Category: Featured

by Herts Baseball News Editor

2011 Herts Falcons MVP is back in a Herts jersey

Herts have received a boost ahead of the new baseball season with the news that Sri Lanka national team player Mahendra Prasad is back in London and will be making his return in a Herts uniform.

He joined Herts in 2010. In that first season he was part of the Herts Eagles team which finished third in the Triple-A National Championships after a heartbreaking loss to the Oxford Kings. Prasad’s outstanding performances were recognised with three end-of-season awards – Home Run Champion, Outfield Gold Glove and Most Stolen Bases.

In 2011 he was added to the Herts Falcons roster in the National Baseball League. He felt very much at home moving up to Britain’s top league. In a difficult season for the Falcons, Mahendra Prasad stood out and was deservedly voted the Herts Falcons 2011 Most Valuable Player (MVP). He was also awarded the Outfield Gold Glove.

His batting average during the 2011 NBL season was .277 and on-base average of .393, slugging average .447, 5 stolen bases and 1 home run.

In 2012 Prasad left the UK, and the club has missed him, but he is back now. Defensively he will bring a gold glove to the outfield with outstanding speed and range. His speed will also help the team offensively. At first sight he may not have the body structure of a home run hitter but in previous seasons he has punished pitchers hitting one or two home runs per season. It will be interesting to see if Mahendra Prasad has changed as a player since 2011.

He will be reporting for Spring Training shortly where he will see many familiar faces, and some new ones.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

2015 HSL dates announced

The Herts Spring League (HSL) has confirmed the game dates for the 2015 edition of the competition*.

HSL (Week 1 of 3)
Sat, 21-Mar-15
Sun, 22-Mar-15

HSL (Week 2 of 3)
Sat, 28-Mar-15
Sun, 29-Mar-15

HSL (Week 3 of 3)
Sat, 4-Apr-15
Sun, 5-Apr-15

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 eighth 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 2015 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 U17 league teams in previous years has worked very well. The high standard of most of the BBF 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 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 season will start on April 12. If these dates change the HSL may make adjustments where necessary.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Xavi Gonzalez thousands of miles away but still looking for ways to support Herts

Xavi Gonzalez played only one season for the Herts Falcons but that was enough to establish himself as one of the top players not just for Herts but in the whole of the National Baseball League. But it wasn’t just his performances on the field which endeared him to everyone connected with Herts. He also had a very positive influence off the field.

He spent the 2014 season playing for the Stuttgart Reds in the Bundesliga reaching the playoff semi-final – the club’s highest achievement in its history.

Despite being far away, Gonzalez has kept closely in touch with Herts and we understand Pau Sancho chose the Herts Falcons on his recommendation. Obviously, Sancho’s personal circumstances changed a few weeks ago so it looks like we will not see him in a Herts uniform this season, but despite this it will mean a lot to Herts fans that Xavi Gonzalez is thinking of Herts and looking for ways to support the club despite being far away.

We had a chance to speak with Xavi Gonzalez on these and other topics ahead of the 2015 season.

In 2014 you played your first season in the German Bundesliga. How does baseball in Germany compare to the other countries you played in?

Xavi Gonzalez: Baseball is the same everywhere but the Germans are starting to create their own way of playing and I think they have the potential to achieve great success.

We understand this was Stuttgart’s most successful season in their history. What were the key changes they made to achieve this? Was it the addition of high-profile players? Was it the coach bringing the best out of the team or perhaps it was the whole baseball community in Stuttgart getting together and making a big push?

Xavi Gonzalez: Yes, it was. I think one of the keys was that regardless of the score, we kept fighting to the last out of the game. During the regular season we did not lose games which we were expected to win. I must say that none of the teams in our league were easy to play against.

The Stuttgart community played a big part. They came together and supported us in every game. Our club had the second highest attendance. Only the champions, Solingen, attracted more fans. I am very proud to have represented them.

If the British Baseball leagues and clubs made a big push to grow and develop, how many years would it take to catch up with Germany?

Xavi Gonzalez: This is very difficult to predict because there are many factors which could have an effect. Baseball needs time to develop and grow among youth and adult players. From my time in the British leagues I saw that the British Baseball Federation and the clubs are ambitious and want to grow. Herts Baseball Club is a good example. I think it is on the right track not only to grow further but to be one of the most successful clubs in the UK.

Which areas should British clubs and the league focus on to achieve this e.g. invest in ballparks, coaches, high-profile players, youth baseball, better community engagement or something else?

