Category: Adult Leagues

30 January 2018 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Falcons, Hawks and Raptors go into 2018 with new managers. Club adds 5 new board members.

At its 21st Annual General Meeting, Herts Baseball Club announced the appointment of new managers for all three of its teams competing in the BBF senior leagues, as well as a large number of appointments in the youth baseball department.

HERTS FALCONS
Cris Hiche (pictured above) takes over from Lee Manning as the Manager of the club’s first team, the Herts Falcons, who play in the National Baseball League, which is Britain’s top baseball league tier. Hiche has been a key member of the team since 2012. In 2016 he spent a season playing in the Austrian Bundesliga, but came back to rejoin Herts in 2017. He has now set ambitious goals for the team to go back to challenging for the NBL title.

HERTS HAWKS
The club’s second team, the Herts Hawks, will also have a new manager. Michael Cresswell takes over from Andrew Slater and Greg Bochan. The team reached the playoffs in its first year back in Double-A last year so Cresswell will inherit a very capable squad. Cresswell previously managed the Herts Raptors. He took the team to the playoffs in 2016 eliminating the reigning Single-A Champions in the quarter-finals.

HERTS RAPTORS
Matt Jackson has had outstanding performances playing for the Herts Raptors since 2015 which was recognized with him being voted Most Valuable Player in 2016, an award he shared with Michael Cresswell. Jackson will now take the Raptors managerial seat in 2018 from Paul Barton. It is considered to be the most challenging team to manage as the role involves trying to find the balance between competing in an ever-improving Single-A League and at the same time creating the right environment to develop new players, some of whom are completely new to the sport of baseball. But for those who enjoy this type of challenge it can be the most rewarding managerial role at the club.

YOUTH BASEBALL TEAMS
Lee Manning makes the move from managing the Falcons to heading the club’s youth baseball programme. He will be working alongside the team managers of the club’s various youth age groups, who have also joined the board – Duane Badenhorst (Under-15), Dana Myzer (Under-13), Andrew Fulford (Under-11), John Kjorstad and Lee Manning as joint Under-8 Managers.

BOARD MEMBERS
In total the club has added 5 new board members and this is expected to bring new energy to the club’s front office. Two board positions are still vacant – Club Secretary and Facilities Manager. The club is also looking to fill the Softball Manager position which is a non-board position. Those interested in taking on these roles or to receive more information can contact the club.

2017 AWARDS
At the AGM the Club also announced the winners of the 2017 awards.

MVP, Herts Falcons – Tyler Badenhorst
MVP, Herts Hawks – Louis Hare
MVP, Herts Raptors – Tom Carson
MVP, Herts Red Kites U17 – Tyler Badenhorst
MVP, Herts U13 – Josh Badenhorst
MVP, Herts U11 – Ben Myzer
MVP, Herts U8 – Daniel Heal
Play of the Year – Robert Smith (for his stellar relief appearance in the playoffs)
Nob-Out Award – Aspi Dimitrov (for the walk-off that went wrong)

SPRING TRAINING – OPEN SESSIONS
With the club’s front office ready to go, attention now turns to Spring Training which commences this Sunday, 4 February, for the adult and youth baseball teams while softball Spring Training starts on 18 February. These are open sessions, making them an ideal opportunity for men and women, boys and girls of all ages to come and try baseball and softball.

6 January 2018 by Rob Jones

Bigger and better: the baseball year at Herts

2017 was a year which saw Herts add new elements to its already impressive array of sporting possibilities. There was the arrival of softball, the development of a Rec League, and a new summer tournament which we hope will become a regular fixture. So, as the club prepares for next week’s AGM to start planning 2018, let’s look back over 2017.

The Herts Hawks led the way again for the club in the BBF leagues. After winning it all unbeaten in Single-A in 2016, they stepped up a division and continued on a tear.

Last year’s sluggers Gilberto Medina and Jon Lewys were still on board. The team had also been strengthened by the arrival of Michael Cresswell from the Raptors, and Ernie and EJ Ayala, a father and son combination well known in British baseball circles but new to Herts.

