Category: Featured

7 May 2018 by Rob Jones

Break out the brooms: Herts sweep at home

Five games. Five wins. On a Bank Holiday weekend which saw the best sunshine of the year so far, the sun also shone on the three Herts adult teams.

*Moise Vasquez shows the way for the Falcons*

The Hawks started bright and early on a packed day at Grovehill, kicking off their double header against the Bracknell Inferno at 10am.

Darrin Ward went the distance on the pitching mound in this one. Backed by the bats of Hunter Devine and Jon Lewys, Herts jumped out to a 3-1 lead.

Anthony Lavender hit a double and hosed a runner from the outfield to help the home side to a 7-3 lead in the middle of the fourth, and Herts ran away with it from there. It ended 14-4, and another win for Ward.

The second game saw the Hawks give debuts to some new recruits. Adam Huxley, Leigh Coke and Bryn Coughlan all contributed to an even more convincing victory, 14-0. Coke pitched a one-hit shutout for the W.

The Hawks now move to 4-1 on the season and can be very happy with how things are shaping up.

Over on the other diamond, the Herts Falcons were hosting the new boys in the National Baseball League (NBL), the Birmingham Bandits. This was a fixture rearranged from the Opening weekend washout, and the weather couldn’t have been more different.

In the first half of the double-header, solid hitting helped the home side back up Wade Lynch. He pitched 5 strong innings with 5 strikeouts. Walter Bates went 4-for-4, while a 2-run double from Moise Vasquez was one of the highlights.

The Falcons blew Birmingham away in the bottom of the fifth to secure a mercy rule 17-7 win.

Game 2 was a tighter affair, with Birmingham fighting back after a good start from the Falcons. It was 7-5 to Herts in the middle of the sixth.

But the home side was able to finish it off, Vasquez going 3-for-4 and Dany Bueno contributing 4 RBIs. As the shadows started to lengthen, the Falcons wrapped up a 13-7 win with a catch deep in the left field corner. Aaron Witter, Charlie Mayhew and Phil Clarke combined with the pitching.

*Falcons manager Cris Hiche puts some work in*

In the Single-A league, the Herts Raptors were hosting the Bracknell Phoenix and going in search of their first win of the season.

A couple of strikeouts by starting pitcher Lee Manning couldn’t stop the lead off batter getting round to score. But he threw a chair to the number 6 hitter and closed the door on any more runs.

Then the Herts bats went to work. Bracknell would probably kick themselves that were unable to make some plays, but the Raptors did what they had to do and put the ball in play to make things happen.

There were hits for Giuseppe Basilea and Paul Barton, while James Emblow hit a fine double. By the time it was over, Herts had scored 12 runs to take a stranglehold on the game.

It did all settle down a bit from there. Phoenix hitters got tougher at the plate and chipped back some runs – 2 in the second, 4 in the fourth to make it 20-7.

But Herts were determined not to take their foot off the gas on this day. Manager Matt Jackson scored a run every time he came up, while the only out which Michael Johnson made was a booming fly ball caught near the fence in centre.

*Giuseppe Basilea pitching (file photo)*

Defensively, Herts were sound too, turning a double play to help contain Bracknell. Substitute second-baseman Arnie Longboy took a ground ball up the middle, stepped on the bag and threw on to rookie Tim Bohknecht at first base.

Giuseppe Basilea came on to pitch two excellent innings of relief. And then in the bottom of the fifth Herts needed two for a mercy rule win.

Barton scored the first of them on a groundout, leaving the bases empty. Then Longboy manufactured the winner all by himself with a walk, a steal, a steal and an overthrow.

Raptors celebrated a 24-9 win to go 1-1 on their young season and secure Matt Jackson’s first league victory as manager. Manning got the W as pitcher.

1 May 20181 May 2018 by Rob Jones

Hawks go the distance for a close finish

The Herts Hawks were faced with their longest road trip of the season, and maybe (hopefully!) their toughest weather conditions when they travelled the 120 miles to Norwich, writes Jamie Lang.

