Category: Featured

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Falcons to play in Bulgaria in their European Fed Cup Qualifier

Russtar Arena in Moscow, one of the Fed Cup qualifier venues

The opponents of the Herts Falcons in their 2019 European Federations Cup Qualifier have been announced by the Confederation of European Baseball (CEB). The majority of them are teams from Central and Eastern Europe, with one each from Scandinavia and the Baltic.

This will be the Falcons’ debut in continental club competitions. They booked their European place after finishing as National Baseball League (NBL) runners-up in 2018, losing to the London Mets in the Final. The Mets are also one of the 12 teams who will be competing in this Qualifier.

The games will be played on June 10 to 15, 2019. The two cities which have been awarded the right to host the Federations Cup Qualifiers are the Russian capital, Moscow, and Blagoevgrad in South Western Bulgaria. Herts have been assigned to Blagoevgrad.

It’s a city 60 miles from Sofia, the cultural centre of its region. There are two universities, so plenty of cafes and restaurants, and it hosts several music festivals. The Blagoevgrad Buffaloes baseball team have won a string of national titles.

While Herts would have welcomed the chance to go to one of the host cities of the very successful 2018 World Cup in Russia, Bulgaria is the preferred option from a financial perspective. The Herts Falcons will be raising money to help fund this amazing opportunity, and fans and players alike will be working hard to do that.

Federations Cup Qualifier Lineup
Pool 1 – Moscow, Russia, June 10 – 15, 2019

1) London Mets (GBR)
2) KS Silesia Rybnik (POL)
3) Apollo Bratislava (SVK)
4) Russtar Moscow (RUS)
5) Sofia Blues (BUL)
6) Kaunas County (LTU)

Pool 2 – Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, June 10 – 15, 2019

1) Herts Falcons (GBR)
2) Athletic Sofia (BUL)
3) Solvesborg Firehawks (SWE)
4) Utenos Titanai (LTU)
5) CS Atletico Alexandria (ROM)
6) UKS Deby Osielso (POL)

 

The home of the Blagoevgrad Buffaloes

If British baseball clubs make progress in these international competitions they can look forward to competing in the Champions Cup and the CEB Cup alongside the highest ranked European clubs.

Champions Cup Lineup
Bologna, Italy, June 4 – 8, 2019

1) Curacao Neptunus (NED)
2) L&D Amsterdam (NED)
3) Unipolsai Fortitudo Bologna (ITA)
4) A.S.D. Rimini (ITA)
5) Bonn Capitals (GER)
6) Ostrava Arrows (CZE)
7) Rouen Huskies (FRA)
8) Deurne Spartans (BEL)

CEB Cup Lineup
Brno, Czech Republic, June 5 – 9, 2019

1) Heidenheim Heidekoepfe (GER)
2) Draci Brno (CZE)
3) Valencia Astros (ESP)
4) Zuerich Challengers (SUI)
5) Montigny Cougars (FRA)
6) KNTU Kropivnytsky
7) Minsk (BLR)
8) Vindija Varazdin (CRO)

Federations Cup Lineup
Karlovac, Croatia, June 10 – 15, 2019

1) Dornbirn Indians (AUT)
2) Vienna Metrostars (AUT)
3) Olimpija Karlovac (CRO)
4) Therwil Flyers (SUI)
5) Leksand (SWE)
6) Borgerhout Squirrels (BEL)

by Rob Jones

An injection of Youngblood

“Yeah! That’s an RBI, that’s an RBI! Well done!” The athletic man in the Grovehill dugout applauded enthusiastically as a hit drove in another run for Herts. He looked right at home.

But his more usual place was on the sideline of a basketball court, not a baseball diamond. For this was Robert Youngblood, the Head Coach of the Hemel Storm of Britain’s National League Division 1.

In 2018, the Storm surpassed themselves by winning the National Cup, a knockout tournament not unlike the FA cup or… well…like nothing which exists in baseball.