The Hawks kicked off with a 21-9 victory at Farnham Park against the Daws Hill Spitfires, the defending champions of Double-A. They survived a fightback to beat the Richmond Dragons, then extended the winning streak further by beating the London Marauders.

The run of victories was at 23 when they faced off against the East London Latin Boys, who were also undefeated on the season at that point and were leading the league. Herts took the first game of a double header, but then lost 14-8, their first defeat since September 2015.

Latin Boys and Sidewinders were the only sides to get the better of the Hawks in the regular season, and they qualified for the playoffs with a 17-4 record. There they faced their old rivals the Tonbridge Wildcats. They went down 11-7, beaten with both bat and ball by the Tonbridge phenom Christian Sacareanu.

In the top division, the National Baseball League (NBL), the Herts Falcons were bolstered by the return of Cris Hiche from a season playing ball in Austria — and by the late addition of former national champion Jarrod Pretorius.

They started the season with a sweep of the Brighton Jets, powered by home runs from Pretorius and Darren Meintjes. There was an early bump in the road with a controversial incident in the game at the Southampton Mustangs – which remains unresolved — then struggles for form and quality.

There were further wins over the London Capitals and Brighton, but the season high point was a hard-fought 5-2 victory over Southampton in July. Zack Longboy took the win, a complete game four-hitter. The Falcons continued to blood their young talent throughout the year, ending with a record of 7-19.

The Herts Single-A team, the Raptors, narrowly missed the playoffs. They were quick out of the blocks, with 2 wins out of their first 3. One of a raft of talented rookies, Ben Sinclair, made his mark with 2 home runs and a triple in the victory over the Old Timers.

The team came close against quality opponents such as London and Cambridge, but suffered a run of defeats to put them in a hole. Luckily for team spirit, the trip to Norwich to get hammered by the eventual champions was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone!

Veterans such as Ken Pike and John Kjorstad – added to improving newcomers Tom Carson and James Emblow – helped the Raptors fight back in the late summer. A nail-biting win against the Essex Archers was a highlight.

The playoffs were still an option as they faced the 11-2 Guildford Millers at Grovehill in their final game. The occasion got the close, quality contest it deserved, and just one run separated the teams as late as the sixth inning. The Millers went on to win 15-13, holding off a strong Herts rally. Raptors ended the season 7-7, the second consecutive year at .500 or above.

Youth baseball continued to flourish at Grovehill, the Herts Red Kites (Under-17s) having another strong season under the tutelage of Andrew Fulford. The developing core of players not only won games, but played the game the right way. That was honoured at the National Baseball Championships, where they won the sportsmanship award.

The Red Kites also won the inaugural Kal Cup which was played in August in memory of our friend and team-mate Kal Dimitrov who died suddenly in 2015. Many former Herts players came out of retirement to compete as Kal’s Knights, while the Essex Archers also joined us for the event. Falcons manager Lee Manning, who served as Commissioner, said Herts hoped to make the Cup an annual event.

The Herts youth movement also saw a successful year for the Under-13s, and leaps and bounds of improvements for the Under-11s, where many any of the players were still new to baseball in the Spring. They performed well in games against Brighton, Guildford and Forest Glade, and were able to start winning by the year’s end. U-11 Coach Dana Myzer said they had matured, grasped the game, and became better sportsmen and team-mates.

There was also continued growth for the Under-8 programme – these guys and girls had more fun than anyone when they got to practice sliding into the bases!!

And all of these age groups took part in the Herts Futures Tournament in September. 17 teams, featuring some 200 players and coaches, were involved. There were wins for the Red Kites, for London Sports, Brighton and the London Mets – but most importantly everyone had a good time.

Softball was part of the Herts stable of sport this year for the first time. Tireless efforts by Mark Caress and others saw the first indoor sessions in the Spring, which attracted dozens of people.

