Category: Adult Leagues

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Players now registering for the 2017 Herts baseball…and softball season

The wait is over. Player registration for the 2017 season has commenced.

SOFTBALL

In addition to adult and youth baseball, this year will see the launch of the Herts softball programme. This will enable 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.

There will be four open softball sessions to get the programme started and give as many male and female players the opportunity to give it a try for free.  The first session is at 10am on Sunday, 12 February. These 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 LEAGUES

Herts has already completed the 2017 British Baseball League entry process and will be represented by three teams. The Herts Falcons will be looking to bounce back in the National Baseball League after a season in which they had more losses than wins. Herts Hawks have made the step up to the Double-A League after winning the Single-A National title. The Herts Raptors will be flying the flag in the Single-A League, looking to repeat or even improve on last year’s amazing season in which they reached the playoff quarter finals, eliminating the reigning national champions Tonbridge along the way.

KEY DATES – ADULT TEAMS

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

5 March – Adult teams return to Grovehill Ballpark for the first time in 2017

18 March – Start of the 2017 Herts Spring League

2 April* – Opening Day (National Baseball League)

2-9 April*, Opening Day (Double-A and Single-A Leagues)

May – Start of Midweek Evening Baseball

August-September – 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 LEAGUES

The hard work which the Herts youth teams have put in over the last few years is starting to pay off and it must have felt good for all the players and coaching staff to see the teams do so well in 2016.  They may have fallen at the semi-final stage in the National Baseball Championships, but those games were worthy of being the Finals of the respective age groups.  But the success of the youth programme is not measured only by looking at where the teams finish in the National Championships.  The coaches have built something very special which the players and their families enjoy being part of every week.

The British Baseball Federation has provided preliminary details of a model which they hope to adopt in 2017 which is expected to enhance youth baseball further and make it even more attractive to boys and girls of all ages.  We will keep you updated as more details come out about the upcoming season.

KEY DATES – YOUTH TEAMS

5 February – U17 and U15 players report for first Spring Training indoor session

11 February – U13 and U11 players report for first Spring Training indoor session

March – First session at Grovehill Ballpark for the youth teams

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 2017 HERTS BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL SEASON

Herts Baseball Club has commenced the 2017 member registration process. 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 2017 members by completing this form.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

BBF confirms promotion to Double-A League for Herts Hawks

Herts Baseball Club confirmed that the Herts Hawks have applied for promotion from the Single-A to the Double-A League of British Baseball and that the BBF has approved it.

It may not have the same promotion-clinching scenes that we have become accustomed to when watching English football with pitch invasion by fans and a ride through town in an open-top bus, but this news is just as exciting for Herts Baseball fans.

It comes after a 2016 season in which the Hawks became Single-A National Champions winning every one of their games from start all the way to the Single-A National Playoff Final against Tonbridge – a total of 18 games (15 in the regular season and 3 in the playoffs).

This will not be the first season in the Double-A League for the Hawks. They spent 10 years in Double-A between 2005 and 2014 (in 2005 Double-A was referred to as Division One). There were some triumphant years during that period including 2012 when the team reached the Double-A National Semi-Finals eliminating Southampton and Guildford in the Playoffs before being knocked out in the Semi-Final by a strong Nottingham Rebels side.

Herts Hawks win-loss % in the previous 6 seasons

Will the 18-game winning streak be extended in the Double-A League? It is difficult to predict what we can expect from the Hawks in the third tier of British Baseball this year. Co-Managers Andrew Slater and Greg Bochan have a very calm and diplomatic approach and you will not see them raise their voice during games in any circumstances, but this does not stop them from getting their team fired-up when they have a challenge ahead of them. Regardless of where the team ends up in the standings, the coaching staff and players have a great team spirit and they will enjoy every moment. The most exciting games of 2016 for the Hawks were the come-from-behind wins against the Cambridge Royals on Opening Day and in the Semi-Final against the London Musketeers. Their ability to come from behind will come in handy in the more competitive environment of the Double-A League.

 

by Rob Jones

Watch and Learn, Herts baseball

When my father was a young man, he could sometimes listen to crackly radio commentary of Major League baseball games which would leak from the stations broadcasting on US air bases in Cambridgeshire, writes Rob Jones.

