Author: Matt Bell

by Matt Bell

Championships: 10-11 September in Hemel Hempstead

 The British Baseball Federation has confirmed that the 2011 National Baseball Championships (NBC) will be held on the weekend of 10-11 September at Grovehill Playing Fields in Hemel Hempstead. 

The British Baseball Federation has confirmed the dates and venue of the 2011 National Baseball Championships (NBC), where the National League, AAA, AA and Single-A season titles will be awarded.  

The NBC will be held on the weekend of 10-11 September at Grovehill Playing Fields in Hemel Hempstead, home to the Herts Baseball Club. However, it will be the Great Britain Baseball programme that is hosting the event in a bid to raise funds for the national teams. Herts has generously donated the use of their two purpose-built baseball diamonds, which makes a significant contribution to Team GB’s fundraising efforts over the NBC weekend. Grovehill Playing Fields was the site of the 2010 Championships.  

Also supporting the British Baseball Federation with preparations for the NBC is BaseballSoftballUK, the national development agency for both sports.  

FINALS SCHEDULE  

Richmond Flames are the defending champions in the National Baseball League  

On Saturday 10 September, the National Baseball League (NBL) and AAA will stage 9-inning semifinal games in a single-elimination format to determine which two teams shall advance to the final.  

The next day — Sunday 11 September — they will be joined by the top two teams from the AA and Single-A divisions, and all four leagues will play their championship showdowns.  

The NBL final will take place at 3pm GMT on Diamond One, while the AAA final plays out on the adjacent field from 2pm. The AA and Single-A finals will begin earlier in the day at 10.30am.  

SHOWCASE EVENT  

Spectators from all across Britain are expected to attend the National Baseball Championships, and there is no charge for admission to any of the games.  

Professional caterers will be barbecuing burgers, hot dogs and more on both days with all proceeds going directly to Great Britain Baseball. There will be a mobile bar on site with cold draught beer on tap, and Team GB will sell ice-cold sports drinks courtesy of their official drinks sponsor, Gatorade.  

Also attending is GB Baseball travel partner Virgin Atlantic, who are in discussions with the BBF to offer a special airfare scheme to the British public in support of the national baseball team.  

 

FUNDRAISING FOR TEAM GBTeam GB will be selling a selection of merchandise and equipment to help raise money for next year’s international competitions, such as the European Championships and the World Baseball Classic qualifiers. 

On sale will be a range of brand-new maple bats from official team sponsors X Bat and Mattingly, as well as XProTeX and Cutters batting gloves, EvoShield protective wear for batters, Phiten titanium bracelets and necklaces, Mattingly equipment bags, Big League Chew bubble gum and official Great Britain Baseball team wear such as t-shirts and baseball caps.  

Supporters will be able to purchase equipment and apparel by cash, cheque or credit and debit card payments.  

In addition to merchandise, the national teams programme will also conduct a raffle with exciting prizes. Team GB would be grateful for additional contributions to the raffle from the British baseball community; please contact General Manager Jason Greenberg if you have raffle prizes to donate.  

PLAYOFF SCHEDULE  

Richmond Knights winning the 2010 British AA League title at Grovehill Ballpark last year

Prior to the Championships weekend, all four leagues will stage playoff games on Saturday and Sunday, 3 – 4 September.  

In the National League, only the winners of each divisional pool will automatically qualify for the NBC, and the 3rd through 6th place teams (regardless of their ultimate pool standing) will battle through 9-inning playoffs to determine the remaining semi-finalists.  

In the AAA, the 1st and 2nd place teams from the North divisions will advance directly to the NBC. Joining them will be the 1st place South team, but the 2nd and 3rd place southern squads will have an all-or-nothing 9-inning playoff.  

The AA and Single-A divisions will play a single-elimination bracket of 9-inning playoff games. 

(This press release was first published on britishbaseball.org)  

by Matt Bell

Sly Dogs beat Herts and Essex to win International Tournament

The Herts All Stars continued their preparations for next month’s National Playoffs with an added international flavour.

A mixed roster of mainly Under-14 All Stars supplemented by several Under-17 All Stars travelled to Billericay for a 3-team international tournament hosted by the Essex RedBacks.  The Essex RedBacks the Herts All Stars were joined by the German team, the Marl Sly Dogs.