Xavi Gonzalez: Ballparks, quality foreign players who also work as coaches, and, very importantly, work with schools to introduce baseball to kids.

What are your plans for the 2015 season? Are you staying with the Reds?

Xavi Gonzalez: I will be with the Stuttgart Reds in 2015.

If British baseball catches up and is able to match or beat the financial conditions offered by the German clubs, could we see Xavi Gonzalez back in a Herts uniform in the next few years?

Xavi Gonzalez: Why not? I still have my Herts jersey.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Falcons to open the season at home against Pirates and Mustangs

NBL 2015 SCHEDULE

The BBF has published the 2015 NBL games schedule and the Herts Falcons will open their season at home on 12 April.  Unlike previous seasons, three teams will be in action at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead. Herts Falcons will get the season started at 10:30am against the South London Pirates.  The Pirates will then play the Southampton Mustangs at 1pm.  The third and final game of the day will be the Falcons versus the Mustangs at 3pm.  Herts Spring League organisers are currently checking how this will affect the Herts Spring League plans. At the same time over at Farnham Park, the other three NBL teams, Essex Arrows, London Mets and Bracknell Blazers, will face each other in a similar triple-header.

NBL EXPANSION IN 2016

It has also been revealed that Brighton’s resurgent baseball programme has confirmed an intention to re-enter the NBL in 2016. We understand the BBF hopes to gradually build the number of teams in its pinnacle competition though improvement in teams at AAA level and the emergence of new teams and clubs. This certainly is positive news and hopefully the BBF can achieve a rapid expansion.  As we mentioned in one of our recent articles, an NBL made up of between 12 or 16 teams would seem to be a reasonable target in the coming years if it is going to compete with growing leagues such as the German Bundesliga which currently has 15 teams in its top league tier.

BBF CUP

The BBF announcement also reveals the launch of a new concept for British Baseball, the BBF Cup, the first officially-sanctioned Cup Tournament to be run in the modern era. The BBF Cup will involve games between teams from the National Baseball League (NBL) and the AAA South division, drawn at random as in football’s FA Cup. This should create some great match-ups between old foes as well as creating new rivalries.  This implies that the Herts Eagles who will be playing in the Triple-A League this year could face NBL opponents along the way, including a potential Herts derby versus the Falcons.

Cup games will take place over three weekends during the season, with the Cup Final being played in September after the National Baseball Championships (NBCs). The opportunity for the Federation to launch the BBF Cup has come about because of a reduced number of teams this year in the NBL, leaving room in the schedule for more games. The BBF will make an announcement shortly on the scope of the BBF Cup in 2015, the dates involved, and how the competition will fit into the NBL and AAA South schedules. The BBF Board hopes that the Cup competition will add interest to the season and draw fans from different areas to watch games between teams that don’t normally get to play each other. The Board will look to expand the BBF Cup to the other AAA divisions next season.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Adult and Youth players have started registering for the 2015 Herts baseball season

Player registration for the 2015 Herts Baseball season has just commenced and the club is hoping to make it a record year after 2013 saw the largest number of Herts members in the club’s 19-year history. In 2014 the club came just short of beating that record.

Herts has already completed the league entry process for the Herts Falcons in the National Baseball League and in the coming days will be completing the process for its other adult and youth league teams.

ADULT LEAGUES

The Herts Falcons gave everything in the battle to reach the NBL playoffs last season but were eliminated two games before the end of the regular season. They will be eager to regain the team’s competitiveness which saw them come so close to clinching the NBL championship in 2012 and 2013. The team has already shown its intentions with two major acquisitions. GB third baseman Maikel Azcuy has joined the Falcons from reigning champions, Essex Arrows, and middle infielder, Pau Sancho, has completed the move from the German Bundesliga where he played for the Bonn Capitals last season.

The Eagles, Hawks and Raptors also struggled last year finishing their seasons below .500 in the Triple-A, Double-A and Single-A Leagues, respectively. At this time of year, there is an incredible buzz around the club with so many new faces joining the club – from complete beginners to accomplished ballplayers. In previous years we have seen how new arrivals can bring energy to the club and turn an underdog into a contender. We will have a first glimpse at some of those new faces this Sunday, 11 January, as current and new players report for their first Spring Training session of 2015. For more details about coming to this free open session to give baseball a try contact us.