The Buzzards played their first tournament in May at Farnham Park and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. There were also games during the summer in a Milton Keynes league.

The final major addition — of what seems like a long list this year! – was the Rec League at Grovehill on summer Saturdays. This gave players the chance to show up when they could, for a time-limited game in a relaxed atmosphere. Cris Hiche helped drive the idea, which was ideal for new players wanting to try the sport of baseball without a big commitment, but also good for existing and past members who could now keep in touch.

2017 ended in traditional fashion with the Hunlock Series, in which every Herts player from every level — as well as newcomers and anyone from across the baseball community — gets drafted into new teams for a tournament.

It’s always a blast, with games just one inning long to recreate the drama of the ninth over and over again. The Blue Rockers came from nowhere to win the closest contest in history.

Fortunately, by the time the memories of a sun-kissed Grovehill fade away, the prospect of new baseball starts to appear. Herts will be running a range of adult and youth teams this year, and members are already registering. See you on the diamond!

29 December 201729 December 2017 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Adult and youth players now registering for the 2018 Herts baseball and softball season

The wait is over. Player registration for the 2018 season has commenced.

SOFTBALL

In 2017 Herts Baseball Club launched its softball programme which has enabled the club to offer playing opportunities to a much wider audience and to women in particular. Slowpitch Softball is the more recreational version of the game, which is equally appealing to male and female players. Softball is a social and enjoyable game that’s easy to learn and play, even for people who are not “athletes” or don’t have much experience of team sports. The fact that men and women play together in the same team and on an equal level gives the sport a social buzz.

The first Spring Training session for the softball players is at 10am on Sunday, 18 February. The first few sessions will be held indoors at the modern sports facilities of John F Kennedy School in Hemel Hempstead. All equipment will be provided so anyone aged 14 and over can come and enjoy the day, meet new friends and try a new sport. For more details about the Herts Softball Programme click here. If you are interested to come and try softball at any of the upcoming open sessions contact us and we will provide you with full details and add you to our mailing list.

ADULT BASEBALL LEAGUES

Last season three Herts teams entered the BBF senior baseball leagues. The next two weeks will be critical to see how many players will register to play for Herts in 2018 and on the basis of this the club will decide how many teams to enter before the 16 January league entry deadline. The club was close to entering four teams last season. How many will they enter this year?

KEY DATES – ADULT TEAMS

4 February – Adult team players report for first Spring Training indoor session

4 March – Adult teams return to Grovehill Ballpark for the first time in 2018

17 March – Start of the 2018 Herts Spring League (subject to confirmation of the BBF League Opening Day)*

8 April* – BBF League Opening Day (subject to confirmation)

May – Start of Midweek Evening Baseball

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 LEAGUES

The British Baseball Federation launched the Super League in 2017. It enhanced the youth baseball regular season and it is expected to be even more exciting in 2018. Many of our youth players will be moving up to the next age group to face a different challenge in 2018. They will be joined by the new players who are joining the club every week. The Herts youth teams welcome boys and girls aged between 4 and 16 from complete beginners to experienced players.

KEY DATES – YOUTH TEAMS

4 February – U17, U15, U13 and U11 players report for first Spring Training indoor session

March – First session at Grovehill Ballpark for the youth teams

April – U8 players report for their first session

April – U17, U15, U13, U12, U8 Season Opening Day

June – Little League UK Qualifiers (U17, U15, U13, U11)

July-August – Little League Europe Qualifier (Poland or Italy) and World Series (USA) (subject to qualification)

September – National Youth Baseball Championships (U17, U15, U13, U11)

September – Herts Futures Tournament (U17, U15, U13, U11, U8)

HOW TO REGISTER FOR THE 2018 HERTS BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL SEASON

Herts Baseball Club has commenced the 2018 registration process for adult and youth members. For those who already have a Herts Online Club House 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 and do not have an online account will be able to register as members by completing this form.