In the opening game between the hosts from Essex and the Sly Dogs, the team from Germany came out on top 5-3.  In a dramatic second game the RedBacks scored 3 runs in the bottom of the final inning for a walk-off 4-3 win against the Herts All Stars.

Despite a rain delay the sun came out and the final game between the Marl Sly Dogs and the Herts All Stars was completed with a convincing 12-1 win for the Sly Dogs. 

This proved to a be a very productive tournament for Herts as part of the team’s preparations for the British Postseason.  It is not very often that international games are being played in the UK and the Essex RedBacks should be congratulated for organising this visit by the Marl Sly Dogs.

Essex RedBacks vs Herts All Stars (click for box scores and play-by-play)

Herts All Stars vs Marl Sly Dogs  (click for box scores and play-by-play)

by Matt Bell

Herts All Stars (U14/U17) 1 Marl Sly Dogs 12 (International)

Marl Sly Dogs at Herts All Stars U14/U17
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 R H E
Marl Sly Dogs 2 5 2 3 12 5 1
Herts All Stars U14/U17 1 0 0 0 1 2 8

 

Marl Sly Dogs 12, Herts All Stars U14/U17 1
Marl Sly Dogs Herts All Stars U14/U17
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Jan p-cf 4 2 1 1 Jose Morillo 1b-c 2 0 0 0
Rene c-p 2 2 1 1 Lewis Green 3b-p 1 1 0 0
Natty 1b-2b 2 1 0 1 Richard Ganster ss-3b 2 0 1 0
Luka 2b-c 3 3 1 1 Liam Green 2b-rf 1 0 0 0
Nils 3b-lf 2 0 0 0 Jake Caress xh1-cf 2 0 0 0
Lloyd ss 3 1 2 1 Zack Longboy p-ss 2 0 1 0
Fenja lf 2 0 0 0 Kieran Manning rf-2b 2 0 0 0
(t3) Franzi 1b 0 1 0 0 Charlie Mayhew cf-xh3 0 0 0 0
Slevin cf-3b 2 2 0 0 Brodie Caress c-1b 1 0 0 0
Tim rf 2 0 0 0 Aaron Witter lf 1 0 0 0
(t3) Can rf 1 0 0 0 Drew Mayhew xh2 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 23 12 5 5 TEAM TOTALS 14 1 2 0

 

E: Rene, Lewis Green(3), Jose Morillo, Richard Ganster, Liam Green, Zack Longboy,
Kieran Manning. LOB: Herts All Stars U14/U17 4, Marl Sly Dogs 5. 2B: Richard Ganster.
HR: Luka. SB: Rene(5), Slevin(4), Luka(2), Jan(2), Nils, Lloyd, Natty, Liam Green.

 

Marl Sly Dogs IP H R ER BB SO
Jan W 2.00 1 1 0 3 3
Rene 2.00 1 0 0 0 6
Herts All Stars U14/U17            
Zack Longboy L 2.67 3 9 2 4 5
Lewis Green 1.00 2 3 1 0 2

 

