2012 was the most successful year in Herts Baseball Club’s history in every department on and off the field. It continues to be one of the largest baseball clubs in Great Britain in terms of size, infrastructure, financial performance and is now beginning to mount a serious challenge on the field at every league level with 4 out of the club’s 8 teams reaching the postseason in 2012.

To review 2012, we are publishing excerpts from the End of Year Report at the club’s Annual General Meeting.

HERTS TEAMS IN THE YOUTH LEAGUES

Success is usually measured by whether a trophy was won or not and on that basis Herts would not be considered a major player in the British youth leagues in 2012. However, those with inside knowledge of the youth leagues in this country would say that Herts is seen as the model for others to follow. The youth programme is positioned very well to offer a high quality product for every young player, from a beginner who is keen to give baseball a try to an advanced player aiming to play at the highest level of the game and represent their country internationally. With growth of 12% in youth players this year and plans for further growth, the club would be in an even better position to do this in the coming years.

The Herts U17 and U14 teams did not win the championship this year but they are very much on track to be a major contender when this Herts generation reaches the final year of the 3-year cycle in the respective age group.

Cris Hiche took charge of the U17 team and we are already seeing significant progress, earlier than we could have expected. Last year the team lost 11-10 in the quarter-final against the Essex RedBacks. This year the two teams met at the same stage and Herts won convincingly 23-0. The team is also starting to challenge the favourites like the London Mets and had a .500 record in the regular season games against the eventual champions, Cobham Cougars. This has raised expectations for 2013 when this generation of U17 players is expected to reach its peak and aims to win the title in the same way as they did in 2010 at U14 level.

The Herts U14 team reached the final last year, however 7 players from that team moved up to the U17 age group which meant that 2012 was a transitional year. The team is expected to be at its peak in 2014 and 2015 and performances this year indicate that with hard work over the next few years this new generation of U14 players can be just as successful as the previous one.

The coaching staff of the Herts U11 teams made a deliberate shift in its approach. The number of league games has been reduced in favour of intensive training sessions. This has meant that players are able to perform greater number of repetitions which is critical in developing the fundamental baseball skills at this age. The progress has been remarkable and the U11 coaches should be very proud of what they have achieved. Coach Mike Wakelam even managed to add extra summer sessions for the U11 players at the ballpark and the batting cages in Northwick Park.

The players are recognising the extra effort made by the coaches and they are responding by working even harder.

Herts Little League players from Hemel Hempstead, Watford, St Albans and the surrounding regions enjoyed a day which they could only dream about before this weekend. Major League Baseball (MLB) and the European Big League Tour (EBLT) joined forces with BaseballSoftballUK (BSUK), the development agency for baseball and softball in the United Kingdom, and London Sports to bring five of the biggest baseball stars in the world to London.

The EBLT was the brainchild of Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher and native Netherlander, Rick van den Hurk, who got the idea to bring a piece of the Major Leagues back home during the 2008-09 season. In an article for MLB.COM he said: “When I was little, I was a big baseball fan, and I never really got the chance to go to the United States and watch any Major League games, so I decided to set up a tour and bring baseball here.”

Van den Hurk was joined for the London tour by Kansas City Royals pitcher, Jeremy Guthrie, New York Yankees outfielder, Chris Dickerson, Washington Nationals outfielder, Roger “the Shark” Bernadina and Seattle Mariners outfielder, Kalian Sams.

The five baseball stars headed for the David Beckham SoccerDome in Greenwich, London, to run a series of sessions for young baseball players aged 6 to 16 from across the United Kingdom. The event proved to be so popular that it could have been booked many times over. Among the participants were many of the players from Herts Baseball Club’s youth teams based in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. They had the opportunity not only to learn from the best players in the game, but also to show their talent.

Kansas City Royals pitcher, Jeremy Guthrie, said: “”They’re so similar to how I was. They want to see what a Major League player thinks about their game. They want to show their arm off or show how well they can hit the ball. That’s what’s fun. It’s a neat experience to be able to compliment them and encourage them and give them the hope that they can make a career out of this if they continue to work hard.”

This proved to be the case for one Herts player who made an impression on the MLB stars. This prompted an EBLT representative to enquire about the young player and seek him and his parents out after the event. (hertsbaseball.com cannot provide more information on this at this time until authorised by MLB, EBLT and the player’s parents.)

After the clinic the young players had the opportunity to sit down and have a chat with the stars in an open question-and-answer session and pick up tips and learn more about the players. When meeting these players in person you wouldn’t think that they are MLB superstars receiving millions of dollars in salaries and playing in front of 50,000 fans every week. They were so down-to-earth and immediately established a connection with the hundreds of young players and parents who came to the event.

Everyone became so attached to the MLB players during their London tour that so many are now following them on twitter. Jeremy Guthrie now has over 42,000 followers and that number is rising (follow him on Twitter @TheRealJGuts). He is still keeping everyone entertained with his Top 10 things I DID/DID NOT expect to see in London. Speaking with MLB.COM he said: “”When I travel, I don’t sleep. I don’t have time to sleep when I’m trying to see the entire city of London,” Guthrie said. “I took my wife out on the Boris Bikes here, and we’ve seen the entire city maybe three or four times. We try to take every tour we can, so for me the vacation is not a vacation, and there’s no vacation after the vacation — but I love it.”

One thing is for sure, the event has inspired the British Baseball community as it prepares for the 2013 baseball season, especially the young players who are buzzing at the moment and many saying that this has been the best day of their lives.

Herts Baseball Club President, Aspi Dimitrov said: “We are grateful to the players, the EBLT, BSUK, MLB, London Sports, the volunteers and everyone else who made this special event possible and for welcoming our club’s young players. They can’t wait for Spring Training to come and we hope that in the coming months and years we can work together with schools, the media and other organisations to spread the word and continue the amazing growth of baseball and softball in this country with particular focus on getting the kids playing the game.”

As Jeremy Guthrie said in a tweet: “Talent in Europe is coming, you’ll see!”

Players from 6 to 16 years of age can join the Herts youth teams at any time of the year. To join the club or for more information contact Herts Baseball Club. Adults over the age of 14 can join the club’s adult league teams. From complete beginners to experienced professionals, everyone is welcome to join the Herts teams.