10 November 201710 November 2017 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Falcons, Hawks and U13 teams begin search for new managers

With its annual general meeting approaching, Herts Baseball Club has confirmed that the managers of the Herts Falcons, Herts Hawks and Herts Under-13 teams will be stepping down. This will mark the end of an era for those teams and the start of the search for managers to lead these teams in 2018 and beyond.

Lee Manning has served as manager of the Herts Falcons since 2011. During that period he led the team to a NBL runner-up place in 2012 and 2013 just missing out on winning the NBL Championship against the Harlow Nationals in the Final on both occasions. This in fact was his second spell as manager of the club’s first team. His first spell was between 2004 and 2006 when he won promotion from the third tier of British Baseball to the second tier which at the time was referred to as the BBF Premier League, later renamed the BBF Triple-A League. Manning is hoping to continue his involvement in the club with focus on the youth baseball programme which he has been involved in since he founded it in 2007 together with Marty Cullen.

Andrew Slater and Greg Bochan have been the co-managers of the Herts Hawks, the club’s second team, since 2015. Bochan was first appointed as Hawks manager in 2009. In 2011 he was joined by Andy Cornish to share the role as co-managers until 2014. In the nine years since Bochan was first appointed, he and his co-managers Cornish and Slater managed to build fantastic camaraderie within the team, and it has given its members many moments which they will remember fondly. Regardless of whether the team had a winning average of .250 as was the case in 2011, or the 1.000 Single-A championship-winning season of 2016, the most important measure of success for the team has been the enjoyable, friendly atmosphere and sportsmanship on and off the field. At the recent end of year dinner (pictured above) the team expressed its gratitude to the three co-managers who built this team over the previous 9 seasons. The Hawks co-managers said that they would not be surprised if they return to managing the team in the future. They of course look forward to continuing to play for the club in 2018.

Mike Wakelam will be stepping down as Herts U13 Manager and Head of Youth Baseball. In 2009 he happened to be at the Northwick Park baseball centre when Herts were running an exhibition event there and he decided to join the club. He went on to play for the Herts Eagles in the Triple-A League and also for the Falcons in the NBL. In 2010 he became the manager of the Herts Under-11 team and later became the Under-13 manager. In 2017 Wakelam’s workload increased further as he joined the Board as the club’s Head of Youth Baseball. Over the last two years he was instrumental in restructuring the youth baseball regular season in an effort to increase the number of games played by the club’s youth teams which had been starved of games after the British Baseball Federation stopped running youth baseball leagues a few years ago. This has now been turned around and the BBF Super League was launched in 2017. Mike Wakelam is expected to remain involved in a playing capacity and he is likely to receive many calls from coaches after impressive displays in this year’s Hunlock Series.

Herts Baseball Club will shortly be announcing details of its Annual General Meeting which will include information for candidates which may be interested to put their names forward for these and other managerial and board positions which are being vacated.

9 October 201710 October 2017 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Premature celebrations cost Rockers a win versus Hunlock Series leaders

Ahead of the third week of the Hunlock Series the Red Kites and Blue Rockers had a mountain to climb to catch up with the Black Barracudas who had a commanding lead in the standings. By Sunday evening both teams managed to close that gap to set up an exciting finale next Sunday, 15 October.

To start the day the reigning Hunlock Series champions, Red Kites, edged the Blue Rockers with two wins, one loss and a tie in the four games between the two teams.

All the players seem to up their game when Conner Brown is in town (photo by Rob Jones)

The Blue Rockers then bounced back with much better performances in the next four games against the Black Barracudas picking up one win, two ties and a loss, thanks to dominant performances by Conner Brown and Cris Hiche. They worked together well as pitcher and catcher, swapping their positions halfway through those games.