HBP: by Lewis Green (Franzi). WP: Rene. PB: Rene, Jose Morillo, Brodie Caress. T:
1:35. A: 67.
Marl Sly Dogs – Top of the 1st:
Jan struck out swinging.
Rene walked, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, batted forward to home.
Natty reached on fielder’s choice, forced out at 2nd, 1 RBI.
Luka reached on fielder’s choice, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, advanced to home on error.
Nils walked, stole 2nd.
Lloyd reached on fielder’s choice.
Fenja bunted out.
2 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB.
Herts All Stars U14/U17 – Bottom of the 1st:
Jose Morillo struck out swinging.
Lewis Green walked, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on passed ball, advanced
to home on error.
Richard Ganster flied out.
Liam Green walked.
Jake Caress struck out swinging.
1 run, 0 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Marl Sly Dogs – Top of the 2nd:
Slevin walked, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, advanced to home on error.
Tim struck out swinging.
Jan reached on dropped 3rd strike PB, stole 2nd, advanced to home on error.
Rene reached on error, stole 2nd, advanced to home on error.
Natty walked, stole 2nd, advanced to home on error.
Luka reached on error, advanced to 3rd on error, batted forward to home.
Nils flied out foul.
Lloyd singled, 1 RBI.
5 runs, 1 hit, 4 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts All Stars U14/U17 – Bottom of the 2nd:
Zack Longboy singled, batted forward to 2nd, forced out at 3rd.
Kieran Manning struck out swinging.
Charlie Mayhew walked.
Brodie Caress flied out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Marl Sly Dogs – Top of the 3rd:
Fenja flied out foul.
Slevin reached on error, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, batted forward to home.
Tim struck out swinging.
Jan singled, stole 2nd, batted forward to home, 1 RBI.
Rene singled, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, 1 RBI.
Natty struck out swinging.
2 runs, 2 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Herts All Stars U14/U17 – Bottom of the 3rd:
Aaron Witter struck out swinging.
Jose Morillo struck out swinging.
Lewis Green struck out swinging.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Marl Sly Dogs – Top of the 4th:
Luka hit solo home run, 1 RBI.
Nils struck out swinging.
Lloyd singled, stole 2nd, advanced to home on error.
Franzi hit by pitch, advanced to 3rd on error, advanced to home on passed ball.
Slevin struck out swinging.
Can reached on error, forced out at 2nd.
Jan reached on fielder’s choice.
3 runs, 2 hits, 2 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts All Stars U14/U17 – Bottom of the 4th:
Richard Ganster doubled, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch.
Liam Green reached on dropped 3rd strike WP, stole 2nd.
Jake Caress flied out.
Zack Longboy struck out swinging.
Kieran Manning struck out swinging.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
by Matt Bell

Essex RedBacks (U14/17) 4 Herts All Stars (U14/U17) 3 (International)

Herts All Stars U14/U17 at Essex RedBacks U17
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Herts All Stars U14/U17 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 2
Essex RedBacks U17 1 0 0 0 0 3 4 2 1

 

Essex RedBacks U17 4, Herts All Stars U14/U17 3
Essex RedBacks U17 Herts All Stars U14/U17
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
H Player 1 p 0 1 0 0 Jose Morillo 2b 1 1 0 0
(b2) H Sub 1 p 1 1 0 0 Lewis Green ss 1 0 0 0
H Player 2 c 3 0 0 0 Richard Ganster c-p 1 1 0 0
H Player 3 1b 3 1 1 2 Liam Green xh1-cf 2 1 0 1
H Player 4 2b 3 1 1 1 Jake Caress 1b-3b 2 0 0 0
H Player 5 3b 2 0 0 0 Zack Longboy 3b-1b 3 0 2 2
H Player 6 ss 2 0 0 0 Kieran Manning cf-xh3 2 0 0 0
H Player 7 lf 3 0 0 0 Charlie Mayhew lf 1 0 0 0
H Player 8 cf 1 0 0 0 Brodie Caress p-c 3 0 0 0
H Player 9 rf 2 0 0 0 Aaron Witter xh2 3 0 0 0
          Drew Mayhew rf 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 20 4 2 3 TEAM TOTALS 19 3 2 3

 

E: H Player 2, Richard Ganster, Jake Caress. LOB: Essex RedBacks U17 5, Herts All
Stars U14/U17 11. 2B: H Player 3. 3B: H Player 4. SB: H Player 8(2), H Sub 1(2), H
Player 6, H Player 1, Brodie Caress.

 

Essex RedBacks U17 IP H R ER BB SO
H Sub 1 W 4.00 1 0 0 6 9
H Player 1 2.00 1 3 3 6 5
Herts All Stars U14/U17            
Richard Ganster L 3.33 2 3 2 4 9
Brodie Caress 2.00 0 1 1 1 3

 