The Iceni were coming in to the matchup riding a 19 game winning streak. In 2017, Norwich had repeated the Hawks’ 2016 feat of winning the Single-A title with an undefeated season — so the first contest between these teams in Double-A was always going to be special.

11 Hawks, as well as two very dedicated fans, had made the journey, and they immediately knew they would need to adjust to the conditions when they were greeted with weather more suited to rugby than baseball.

*Herts pitcher Darrin Ward (library photo)*

Soaked through and shivering before a pitch had even been thrown, the Hawks knew that it would be a challenging day, and it proved so when Norwich held them scoreless in the top of the first inning. Hawks’ star pitcher Darrin Ward was working in unfamiliar surroundings with no mound to pitch from, and it may have contributed as Norwich plated 3 runs in their half of the inning.

The game settled down a little from there. After several players used the changing room hand dryer in an attempt to stave off frostbite, Herts got on the board in the top of the third with a double from manager Mike Cresswell.

They then went on to tie the game at 3 in the top of the fourth on an infield single from catcher, Hunter Devine. Originally called out by the infield umpire, Norwich’s first baseman sportingly admitted that his foot was off the bag when he caught the ball, and the correct call was eventually made.

Players from both teams employed many different methods to try and keep warm and dry, and Greg Bochan’s balaclava clearly wasn’t inhibiting his vision as he made several nice plays at third base to keep the game close. The Hawks finally took their first lead of the game in the sixth inning, a 2-run double from Darrin Ward giving them a 6-5 lead in the middle of the sixth.

Norwich would again rally back though, and they were leading 8-6 after seven innings before substitute left fielder Jamie Lang tied it up with a single in the eighth.

At this point the tension began to rise, and the inexperience of Norwich’s umpire may have started to show, with both teams feeling like they deserved more strikes than they were being given. Needing a run in the top of the ninth to extend the game, Herts struck three times to take a 2-run lead; two of the three runs scoring on a hit from shortstop Mike Cattermole.

The Hawks looked to close it out in the bottom of the ninth, but unfortunately it was not to be as Norwich tied the game. They had an opportunity to win it with a man on third and 2 outs, but Cattermole was involved again, catching a sharp line drive at shortstop to end the inning.

After some debate about potentially ending the game as a tie, considering the weather and the long journey home for the Hawks, it was decided that they hadn’t come all this way for a tie, and to the 10^th it would go.

With the Norwich pitcher clearly struggling with both the conditions and an injured hamstring, Herts were able to capitalise, plating 4 runs and again looking to close out the game and stop the Iceni win streak at 19. Starting pitcher Darrin Ward was still on the mound, but an inspired performance from Norwich led to a final comeback and an eventual 16-15 win on a walk-off infield single.

A game which at times had become heated ended with both teams exchanging handshakes as soon as the winning run had scored. Both teams had given it their all, and unfortunately this time the Hawks came out on the losing end. A long journey and the cold and rain had not ended as hoped, but such is baseball, and such is life.

Norwich Iceni called it “a hell of a game”, and paid tribute to the performance of their visitors. The Hawks’ Manager Mike Cresswell offered congratulations on the win, adding:“The loss hurts but we continue. We go again and we go again winning.”

The Hawks, now with a 2-1 record, will return home to Grovehill next week for a double header against the Bracknell Inferno.

25 April 201826 April 2018 by Rob Jones

Stop Coming Up Short

I have been playing mostly shortstop for some years now, writes Rob Jones. A little bit of third when we needed it, second base, and even first – as well as a chunk of catching, which I enjoy but my legs don’t so much.

But what you find as a Single-A shortstop is that, although it is generally seen as the central role in the infield, you can go entire games with barely a chance coming your way.

I don’t really know why. Why is it that, at the lower level of the game, the truisms go out of the window? Shouldn’t it all be the same, but maybe a bit slower, a bit less efficient? Maybe the combination of amateurishness on the part of the pitcher and the batter — and the fielder — somehow combine to rewrite the rule book.

*Herts fielders pay attention to a runner*

On Sunday, however, I started at shortstop in our opening league game of the season and had three chances come my way in the top of the first inning.