KEY DATES – ADULT TEAMS

11 January – Adult team players report for first Spring Training session

22 February – First outdoor session for adult team players on the Astroturf

15 March – Adult teams return to Grovehill Ballpark for the first time in 2015

21 or 28 March – Start of the 2014 Herts Spring League

12 April – Opening Day (NBL)

19 April, Opening Day (Triple-A, Double-A, Single-A Leagues)

August-September – Postseason Playoffs and National Championships

September-October – Hunlock Series

YOUTH LEAGUES

In 2014 Herts teams reached the National Championships in all three age groups of the BBF youth leagues. They picked up bronze medals in the U17 and U14 age groups, while the U12s finished fourth in their first appearance on the national scene.

The Herts U17 players and coaches will feel disappointed that they couldn’t fulfil their ambition of winning the U17 National Championship for the first time in Herts baseball history as they knew they had a team which could compete. There are rumours around the league that the U17 league may be converted into an U19 league which could give the generation which missed out in 2014 another shot at the national title.

KEY DATES – YOUTH TEAMS

11 January – U19 and U17 team players report for first Spring Training session

22 February – First outdoor session for the U19 and U17 players on the Astroturf

1 March – U15, U14, U12 and U10 players report for their first Spring Training session

April – Opening Day (U19, U17, U15, U14, U12, U10)

20-21 June – Little League UK Qualifiers (U19/U17, U15, U12)

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

September – National Youth Baseball Championships (U19/U17, U15/U14, U12/U10)

September – Herts Futures Tournament (U19/U17, U15/U14, U12/U10)

HOW TO REGISTER FOR THE 2015 HERTS BASEBALL SEASON

Herts Baseball Club has commenced the 2015 member registration process. 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 2015 members by completing this form.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

BBF confirms NBL lineup for 2015. Nationals not listed.

The British Baseball Federation (BBF) has just announced that the National Baseball League will be reduced down to 6 teams for the 2015 season.

The six teams will be: Bracknell Blazers, Essex Arrows, Herts Falcons, London Mets, Southampton Mustangs and South London Pirates.

The NBL had seven teams in 2014. The one team which does not appear in the 2015 lineup is the Harlow Nationals. Does this mean that they have been relegated to the Triple-A League or have they been dissolved? The latter is a very likely scenario as the BBF Annual General Meeting in November revealed that the Nationals have outstanding debts not only to the federation but to other parties. The team was founded in 2011 and won the NBL Championship in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Last year they finished in fifth place.

Today’s announcement would also suggest that the 2014 Triple-A National Champions, Cambridge Royals, have either not applied for entry to the NBL or their application has not been accepted.

source: Project COBB

The table above shows how the composition of the NBL has evolved between 2000 and 2015. The reduction in the number of NBL teams for 2015 seems to go contrary to the overall growth in the number of BBF teams which has doubled since 2000 from 35 to 71 and currently stand at a 20-year high as announced a few months ago. Are teams finding it daunting to enter the NBL due to the higher calibre competition, the higher costs of running an NBL team, or some other reason? The benefits of having a team in the NBL are enormous in terms of growth, promotion, publicity and everything else linked to competing in Great Britain’s top league tier. Hopefully clubs around the country will recognise the enormous boost to their club from entering the NBL and we will see an increase in the number of teams aspiring to compete in the NBL.

Another note from looking at the chart is that it would be fantastic to see the Northern and Midlands teams return to the NBL. With the emergence of the Cambridge Royals, Hull Scorpions and several other teams, hopefully this is something which will happen sooner rather than later. An NBL made up of between 12 or 16 teams would seem to be a reasonable target in the coming years if it is going to compete with growing leagues such as the German Bundesliga which currently has 15 teams in its top league tier.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Slater and Russell triple play is Best Play of 2014

Herts fans have been voting over the last few weeks and they have determined that Andrew Slater and Nick Russell’s 3-6 triple play was the Best Play of the 2014 baseball season.

It happened on Opening Day, 13 April 2014, in a Double-A league game between the Herts Hawks and the eventual national champions, London Mammoths. With runners on first and second and no one out, the ball was hit sharply on a frozen rope to first base where Andrew Slater caught it for the first out. Without hesitation he stepped on first base for the second out and then threw to Nick Russell at second base for the third out with runners in both cases desperately diving back into the bags but unable to stay alive.

Zac Malone’s 2-3 double play versus London Mets in the NBL was one of the contenders for Play of the Year (photo by Paul Holdrick)

Even as early as April, both Slater and Russell were confident that this rarest of defensive plays in the game of baseball will be votes Play of the Year. This was despite facing some stern competition from Zac Malone (2-6 double play from his knees in extra innings vs London Mets), Cris Hiche (grand slam vs London Mets on Opening Day in the NBL), Carlos Casal Jr. (outfield catch on his horse vs Southampton Mustangs) Joseph Osborne-Brade, Takaya Miki and Ilya Dimitrov (all three with diving or leaping outfield catches) and again Cris Hiche (acrobatic line drive catch at first base in the Hunlock Series Final).

