Category: Raptors

by Matt Bell

September blues? Not this time.

 

Raptors celebrate making post season
The Herts Raptors celebrated a successful season despite losing their last game.

By Ken Pike

Well that’s it, another season said and done for the Raptors. Time to pack our backs, go home for a long off-season and chill ou….wait…what? Finals? Funny guy, pull the other one. Oh, you’re serious? Well I never! The erstwhile ‘Craptors’ have shed  the mantle of rubbishdom in exuberant style and made it to the post season. This is a team that three years ago struggled to get any wins and now they are through to Farnham Park! Not as a wildcard either, but as one of the top two seeds. Probably second, as the Marauders at the time of writing need 1 win from their last two. While Milton Keynes could give them a run for their money it would be a BIG upset were they to lose to the 2sox (and I mean no offense to Leicester who have played with heart and soul, but not the same level of success as the Marauders).

Either way that means a first round bye, home field advantage in the semi finals on September 7th. If they get to the finals they would also enjoy homefield advantage against any team except (possibly) the Marauders. Admittedly there were a couple of stumbles along the way. Mid season saw a run of two defeats to sister-team the Eagles (congrats to them for a very respectable four wins from the season) and pool rivals the MK Coyotes, while the end of the season saw them trip up again in the last two games against the Dukes and Tonbridge. But despite those blips they have also beaten each of the other pool leaders, and every second placed team bar the Dukes as well so they can go to Farnham confident of being capable of beating any team they face. Sadly they won’t have the air of impenetrability and momentum that they had mid-July though. That said, they should benefit from the return of their young pitchers Zac Longboy and Will Zucker whom they were deprived of for almost all of those four losses, and, subject-to-appeal the powerful bat of Glen Downer who could return from a long absence.

So who have been the standout performers that got the Raptors to this stage? First plaudits have to go to Arnie Longboy. The first Raptors coach to take the team to post season will put him in Herts history books, and his (usually) calm and considered leadership saw the team play with a competence and level-headedness that saw them come back from behind to win in style on several occasions. I believe it is his firm  insistence on base running discipline that has led the Raptors to being the most offensively dominant team in the league despite not having any real power hitters to speak of.

As for play, starting from the mound and going round, the afore mentioned Zac and Will have been leading lights joined by Brodie Careess. The young trio have two wins a piece and truly demonstrated indomitable nerve and supreme skill in dispatching of side after side. Longboy leads the way between them on ERA but they have all been key to the Raptors success. That said they were joined at various stages by stand-ins Theo Scheepers and Jeff Whitter who also pipped a win to their names each (and in Whitter’s case two saves as well.)

Behind the plate Ken Pike received the vast majority of pitches in what was his first full season as a catcher. Being as I am the one writing this article I can hardly sing my own praises but I have been assured by Zac and Arnie that I did a good job of the issue. While I still have much to learn I am looking forward to continuing in what has been the position I have enjoyed by far the most, and taken to with relative comfort.

First base duties were initially taken on by Jeff Whitter and covered in his absences by Charlie Mayhew. Both performed outstandingly throughout the year being solid and generally error free despite some occasionally errant throws coming their way. Jeff’s amicable and calm nature made him one of the on-field captains helping to calm the team in times of frustration, while Charlie’s continual improvement saw a climax in the final game against Tonbridge where a series of amazing full-stretch catches helped to keep the game very close indeed.

Second and short were shared intermittently between the young pitchers, Theo Scheepers and coach Arnie, while by Sonam Lama, in his first year with the Raptors, demonstrated the kind of arm power capable of easily reaching first base and thereby cemented third base as his own. The coach again led the way from the front demonstrating the fewest errors per game for an infielder, and in fact one of the lowest numbers for the whole team. That said it will be fielding errors that he will want to cut out the most, preferably by post season but certainly by next year with nearly half of the team’s conceded runs coming un-earned.

Outfield was shared by Warwyk Byrne, Charlie Mayhew (when not at first), Mark Caress and Andy Bartram. Andy has made a solid case for rookie of the year (not just by virtue of being the only rookie on the team, but also by having the lowest error-per-game rating of any of the regular players. His assured glove, good arm, and fast pace to reach the ball made him a reliable and key player for left and centre.

Along the way there were notable performances by players who only joined for brief periods too. Matt Kiddie’s pitching against the 2sox at mid-season blew the side away and showed unbelievable pace, whilst two grand-slam homers from Ben Marques against the Mavericks helped to seal the game that confirmed the Raptors as Pool winners. Raptors Veteran Glen Downer was sadly occupied elsewhere for most of the season but managed to get in two games where he played solidly in the outfield. He is appealing for special dispensation to the commissioners to be allowed to join the team for post-season.

Defensively the Raptors were 5th in the league for runs conceded, but as for batting, well that’s where the stats really get interesting. While Arnie has not shared the statistics including the last two games, the production was spread throughout the team and at game 12 the numbers were as follows:

  • Runs leader was Ken Pike (41), followed by Arnie (35) and Sonam (35).
  • Hits went to Arnie (24) followed by Pike (20) and then Sonam and Brodie on a par (19).
  • Home run leader by a mile is Ben Marques (2) followed by Jim Arnott (1).
  • On Steals Ken Pike led by some distance (41) over Lama (25) and Arnie and Charlie (24 each).
  • Base on balls leader was Charlie Mayhew (26) followed by Theo (22) and Arnie again (18).
  • Arnie lead the way for AVG, SLG and OPS too but was closely followed in all three by a variety of people including his son Zac, while OBP leader Charlie Mayhew was clear of the rest of the field by some way.