Sadly for me (and for the pitcher) only one of them led to an out. And I want to look briefly at those plays to think about what happened.

The Raptors as a whole perhaps showed some of the rust which came from 2018’s washout (and occasionally white-out) pre-season. We had played only one game, nearly a month ago. We were not as slick and as confident as we can be.

Lucky old me, I got to exemplify all of this when one of the first London batters hit a towering pop-up.

It should have been all mine, I will make that clear before I start. But instead, the ball ended up on the floor, the runner was safe and I had a bruised wrist and chest to show for it.

They say one of the truisms about how to field a fly ball well (or in this case a pop-up – same difference, shorter distance) is about taking a great route to the ball. In other words, seeing and feeling immediately where it is going, how hard, how fast, and getting to the best spot to catch it.

Well, on this pop-up my brain tried to calculate that great route – and all the gears slipped into neutral. At first I thought it was going deeper than it really was, perhaps fooled by its height.

So I didn’t move as sharply as I should’ve done to get back and beyond the ball. Looking up at it, I also started to lose my bearings a bit. Laser focus was lacking.

The slow feet meant that when the ball ultimately came down, around the edge of the dirt and the grass, it was dropping over my shoulder and through my breadbasket. My attempts to make the Willie Mays catch ended in a tumble, and the bruises mentioned earlier. And, metaphorically, egg on my face.

It wasn’t long before another chance came my way. This was an infield dribbler, sneaking past the pitcher. I fielded it on the run, heading towards first base.

But when I threw it a combination of rushing, whilst also easing off the throw as I came close to first, meant that the ball died apologetically at Beppe’s feet. He did his best to scoop it but couldn’t. He should never have needed to.

For regular readers and viewers, I can tell you this was very like the incident at home plate in that one pre-season game. You’re not really supposed to make the same mistake twice, I think that’s accepted as “a bad thing”. But maybe making the same mistake once a month isn’t soooo bad??

The final chance followed swiftly. This was an actual, normal, proper shortstop play. A rarity! A hard-hit ground ball right at me. Got that one, made the toss to second for the force-out and finally ended the inning.

On the plus side, I have to say that I fielded both of the ground balls cleanly. I can’t tell you how, so I am taking that as a good sign that it was simply instinctive.

Maybe those training sessions throwing the ball against the wall in the park were good for something! But what it all showed was that there is no replacement for live, game action. It’s about putting together your brain, your feet, and your hands.

*The young people explain “music” to team-mates*

For the Raptors, Opening Day was a disappointing and slightly flat experience, as we quickly fell behind and didn’t show enough skills to get back into it.

The first-inning injury to Liam, our centre fielder, obviously took the wind out of everybody’s sails. It’s never good to see people get hurt. Fortunately he seems to be on the mend, and we wish him a speedy and smooth recovery. But his arm injury looked nasty and I don’t underestimate that.

The team did put in a bit of a rally late in the game, stringing together some hits and loading the bases as we tried to stave off a mercy rule defeat. There was some good fielding, too – a great outfield catch by Oliver, a great relay by Jamie for Ken to nail a runner at the plate. So there are positives.

Days after the game, I ache even more than usual. Judging from he exact nature of my bruise, I wonder now if the ball actually hit me as I missed that pop-up. Without video replay, we’l never know. And I feel loath to complain about my pains, given how Liam must be feeling.

But no matter what happened, we are all happy to get back to playing baseball.

For any new readers worried about my apparent tendency towards self-flagellation online, I offer my annual reassurance. These little articles are all about sharing the frustrations of the small-time British ball-player – I’m happy enough to be the one to do it out loud.

And the upside always outweighs the down. It just needs fewer words to express it: “we played baseball.”

23 April 2018 by Rob Jones

Hawks start strong; struggles for Falcons, Raptors

The first BBF league action at Grovehill ballpark in 2018 saw the Herts Hawks facing the London Marauders in the AA division. The Hawks reached the playoffs last year in their first season back at that level, and have their eyes on even better this year.

It didn’t begin well, though. Starting pitcher Andrew Slater was shelled for eight runs in the top of the first inning, including a home run.

