Category: Adult Leagues

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Vallejo joins Herts just hours before Opening Day registration deadline

Herts has added infielder Joel Aybar Vallejo ahead of Sunday’s Opening Day games.

He is 35 years old and last season played in the Spanish League.

This acquisition happened just a few hours ago and we understand that the Herts coaching staff have not had a chance to assess him yet. They have received some information about the player from various sources but it is fair to say that Vallejo will be as much of an unknown quantity for the Falcons as he will for their opponents this Sunday.

He will certainly add a sense of mystery on Opening Day and something for the fans to look forward to.

SCHEDULE AT GROVEHILL BALLPARK

10:30am, Herts Falcons vs South London Pirates (NBL)
1:00pm, South London Pirates vs Southampton Mustangs (NBL)
1:00pm, Herts Eagles vs London Metros (Triple-A League)
3:30pm, Southampton Mustangs vs Herts Falcons (NBL)
3:30pm, Herts Eagles vs London Metros (Triple-A League)

FOOD AND DRINKS

Apart from five cracking baseball games, fans coming to Grovehill Ballpark this Sunday can look forward to the famous Herts hot dogs as well as many other snacks and drinks. The Herts shop will also be offering Herts, MLB and other baseball merchandise. Admission is free. Click here for directions to Grovehill Ballpark.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

British baseball season commences this Sunday with 5 games at Herts

The waiting is over for British baseball fans. The 2015 league season commences this weekend. The Herts Falcons open their NBL campaign at home with a doubleheader as part of an Opening Day involving three NBL and two Triple-A League teams.

NATIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE

The Falcons will face the South London Pirates in the first game of the day starting at 10:30am. Maikel Azcuy, Robbie Almanzar, Edwin Alcantara and Moises Vasquez are expected to make their Herts debuts. The Pirates media department has been quite during the off season so it is difficult to assess what we can expect from them this season. This may be a ploy to keep their secret weapons up their sleeves. We will have to wait until Opening Day to find out. The Falcons won three of the four meetings between the two teams last year.

At 1pm the Pirates will play the 2014 NBL runners-up Southampton Mustangs and then at 3:30pm the Mustangs and Falcons will meet in what is always a tense clash. During the winter Southampton has strengthened its roster further with the acquisition of Shaun Macey (Australia), Kevin Hightower (USA), Alrey Lorenzo (Cuba) and Piotr Kosiba (Poland). Macey brings over 20 years experience, and was most recently a pitcher for the Auburn Orioles of the NSW Major League. Hightower is a catcher and can also play at first or second base. He spent the last ten years in Florida and Washington DC playing in the MABL. Alrey Lorenzo is a shortstop who previously played for the Southern Nationals. Kosiba is a former member of the Poland National Team. He also has experience playing in Italy, France and Germany.

Falcons centerfielder Cris Hiche hit a home run on Opening Day 12 months ago.  Can he do it again this Sunday? (photo by Richard Lee)

Herts Falcons won two and lost two of their games with the Mustangs last year.  Manager, Lee Manning, will need his players to make a good start if they are to be in the playoff race this year. He is going into the new season in an upbeat mood not only due to the new arrivals but he can also count on the return of players who missed most of 2014 with injuries. The one big setback for the Falcons is the news that shortstop Ryan Hackel, has had an emergency deployment.  The date of his return is not confirmed at this stage.

TRIPLE-A LEAGUE

The Herts Eagles also open their Triple-A league season this Sunday at home. They have the hardest possible start against the London Metros who were runners-up last year. In 2014 the Eagles finished last with a record of 2-16. They will once again go into the season with a team made up predominantly of under-19 and under-17 players who have grown in the club’s youth system. They are now a year older and the newly appointed managerial duo of Arnie Longboy and Jake Caress are going into the season with optimism. In addition, they will be able to count on several more returning experienced players such as pitcher Louis Hare, outfielder Mahendra Prasad, pitcher and infielder Gilberto Median, new signings Gary Ward and Omar Vallenilla among others.

There are seven players in the Eagles roster who are battling to win a place with the GB U19 and U17 National Teams. The biggest challenge for the team would arguably be to survive the weeks when players are called up to the GB national team.

SINGLE-A LEAGUE

The Hawks find themselves in new surroundings as they will make their first appearance in the BBF Single-A League. They are on the road on Opening Day making the trip to the Haverhill Blackjacks who reached the Single-A final in 2013 and 2014 but just missed out on winning the championship on both occasions. This will be a major test for the Hawks and it will give Herts fans a good idea about the team’s chances of reaching the playoffs. The Hawks have lost the services of ace pitchers Nick Russell who transferred to Northampton and Zack Longboy who is now with the Herts Eagles in the Triple-A league. Despite this, the team will not be lacking in the pitching department with Andrew Slater, Greg Bochan, Jim Arnott and Nic Goetz who are all experienced pitchers.