While Arnie, Ken and Sony consistently led the line-ups between them, the whole team demonstrated consistency and ability at the plate averaging 24 points per game and having scored 46 runs more than any other team over the season. They had 7 games in which they scored 30 runs or more.

So in summary? Well the team will be relying on that offence to see them through at Farnham, but that being said the defence had consistently improved throughout the year and should they play to the kind of levels that saw them hold pool B leaders the Blackjacks to 12 or the Eagles and Archers to 4 and 6 respectively then they will be a real danger team. They have proven themselves fallible, but they have also proven that when they set their minds to it they are a force to be reckoned with, and they will surely be fired up to the max in Slough come September. Key warm-up friendlies, hopefully against higher division opposition such as the Hawks, will be key to preparing the team up for things to come. Meanwhile, we all cross our fingers and get our lucky charms at the ready and pray for a successful post season.

Please note, any players from teams not going to Farnham park, your assistance either as, experienced base coaches, bat men, general helpers and especially supporters will surely be massively appreciated and you will get to be a part of Herts Baseball history with the Falcons and Raptors both set to feature. Give Arnie and Lee a shout if you can help out in any way.

 

 

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Is Marques the first British player to hit 2 grand slam home runs in the same game?

On Sunday the Herts Raptors won at the Guildford Mavericks to stay top of the British Single-A League and in the process catcher, Ben Marques, hit two grand slam home runs. For readers who are new to the game, a grand slam is a home run with the bases loaded to score four runs with one swing of the bat.

According to legendary pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine “chicks dig the long ball” (see their Nike video below) and we asked Marques whether he has experienced a surge in interest from females since Sunday. He said “my phone has been ringing off the hook all day and night”.

 

Marques’ achievement is certainly a first for Herts Baseball Club. The club has had the back-to-back-to-back 3-homerun game by Jim Denison in the Herts Falcons vs Cambridge Monarchs AAA League game in 2005, but there have been no Herts players who have hit two grand slam homeruns in the same game.

We are now going through the records to see if this feat has been done by any player in any of the British leagues. We contacted Joe Gray of Project COBB for assistance, who said “from my records for the top tier I have only one instance where two grand slams were clobbered in the same game, but that was by two different players (Robbie Unsell and William Schmitt on 21 August 2011 in a Bracknell Blazers vs Richmond Flames NBL game). I don’t have anything formal for lower league tiers, but I have done a fair bit of reading of old match reports and never come across this occurrence”.

Gray added: “Many congratulations to Ben for a tremendous achievement. I just hope that he does not do a “Tony Cloninger” who hit two grand slams in his entire MLB career, and they came in the same game while playing for the Atlanta Braves in 1966.”

If you have come across a player hitting two grand slams in the same game in Great Britain, we would be interested to know, so please contact us or send us a message via facebook or twitter.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts pick up Tournament Bronze Cup. Attention firmly on upcoming league games.

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Herts players prepare to face the Midlands All Stars (photo by Rob Jones)

Similar to the All-Star Week in America, British clubs had their traditional midsummer break at the weekend taking part in the International London Tournament. Herts was represented at the event by a team made up of players from its various squads of the four tiers of the British baseball leagues. They had a difficult start losing their first two games to the Milton Keynes Bucks and the Midlands All Stars. Herts bounced back on Sunday with wins over the Milton Keynes Coyotes and the South London Pirates to claim the Tournament’s Bronze Cup. Sunday’s games saw Herts Falcons pitcher, Darrin Ward, hit two homeruns.

Tom Everex-Armstrong was one of many Herts players who wore the Great Britain National Team jerseys this weekend (photo by Rob Jones)

The various Great Britain National Baseball Teams, from Under-16 to Under-23, were also involved and they featured a large number of Herts players.

The focus now turns back on the all important league games as we enter the final 6 weeks of the regular season which will determine who will play in the postseason playoffs to decide the national champions in the four senior and two youth league tiers.

The Herts Falcons will host the Lakenheath Diamondbacks this Sunday, 21 July, in a doubleheader. They cannot afford to slip up. Anything less than two wins and the chasing London Mets and Southampton Mustangs could leap over them into first place. The game starts at 12:00 at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead (free admission).

On the same day the Herts Ravens will face the Triple-A League-leaders, London Metros. This game will also start at 12:00pm at Grovehill Ballpark.

The Herts Hawks currently occupy the last playoff spot in the Double-A league, which is the third league tier of British Baseball. This Sunday they will travel to Richmond to face the Dragons, who are just outside the playoff zone and will see this as their golden opportunity to overtake the Herts Hawks. The Herts Raptors and Herts Eagles travel to Guildford and Essex, respectively, in the Single-A League. The Raptors have already secured a playoff spot, but need to keep their winning run going for a higher playoff seeding.