HBP: by H Sub 1 (Richard Ganster). . . . WP: H Player 1(4), H Sub 1. PB: Brodie
Caress. T: 2:00. A: 112.
Herts All Stars U14/U17 – Top of the 1st:
Jose Morillo walked, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, batted
forward to home.
Lewis Green walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, batted forward to 3rd, tagged out
going to home.
Richard Ganster walked, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on wild pitch, batted
forward to home.
Liam Green walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, batted forward to home, 1 RBI.
Jake Caress struck out swinging.
Zack Longboy singled, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, 2 RBI.
Kieran Manning struck out swinging.
3 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Essex RedBacks U17 – Bottom of the 1st:
H Player 1 walked, stole 2nd, batted forward to home.
H Player 2 grounded out.
H Player 3 grounded out, 1 RBI.
H Player 4 struck out swinging.
1 run, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts All Stars U14/U17 – Top of the 2nd:
Charlie Mayhew walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch.
Brodie Caress struck out swinging.
Aaron Witter struck out swinging.
Drew Mayhew walked.
Jose Morillo struck out swinging.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Essex RedBacks U17 – Bottom of the 2nd:
H Player 5 struck out swinging.
H Player 6 popped out.
H Player 7 struck out swinging.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts All Stars U14/U17 – Top of the 3rd:
Lewis Green struck out swinging.
Richard Ganster hit by pitch, batted forward to 2nd.
Liam Green flied out.
Jake Caress walked.
Zack Longboy struck out swinging.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Essex RedBacks U17 – Bottom of the 3rd:
H Player 8 walked, stole 2nd, stole 3rd.
H Player 9 struck out swinging.
H Sub 1 struck out swinging.
H Player 2 grounded out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Herts All Stars U14/U17 – Top of the 4th:
Kieran Manning grounded out.
Charlie Mayhew walked, forced out at 2nd.
Brodie Caress reached on fielder’s choice, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on error.
Aaron Witter struck out swinging.
0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Essex RedBacks U17 – Bottom of the 4th:
H Player 3 struck out swinging.
H Player 4 struck out.
H Player 5 struck out swinging.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Herts All Stars U14/U17 – Top of the 5th:
Drew Mayhew walked, advanced to 2nd on wild pitch, batted forward to 3rd.
Jose Morillo walked, batted forward to 2nd.
Lewis Green walked.
Richard Ganster struck out swinging.
Liam Green struck out swinging.
Jake Caress struck out swinging.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB.
Essex RedBacks U17 – Bottom of the 5th:
H Player 6 reached on error, stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on passed ball.
H Player 7 struck out swinging.
H Player 8 struck out swinging.
H Player 9 struck out swinging.
0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Herts All Stars U14/U17 – Top of the 6th:
Zack Longboy singled, batted forward to 2nd.
Kieran Manning walked.
Charlie Mayhew struck out swinging.
Brodie Caress struck out swinging.
Aaron Witter struck out swinging.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Essex RedBacks U17 – Bottom of the 6th:
H Sub 1 walked, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, batted forward to home.
H Player 2 struck out swinging.
H Player 3 ground rule doubled, batted forward to home, 1 RBI.
H Player 4 tripled, advanced to home on error, 1 RBI.
H Player 5 intentionally walked, batted forward to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on error.
H Player 6 intentionally walked, advanced to 2nd on error.
H Player 7 reached on error.
3 runs, 2 hits, 1 error, 3 LOB.
by Matt Bell

Difficult Draw for Both Herts Teams in the Playoffs

The pressure is on. Two Herts teams will be competing in this year's playoffs, but they have been handed a very difficult draw

UPDATE: Since publishing this article the BBF has confirme that the Under-14 Playoffs on 10 September will be moved to Finsbury Park while the Under-17 games will remain at Daws Hill.

Late this evening the British Baseball Federation (BBF) announced details of the 2011 postseason for the British Youth Baseball Leagues, including the draw for the playoffs.  Players and fans of Herts baseball have been eagerly awaiting this announcement.  As expected, the draw is particularly difficult for the Herts U14 and Herts U17 All Star teams. 

Both Herts teams will need to go through a gruelling playoff format.   The Playoffs will be played on Saturday, 10 February 2011, at the former RAF Daws Hill airbase in Buckinghamshire.  

BBF UNDER-17 PLAYOFFS 

In the Under-17 competition, the Herts All Stars will first face the Essex RedBacks at 11:30am.  The two teams have faced each other four times in the regular season and the RedBacks have dominated this match-up winning all four games.  The winner will then clash with the London Mets who are the top seeded team and the undoubted favourites to win the national championship.  The winner of that game would progress through to the National Baseball Championships (NBC) to be played in Richmond on 17 and 18 September. 