The Herts Raptors will have to wait an extra week for their season opener. They start at home on 19 April against Tonbridge who impressed in the Herts Spring League over the last three weeks.

SCHEDULE AT GROVEHILL BALLPARK

10:30am, Herts Falcons vs South London Pirates (NBL)
1:00pm, South London Pirates vs Southampton Mustangs (NBL)
1:00pm, Herts Eagles vs London Metros (Triple-A League)
3:30pm, Southampton Mustangs vs Herts Falcons (NBL)
3:30pm, Herts Eagles vs London Metros (Triple-A League)

FOOD AND DRINKS

Apart from five cracking baseball games, fans coming to Grovehill Ballpark this Sunday can look forward to the famous Herts hot dogs as well as many other snacks and drinks. The Herts shop will also be offering Herts, MLB and other baseball merchandise. Admission is free. Click here for directions to Grovehill Ballpark.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Arrows, Hawks and Mavericks clinch 2015 HSL titles

Anxious wait for the Guildford Mavericks in the race for the HSL Single-A title

The Essex Arrows won their second HSL Majors title in a row. The Herts Falcons were hoping of overtaking them in the direct clash between the two teams but it was rained out. The London Mammoths took full advantage of this on Saturday beating the Herts Eagles 9-4 which moved them into second place tied with the Falcons. With fewer runs per inning conceded by the Mammoths (Mammoths 0.57 runs per inning and Falcons 1.22 runs per inning) they overtook the Falcons pushing them into third place.

Before the final weekend of the HSL the Herts Hawks had a commanding lead at the top of the HSL Double-A standings with 3 wins and no losses. Only the Haverhill Blackjacks had a mathematical chance of overtaking them. The Herts Raptors were Haverhill’s opponents and they gave their club mates a helping hand with a 8-4 win which confirmed the Herts Hawks as this year’s HSL Double-A Champions.

The umpires have been fantastic once again this HSL. Great effort in tough weather conditions.

The HSL Single-A race went right down to the final game of the competition. The Guildford Mavericks were sitting comfortably in first place at the start of the weekend. The London Musketeers needed two wins to overtake them. They seemed on course after taking a 6-0 lead into the final inning of their game against Kent Mariners, but 8 Kent runs in the final inning derailed the Musketeers’ title hopes. That gave Guildford an even firmer grip on the Single-A title, but as news of Tonbridge beating Haverhill 5-1 came through on Sunday they had to wait anxiously for the score of Tonbridge’s final game. Tonbridge won that game but it was once again those Herts Raptors who played the role of the spoilers as they drove in seven runs in the process which pushed Haverhill’s runs conceded per inning up to 1.43 compared to Guildford Mavericks’ 1.18.

View HSL scoreboard

View HSL standings

With Spring Training completed, British baseball teams up and down the country will hope that this will be their year. The 2015 League Opening Day is this Sunday, 12 April, with five games at Grovehill Ballpark. Follow us on twitter and facebook for a comprehensive coverage of the 2015 baseball season.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

HSL Week 2 Round-up: Hawks and Mavericks still unbeaten in the HSL

Bracknell vs Guildford survived the weather on Sunday but only for a few innings as the next wave of rain came in.

The weather affected some of the Herts Spring League games on Sunday, but those who managed to play their games this weekend took full advantage and we are starting to see the HSL standings take shape.

The Herts Hawks maintained their unbeaten record with a 24-14 win over the Milton Keynes Coyotes. This keeps them top of the HSL Double-A Standings. Similar to the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues in America this is just a Spring Training (pre-season) competition so the standings do not carry that much weight, but for the Hawks their good form is a very positive sign ahead of the new season. They are notoriously slow starters and that has hampered their playoff hopes in the past. Could 2015 be their year?

The London Musketeers bounced back after their loss last week to pick up two good wins against Tonbridge (12-6) and Kent Mariners (13-12). This puts them second in the HSL Single-A standings, half a game behind the Guildford Mavericks who recorded their second HSL win albeit in a game which had to be called early due to bad weather and ground conditions on Sunday.

Tonbridge are a game behind the Mavericks after ending the day with a win over the Kent Mariners who are still in search of their first win. They will have a chance to end their losing streak next Saturday.

The eagerly anticipated clash between the Herts Falcons and the reigning NBL National Champions, Essex Arrows, fell victim to the weather on Sunday. Fans will have to wait until 10 May when the two teams will meet in an NBL doubleheader in Waltham Abbey.

