Category: Falcons

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

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.

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.

6 April 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

British baseball season commences this Sunday with 5 games at Herts

The waiting is over for British baseball fans. The 2015 league season commences this weekend. The Herts Falcons open their NBL campaign at home with a doubleheader as part of an Opening Day involving three NBL and two Triple-A League teams.

NATIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE

The Falcons will face the South London Pirates in the first game of the day starting at 10:30am. Maikel Azcuy, Robbie Almanzar, Edwin Alcantara and Moises Vasquez are expected to make their Herts debuts. The Pirates media department has been quite during the off season so it is difficult to assess what we can expect from them this season. This may be a ploy to keep their secret weapons up their sleeves. We will have to wait until Opening Day to find out. The Falcons won three of the four meetings between the two teams last year.

At 1pm the Pirates will play the 2014 NBL runners-up Southampton Mustangs and then at 3:30pm the Mustangs and Falcons will meet in what is always a tense clash. During the winter Southampton has strengthened its roster further with the acquisition of Shaun Macey (Australia), Kevin Hightower (USA), Alrey Lorenzo (Cuba) and Piotr Kosiba (Poland). Macey brings over 20 years experience, and was most recently a pitcher for the Auburn Orioles of the NSW Major League. Hightower is a catcher and can also play at first or second base. He spent the last ten years in Florida and Washington DC playing in the MABL. Alrey Lorenzo is a shortstop who previously played for the Southern Nationals. Kosiba is a former member of the Poland National Team. He also has experience playing in Italy, France and Germany.

Falcons centerfielder Cris Hiche hit a home run on Opening Day 12 months ago. Can he do it again this Sunday? (photo by Richard Lee)

Herts Falcons won two and lost two of their games with the Mustangs last year. Manager, Lee Manning, will need his players to make a good start if they are to be in the playoff race this year. He is going into the new season in an upbeat mood not only due to the new arrivals but he can also count on the return of players who missed most of 2014 with injuries. The one big setback for the Falcons is the news that shortstop Ryan Hackel, has had an emergency deployment. The date of his return is not confirmed at this stage.

TRIPLE-A LEAGUE

The Herts Eagles also open their Triple-A league season this Sunday at home. They have the hardest possible start against the London Metros who were runners-up last year. In 2014 the Eagles finished last with a record of 2-16. They will once again go into the season with a team made up predominantly of under-19 and under-17 players who have grown in the club’s youth system. They are now a year older and the newly appointed managerial duo of Arnie Longboy and Jake Caress are going into the season with optimism. In addition, they will be able to count on several more returning experienced players such as pitcher Louis Hare, outfielder Mahendra Prasad, pitcher and infielder Gilberto Median, new signings Gary Ward and Omar Vallenilla among others.

There are seven players in the Eagles roster who are battling to win a place with the GB U19 and U17 National Teams. The biggest challenge for the team would arguably be to survive the weeks when players are called up to the GB national team.

SINGLE-A LEAGUE

The Hawks find themselves in new surroundings as they will make their first appearance in the BBF Single-A League. They are on the road on Opening Day making the trip to the Haverhill Blackjacks who reached the Single-A final in 2013 and 2014 but just missed out on winning the championship on both occasions. This will be a major test for the Hawks and it will give Herts fans a good idea about the team’s chances of reaching the playoffs. The Hawks have lost the services of ace pitchers Nick Russell who transferred to Northampton and Zack Longboy who is now with the Herts Eagles in the Triple-A league. Despite this, the team will not be lacking in the pitching department with Andrew Slater, Greg Bochan, Jim Arnott and Nic Goetz who are all experienced pitchers.

The Herts Raptors will have to wait an extra week for their season opener. They start at home on 19 April against Tonbridge who impressed in the Herts Spring League over the last three weeks.

SCHEDULE AT GROVEHILL BALLPARK

FOOD AND DRINKS

29 March 201529 March 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

HSL Week 2 Round-up: Hawks and Mavericks still unbeaten in the HSL

Bracknell vs Guildford survived the weather on Sunday but only for a few innings as the next wave of rain came in.

The weather affected some of the Herts Spring League games on Sunday, but those who managed to play their games this weekend took full advantage and we are starting to see the HSL standings take shape.

The Herts Hawks maintained their unbeaten record with a 24-14 win over the Milton Keynes Coyotes. This keeps them top of the HSL Double-A Standings. Similar to the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues in America this is just a Spring Training (pre-season) competition so the standings do not carry that much weight, but for the Hawks their good form is a very positive sign ahead of the new season. They are notoriously slow starters and that has hampered their playoff hopes in the past. Could 2015 be their year?

The London Musketeers bounced back after their loss last week to pick up two good wins against Tonbridge (12-6) and Kent Mariners (13-12). This puts them second in the HSL Single-A standings, half a game behind the Guildford Mavericks who recorded their second HSL win albeit in a game which had to be called early due to bad weather and ground conditions on Sunday.

Tonbridge are a game behind the Mavericks after ending the day with a win over the Kent Mariners who are still in search of their first win. They will have a chance to end their losing streak next Saturday.

The eagerly anticipated clash between the Herts Falcons and the reigning NBL National Champions, Essex Arrows, fell victim to the weather on Sunday. Fans will have to wait until 10 May when the two teams will meet in an NBL doubleheader in Waltham Abbey.