When I was a student, I could watch one televised game each week in the middle of the night on Channel Five.

Now, professional US baseball is far easier to come by. Five’s famous coverage may have gone, but you can find ESPN on your satellite TV easily enough. And I am one of many people who subscribe online to the truly excellent service of MLB.TV.

While it’s not easy to get to watch games in the States, it’s easier and cheaper than it was in my father’s day! Many more Herts players are getting the chance to watch the real deal.

Herts’ Josh Jones at an LA Dodgers game

It’s all massively entertaining. But what can we as lowly British amateurs actually learn from watching these games? Even while sitting in the bleachers or in our armchairs, how can we improve?

The head coach of the GB national baseball team, Liam Carroll, thinks there is a lot that every baseball player can pick up:

“Find as many things you can copy to make you better, your team better!”

And that goes for people filling all sorts of different roles in British baseball: “Look how the dugout is set up at the field; learn how the base coaches position themselves; see what players high five each other for besides wins, home runs and web gems.”

Bruce Bochy photobombs James Dullea

Several Herts players took the chance during the past season to visit professional games and stadiums in the United States, and watch the game played at high levels.

Youth pitcher James Dullea took in not only a Giants-Nationals game — which saw Madison Bumgarner pitch a 2-hit complete game in a 1-0 loss — but also a Charleston Riverdogs Minor League game.

His father Bruce, a former Falcons manager, said it had been a great trip but also educational for young James.

“He noticed that even though some of the minor league guys threw harder than Bumgarner,” said Bruce, “no one could pitch like him.”

Josh Jones of the Under 13s took his Herts cap proudly to an LA Dodgers game; club veteran Paul Auchterlounie and his family took in the Trop in Tampa Bay.

Here’s one of Liam Carroll’s tips to follow when you are at a game:

“Watch the player who plays your position. Follow his every move. Then do the same for the other team’s guy.

What’s the same? What’s different? Who did you prefer to watch? Was there anything you loved? Anything you hated?  What do you need to change to be more like them?”

 

The Auchterlounies in Florida

And there are extra elements you appreciate when you are there, and things are not hidden from you by commercial breaks: “Watch them play catch at every opportunity – between innings, after outs, before the game – and appreciate how well they take care of the baseball.”

But for those confined to these shores, watching on TV and online works, too.

MLB will give you a highlight reel every day on the website, and they will often be breathtaking. Home runs that seem to fly on forever. Fiery pitching which makes you wince. Outfielders getting airborne to make diving grabs.

But on the Herts Twitter feed during the playoffs, we tried to pick out some different things. Instead of plays that you watch and think “How does he do that??”, we wanted plays that would make you think “Hey, I could do that!!”

For example, there were some smart aggressive base-running plays in Toronto’s two series, against Texas and against Cleveland. Any baseball player can choose to run the base paths intelligently.

We loved the Cubs’ Javier Baez starting a double-play against the Dodgers by letting a catchable ball drop and letting LA run themselves into trouble. “Next level instincts” said the commentator — but it simply proved that the game isn’t just about stronger or faster, but about playing smarter.

One of our favourite of these plays was actually from 2015, so New York Mets fans might want to look away now.  Eric Hosmer tying it up for the Kansas City Royals with that mad dash home.

hosmer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hYry9F2QRM

But was it really so “mad”?

The Royals were behind in the game, but were ahead in the Series. The pressure was all on the Mets to hang on to a one-run lead and get the win.

So while Hosmer might’ve been a goat had he been thrown out, he had everything to gain, and New York had everything to lose. So he had calculated risk and reward.

Kansas knew that David Wright was not gunning throws to first, but was throwing softly, because of his broken down body. That gave Hosmer more time. The fact that Wright had fielded a ball which was headed for Wilmer Flores meant there was nobody there to hold Hosmer on.

All of this stuff, situational stuff, stuff that you acquire by having your head in the game, helped Kansas win a World Series. And it is stuff that you can genuinely emulate on a British baseball field, even if you can’t hit a 95mph heater.

Let’s give a last word to GB Baseball Head Coach Liam Carroll:

“Watch the players’ routines; watch their positioning. Watch the communication, both verbal and non-verbal. Remember things that can make your club better, and British baseball better!”