IN BASEBALL YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHEN AND HOW TO CELEBRATE

The Blue Rockers’ would have had an even better record at the end of the day if it wasn’t for a strange case of premature celebration of a walk-off win which ended up costing them dearly. In the bottom of the last inning with the score tied and the bases loaded, Dany Bueno had a good at bat against ace pitcher Mike Wakelam and was rewarded by getting on base on a hit-by-pitch. This gave his team a walk-off win as that hit-by-pitch meant that all the runners advanced one base and the runner on third base came in to score the winning run. The runner on first base was Aspi Dimitrov and as he started running towards the dugout and high-fiving Dany Bueno to congratulate him on earning his team a win everything seemed normal, until the loud voice of plate umpire, Darrin Muller, was suddenly heard saying “Batter is out. Run does not score”. There could be no argument that the hit-by-pitch was a game-winning and game-ending play, but under the rules the game is not over until the batter physically steps on first base. Bueno was on his way to step on first base but the runner ahead of him on first base ended up behind the batter violating the rule that a runner cannot overtake the runner ahead of them.

Whether it was the fact that the Hunlock Series has the fast-paced format and Dimitrov was going towards the dugout to quickly get set for the next inning, or perhaps the fact that time was called by the umpire as soon as the batter was hit by the pitch, this may have contributed to what occurred, but the rules of the game have to be observed. It must be said that many umpires may have missed this fine technical detail, but on this occasion the game was umpired by the most experienced and best umpire in the UK. Blue Rockers pitcher Cris Hiche spent a long time hoping to find something in the rulebook which would bring the win back for the Rockers. For example, does the fact that time was called when the batter was hit by the pitch have an effect on the ruling? Unfortunately for the Blue Rockers not even OJ Simpson’s legal team could get them out of this one.

MEMORIES OF 1999 NLCS

Over 2,430 games of baseball, plus the postseason, are played in MLB every year, but we don’t see this occur very often. The MLB incident which comes closest is the so called “Grand Slam Single” by Robin Ventura for the New York Mets in the 1999 National League Championship Series. The Atlanta Braves had a 3–2 lead going into the bottom of the 15th inning. The Mets loaded the bases against Braves relief pitcher Kevin McGlinchy. Mets catcher Todd Pratt drew a bases loaded walk, tying the score 3–3. The next batter was Mets third baseman Robin Ventura with the bases still loaded. Ventura crushed the 2–1 pitch over the wall in right-center for a grand slam, winning the game for the Mets and driving the Mets players and fans into a frenzied celebration. Ventura, however, never reached second base as Todd Pratt, the runner who was on first, picked up Ventura in celebration.

Subsequently, Ventura was mobbed by his teammates, never finishing his trot around the bases. Because he failed to touch all four bases, the hit was officially scored a single. Roger Cedeño, the runner on third at the time, was ruled the only runner to have crossed home plate before the on-field celebration began and the Mets were awarded a 4–3 victory. Thus, Ventura was only credited with a single and one RBI.

After this incident, we can say with certainty that Herts teams will be celebrating walk-off wins very carefully when the 2018 British baseball league season begins.

SERIES NICELY POISED FOR FINAL WEEK

Anyway, to wrap-up week 3 of the Hunlock Series, Red Kites ended the day with 2 wins and two ties against the Black Barracudas and as a result they stand just one game back in the standings ahead of the final round of games on Sunday, 15 October. Blue Rockers are also in contention just 3.5 games back with 8 games to play.

It is not too late to play in these games. Free agents players, experienced or complete beginners, can contact us for details how to take part.

21 September 201721 September 2017 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Can you survive 8 ninth innings in one day?

The games schedule for the 2017 Hunlock Series has been published. All games will adopt the “9th Inning” format where games are decided over a single inning only. This format recreates the tension and drama of the ninth inning. The Red Kites open with a 4-game series against the Black Barracudas, while the Blue Rockers will have to wait until 2:30pm for their first game when they will face the Barracudas.

The Hunlock Series Rules have also been published and they include the following regulations which apply to the “9th Inning” format.

• The batting order of each team remains unchanged for the duration of the day unless a substitution is made.

• A substituted player cannot re-enter the same game, however that player can re-enter a subsequent game.

• The batter who was next to bat upon completion of the previous game will be the first batter in the next game with the rest of the batting lineup coming up to bat in order.