BBF UNDER-14 PLAYOFFS 

The task for Herts in the Under-14 bracket is even more gruelling.  They are the reigning National Champions after their memorable 2-1 win against the London Mets last October, but in order to secure their place in the NBC and defend their title, the Herts All Stars have to win three playoff games in a row on the same day.  Herts are the number three seed for these Playoffs and they open the day at 9am against the number six seed, Essex Atoms.  The two teams have not faced each other in the past, so the Atoms could prove to be a dangerous opponent.  

If Herts manage to win this first game, next for them will be winner of the Bracknell and Essex RedBacks game.  This game is schedule to start at 1pm.  If they manage to win this second game they will then go on to play against the loser of the game between top two seeds, London Mets and LYBL.  This final game is scheduled for 3pm. 

So the task for Herts U-14 is clear – win three games in a row otherwise the team will have to relinquish the National Championship trophy.  If they manage to do this they will book their place for the National Championship event a week later.

BBF Under-17 Playoffs
Saturday, 10 September 2011
09:00
Game 1
Cobham Cougars U17
@
Horsham Hornets U17
6 innings
11:30
Game 2
Herts All Stars U17
@
Essex RedBacks U17
6innings
14:00
Game 3
Game 2 Winner
@
London Mets U17
6 innings
14:00
Game 4
Game 1 Loser
@
Game 2 Loser
6 innings
 
Winners of Games 1 and 3 qualify for NBC. Pre-playoff seeding will apply. Game 4 is a consolation game with no implications on NBC qualification.
 
BBF Under-14 Playoffs
Saturday, 10 September 2011
10:00
Game 1
Bracknell U14
@
Essex RedBacks U14
5 innings
10:00
Game 2
Essex Atoms U14
@
Herts All Stars U14
5innings
12:00
Game 3
London Mets U14
@
LYBL U14
5 innings
12:00
Game 4
Game 2 Loser
@
Game 1 Loser
5 innings
14:00
Game 5
Game 1 Winner
@
Game 2 Winner
5 innings
16:00
Final
Game 5 Winner
@
Game 3 Loser
5 innings
 
Winner of Game 3 qualifies for NBC as #1 Southern seed. Winner of game 6 qualifies for NBC as #2 Southern seed. Game 4 is a consolation game with no implications on NBC qualification.
 
 

by Matt Bell

Herts Announce 2011 Herts Futures Tournament

Herts Futures Tournament Baseball London

UPDATED (15 AUGUST 2011): Since making this annoncement there have been various changes to the BBF youth and adult postseason schedule and the Herts Futures Tournament will now be held on Saturday, 24 September 2011.

Herts Baseball Club has announced that the 2011 Herts Futures Tournament will take place on Saturday, 3 September 2011.  The event was originally scheduled to be held on Saturday, 24 September 2011, however the British Baseball Federation (BBF) has just announced that the Senior National Baseball Championships will be played on that weekend and so the 2011 Herts Futures Tournament (HFT) has been moved to Saturday, 3 September 2011. 

Herts Baseball Club Secretary, Aspi Dimitrov, feels that bringing the HFT forward to the first Saturday in September is likely to be a much better date for the event.  “It will serve as the ideal build-up to the 2011 National Youth Playoffs and the National Youth Championships which will take place later in September and is a nice way for all the young players to get straight back into baseball on their return from the summer school holidays” said Dimitrov.

The opening ceremony of the first ever Herts Futures Tournament in 2008. Since then the ballpark has added a second diamond and permanent outfield walls.

The Herts Futures Tournament (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.  Grovehill Ballpark is the home of Herts Baseball Club.  It is the only baseball facility in the country which features two purpose-built full-size baseball diamonds, both with permanent outfield walls. The venue recently hosted the National Baseball Championships which is Great Britain’s equivalent of MLB’s World Series. During the Herts Futures Tournament additional diamonds are added for the Under-14 and Under-11 age groups.

This year the Tournament will include a competition for Under-17 teams for the first time, which means that teams from all age groups (Under-17, Under-14 and Under-11) will be entering the HFT. 

You can follow the 2011 HFT on the Herts Baseball News site.  For more information  about the event or if you require details about how teams can enter 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 Matt Bell

Falcons in Big Playoff Push

Kimiyoshi Saionji hit a vital home run in the 10-9 win against the Essex Arrows last year. The two teams meet again on 31 July

The BBF has just announced the 2011 Postseason format and this has given a major boost to the Herts Falcons.