 

by Matt Bell

Road to the single A playoffs

By Ken Pike

As you might have already heard thanks to a very proud ‘yours truly’, the Herts Raptors are confirmed as being in the playoffs (with the caveat that they do not forfeit any games between now and the end of the season, which could bring other teams back into play – but we won’t let that happen) and with any luck some of you are planning to come and support. With other Herts teams, including the Falcons, being right in the mix for also going to British Baseball’s new home,Farnham Park, there might be a big convoy headed from Hemel to Slough in the first couple of weekends of September. It would be great to get as much support as possible for this historic occasion for the club, so we urge you all to get your friends and family to come along.

Just so you know what to expect over playoffs, the structure for the single A post season is as follows:

  • 12 teams in three pools play in A South.
  • The two best pool winners get first round bye into the NBC.
  • The 3rd pool winner (#3 seed) and next 3 best teams based on win %, regardless of pool play wild card round on September 1st, with the Semi Finals and Championship game at Farnham Park on September 7th and 8th.

As in all leagues, all teams will be seeded based on win % to establish postseason ranking.

 

Now the Raptors final position is not set in stone and here are the two main permutations:

Worst case scenario (which still ain’t bad to be honest)

The Raptors have some work to do to determine exact postseason positioning, but the main part is done. They are set for Farnham Park.

The worst case scenario is that they don’t win another game and the Coyotes win all of theirs then the Raptors would be #4 seed and placed as the top wildcard team. This would result in them having to play in the first round of the playoffs on the 1st of September at Farnham Park against the second best wildcard team while the Pool winner with the lowest record of the pool winners will play the third wildcard team. If the Raptors win the wildcard game they would face the #2 seeded team (which would in that scenario likely be the Coyotes) on September 7th.

Best case scenario

If the Raptors win 1 more game (or the Coyotes lose one) by the end of regular season, then the Raptors will clinch the Pool A pennant and a #1 or #2 seeding is already sealed in that scenario. This would mean they will get a 1st round bye and the first game would be on September 7, also at Farnham Park, and they would nominally be the home team facing one of the wildcard round winners. As to being first or second seed, that depends on a very close race with the Marauders and will likely not be settled until the last game of the regular season.

The final is on September 8 at Farnham Park.

 

Expect to cheer on your fellow teams, as well as fight tooth and nail for your own team!

by Matt Bell

Raptors bats ablaze to clinch playoffs on hottest day

Will Zucker hits another grounder as the Raptors drove through their nearest opposition in 30 degree heat

by Ken Pike

 

The Raptors hosted Southern Single A Pool A rivals Milton Keynes knowing that a win would clinch a  guaranteed playoff position and set them up to win the pool outright and earn a first round bye at Farnham Park. They were facing a team that had beaten them by the narrowest of margins earlier in the year, and while the self assured pronouncements that the Raptors had been missing key players were not without basis, there was still room for doubt and question over what the result would be.

In 32 degree heat the Raptors had taken a very easy warmup to conserve energy and hydration levels while Milton Keynes took the opposite approach. After watching their sister team, the Eagles’ playoff hopes sadly fail at the hands of the Pool C leaders, London Marauders the delayed Pool A titans clash could commence. Young Brodie Caress’ reassured mound performance only saw a couple of Coyotes get on base, but the first inning was ultimately cleaned out without any damage being done. The Raptors’ bats had been vicious all year and if anything the sun had set them on fire as they made mincemeat of the opening Coyotes pitcher going around the order and drawing a replacement pitcher to the mound before three outs were recorded opening up an 11 run lead right from the word go.

Back in the dugout a touch of overconfidence asserted itsself with players lamenting that the Raptors could have been looking at a perfect season were it not for a couple of weak performances, but Milton Keynes came back to the field with more intent. They notched up two scores as some defensive errors started to creep into the Herts team. T he sun played a serious part with several balls lost in the blazing sky and the heat causing some more lapses of concentration. The starters for the home side have an average on base percentage of well over .500 and more than 170 stolen bases (17 per game) before going in to this game so two runs was hardly a concern. The Raptors promptly brought around another 8 runners to pump the lead to 17.

The third inning played out somewhat differently though. Whether the heat had finally got to the Raptors as well, or whether Brodie Caress’ young arm was getting tired is uncertain but a series of errors and missed chances allowed 8 Milton Keynes Players to cross home plate. The final out came courtesy of short stop Will Zucker who ignored the fact that he could not see the ball which had again disappeared in the sun, and he guessed at its location… correctly. Certainly a wobble for the home defense, but quickly mitigated with 4 reply runs leaving a reduced lead of 13.

The Raptors blip was shortlived however as they came back refocused. Brodie struck out two Coyotes before the final out at first retired the side in order and the Raptors bats came back out to knock in another 3 and the lead looked healthy again at 16. The young pitcher’s arm and concentration had been shot by the fifth inning where five players crossed the plate. Never the less it was far too little as the Raptors brought in another 10 going around the order one and a half times in the bottom of the inning and putting the game beyond any reasonable doubt with a lead of over 20 runs.

