Author: Herts Baseball News Editor

27 April 201527 April 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Eagles eliminated but Falcons will carry Herts flag in the next round of the BBF Cup

Another home run for Maikel Azcuy, this time in the BBF Cup (photo by Paul Holdrick)

BBF Cup (1st Round), Herts Falcons 15 London Metros 9

The Herts Falcons are through to the second round of the BBF Cup after a 15-9 win over the London Metros, however the score line does not tell the whole story of the game. The Londoners led for most of the game. The Falcons recovered to tie it 8-8 going into the final inning and ultimately secured the win driving in 7 more runs in that ninth inning, but they knew that they were involved in a real battle. Pitcher Jose Sosa was awarded the win for the Falcons. Record-chasing Maikel Azcuy hit another home run, but this was a BBF Cup game and will not count towards his NBL career home run tally which stands at 35. He needs one more to overtake record-holder Simon Pole. The Falcons are also starting to see power from other members of the team. On Opening day it was John Blose. This time it was Yvan Pena who hit his first home run for Herts.

BBF Cup (1st Round), Bracknell Blazers 10 Herts Eagles 3

The Herts Eagles were the underdogs in their BBF Cup first round game against Bracknell Blazers, a team playing one league tier above them. They had to face GB pitcher Jordan Edmonds which made the likelihood of a giant-killing even more improbable. Despite losing 10-3, the Eagles had one of their better performances of the season so far which will boost team spirit as they turn their attention to the race for the Triple-A League playoffs.

NEXT WEEKEND

Both the Falcons and Eagles will have a rest this coming Bank Holiday weekend, but there is a Herts-versus-Richmond double bill on Sunday, May 3, as the Herts Hawks meet the Richmond Dukes at 10:30am while the Herts Raptors will play against the Richmond Squires immediately after that at around 2:30pm. Both games are at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead.

26 April 201526 April 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Theo Longboy gets GB team call-up for European Championships

Theo Longboy has received confirmation that she has been selected by the Great Britain Under-16 National Softball Team. She has been a member of the Herts youth teams since 2008. Last year she proved to be one of the leaders for the Herts Cardinals who picked up the bronze medal in the Under-14 National Baseball Championships.

GB Under-16 Head Coach Jeremy Thomas has named a squad of 13 players for the European Cadette Championships that will be played in Nuoro, Sardinia, Italy from 29 June-4 July. Only three of the 13 players selected for this year’s GB Cadettes competed in Ostrava two years ago, while the rest have either come up from the GB Under-13s or are new recruits to the programme. GB Cadette Head Coach Jeremy Thomas said, “Overall, we had more than 20 players going for squad places, which reflects the excellent work that has been done with the GB Under-13s over the past few years.

The GB Cadettes will open the tournament on Monday 29 June with a game against Spain at 2.00 pm Italian time, and will then play two games on Tuesday: Slovakia at 10.00 am and Russia at 6.00 pm. After that, the tournament will go to trophy and consolation playoffs.

The players selected are:

Laura Hirai (IF)
Theo Longboy (Utility)
Issie Mosely (OF)
Yolanda Phillips (Utility)
Mary Racz (Utility)
Jasmine Rushin (IF)
Katherine Ryan (P, IF)
Alana Snow (P, C, Utility)
Amira Solomon (C)
Annecy Stevens (OF)
Alys Thomas (OF)
Marlia Van’t Sant (Utility)
Niamh Walker (P, Utility)

This news is further evidence that baseball and softball offer fantastic opportunities for boys and girls to enjoy the game and progress through to the highest levels of baseball. With new players joining the Herts youth teams every week, it will be interesting to see how they will develop and if they will follow in the footsteps of Longboy and the other Herts players who are part of the GB baseball and softball national teams.

23 April 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Falcons and Eagles prepare for their first ever BBF Cup games. Raptors meet Redbacks in the league.

Can Herts Falcons keep the winning run going this Sunday against a very awkward opponent (photo by Paul Holdrick)

This weekend sees the first round of the newly introduced BBF Cup. The concept is similar to the FA Cup (football). Two teams meet in a one-game decider. The loser is eliminated. The winner progresses through to the next round.