So now is your chance to get ready for the 2017 season with some serious sitting down and watching! Sign up for MLB.TV, or a satellite deal if you’d prefer. Revisit all the clips on the MLB website if you want to hang on to your cash.

And if you want to splash a little extra cash, book your trip to the States. If you’ve already got that booked, then look to see if you can add a bit of baseball to it.

MLB games are pretty easy to get into — each team plays 162 a year, after all! And don’t forget the Minor Leagues, which offer you another chance to get close to the action.

And then be ready to put it all into action next month, when Herts pre-season training begins.

 

by Rob Jones

Brown in the pink: Falcons MVP

It’s hard to imagine a more action-packed baseball year than the one which Conner Brown enjoyed in 2016. But he has capped it all by being voted the MVP of the Herts National Baseball League (NBL) side, the Falcons.

The Falcons finished with a 6-24 record in what was always going to be a rebuilding year. But Conner’s maturing was perhaps the greatest high point for a side built on youth.

According to BBF statistics, the starting catcher ended with a slash line of .386/.460/.591 — leading the team’s regular players. He’s a pretty formidable catcher, too.

But it wasn’t just about numbers and performance. At a young age, Conner has shown leadership on his team, and has been an integral part of the wider club.

Players on the Single-A Raptors have learned a lot from him, and he was not only first draft choice for the post-season Hunlock Series, but a regular player too. Top talent doesn’t always do that.

It’s hard to imagine how he fitted any of it in.

Conner Brown was one of the only British young players selected to the European All Star roster for the MLB Spring Academies Tournament which took place in Barcelona in March.

Next he went on to captain the Great Britain U18’s at the European Junior Championship in Gijon in July. The team achieved its best-ever result, to stay in their group.

Then on to the MLB Elite camp in Germany. Here, Conner worked with coaches including the Hall of Famer, Barry Larkin, and the World Series-winner, Steve Finley.

Want one more milestone? OK. The man from the Falcons was the youngest player on the GB Senior Team at the European Championship in the Netherlands in September.

Conner was even nominated for the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year. Of course, that honour pales into insignificance next to a Herts MVP Award but, hey, we don’t like to brag….

Conner Brown catching in the Herts Hunlock Series

The Falcons year was very much about building on the talented youth which has been developed by Herts over recent years. Carlos Casal, Brodie Caress, and Zack Longboy were all chosen for the GB national team development programme this year.

These guys made great contributions for Herts. Zack picked up his first complete game pitching win in the NBL with a victory over the London Capitals at Grovehill, and went 5-6 at the plate that day.

Tyler Badenhorst made his pitching debut in the road trip to the Capitals in July, as did promising rookie Matt Corran. Will Zucker, who pitched in the Single-A playoffs a few years ago and is now tearing it up in university baseball, kept working with Herts too.

The Falcons manager Lee Manning also worked hard this year helping to oversee the youngest Herts group, the Under-8s. So the focus remains on youth, and nurturing more talent like Conner Brown.

by Rob Jones

Hawks’ Hare hauls in MVP

The Herts Hawks, the national champions of Single-A, have chosen Louis Hare as their Most Valuable Player of 2016.

Louis is a veteran of the Herts club who has contributed to the success of many teams over the years. And he was instrumental in helping this side to an undefeated season, which ended with dramatic playoff victories at Farnham Park.

According to official BBF statistics, Louis was the joint league leader in Home Runs with 3. He also drove in 22 runs and recorded an impressive batting average of .612, putting him among the team leaders.

He also picked up two wins as a pitcher, with 13 strikeouts in 18 innings of work and an ERA of just 3.50. As you can see from our photo, he also had a nice line in celebratory leaps.

As you can imagine, a season which saw the Hawks win every game and then a national title saw plenty of excellent performances.

For example, joint manager Greg Bochan led Single-A pitchers with 4 wins to his name. He was also on the mound for the playoff win over the Raptors, and both games at Farnham Park.

Other sluggers were available, too. Jon Lewys and Gilberto Medina contributed 2 home runs each during the season, with Gil also adding 5 triples.

 

In the playoff finals, the Hawks dramatically came from behind against the London Musketeers in the bottom of the eighth to win their semi-final. They had been dominant all year, but it was an important achievement that they fought back and won when they were tested by an excellent side.

