Category: Featured

by Rob Jones

Hawks stay hot, Falcons frozen out

The Herts Hawks continued their impressive start to the Single-A season with a 26-10 victory over the Mercenaries, part of the London stable of teams (on Sunday, April 24th).

A huge outburst of offense in the second inning of this game at Grovehill was decisive. After a fairly even first frame, the Hawks scored 13 runs in the second and never looked back.

The powerhouse with the bat was Gilberto Medina, who went 5-for-5 with 2 doubles and 6 RBIs. Hunter Devine and Jon Lewys pitched in with 2 RBIs each, while the joint managers Greg Bochan and Andrew Slater scored 3 runs each.

Bochan also contributed from the mound, striking out a pair, but the win went to Sonam Lama. He struck out 2 over 3 innings, and yielded just 2 earned runs. The Hawks are now 2-0 on the young season, and face Northants next.

Conner Brown of the Herts Falcons (pic: Paul Holdrick)

An icy day at Grovehill blew no good news for the Herts Falcons of the NBL. They were hosting the three-time champion London Mets for a doubleheader.

The visitors jumped out to a 4-run lead in the top of the first, but the Falcons stayed in touch. Darrin Ward started on the mound, and over five innings he gave up only 6 earned runs. But the Falcons were charged with 9 errors and the Mets piled up runs in the sixth inning to make it a blowout. The game ended 20-4.

Conner Brown got two hits and Luis Goncalves drove in two runs with a double. Brown went 2-4 in the second game as well, and drove in a pair of runs, but it wasn’t to be enough.

The Mets started even faster out of the blocks this time, scoring 4 runs in the first and 6 in the second to take a stranglehold. The Falcons rallied in the fifth but this one ended 18-8.

This is a young Herts team and the season was always expected to be one of rebuilding. Brodie Caress, who has come up through the clubs ranks, pitched 4 innings and gave up just 5 earned runs. Osmel Vazquez was tagged with the loss.

The Falcons have opened their season against some of the most powerful teams in the league and must look to take the positives from these games into their next encounters. They face the London Capitals this weekend.

by Rob Jones

Former National Vazquez joins Falcons

Another championship-winning baseball player has joined the Herts Falcons to help the club push for the National Baseball League (NBL) title in 2016.

Osmel Vazquez was part of the Southern Nationals team in the NBL in 2014.  He hit .386 with 2 doubles and drove in 13 runs in that year . The Cuban also stole 11 bases, and scored 18 runs.

Osmel Vazquez
Osmel Vazquez in action against Herts with the Southern Nationals

He has a rich baseball experience, which began in Cuba with the National Series team, Matanzas. Moving to Italy, he played with clubs such as Castenaso and the Yankees di San Giovanni in Persiceto, winning two league titles. In the UK, Osmel has also played in the Richmond organisation, pitching as well as continuing his hitting performance.

Last year, the Falcons had Maikel Azcuy on board setting home run records, but the team has been remodeled this year and Osmel Vazquez provides valuable spark and experience. He’s excited to help out Herts, and he has been welcomed by manager Lee Manning.

“2016 will be a transitional year for the Falcons, but it’s definitely going to be a fun year”, Manning said.” Our main goal this year will be to develop our younger ball players – but that’s not to say we won’t win some games along the way!”

One of the team’s brightest young stars, catcher Conner Brown, has just returned from the MLB Spring Academies youth tournament in Barcelona — and has gone straight into action for the Falcons. He was one of only three British players taking part in Spain — the others being former Herts star Carlos Casal Jr and Rory Chandler of the Leicester Blue Sox.

The NBL action starts this Sunday, April 3rd, with three games. There will be a rematch of last year’s final, with the Southampton Mustangs taking on the London Mets. The Essex Arrows host the Brighton Jets while the London Capitals travel to the South London Pirates.

The Falcons will be playing their final games of another successful Herts Spring League, facing first the Milton Keynes Bucks then the London Mammoths. They open their NBL campaign on the road on April 10th against the Southampton Mustangs, before playing a home opener at Grovehill the following week, versus the newest member of the NBL, the Brighton Jets.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Fulford appointed as Herts Under-17 Manager

Herts Baseball Club has confirmed that Andrew Fulford has been appointed as the club’s Under-17 Team Manager.

