The geographic spread of participating teams seems to be expanding as well. For more details visit the HSL site.

LEAGUE FORMAT

Teams will be placed in two or more divisions (HSL Majors and HSL Minors) based on the teams’ ranking going into the new season. The exact format will depend on the number of teams entering the HSL and the availability of venues, therefore full details will be published when the league line-up is confirmed.

TEAMS

Over the years the HSL has featured teams from the National Baseball League (NBL), Triple-A, Double-A and Single-A Leagues, as well as international teams such as the GB Under-19 and Under-16 National Teams and the ASL Eagles.

“The number of team entries has been going up every year. Last year we somehow managed to fit all of the entrants, however in 2016 we have to be mindful of the fact that we may once again reach our full capacity and we may have to restrict team entries when we reach that level again.” said HSL Commissioner, Aspi Dimitrov.

The addition of U19 and U17 league teams in previous years has worked very well. The high standard of most of the BBF U19 and U17 League teams will certainly enable them to comfortably compete at the level of adult teams from the Double-A and Triple-A League teams, or perhaps even the NBL.

Teams from around the United Kingdom will be submitting their entries over the next few weeks and the HSL lineup and games schedule is expected to be published in early March.

* – The HSL dates are based on the indication that the BBF league season will start on April 3 for NBL teams and on April 10 for all other leagues. If these dates change the HSL may make adjustments where necessary.

9 February 20169 February 2016 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts youngsters enjoy guest appearance by elite coaches

Baseball is back and the Herts adult and youth team players took part in their first training session of 2016.

On Sunday the players from the Herts youth baseball programme had the privilege to be coached by Andrew Fulford. Herts baseball fans know Fulford well from his appearances for the Herts Hawks in 2012 and the Herts Falcons in 2014. 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.

If that wasn’t enough, there were two more special guest coach appearances by Herts Hawks infielder Jamie Lang and legendary Herts Falcons shortstop, Geoff Hare, who these days is one of the top umpires in the British Leagues.

The Herts youngsters enjoyed the session and if some of the coaches’ experience and knowledge of the game can rub-off on the next generation of Herts players, it would add enormous value to the players’ development and the club as a whole.

The next session for the Herts youth team players aged 8 to 14 is this Saturday, February 13. Contact us for more details.

7 February 20167 February 2016 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Raptors and Eagles appoint managerial duos

At its Annual General Meeting Herts Baseball Club confirmed several managerial appointments ahead of the 2016 season.

CARESS DUO AT THE HELM

The Herts Eagles will have a father-and-son managerial duo in 2016. Jake Caress managed the team last year and this season he will be joined by his father, Mark Caress. Mark is already fully immersed into the role as he has been performing many of the duties supporting Jake in 2015 therefore this appointment formally confirms his role with the team.

The Eagles picked up only 3 in the whole of last year so they will be looking to improve their record this time around. The team is blessed with many young talented players who are just a year or two away from being able to challenge for the playoff places so there is great optimism that this group of young players will become a dominant force in the BBF Triple-A League. The main uncertainty is the likelihood that some of their top performers may receive a call-up from the Herts Falcons and that may affect the team’s competitiveness.

RAPTORS APPOINT CRESSWELL AND BARTON

Michael Cresswell and Paul Barton are the new joint managers of the Herts Raptors. They take over from Rob Jones and the late Kal Dimitrov who managed the team last season.

Michael Cresswell has been a key and ever-present member of Herts since 2012 and has already had managerial experience acting as stand-in co-manager of the team in the second half of last season.

Paul Barton made his league debut for the Raptors in 2015 and his tremendous performances were recognised as his teammates voted his as the Raptors’ Most Valuable Player.

The team ended the 2015 season on a high with a run of four wins in their last six games. If they can maintain this form they would be a major contender for the Single-A League title in 2016.

The managers will take their players through their first Spring Training session of 2016 this Sunday, 7 February.

3 February 20163 February 2016 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts adult and youth baseball league teams start pre-season training this Sunday

Herts Baseball Club published details of its Spring Training schedule. Both adult and youth teams will return to training for the first time in 2016 this Sunday 7 February. The only exception being the Under-8 programme which starts later in the year.