The Hawks showed their power again in the final against the Tonbridge Wildcats. They blasted out to an early lead which they would not surrender.

But they also showed off their defensive abilities, turning a flawlessly professional 5-3-6 double play to end a Tonbridge threat. Gilberto Medina,  Jon Lewys and MVP Louis Hare were in on that one, and its has now been voted the Herts Play of the Year.

The Hawks will now look with optimism to 2017 and see what the season brings.

 

by Rob Jones

MVP at the double: Raptors reap rewards for playoff run

Some races are tight. Some go right down to the wire, and beyond it. And sometimes two deserving winners can’t be separated.

After a year which saw the Herts Raptors reach their greatest ever heights, the players have voted for two team-mates to share the MVP award for 2016 – Matthew Jackson and Michael Cresswell.

Matt Jackson in playoff action

Matt made his first appearances for the Raptors last year, as they came together as a new force in the second half of the season. This year he swiftly became a rock in centre-field, addressing one of the team’s great needs with a series of crucial outfield catches.

His batting also became a potent weapon for the Raptors, and he rose to the the occasion in the playoffs. Matt went 3-for-4 in the visit to Tonbridge, hitting a triple for the first big Herts blow. He hit two more triples in the losing effort against the Hawks.

Enjoyable

For joint manager Michael Cresswell it is his second career MVP award. He helped lead the team to the post-season; batted a rumoured .800; picked up his first career pitching win; and was nominated for play of the year.

Mike has been an increasingly important part of the Herts baseball family since he came on board in 2012. He was MVP of the Herts Raptors in 2014, and Best Pitcher in 2015. But he has called the 2016 season “the most enjoyable ever”.

Michael Cresswell

Voting had to be extended in the MVP race because of the tie, and then had to be extended again. We don’t know the full details, due to intense secrecy, but it’s clear there were heroes a-plenty for voters to choose from in the Raptors year.

It started in May with a visit to the London Musketeers, the beaten semi-finalists in 2015. The Raptors won this one 7-3, and for players schooled in the slugfests of Single-A it was possibly the most high-quality game they’d ever been part of.

The new pitching ace Matt Corran was the hero here, racking up strikeouts after emerging in late 2015 as a force. But Michael Cresswell was crucial on this day, too, earning his Play of the Year nomination for an unassisted double play which snuffed out a London threat at a critical time.

Sparkling shortstop

The season saw more wins, then progressed to Haverhill for an epic victory which showed the renewed fighting spirit in the team as well as the talent.  Matt Jackson polished his reputation for excellent outfield catches in this game, including saving a home run and securing the final out.

Joint manager Paul Barton picked up his first career pitching win in this game, and started 4-for-4 with the bat. He would go on to have another tremendous season in all parts of the field, building on his 2015 MVP win.

In a blowout defeat against Essex in May, young Aaron Witter had started his bid to be a Raptors hero. After a wobbly bit of pitching, he switched to shortstop and sparkled. The managers took immediate notice.

Aaron Witter takes on the Hawks

In a home game against London in July he was the pick as starting shortstop. His first play of the game was a major-league style backhand stop and a powerful throw to nab the runner. Aaron’s hero status would grow in the playoffs, and his contributions throughout the year have earned him the Rookie of the Year Award for the Raptors in 2016.

The team secured their place in the post-season with a win over Essex Archers at Grovehill. Mike Cresswell capped it all with a walk-off, inside the park grand slam home run to secure the 26-11 victory.

OK, so maybe the “official scorer” wouldn’t have chalked it up as a home run. But the “official scorer” doesn’t write stories like this.

And he couldn’t have written the story of the Raptors’ playoff win over the defending Single-A champions, Tonbridge. The fixtures were changed late, with Herts switched to what clearly looked a more daunting tie.

Crucial catch

They were playing away. They had only 9 players. One of them drove more than 200 miles to get there. Another had only just had laser eye surgery.

But Herts won this 23-18, and wrote history.

The youngest guy on the team, Aaron Witter, drove in a fistful of runs and pitched brilliantly for the save in the tensest of circumstances. The oldest regular, Rob Jones, made what was probably the most crucial catch of his life as he secured the second out of the ninth inning with a sliding infield grab.