They also progressed deep into their league playoffs in Division One in the Spring. They beat Solent Kestrels and Reading Rockets and staged a comeback in the final against Worthing Thunder before just coming up short.

In June, Coach Youngblood came down to Herts baseball club at Grovehill for a bit of cross-sports co-operation. The Herts youth teams were playing BBF Super League games against Brighton and London Sports. And – like any good ball club – we like to get a celebrity to throw out the opening pitch.

After chatting with the players as they warmed up, Youngblood took to his starring role with the ease of a veteran performer. Taking the mound, he waved to the crowds, and warmed up a little with a couple of trial pitches.

This was clearly a guy who took success seriously. There would be no dolly-drops here, no eephus pitch. This was going to be a heater in the zone. It smacked the glove. Personal pride had been satisfied.

Youngblood joined the Hemel Storm in the summer of 2017 and has helped to step the team up a gear.

He’d had a successful career as a player in the British and European basketball leagues – playing for Milton Keynes Lions, London Towers and Leicester Riders, as well as spells in the German Bundesliga.

He ended his career in the top ten of several key statistical categories – including points, rebounds and blocks.

As a coach, he led Essex Leopards to playoffs and trophies, and was on the staff of the London Lions of the BBL before heading to Hemel.

Way, way back when, as a kid in Florida, he had played baseball. It’s common for US kids to play all sports before opting for their best. So his visit to Grovehill clearly stirred memories.

Youngblood had been a catcher as a kid. It went fine for a while, but he had trouble with the mask. It never quite fit correctly, he couldn’t see so well. So he would wear it hitched up a little….

You can see where this is going can’t you?

One day his luck ran out and he took a foul ball right in the noggin. His catching career ended there.

“I played outfield from then on” he said, “to keep a safe distance. But I wasn’t such a good outfielder…”

Coach Youngblood certainly put his all into training with the Herts Under-8s and Under-11s once the Under 15s had got their games under way.

He talked dedication, and the fun of Florida and Disneyworld. He talked playing as a team, and enjoying what you do.

He pitched to some batters, took his hacks at the plate, and ran the bases. And he did it all with his Reese’s Pieces in his pocket. The mark of a true pro.

by Rob Jones

Human highlight reels: Herts 2018 MVPs

The 2018 season saw Herts baseball club take another step forward, and it is time to celebrate some of those who powered us on.

Adult and youth players have been voting for their Most Valuable Player (MVP) of 2018, and the contests have been close as always. We can now **drum roll** unveil the results.

The Herts Falcons of the National Baseball League (NBL) were a cherry on top of the club’s year, making a stunning run through the playoffs to reach the final series at Farnham Park against the London Mets.

The Falcons players chose slugger (and outfielder/pitcher) Walter Bates as their MVP, acknowledging the impact he has made since joining the team.

Walter’s highlights for the year included going for 6-for-7 with three triples against the London Capitals in June, and winning a home run derby against a former Marlins organisation player, Chris Squires, at a summer exhibition event.

He also helped support the club online, spreading the word about Herts and British baseball generally – and was the first to sign up for 2019 once registration opened.

Walter Bates after beating Chris Squires in a home run contest

The Herts Double-A side, the Hawks, had another impressive year which saw them end with a 18-4 record in their second year after promotion.

Team stalwart Jon Lewys was once again instrumental in their success and his team-mates rewarded him with the MVP award.

He led the team in hits, and also played stellar defense both in the outfield and at second base. Hawks Manager Michael Cresswell said he was great to have on the team, consistently putting in great performances and fully deserving the award.

There was a fitting — even poetic – result to the voting among Herts Raptors players. They chose Paul Auchterlounie as their MVP. Paul is one of the club’s longest serving members, and at the end of the 2018 season he retired from playing for good.

After joining the Raptors to act as a mentoring catcher to young pitchers, he became a reliable go-to starting pitcher himself, and a consistent bat. He still did a bit of catching, and still helped out young players (especially to guide them away from their appalling choices of music).