In an interview Fulford expressed his excitement at being appointed and provided more details about how he plans to approach this project. He said: “The most important thing for a baseball program for children and young adults is having an absolute blast and nurturing the maturity developing within youth players. To achieve this goal, I believe acquiring strong fundamental baseball skills is key. And it’s my aim to impart my baseball knowledge in a fun, creative, and effective way.”

A few weeks ago the club announced that they plan to invest in a new business model. This will involve investing in high quality coaches for the club’s youth programme. The aim of the experiment is to see if the investment would bring sufficient growth over the next 10 months. If the experiment is successful, the next step would be to adopt this new business model across most of its teams in time for the expected arrival of MLB to London in 2017.

“It was good to receive so many applications from coaches” said club board member, Aspi Dimitrov. He added that “the club is delighted to appoint Andrew. He already has so many fans at the club after joining as a player in 2012 and in just a few weeks he has become an integral part of the coaching staff in our youth programme. We very much hope that this new approach will succeed and Andrew’s appointment gives us a really good chance to do so”.

Fulford comes from Tampa, Florida, and he moved to Hemel Hempstead in 2012. He started playing when he was 4. After spending his early years in the Citrus Park Little League, Fulford went on to play for the varsity team at Sickles High School and later with Cambridge High School finishing as Florida Sate runners-up in 2009. During his career he has played under former MLB players Jody Reed, who played as second basemen for the Boston Red Sox, and Sam Marsonek who was a pitcher with the New York Yankees. He is 25-years-old and he will have the opportunity to pass on his many years of playing experience to the Herts boys and girls. As a player his primary position is catcher and he has also played in second base and pretty much in all other positions on the field.

“Growing up in Baseball, nothing was more empowering to my self-esteem than coaches who affirmed the abilities I possessed and encouraged me in my weaknesses” said Fulford. “At the same time nothing was more detrimental to my self-esteem than coaches who did the opposite. So it’s with great enthusiasm and a heart full of empowerment that I take on the role of Herts U17 team manager”

The club confirmed that they are continuing discussions with some of the other applicants with a view to considering them for other coaching projects which may come up this season or future seasons.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts alumni to play US college baseball this year

Herts fans love to follow the progress of former Herts players.

Today we learned that Herts’ winning pitcher in the final of the 2010 U14 National Baseball Championship is now playing college baseball. Yes, that’s right Jesse Reinebold is the starting second baseman for the United States merchant Marine Academy.

They just completed their Florida trip and are now getting ready for their conference play. Given his lights-out performance on the mound in the 2010 National Final Herts fans will be surpirsed to learn that Jesse will be playing second base for his college team. You can keep track of Jesse’s progress on the official USMMA website.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Hiche signs contract to play in Austrian top league. Expected to return to Herts at the end of the season.

The Herts Falcons will go into the 2016 NBL season without one of its most valuable players over the last four seasons. Centerfielder Cris Hiche has signed a contract with the Dornbirn Indians in the Austrian top league. The contract is for one season only and Hiche is expected to rejoin the Falcons after the end of the Austrian baseball season.

Cris Hiche joined the Falcons for the start of the 2012 season and it is not a coincidence that his four seasons with Herts proved to be among the best in the club’s history and included reaching the NBL playoffs in three out of these four seasons. That included finishing as NBL runner-up in 2012 and reaching the NBL Playoff semi-finals in 2013 and 2015.

His outstanding performances were recognised with the award of the NBL Outfield Gold Glove in 2012 and 2013 when he did not commit a single error. In 2013 he was also the team’s home run leader.

The Chilean has also been instrumental off the field for Herts. He joined the club’s executive board as the head of the Under-17 and Under-19 programmes. In 2013 he led the Herts Under-17 team to the National Final finishing as runners-up which is the club’s best position in that age group.

