Category: Hawks

8 March 202013 March 2020 by Herts Baseball News Editor

19 teams will signal the arrival of Spring in the 2020 HSL

Herts Baseball Club has confirmed that 19 teams have entered this year’s Herts Spring League (HSL). The teams come from all British baseball leagues including the National Baseball League (NBL), Triple-A, Double-A and Single-A Leagues.

The London Archers are also back for their third year in the HSL. They made history last year by becoming the first British team to win the Pony European Championships and qualified for the Pony World Series which was played in Pennsylvania. They will use the HSL as part of their preparations for this year’s PONY European Tournament later this year.

The HSL teams will be divided into three divisions as follows:

HSL – NBL/Triple-A
TEAM	CLASS	HSL RANKING
Herts Falcons	NBL	2
Herts Hawks	AAA	6
London Capitals	NBL	1
London Marauders	AAA	5
London Mammoths	AAA	3
Richmond Knights	AAA/AA	4

HSL – Double-A
TEAM	CLASS	HSL RANKING
Guildford Mavericks	AA/A	9
Herts Londoners	AA	11
London Archers	AA	10
London Musketeers	AA	12
Milton Keynes Bucks	AA	7
Sidewinders	AA	8

HSL – Single-A
TEAM	CLASS	HSL RANKING
Bracknell Inferno	A	13
Herts Eagles	A	16
Herts Raptors	A	18
London Mustangs	A	14
London Minotaurs	A	19
Milton Keynes Coyotes	A	15
Richmond Dukes	A	17

SCHEDULE AND FORMAT

The HSL will be played over three weeks commencing on the weekend of 14-15 March and ending on 28-29 March. The HSL format and games schedule are expected to be announced shortly and hertsbaseball.com will bring this and all other HSL news as they happen.

5 February 20205 February 2020 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts confirm 2020 league entries. Hawks and Londoners swap leagues.

Around this time of the year Herts baseball fans keep checking their smartphones for the official announcement of the Herts teams which will play in the various leagues of the British Baseball Federation (BBF).

The club has just confirmed that they have submitted five team entries. Its flagship team, the Herts Falcons, will be looking to improve on last year when it finished in third place in Britain’s top league, 17 games back on the London Mets and 8 on the London Capitals.

The big change this year is that the Herts Hawks have applied to move up from the Double-A to the Triple-A League, while the Herts Londoners are moving down from Triple-A to Double-A. Tetsuro Shinkawa was appointed as the new Triple-A manager at the club’s annual general meeting last month and he will be taking charge of the Hawks in that league. The name of the new Herts Londoners manager has not been revealed yet.

There is no change for the Raptors and Eagles. They both remain in the Single-A League which means that their rivalry continues and they will meet again in a Herts derby in 2020. As reported last month, Herts Raptors begin a new era under manager, Mantas Poderys.

Last year adult player numbers grew by 54.7%. 2020 player registrations so far are 20.8% higher compared to the same time last year. We are pleased to see many new players who are completely new to the game. We are leaving room in our rosters to accommodate further growth. pic.twitter.com/flRTkz4dff

— Herts Baseball Club ?? (@HertsBaseball) February 3, 2020

A tweet from the club two days ago indicated that there has been a 20.8% increase in the number of registered players compared to the same time last year. We understand that the club did consider the possibility of adding a sixth team for the first time in its history, but that they chose not to overstretch the squads.

The teams have once again left room in their rosters so new players, from complete beginners to advanced, can join the club and go straight into the races for the playoffs with a team suitable for their level.

Existing players who have not reactivated their registration for the 2020 season can do so here. New players can register for the new season here or, if you would like to take part in one of the upcoming open sessions to give baseball a try and help you decide whether to join the club, then contact us for more details.

14 January 202030 January 2020 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts baseball players start Spring Training next week

Herts Baseball Club published details of its Spring Training schedule. The adult baseball teams will be back in training on Sunday, 26 January.

The Club has invested again to secure high quality venues including The Harefield Academy which offers a large indoor 3G artificial grass venue.

Other venues include Middlesex University (pictured below) and JFK School.

