One significant absentee from the Herts Falcons lineup in the NBL Opening Game against Bracknell on Sunday was 2011 Falcons MVP, Mahendra Prasad.

The Sri Lanka National Team player sustained a knee injury in the Spring Training game playing for the Sri Lanka All Stars at Grovehill Ballpark on March 4. Later in that month he played in the HSL games for the Falcons but it appears that he returned to the team too quickly and aggravated the injury.

Prasad is one of the fastest players in the NBL and it would be interesting to see whether he, Cristobal Hiche or Robbie Unsell will be the leadoff batters in the Falcons line up when Prasad recovers from this leg injury and Unsell arrives from America for his Herts debut. Prasad is expected to miss Sunday’s top of the table clash with local rivals, Essex Arrows.

Everyone connected with Herts is hoping for Prasad’s speedy recovery.

After several months of signing some of the highest profile players in the National Baseball League (NBL), the Herts Falcons met the hopes and expectations of a record Opening Day crowd at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead, with two wins against the Bracknell Blazers.

This year NBL’s Opening Day takes place before Major League Baseball’s equivalent. This adjustment in the calendar has been necessary due to the European Championships and World Baseball Classic qualifiers later in the year for the Great Britain National Team. The large number of fans who came for the game enjoyed a day packed with activities starting with Herts Spring League games at 10am and a 4-team family softball tournament involving youth players and parents from the Herts Little League as well as softball enthusiasts who may turn out to be the building blocks of a project to create the first softball league in Hertfordshire, something which has been discussed at various levels in recent months.

Those at the ballpark were pleasantly surprised to see the recently announced BSUK-funded upgrade of the ballpark appear so quickly with perimeter fencing already installed. After the softball and a few hot dogs, some of the Herts Little League players were on hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitch of the 2012 NBL season. In the usual Herts tradition all balls were thrown at the same time and Falcons catcher, Phil Clark, had the impossible task of catching all the balls heading in his direction.

The National Anthem rang around Grovehill and it was time for the Falcons and Blazers to get down to business. Jordan Farkas started on the mound for the Falcons and although the Blazers scored a run in the first inning, he didn’t seem to be shaken up at all and did not allow any runs in the subsequent 5 innings. Blazers starter, Reiniel Martinez, also had a very effective start allowing only 1 run in the first 3 innings. In the bottom of the fourth Herts put 3 runs on the board. A walk and two errors were followed by a one-run single by Jordan Farkas and another big single by David House to bring two more runs in. Bracknell brought in pitcher Henry Collins who didn’t allow any more Herts runs but the four runs scored already were enough for them to secure a winning start of the season, despite a late rally by Bracknell which put the tying run on second base, Jordan Farkas completed the game by striking out Dexter Stewart and the dangerous Phil Matthews. Farkas had a total of 9 strikeouts and allowed only 3 hits.

Game two turned out to be even more exciting. Jake Michels made his NBL debut on the mound for Herts. Bracknell quickly put the pressure on with a 3-0 lead after a 2-run home run by Phil Matthews over the left-centerfield wall.

Herts responded with two runs in the bottom of that inning but any kind of offensive rally was certainly not due to any pitching weaknesses for Bracknell. Their starter Jordan Edwards proved to be a very awkward customer. He left the game after 4 innings with the score tied at 4-4 but none of the four runs allowed were earned and the Falcons managed to record only 1 hit against him over 4 innings. Herts committed 3 errors in that game and unfortunately for them they all came in the fifth inning. The Blazers took advantage of this and added 3 more runs making the score 7-4. Jake Michels certainly had the velocity and the movement on the day but one or two walks proved to be costly. It seemed like the game was running away from the Falcons but they responded in a big way in the bottom of the fifth. Jake Michels and Dave Trethway worked two walks followed by Mike Osborn’s ground rule double and a single by 15-year-old Herts prospect, Liam Green, which caused an almighty confusion bringing in Kevin Niedringhaus to tie the game at 7-7. Green went 2-for-2 over the two games.

Mike Osborn came in very effectively to pitch a scoreless top of the 7th inning. With the game tied 7-7 it went down to the bottom of the last inning. David House led-off with a single and advanced to third on an error. Up stepped another debutant, Mike Cattermole, playing against his former team mates, to drive the winning run in with a bullet which just stayed fair down the right field foul line.