What is also noticeable from the schedule is that the home team alternates over the course of the 4-game series which implies that the fielding team in the bottom of the inning will remain on the field in the top of the inning of the subsequent game. This scheduling approach was adopted in previous years and it sped-up the games enormously as there was no need for teams to go in and out of the field. There even was no need for warm-up pitches as the pitchers were ready. The downside is that a pitcher will need to stay on the mound for 6 outs without a break as opposed to the usual 3 outs, which could mean twice as many pitches thrown in an inning. This is where the defence can really help pitchers, by minimising errors and not adding to the pitcher’s pitch count.

Over the course of the Series each team will play a total of 24 games, 12 games against each of their opponents. The team finishing top of the league standings will be the 2017 Hunlock Series Champion.

The other rules which differ from what teams are used to in the BBF leagues are:

• Pitching Restrictions. A player can appear as a pitcher in one, two or more games per day, but no player shall accumulate more than 3 innings (9 outs) as a pitcher over the course of the day. It is the responsibility of the opposing team to inform the umpire when a pitcher reaches the limit. Managers must inform opponents of the number of innings pitched by each of their pitchers during the day prior to the start of each game.

• No Mercy Rule will be in force.

• If the game is tied after completion of the final inning, each team is awarded half a win and half a loss in the standings.

The 2017 Hunlock Series Draft took place on Wednesday night. See more details here.

If you have not signed up to play in the Hunlock Series, it is not too late. Contact Herts Baseball Club for details on how to sign up.

21 September 201721 September 2017 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Badenhorst, Brown and Hare are the first round picks

The 2017 Hunlock Series Draft was completed a few hours ago. The managers of the teams had a plethora of talent to choose from with 60 players drafted over 20 rounds.

THE FIRST ROUND PICKS

On a toss of a coin Black Barracudas had the first pick. Manager, Duane Badenhorst, selected Herts Falcons starting pitcher, Tyler Badenhorst. Despite being only 16 he has been one of the stars for the Falcons in the NBL this season so he was among the favorites to be picked first in an online poll which was running prior to the Draft.

Next up was the turn of the Blue Rockers. With their first pick they selected Great Britain and Cologne Cardinals catcher, Conner Brown. Brown was also picked in the first round last year. He has just completed his season in the Bundesliga and everyone at the club is looking forward to seeing him back at Grovehill Ballpark, although opponent players from the Red and Black team, less so.

Next it was the turn of reigning Hunlock Series Champions, the Red Kites, to make their first pick. Manager Matt Jackson selected Herts Hawks pitcher and infielder Louis Hare. Over the years hare has been a leader at every team that he has played for so this is seen as a very shrewd move by Jackson.

FREE AGENTS AND TRADES

The full team rosters determined at last night’s draft are shown here. As more players sign up to play they will be able to join the teams as free agents. We will keep you updated about free agent signings and trades over the course of the Series.

New players aged 14 or above, regardless of whether they are members of Herts or another club, can be added to the teams at any point. To be added to the teams or for more details contact Herts Baseball Club.

OPENING DAY

The Series commence on Sunday, 24 September. The first games start at 1:00pm at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead. Admission is free. For complete Series schedule click here.

19 September 201719 September 2017 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Hunlock Series managers announced. The Draft is at 8pm Wednesday, 20 September

We are counting down to the 2017 Hunlock Series Draft which will take place this Wednesday, 20 September at 8:00pm. This year the Draft will not be televised, but there will be coverage via Facebook. It will enable participants to interact more easily as the managers make their picks. For more details follow Herts Baseball Club on facebook.

Three teams enter this year’s competition and the managerial appointments have just been announced.

Last year’s winners, the Red Kites, are back with their manager Matt Jackson who will be looking to retain the title.

The Black Barracudas, will be managed by Duane Badenhorst, who this season has had the opportunity to evaluate a vast number of players at all league levels from the NBL and Double-A League to the Under-17 League, which is expected to give his team a considerable advantage.

