Category: Herts Spring League

9 March 20203 March 2021 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Countdown to HSL – first chance to see the teams ahead of the 2020 British baseball season

The biggest pre-season baseball competition in Britain is back. Commencing on March 14, the Herts Spring League (HSL) will see 19 teams compete over the 3 weeks of the HSL. Organised by Herts Baseball Club, it is Britain’s version of MLB’s Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues currently under way in the US, and it signals that the season is just around the corner.

FORMAT

The 19 teams will be entered into three HSL tiers – NBL/Triple-A, Double-A and Single-A – based on the ranking of the teams going into the 2020 BBF League season.

The organisers considered the possibility of a tournament format, but ultimately adopted a league format in the same way as the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues in MLB. “The objective of the HSL is to enable the teams to prepare for the new season and we have noticed that teams are increasingly starting to approach the HSL in the same way as MLB teams approach the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues” said HSL Commissioner, Aspi Dimitrov. He added “we have taken this into account when formulating the schedule putting greater emphasis on the preferences and preparatory requirements of the teams over the format of the competition”.

The teams finishing at the top of their respective division will be the HSL champions.

THE VENUE

The action will take place at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead, the home of Herts Baseball Club.

SCHEDULE

Over the three weekends 37 games are scheduled to be played on the two diamonds. The competition begins on March 14 with a morning clash between the Richmond Dukes and the Herts Raptors in the HSL Single-A division. The HSL NBL division commences on Diamond One as the Herts Falcons come up against the Richmond Knights.

Click to view full 2020 HSL schedule

EXCITEMENT BUILDING UP

The Herts Spring League adds a competitive edge to Spring training. It’s the time for managers to work out their winning formula going into the BBF league season. It is an opportunity to evaluate existing and newly recruited players. Which players will earn a spot in the pitching rotation and who will be batting where in the batting order? Who will make the first team and who will have to work their way up with the minor league teams? Not forgetting, it’s a chance to size up your rivals for the year ahead. It’s the first big challenge and the first big excitement of the baseball year. Don’t miss it.

GET IN THE GAME

Players, from beginners to advanced, are now registering for the 2020 baseball season. For more details about how to join the Herts baseball teams in Hemel Hempstead and in NW London or for more details about the HSL or if you are interested to give baseball a try in this competition contact Herts Baseball Club.

8 March 202013 March 2020 by Herts Baseball News Editor

19 teams will signal the arrival of Spring in the 2020 HSL

Herts Baseball Club has confirmed that 19 teams have entered this year’s Herts Spring League (HSL). The teams come from all British baseball leagues including the National Baseball League (NBL), Triple-A, Double-A and Single-A Leagues.

The London Archers are also back for their third year in the HSL. They made history last year by becoming the first British team to win the Pony European Championships and qualified for the Pony World Series which was played in Pennsylvania. They will use the HSL as part of their preparations for this year’s PONY European Tournament later this year.

The HSL teams will be divided into three divisions as follows:

HSL – NBL/Triple-A
TEAM	CLASS	HSL RANKING
Herts Falcons	NBL	2
Herts Hawks	AAA	6
London Capitals	NBL	1
London Marauders	AAA	5
London Mammoths	AAA	3
Richmond Knights	AAA/AA	4

HSL – Double-A
TEAM	CLASS	HSL RANKING
Guildford Mavericks	AA/A	9
Herts Londoners	AA	11
London Archers	AA	10
London Musketeers	AA	12
Milton Keynes Bucks	AA	7
Sidewinders	AA	8

HSL – Single-A
TEAM	CLASS	HSL RANKING
Bracknell Inferno	A	13
Herts Eagles	A	16
Herts Raptors	A	18
London Mustangs	A	14
London Minotaurs	A	19
Milton Keynes Coyotes	A	15
Richmond Dukes	A	17

SCHEDULE AND FORMAT

The HSL will be played over three weeks commencing on the weekend of 14-15 March and ending on 28-29 March. The HSL format and games schedule are expected to be announced shortly and hertsbaseball.com will bring this and all other HSL news as they happen.

9 February 202013 March 2020 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Teams starting to enter the 2020 Herts Spring League

The Herts Spring League (HSL) has confirmed the game dates for the 2020 edition of the competition*.

