Category: Adult Leagues

3 June 20193 June 2019 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Coach Monte Brooks to work with Herts players while keeping one eye on MLB Draft this week

This Thursday evening, 6 June, Herts Baseball Club will be hosting an open session with special guest coach Monte Brooks.

Brooks has just completed his 23rd season as head coach of The Master’s University baseball team in the USA, having led the Mustangs to the NAIA postseason in five of the last seven seasons. He earned the 700th win of his Master’s career earlier this year and is the program’s all-time leader in wins with a record of 715-483. He has led the Mustangs to four NAIA World Series appearances (2000, 2013, 2016, 2017) and three regular-season GSAC titles.

As a player, Brooks was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 1987 with whom he spent four seasons in the minor leagues and later coached in the Padres organisation before his appointment with Master’s University.

He will be visiting London this week and Herts players will be able to work with him at this session. His area of expertise is working with hitters and infielders so a fantastic opportunity for players aged 14 and over from the various Herts major and minor league teams as well as those considering joining the club.

During his visit to London, coach Brooks will be forgiven if, from time to time, he checks on the MLB Draft which starts this week as three players from his Master’s University team will be hoping to hear their names called out by an MLB team.

This Thursday’s open session will take place from 6pm to 8pm at the club’s Basing Hill Ballpark in northwest London. It is open to all current Herts members as well as new players who are interested to take part in this session with a view to joining the club. If you are not a current club member and wish to take part in this session, please contact us.

2 June 2019 by Rob Jones

Sponsor unveiled for Falcons Euro push

Herts Baseball Club is proud to announce the arrival of Regin Products as a sponsor for this season, in a partnership which offers crucial help to the Falcons as they travel to Europe.

Our National Baseball League (NBL) team will soon be playing in the European Federations Cup in Bulgaria, for the first time in their twenty year history. They will face teams from Sweden, Poland, Lithuania, Romania and Bulgaria over a week of action in Blagoevgrad.

One of the missions of the Herts club this year has been to help support the players and coaches on this trip, as baseball receives no funding for international competition. So we are delighted that Regin Products have come on board to help the Falcons make this possible with their generous support.

Regin is a family-run company with 30 years of experience supplying products to heating and plumbing engineers. The firm is based in Cambridgeshire, but has a wide network of stockists.

The firm’s watchwords are pride in its quality and its service, and we share those values at Herts. Our players are always ambassadors for the club, and we are proud that they will be representing not only Herts but British baseball when they play in Bulgaria.

The Falcons qualified for this tournament with their post-season heroics in 2018, in which they dramatically beat the Southampton Mustangs and the London Capitals to reach the NBL final. The London Mets got the better of them in the final series, and the Mets are also playing in Europe this summer, in Moscow.

Another crucial contribution to the Falcons’ efforts in Europe will come from the newly launched Herts Baseball Lottery. This is open to anyone over the age of 16, whether or not they are a member of the club.

Everyone who enters will have the chance to win the monthly jackpot, while the net proceeds will be put towards the trip to Blagoevgrad. In the future, the money raised from the Lottery will go towards major club projects and help recruit more players to the sport of baseball.

Over its history, Herts has developed Grovehill ballpark to become one of the country’s top venues, and it has expanded in 2019 into northwest London.

Falcons players and other members of the club have already been making their contributions this season to raise money for the European Federations Cup..

Herts players have been coaching youth teams, and the club has been matching their fees and paying them into the Herts Euro Fund.

One of our coaches, Marianna Casal – a European softball champion and a participant in the first official women’s baseball game in the UK – took part in a National Geographic television programme about baseball. She has pledged 50% of her fee to the Euro Fund.

Members of the club have also been using the online shopping portal, easyfundraising. This scheme offers donations to the charity of your choice – such as Herts – when you buy goods from a wide range of retailers, including Amazon, John Lewis and Sainsbury’s. It can also be used when you buy your holiday from Thomas Cook or Tui, or your car insurance from RAC and ComparetheMarket.