Paul Auchterlounie in action

The 2018 season of British baseball suffered at many levels from some organisational problems. That affected the Herts youth teams as much as anyone, interrupting the flow of games. But they still put in a great year of performances.

Joshua Badenhorst was voted the MVP for the Under-15 team, recognising a year in which he was not only an ace pitcher and catcher but also a valuable utility player. He pitched a great game against London Sports in the UK Little League qualifier, and went 4-for-5 with the bat as an added bonus.

He has impressed with his positive attitude and team leadership – with opposing coaches even offering their praise. Josh was also valuable behind the scenes for the club, going the extra mile to help to set up and clear away the field at games.

The Under-13s perhaps suffered more than most due to issues with their game schedule, and a fluctuating line-up. But the MVP award went to Nathan Mudd. Coach Dana Myzer agreed he had deserved the accolade, praising him for his heart, and determination.

The U-11s get a team talk at Farnham Park

The Under-11 players voted Leon Gutowski their MVP. The team capped their year with an impressive run at the Youth National Baseball Championships at Farnham Park in September.

Leon played a key role as they won both of their pool games – including a dramatic walk-off against a powerful London Sports side – to reach the final. They were the first Herts youth team to achieve that feat since 2013.

The contest for a Play of the Year — which is voted on by all players from across the club – produced a very close result. Anthony Lavender’s spectacular diving catch for the Hawks against the London Marauders was locked in a tough battle with Alex Deacon’s double play in the NBL final.

Deacon’s moment of brilliance came out on top, and he takes the prize. In Game 1 of the final against the London Mets, he made an improbable catch at second base on a ball which looked certain to get over his head. Smartly, he threw to second base to double off the runner.

Spectators couldn’t stop talking about the defensive play of the game — which was seen by a wider audience because of the BBF streaming the game on YouTube. Now it has won Alex Deacon the coveted Herts Play of the Year, too.

Alex Deacon flashes leather in the NBL final

 

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Adult and youth players now registering for the 2019 Herts baseball and softball season

Player registration for the 2019 season has commenced.

ADULT BASEBALL LEAGUES

Last season three Herts teams entered the BBF senior baseball leagues. How many teams will represent Herts in 2019? The next few weeks will be critical to see how many players will register to play for Herts in 2019 and on the basis of this the club will decide how many teams to enter before the BBF league entry deadline, and which leagues the teams will play in.

 

KEY DATES – ADULT TEAMS

February – players report for indoor Spring Training

March – first open-air training session of 2019

23-24 March – Start of the 2019 Herts Spring League (subject to confirmation of the BBF League Opening Day)*

23-24 March – Great Britain National Team Tryouts (senior and youth teams)

7 April – BBF National Baseball League and Triple-A League Opening Day (subject to confirmation)*

14 April – BBF Double-A and Single-A League Opening Day (subject to confirmation)*

May-August – Midweek Evening Baseball

10-16 June – Herts Falcons in the European Federation Cup

29-30 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 LEAGUES

The British Baseball Federation launched the Super League in 2017. It enhanced the youth baseball regular season and it is expected to be even more exciting in 2019. Many of our youth players will be moving up to the next age group to face a different challenge in 2019. They will be joined by the new players who are joining the club every week. The Herts youth teams welcome boys and girls aged between 4 and 17 from complete beginners to experienced players.

KEY DATES – YOUTH TEAMS

February – U18, U15, U13 and U11 players report for indoor Spring Training

March – first open-air training session of 2019

23-24 March – Great Britain National Team Tryouts (senior and youth teams)

April – U8 players report for their first session

7-14 April – U18, U15, U13, U11, U8 Season Opening Day*

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

29-30 June – MLB London Series (See details below)

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

September – National Youth Baseball Championships (U18, U15, U13, U11)

September – Herts Futures Tournament (U18, U15, U13, U11, U8)

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

SOFTBALL

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

Softball Spring Training will commence in February. The first few sessions will be indoors. All equipment will be provided so anyone aged 14 and over can come and enjoy the day, meet new friends and try a new sport. These will be followed by indoor softball pre-season games. For more details about the Herts Softball Programme click here. If you are interested to come and try softball at any of the upcoming open sessions contact us and we will provide you with full details and add you to our mailing list.