The Blue Rockers will be managed by Rich Brown who needs no introduction. Wherever there is baseball, be it Grovehill Ballpark, Farnham Park or BSUK Academy, you will find Rich there. Last season the Blue team finished in last place but all teams start with a blank roster sheet looking to build a wining team during the Draft.

Fans will see some new faces in the Hunlock Series this year who have joined the club in the last few weeks, so there will be an element of surprise in Wednesday’s Draft. Some of them may be new to Herts fans but they are not new to the game. The Hunlock Series could be a glimpse at some of the new players who will be wearing the Herts uniform for the first time in 2017.

HOW TO REGISTER

Existing Herts players are currently registering ahead of the Draft by simply updating their availability in the online Clubhouse. New players and players from other clubs can also sign up by contacting Herts Baseball Club.

There has already been interest from non-Herts players located in other regions of the United Kingdom and overseas. They are all welcome to sign up and play in these games.

To be eligible for selection during the Draft, players must register and enter their availability details online by 7pm on Wednesday, 20 September. If you miss this Draft deadline, don’t worry. Players would still be eligible to play but would be added to teams as free agents. To be eligible to play in the Hunlock Series, players must be 14 years of age or above on 31 December 2017.

12 September 2017 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Players have started registering for the 2017 Hunlock Series

The 2017 BBF league season is done and dusted, but the best part of the season for everyone connected with Herts Baseball Club is still to come.

Every year, just when the MLB season enters its most exciting stage, players come to Grovehill Ballpark for a competition in memory of Herts Baseball Club’s number 36, the late Kyle Hunlock.

This is the twelfth year of the Hunlock Series. In its inaugural year in 2006 two teams were involved, the Falcons and the Hawks. Herts Baseball Club has been growing rapidly since then and the format of the competition has evolved. As players sign up over the next few weeks we will know how many teams will enter the Series this year.

SERIES FORMAT

This year’s competition will be played over three Sundays. The opening games will be played on Sunday, 24 September. The second round of games will take place on Sunday, 1 October, with the final round scheduled for Sunday, 8 October. If weather conditions affect the first three weeks, 15 October is available as a backup date.

In 2014 we introduced “The 9th Inning Games” where games are played over a single inning. We will be doing this again this year. This format recreates the tension and drama of the ninth inning. Can the teams manufacture the all important go-ahead run? Can they deliver the walk-off hits? Can the pitchers and defence execute with the game on the line?

THE DRAFT

As in previous years, the teams will be selected by the team managers during the Hunlock Series Draft. Who will be the first round picks? How will minor league players perform alongside NBL players?

Over the years we have seen how decisions made during the Draft can shape the outcome of the Series before a pitch has been thrown. The managers will have to make carefully calculated decisions if they are to put together a team which can compete for the Hunlock Series title, otherwise they face miserable few weeks.

With all of the club’s managers and coaching staff observing these games, players who have been pushing for promotion to a higher league team will have the perfect opportunity during the Hunlock Series to make a claim to play on the bigger stage in 2018. The club has also received enquiries from many potential new members over the last few weeks and this event is the ideal opportunity for them to come and play.

HOW TO REGISTER

There has already been interest from non-Herts players located in other regions of the United Kingdom and overseas. They are all welcome to sign up and play in these games. Just like last year, the Hunlock Series could provide a glimpse at new players who could be wearing the Herts jersey next season.

To be eligible for selection during the Draft, players must register and enter their availability details online by 7pm on Monday, 18 September. If you miss this Draft deadline, don’t worry. Players would still be eligible to play but would be added to teams as free agents. To be eligible to play in the Hunlock Series, players must be 14 years of age or above on 31 December 2017.

21 August 201722 August 2017 by Rob Jones

Raptors fall with the last gasp; Hawks end on a high

The Herts Raptors hosted the Guildford Millers on the last day of the regular season in Single-A. The permutations for playoff qualification were fiendishly complicated. But they all boiled down to this — the Raptors had to win to stand a chance.