The Metros will be back on Diamond 1 next Sunday to face the Royals

The final round of games in the Herts Spring League will be played next weekend, 4-5 April. The game which stands out is the repeat of the 2014 Triple-A National Final between the Cambridge Royals and the London Metros. The Royals came out on top last year to win the championship. The Metros will be keen to make a point despite that fact that we are still in Spring Training mode.

Apart from the games on Saturday, 4 April, fans can look forward to snacks and refreshments at the Grovehill Ballpark concessions as well as a wide variety of Herts and imported baseball merchandise at the club shop which will be open all day.

View HSL scoreboard and schedule

View HSL standings

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

2011 NBL MVP joins Herts Falcons

Edwin Alcantara with the NBL trophy in 2013

Edwin Alcantara has moved across the county border to join the Herts Falcons from the Essex Arrows with whom he became NBL National Champion last season.

Over the last four seasons Alcantara has been one of the most feared batters in the National Baseball League accumulating 9 home runs and 94 RBI in 290 at bats over that period. He spent his first three seasons in the NBL with the amazing Harlow Nationals winning three consecutive NBL titles between 2011 and 2013. In 2014 he moved to the Essex Arrows and made it four title wins in a row. Can he make it five consecutive NBL national championships in 2015, but this time with the Herts Falcons?

Photocall for Edwin Alcantara (right) and his Arrows teammates alongside Jerry Springer in 2009

2011 stands out as a phenomenal season for him. In that year he became the league’s MVP and won the triple crown, leading in home runs (6), hits (40) and runs batted in (33), as well as batting average (.482) and slugging average (1.086). This is a very rare achievement. We have to go back to 2005 when Simon Pole managed it playing for the London Warriors.

TEAM

SEASON

PA

AB

R

H

2B

3B

HR

RBI

SB

BA

OBA

SLA

Harlow Nationals

2011

89

83

28

40

9

0

6

33

16

0.482

0.506

0.807

Harlow Nationals

2012

84

74

29

25

5

0

2

20

6

0.338

0.405

0.486

Harlow Nationals

2013

72

65

17

24

4

0

0

18

15

0.369

0.431

0.431

Essex Arrows

2014

78

68

20

24

4

1

1

23

5

0.353

0.41

0.485

TOTALS

4

323

290

94

113

22

1

9

94

42

0.390

0.440

0.566

Source: Project COBB

He has maintained his devastating offensive displays in the NBL consistently batting over .330 and slugging over .430 throughout his NBL career.

Edwin Alcantara’s defensive performances have also been recognised with the BBF’s equivalent of an outfield gold glove in 2011 and 2013.

Herts fans will have a chance to see him in the Herts Spring League before the NBL season opener on 12 April at Grovehill Ballpark.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

New signings make debuts on first weekend of the HSL

Mike Osborn was the starting pitcher for the Falcons against the London Metros

The first weekend of Herts Spring League games gave a glimpse of what we can expect from the 2015 British baseball season which commences on 12 April. However, after a hectic winter of players being transferred from one team to another and new players signing up, it is going to be difficult to make an accurate prediction of where teams will end up in the standings of the various league tiers.

The Herts Falcons faced the 2014 Triple-A Runners-up, the London Metros, in their opening HSL game. This was a first opportunity to see new signings Maikel Azcuy, Robbie Almanzar and Moises Vasquez play for Herts, who also fielded several players whose identities they chose not to disclose. The game also saw the return from injury of centerfielder Cris Hiche and pitcher Louis Hare. The Falcons took an early lead and held on to it despite a brave fight back by the Metros to bring the score to 14-11. It was Maikel Azcuy who took the game beyond the Londoners with a 3-run home run in the eighth inning.

In another highly anticipated game, the 2014 NBL Champions, Essex Arrows, faced the Triple-A Champions, Cambridge Royals. In a closely fought game the Arrows won 4-1, but it is becoming evident that the gap between the top tier and the Triple-A is narrowing. The hope is that the BBF will promote more Triple-A teams as part of an overdue expansion of the NBL. In this game Jorge Machado made his debut for the NBL Champions after his move from the Southern Nationals in the offseason.

In their other game the Royals faced the London Mammoths who will be the newest member of the Triple-A League after being awarded promotion by the BBF. The Mammoths will be very pleased with their performance. They held a 3-0 lead after 3 innings. The Royals fought back to win the game 5-4. Later in the day the  Mammoths won 6-2 against Brighton who will also be making their Triple-A debut this year. The team from the South coast fielded a mix of their Triple-A and Single-players but they still managed to defeat the MK Bucks who are always difficult to beat. It didn’t get any easier for the Bucks as they suffered another defeat later in the day against the Essex Arrows.