Cresswell and Barton were again superb, with the latter turning in his finest ever pitching performance. Jim Arnott, who had become an important relief pitcher as well as a constant hitting threat, was masterful. And Jackson again made the final catch, deep in the outfield.

The Raptors’ playoff run ended at the hands of the eventual national champions, the Herts Hawks, in a game which was tight until the Hawks ran away in the sixth. But overall, 2016 has to be recorded as a “win”.

It it was a season in which so many had played a role, too many to mention. Michelle Johnson made a great impact after a long layoff from the club; while Darren Priest was an invaluable clubhouse presence.

But the Raptors have now voted and the men deservedly holding the MVP trophy are Michael Cresswell and Matthew Jackson.

The other Herts adult teams — the Hawks and Falcons — will announce their own awards in the coming days. The club as a whole will also hand out awards for the Play of the Year and the very opposite, the Nob Out Award, given for a moment of baseball-related foolishness.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Can you survive 8 ninth innings in one day?

The games schedule for the 2016 Hunlock Series has been published. All games will adopt the “9th Inning” format where games are decided over one inning only. This format recreates the tension and drama of the ninth inning. The Red Kites open with a 4-game series against the Blue Squirtles, while the Black Hawks will have to wiat until 2:30pm for their first game when they will face the Red Kites.

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 2016 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 2016 Hunlock Series Draft takes place this Thursday, 15 September at 8:00pm. This year the Draft will not be televised but, with social media challenging TV as a media platform, coverage of this year’s Draft will be 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.

Who will be the first Draft pick?

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.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Hunlock Series managers announced. The Draft is at 8pm Thursday, 15 September

We are counting down to the 2016 Hunlock Series Draft which will take place this Thursday, 15 September at 8:00pm. This year the Draft will not be televised but, with social media challenging TV as a media platform, coverage of this year’s Draft will be 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.

Black Hawks, will be managed by Dan Bartram, Hunter Devine and Jon Lewys who are all members of the 2016 Single-A National Champions, Herts Hawks who won all 18 of their games this year. Can they take that winning Hawks team spirit into the Hunlock Series?

Red Kits will be managed by Matthew Jackson who has had an outstanding season with the Herts Raptors this season.

Blue Squirtles will be managed by Will Zucker and Charlie Mayhew. Both of them started their university studies this year and have been heavily involved in the Durham and Loughborough university baseball programmes. How will they approach the Draft? Will they pick the best players regardless of age or will they try to build a team made up of the best young prospects with an eye on next season perhaps?

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 Thursday’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 2016.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Invincible Herts Hawks are Single-A National Champions

Herts Hawks lifted the Single-A National Championship trophy at the weekend to complete a perfect season in which they won all of their 18 games this year. They made their qualification to the postseason look effortless totally dominating their Single-A division in the regular season. However, they needed every last ounce of energy to prevail in the postseason.

The Semi-Final: London Musketeers 4 Herts Hawks 5

Ahead of the Semi-Final against the London Musketeers the Hawks had done their scouting homework largely thanks to the fact that their sister team the Herts Raptors faced them during the regular season. London’s ace pitcher was Billy Atkinson-Warne with a regular season ERA of 2.35 which is unheard-of in the Single-A league. But their success was not only due to pitching. They have been a very strong defensive unit with a potent offence.

The Hawks started with player-manager Greg Bochan on the mound. His win-loss record for the year was 5-0. In the top of the 1st inning it looked like the Hawks were going to strand London’s runners on second and third base with a ground ball which third baseman Jon Lewys fielded cleanly and with a runner approaching him from second base it looked easier to simply tag him than to get the third out at first base. However, with great agility, the runner very cleverly managed to avoid the tag long enough to enable the runner from third base to step on home plate just before Lewys applied the tag to end the inning.

London added two more runs to make the score 3-1 after two innings. With London’s strong defence the Hawks could not afford to concede any more runs. Bochan dug deep and over the next four innings shut down the Musketeers’ offence completely not allowing any runs, with the help of outstanding defence from his teammates including a diving catch by centerfielder Andy Cornish. Cornish also fired up the Hawks’ offence leading off with a single and coming around to reduce London’s lead to 3-2 in the fourth inning.