Guildford had already booked their place in the postseason. They had an 11-2 record so far, and would pose a serious challenge for the home team.

Although the game was being played at Grovehill, Herts were the away side, so they batted first. Three walks from the top three batters made the start look promising.

But the Millers’ starting pitcher, Lewis Bawden – one of the cadre of young pitching talents at Guildford, who had given Herts trouble the previous month when he turned out for the Gold Cats — fought back. He struck out two, and got the last out with a fly ball to right field.

Herts manager Paul Barton got the first hit of the day and the bases were loaded up again in the second. But the Raptors pushed only one run across before a base running error — a failure to tag from third – ended the threat.

Fortunately, Barton’s pitching and the Herts defense were keeping Guildford off the scoreboard. The manager dramatically recovered from a missed catch to get the final out of the first inning, and left fielder Ben Sinclair helped sit down two Millers in the second.

Sinclair added on another Herts run in the third, before third baseman Tom Carson took his turn at defensive highlights in the bottom of the frame. A smooth grab and throw which Manny Machado would have been proud of stopped a bouncing drive getting through; then he caught a sharply hit liner.

It was 2-0 to Herts after three.

The tight game faltered a little in the fourth, as the Millers were suddenly able to do some damage. They scored five runs to take the lead, and even added on an inside the park home run later.

But the Raptors chipped back into that lead consistently, and the game stayed tight. Paul Auchterlounie scored in the fifth, shortstop Rob Jones in the sixth. It was then 5-4 to the Millers.

Ken Pike gives it his best “catalogue model” look

Auchterlounie was in the game to relieve Barton by now, and was giving another strong outing on the mound. But the Millers extended their lead to 12-5 by the end of the seventh. The Herts defense wasn’t able to keep the visitors in check as effectively as they had in the first half of the game.

One notable exception was a supremely nonchalant over the shoulder catch by Raptors second baseman, James Emblow. Guildford had seen several of their bloop hits fall in the gap between infield and outfield, but when all seemed lost, Emblow snagged this one and ended an inning.

Herts hung tough against Guildford’s hard-throwing relief pitcher, working patient walks and making some good contact. The bats were more alive than they had been at the start. Jones scored, and catcher Ken Pike, and in all four runs scored in the eighth.

Come the top of the ninth it was 15-9 Guildford, though, and the Raptors needed a big rally. The chance to keep the playoff dream alive came down to this.

And Herts gave it a real shot. They went though virtually the entire order, with Pike and Carson both getting hits and scoring. First baseman Giuseppe Basilea and James Emblow both got their best hits of the day.

But Guildford did enough defensively to limit the damage. The final out was a fly to right, with the tying run on base. It was the Millers who got to celebrate, winning 15-13.

The Raptors end the year with a 7-7 record, a particularly excellent outcome as they were 2-5 at one point. They ran several good teams mighty close — not only the Millers but also London and the Cambridge monarchs. Rookie players had improved in leaps and bounds.

Earlier in the day, the Herts Hawks had played their last regular season game in the Double-A league. And in typical fashion, they ended it not with a full stop but an exclamation mark.

They scored 11 runs in the first inning against the visiting Southampton Mustangs. Joint manager Andrew Slater was on the mound, and had his unique pitching mojo working.

The Mustangs’ bats hit back quickly, with 4 runs of their own in the second. But — even with the help of the former Herts legend Kimiyoshi Saionji, who now wears a Southampton uniform – they could not find a way back.

The scoring did calm down a bit. The Hawks were actually held without a run in the second.

But by the fifth, it had advanced to 18-5, and Herts needed 2 more to secure a mercy rule win. They duly delivered, to secure a 20-5 victory.

Slater took the win, his sixth of the season. Jon Lewys and Gilberto Medina each drove in three runs, while Sonam Lama got three hits.

The Hawks had already qualified for the playoffs. They are seeded fourth out of nine teams, and will travel to Richmond to take on the Dragons in their first round game on September 3rd.