MLB LONDON SERIES – BASEBALL IS COMING HOME

In case you have not heard, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees will be playing two MLB official league games on 29 and 30 June 2019 in London. This is the first time that MLB games will be staged in Europe. Various events and activities will take place as part of the MLB London Series and details will be announced in due course.  For now, baseball fans are advised to pre-register not later than 4:59 pm on 29 November 2018 in order to be eligible to access pre-sale tickets when they go on sale at 10:00 am on Monday, 3 December 2019. Click here for full details.

FIRST LONDON-BASED HERTS TEAM IN THE BBF LEAGUES

The first Herts baseball team based in North West London is set to make its BBF League debut in 2019. The club is in the process of securing the NW London ballpark and putting all of the components together in order to unveil the team in time for Opening Day. 2019 Player Registration has just commenced (see details below). The online registration form will ask each adult and youth player 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 about how to go about forming the first team which will play in NW London without affecting existing teams based in Hemel Hempstead.

HOW TO REGISTER FOR THE 2019 HERTS BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL SEASON

Herts Baseball Club has commenced the 2019 registration process for adult and youth players. 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 and do not have a Herts online account will be able to register as members by completing this form. For more details about joining our teams in 2019 click here or contact us.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

How to buy tickets for the Yankees v Red Sox in London next year


NEW YORK YANKEES v BOSTON RED SOX
Saturday 29 June 2019, 6:10 pm British Summer Time
Sunday 30 June 2019, 3:10 pm British Summer Time
London Stadium, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London E20 2ST

A trip to see the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees slug it out IN LONDON next June might be the most exciting Christmas present ever!

Hot off the press, here are some important guidelines released by Major League Baseball on about securing tickets for these games. Tickets will sell out very quickly – so please read carefully to maximise your chances of getting some.

BUYING TICKETS
There will be two opportunities to secure tickets, and priority will be given to those who have Pre-Registered.

To Pre-Register for advanced ticket access, go to mlb.com/londonseries.

  • You have until 4:59 pm on 29 November 2018 to sign up.
  •  Advanced access to tickets will start at 10.00 am GMT on Monday 3 December 2018.
  •  If you have signed up, you will receive an email before 3 December containing a unique code and instructions on how to purchase tickets.  The code cannot be shared with others.
  •  Pre-registered fans can purchase up to eight single tickets across the two games.  The code may be used multiple times, but once you have purchased the maximum number of tickets it will cease to work.
  •  If you wish to purchase additional tickets, you can do so when general sale tickets are released at 10.00 am GMT on Thursday 6 December.

NOTE 1:  Pre-Registering does not guarantee ticket availability and therefore does not guarantee tickets to the games.

NOTE 2:  If you pre-registered for tickets when these games were first announced earlier this year, you do not need to register again.

General sale tickets will be available from 10.00 am GMT on Thursday 6 December 2018, sold through Ticketmaster.

For all purchases, you are likely to need a new Ticketmaster account.  Existing Ticketmaster.com accounts cannot be used.  You can set up an account at www.ticketmaster.co.uk/member now, which will save you time at checkout.

CHOOSING SEATS

  • Tickets will vary in price depending on where you choose to sit.
  • Single tickets will range from £30 to £320.
  • The Red Sox are the ‘home’ team for both games.
  • The Boston Red Sox will be occupying the dugout along the first base line, to the right of home plate.
  • The New York Yankees will be occupying the dugout along the third base line, to the left of home plate.