In an effort to shut down the game and get out of the sun, coach Arnie Longboy brought out sidearm closer Will Zucker. Will made a slightly shakey start, thanks in part to accidentally hitting a Coyote very squarely on the knee with a wild pitch. While it took him an inning to get his composure fully back he allowed only 2 runs in the sixth and seventh while the Raptors responded with 2 of their own.  The lead remained at 20 at the top of the last inning, but this was too much of an ask for a now dehydrated and exhausted Coyotes team who valiantly got 2 runners around before Will Zucker struck out the final batter to bring the Raptors team to ecstatic jubilation knowing they had just secured the first playoff in Raptors history.

As the players cheered and embraced it was plain to see what this result meant to them, and it is certain they will be bringing their determination and love of the game to Farnham park for the off season. Having beaten every team they faced over the past 7 games, including the heavyweight Marauders, Blackjacks, Arrow and now Coyotes they carry a serious momentum with them. Another win and they top their pool, while topping the single A league can be guaranteed with three straight wins inthe remaining games or a mixture of wins and Marauders losses.

Raptors coach Arnie Longboy said: : “I am so proud of the team and what we’ve done to get this far.  A few people have asked me how we’ve managed to score so many runs this season.  First of all we have had production throughout the entire line up.  The fact that our number nine hitter leads the team in RBI’s should tell you something.  Secondly I think the guys have come to realize that just some basic fundamentals of base running and situational hitting can make a big difference.  Yes, we continue to have the occasional fielding errors and that’s to be expected.  But more importantly we have managed to eliminate almost all mental errors on the base paths that cost us outs.   And with our mix of young talent, sophomore players, and veterans really starting to gel it should make for an exciting rest of the season and of course Farnham park!”

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R
MK Coyotes 0 2 8 0 5 2 2 19
Herts Raptors 11 8 4 3 10 2 0 38

 

 

by Matt Bell

Raptors win puts them on the brink of playoffs

Baseball teams from across the UK are jostling for playoff positions.

The Raptors top the single A league and stand on the brink of clinching a playoff spot thanks to another big win today. Sadly, having not been there, I cannot report on the game itsself, though the 24-6 drubbing of the contenders for Pool B’s lead is certainly another impressive head to add to recent victories over the Blackjacks and the Marauders. So, with Pool A rivals, the Coyotes, coming to Grovehill next week, just what are Raptors’ chances of making the post season?

To win Pool A and get a first round buy, a win against the Coyotes next week would put the Raptors 2.5 games clear with only 3 remaining after that, so again either 1 win or a Coyotes loss would furthermore seal Pool victory. A loss would put the Raptors only 0.5 games ahead with 3 remaining and head to head results means the Raptors would have to win as many as the Coyotes do or slip behind them.

If that did happen and the Raptors didn’t top the pool, then they would have to go for a wildcard place. The Coyotes replace them at the top of Pool A and would be out of wildcard equations. The Blackjacks and Marauders who top their Groups would also be irrelevant (all coloured blue in tablefor demonstrative purposes).

With that in mind, the table is currently as follows:

Team Wins Losses Games back
Raptors 8 2 0
Marauders 6 2 1
Mavericks 5 3 1
Coyotes 6 3 1.5
Blackjacks 4 4 3
Archers 3 4 3.5
Redbacks 3 4 3.5
Tonbridge 4 5 3.5
Eagles 3 6 4.5
2Sox 2 5 4.5
Old Timers 3 6 4.5
Dukes 3 6 4.5
Key Divisional leaders if Raptors fail to secure Pool pennant
Unable to surpass Raptors

 

The Eagles, 2Sox, Old Timers and Dukes do not have a mathematical chance of overtaking the Raptors now as they are 4.5 games back with 4 games remaining. (coloured grey on chart).

This leaves only the Mavericks, Archers, Redbacks and Tonbridge to go for the remaining three wildcard spots. Currently the Mavericks are only a game back, so even if they finish ahead of the Raptors there are two places left for wildcards.

The Archers, Redbacks and Tonbridge are all 3.5 games back, meaning 1 more win for the Raptors would put all three out of contention of overtaking the Raptors. A loss by any one of those teams would also put that team out.

Thats basically it. One more win and the Raptors are through to the post season as a wildcard or better. Failing that, one slipup by any two of those three teams and they are through as well.

 

The remaining games are:

Coyotes (6-3) @ Raptors

Raptors @ Mavericks (5-3)

Raptors @ Dukes (3-6)

Raptors @ Tonbridge (4-5)

 

 

 

by Matt Bell

Raptors make Blackjacks walk the plank despite downpour

By Ken Pike

What a difference a month makes in baseball. On the third weekend in May the Raptors had just suffered the second defeat in a row levelling their record at 2-2 after what had been a very promising start to the season. Errors had plagued the team, and while part of the damage came from notable absences of the younger members having to undergo end of year exams, the remaining players had to admit at the time that lapses of concentration had cost them dearly. Playoffs still seemed a very long way away and it was clear that no more mistakes could be tolerated if those were to ever become reality.

Fast forward four games and victories against league leading London Marauders, the solid Redbacks, a dominant performance over the 2Sox, and vengeance against their sister team the Eagles had restored their position at joint top of Single A Pool A and revitalised faith in their abilities. What’s more, the manner of victories had also been resounding – four straight mercy rule games, with a significant drop in error rates, and impressive pitching performances.