The Hawks struck back with three runs of their own and, although London were able to tack on another run, the home side completed the comeback to tie the game at 9-9 in the fourth.

The Marauders are always a solid team and this was a tight game until Hawks took a 12-11 lead into the final inning and locked down the victory. Slater was credited with the win, Louis Hare got the save.

Michael Cresswell stretches at first base

Crafty veteran Darrin Ward was on the pitching mound for Game 2 of the double-header, making his Hawks debut. The early exchanges were tight but both Ward and the Herts bats soon established dominance.

The home side led 11-3 by the bottom of the third inning, and ran out 13-3 winners. A sweep and a come-from-behind victory are both good elements to start the season.

On Grovehill’s other diamond, the Herts Falcons of the NBL were also making their first home appearance after splitting last week’s double-header in Essex.

A powerful Southampton Mustangs side had much the better of Game 1, winning 12-2. Wade Lynch pitched 5 innings for Herts and Phil Clark pitched 2, but mistakes in the field cost the Falcons dear.

Game 2 was a different prospect. Both sides hit well in the opening exchanges, and it was tied at 8-8 by the third inning.

The Falcons young star, Conner Brown — who spent part of last season playing with the Cologne Cardinals in Germany – pitched all seven innings superbly, and delivered with the bat, too.

Conner Brown consults with coach Duane Badenhorst

Southampton edged ahead, but Herts tied it again at 10-10 in the top of the fourth and, as the shadows lengthened, the game built to a climax. In the end, the Mustangs had too much and they won 12-10 to go 4-0 on the season.

The last game of the day featured Herts’ Single-A side, the Raptors. The team, with a good sprinkling of rookies, was taking on one of the strongest contenders for the post-season, the London Musketeers.

The visitors took advantage of some defensive stumbles to strike first and take the lead. The Raptors’ new centre fielder Liam Roberts got on base when Herts came up to bat, but things quickly turned sour when he suffered an injury stealing second base. He was diagnosed with a dislocated elbow and a fracture, but is now recovering and the club wishes him a swift return to health.

After a long delay, London imposed themselves on the game with more runs. Herts loaded the bases in the bottom of the second but couldn’t capitalise and the visitors had taken a 5-1 lead.

The Raptors suffered a couple of more minor injury problems, and London hit and fielded well to put the game out of reach. There were high points for the home side – Oliver Durer made an exceptional catch deep in the outfield, and DH John Kjorstad delivered consistently with his bat.

Herts loaded the bases up again in the fifth as they tried to prevent an early end to the game on the mercy rule, but could only score one run and London won 17-5. The youngsters and rookies performed well and learned valuable lessons.

Herts fielders pay close attention to London baserunner

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.

2 April 2018 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Arrows, Mets, Hawks and Musketeers win the 2018 HSL titles

In the NBL Division the Essex Arrows and Birmingham Bandits were the favourites going into the final weekend of the 2018 Herts Spring League (HSL). Despite losing to the Herts Falcons, the earlier win over the London Mammoths was enough for the Arrows to clinch first place. The Birmingham Bandits had two shots at overtaking them but first the London Mammoths and then the Southampton Mustangs took the wins in closely fought games.

Their strong performance in the second week was enough for the London Mets U19 to win the HSL Triple-A title. The rain on Saturday scuppered the eagerly awaited encounter between them and the Lakenheath Regulators which was built as the title-decider in the Triple-A bracket.

In the Double-A Division the Herts Hawks’ record of three wins and no losses secured first place for them.

In the Single-A Division calculators were needed to break the tie between the London Musketeers and the London Archers. The Musketeers clinched it thanks to conceding fewer runs per inning, 0.111 compared to the Archers’ 0.556 runs per inning.

The 2018 Herts Spring League proved to be a major struggle in the face of sub-zero temperatures and snow in week one and torrential rain on the final Saturday which flooded both diamonds. These certainly were the worst weather conditions in the 11-year history of the HSL, but, despite this, 21 games were played which is 53% of the original schedule.