HSL (Week 1 of 3)
Sat, 14-Mar-20
Sun, 15-Mar-20

HSL (Week 2 of 3)
Sat, 21-Mar-20
Sun, 22-Mar-20

HSL (Week 3 of 3)
Sat, 28-Mar-20
Sun, 29-Mar-20

Spring is the time when managers put together their teams and aim to turn them into winning machines ahead of Opening Day. Similar to the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues in MLB, the HSL provides a competitive edge to spring training. This is the thirteenth year of the HSL. Every year this competition keeps growing. The geographic spread of participating teams seems to be expanding as well. For more details visit the HSL site.

LEAGUE FORMAT
Teams will be placed in two or more divisions (e.g. NBL, Triple-A, Double-A, Single-A) based on the teams’ ranking going into the new season. The exact format will depend on the number of teams entering the HSL. Full details will be published when the league line-up is confirmed.

TEAMS
Over the years the HSL has featured teams from the National Baseball League (NBL), Triple-A, Double-A and Single-A Leagues, as well as international teams such as the GB Under-19 and Under-16 National Teams and the ASL Eagles.

“The number of team entries has been going up every year. Last year we somehow managed to fit all of the entrants, however in 2020 we have to be mindful of the fact that we may once again reach our full capacity and we may have to restrict team entries when we reach that level again.” said HSL Commissioner, Aspi Dimitrov.

Teams from around the United Kingdom will be submitting their entries over the next few weeks and the HSL lineup and games schedule is expected to be published in early March.

* – The HSL dates are based on the indication that the BBF league season is likely to start on 5 April 2020 for all senior leagues (NBL, Triple-A, Double-A, Single-A).

11 December 201915 December 2019 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Players now registering for the 2020 baseball season

Player registration for the 2020 season has commenced. Last season Herts Baseball Club unveiled two new teams in NW London giving it a total of five teams playing in the BBF senior baseball leagues. The number of adult team players rose by a staggering 54.7%. In 2020 the club will be on a mission to turn this army of new players into teams that can compete in the playoff races of the various British baseball leagues.

ADULT BASEBALL LEAGUES

How many teams will represent Herts in 2020? The next few weeks will be crucial as the number of players registering will determine how many teams will be entered before the BBF league entry deadline of 31 January; how many will play in Hemel Hempstead and how many will play in London; which BBF leagues the teams will play in.

KEY DATES – ADULT TEAMS

26 January- players report for indoor Spring Training
1 March – teams return to the ballpark for the for the first time in 2020
14-15 March – Start of the 2020 Herts Spring League (subject to confirmation of the BBF League Opening Day)*
March – Great Britain National Team Tryouts (senior and youth teams)*
5 April – BBF League Opening Day (subject to confirmation)*
May – Midweek Evening Baseball commences
13-14 June – MLB London Series (see details below)
August-September* – BBF Postseason Playoffs and National Championships
September-October – Hunlock Series

* – these are preliminary dates. The BBF will be making its official announcements in due course.

YOUTH BASEBALL

The Herts youth players are probably suffering the most without baseball this winter, but they will not have to wait much longer. Registration for youth baseball players will be launched next month.

MLB LONDON SERIES – CUBS vs CARDINALS

Following 2019’s incredible sold-out slugfest between the Red Sox and the Yankees, 2020 will see the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs going toe-to-toe. On June 13-14, London Stadium will be transformed into Europe’s largest ballpark as it becomes MLB’s home once again. These are regular season games with everything on the line. Get ready for a day to remember both on and off the field. Various events and activities will take place as part of the MLB London Series and details will be announced in due course.

WHICH BALLPARK WILL YOU PLAY YOUR HOME LEAGUE GAMES AT?

The two Herts baseball teams based in North West London made their BBF League debut in 2019 and the club is implementing the gradual process of adding the baseball infrastructure at Basing Hill Ballpark. 2020 player registration has just commenced (see details below). Now that the club has two ballparks, the online registration form will ask players to indicate whether they prefer to play their home league games in Hemel Hempstead or in NW London, or whether they would be happy with either. This will provide vital information to club management when they configure the team rosters for the new season.

HOW TO REGISTER FOR THE 2020 HERTS BASEBALL SEASON

For those who already have a Herts Online Clubhouse 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 Baseball Club and do not have an online account can register as members by completing this form. For more details about joining our teams in 2020 click here or contact us.