Herts Falcons Manager, Lee Manning was pleased with the wins. “We wanted to get off to a good start this year and Bracknell made it very difficult for us. These were two very exciting games on Opening Day and it feels good to win, but the season has only just started and we must stay focused with some very important games coming up”- said Manning. He added: “It took the whole team to win these two games with players coming into the game in key situations and making an instant impact.”

The baseball celebration in Herts started at 10am and ended at 7pm sending fans home happy. If this is a sign of what we can expect this year, British baseball is in for a very exciting season.

GAME 1

Bracknell Blazers at Herts Falcons
Score By Innings	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Bracknell Blazers	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	3	5
Herts Falcons	0	0	1	3	0	0	0	4	6	3

Herts Falcons 4, Bracknell Blazers 2
Herts Falcons					Bracknell Blazers
	ab	r	h	bi		ab	r	h	bi
HICHE Cristobal 1b	3	0	0	1	TRASK Mike 3b	3	1	1	0
SAIONJI Kimiyoshi 2b	2	0	0	0	EDWARDS Jordan ss	4	0	1	0
MICHELS Jacob 3b	3	0	0	0	STEWART Dexter c	3	0	0	0
(b6) CATTERMOLE Mike 3b	0	0	0	0	DUGGAN Fraser lf	3	0	0	0
TRETHEWAY David cf	3	0	1	0	MATTHEWS Phil 1b	4	0	0	0
OSBORN Michael lf	2	1	1	0	MILNER Clinton 2b	2	0	0	0
CLARK Phil c	3	1	0	0	MARTINEZ Reniel p	2	0	1	0
NIEDRINGHAUS Kevin ss	3	1	0	0	(t5) COLLINS Henry pr-rf-p	1	0	0	0
(b6) HARE Louis ss	0	0	0	0	MARTINSSEN Gustav cf	3	0	0	0
FARKAS Jordan p	3	1	2	1	PECKHAM Guy rf	2	1	0	0
GREEN Liam rf	1	0	1	0
(b4) HOUSE David rf	2	0	1	2
TEAM TOTALS	25	4	6	4	TEAM TOTALS	27	2	3	0

E: MICHELS Jacob , OSBORN Michael, NIEDRINGHAUS Kevin, EDWARDS Jordan(2), MILNER Clinton(2), PECKHAM Guy. LOB: Herts Falcons 5, Bracknell Blazers 9. 2B: FARKAS Jordan. SB: STEWART Dexter, COLLINS Henry.

Herts Falcons	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
FARKAS Jordan W	7.00	3	2	1	3	9
Bracknell Blazers
MARTINEZ Reniel L	4.00	5	4	1	2	1
COLLINS Henry	2.00	1	0	0	0	1

HBP: by FARKAS Jordan (TRASK Mike). . . . . , by FARKAS Jordan (STEWART Dexter). . WP: FARKAS Jordan(3). T: 1:55. A: 240.

GAME 2

Herts announced four late additions to their roster on Friday ahead of Opening Day, but there was a fifth signing, coming in late in the day, of left-handed outfielder Dave Tretheway.

Originally from Durban, South Africa he has now live sin Watford, Hertfordshire. He started his career playing provincial and national league baseball. He has been a member of a various South African national teams from Under-13 through to senior level.

“I would describe myself as a hard hitting batter and attacking outfielder.” said Tretheway and he certainly has the stats to back that statement up finishing most tournaments at the top of the batting and slugging averages.

“My career highlight was competing in the Youth World Series where I finished with a batting average of .645 which was among the top 5 players in the category in the tournament. My career best tournament average is .898 with 19 home runs including 2 in the all star game.

Tretheway’s career was interrupted for several years after suffering an injury, but he is looking forward to building up full fitness and giving his best in the British league. He is expected to go straight into the lineup for the Falcons season opener against Bracknell.

The Herts Falcons have already announced three player acquisitions today and they have made one more late transaction this evening adding catcher, Phil Clark, from the London Mets, which means that he will be eligible to make his Falcons debut this Sunday against the Bracknell Blazers.

Adding Phil Clark is a major coup for Herts. Clark is considered one of the top catchers and third basemen in the NBL so this is a major player acquisition for Herts.

The 33-year-old Australian made his NBL debut in 2004 with the Windsor Bears. The following year he moved to the Brighton Buccaneers. In 2004 and 2005 he reached the NBL Final but ended up on the losing side on both occasions losing to the Croydon Pirates. In the last 4 seasons he has been a member of the London Mets, including the invincible London Mets of 2008 who destroyed the rest of the league losing only one game all season. In that season he was the NBL leader in batting average (.548) and on-base average (.615), which is an incredible achievement considering the superstars who played for the Mets in that year. His NBL career batting average stands at .341 with 4 home runs in the NBL.