View HSL scoreboard

View HSL standings

We saw home runs, spectacular defence, lights-out pitching, many players who will be making their BBF league debuts in 2018 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. The NBL teams will open the 2018 season next Sunday, 8 April, while the other three leagues start later in April. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for a comprehensive coverage of the 2018 baseball season.

9 March 20189 March 2018 by Herts Baseball News Editor

19 teams will signal the arrival of Spring in the 2018 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. This year the lineup has an added international flavour with the entry of the Lakenheath Regulators and the ASL Eagles. The Regulators are a team made up of American varsity players based around RAF Lakenheath. The last team coming out of RAF Lakenheath to play in the HSL was the Lakenheath Diamondbacks who won the Majors division in 2012. The ASL Eagles are also an American varsity team. The make their first appearance in the HSL since 2008 when they won it.

This year’s HSL will also see the return of the Southampton Mustangs who have been a dominant force in the NBL in recent years. The London Archers are a new team which has just appeared on the British Baseball map and this will be the first chance to see them in action in a year when they hope to go far in the Little League World Series.

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

SCHEDULE AND FORMAT

The HSL will be played over three weeks commencing on the weekend of 17 and 18 March and ending on 31 March and 1 April. 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.

30 January 2018 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Falcons, Hawks and Raptors go into 2018 with new managers. Club adds 5 new board members.

At its 21st Annual General Meeting, Herts Baseball Club announced the appointment of new managers for all three of its teams competing in the BBF senior leagues, as well as a large number of appointments in the youth baseball department.

HERTS FALCONS
Cris Hiche (pictured above) takes over from Lee Manning as the Manager of the club’s first team, the Herts Falcons, who play in the National Baseball League, which is Britain’s top baseball league tier. Hiche has been a key member of the team since 2012. In 2016 he spent a season playing in the Austrian Bundesliga, but came back to rejoin Herts in 2017. He has now set ambitious goals for the team to go back to challenging for the NBL title.

HERTS HAWKS
The club’s second team, the Herts Hawks, will also have a new manager. Michael Cresswell takes over from Andrew Slater and Greg Bochan. The team reached the playoffs in its first year back in Double-A last year so Cresswell will inherit a very capable squad. Cresswell previously managed the Herts Raptors. He took the team to the playoffs in 2016 eliminating the reigning Single-A Champions in the quarter-finals.

HERTS RAPTORS
Matt Jackson has had outstanding performances playing for the Herts Raptors since 2015 which was recognized with him being voted Most Valuable Player in 2016, an award he shared with Michael Cresswell. Jackson will now take the Raptors managerial seat in 2018 from Paul Barton. It is considered to be the most challenging team to manage as the role involves trying to find the balance between competing in an ever-improving Single-A League and at the same time creating the right environment to develop new players, some of whom are completely new to the sport of baseball. But for those who enjoy this type of challenge it can be the most rewarding managerial role at the club.

YOUTH BASEBALL TEAMS
Lee Manning makes the move from managing the Falcons to heading the club’s youth baseball programme. He will be working alongside the team managers of the club’s various youth age groups, who have also joined the board – Duane Badenhorst (Under-15), Dana Myzer (Under-13), Andrew Fulford (Under-11), John Kjorstad and Lee Manning as joint Under-8 Managers.

BOARD MEMBERS
In total the club has added 5 new board members and this is expected to bring new energy to the club’s front office. Two board positions are still vacant – Club Secretary and Facilities Manager. The club is also looking to fill the Softball Manager position which is a non-board position. Those interested in taking on these roles or to receive more information can contact the club.

2017 AWARDS
At the AGM the Club also announced the winners of the 2017 awards.

MVP, Herts Falcons – Tyler Badenhorst
MVP, Herts Hawks – Louis Hare
MVP, Herts Raptors – Tom Carson
MVP, Herts Red Kites U17 – Tyler Badenhorst
MVP, Herts U13 – Josh Badenhorst
MVP, Herts U11 – Ben Myzer
MVP, Herts U8 – Daniel Heal
Play of the Year – Robert Smith (for his stellar relief appearance in the playoffs)
Nob-Out Award – Aspi Dimitrov (for the walk-off that went wrong)

SPRING TRAINING – OPEN SESSIONS
With the club’s front office ready to go, attention now turns to Spring Training which commences this Sunday, 4 February, for the adult and youth baseball teams while softball Spring Training starts on 18 February. These are open sessions, making them an ideal opportunity for men and women, boys and girls of all ages to come and try baseball and softball.