The game was entering the late innings and with Herts runners being stranded inning-after-inning they decided to take a risk. Sony Lama led-off the 6th inning with a single and went on to steal second and then third base against a strong-armed London catcher who had almost neutralized Herts’ running game up to this point. With Lama on third base, Cornish hit the ball deep for a triple to drive in the tying run. He was now on third with no outs, but pitcher Atkinson-Warne got out of this situation inducing two pop-ups in the infield and a strikeout to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

Atkinson-Warne then took matters into his own hands in the 7th inning getting on base with a single and coming around to score putting the Musketeers in the lead again 4-3. This took the energy out of the Hawks, but only temporarily. They didn’t score any runs in the bottom of the 7th but in the top of the 8th catcher Hunter Devine produced a defensive display which reignited his team. He made two gold glove catches on pop-ups in the enormous foul territory of Farnham Park for the first two outs and followed that with an assist for the third out.

Despite trailing by a run the momentum was back with the Hawks as the game went into the bottom of the penultimate inning. Gilberto Medina singled and stole to put himself on second base. Jon Lewys then showed his power with a double which tied the game 4-4 and brought the noise level from the home bench even higher as Herts players found the top step of the dugout not quite high enough. With 1 out, Lewys advanced to third and came home to give the Hawks the lead for the first time in this game.

This left the Musketeers with just 3 outs to try to respond in the top of the 9th inning. From that point Greg Bochan took control from the mound. He closed the game with a strikeout, groundout and pop-out which he fielded himself to spark the wild celebrations.

The Final: Tonbridge Wildcats 9 Herts Hawks 20

The Hawks were still buzzing after Saturday’s semi-final, and there was an extra edge ahead of the final. A year ago Tonbridge eliminated the Hawks in the Semi-Final and there was a sense of defiance in the team from Herts not to slip up again at the final hurdles.

Both teams had brought a large number of travelling fans to Farnham Park who created the type of atmosphere which players thrive on in the postseason. Among the Herts fans were many former and current players of the club’s other teams, not to mention the Herts fans scattered around the world who were following game updates and posting comments of support thanks to the internet. There were also a large number of Guildford Mavericks and Guildford Millers fans which added to the occasion.

When the starting line-ups were announced it came as a major surprise to see Greg Bochan starting on the mound after having pitched a complete 9-inning game just 24 hours earlier. The Wildcats adopted the same strategy going with Jon Carter who pitched a complete game in the previous day’s Semi-Final win over the Durham Spartans. Usually a starting pitcher would need at least 2 or 3 days rest to recover before they can get on the mound again. But this was the last game of the season so the coaching staff of both teams essentially said to their starting pitchers “you will have the whole winter to rest”.

The Hawks got off the blocks much faster and took charge with a 10-1 lead after just 4 innings. Hits and quality at bats were coming from the top, middle and bottom of their batting lineup. Incredibly Greg Bochan was proving to be very effective despite signs of fatigue even during the pregame warm-up. The defence resumed their service behind him with more outstanding plays including a 5-3-6 double play involving Gilberto Medina, Jon Lewys and Louis Hare. The Hawks added 8 more runs in the 5th inning, but to the Wildcats’ credit they fought back scoring 3 runs in the fifth and 5 in the sixth inning. This wasn’t enough though and at the end the Hawks managed to win it without the nail-biting climax of Saturday’s semi-final.

The win was followed by wild celebrations at Farnham Park which continued late into the evening as the players, coaches and family members gathered for a celebratory dinner in St Albans.

This is the first national title for a Herts senior league team since the Herts Falcons won the club’s only other silverware when they became the Triple-A League National Champions in 2008, so it has been a long wait for Herts baseball fans.

It has been an unforgettable season for the Hawks, but this is not just because of winning the national championship. Co-managers Greg Bochan and Andrew Slater have managed to create such a fantastic atmosphere within the team that the team spirit would have been just as strong if they had lost every game this season. Even for the players who were left on the bench during these playoff games, this was always about being part of something bigger than just individuals playing baseball. There is a strong sense among the members of the team that this is more than just a baseball team and for them this is a second family.