The Herts baseball teams will return to the ballpark for the first time on March 1st.

The first pre-season games of 2020 are expected to be played on 14 and 15 March* as part of the Herts Spring League (HSL).

The Show begins in April as the Herts baseball teams get their 2020 league seasons underway.

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

ADULT BASEBALL (Ages 14 and over) – SPRING TRAINING SCHEDULE

DAY	DATE	AGE GROUPS	EVENT NAME	VENUE
Sun	26-Jan-20	Adult Baseball	Spring Training	JFK Catholic School
Sun	02-Feb-20	Adult Baseball	Spring Training	JFK Catholic School
Sun	09-Feb-20	Adult Baseball	Spring Training	JFK Catholic School
Sun	16-Feb-20	Adult Baseball	Spring Training	Middlesex University
Sun	23-Feb-20	Adult Baseball	Spring Training	Harefield Academy
Sun	01-Mar-20	Adult Baseball	Spring Training	Grovehill Ballpark
Sun	08-Mar-20	Adult Baseball	Spring Training	Grovehill Ballpark
Sat	14-Mar-20	Adult Baseball	Herts Spring League*	Grovehill Ballpark
Sun	15-Mar-20	Adult Baseball	Herts Spring League*	Grovehill Ballpark
Sat	21-Mar-20	Adult Baseball	Herts Spring League*	Grovehill Ballpark
Sun	22-Mar-20	Adult Baseball	Herts Spring League*	Grovehill Ballpark
Sat	28-Mar-20	Adult Baseball	Herts Spring League*	Grovehill Ballpark
Sun	29-Mar-20	Adult Baseball	Herts Spring League*	Grovehill Ballpark

YOUTH BASEBALL

Youth players will be back in training on Saturday, 8 February. They will start with three indoor sessions, as follows:

DAY	DATE	AGE GROUP	EVENT NAME	VENUE
Sat	08-Feb-20	Youth Baseball	Spring Training	JFK Catholic School
Sat	22-Feb-20	Youth Baseball	Spring Training	JFK Catholic School
Sat	07-Mar-20	Youth Baseball	Spring Training	JFK Catholic School

HOW TO TAKE PART?

Existing players who have not reactivated their registration for the 2020 season can do so here. New players can register for the new season here or, if you would like to take part in one of these open sessions to give baseball a try and help you decide whether to join the club, then contact us for more details.

* HSL dates are subject to BBF confirmation of the Opening Day details in April

22 December 20192 January 2020 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Hawks and Raptors in search of new managers

Mike Cresswell and Matt Jackson will be stepping down as managers of the Herts Hawks and Herts Raptors, respectively. They informed their squads about their decisions a few weeks ago.

The club will now be looking to fill those vacant managerial positions at its annual general meeting next month. They served in their managerial roles for two seasons, both having been appointed at the start of the 2018 season.

*Hawks and Raptors at their 2016 playoff game*

Under Cresswell, the Hawks reached the 2018 postseason, eliminating the Bournemouth Bears which took them to the semi-final where they were knocked out by the eventual champions, the East London Latin Boys.

In 2019 the Hawks were one of the pace-setters in the first half of the season winning 7 of their first 8 games, but their form took a downward turn and they just missed out on the postseason.

Matt Jackson had the task of building a team made up of predominantly rookie players in 2018 and he exceeded expectations with a .500 winning average in his first season. They just missed out on the playoffs.

In 2019 his task was made even more difficult as the club grew by 54.7% and expanded from three to five league teams, which meant that most of the Raptors from 2018 were promoted to Herts teams in the higher leagues. That didn’t faze him and 2019 saw a brand new generation come through to make their senior league debuts and that group of players is expected to be making the headlines in the coming years.

Don’t worry, though — Cresswell and Jackson are not going anywhere. They will be very much in the thick of things in 2020 looking to focus on their playing careers with the Herts teams in the BBF leagues.