The draw paired the Herts Falcons with the London Metros. The two teams finished just three places from each other in the overall ranking in 2014. Herts Falcons second from bottom in the NBL and Metros second in Triple-A League, so this is expected to be a very close encounter. The two teams have met once only. That was just four weeks ago in the Herts Spring League. The Falcons came out on top, but not before a late surge from the Londoners, who will have home-field advantage this Sunday.

The Herts Eagles were drawn at home versus Bracknell Blazers. They go into the game as the clear underdog so there is a potential for a major giant-killing. The game starts at 1pm on diamond one of Grovehill Ballpark. This would be the first ever meeting between the two teams.

Raptors were the winners in their last meeting with the Redbacks. Can they do it again?

Unlike the FA Cup, the BBF version of the competition features only teams from the top two league tiers. The Herts Hawks are resting this weekend, but the Herts Raptors will play their second game of the season looking to bounce back after a defeat against Tonbridge last week. Their opponents are the Forest Glade Redbacks. The last meeting between the two teams was the final league game of the 2014 regular season. The Raptors came out on top in that clash. The game commences at 12pm on diamond two.

The Herts Harriers were expecting to get their U19 league season underway on Saturday, but they will have to wait an extra week for their season opener versus the London Mets.

20 April 201520 April 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Weekend round-up: Wins for Hawks and Eagles. Raptors and Herts u12s suffer defeats

Herts Hawks continue winning run (photo by John Kjorstad)

HERTS EAGLES vs LONDON MAMMOTHS (Triple-A League)

While the Falcons were resting, three other Herts teams were in league action. The Herts Eagles suffered two heavy defeats on opening day. It became three losses in a row after the London Mammoths won the first of two games on Sunday. However the Eagles fought back in the second game of the doubleheader to end the losing streak with a 13-4 victory.

HERTS HAWKS vs BRIGHTON RED HAWKS (Single-A League)

The Herts Hawks remain unbeaten this season after a 22-18 win over the Brighton Red Hawks, who came close to pulling off a major come-from-behind win in the late innings.

HERTS RAPTORS vs TONBRIDGE (Single-A League)

Herts Raptors came up against a Tonbridge side who have made big strides over the winter and look like they will be a major playoff contender this year. It proved to be an uphill task for the team from Hertfordshire who went down 27-9. Six Raptors players made their league debut so it may take several more games for them to find their feet, but the signs are good at this stage of the season especially with several big names expected to return to the lineup shortly.

HERTS U12 vs LONDON METS U12 – (pre-season friendly)

photo by Vicky Sinclair

The youth baseball season is about to get underway. In a under-12 pre-season friendly on Saturday the London Mets proved too strong for the Herts under-12 team. With teams in every age group it is not too late for players between 4 and 18 years of age to join the Herts teams in Hemel Hempstead and North West London. Contact us for more details.

20 April 201520 April 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Goncalves is back

The Herts Falcons may have a week off from NBL action but they have been busy in the transfer market again. They welcome back Great Britain Under-23 National Team infielder Luis Goncalves.

The 21-year old made his debut for Herts in 2008 when he was just 14. When he came for his first Herts training session alongside his father, Humberto, the Herts coaches were amazed at how advanced he was at such a young age so it was an easy decision to immediately add him to the Herts senior league teams. In that first season he was awarded the Herts Hawks (Double-A League) Infield Gold Glove and Rookie of the Year awards. He quickly progressed through the Herts ranks and made his debut in Britain’s top league, the NBL, in 2009 with the Herts Falcons, age 15. In his first and second seasons in the NBL he was awarded the Herts Falcons Infield Gold Glove twice and led the team in stolen bases in 2009.

After two seasons with the Falcons in the NBL, Goncalves moved to the Harlow Nationals with whom he won three consecutive NBL national championships between 2011 and 2013. His outstanding fielding abilities were recognised in 2012 when he was selected in the NBL Team of the Year at second base, which is the equivalent of MLB’s Gold Glove Award.