The move from the Mets to the Falcons is intuitive as his family relocated to Harpenden in Herts last year. In fact for members of Herts it does not feel like Phil is a new arrival as, despite being a Mets player last year, he has been a regular at Herts training sessions over the last 12 months and also appeared for the Herts White Sharks last October in the 2011 Hunlock Series. He has also had a very positive influence on the Herts Under-17 players who have been involved in those training sessions last year.

Hertsbaseball.com had the opportunity to chat with Phil Clark earlier today about the upcoming season, MLB coming to London and more.

hertsbaseball.com: What would be the key to a successful 2012 season for Herts?

Phil Clark: Herts have acquired some quality experienced NBL players who most have played in the final fours and know what is necessary to get there, as well as win. Consistency and `heart’ (pardon the pun) is going to be the key to Herts success as there are many strong teams out there who are also biting at the bit to win. Provided we can come together as a team, we should do very well this year.

hertsbaseball.com: Which team or teams do you think go into the new season as the favourites to win the NBL?

Phil Clark: This year is somewhat different to most. Previous seasons have always seen the top 2 or 3 being of equal standard. However this season, there appears to be a fairly balanced player quality amongst the teams which will make for a tight season. I haven’t seen every team, so I can only comment on teams from last season and the spring league, but Nationals, Mets, Lakenheath are always going to be favourites. But I hear Essex played well in the spring tournament and Bracknell have found a couple of players – and they were always a threat. So we’ll wait and see.

hertsbaseball.com: What do you see as a realistic target for Herts this year?

Phil Clark: Herts should aim and achieve Final Four. But, there is also no reason why we can’t be aiming for the final play-off and even a championship. The quality and talent is there, we just have to bring that together as a team.

hertsbaseball.com: There is an increased interest and optimism from fans of Herts. Do you have a message for them ahead of the new season?

Phil Clark: If there is one thing that makes baseball great fun, it’s the fans. Come down at home games and support your teams. Baseball can create a great atmosphere and is a very family orientated sport, but that only helps when fans get involved. Fans help make clubs successful and Herts is unique to have such a fan base and it’ll be great to see everyone down at the field when they can make it and this club can grow that bit stronger.

hertsbaseball.com: You are one of several lefties joining Herts this winter. With the short right-field wall at Grovehill Ballpark how much of an advantage is it to have so many lefties?

Phil Clark: I wish I could say a short porch benefits me… but I’m just not that power hitter. But I’m sure there will be some guys in our team who are busting to get out on the diamond on Sunday and create some havoc down the right side.

hertsbaseball.com: British newspapers have reported that MLB is inspecting the Olympic Stadium as a potential venue to host a regular season MLB game in the next few years. What do you think about the prospect of MLB teams coming to town?

Phil Clark: I think that it’s a long time coming. The NFL have been doing this for years now and turned it into a great spectacle where the sport has now increased its coverage and rekindled an old flame of followers and even picked up some new ones along the way. The MLB should be doing this to help boost it’s credentials and place a bigger spot-light on the sport here in the UK and even the continent for that matter with not just a series played here, but a bunch of games over a period of time. My only concern would be that the UK – as a lot of the current players know, is that we lack any decent facility that could a) closely resemble a MLB quality diamond; and b) hold the crowd capacity they would require. I think that BSUK, if they are serious about the sport – along with Sport England and the Government to be fair, need to consider placing some serious finance into helping to deliver a playing quality pitch as a minimum. It’ll be great to see a game close to home though, that’s for sure!

WILL YOU BE WEARING THE HERTS JERSEY IN 2012?

Herts’ recruitment efforts ahead of the new season continue and in fact new players can join at any point during the year. The club welcomes players from complete beginners to accomplished players. 6 to 16-year-olds play for the Herts youth teams while adults (over the age of 14) play for the club’s major and minor league teams. For more details contact Herts Baseball Club.

NBL statistics courtesy of projectcobb.org.uk

With less than 48 hours before the first pitch of the 2012 National Baseball League (NBL) season there does not appear to be an end to the waves of player transactions made by the Herts Falcons this Spring.  They have strengthened their NBL roster further with the addition of infielder, Dave House and left-handed pitcher, George Naumczik. 