1 April 20191 April 2019 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Falcons, Sidewinders and Bobcats are the HSL champs

NBL/TRIPLE-A

The Herts Falcons won the NBL/Triple-A Division of the HSL convincingly with a 100% record (4-0). The London Mammoths were tied with the Herts Londoners both with a .500 record, but the Mammoths took second place based on their two wins over the Londoners in the head-to-head games. The Falcons and Londoners rosters were mixed for the HSL games as the managers of the two teams were assessing their squads for the 2019 season. We expect the Opening Day rosters of the two teams to be announced shortly. The London Archers impressed everyone and they now head to the Czech Republic where they will represent Great Britain in the PONY Tournament in Prague.

There were some flame-throwers on show and coaches came prepared (photos by Rob Jones)

DOUBLE-A

In the Double-A Division the Sidewinders overcame all challengers to clinch the HSL title. MK Bucks and the London Marauders were not not far away which suggests that we will see a very competitive race in the BBF Double-A League this season. The Hawks finished in last place, but don’t write them off. Over the last few years they have been one of the front runners in Double-A.

SINGLE-A

There was a very close three-horse race in the Single-A Division and the tie-break rule had to be applied to determine the HSL winner. Tonbridge’s superior head-to-head record against the London Musketeers nudged them into first place. We saw a large number of new players in the Eagles and Raptors rosters during the HSL and the managers of both teams experimented with various lineups, trying players in different positions. This would have given them valuable information and, as the league games commence, players will get a clearer idea of the positions and roles which they will be playing this season.

View HSL scoreboard

View HSL standings

GB NATIONAL YOUTH TEAM TRIALS

The HSL schedule also featured the Great Britain National Youth Team Trials which Herts has now hosted for a second consecutive year. We saw around 100 young players take part and they impressed. The GB coaches will now have the difficult task of whittling the list down before announcing the National Team squads for the upcoming international competitions. Many of the candidates were members of the Herts youth and adult teams and we hope to see them in action around the world this year.

2019 OPENING DAY JUST DAYS AWAY

We saw home runs, spectacular defence, lights-out pitching, many players who will be making their BBF league debuts in 2019 and a whole lot more over the last three weeks of the HSL.

With Spring Training completed, British baseball teams up and down the country will hope that this will be their year. Stay tuned as we build up to the 2019 Opening Day in the coming days. Also follow us on Twitter and Facebook for a comprehensive coverage of the 2019 baseball season.

10 March 201925 March 2019 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts teams announce preliminary 2019 rosters for the HSL

The five Herts teams have announced their preliminary rosters for the 2019 Herts Spring League .

We understand that these rosters are not fixed and it is likely that there may be movement between teams over the course of the HSL. Some players may play for more than one team as managers look to evaluate them ahead of the announcement of the 2019 Opening Day rosters. The Falcons and Londoners rosters are combined for this reason and it is expected that there will be a large amount of crossover between the two teams throughout the HSL.

The HSL games commence on 16 March 2019.

New players are registering every week, therefore some new names may be added to the rosters over the course of the HSL and throughout the league season.

HERTS FALCONS / HERTS LONDONERS

Aaron Witter
Alex Deacon
Andrew Roberts
Carlos Casal Jr
Christopher Gregory
Colin Whitton
Cristobal Hiche
Daniel Whitton
Darrin Ward
Dennis Grogan
Dominic Hill
Duane Badenhorst
Gary Davison
Hector Miguel Sarmiento de la Cruz
Jamie Warren
Jarrod Pretorius
John Blose
Kimiyoshi Saionji
Lucas Lebrato
Marco Pestana
Matthew Moran
Miguel Rodriguez
Moise Vasquez
Nicolas Goetz
Petar Kikel
Phil Clark
Robert Gibson
Sebastian Molina
Tetsuro Shinkawa
Tom Carson
Tyler Badenhorst
Wade Lynch
Walter Bates
Yosdany Bueno

HERTS HAWKS

Andrew Slater
Andy Cornish
Antony Lavender
Brian Morgan
Charlie Mayhew
Dan Bartram
Edoardo Lisi
Gilberto Medina
Giuseppe Basilea
Greg Bochan
Hunter Devine
Jamie Lang
Jonathon Lewys
Josh Morgan
Louis Hare
Michael Cresswell
Rod Naghar
Sonam Lama