6 January 2018 by Rob Jones

Bigger and better: the baseball year at Herts

2017 was a year which saw Herts add new elements to its already impressive array of sporting possibilities. There was the arrival of softball, the development of a Rec League, and a new summer tournament which we hope will become a regular fixture. So, as the club prepares for next week’s AGM to start planning 2018, let’s look back over 2017.

The Herts Hawks led the way again for the club in the BBF leagues. After winning it all unbeaten in Single-A in 2016, they stepped up a division and continued on a tear.

Last year’s sluggers Gilberto Medina and Jon Lewys were still on board. The team had also been strengthened by the arrival of Michael Cresswell from the Raptors, and Ernie and EJ Ayala, a father and son combination well known in British baseball circles but new to Herts.

The Hawks kicked off with a 21-9 victory at Farnham Park against the Daws Hill Spitfires, the defending champions of Double-A. They survived a fightback to beat the Richmond Dragons, then extended the winning streak further by beating the London Marauders.

The run of victories was at 23 when they faced off against the East London Latin Boys, who were also undefeated on the season at that point and were leading the league. Herts took the first game of a double header, but then lost 14-8, their first defeat since September 2015.

Latin Boys and Sidewinders were the only sides to get the better of the Hawks in the regular season, and they qualified for the playoffs with a 17-4 record. There they faced their old rivals the Tonbridge Wildcats. They went down 11-7, beaten with both bat and ball by the Tonbridge phenom Christian Sacareanu.

In the top division, the National Baseball League (NBL), the Herts Falcons were bolstered by the return of Cris Hiche from a season playing ball in Austria — and by the late addition of former national champion Jarrod Pretorius.

They started the season with a sweep of the Brighton Jets, powered by home runs from Pretorius and Darren Meintjes. There was an early bump in the road with a controversial incident in the game at the Southampton Mustangs – which remains unresolved — then struggles for form and quality.

There were further wins over the London Capitals and Brighton, but the season high point was a hard-fought 5-2 victory over Southampton in July. Zack Longboy took the win, a complete game four-hitter. The Falcons continued to blood their young talent throughout the year, ending with a record of 7-19.

The Herts Single-A team, the Raptors, narrowly missed the playoffs. They were quick out of the blocks, with 2 wins out of their first 3. One of a raft of talented rookies, Ben Sinclair, made his mark with 2 home runs and a triple in the victory over the Old Timers.

The team came close against quality opponents such as London and Cambridge, but suffered a run of defeats to put them in a hole. Luckily for team spirit, the trip to Norwich to get hammered by the eventual champions was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone!

Veterans such as Ken Pike and John Kjorstad – added to improving newcomers Tom Carson and James Emblow – helped the Raptors fight back in the late summer. A nail-biting win against the Essex Archers was a highlight.

The playoffs were still an option as they faced the 11-2 Guildford Millers at Grovehill in their final game. The occasion got the close, quality contest it deserved, and just one run separated the teams as late as the sixth inning. The Millers went on to win 15-13, holding off a strong Herts rally. Raptors ended the season 7-7, the second consecutive year at .500 or above.

Youth baseball continued to flourish at Grovehill, the Herts Red Kites (Under-17s) having another strong season under the tutelage of Andrew Fulford. The developing core of players not only won games, but played the game the right way. That was honoured at the National Baseball Championships, where they won the sportsmanship award.

The Red Kites also won the inaugural Kal Cup which was played in August in memory of our friend and team-mate Kal Dimitrov who died suddenly in 2015. Many former Herts players came out of retirement to compete as Kal’s Knights, while the Essex Archers also joined us for the event. Falcons manager Lee Manning, who served as Commissioner, said Herts hoped to make the Cup an annual event.