The club has already started the search for a new head of the Under-19 and Under-17 programmes, but as club president, Aspi Dimitrov, pointed out “Cris has played a massive role at the club on and off the field and it will be difficult to replace him, but it is great news for the club that he plans to be back with Herts after the end of the Austrian season”.

Hiche joined Herts in 2012 after arriving from the USA where he played at the high school, college and semi-professional league level as well as at international level representing Chile at Under-12, Under-16 and now at senior level with the National Team. In 2002 he joined the International Baseball Academy in Brazil where he played alongside the legendary Cuban player, Lazaro Vargas, who won the Olympic gold medal with the Cuba National Team twice, in 1992 and 1996. Hiche then went on to play for Glendale Community College in Arizona, followed by two seasons (2005-2007) with the Athletics in Liga Valle del Sol. Between 2008 and 2010 he played for the Sahuaripas in the Mesa Semi-Pro League alongside former or injured Minor League players trying to work their way back into the pros, as well as former MLB players such as pitcher Omar Daal, who played for the LA Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks and ended his career with the Baltimore Orioles in 2003.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Unveiling the new Herts Baseball Cap model

Herts Baseball Club has unveiled its new baseball cap model, the 59FIFTY Diamond Era Technology by New Era.

The club chose New Era as its official baseball cap supplier before the start of the 2014 season and has not regretted that decision. New Era is an international brand with sports heritage that dates back over 90 years. Best known for being the official on-field cap for Major League Baseball and the National Football League, New Era is the brand of choice not only for its headwear collection, but also for its accessories and apparel lines for men, women and youth.

The brand is worn as a symbol of self-expression by athletes, artists and celebrities around the world. The Company is headquartered in Buffalo, USA and operates facilities in Canada, Europe, Brazil, Japan and Hong Kong.

The new Diamond Era model will be available to buy from club shop this weekend.

Of course the Diamond Era model is not the only one that fans can choose from. There are three other New Era baseball cap models. The original 59FIFTY cap is New Era’s signature fitted cap. It is a structured cap with a flat visor, that has the ability to curve. The 59FIFTY cap has a full crown and six panels. The cap has eight rows of visor stitching and a button on top. The 39THIRTY is a casual cap with a stretch fit. It is a structured cap with a pre-curved visor. The 39THIRTY has a contoured crown and six panels. The 9FORTY has more of a classic, collegiate feel. It is a structured cap with a pre-curved visor. All the models carry the club’s traditional letter “H” on the front which is done with raised embroidery. The New Era logo is on the left side of all the models. The 59FIFTY and 39THIRTY models also have Herts embroidered on the back of the cap similar to the designs adopted by many of the MLB teams.

New Era beanies are also available at the Herts Baseball shop and have proven to be a very popular product, especially at this time of year.

For more information about the new Herts Baseball caps and details how to buy, contact us.

 

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Baseball Club experimenting new business model

Herts Baseball Club has made an announcement which may not hit the headlines, but is something which will be followed with interest by the front offices of other British Baseball Clubs over the next 10 months.

In 2015 Herts Baseball Club grew by 21% and had over 150 members, which is more than at any point in its 19-year history. The club’s board has been considering ways to grow the club further and has identified the need for more coaches who can bring value to the youth teams, inspire a new generation of players and give them a great experience which the families would be happy to recommend to others.

As an experiment, the club has decided to invest in improved financial terms for youth team managers of the club’s Under-15 and Under-19 teams this season. The aim of the experiment is to see if the investment would bring sufficient growth over the next 10 months. If the experiment is successful, the next step would be to adopt this new business model across most of its teams in time for the expected arrival of MLB to London in 2017.

Below are links to the advertisements to appoint U15 and U19 team managers, where interested candidates will find details of these roles including financial terms.  The majority of coaches in British baseball are not paid for the work which they do, so it will be interesting to see if the financial reward offered by Herts will attract a good number of candidates.

If you are interested in any of these coaching roles, follow the links below for details how to apply.

U15 Team Manager

U19 Team Manager

For more information, contact us.

by Rob Jones

Herts youth stars invited to MLB tournament

Two of the young stars of Herts baseball club and the Great Britain youth team — Conner Brown and Carlos Casal Jr — have been invited to a prestigious Major League Baseball tournament in Spain next month.