28 May 20192 June 2019 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Announcing the Herts Baseball Lottery

Over its 23-year history, Herts Baseball Club has been running various fundraising activities and projects which have helped this non-profit organisation to invest in new and better facilities and to increase the number of people playing baseball.

The club is now expanding its fundraising activities further with the launch of the Herts Baseball Lottery.

You don’t have to be a club member to play. Anyone over the age of 16 can buy a ticket and play for a chance to win the Jackpot every month and, at the same time, raise funds for club projects.

The net proceeds from every monthly Lottery draw between June and December 2019 will be used to help fund the Herts Falcons’ European Cup campaign.

Herts Falcons’ heroics in the National Baseball League Playoffs last September meant that next month they will play in the European Federations Cup for the first time in the club’s history. They have been drawn in a group with teams from Sweden, Poland, Romania, Lithuania and Bulgaria. The games will be played between 10 and 15 June 2019 in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria.

For full details how to play go to the Herts Baseball Lottery webpages.

27 May 2019 by Rob Jones

Last gasp drama as Eagles burned by Inferno

It was an agonising end after a back and forth day of baseball battles, reports Rob Jones from Basing Hill Ballpark.

The Herts Eagles – one of the club’s two new teams – went in search of their first win of the season at home to the Bracknell Inferno. The visitors are putting together a strong year, including a win over the division-leading London Musketeers, but Herts pushed them all the way.

Alex Trautman was given the responsibility of starting on the mound for the Eagles, and he struck out the first two batters he faced. He held Bracknell scoreless for the first two frames, closing out the second with another strikeout when threats were on the bases.

Herts batters started strongly, too. Zack Longboy drove in a run with a double in the first, and Giacomo Zaffalon brought home two in the second.

Defence was solid, as the Eagles continued to improve in this, their first season. Adam Porte turned a double play, and Francois Earp hauled in outfield catches securely.

But walks, strong hits and aggressive stealing in the third inning helped Bracknell fight back. They scored 5 and chased Trautman. The Eagles’ heads didn’t drop though. Longboy led off the bottom of the third with a home run to right field, cutting the deficit immediately to 5-4.

Bracknell made a timely pitching change after surrendering back to back walks, and Herts could not build on their momentum. Jamie Lang went 2-for-2 and Porte got on base for a second time but the Eagles bats could not generate the offense they needed to come back. Game 1 ended 8-5 to the visitors.

Zack Longboy got the start in Game 2 of the double-header. He had already showed his quality, but Bracknell came out swinging and chalked up two early runs. Trevor Clissold and new recruit Yasu Ichige struck back immediately with hits which were converted into runs by Max Trautman and by Longboy, whose hit fell just inches shy of a second homer.

This time around, the Eagles were keeping their noses in front. The team is made up of a mixture of players entirely new to the sport, and a sprinkling of old hands, and the blend was working well. Debutant Lewis Harrison scored a run after being hit by a pitch. Herts still led 7-5 after four innings.

Again, the defense remained solid when it might otherwise have buckled. Mohamed Abdule caught a drive in centre field which had made the bench nervous; Kumail Jaffer, making his debut at second base, secured all three outs in one inning.

But as, perhaps, tiredness set in, the Eagles missed chances to get out of the fifth, and Bracknell were able to take the lead. They were able to score 3 runs on just one hit. They extended their lead to 9-7 in the top of the sixth and the stage was set. Herts had to score 2 to save the game, 3 to walk-off.

After two quick outs, Darren Priest came to the plate. He had garnered headlines in his guest appearance for the Herts Londoners last week, and made his presence felt this time, too. He worked a full count before getting a hit, then Arnie Longboy walked.

Up stepped Kumail Jaffer – without a hit yet in his young baseball career. He delivered in the clutch with a drive to right field that brought home both runners and sparked celebration on that nervous bench. The scores were even at 9-9.

Into extra innings. Yasu Ichige was pitching in relief and had been battling well to contain Bracknell. Priest, Longboy and Rob Jones made plays to back him up. But one double was the key hit for Bracknell as they took the lead.

The Inferno relief pitcher, who had helped close out the first game, now did the honours again. The top of the Herts order couldn’t make another rally, and a groundout ended it. 12-9 to Bracknell.