The Metros will be back on Diamond 1 next Sunday to face the Royals

The final round of games in the Herts Spring League will be played next weekend, 4-5 April. The game which stands out is the repeat of the 2014 Triple-A National Final between the Cambridge Royals and the London Metros. The Royals came out on top last year to win the championship. The Metros will be keen to make a point despite that fact that we are still in Spring Training mode.

Apart from the games on Saturday, 4 April, fans can look forward to snacks and refreshments at the Grovehill Ballpark concessions as well as a wide variety of Herts and imported baseball merchandise at the club shop which will be open all day.

View HSL scoreboard and schedule

View HSL standings

27 March 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

2011 NBL MVP joins Herts Falcons

Edwin Alcantara with the NBL trophy in 2013

Edwin Alcantara has moved across the county border to join the Herts Falcons from the Essex Arrows with whom he became NBL National Champion last season.

Over the last four seasons Alcantara has been one of the most feared batters in the National Baseball League accumulating 9 home runs and 94 RBI in 290 at bats over that period. He spent his first three seasons in the NBL with the amazing Harlow Nationals winning three consecutive NBL titles between 2011 and 2013. In 2014 he moved to the Essex Arrows and made it four title wins in a row. Can he make it five consecutive NBL national championships in 2015, but this time with the Herts Falcons?

Photocall for Edwin Alcantara (right) and his Arrows teammates alongside Jerry Springer in 2009

2011 stands out as a phenomenal season for him. In that year he became the league’s MVP and won the triple crown, leading in home runs (6), hits (40) and runs batted in (33), as well as batting average (.482) and slugging average (1.086). This is a very rare achievement. We have to go back to 2005 when Simon Pole managed it playing for the London Warriors.

TEAM	SEASON	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBA	SLA
Harlow Nationals	2011	89	83	28	40	9	0	6	33	16	0.482	0.506	0.807
Harlow Nationals	2012	84	74	29	25	5	0	2	20	6	0.338	0.405	0.486
Harlow Nationals	2013	72	65	17	24	4	0	0	18	15	0.369	0.431	0.431
Essex Arrows	2014	78	68	20	24	4	1	1	23	5	0.353	0.41	0.485

TOTALS	4	323	290	94	113	22	1	9	94	42	0.390	0.440	0.566

Source: Project COBB

He has maintained his devastating offensive displays in the NBL consistently batting over .330 and slugging over .430 throughout his NBL career.

Edwin Alcantara’s defensive performances have also been recognised with the BBF’s equivalent of an outfield gold glove in 2011 and 2013.

Herts fans will have a chance to see him in the Herts Spring League before the NBL season opener on 12 April at Grovehill Ballpark.

23 March 201523 March 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

New signings make debuts on first weekend of the HSL

Mike Osborn was the starting pitcher for the Falcons against the London Metros

The first weekend of Herts Spring League games gave a glimpse of what we can expect from the 2015 British baseball season which commences on 12 April. However, after a hectic winter of players being transferred from one team to another and new players signing up, it is going to be difficult to make an accurate prediction of where teams will end up in the standings of the various league tiers.

The Herts Falcons faced the 2014 Triple-A Runners-up, the London Metros, in their opening HSL game. This was a first opportunity to see new signings Maikel Azcuy, Robbie Almanzar and Moises Vasquez play for Herts, who also fielded several players whose identities they chose not to disclose. The game also saw the return from injury of centerfielder Cris Hiche and pitcher Louis Hare. The Falcons took an early lead and held on to it despite a brave fight back by the Metros to bring the score to 14-11. It was Maikel Azcuy who took the game beyond the Londoners with a 3-run home run in the eighth inning.

In another highly anticipated game, the 2014 NBL Champions, Essex Arrows, faced the Triple-A Champions, Cambridge Royals. In a closely fought game the Arrows won 4-1, but it is becoming evident that the gap between the top tier and the Triple-A is narrowing. The hope is that the BBF will promote more Triple-A teams as part of an overdue expansion of the NBL. In this game Jorge Machado made his debut for the NBL Champions after his move from the Southern Nationals in the offseason.

In their other game the Royals faced the London Mammoths who will be the newest member of the Triple-A League after being awarded promotion by the BBF. The Mammoths will be very pleased with their performance. They held a 3-0 lead after 3 innings. The Royals fought back to win the game 5-4. Later in the day the Mammoths won 6-2 against Brighton who will also be making their Triple-A debut this year. The team from the South coast fielded a mix of their Triple-A and Single-players but they still managed to defeat the MK Bucks who are always difficult to beat. It didn’t get any easier for the Bucks as they suffered another defeat later in the day against the Essex Arrows.

The Haverhill Blackjacks slugged their way to a victory over the Cambridge Monarchs

In the Double-A division of the HSL the Herts Hawks lead the standings after wins against Tonbridge and London Marauders. Haverhill Blackjacks are half a game behind after their win against the Cambridge Monarchs. In the Single-A division, Guildford are ahead following their exciting 15-13 win over the London Musketeers. Herts Raptors beat Kent Mariners and lost to Tonbridge to put themselves in the group of four teams which are half a game behind the Mavericks.

Click to view HSL scoreboard and schedule

Click to view HSL Standings

The HSL games resume next weekend. The game of the day is expected to be the all-NBL clash between the Essex Arrows and the Herts Falcons at Grovehill Ballpark.