In the first few weeks preparations will take place indoors at JFK Catholic School. On 27 February the adult, under-19 and under-17 teams will have their first outdoor training session at Middlesex University on the 3G artificial grass playing surface. The under-15, under-13 and under-10 age groups will also get their first taste of outdoor baseball on 5 March.

The Herts teams will return to Grovehill Ballpark for the first time on the weekend of 12 and 13 March.

A week later Herts Spring League (HSL) pre-season games commence. The Show begins in April as the Herts teams get their 2016 league seasons underway. The Herts Falcons are expected to open their season on Sunday, 3 April, while the Herts minor league teams are expected to start on 10 April.

As always around the middle of March the Herts adult team managers will announce their preliminary rosters ahead of the HSL. Of course these preliminary rosters are likely to change as we get closer to Opening Day and managers promote those who impress in Spring Training. The movement of Herts players up and down the Herts league teams is usually an ongoing process. We have witnessed players start the season with the fourth team in the Single-A and end up making their NBL debut later in the year. We will follow players’ progress over the course of Spring Training and during the league season.

SPRING TRAINING SCHEDULE (more events may be added)

DAY	DATE	TEAMS	DETAILS	LOCATION
Sun	07-Feb-16	U15, U13. U10	Spring Training	JFK Catholic School
Sun	07-Feb-16	NBL, AAA, AA, A, U19, U17	Spring Training	JFK Catholic School
Sat	13-Feb-16	U15, U13. U10	Spring Training	JFK Catholic School
Sun	14-Feb-16	NBL, AAA, AA, A, U19, U17	Spring Training	JFK Catholic School
Sat	20-Feb-16	U15, U13. U10	Spring Training	JFK Catholic School
Sat	27-Feb-16	NBL, AAA, AA, A, U19, U17	Spring Training	Middlesex University
Sat	27-Feb-16	NBL, AAA, AA, A, U19, U17	Batting Practice	Middlesex University
Sat	05-Mar-16	U15, U13. U10	Spring Training	Middlesex University
Sat	05-Mar-16	U15, U13. U10	Batting Practice	Middlesex University
Sun	06-Mar-16	NBL, AAA, AA, A, U19, U17	Spring Training	Middlesex University
Sun	06-Mar-16	NBL, AAA, AA, A, U19, U17	Batting Practice	Middlesex University
Sat	12-Mar-16	U19, U17, U15, U13. U10	Spring Training	Grovehill Ballpark, Herts
Sun	13-Mar-16	NBL, AAA, AA, A, U19, U17	Spring Training	Grovehill Ballpark, Herts
Sat	19-Mar-16	NBL, AAA, AA, A, U19, U17	Herts Spring League	Grovehill Ballpark, Herts
Sun	20-Mar-16	NBL, AAA, AA, A, U19, U17	Herts Spring League	Grovehill Ballpark, Herts
Sat	26-Mar-16	NBL, AAA, AA, A, U19, U17	Herts Spring League	Grovehill Ballpark, Herts
Sun	27-Mar-16	NBL, AAA, AA, A, U19, U17	Herts Spring League	Grovehill Ballpark, Herts
Sat	02-Apr-16	NBL, AAA, AA, A, U19, U17	Herts Spring League	Grovehill Ballpark, Herts
Sun	03-Apr-16	AAA, AA, A, U19, U17	Herts Spring League	Grovehill Ballpark, Herts
Sun	03-Apr-16	NBL	League Game Day	TBC
Sun	10-Apr-16	NBL, AAA, AA, A	League Game Day	TBC

HOW TO TAKE PART?

Existing players who have not reactivated their registration for the 2016 season can do so here. New players can register for the new season here or contact us for more details.

25 January 201625 January 2016 by Herts Baseball News Editor

NBL MVP expected to wear a different uniform in 2016

Photo by Paul Holdrick

Herts Baseball Club has confirmed that their third baseman Maikel Azcuy is in the process of completing a move which is expected to take him to NBL-rivals Southampton Mustangs.