The Haverhill Blackjacks slugged their way to a victory over the Cambridge Monarchs

In the Double-A division of the HSL the Herts Hawks lead the standings after wins against Tonbridge and London Marauders. Haverhill Blackjacks are half a game behind after their win against the Cambridge Monarchs. In the Single-A division, Guildford are ahead following their exciting 15-13 win over the London Musketeers. Herts Raptors beat Kent Mariners and lost to Tonbridge to put themselves in the group of four teams which are half a game behind the Mavericks.

Click to view HSL scoreboard and schedule

Click to view HSL Standings

The HSL games resume next weekend. The game of the day is expected to be the all-NBL clash between the Essex Arrows and the Herts Falcons at Grovehill Ballpark.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Catcher Omar Vallenilla joins Herts

Omar Vallenilla (left) meeting Carlos Casal, one of many Venezuelans playing for Herts

The club has confirmed that it has added Omar Vallenilla. The 23-year-old comes from Venezuela, where he played for the Capital District team at Under-16 league level.

He has since moved to the United Kingdom and he is looking forward to restarting his baseball career with Herts. Vallenilla is a catcher but can cover other positions.

This is another in the long list of Venezuelan players to wear the Herts uniform over the years.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Tough draw for Herts teams in the BBF Cup First Round

This article first appeared on britishbaseball.org

The BBF has announced further details and first round draws for their new knock-out Cup competitions in 2015 – competitions they hope will add interest to the season and draw fans from different areas to watch games between teams that don’t normally play against each other.

The 2015 BBF Cup will be played as two separate competitions – one in the South for NBL and Triple-A South teams and one in the Midlands and the North for Triple-A and Double-A teams in those regions.

All Cup games will be played over nine innings.

BBF CUP: SOUTH

NBL and Triple-A teams from the South will compete in a knock-out competition held over three rounds followed by a final. Round 1 will be held on Sunday 26 April, and the draw has created the following match-ups:

Herts Falcons at London Metros (11.00 am)

Oxford Kings at London Mammoth (2.30 pm)

Bracknell Blazers at Herts Eagles (1.00 pm)

South London Pirates at Richmond Knights (12.00 pm)

Brighton Bulldogs at Essex Redbacks (12.00 pm)

Quarter-finals will be held on Sunday 21 June when the winners of the first-round matches will then be joined by the top three NBL teams from last season: the champions Essex Arrows plus the London Mets and Southampton Mustangs. Semi-finals will be held on Sunday 9 August, when the quarter-final winners will battle for a place in the BBF Southern Cup final. The final itself will be played on Sunday 20 September, though the venue is still to be decided.

BBF CUP: CENTRAL & NORTH

Meanwhile, a parallel knock-out Cup competition will be held in the Central and North regions, with each club submitting one team into the contest. The first two rounds of play will split into regional pools to minimise travel requirements before the competition hots up at the quarter-final stage with inter-pool play. Teams will be seeded based on league positions last season, with the first round effectively being a wild card match-up between the four lowest-ranked clubs from the North before the remaining teams join in the subsequent rounds. This first round will take place on Sunday 12 April with the following games:

Harrogate Tigers at Bolton Robots of Doom (12.00 pm)

Oldham North Stars at Manchester A’s (12.00 pm)

The winners of these two fixtures will then join Cartmel Valley, Liverpool Trojans, Hull Scorpions, Halton Jaguars, Newton Aycliffe Spartans and Sheffield Bladerunners in the second round scheduled for Sunday 3 May. In the Central pool, second round match-ups featuring Birmingham Bandits, Leicester Blue Sox, Long Eaton Storm, Milton Keynes Bucks, Northants Centurions and Stourbridge Titans will also be scheduled for Sunday 3 May. The reigning Triple-A Champions Cambridge Royals will get a bye in this round and enter at the quarter-final stage. The quarter-finals, to be played on Sunday 23 May, will be an open draw, but each fixture will incorporate a Central v North match-up. Two of the quarter-finals will be hosted by Central teams and two will be hosted by North teams. The winners of each quarter-final will progress to a finals weekend on 6-7 June.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

The Ward Dynasty

Gary Ward (right) working with Maikel Azcuy in Spring Training this month

Herts Baseball Club has just added a second member of the Ward family. British baseball legend Darrin Ward has been a fan-favourite for many years. He is preparing for his eighth season as a Herts player. Herts fans can now look forward to seeing his nephew, Gary Ward, in a Herts jersey.

So far in his career he has played for the Croydon Pirates and the Kent Mariners in the BBF Leagues progressing from Single-A to Triple-A.

He has also played in the British University Baseball Leagues for the University of East Anglia with whom he won the 2009 University Fall Cup, held at Grovehill Ballpark (pictured above, front row first from right to left).

Gary is only 24 and it will be interesting to see how he will progress over the next few seasons. He has looked very good so far in Spring Training and as a switch-hitter he will give Herts coaches extra options to deploy against opponents this season.