TEAM	SEASON	AB	R	HR	RBI	BB	SB	BA	OBA	SLA
Herts Falcons	2009	47	10	0	7	13	10	0.191	0.365	0.213
Herts Falcons	2010	71	16	0	9	9	6	0.282	0.369	0.324
Harlow Nationals	2011	71	25	0	12	16	10	0.254	0.391	0.324
Harlow Nationals	2012	78	16	0	7	10	7	0.269	0.356	0.321
Harlow Nationals	2013	64	18	0	7	9	6	0.234	0.347	0.344
Harlow Nationals	2014	27	8	0	4	4	2	0.259	0.355	0.444

Source: Project COBB

Since 2013 Goncalves has been a member of the Great Britain Under-23 National Team.

“Everyone at the club has missed Luis and his family over the last few years, but he is back at Herts now” said Herts Falcons manager, Lee Manning. This will be tremendous news for Herts fans as Luis Goncalves was a fan favourite in his first spell with the club. This is another top class addition to the Herts Falcons roster which puts them in a good position to fight for a place in the NBL playoffs.

14 April 201514 April 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts launches a new baseball programme for boys and girls between 4 and 7

Herts Baseball Club has launched a programme for boys and girls aged between 4 and 7. The initiative for this has come from Herts Falcons manager, Lee Manning, who also played a leading role in the launch of the Herts youth baseball programme in 2007. “My son Riley turned 5 in January. He loves coming to the field with me and loves to hit and run the bases like all kids” said Manning. To our knowledge no other baseball club in the United Kingdom is offering baseball to players in this age group and Manning feels that “Herts is in a good position to lead the way”. As British baseball continues to grow, the hope is that many other under-8 programmes will start popping-up.

In the older age groups teams aim to develop and, in later years, compete. The approach is completely different for the under-8 programme. “It will be all about having fun” said Manning. He added that “If they can pick up some good fundamentals along the way, it would be a bonus. For the kids this will be their first introduction to baseball and I hope that they will love it.”

Lee Manning will be joined by coaches John Kjorstad and Ken Pike. Both of them are players and coaches with the Herts adult league teams. Similar to Manning, they also have children who will be playing in this age group so this is very much a project which will be created by families to give kids the opportunity to enjoy the game and create life-long friendships. “We hope to welcome many more mums and dads to take part in building this programme as coaches, umpires, fans or in some other capacity” said Manning.

The Herts under-8 baseball programme will commence on 9 May 2015 at Grovehill Ballpark and will include around 11 events which will run until September. The membership fee for the full season is £20 which equates to less than £2 per session. It will be reduced proportionately for those who join partway through the season. Contact us for more details about the programme and how to sign up. Children are welcome to come and give baseball a try for free before they join.

13 April 201513 April 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Record-breakers, home runs, forgotten rules and more on Opening Day

Herts Falcons pitcher, Matt Gilbert – making British baseball history (photo by Paul Holdrick)

The Herts Falcons had the best possible start of the season winning both of their opening games and one of its debutants setting a new National Baseball League record.

Herts Falcons 16 South London Pirates 15

It has been a busy close season for the team from Hertfordshire with six players making their debuts on Opening Day and another expected to do so next week. Their opponents were the South London Pirates, a team which has struggled over the last few years, but by the end of the day they showed that they have quietly built a squad which will be very difficult to beat this season.

The focus today was firmly on Falcons starting pitcher, Matt Gilbert. Apart from making his debut and being their opening day starter, he was looking to make British baseball history as he needed two strikeouts to overtake Cody Cain who led the NBL in career strikeouts with 408. The Pirates had no intention to make way for Gilbert. He was getting the outs but they were coming by way of groundouts and flyouts. Eventually that record-breaking strikeout came and Matt Gilbert received a standing ovation and, in accordance with baseball tradition, the ball he threw for that 409th strikeout was taken out of the game for Gilbert to keep and perhaps auction on eBay in a few years.