Azcuy joined the Herts Falcons 12 months ago and proved to be one of the team’s key players. His performances received the ultimate recognition when the National Baseball League announced that he is the 2015 NBL Most Valuable Player. The Falcons finished second in the NBL regular season and lost to Southampton in the Play-Off Semi-Final. 2015 was a very successful season for the team and Azcuy played a central role.

For Maikel Azcuy, last season was the fourth straight year in which he has either tied for the league lead in home runs or won the title outright. He also won his third RBI title in four seasons, moving him past Simon Pole’s tally of two for the all-time lead. However, his batting title was a career first, coming in Azcuy’s 10th season in the NBL. And the batting title was a close-run thing, as Azcuy just pipped Essex’s Jamie Gregory, going 28-for-60 (.467) to Gregory’s 28-for-61 (.459).

Azcuy’s six home runs in 2015 took his NBL career tally to 39, which pushed him past Simon Pole (35) for the all-time lead. He also moved past 200 career RBIs; his current tally of 201 is just 36 short of Brad Thompson’s all-time record.

In their statement, Herts Baseball Club expressed their gratitude for “Maikel Azcuy’s enormous contribution as a player of the Herts Falcons last season”. It further stated that “the Club wishes Maikel success at his next club and with the Great Britain National Team”.

With a large number of places in the Herts Falcons’ starting lineup waiting to be filled ahead of the new season this opens up a great opportunity for the young generation of Herts players and any new arrivals to lead the team into the 2016 season.

22 November 201522 November 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Azcuy is the 2015 NBL MVP

This article by Joe Gray first appeared on britishbaseball.org

Maikel Azcuy from the Herts Falcons and Dan Weigel from the London Mets have been awarded the 2015 Most Valuable Batter and Most Valuable Pitcher awards for the 2015 National Baseball League season, following the triple crowns they claimed in their respective disciplines.

Azcuy won the batting title with a .467 average, led the league in runs batted in with 28, and tied Herts Falcons’ teammate Edwin Alcantara for the home run title with six round-trippers.

Weigel led the league in wins with a 7-0 record, and also led the league in strike-outs with 54 and in earned-run average with a mark of 2.25.

MAIKEL AZCUY

For Maikel Azcuy, a Cuban native who now holds a British passport, 2015 was the fourth straight year in which he has either tied for the league lead in home runs or won the title outright. He also won his third RBI title in four seasons, moving him past Simon Pole’s tally of two for the all-time lead. However, his batting title was a career first, coming in Azcuy’s 10th season in the NBL.

And the batting title was a close-run thing, as Azcuy just pipped Essex’s Jamie Gregory, going 28-for-60 (.467) to Gregory’s 28-for-61 (.459).

Callum Vinall of the Bracknell Blazers also deserves mention. Including Cup games, which the BBF counted in official season tallies for NBL players, Vinall batted .533 for the year. But without the Cup games, he did not amass enough plate appearances to be eligible for the title.

Azcuy’s six home runs in 2015 took his NBL career tally to 39, which pushed him past Simon Pole (35) for the all-time lead. Next among active players is Grant Delzoppo, with 26 long-balls.

Azcuy also moved past 200 career RBIs; his current tally of 201 is just 36 short of Brad Thompson’s all-time record.

DAN WEIGEL

Dan Weigel’s pitching triple crown reflected an impressive season on the mound. HIs 7-0 won-lost record represented the most wins amassed by a pitcher without a single loss since Roberto Almanzar went 9-0 in his own triple crown effort in 2012.

Weigel’s WHIP of 0.84 was the sixth-best all-time figure in the NBL and the best outright since 2003.

OTHER RECORDS

In terms of career pitching figures, the most significant development in 2015 was Matt Gilbert becoming the NBL’s all-time strikeout leader with a career tally of 418. This moved him past Cody Cain (409), but Cain retains the highest career strikeout rate with 12.7 per nine innings. The next highest strikeout tally among active players is Michael Osborn’s total of 398.

Meanwhile, Ryan Bird’s cameo role during the season improved his all-time record batting average (.508), on-base average (.577), and slugging average (.822).

Finally, Luke Foley became the NBL’s all-time stolen base leader, with his tally of 121 eight higher than that of second-placed Robbie Unsell.