The Falcons found themselves in Pool B of the National Baseball League, which many refer to as “The Pool of Death”.  With powerhouses like London, Lakenheath, Mildenhall and the Southern Nationals, the Falcons always knew that they were going to face a difficult challenge this year. 

This week’s BBF announcement confirmed that the winners of each Pool will qualify automatically for the NBC. Four more NBL teams will qualify for the playoffs and the critical aspects for Herts is that these will be the next four teams with the best regular season, regardless of which Pool they are in. 

The Falcons are currently 10 games back on the leaders Lakenheath in NBL Pool B, however this playoff announcement has brought the Falcons right back in the race for the postseason playoffs.  Looking at the Playoff standings they still find themselves at the bottom, but crucially only four games back in the Playoff chase. 

NBL STANDINGS (Playoff Race)
Team W L Pct GB Playoffs
Lakenheath Diamondbacks 12 2 0.857 – NBC
Richmond Flames 12 4 0.75 1 NBC
Southampton Mustangs 11 5 0.688 2 Playoffs
Southern Nationals 9 5 0.643 3 Playoffs
London Mets 8 5 0.615 3.5 Playoffs
Bracknell Blazers 5 7 0.417 6 Playoffs
Croydon Pirates 5 10 0.333 7.5  
Mildenhall Bulldogs 4 10 0.286 8  
Essex Arrows 3 11 0.214 9  
Herts Falcons 2 12 0.143 10  

Another important factor is that the boys from Hertfordshire still have to play against their direct playoff rivals, Bracknell, Essex and Mildenhall, who all have records of less than .500 (win-loss percentage) so there is real hope that the playoffs are still very much within reach for Herts.

Of course in order to make up the deficit, they will need to start a winning run.  The old cliché of “take one game at a time” will apply for them so all their focus has to be on the next game on 31 July which is a crucial encounter against direct rivals, Essex Arrows.  A sweep in that doubleheader and the Falcons will jump over Essex and perhaps over Mildenhall as well depending on the outcome of the Bulldogs’ games versus Croydon.

With so many Herts players on the DL or overseas at the moment, the two-week break comes at a perfect time for Herts.  By the time the decisive clash with the Arrows comes they should have players like Nic Goetz, Mahendra Prasad, Jamie Munn, Troy Linton, Liam Green and Aspi Dimitrov back.

by Matt Bell

BBF Announces Postseason Format

There will be many more twists and turns this season before teams get their hands on the silverware

The BBF has announced the format and schedule of the 2011 Postseason Playoffs and National Baseball Championships for the BBF Senior Leagues.

Due to the numerous postponements this season, the 2011 BBF Senior League Playoffs will start one week later than last year and an additional make-up date for postponed regular season games will be added on 3-4 September. The post season will start on the 10-11 September, continue on the 17-18 September and culminate with the National Baseball Championship (NBC) on the 24-25 September (a week after the Youth NBC).

The NBL and AAA Playoffs will be extended to a two week, best-of-three series with the higher seed playing away for game one in the first week and at home for games two and (if necessary) three in the second week. The AA and Single-A Playoffs remain the same as last season.

The NBC weekend will follow a very similar structure to 2010’s successful format, with some modifications to game start times. The NBL and AAA Finals will now be played as 9-inning games.

Read more about the 2011 Playoffs and National Baseball Championship

The BBF will imminently announce the application process to host the NBC for prospective clubs and venues. The deadline for application is Monday 1 August.

by Matt Bell

Saturday’s Herts Championship Games Postponed due to Rain

Roll out the tarpaulin. Heavy rain is on its way to Grovehill Ballpark.

Members of the Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers and Giants have been keeping an eye on the weather reports with trepidation. Unfortunately the champagne has been put on ice as the weather has not been kind and Saturday’s Herts Majors and Minors Championship Games have been postponed due to expected prolonged and at times heavy rain.

With the school holidays commencing next week this event will be rescheduled for later in August or September. 

The positive news is that the best part of the baseball season is yet to come.  The Herts Futures Tournament, the Under-14 and Under-17 BBF Playoffs, the U14 and U17 Natonal Baseball Championships, as well as a potential international event are still to come and this is when the season really shifts into top gear.

You can follow all these events right here on the Herts Baseball News site.  For details on how to join the Herts youth teams in time for these events visit the official site of the Herts Baseball Little League