Yet much more was to come. Despite the continued success there was no light between their Pool opponents the MK Coyotes and the next few games saw them face 2 pool leaders (including MK), a team that could top their pool if they won their games in hand, and a series of teams all with winning records. First up, the Haverhill Blackjacks, a team that had suffered a rocky start to the season before notable acquisitions from the local US Airforce base had significantly improved their fortunes with rumours of a near unbeatable pitching/catching partnership.

The first inning started with a touch of the shakes for Herts. A couple of fielding errors led to three unforced runs scoring for the Haverhill team, but the Raptors had seen far worse starts turn to victory and were barely phased by that. The Raptors offense is rapidly making a name for itsself having outscored every other team in the league by 50 runs over the season. The bottom half of the first saw Ken Pike get on base and test the fabled visiting battery early on with a steal to second. A hit moved him to second before he took his opportunity on a pass ball. In what was a close play the pitcher made the mistake of stepping over the plate into the path of the 13 stone Raptors catcher. The wind promptly knocked out of him, the ball was no-where near a glove and the home team were on the scoreboard. Only one more runner would score to bring the game back to one.

The second inning saw the Raptors defence hit their stride. Young Will Zucker was cutting through the Haverhill lineup and a series of powerful plays saw the side retired without further score. The bottom half of the inning saw a significant change of pace. Perhaps the pitcher had suffered slightly from his collision, or perhaps the batters had taken heart from the fact the battery wasn’t as dangerous as they had heard. Either way they batted around the order nearly twice with 13 runners scoring before the side was retired (not before Haverhill had gone through two pitchers and descended into a full blown on the pitch argument with themselves). No fancy homeruns required for the home team, just a solid on base percentage with the youthful and fast side making the most of any opportunity to advance.

The third inning saw Will Zucker swapped for the equally young Brodie Caress on the mound, but little else changed. One Blackjack came around before the side was retired, barely denting the Raptors lead of 12. Said lead was promptly restored in the bottom of the inning, but not with quite as much aplomb as the previous inning. Three runners scored – a lead of 14 runs. Sadly not without loss of limb (though thankfully not life.) The cursed first base on the old Grovehill diamond had struck again as Warwyk Byrne landed awkwardly on his hand while returning to first on a pickoff attempt adding a broken finger to the long list of Herts players having suffered in the same position (Duncan Hoyle, Ken Pike, Rob Jones, Joe Osborne-Brade etc etc etc).

Brodie’s performance on the mound continued into the fourth too, this time retiring the side in rapid progression, the first two batters departing within 3 pitches. A walk later the fourth batter went for a simple fly out with barely 15 pitches having passed all inning. Again, another 3 Raptors runs were added stretching the team’s lead to 21-4.

With clouds looming the fifth inning proved more exciting. Caress’ arm was clearly tiring and despite him comfortable lead some of the accuracy had departed. Six runs from Haverhill gave them a fighting chance but they still had work to do to overcome the mercy rule which loomed within two innings. Sadly for the away team, their work should have started on defence in the bottom of the fifth. Instead the Raptors went to town again putting the game well beyond doubt, going around the order again plating 10 more runs to extend the lead to 31-10.

As the sixth started an increasing rainfall started to play havoc with Caress’ accuracy before the heavens opened deluging the field sending both teams heading for umbrellas as umpire Adrian Smithers called for a rain timeout of 5 minutes. Those minutes passed without change for the better and the game was called with a result being called and Havehill’s score being pulled back to the end of the fifth. End result 31-10.

Raptors manager Arnie Longboy praised another great performance: “I think our offense had another explosive game against a tough opponent.  I want to be sure though that we can keep up the momentum for our next two opponents.  Sony Lama continued his hot hitting streak with two singles, a double, triple – just missing the cycle by a homerun.  Jim Arnott’s production also carried over with a team season high seven RBI’s . And of course Ken Pike added to his team lead in stolen bases with another 3.”

The Raptors have now convincingly demolished the leaders of both other pools, and thanks to the Coyotes – Marauders game being postponed by two weeks they now sit top of their group by a half game. They face MK in two weeks, and suddenly the resurgence of faith and potential has turned into a serious charge for the end season. No predictions can be made in what is a very close fight to the finish in all the pools, but whoever wins that game will be strong favourites to finish top of their group. That said, that might make little difference the second team in pool A will be very strong candidates for the first of the three wildcard spots. What will matter however is pride, bragging rights, belief, and above all, momentum.

 

Team 1 2 3 4 5 R H E L
Haverhill Blackjacks 3 0 1 0 6 10 7 5 3
Herts Raptors 2 13 3 3 10 31 15 4 7

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Surely it’s too late for the 2012 awards

Joseph Osborne-Brade (right) received 3 awards in an outstanding season with the Herts Eagles

The 2012 schedule of events was so hectic and was followed by an equally busy 2013 Spring Training timetable, which left very few dates for the club to fit the 2012 Awards Event. As a result the club’s adult and youth teams have been presenting the 2012 awards at separate events over the last few months.

The full list of award recipients is shown below with the exception of the Herts Falcons who are planning to announce their awards separately.