The best single-game batting performance during the season was by Samuel Morris for the London Mets in a game against the Southampton Mustangs on 2 August. Morris had a pair of home runs, one a grand slam, as well as a single and a double. This was the first time a player had amassed at least 10 total bases in an NBL game since 2012.

In the same game, his teammate Jamie Dix also hit a pair of homers, including a grand slam. Dix would go on to accumulate four hits in Game Two of the NBL National Championship final – including another home run – against the same opposition.

The Mets’ victory by two games to nil in the best-of-three final gained them their third national championship, a feat matched or bettered by only 10 teams in British baseball history.

ABOUT PROJECT COBB

The Project for the Chronicling of British Baseball (Project COBB) is an online collaboration aimed at restoring the record of British baseball’s past and preserving its present.

Its website is located at: http://www.projectcobb.org.uk/.

20 November 201520 November 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Baseball AGM details announced

Herts Baseball Club has confirmed that its 19th Annual General Meeting will take place on Sunday, 6 December 2015.

In 2015 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 2016 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.

In addition, club president, Aspi Dimitrov, said: “I am mindful that my availability may continue to be affected going into the 2016 baseball season. I am determined to cover as many roles as I can, but it is prudent at this stage to invite as many members as possible to join the board so that my fluctuating availability does not disrupt the club’s ambitious plans.

On the basis of this, at the AGM I will step down from all board positions which I am holding at present. I hope that members will see this as an opportunity to play a key role in shaping the future of one of the leading clubs in British baseball. The club is bigger and better than at any time in its history with enormous infrastructure, financial and other resources. This puts the club in a fantastic position to continue its amazing growth and development as it celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2016.

Therefore, please consider putting yourself forward for any of these board positions, including Club President. Let’s make sure that the club’s board is fully staffed.

If we are not able to fill all of the board positions which I am freeing up at the AGM, I will do my best to fill as many of the remaining vacant positions as possible. I want to stay as involved as possible with the club which means so much to me and my family.”

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

• President
• Treasurer
• Secretary
• Manager Second Team –Herts Eagles
• Manager Fourth Team – Herts Raptors
• Youth League Commissioner
• Head of U15 Baseball
• Head of U13 Baseball
• Head of U11 Baseball
• Head of U8 Baseball
• Communications Director i.e. Media
• Club Shop Manager

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

Although only 2015 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 2016 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 Gadebridge Community Centre.

DATE: Sunday, 6 December 2015

TIME: Registration starts at 2:10pm, the AGM will commence at 2:20pm (expected to end at around 5:45pm)

VENUE: Galley Hall, Gadebridge Community Centre, The Nokes, Rossgate, Gadebridge, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 3LF (Directions and Map)

12 July 201525 August 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Message from Aspi Dimitrov

Following this weekend’s events remembering Kal Dimitrov, his brother, Aspi Dimitrov, asked Herts Baseball Club to publish a message on behalf of the Dimitrov family:

My family is deeply touched by the affection and respect shown for my brother and my family.

We are grateful to everyone at Herts Baseball Club for organising and hosting Saturday’s memorial event. This was the most fitting way to say goodbye to Kal.

We are overwhelmed by the support we have received from team mates, family members and fans of Herts Baseball Club, friends and business associates.

I also want to express our gratitude to the wider baseball community. The solidarity shown by the British Baseball Federation, the Great Britain National Team, teams around the leagues, players and friends in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world, has been overwhelming. We are grateful for the support of the whole baseball family.

It makes us very proud that so many see the things we love about Kal.

He achieved a great deal in his personal and professional life, in baseball and in other areas of his life. Projects and initiatives which he was involved in will go on.

Thank you for your kindness and support.

Aspi Dimitrov

2 July 20152 July 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

4 Herts players get GB U19 team call-up for European Championships

Great Britain under-19 National Baseball Team Head Coach Will Lintern and the BBF have announced the roster of 17 players that will represent GB at this summer’s European U19 Championships. The squad includes four players from Herts – Conner Brown, Carlos Casal Jr, Zack Longboy and Will Zucker.