HERTS RAPTORS

Alex Coakley
Bobby Gould
Callum Barwick
Daniel Gipple
Daniel Moran
Daniel Shaw
David Grindstaff
Francois Earp
Jay Curtis
Jack O’Brien
James Emblow
John Kjorstad
Jordon Fox
Kai Rajah
Laurence Currington
Lee Manning
Mantas Poderys
Matthew Jackson
Michael Johnson
Nicholas Durer
Oliver Durer
Paul Barton
Rob Jones
Stephen Patmore

HERTS EAGLES

Adam Collins
Adam Scales
Alessandro Antonini
Alexander Trautman
Andy Stratford
Antonio Lourenco
Arnold Longboy
Aspi Dimitrov
Clive Johnson
Darren Priest
Kumail Jaffer
Max Trautman
Mohamed Abdule
Robert Gibson
Tom Lock
Trevor Clissold

Adult and youth players, from beginners to advanced players, are now registering for the 2019 baseball season. For more details about how to join any of the Herts adult and youth baseball teams in Hemel Hempstead and in NW London or for more details about the HSL or if you are interested to give baseball a try in this competition contact Herts Baseball Club.

6 March 20196 March 2019 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Countdown to HSL – first chance to see the teams ahead of the 2019 British baseball season

Countdown to HSL – first chance to see the teams ahead of the 2020 British baseball season

The biggest pre-season baseball competition in Britain is back. Commencing on March 16, the Herts Spring League (HSL) will see 15 teams compete over the 3 weeks of the HSL. Organised by Herts Baseball Club, it is Britain’s version of MLB’s Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues currently under way in the US, and it signals that the season is just around the corner.

FORMAT

The 15 teams will be entered into three HSL tiers – NBL/Triple-A, Double-A and Single-A – based on the ranking of the teams going into the 2019 BBF League season.

The teams finishing at the top of their respective division will be the HSL champions. The “games-back” column in the standings will be critical, but undoubtedly some teams will end up with the same record and so it may go down to the number of runs conceded per game to break the tie.

THE VENUE

The action will take place at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead, the home of Herts Baseball Club.

SCHEDULE

Over the three weekends 32 games are scheduled to be played on the two diamonds. The competition begins on March 16 with a clash between the Milton Keynes Bucks and the Herts Hawks in the HSL Double-A division. The HSL NBL division commences on the same day when the Herts Falcons will come up against the London Archers.

Click to view full 2019 HSL schedule

EXCITEMENT BUILDING UP

GET IN THE GAME

6 March 201914 March 2019 by Herts Baseball News Editor

15 teams will signal the arrival of Spring in the 2019 HSL

Herts Baseball Club has confirmed that 15 teams have entered this year’s Herts Spring League (HSL). The teams come from all British baseball leagues including the National Baseball League (NBL), Triple-A, Double-A and Single-A Leagues.

The London Archers are also back for their second year in the HSL. They are Britain’s reigning Under-17 Champions and they will use the HSL as part of their preparations for the PONY European Tournament later this year.

The HSL teams will be divided into three divisions as follows:

SCHEDULE AND FORMAT

The HSL will be played over three weeks commencing on the weekend of 16-17 March and ending on 30-31 March. The HSL format and games schedule are expected to be announced shortly and hertsbaseball.com will bring this and all other HSL news as they happen.

10 February 2019 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Teams starting to enter the 2019 Herts Spring League

The Herts Spring League (HSL) has confirmed the game dates for the 2019 edition of the competition*.

HSL (Week 1 of 3)
Sat, 16-Mar-19
Sun, 17-Mar-19

HSL (Week 2 of 3)
Sat, 23-Mar-19
Sun, 24-Mar-19

HSL (Week 3 of 3)
Sat, 30-Mar-19
Sun, 31-Mar-19

Spring is the time when managers put together their teams and aim to turn them into winning machines ahead of Opening Day. Similar to the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues in MLB, the HSL provides a competitive edge to spring training. This is the twelfth year of the HSL. Every year this competition keeps growing. The geographic spread of participating teams seems to be expanding as well. For more details visit the HSL site.

“The number of team entries has been going up every year. Last year we somehow managed to fit all of the entrants, however in 2018 we have to be mindful of the fact that we may once again reach our full capacity and we may have to restrict team entries when we reach that level again.” said HSL Commissioner, Aspi Dimitrov.