Congratulations Matt Gilbert. Your longevity in British baseball is testament to your pitching. Well done!@hertsbaseball @CodyLCain

— Cody Cain (@CodyLCain) April 12, 2015

History was made but there was no time to celebrate. The Falcons had a game on their hands. The Pirates had a 3-1 lead and that was the wake-up call which the Falcons needed. John Blose struck the first blow – a three-run home run to left field. Next it was Maikel Azcuy’s turn. He also went deep with a 2-run home run again to left field, which is not an easy feat on diamond two of Grovehill Ballpark.

John Blose (left) and Maikel Azcuy (right) greeted at home plate after their home runs (photo by Paul Holdrick)

Just when it seemed like the Falcons had secured the win, the Pirates struck back in the late innings reducing the deficit to one run. Herts manager, Lee Manning, made what seemed to be a risky move putting 17-year-old Carlos Casal Jr on the mound to replace Gilbert and close the game. The youngster from Hemel Hempstead came through with flying colours shutting down the Pirates in the final inning and ending it in style with a strikeout.

Southampton Mustangs 4 Herts Falcons 5

The second game of the day for the Herts Falcons was against the Southampton Mustangs, who were the favourites to win it before the start of the day. The visitors took a 2-0 lead, but Herts responded immediately.

It was new signing Maikel Azcuy who hit his second home run of the day, a 3-run bomb to left centerfield, which was a reminder that Matt Gilbert is not the only player chasing a record. That home run was Azcuy’s 35th of his NBL career tying the current NBL career home run leader Simon Pole. Before the start of the season some have argued that it would be easy for Azcuy to add to his home run tally given the favourable dimensions of Grovehill Ballpark, but this home run would have been out of any ballpark in British baseball, including Farnham Park. It was measured at around 390 feet.

The Falcons had a 3-2 lead but despite another outstanding performance by starting pitcher, Jose Sosa, this proved to be a very tense game. Things weren’t made easier by a highly unusual event which occurred between innings. New signing Joel Vallejo was making his way to left field from the dugout before the start of the new inning and as he passed the mound he asked catcher Lee Manning to receive one pitch from him while Jose Sosa was preparing to take the mound. He did and the umpiring crew deemed it to be an official warm-up pitch which meant that Vallejo had to start the inning as the pitcher and face at least one batter. He did and Jose Sosa retook his place on the mound, but they certainly would have been happier not to go through the drama which ensued. In football terms this could be compared to Michael Carrick being asked to swap places with Joe Hart and be in goal for 5 minutes for England while Joe Hart plays in central midfield.

The Falcons held on for a 5-4 win – a great start to the new season. There were no more home runs from Maikel Azcuy. He will have to wait until the next league game on 10 May at the Essex Arrows for another shot at breaking the record. Before that he and the rest of the team will have to turn their attention to the BBF Cup on 26 April when they will travel to the highly-touted London Metros.

OTHER HERTS TEAMS ON OPENING DAY

The Herts Eagles couldn’t have faced a tougher opponent than last year’s Triple-A League Finalists, London Metros. They were stunned by 3 home runs in the first inning. Despite recovering well from that early shock, the damage was done and the Metros won it 13-1. It didn’t get much easier in game two of the doubleheader which the visitors won again, this time 24-5. Despite what seems to be a demoralising start of the season, the Eagles will know that if they can win the remaining winnable games, they will be in the playoff race this year.

The Herts Hawks picked up an away win at the Haverhill Blackjacks, which will surprise the rest of the league as the Blackjacks have been the national runners-up for two years in a row in the Single-A League.

The Herts Raptors rested this Sunday. They will begin their season next Sunday, 19 April, at home against Tonbridge. The Herts Hawks and Herts Eagles are also at home on that day.

11 April 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Falcons sign Matt Gilbert. He needs just 2 strikeouts to set a new NBL record

Herts Falcons have added pitcher Matt Gilbert to their roster. We understand that he was registered on Thursday night or Friday morning making him eligible to play in Sunday’s Opening Day games. This is a major coup for Herts as Gilbert is a legend in British baseball.

In the last two seasons he played for the Harlow Nationals winning the NBL national championship in 2013. In his NBL career spanning 17 years, he has also played for the Bracknell Blazers, Essex Arrows, Cambridge Monarchs and Bracknell-Richmond Wildfire.