For further details on the London Series, fan events and activities around the games, check out mlb.com/londonseries and https://twitter.com/mlblondonseries.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Pressure is on for Herts to unveil NW London ballpark in time for 2019 Opening Day

While the United Kingdom is gripped by the drama of Brexit, Herts Baseball Club is working frantically to secure and unveil its venue in North West London to host BBF adult and youth league games in time for the start of the 2019 season. Opening Day is on 7 April 2019 which is just a week after the UK is scheduled to leave the European Union so it is expected to be a Bexit-like race against the clock.

The club was founded in 1996 and over the years has developed Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead into one of the best baseball venues in the country with support from Sport England, BaseballSoftballUK, Dacorum Borough Council and other partners. At its Annual General Meeting ahead of the 2013 season, the club recognised the need to expand into North West London to accommodate not only the large number of existing London-based club members, but also to welcome new players from that densely-populated part of London who struggle to commute to Hemel Hempstead.

As a first step, a satellite baseball club was established in Whitefield School in 2014 running baseball sessions and games as part of a school baseball league involving schools from around North West London and Hertfordshire.

In a press conference on 8 May 2018 London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, and MLB Commissioner, Rob Manfred, announced that the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox will play two official league games at the London Stadium on 29 and 30 June 2019. The London Series is part of MLB’s efforts to market Major League Baseball around the globe and to promote the development of baseball as a world and Olympic sport.

The announcement prompted Herts Baseball Club to accelerate the timetable for the creation of a baseball venue in North West London. This year the Club ran a series of events in NW London giving the local community the opportunity to come and try baseball. The participation levels and feedback from the public have been positive.

Ceremonial first pitch at the unveiling of the second diamond of Grovehill Ballpark in 2010.

The project is into the critical stage of negotiating to secure the venue where the first London-based Herts team will make its BBF league debut. “There are only 143 days until the 2019 BBF Opening Day so the pressure is on” said club president, Aspi Dimitrov, who was realistic that “it will take several years for us to have a fully-developed ballpark, but the key for 2019 is to have a diamond which meets the requirements to stage BBF adult and youth league games so that we are ready for the arrival of MLB and the anticipated increase in the number of players interested to play baseball.”

The club will shortly be launching its 2019 player registration. The online registration form will ask each player 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 about how to go about forming the first team which will play in NW London without affecting existing teams based in Hemel Hempstead. Team managers will also use the information to decide which BBF League the NW London team will enter.

Whether this is baseball, football or another sport, the prospect of opening a new venue always brings excitement. The club already experienced this back in 2010 when the second diamond was added to Grovehill Ballpark and gave it the capacity to achieve further growth and success on and off the field of play.

WATCH: The first ever game to be streamed live from Grovehill Ballpark
by Herts Baseball News Editor

WATCH: The first ever game to be streamed live from Grovehill Ballpark


On Sunday Grovehill Ballpark hosted the British Baseball Federation Single-A National Final between the Long Eaton Storm and London Musketeers. The game was streamed live on the BBF YouTube Channel making it the first ever game to be streamed live from the home of Herts Baseball Club. The game was previously rained out on three separate occasions. This game being played on 21 October may have made history as the first game to be played so late in the season.  Usually the National Finals are played in the first half of September.

by Rob Jones

“Every moment is precious…”

The end of the British baseball season is always a melancholy moment, writes Rob Jones.

I wouldn’t say that it is “sad”, as such. You shouldn’t be sad when something finite ends — that is what gives it its quality. I’m not sad when Christmas ends — if it went on and on, it would not be special.

So I am not sad when the baseball year ends. But it is a melancholy moment. A pensive moment, a time for reflection.

Rob at bat against Tonbridge (pic: Liam McAvoy)

On a positive note I should start by saying that my team, the Herts Raptors, achieved a .500 record in the Single-A league this year, which is the baseball baseline for “doing OK”. So we can tick that box.

We had a great bunch of guys, and I always enjoyed getting together to play. The 2018 manager, Matt Jackson, led us all with dedication and the right attitude.

Stunning walkoff

Overall, the club had some real high points in the year. The Herts Falcons reached the NBL final for the first time in six years with some superb playoff wins.