In addition to these two positions, the club is now inviting candidates for the following board positions:

♦ President
♦ Secretary
♦ Facilities Manager Grovehill Ballpark
♦ Facilities Manager Basing Hill Ballpark
♦ Manager NBL
♦ Manager Triple-A
♦ Manager Double-A
♦ Manager Single-A
♦ Manager Single-A
♦ Head of U17 Baseball
♦ Head of U15 Baseball
♦ Head of U13 Baseball
♦ Head of U11 Baseball
♦ Head of U8 Baseball
♦ Head of Softball

Those interested to put their name forward can contact the club for more details.

The AGM will be held just a few minutes away from Grovehill Ballpark, at Gadebridge Community Centre.

DATE: Sunday, 5 January 2020

TIME: 12:00pm (registration starts at 11:45am, AGM expected to end at around 4:00pm)

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

FOOD & DRINK: Refreshments and snacks will be served during the AGM.

11 December 201915 December 2019 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Players now registering for the 2020 baseball season

Player registration for the 2020 season has commenced. Last season Herts Baseball Club unveiled two new teams in NW London giving it a total of five teams playing in the BBF senior baseball leagues. The number of adult team players rose by a staggering 54.7%. In 2020 the club will be on a mission to turn this army of new players into teams that can compete in the playoff races of the various British baseball leagues.

ADULT BASEBALL LEAGUES

How many teams will represent Herts in 2020? The next few weeks will be crucial as the number of players registering will determine how many teams will be entered before the BBF league entry deadline of 31 January; how many will play in Hemel Hempstead and how many will play in London; which BBF leagues the teams will play in.

KEY DATES – ADULT TEAMS

26 January- players report for indoor Spring Training
1 March – teams return to the ballpark for the for the first time in 2020
14-15 March – Start of the 2020 Herts Spring League (subject to confirmation of the BBF League Opening Day)*
March – Great Britain National Team Tryouts (senior and youth teams)*
5 April – BBF League Opening Day (subject to confirmation)*
May – Midweek Evening Baseball commences
13-14 June – MLB London Series (see details below)
August-September* – BBF Postseason Playoffs and National Championships
September-October – Hunlock Series

* – these are preliminary dates. The BBF will be making its official announcements in due course.

YOUTH BASEBALL

The Herts youth players are probably suffering the most without baseball this winter, but they will not have to wait much longer. Registration for youth baseball players will be launched next month.

MLB LONDON SERIES – CUBS vs CARDINALS

Following 2019’s incredible sold-out slugfest between the Red Sox and the Yankees, 2020 will see the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs going toe-to-toe. On June 13-14, London Stadium will be transformed into Europe’s largest ballpark as it becomes MLB’s home once again. These are regular season games with everything on the line. Get ready for a day to remember both on and off the field. Various events and activities will take place as part of the MLB London Series and details will be announced in due course.

WHICH BALLPARK WILL YOU PLAY YOUR HOME LEAGUE GAMES AT?

The two Herts baseball teams based in North West London made their BBF League debut in 2019 and the club is implementing the gradual process of adding the baseball infrastructure at Basing Hill Ballpark. 2020 player registration has just commenced (see details below). Now that the club has two ballparks, the online registration form will ask players to indicate whether they prefer to play their home league games in Hemel Hempstead or in NW London, or whether they would be happy with either. This will provide vital information to club management when they configure the team rosters for the new season.

HOW TO REGISTER FOR THE 2020 HERTS BASEBALL SEASON

For those who already have a Herts Online Clubhouse account they will be prompted to register when they log on next time (click here to go to the Herts Online Club House and log on with your existing username and password). Those who are new to Herts Baseball Club and do not have an online account can register as members by completing this form. For more details about joining our teams in 2020 click here or contact us.

26 October 201927 October 2019 by Herts Baseball News Editor

MVP vote results are in

The Most Valuable Players (MVP) of the ten Herts adult and youth teams have been announced. This year the club opened the voting up to include not only Herts club members but the wider public, similar to MLB’s All Star voting.

The Herts Falcons made history this year playing in the European Federations Cup for the first time and despite a disappointing season in the National Baseball League, there wasn’t a shortage of candidates. In a very close race fans decided that this year’s Falcons MVP is Jarrod Pretorius (17% of the votes) who was among the team leaders in a number of categories including home runs and slugging average.