The Eagles have shown consistent improvement over the first few weeks of the season, moving from blowouts to a narrow, extra innings defeat. Every player could look back on a highlight from the games, and they look forward to the next outing.

20 May 201922 May 2019 by Rob Jones

Herts Londoners feel right at home

Herts Baseball Club passed another milestone on Sunday, May 19th, and did it with a bit of style and drama.

The Herts Londoners, in their inaugural season in Triple-A, played their first game at their new home in north-west London – and came away with a walkoff win against the defending champions.

The Londoners were at home against the Richmond Knights at Basing Hill Ballpark, close to Brent Cross, which was opened this year as Herts expanded to cope with demand. Until now – while final preparations were made – the team has been playing its home fixtures at Grovehill.

Now they were really coming home.

Herts was delighted to welcome local councillor, Anne Clarke, to perform the ceremonial honours and throw out the first pitch. She had a chance to warm up and get some tips from our expert coaches – and admitted she had been practising!

“This is a really positive project”, she said. “It’s great to see the park being used regularly, and to have a sports team make it their home.”

After the teams were introduced, and the national anthem was played, Councillor Clarke — watched by her family as well as a number of spectators – threw a strike to Herts catcher, Andrew Roberts.

So how was the experience of pitching? “It was a lot of fun!”, she said with surprise. “The response from people in the park has been really good, and they have enjoyed stopping by to watch the game”.

Herts baseball club hopes to develop the site in the future, adding a pitching mound and backstop. The club has already signed up a record number of players this season, and it’s expected that the arrival of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in London this summer will see a fresh surge of interest in the sport.

And so, to the games….

Londoners’ manager Wade Lynch was starting pitcher for Game 1, and despite solid work from him, Richmond came out swinging and built an early lead. It was 6-0 in the middle of the 3rd.

Dany Bueno put Herts right back in contention with a 2-run home run in the bottom of the frame. It was one of his 2 hits in the game, and he drove in three. The contest became tight again.

But Richmond blew it open with 10 runs in the sixth, and secured the victory 16-3. Londoners had only 10 on their roster for the day so they could perhaps be forgiven for thinking a long day was ahead.

But redemption was to come …..

There was no score in the early exchanges in Game 2. Chris Gregory was now pitching for Herts, and the Londoners gave him a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third. He drove in one himself, to follow hits from Bueno and Hector Miguel.

The Knights came right back, surging ahead 7-3. But on a day of historic beginnings, Londoners were not going to end up on the wrong end of this result. In the bottom of the seventh, Kimiyoshi Saionji drove in Gregory to tie the game at 7 apiece. Into extra innings it went.

Richmond couldn’t score in the top of the eighth. When Herts’ Dany Bueno came up to bat with one out, he was intentionally walked – he had added a second home run in Game 2, and driven in 2 runs. The Knights were taking no chances.

Instead they opted to face Darren Priest, who had entered the game off the sub’s bench. He normally plies his baseball trade for the Herts Eagles in Single-A, but had stepped up to help the club.

“It’s all a bit of a blur now, but I’m pretty sure the count was 1-1”, he recalls. “The pitcher winds up… the tension is crippling. The ball comes in and I take a swing…CRACK!”

A hard ground ball was driven past the feet of the shortstop, and Priest was heading for second, Bueno off and running to third. Richmond saw the danger of the winning run and threw to third. But the ball hit Bueno and went out of play and he advanced to home. Game over. 8-7.

The Londoners’ victory – their first at Basing Hill – continues their excellent start to their season. It was also part of an exceptional weekend for Herts.

In the National Baseball League, the Falcons leapfrogged the Essex Arrows by sweeping their double-header at Townmead. Manager Cris Hiche credited a great all-round performance by the pitching staff and the defence for securing 8-4 and 9-5 wins.

The Herts Hawks won 2 games – bouncing back from the previous week’s defeat – while the Herts Raptors claimed their first victory of the season in Single-A thanks to a stellar pitching performance from young Nico Durer. He struck out 9 London Mustangs batters – including the first three he faced!