GEORGE NAUMCZIK

George Naumczik comes with a wealth of experience which could prove to be very valuable for Herts on and off the field.  He is one of the few players in Great Britain with experience of playing for an MLB franchise.  In 1986 he played for the Idaho Falls Braves in the Pinoneer League.  This was the minor league affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. 

He was out of action last season, but prior to that he had four seasons in the NBL under his belt with the Flames in 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2010. His NBL career batting average is .317 with 1 home run.

Naumczik is a left-handed pitcher and fans who have followed British Baseball in the last few years will recognise his distinctive wrist action when he delivers a pitch which can be quite deceiving for opposing hitters.  

DAVE HOUSE

Dave House is a player known to NBL fans.  He has previously appeared for the Windsor Bears and the Richmond Flames.  Last year in the NBL he had an impressive batting average of .314. His primary positions are third base and second base.   

Earlier in his career House spent four years playing for the TASIS Varsity Baseball team, which he later coached in 2006 and 2007. 

House is 25 years old and is yet another addition which is bringing the average age of the Falcons squad down.  Adding players who are about to reach the peak of their physical and baseball development is exciting news for everyone connected with Herts. 

Hertsbaseball.com had a chance to put a few questions to Dave House on the eve of Opening Day. 

hertsbaseball.com: What would be the key to a successful 2012 season for Herts? 

Dave House: The key to success this year will be for everyone on this Falcons team to come together as a cohesive unit.  With so much new talent being combined with the great players that are returning, it will be important for the team to work together to improve upon everyone’s strengths and weaknesses. 

hertsbaseball.com: Which team or teams do you think go into the new season as the favourites to win the NBL? 

Dave House: Just as last year, the Nationals look to be a solid group of players, and the London Mets have added some new talent during the offseason.  But I honestly believe that based on the quality that I have seen on the Herts training ground, the Falcons rightfully deserve to be right up there in the group of favourites – and for those who have not yet seen this Falcons team, I would say look out for the dark horse! 

hertsbaseball.com: What do you see as a realistic target for Herts this year? 

Dave House: Realistically, the Falcons should finish well above .500 in winning percentage and should be competing in the postseason NBC. 

hertsbaseball.com: Do you have a message for fans of Herts Baseball Club? 

Dave House: To the Herts fans, I would say that this is going to be one exciting season!  Based on the talent that I have seen at training, the Falcons look to be very strong competitors in the NBL, and fans should expect to see some top class ball being played at this club.

WILL YOU BE WEARING THE HERTS JERSEY IN 2012?

Herts’ recruitment efforts ahead of the new season continue and in fact new players can join at any point during the year.  The club welcomes players from complete beginners to accomplished players. 6 to 16-year-olds play for the Herts youth teams while adults (over the age of 14) play for the club’s major and minor league teams. For more details contact Herts Baseball Club. 

NBL statistics courtesy of projectcobb.org.uk

The Herts Falcons have announced the acquisition of right-handed pitcher, Jordan Farkas. 

The 28-year-old American from Anchorage, Alaska, comes with an impressive CV and experience at a very high level in various leagues in the US. 

Between 2003 and 2010 he played for the Hornets in the Anchorage Adult League. During that period he has proven to be one of the top performers in the league among the leaders in various pitching categories.  In 2009 he had ERA 0.63 (1^st), 4 Wins (1^st), WHIP 0.95 (3^rd), 35 strikeouts (2^nd) and to top it all off his team won the Championship in that season.   

Between 2004 and 2007 he pitched for Division III, Whitworth Pirates(Whitworth College).  In 2006 he played for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots, a team which has seen a large number of its players progress to play in MLB.  This includes players like Mark McGwire (St Louis Cardinals), Jacoby Ellsbury (Boston Red Sox), J.T. Snow (San Francisco Giants), Mark Pelfrey (New York Mets) among many others. 

With the unrelenting announcements of new arrivals, Herts is starting to look formidable and Farkas agrees. “I am looking forward to playing for Herts this year.  We have a great group of guys with a lot of talent, and I am looking forward to seeing the great things we will bring to the field as a team” he said.

The Falcons now have a star-studded list of potential starting pitchers, but who will be the starting pitcher in the Opening game of 2012?  Falcons Manager, Lee Manning, will have the enjoyable task of finding an answer to that question. It will all be revealed this Sunday as the show begins.