The Under-11s reached the final of their age group at the Youth National Baseball Championships, the first Herts youth side to reach a final since 2013. And they did it with a stunning walkoff victory, which was an added bonus for the kids.

But for me, as for many people involved in British baseball in 2018, it was an odd season. Frustrating. Disappointing. Deflating.

First of all, I have to link all of this into my old man shtick – my body feels each season more keenly, and you always think to yourself “how many more years can I keep doing this?”

I grant you that I am probably being melodramatic. 46 is twice the age of some of our players, but I’m hardly ready for my slippers in the retirement home yet. We had guys come on board late in the season who are, in fact, older than I am.

However, I try to play as many games as I can each year, and at what point does that end? At what point do you become just a substitute, or occasional participant?

Passion

One of my fellow travellers in the Old Guys brigade, Paul Auchterlounie, hung up his playing gear at the end of 2018 to concentrate on umpiring. I wish him all the best – and he’ll be excellent – but that is kind of melancholy, too.

Paul was with the club before I arrived, and has always played with absolute passion to do his best. At times, in those early years, he could become extremely frustrated by his own flaws – and I fully understood that!

Paul Auchterlounie looking on the bright side of life

But he also approached baseball as a sport, something which should be fun. What’s more, I’ve seen him make some amazing plays in the outfield. He reached the AA playoffs as a Hawks catcher.

And when he joined the Raptors in recent years to act as a mentoring catcher to young pitchers, he in fact ended up as one of our most reliable and effective starters on the mound!

The club will miss him on the field but will, I’m sure, see him often in his new role.

The loss of a veteran makes it feel more real that, at some point, you have to move on. That nagging concern was exacerbated this year by the confusion surrounding the organisation of the game nationally.

If every moment on the diamond is increasingly precious, you don’t want to lose opportunities because of forfeits, or scheduling mistakes.

Washout

The set-up of the leagues in 2018 meant chances of post-season play for the Raptors were exceptionally slim. And during most of the summer, teams had little idea of what the results or standings were. The “race for the post-season” was a blindfolded race.

It is perhaps a fitting metaphor that attempts to stage the Single-A final have so far failed, and the teams which made it through the confusion have not had the chance to play. It’s nobody’s fault, as such, since the weather has intervened repeatedly. But I can’t help but think that a damp squib season has had an appropriate conclusion with a washout.

British baseball has a tremendous opportunity in 2019 to spread the word about the game and attract more players, particularly young players. MLB has finally followed American football’s NFL, and basketball’s NBA, in playing regular season games in London. The choice of the Red Sox and Yankees shows that this is a serious attempt to break the market.

We need to capitalise on this moment. To do that, we will all need to do better.

Waiting for the dust to settle… (pic: Liam McAvoy)

One incident from 2018 hopefully ties together my old man melancholy with a more positive note.

On the opening day of the season, one of our new winter recruits Liam Roberts – a promising speedster with a love of baseball, and lots to contribute to the club – played his first league game.

He led off with a walk. Then went to steal second base.

But a freak accident on the slide left him with a broken arm. He had surgery in the course of the year, and is thankfully recovering, but was advised not to try baseball again.

It brings home how lucky I have been to get to play this game for so many years. Every moment is an upside.

I’m here fretting to you all about how much longer I can steal bases, and make dazzling plays at shortstop, when I should perhaps be focussing only on those high points I have already experienced.

The off-season will give me a chance to mull all that over. Whilst oiling the glove, cleaning the cleats, and buying my London Series tickets.

And dreaming of great things. Because no matter what the body can or can’t do, it doesn’t stop me dreaming.

—————–

POSTSCRIPT: It is only fair to add that the delayed Single-A final has now taken place. It was hosted at a sun-drenched Grovehill Ballpark, and the Long Eaton Storm and the London Musketeers played out a tremendous game.

Storm won 16-14, but I am going to take a positive message from it for all clubs.