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.

17 May 201917 May 2019 by Rachel Steinberg

Better know a Falcon: Dennis Grogan

Welcome to Better Know a Falcon, where we get to know a bit more about the team off the field. First up to bat, new signing #50, Dennis Grogan.

When did you start playing baseball? How did you end up here in the UK?

I started playing when I was a kid back in Toronto, Canada, and so I played a few years up in the Northern League. I took a bit of a break and about seven years ago I started again. I played for Birmingham, for Leicester, and this year [Herts] because this was the closest National League team. I’ve played against them in the past and there are some really good people. I thought, OK, I’ll give it a shot, and tried out for the Herts team.

Were you always a pitcher?

No! I only started pitching in the last few years. I just try to throw the ball in the right place, and when someone’s trying to give more complicated signs I’m just kind of standing there, but, no, it’s fun. It’s good to pitch, I do have fun pitching, and I think it’s a key role to help get the team running in the right way for the game.

What do you do when you’re not playing baseball?

I’ve got a wife and three kids. Our eldest lives in Liverpool so we were in Liverpool last weekend for the bank holiday. I [also] have a 20-year-old and a 13-year-old.

Do they play?

No, unfortunately my son played for a little bit, but as kids get older they get girlfriends and start jobs and lose a bit of interest. On the weekends, because he works during the week, he likes spending [time] with his girlfriend.

We’re both Canadian, so we’re both from a country where baseball isn’t the number one sport…

No! Hockey.

Why do you think more British people should pay attention to baseball?

It’s basically two different games, I think, because if you have really great pitching, it’s a pitchers’ duel. Now, some people may find that boring but for me it’s great because the pitchers are really on the game and striking guys out. On the other hand, when it’s a good hitting game and runs are scoring, I think that’s what the British people would like. They like seeing goals and runs and that’s when it’s exciting because there’s all different things to do. A lot of strategy happens within the game as well. So I think, yeah, if they spent some time and looked at the game and watched a few they would get right into it.

So you just joined a new team, and I was just thinking of Vladimir Guerrero Junior who just joined our favourite team [Toronto Blue Jays]. What do you do when you join a new team?

Yeah, joining a new team, most of the time [you] know the [other] players because you’ve played against them for years, but, again, some teams have brand new players as well, so it’s a good mix. You come in, you know a few people, so you kind of gel quite quickly. A lot of guys in the British leagues…everybody knows each other so we’re very welcoming. Even if a new person doesn’t know anybody, they’ll know someone’s life story after the first week.

Is there a Falcon you were especially excited to play with?

That’s a hard question! In particular, actually, one of the new Falcons, Gary [Davison]. I’ve always respected Gary when I’ve played against him. He was always a hard batter to throw to, but he was one of those… it was always a good challenge as well! I think he won most of those challenges. Yeah, it’s good that he’s on my team now, and even though I’m 47 I’m still learning, and he’s a really good player to take some pointers off of.

If you could have a dream coaching session with any professional player, who would it be?

Oh, [former Blue Jays manager] Cito Gaston! Cito Gaston definitely.

Is there a Falcon you want to learn more about? Feel free to tweet me @pygmyslowloris!

17 May 201917 May 2019 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Homeward Bound

The Herts Londoners are preparing for their first home league game at Basing Hill Ballpark in North West London this Sunday. They will face the reigning BBF Triple-A League national champions, Richmond Knights. The two teams already played against each other last month in Richmond and the Londoners caused a major upset by winning both games of that doubleheader.

They have continued their impressive performances and are currently second in the standings, one game back on the Essex Redbacks.

BBF Triple-A League Standings

“We are looking forward to the future of baseball in North West London and are aware of what that means for our club. We need to begin this chapter by playing hard and making this new field our home with winning performances” said Herts Londoners’ manager, Wade Lynch.