The 2014 Nob-Out was awarded to Ralph Bartholomew for trying to retrieve a ball stuck high up on the backstop fence using a bat, only to lose the bat in the process by lodging it up onto the backstop.

by Rob Jones

Raptors get their rewards

The winter weather means different things to different people. For those of us in the baseball world, it means a bit of rest for aching bones, and it also means awards! Herts Baseball Club is looking back on the season and handing out the silverware.

For the Raptors, who battled to 3 wins in the Single-A league, there were plenty of heroes both old and new. After a close-run vote, the players chose Michael Cresswell as their MVP for 2014. In his third year with Herts, this was a well deserved honour.  Not only did he lead key categories, as you will see below, Cresswell was also among the team leaders in others.

Joint manager Rob Jones said: “Mikey was part of everything this year. Above and beyond the stats, he had the x-factor that you need to compete and drive on your team-mates.”

And so here, to complete the picture, is the full list of Raptors winners. There are no actual trophies — this is the age of austerity after all — but raise a glass to them all.

Best pitcher – Michael Cresswell. The young lefty never even expected to be a starting pitcher when the season began, but he became the most reliable go-to guy as the Raptors searched for leadership from the mound. His consistency improved further from his pitching debut in 2013, and by the year’s end he had achieved the best ERA on the staff and the best K/BB ratio. An almost flawless pickoff move — which claimed numerous victims — only added to his achievements for the year.

Infield Gold Glove – Jamie Lang. The long-suffering Mets fan missed part of the year due to a visit to the United States, but either side of that he was a solid figure in the middle of the infield defence. He ended with more than a dozen assists and got the honour of securing the final out of the year at the Essex Redbacks.

Outfield Gold Glove – Joseph Osborne-Brade. A classic story of an impressive return from injury. After missing the entire 2013 season following a broken leg, Joseph stamped his authority on the Raptors outfield in 2014. He took a series of spectacular catches – including one at Essex which was nominated for play of the year – and perhaps even more importantly he was a safe pair of hands in every inning.

Batting title – Rob Jones. The team’s co-manager played in more games than usual in 2014, and used them to fight to another .500 year with the bat. He might have moaned publicly about his batting in July, but in fact the stats showed him with the most hits and the most runs, and the highest average (based on a minimum of 15 PAs).

Most RBIs – Tomasz Kosak. The Warsaw Express – in what turned out to be his final year with the Raptors  – claimed the title with the help of big offensive outbursts against Tonbridge and at Haverhill. It’s a trophy which caps years at Grovehill which saw a big impact from a big character.

Stolen Base King – Michael Cresswell. A close-run thing (terrible pun intended) on a team with many keen base thieves…. but our leading pitcher also racked up the most steals. Honourable mention should go to Jeff Witter, who was in the mix despite the fact that some might think he lacked the traditional skill-set of a base-stealer!

Rookie of the Year –  Daniel Bennett. New recruits did sterling work for the Raptors, and showed great dedication. Daniel made himself a tough out at the plate and – in the field — played several positions, including acquitting himself well at shortstop and trying out as a catcher.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Bochan-Slater era begins for Herts Hawks

Yesterday we reported on the appointment of Arnie Longboy and Jake Caress as co-managers of the Herts Eagles. Further managerial appointments were announced at Herts Baseball Club’s Annual General Meeting. With Longboy moving up to manage the Herts Eagles and Herts Hawks co-Manager, Andy Cornish, stepping down to spend more time with his family in 2015, the club announced a new managerial team to head the Herts Hawks in 2015.

The two co-managers are Greg Bochan and Andrew Slater. Bochan has been a manager of the Herts Hawks for many years so the camaraderie and continuity of the team will be preserved. The 7-foot-tall Slater gave Double-A opponents a weekly dose of crafty pitching and clutch hitting this year and in 2015 he will look to add his managerial nous to that. He brings an impressive win-loss record as a manager having previously led the Herts Raptors to their first season over .500 in the Single-A League.

Despite finishing the 2014 regular season with 6 wins and 14 losses, the Hawks produced some impressive performances when their team was at full strength. What will 2015 bring for the Hawks? One thing is certain, with Bochan and Slater at the helm, the Herts Hawks will have a fun season.