For the Herts Hawks Louis Hare picked up 4 of the trophies including Most Valuable Player (MVP). Gilberto Medina collected three of the awards in the batting category for the Herts Raptors, while Zack Longboy was voted MVP and also collected the Best Pitcher award. Herts Eagles’ Joseph Osborne-Brade received three trophies including the Outfield Gold Glove and Most Stolen Bases. Theo Scheepers was the MVP, Best Pitcher and Infield Gold Glove for the Eagles in a very successful year for the Single-A League team. Andrew Fulford picked up the Play of the Year award in a very competitive category which included some outstanding plays by all the Herts teams across the leagues. The play was his game-changing Grand Slam home run in the AA playoff quarter final at the Guildford Mavericks. Fulford also received the Herts Hawks Home Run Champion.

...and the Nob-Out Award goes to...the whole Herts Hawks team

For the first time in the club’s history, the dreaded Nob-Out award went to a team rather than an individual. The whole Herts Hawks team was the recipient for their extravagant celebration in their good win against the Daws Hill Spitfires invading the field only to find that there is one more inning left to be played.

In the youth leagues, Zack Longboy received the best pitcher award and was voted as the Herts U17 MVP. Liam Green is now 17 so 2012 was his last season in the youth leagues which he marked by collecting the Home Run Champion and Most Stolen Bases awards. Jake Caress and Kyle Lloyd-Jones also played their last season in the youth leagues and received the Infield Gold Glove and Batting Champion awards, respectively. Tom Everex-Armstrong collected the Outfield Gold Glove and Warwick Byrne was awarded with the Rookie of the Year trophy after an impressive first season with Herts.

Callum Vangundy’s outstanding performances were recognised with 4 awards, including the MVP, Batting Campion, Home Run Champion and Most Stolen Bases. Tom Jansson-Wright was the Rookie of the Year. Drew Mayhew and Tom Adams received the Infield and Outfield Gold Gloves, respectively. Alec Broadbent who is recovering from an athletics injury this year received the Cy Young trophy. He started to be used as a pitcher late in the season and impressed quickly especially in the pressure postseason games.

In the U11 League, Christian Lynch and Ozan Martin were the stand-out players for the Herts Giants and Herts Dodgers, respectively. They each received the MVP and Batting Champion titles. Oliver Durer’s (Giants) and Thomas Garton’s (Dodgers) hard work was rewarded with the Infield Gold Gloves, while Alex Jones received the Outfield Gold Glove. Alex Trautman and Jonathan Wakelam were the Most Improve Players in the U11 League. Slugger of the Year was Lewis Auchterlounie and Katie Everex-Armstrong received the prestigious Coach’s Award. Noah Lynch and William Morillo are two of the smallest players in the club, but they are also the club’s biggest prospects. They received the Rookie of the Year Awards.

HERTS HAWKS (AA LEAGUE)
MVP Louis Hare
Batting Champion Louis Hare (Avg.486 15 RBI)
Infield Gold Glove Louis Hare (F% .833)
Outfield Gold Glove Jon Lewys (F% 1.000)
Best Pitcher Nick Russell (5 W 2.18 ERA)
Most Stolen Bases Paul Auchterlounie (9 SB)
Home Run Champion Andrew Fulford (2 HR)
Most RBIs Louis Hare (15 RBI)
Coach’s Award Nic Goetz
HERTS RAPTORS (A LEAGUE)
MVP Zack Longboy
Batting Champion Gilberto Medina (.608)
Infield Gold Glove Jose Morillo
Outfield Gold Glove John Kjorstad
Best Pitcher Zack Longboy
Most Stolen Bases Ken Pike
Home Run Champion Gilberto Medina (1 HR)
Most RBIs Gilberto Medina
Rookie of the Year Ben Marques
HERTS EAGLES (A LEAGUE)
MVP Theo Scheepers
Batting Champion Reagan Wood
Infield Gold Glove Theo Scheepers
Outfield Gold Glove Joseph Osborne-Brade
Best Pitcher Theo Scheepers
Most Stolen Bases Joseph Osborne-Brade
Home Run Champion Adrian Smithers
Most RBIs Duncan Hoyle
Coach’s Award Joseph Osborne-Brade
CLUB WIDE AWARDS
Play of the Year Andrew Fulford (Grandslam in Playoffs)
Nob-Out Award Herts Hawks Team
HERTS ALL STARS (U17 LEAGUE)
MVP Zack Longboy
Batting Champion Kyle Lloyd-Jones (.421)
Infield Gold Glove Jake Caress
Outfield Gold Glove Tom Everex-Armstrong
Rookie of the Year Warwick Byrne
Home Run Champion Liam Green (HR 2)
Most Stolen Bases Liam Green (SB 10)
Cy Young Award Zack Longboy
HERTS ALL STARS (U14 LEAGUE)
MVP Callum Vangundy
Batting Champion Callum Vangundy (.526)
Infield Gold Glove Drew Mayhew
Outfield Gold Glove Tom Adams
Rookie of the Year Tom Jansson-Wright
Home Run Champion Callum Vangundy (3 HR)
Most Stolen Bases Callum Vangundy (3 SB)
Cy Young Award Alec Broadbent
HERTS GIANTS (U11 LEAGUE)
MVP Christian Lynch
Batting Champion Christian Lynch
Infield Gold Glove Oliver Durer
Outfield Gold Glove Alex Jones
Rookie of the Year Noah Lynch
Most Improved Player Alex Trautman
Slugger of the Year Lewis Auchterlounie
HERTS DODGERS (U11 LEAGUE)
MVP Ozan Martin
Batting Champion Ozan Martin
Infield Gold Glove Thomas Garton
Rookie of the Year William Morillo
Most Improved Player Jonathan Wakelam
Coaches’ Award Katie Everex-Armstrong
by Matt Bell