The addition of U19 and U17 league teams in previous years has worked very well. The high standard of most of the BBF U19 and U17 League teams will certainly enable them to comfortably compete at the level of adult teams from the Double-A and Triple-A League teams, or perhaps even the NBL.

Teams from around the United Kingdom will be submitting their entries over the next few weeks and the HSL lineup and games schedule is expected to be published in early March.

* – The HSL dates are based on the indication that the BBF league season is likely to start on 7 April 2019 for all senior leagues (NBL, Triple-A, Double-A, Single-A).

3 April 201825 April 2018 by Rob Jones

Down and dirty: Herts Spring League 2018

My first at-bat of 2018 ended with a flourish, writes Rob Jones. No, not a majestic home run, but an impressive flailing swing at a curve ball which was so far off the plate on the outside it was probably in a different post code.

It was a Herts Spring League game against the London Musketeers, I was batting fifth on a boggy field. We had got a runner on, and I calmly took a few pitches. But after six fastballs or so, the crucial payoff fooled me completely.

A Musketeer bamboozling your correspondent

In my defence, it was probably the first time I had swung at any sort of moving ball since last October, as none of the indoor training sessions I attended included any batting. And the skies were a bit grey. And Jupiter was moving into Orion. Or something.

But the point of this is not to make excuses — it’s to say that it didn’t really matter.

This is a paean to the joys of the Spring League, when the welcome opportunity to play baseball after a winter of hibernation overrides every doubt about how well you actually play it.

The first weekend of the HSL fell victim to unseasonably arctic weather. Only one game survived — and that was really just because the teams had already made the journey to Grovehill and refused to be defeated. Conditions were entirely unsuitable.

The second weekend still had some of the nastiest feel underfoot that I have ever experienced at our Spring League. The dugouts were soggy, the on-deck area slippy. Being a good citizen, and retrieving a pass ball, was quite a challenge.

For the stats geeks among you, I can reassure you that my performance at the plate improved some. I worked a walk the second time up, and what I will score as an infield hit the third time. Some scorers might think it was a throwing error by third base. But what do they know.

It was an adventure in the field, at shortstop, with the famous red cleats clogged with dirt. Fortunately it, too, followed a broad upward trajectory towards acceptability.

Of my first few plays, one was a muffed attempt to get a force at home on a dribbling ground ball. I was too late, and the throw was too low.

I was swiftly reminded that in such situations the throw, when in doubt, should always go to first. My reasoning was that I was rushing towards home plate to go and get the ball, so it seemed more sensible to throw in the direction I was heading. Who knows if I was right, but I certainly wasn’t successful.

The next chance I had was a straightforward infield pop-up, close to the pitchers’ mound. I called it, moved in. But somehow missed it entirely. I’m still not sure how. I only really knew I had dropped it by the aghast look on the face of Paul, the pitcher.

Fortunately I redeemed myself, taking a later pop-up despite a collision with the second baseman. We had both called for it, simultaneously, and so both ploughed on to try to catch it. Perhaps my earlier faux pas, and my determination to assert my shortstop’s authority, made me ignore a looming impact.

It ended well. I caught it, and nobody was hurt.

Except Paul. He was no longer pitching, Ken was. So Paul wanted to know quite why I couldn’t handle an easy catch for him, but could survive a clattering to help Ken. Oops!

The Raptors lost the game in the end, but there was lots of good pitching and lots of good plays.

We actually pulled off a hidden ball trick to tag a runner on second. I’m always bit conflicted about the hidden ball, to be honest. It feels like a low blow, a bit bush league.

And yet, if we are going to pay any attention at all to base discipline, then the hidden ball is surely just an extension of that. All players learning the game should understand when they are free to roam on the bases, and when they they have to get back. They should be looking out for pickoffs. So they should also look out for someone smuggling the ball in their glove.

Torrential rain put paid to the Raptors game scheduled for the Saturday of the third week. There was still a small boating lake on one diamond on the Sunday. Luckily, and with some solid work by the grounds crew, games did go ahead for lots of teams.

It’s always heartening to see teams coming from far and wide to brave what are often cold conditions to play Spring games at Herts. The weather really outdid itself this year. And so perhaps it is fair to say that all those travelling teams outdid themselves too.

I was obviously disappointed not to get more at-bats, and more ground balls. But the Spring League washes away all disappointments with positivity.

It may have had the muddy conditions of trench warfare sometimes, but the action has begun. We can only go up from here.