There was less doubt about the Herts Londoners’ MVP. Pitcher Chris Gregory won it convincingly with 29% of the votes after a phenomenal debut season at the club during which he had the most wins, best ERA and was also at or near the top of many offence and defence categories. He was also the starting pitcher who recorded the only Falcons’ win in the five European Federations Cup games.

Mike Cresswell was the driving force for the Herts Hawks this season as the team’s player-manager and he was voted MVP (31% of the votes). He has made huge strides since joining Herts in 2012 starting at Single-A and moving rapidly up the leagues. This year he even earned a call-up to play for the Herts Falcons in the European Federations Cup.

Similar to the Hawks, fans decided that the Raptors MVP is its player-manager, Matt Jackson, with 22% of the votes. He led the team in most of the batting categories. With so many young players making their debuts for the Raptors this season and performing better with each passing week, it is expected that Jackson will have a lot more competition in the MVP voting in the years to come.

There were many credible candidates for Herts Eagles MVP but Rob Gibson was the one who stood out in every aspect of the game and this was reflected in the MVP poll which he won convincingly with 28% of the votes. It is rare to see a 5-tool player in the Single-A League and Gibson is not far from being certified as one.

The MVP poll for the Herts youth teams attracted the largest number of votes and it looks like friends, family members and school mates took part in vast numbers which the club was very pleased to see. Involving the wider community was one of the reasons for opening the voting up to the public.

Herts U18 MVP – Oliver Durer

Herts U15 MVP – Nicholas Durer

Herts U13 MVP – Leon Gutowski

Herts U11 MVP – Daniel Heal

Herts U8 MVP – Jake Walder-Davis

There was a tight race in the vote for Play of the Year. Eight of the nine nominees were Eagles or Raptors, but it was the Herts Falcons’ semi-nude antics in Bulgaria that won it. Originally, this was nominated for the Nob-Out Award and it was added to the Play of the Year category in the last minute, but the fans have spoken and it looks like they felt that, despite lacking in baseball skill, it had an abundance of flair. Over 30,000 viewed the video on social networks which reaffirmed its credentials.

It was an even bigger surprise that it didn’t win the Nob-Out Award. That accolade went to Herts Raptors’ Mantas Poderys who nominated himself for falling face-first a few feet short of first base in the Herts Derby away at the Eagles. Herts Hawks’ Gilberto Medina just missed out in second place. He was nominated for reporting for duty at the ballpark on the wrong day of the week.

The 2019 season may have ended but the start of Spring Training is not far away and the Herts adult and youth league teams in Hemel Hempstead and North West London will be starting their preparations for the 2020 season. New players interested to find out more about playing baseball and joining Herts in 2020 can contact the club.

8 October 20198 October 2019 by Herts Baseball News Editor

It’s time to cast your votes

It has been a record year for Herts Baseball Club with 116 players appearing for the five Herts adult league teams and 49 players for the Herts youth teams.

We have seen some outstanding individual and team performances and plays this year and now it’s time to cast your vote for the 2019 Most Valuable Players (MVPs) of the Herts adult and youth baseball teams as well as the Play of the Year and Nob-Out Awards. We even have the unusual case of a play being nominated for both Play of the Year and Nob-Out Award at the same time.

This year we are opening up the vote to everyone. You can vote regardless of whether or not you are a club member. Also, unlike previous years, you can vote for the MVP of all of the Herts adult and youth teams, not just of your team.

Cast your vote now here. Voting closes at 23:59 on Sunday, 20 October 2019.

20 May 2019 by Rob Jones

Hawks bounce back, take two from Mavericks

The story of the Hawks is usually one of solid defence, powerful hitting, and regular wins. Last week, they suffered a knock. But this Sunday they returned to their winning ways, writes Brian Morgan, sweeping the Guildford Mavericks 11-1 and 5-3 at Grovehill.

Game one featured excellent pitching by Zack Longboy, despite him getting a black eye in practice before taking the hill. He worked through it and kept the Mavericks off the board after the first batter.

There was excellent defence across the board with a diving play in centre field by Hunter Devine, several plays by Antony Lavender in left, and solid infield play all around.