Raptors rapture at the expense of soaring Eagles

Young Eagles Star Mike Cresswell was an ever present stealing threat despite the attentions of the pitcher and catcher

At the halfway stage of the 2013 single A season both the Eagles and Raptors are still in with a good chance of making the playoffs. The Raptors sit joint top of their group fighting for either an automatic buy through the first round or at least the first wildcard spot. The Eagles sit a game off the last wildcard spot with very winnable games to see out the end of the season hunting for playoffs. While the Raptors wanted to prove that the Eagle’s victory earlier in the season was a one-off, the Eagles were out to prove exactly the opposite. Winning this fixture was about pride, position and bragging rights.

Weather forecasts throughout the week had spelled that this fathers day fixture would not happen, but the British Summer did its part for once and remained dry meaning the game could go ahead as planned.

Both teams unsurprisingly delivered their strongest lineups with the Eagle’s bringing Andrew Slater to the mound while the Raptors turned to their young mainstay Zac Longboy. In a match between two of the biggest scoring teams of the season a high scoring game was assured….

…but…

The last thing anyone expected was for the game to start as a pitching duel. Zac closed out the Eagle’s offense in order for the first inning, and the Raptors could be forgiven for a wry grin appearing at that stage thinking they could crack open an early lead. Nothing of the sort ensued as the fired up Eagles defense turned the table on the usually dominant raptors offense who got the same treatment they had just given the nominal visitors. What’s more, the second and third innings were more of the same with only a run per inning being scored by the Raptors, who had not been held to that low a score over the opening three innings of any game this year. Whether a mixture of nerves, or Andrew Slater’s tantalising looping ball not being as easy to hit as it appeared, or a solid defense that were showing the tenacious attitude that had gotten the relatively inexperienced team to within one game off a wildcard position, no one’s bats were delivering much on either side.

The first score of the day came courtesy of Ken Pike [yours truly] who managed to get himself on base in the second inning and in usual fashion worked himself around the bags in short order to put himself in scoring position. A big pop by young Brodie Caress looked to clear both in and outfield, but Pike sensibly held up just off third for long enough to see it would be caught. He tagged up at manager (and then third basecoach) Arnie Longboy’s franticly shouted commands before taking off for home and opening the Raptors’ scoring account.

Some great plays, notably an awesome diving catch by Sony Llama at third, some well caught pop fly balls, and some sharp plays from the infield meant the Raptors defence stayed strong in the second inning. A dropped pickoff attempt at second even went their way as the runner attempting to capitalise by heading for third got picked off by the backup throw signalling that things were just not going the way of the Eagles.

Some light entertainment came half way through the game as one of the local youths attempting to do tricks on his moped just outside the field managed to overturn the bike on himself, raising rapturous applause from both benches interrupting Slater’s pitch and causing umpire Ben Marques (also chuckling at the youth’s misfortune) to offer a mulligan pitch.

As the innings stretched on and Zac Longboy’s dominance on the mound continued with a total of five strikeouts, closing out the Eagles for four consecutive innings. Meanwhile the Raptors drip-feed of scoring runs managed to prise the narrowest of margins out whilst taking their toll on Slater’s arm. A crushing homerun over left field for Jim Arnott spelled the beginning of the end for the Eagles, scoring himself and Jeff Whitter as part of a four run inning that put daylight between the two sides.

To stem the flow Eagles manager Duncan Hoyle took the mound, but the Raptors offense had already smelled blood. The fifth inning notched up another five runs with a triple for Theo Scheepers. Sony Llama added hitting to his dramatic performances of the day nailing a blast that bounced agonisingly off the fence a bare foot short of a second homerun of the day leaving him with just a double. While the Eagles clawed back three runs over two innings with ever present base stealing that the fast and determined side bring to every game, the Raptors brought in a further seven in the sixth.  Zac Longboy made way for closer Will Zucker, whose dangerous sidearm curveball has been the woe of many a batter, shut down the seventh but for solitary eagles scorer. He also added to the score with a powerful shot down the line and a dash of youthful speed getting him a triple. The Eagles continued with fantastic tenacity throughout ensuring that it was never a done deal (both sides all too aware that comebacks were far from rare), but it was not to be enough on the day.

The final play of the game, with runners on first and third,  Raptors catcher Pike threw a fake pickoff to Zac Longboy who had taken over at short instead of trying to gun down the steal attempt. Eagle Mike Cresswell was fooled into attempting to run home but instead found the ball beating him there on the short throw back. His attempt to run through the well armoured catcher who carried a 4 stone weight advantage didn’t go so well and he found himself hanging in Pike’s arms gazing longingly at the home plate…still a good yard away.  The 15 run advantage was enough to bring the mercy rule into effect allowing the Raptors some solace over their previous defeat and Zac Longboy walking away with another addition to his rapidly growing collection of game balls adding weight to an early but loud call for MVP.