Let’s see this as a parting of those clouds which I complained about above. Let’s see this sunshine as a good omen of what’s to come in 2019.

I have written elsewhere on these pages about how the last act of the drama is the one which leaves the most powerful imprint. And this was definitely a good final act. Forward together.

 

 

 

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Black Barracudas win the 2018 Hunlock Series

The final and deciding round of Hunlock Series games on 14 October was postponed due to the heavy rain which made it impossible for the grounds crew to make the diamonds playable. With no more available dates, these games will not be played and the current standings are now final. This confirmed Black Barracudas as the 2018 Hunlock Series Champions.  They dominated from the very first game and are the deserved winners. 4 games back on them are the Red Roosters who finished as the runners-up after their dramatic revival in week three which saw them rise from last to second place.

Despite the rain-out, the Hunlock Series once again provided the best possible end to the British Baseball season. We saw some very high quality baseball – pitchers throwing at over 85mph, power-hitting display by Conner Brown who hit three home runs, spectacular defence including diving plays by Pete Hogg and Jarrod Pretorius, both of which were nominated for Play of the Year.  There was an international flavour with the participation of the Toulouse Astros. We hope to see them again next year.

The Hunlock Series also gave the players an opportunity to say thank you to legendary umpire, Darrin Muller (pictured above), who is retiring after 17 years during which he umpired over 2250 games including World Cup, Senior and Youth National Championships Little League, PONY, European and other games. We hope to convince him to come out of retirement from time to time for special events.

The Series saw around 100 players take part and more than 20 of them were new players who we hope to see wearing the Herts jersey when the 2019 British baseball season commences.

During the off-season Herts Baseball Club will be preparing for a very special 2019 baseball season. When we say “special”, we are not referring only to the long-awaited arrival of the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees for the MLB London Series. The Club has ambitious plans for 2019 and beyond. We will keep you updated in the coming weeks and months. Stay tuned!

If you are not a member of the club yet, the best way to keep up-to-date is to be added to the club’s mailing list. Contact us for more details about joining the club or to subscribe to the mailing list.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Hunlock managers given 3 Wild Cards, “9th Inning” format will apply to all games

 

The games schedule for the 2018 Hunlock Series has been published. As in previous years, all games will adopt the “9th Inning” format where games are decided over a single inning only. This format recreates the tension and drama of the ninth inning.

If that wasn’t enough, it has been announced that this year each team manager will have three “Wild Cards”. The newly introduced rule stipulates that:

Each team will be allocated three Wild Cards which they can use over the course of the Series.

Wild Card A: All opponent batters start their at bats with one strike against them.

Wild Card B: Opponent bats with one Out recorded against them at the start of the inning.

Wild Card C: Team starts their offensive half of the inning with runner on second base. If they use this Wild Card, the runner on second base will be whoever was the last out from the previous game of that team.

Wild Cards must be announced to the umpire and opponent manager before the start of the defensive or offensive half of the inning, whichever is applicable to the Wild Card which they wish to use.

The Wild Card-rule which was proposed by Herts Falcons Manager, Cris Hiche, a few months ago, is expected to add a new dimension, but until we see it in action it will be difficult to predict what effect this experiment will have on the games. In which game, against which opponent, on which day and which Wild Card would be best to use? These are just some of the questions which will be going through the manager’s minds. The French team, Toulouse Astros, will also be allocated three Wild Cards for their games on 30 September.

A reminder of the Hunlock Series Rules which apply to the “9th Inning” format.

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

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

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

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

Over the course of the Series each team will play a total of 30 games, 27 games against each of their opponents ans 3 against the Toulouse Astros. The team finishing top of the league standings will be the 2018 Hunlock Series Champion.

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

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

• No Mercy Rule will be in force.

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

The 2018 Hunlock Series Draft took place on Monday night. See more details here.

If you have not signed up to play in the Hunlock Series, it is not too late. Whether you are an experienced player or completely new to baseball Contact Herts Baseball Club for details on how to sign up.