The pair have been selected to the European All Star roster for the MLB Spring Academies Tournament which takes place in Barcelona in March. Only three British players have been chosen — the third being Rory Chandler of the Leicester Blue Sox.

He will join Conner (in catching action, above) and Carlos (pictured below) as part of a team to compete against Academy teams from Holland, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic, Spain and France. They will also have the chance to receive quality instruction from top European coaches and play with other players from across Europe.

Announcing the invites, the Great Britain Juniors head coach Will Lintern said: “You have earned this opportunity because of the hard work and determination you have put into yourselves and the HPA programme over the last 6-8 months. You, your parents, clubs and your schools should be exceptionally proud of what you have achieved. Well done!”

That praise was echoed by Herts club President, Aspi Dimitrov. “It is exciting news”, he said, “and it gives everyone at the club great pleasure to see Carlos and Conner developing as players and as people.”

“We know they will  enjoy the experience in Barcelona”, he added, “and we hope that this will be one of many upcoming opportunities for them”.

Both players have been pulling on the Herts uniform for several years now. Carlos Jr took up the sport when he was 7 years old “after seeing Herts being advertised on ESPN– and I’ve been hooked ever since”, he said.  In 2012 he had his first opportunity to play for Great Britain when he was part of the team which went to Florida in the USSSA Gold Medal Games.

Carlos said: “I’m looking forward to this opportunity, and I feel privileged to have been invited to go.”

Conner has also been playing as catcher for the under-17 GB team, and made his debut with the Herts Falcons in the National Baseball League in 2013. He attended the MLB Academy in Toulouse, France, last Spring — only the second Herts player to get such an invite.

The MLB European Baseball Academy was created to provide training for European, New Zealand and African baseball prospects by former major leaguers.  It also provides a central scouting location during the weeks it is open and over two dozen Academy alumni have signed contracts with MLB teams.

Herts youth and adult players are currently in Spring Training, with pre-season games due to start in March. New players are still joining the club at all levels, and we hope that more young talent can follow in the footsteps of Conner and Carlos.

 

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts announce 2016 HSL details

The Herts Spring League (HSL) has confirmed the game dates for the 2016 edition of the competition*.

HSL (Week 1)
Sat, 19-Mar-16
Sun, 20-Mar-16

HSL (Week 2)
Sat, 26-Mar-16
Sun, 27-Mar-16

HSL (Week 3)
Sat, 2-Apr-16
Sun, 3-Apr-16

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 ninth 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 (HSL Majors and HSL Minors) based on the teams’ ranking going into the new season. The exact format will depend on the number of teams entering the HSL and the availability of venues, therefore 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 2016 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 will start on April 3 for NBL teams and on April 10 for all other leagues. If these dates change the HSL may make adjustments where necessary.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts youngsters enjoy guest appearance by elite coaches


Baseball is back and the Herts adult and youth team players took part in their first training session of 2016.

On Sunday the players from the Herts youth baseball programme had the privilege to be coached by Andrew Fulford. Herts baseball fans know Fulford well from his appearances for the Herts Hawks in 2012 and the Herts Falcons in 2014. After spending his early years in the Citrus Park Little League, Fulford went on to play for the varsity team at Sickles High School and later with Cambridge High School finishing as Florida Sate runners-up in 2009. During his career he has played under former MLB players Jody Reed, who played as second basemen for the Boston Red Sox, and Sam Marsonek who was a pitcher with the New York Yankees.

If that wasn’t enough, there were two more special guest coach appearances by Herts Hawks infielder Jamie Lang and legendary Herts Falcons shortstop, Geoff Hare, who these days is one of the top umpires in the British Leagues.

The Herts youngsters enjoyed the session and if some of the coaches’ experience and knowledge of the game can rub-off on the next generation of Herts players, it would add enormous value to the players’ development and the club as a whole.

The next session for the Herts youth team players aged 8 to 14 is this Saturday, February 13. Contact us for more details.