The week-long 10-team tournament will take place from 13-19 July in Ostrava, Czech Republic, where Team GB have been drawn in a pool with the reigning U19 European Champions Italy, as well as Spain, France and Germany. This will be the first time in 10 years that Great Britain has competed in the European U19 Championships. GB booked their place in the tournament with a silver medal finish at last summer’s European U19 Championship Qualifier in Croatia.

The 2015 GB U19 team has to be one of the most well-prepared national teams that GB has sent to a summer competition. The past winter included both Academy and National Team practices, and the second year of the High Performance Academy (HPA). The HPA programme, which is funded by Sport England and supported by Major League Baseball, enabled eligible athletes in England to receive greater levels of support during the off-season. A second HPA venue was added, with practices taking place in Worthing and Wembley, and with players who lived farther afield were supported through a distance learning programme.

Efforts by the GB programme and by BSUK (which runs the HPA and Academy) to develop talent have been noticed by others, as two GB players were selected to play on the European All-Star team in the MLB Academies Tournament earlier this year: Jacob Dean, an outfielder/pitcher from Horsham and Johnny Fretheim, a catcher/outfielder from the London Mets.

Finally, a training camp will be run in the Czech Republic immediately before the European U19 Championships, with half of the players at the camp and the other group in Kutno, Poland representing the UK in the European Little League Big League Qualifier.

SCHEDULE

GB’s round-robin schedule at the European U19 Championships will be as follows, with the home team listed first:

Monday 13 July – GB v Germany (5.00 pm)
Tuesday 14 July – France v GB (3.00 pm)
Thursday 16 July – Spain v GB (11.00 am)
Friday 17 July – GB v Italy (5.00 pm)

Semi-finals will be played on 18 July and the final on Sunday 19 July.

GB Head Coach Will Lintern said, “We have a very strong team. This is the one of the most prepared group of young men we have ever had, and their commitment and dedication puts us in a great position to perform well.”

ROSTER

The players selected for GB for the European U19 Championships are:

PLAYER	POSITION	CLUB
Luke Armstrong	P / INF	Cartmel Valley Lions
Elliot Berger	IB / P	Zurich Barracudas
Conner Brown	C	Herts Baseball Club
Dexter Bohn	OF	London Mets / LYBL Bulldogs
Rich Brereton	INF / P	Darien (Conn) High School, USA
Carlos Casal	UTIL / P	Herts Baseball Club
Rory Chandler	OF	Leicester Blue Sox
Jacob Dean	P / OF	Bracknel l/ LYBL Bulldogs
Johnny Fretheim	C / INF / P	London Mets / LYBL Bulldogs
Eli Hackney-Rose	P / OF	London Mets
Laura Hirai	P	London Mets
Andrew Lee	IF / OF	LYBL Bulldogs
Zack Longboy	P	Herts Baseball Club
Fred Mosier	UTIL / P	London Mets
Miguel Rodriguez	INF / P	Bracknell / LYBL Bulldogs
Matteo Sollecito	P	London Mets
Will Zucker	P / INF	Herts Baseball Club

30 June 201529 June 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Great Britain Under-15 National Team calls up Herts youngster for Euro qualifiers

Michael Johnson (right) with his Herts Harriers (U17) team mates last year

Herts Baseball Club received exciting news off the field as the Great Britain Under-15 National Team announced its squad for the U15 European Championship Qualifiers. The squad includes Herts infielder, Michael Johnson, who has been a member of the Herts Under-17 and Under-19 teams over the last few seasons. The games will be played in Belgrade, Serbia, from 21 to 26 July. Great Britain is in a difficult group with France, Switzerland and hosts Serbia.

This continues Herts’ fantastic record of its players being called-up to represent their country on the international scene. The progress of Herts players with the GB teams is a tremendous boost for Herts Baseball as an organisation. The Club is even more excited by the fact that there are many more talented players coming through the various age groups of the Herts youth system, from the U10 through to the U19 age groups. It proves that the opportunity is there for any young players who want to get involved in baseball to progress and wear the GB Team jersey.

Of course, you don’t have to be a GB National Team player to play baseball. Any interested players, boys and girls, between 6 and 18 years of age, from complete beginners to advanced players can join the Herts baseball youth teams. Get in touch if you would like to come and give baseball a try.