2017 Season

So what’s next for the Herts Hawks? They dominated the League this year. Will they look for a challenge in the higher leagues of British baseball or will they go again in the Single-A League? The reluctance of some of the team members to go up to the Double-A League stems from the large number of double-headers which in this fast-changing world has put pressure on their ability to balance their family, work and baseball lives, but the hope is that the British Baseball Federation will recognize that this change is affecting every team and that a better balance can be struck by increasing the number of single games in the Double-A League.

 

by Rob Jones

Bochan gem, Hawks bats end Raptors dream

The Herts Hawks glittering season was polished further on Sunday by a powerful batting display which took them through to the national finals. They will play in the semis at Farnham Park next weekend in search of the Single-A title.

The downside for the club was that their victims were the Herts Raptors, who saw their own remarkable season come to an end. They had beaten the defending champions, Tonbridge, in their wildcard playoff, but the Hawks had too much for them.

Greg Bochan threw a complete game with 9 K’s

There were showers and clouds over Grovehill as the players prepared for this one. There were ceremonies and photos and good-natured joking. But the prize at stake made this serious for everyone.

The early stages of the game were tight. Co-manager Greg Bochan was on the mound for the home side, the Hawks, who went through the regular season undefeated. The Raptors lead-off man Michael Cresswell got aboard and manufactured an early run. But it was the only one.

The Hawks hit back with four runs, as they showed the power of their lineup. Hunter Devine scored first for them, after narrowly escaping a double play on the bases.

The Raptors defense limited the damage, and they uncorked their own offense in the shape of Matt Jackson. The centre fielder hit a triple, then came home on a pass ball, to cut the deficit.

The first rain delay soon interrupted proceedings. Showers would mix with downpours and only the odd burst of sunshine as the day went on.

Manny Banson at bat in the closing stages of the game

When the game resumed the Raptors took the lead, going up 5-4 by the middle of the third. Their starting pitcher Paul Barton had been keeping the Hawks in check, striking out one and giving up only one walk.

But when Gilberto Medina unloaded on a fast ball which strayed too close to the heart of the plate, it was a sign of what the Hawks could do. The line drive went over the left field fence in a flash and Medina was greeted at home plate by his team-mates.

The Raptors were blanked for the first time in the top of the fourth, and by the end of the inning it was 10-5 to the Hawks. Matt Jackson — who also made a series of crucial catches during the game — then hit his second triple of the day.

The gap narrowed to 10-7, then stretched again to 13-7 with Jon Lewys, Jamie Warren  and Greg Bochan piling up the hits.

Then the rain intervened for a longer delay. Players sheltered under umbrellas in the increasingly muddy dugouts, or under a gazebo which the manufacturer had probably intended to protect from the sun.

Even once the rain stopped, there was a further delay as both sides worked to clear water from the diamond without damaging the playing surface. An impressively careful operation scooped up the water with any available receptacle and cleared it away.

Hawks clear standing water

The Raptors seemed to come out cold from this second stoppage. They went down one-two-three in the inning, with Bochan picking up more strikeouts. He ended the day with 9, and only 2 walks.

The Hawks had made substitutions now, making use of the impressive depth of their bench, and they put the game away. Sonam Lama was 2-for-2 with a pair of runs, Tim Elkins and Matthew Gentry also scored.

The Raptors relief pitchers Jim Arnott and Aaron Witter weren’t able to close it down this time, and a big 12-run inning ended the contest.

Both sides agreed that the final scoreline of 25-7 failed to tell the true story of the ballgame. The Hawks put up the gaudy numbers — two dozen hits, 7 doubles, a home run – but for over 5 innings it was a close contest.

Hawks catcher Ken Pike said it had been a great game, and a shame they had to knock out a sister team. Co-manager Andrew Slater — who couldn’t be at the game — offered congratulations to his players on reaching the finals at Farnham Park for the second year in a row.

For the Raptors, Paul Barton felt the game had gone really well until the sixth inning, when the team was overpowered. Michael Cresswell added that it had been “the most enjoyable season ever”.

Herts Baseball President, Aspi Dimitrov, said it had been a great day for the club, and that everyone was proud of how far the Raptors had progressed against the odds. “We are now willing on the Hawks to go one better than last year, and win the title”.