The Herts youth movement also saw a successful year for the Under-13s, and leaps and bounds of improvements for the Under-11s, where many any of the players were still new to baseball in the Spring. They performed well in games against Brighton, Guildford and Forest Glade, and were able to start winning by the year’s end. U-11 Coach Dana Myzer said they had matured, grasped the game, and became better sportsmen and team-mates.

There was also continued growth for the Under-8 programme – these guys and girls had more fun than anyone when they got to practice sliding into the bases!!

And all of these age groups took part in the Herts Futures Tournament in September. 17 teams, featuring some 200 players and coaches, were involved. There were wins for the Red Kites, for London Sports, Brighton and the London Mets – but most importantly everyone had a good time.

Softball was part of the Herts stable of sport this year for the first time. Tireless efforts by Mark Caress and others saw the first indoor sessions in the Spring, which attracted dozens of people.

The Buzzards played their first tournament in May at Farnham Park and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. There were also games during the summer in a Milton Keynes league.

The final major addition — of what seems like a long list this year! – was the Rec League at Grovehill on summer Saturdays. This gave players the chance to show up when they could, for a time-limited game in a relaxed atmosphere. Cris Hiche helped drive the idea, which was ideal for new players wanting to try the sport of baseball without a big commitment, but also good for existing and past members who could now keep in touch.

2017 ended in traditional fashion with the Hunlock Series, in which every Herts player from every level — as well as newcomers and anyone from across the baseball community — gets drafted into new teams for a tournament.

It’s always a blast, with games just one inning long to recreate the drama of the ninth over and over again. The Blue Rockers came from nowhere to win the closest contest in history.

Fortunately, by the time the memories of a sun-kissed Grovehill fade away, the prospect of new baseball starts to appear. Herts will be running a range of adult and youth teams this year, and members are already registering. See you on the diamond!

29 December 201729 December 2017 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Adult and youth players now registering for the 2018 Herts baseball and softball season

The wait is over. Player registration for the 2018 season has commenced.

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.

The first Spring Training session for the softball players is at 10am on Sunday, 18 February. The first few sessions will be held indoors at the modern sports facilities of John F Kennedy School in Hemel Hempstead. All equipment will be provided so anyone aged 14 and over can come and enjoy the day, meet new friends and try a new sport. For more details about the Herts Softball Programme click here. If you are interested to come and try softball at any of the upcoming open sessions contact us and we will provide you with full details and add you to our mailing list.

ADULT BASEBALL LEAGUES

Last season three Herts teams entered the BBF senior baseball leagues. The next two weeks will be critical to see how many players will register to play for Herts in 2018 and on the basis of this the club will decide how many teams to enter before the 16 January league entry deadline. The club was close to entering four teams last season. How many will they enter this year?

KEY DATES – ADULT TEAMS

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

4 March – Adult teams return to Grovehill Ballpark for the first time in 2018

17 March – Start of the 2018 Herts Spring League (subject to confirmation of the BBF League Opening Day)*

8 April* – BBF League Opening Day (subject to confirmation)

May – Start of Midweek Evening Baseball

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 2018. Many of our youth players will be moving up to the next age group to face a different challenge in 2018. 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 16 from complete beginners to experienced players.

KEY DATES – YOUTH TEAMS

4 February – U17, U15, U13 and U11 players report for first Spring Training indoor session

March – First session at Grovehill Ballpark for the youth teams

April – U8 players report for their first session

April – U17, U15, U13, U12, U8 Season Opening Day

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

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

September – National Youth Baseball Championships (U17, U15, U13, U11)

September – Herts Futures Tournament (U17, U15, U13, U11, U8)

HOW TO REGISTER FOR THE 2018 HERTS BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL SEASON

Herts Baseball Club has commenced the 2018 registration process for adult and youth members. For those who already have a Herts Online Club House account they will be prompted to register when they log on next time (click here to go to the Herts Online Club House and log on with your existing username and password). Those who are new to Herts and do not have an online account will be able to register as members by completing this form.