Raptor’s coach Arnold Longboy praised his team’s clinical performance: “I’m really proud of the team and how we executed on the field.  We of course had great pitching but more importantly we had the fewest errors yet for the season.  Combined with great cut off execution and fielding tactics we held an excellent Eagles hitting team to their lowest run production yet.  Also one of the challenges I put to the team  before the game started was to limit base running mistakes.  In this regard we also shined and it made the difference in the early part of the game.  If we continue in this fashion we should do well for the rest of the season.”

Eagles coach Duncan Hoyle meanwhile challenged his side to go on from the encouraging display to fight for a spot in the postseason: “I know the guys tried their guts out to beat the Raptors, and that is commendable, but ultimately we have proven we can get better results and we simply didn’t do that today. We know we can beat teams who are at the top of the tables, the Raptors included, and we need to get back into the groove of doing that for the last few games of the season so we have a real shot at the finals. We need to eliminate the errors that still plague us, as without that we won’t be able to stay in contention for the playoffs.  I will be expecting everyone on the team to redouble their efforts, raise the bar several notches and make sure that whatever the post season brings we do it in a blaze of glory, not rueing what could have been had we applied ourselves fully.”

The record between the two teams now stands at 1-1 for the season. Raptors will point out a preseason win edging the stats in their favour, but with both teams in the hunt for playoffs, could a competetive decider be played under knock-out conditions? Wait and see what August brings.

by Matt Bell

What’s in a halfway point? The Single A playoff scenarios.

by Ken Pike

Halfway through the season for the Raptors and Eagles and both teams are well within the expectations placed upon them at the start of the season. In the Eagles’ case it is fair to say they are well ahead of expectations bearing in mind the number of genuine rookies on the squad. However, the playoff picture is far from clear.

These are the playoff rules: 12 teams in three pools play in single A South. The two best pool winners get first round bye into the NBC. 3rd pool winner (#3 seed) and next 3 best teams based on win %, regardless of pool play wild card round on September 1st, with the Semi Finals and Championship game at Farnham Park on September 7th and 8th. As in all leagues, all teams will be seeded based on win % to establish post season ranking.

Excluding the Leicester – Redbacks result which hasn’t been filed yet the current league standings are as follows:
Marauders 6-2 (fewer runs per game conceded than MK)
Coyotes 6-2 (HTH win v Raptors)
Blackjacks 4-3
——————–
Raptors 6-2
Mavericks 4-2
Tonbridge 4-4
=============
Archers 2-3
Eagles 3-5 (1-0 v 2Sox/Redbacks)
2Sox 2-4 (0-0 v Eagles/Redbacks)
Redbacks 2-4 (0-1 v Eagles/2Sox)
Dukes 2-5
Old Timers 1-6

As you can see, the pool leaders are Coyotes, Blackjacks and Marauders in A, B and C pool respectively.

Pool A

The Raptors are neck and neck with the Coyotes, with only the head to head loss earlier this season between them. Furthermore, the Coyotes go to Grovehill next week where the winner will put daylight between themselves and the rest at the top of pool A. The Eagles are behind in the race for the group, but are well in the running for playoff places, only a game behind the last wildcard spot.

Pool B

Pool B is pretty close with the Blackjacks heading the group but the Archers’ two games in hand able to draw them level. Having won a game each the tiebreaker between them would be down to runs conceded.

Pool C

In pool C the Mavericks can yet tie with the Marauders as they have two games in hand. The rest of the teams will struggle to catch up with the significant lead those two teams have or can build.

The Raptors and Mavericks are in pole position for the wildcards at the moment (or if results go their way, the teams they replace at the top of their pools over the coming weeks). Tonbridge close out the last wildcard spot, but are in shaky grounds due to having forfeited a game, which as I understand it acts as first tiebreaker against a team.

Close behind them, the Archers, having played only 5 games so far can overhaul both Tonbridge and Mavericks if they win those extra ties. The Eagles meanwhile have no games in hand, but are only 1 game back. They have also faced most of the league leaders already so their season run in could certainly be a lot worse.

Behind the Eagles, the 2Sox, Redbacks, Dukes and Old Timers will need results to go in their favour as well as drastic turnarounds to their own seasons to stand any chance of reaching the knockout stages. While Pool B remains close, allowing for each of them to get through by virtue, it is also likely that this pool will not be the source of the wildcard places, while stronger competition at the top of A & B will be the real battlefield.

Furthermore, each of the main contenders has yet to play each other at least one more time meaning that the ultimate destiny for each of them remains in their own hands. Victory across the board for any one team will guarantee finals, but throw in the usual suspects of team availability, the British weather and pure blind luck and you have the ingredients for a perfect British Baseball season.

It may still be far too early to have a clear understanding of what the playoffs will look like, but what is also certain is that the picture will become a lot clearer over the next two or three weeks as the amount of time remaining to catch up reduces.