Although the work to develop Basing Hill into a high standard baseball venue has only just begun, this first home game for the Herts Londoners represents an important milestone for this project. To mark the occasion London Borough of Barnet Councillor Anne Clarke will be the guest of honour who will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

The ceremonial first pitch is a baseball tradition and it is usually thrown by guests of honour such as Presidents of the United States. Over the years this has also included British dignitaries such as Prince Harry and London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, who threw out the first pitch at MLB games in New York during recent official visits to the US.

This new baseball diamond was opened this year as part of the club’s preparations for the MLB London Series to provide extra capacity to accommodate the growing number of adult and youth participants interested in playing baseball. That interest is expected to be at its peak in the weeks during and after the two MLB games between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees which will be played at the London Stadium on 29-30 June. With no other baseball venues in North West London, residents in this densely-populated region now have the opportunity to come and try baseball and join the Herts baseball teams playing in the British adult and youth leagues.

The pre-game ceremony this Sunday will start at 11:45am and the first game of the doubleheader is at 12pm. Admission is free. The venue currently does not have seating for spectators and fans are advised to bring chairs or other seating. Basing Hill Ballpark address, transport links etc.

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.

13 May 201914 May 2019 by Rob Jones

Homers help the Herts cause

In a big year for the Herts Falcons, recent weeks have been a bit scratchy. But on Sunday, they bounced back to chalk up their second win of the season. Herts’ National Baseball League (NBL) side came from behind to beat the London Capitals in a dramatic game at Grovehill.

The Falcons, sponsored by Regin Products, were trailing 4-1 going into the late innings. 2019 signing Gary Davison had put in a strong pitching performance but the bats needed to deliver.

Then they saw their new slugger Jarrod Pretorius hit a 3-run home run to tie it up, before Dominic Hill added the exclamation point of a walkoff homer. Robbie Smith closed it out with 2 great innings of relief.

Herts competed strongly in Game 2 of the double-header, but ran out 8-6 losers. Tyler Badenhorst got 3 hits, while Marco Pestana clubbed a double.

Manager Cris Hiche was delighted with the effort his players put in. “I could write a book if I mentioned how great everyone played!”, he said. The Falcons are now 2-6 on the year, and next week need to capitalise when facing the Essex Arrows, who are also below .500.

The Herts Londoners continued their hot start in the AAA division, taking Game 1 against the Oxford Kings 5-3 at Grovehill (the Londoners will be moving shortly to their real home at Basing Hill Ballpark).

Manager Wade Lynch pitched a complete game for the win, while adding in a couple of RBIs to help his own cause.

Sebastian Molina also helped provide the offense with 2 hits, as did Chris Gregory. Gregory pitched Game 2 and continued his impressive year with 10 strikeouts and just 6 hits across 7 innings of work.

However, Oxford’s lefty pitcher in the second game was able to bamboozle the Herts bats. Lucas Lebrato drove in the only run and the visitors won 4-1.

The Herts Hawks suffered a rare setback on the road at Richmond in the AA division. Andrew Slater returned to the pitching mound and put in a solid performance, going 5 innings. But then things unravelled.

Hawks’ manager Michael Cresswell acknowledged they had simply run out of pitching, and a big inning did big damage. Herts went down 22-11, despite good hitting from Brian Morgan – who went 4-for-5 — Hunter Devine, and Cresswell himself.

The Hawks are still well positioned, with a 4-1 record. The Guildford Mavericks are up next.

In Single-A, the Herts Eagles were swept at the Essex Redbacks, but still have a lot to be positive about. For the veteran first baseman, Max Trautman, there was his first career home run! It was a towering blast which helped Herts rally in the final inning of Game 1. But it wasn’t enough to prevent a 19-7 defeat.

Adam Porte perhaps got the best contact of the day, smoking a line drive in Game 1. But, in a sign that luck would not fall the way of the underdog, it was snared in the blink of an eye by the Essex pitcher.

Herts bats actually improved in Game 2, with Trevor Clissold continuing his excellent start to the year and Aspi Dimitrov chipping in a double which fell just short of the fence. Rookie players Adam Collins and Louis Verman also got hits – while young Alex Trautman performed well on the mound.

The Redbacks just had too much experience and too deep a hitting lineup for the Eagles, though. Game 2 ended 14-7.