MATT GILBERT – NBL BATTING STATS
TEAM	SEASON	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BA	OBA	SLA
Cambridge Monarchs	1998	54	26	27	8	26	0.500	0.550	1.056
Cambridge Monarchs	2001	76	15	33	2	14	0.434	0.450	0.618
Bracknell-Richmond Wildfire	2002	10	0	2	0	2	0.200	0.273	0.200
Bracknell Blazers	2003	28	4	10	0	4	0.357	0.379	0.357
Essex Arrows	2010	63	11	17	2	17	0.270	0.355	0.413
Essex Arrows	2011	46	15	18	0	20	0.391	0.525	0.478
Essex Arrows	2012	57	9	15	0	0	0.263	0.368	0.316
Harlow Nationals	2013	54	13	17	0	7	0.315	0.479	0.333
Southern Nationals	2014	21	3	8	0	2	0.381	0.517	0.476

Source: Project COBB

Last year Matt Gilbert became the first player in modern British baseball history to pass a half-century of recorded complete games, moving to a total of 54. Gilbert now has 408 career strike-outs, and his next strike-out will draw him level with Cody Cain’s modern British record of 409. We understand that one of the reasons why Gilbert decided to play this season is his aim of setting a new record. In the process of doing so he can also help the Falcons to be in the playoff race this season. It is not clear whether Gilbert will continue playing if he breaks the strikeout record. Herts fans will certainly hope that the club will be able to convince him to stay longer.

MATT GILBERT – NBL PITCHING STATS
TEAM	SEASON	W	L	ERA	SV	CG	SO	SO/9IP
Cambridge Monarchs	2001	6	7	3.54	0	12	118	10
Bracknell-Richmond Wildfire	2002	1	2	2.25	0	1	15	11.3
Bracknell Blazers	2003	3	3	3.48	0	4	38	8.3
Essex Arrows	2010	2	11	9.59	0	11	72	8.5
Essex Arrows	2011	5	5	5.56	0	8	65	8.6
Essex Arrows	2012	3	6	5.65	0	8	33	5.8
Harlow Nationals	2013	3	1	5.63	1	4	30	5.6
Southern Nationals	2014	2	3	6.12	0	6	37	6.7

Can he break the record? No one knows what manager Lee Manning will decide in terms of his pitcher selection on Opening Day this Sunday, but if Gilbert gets on the mound, we may witness a new NBL record at Grovehill Ballpark.

SCHEDULE AT GROVEHILL BALLPARK

10:30am, Herts Falcons vs South London Pirates (NBL)
1:00pm, South London Pirates vs Southampton Mustangs (NBL)
1:00pm, Herts Eagles vs London Metros (Triple-A League)
3:30pm, Southampton Mustangs vs Herts Falcons (NBL)
3:30pm, Herts Eagles vs London Metros (Triple-A League)

FOOD AND DRINKS

Apart from five cracking baseball games, fans coming to Grovehill Ballpark this Sunday can look forward to the famous Herts hot dogs as well as many other snacks and drinks. The Herts shop will also be offering Herts, MLB and other baseball merchandise. Admission is free. Click here for directions to Grovehill Ballpark.

10 April 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Vallejo joins Herts just hours before Opening Day registration deadline

Herts has added infielder Joel Aybar Vallejo ahead of Sunday’s Opening Day games.

He is 35 years old and last season played in the Spanish League.

This acquisition happened just a few hours ago and we understand that the Herts coaching staff have not had a chance to assess him yet. They have received some information about the player from various sources but it is fair to say that Vallejo will be as much of an unknown quantity for the Falcons as he will for their opponents this Sunday.

He will certainly add a sense of mystery on Opening Day and something for the fans to look forward to.

SCHEDULE AT GROVEHILL BALLPARK

FOOD AND DRINKS

10 April 201510 April 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Falcons boss previews 2015 season on BBC Radio

The Herts Falcons are preparing to start their 2015 season this weekend. An optimistic Herts Falcons Manager, Lee Manning, spoke with BBC 3 Counties Radio presenter Luke Ashmead to preview the season and preparations at the club for what will be a vital year for Herts Baseball Club.