The offence was led by Jon “Yard” Lewys who smashed one over the left field fence to get the Hawks going. Darrin Ward, Andy Cornish and Greg Bochan all had big hits to put the Hawks well ahead and end the game early.

Game two featured another pitching gem by Ward. The Mavericks hitters could not keep up with the movement on his pitches and he gave up only 2 earned runs over 7 impressive innings.

The Hawks defence was led by a solid infield of Gilberto Medina, Andy Cornish, Brian Morgan and Jon Lewys, with Hunter Devine now behind the plate. The outfield featured Bochan, Longboy and newcomer Michael Long.

The offence threatened throughout, with runners getting in scoring position in most frames. A combination of heads-up base running and key hits kept the Hawks ahead the whole game.

Greg Bochan took over managerial duties this week for the injured Mike Cresswell who, in turn, took over umpiring duties where he could yell at everyone and not just the Hawks!

The Hawks have next week off and then travel to Guildford on June 2nd for two games against the Mavericks. Hawks are now 5-1 on the season and looking very strong.

14 May 201914 May 2019 by Rob Jones

Hawks tour bus hits a bump in the road

Baseball is a fickle game. Momentum can change from inning to inning and the Herts Hawks saw this happen on Sunday, as Brian Morgan reports from Richmond.

The Herts AA-division team had started the 2019 season undefeated, and were hoping to keep rolling when they travelled to the Richmond Dukes.

Clutch hitting, stolen bases, patient batters drawing walks — a total team effort — helped the Hawks jump out to a 9-1 after the top 2 innings.

Bats quieted a little as the game went along, but the Hawks kept threatening each inning, while Richmond batters scratched out additional runs.

Playing excellent error-free baseball for the first 5 innings behind solid pitching from Andy Slater on his return to the team, Hawks took a 9-7 lead into the 6th.

And then the momentum switched.

The wheels fell off the bus and the Hawks gave up 15 runs in the 6th to the home team.

Texas leaguers, swinging bunts, easy balls mishandled by a solid infield, diving outfielders just missing the catch, all combined to make the Richmond team simply tired of batting.

A pitching change to Giuseppe Basilea helped slowed things down and get Herts out of the inning – finally. The Hawks battled in the 7th to add 2 more runs but it was too late and not enough.

Manager Mike Cresswell reminded the team that this needs to be a “one off” and is not “Hawks or Herts baseball”. It was an uncharacteristic inning for the team this season and the team looks forward to getting back on the right road on Sunday against Guildford.

6 May 20196 May 2019 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Red-hot Hawks continue their unbeaten run

Brian Morgan reporting from Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead as Herts Hawks sweep Brighton.

Game one saw crafty veteran Darrin Ward take the hill throwing a solid complete game for the victory. His command of the zone and mix of pitches left many Redhawks guessing. Solid defence for all but one inning helped the effort.

Great work in the outfield from Antony Lavender, Mike Cresswell and Josh Morgan tracking down the balls from the heart of the order. Equally solid was a mix of utility players in the infield of Charlie Mayhew, Giuseppe Basilea, Jon Lewys and Brian Morgan. Andy Cornish was behind the dish keeping everything in front and the runners not wanting to test his arm.

Hawks bats were alive with a mix of singles and doubles to score 11 runs. Big hits from Jon, Andy and Darrin led the charge. Game one ended with a rough inning making the final score of 11-8 much closer than the rest of the contest.

In game two lefty ace Charlie Mayhew took his turn working through the Brighton batting order. Impressive speed and knee buckling movement on the ball held the visitors to only 6 runs. Several key strikeouts made the work for the defence easy.

Hawks veteran Manager Mike Cresswell made limited defensive changes in game two and that proved to be a key decision. Key defensive plays by Giuseppe, Jon and Charlie on the mound kept the visitors frustrated.

Strong hitting again in game two from the Hawks order and aggressive base running by Josh and Antony sealed the victory early, 16-6. Overall the team played very well together in both games and showed resilience when it was needed. A great start to the new season extending their unbeaten run to four games. The Hawks go on the road next Sunday, 12 May, away at the Richmond Dragons. Game starts at 12pm.