Category: Featured

by Herts Baseball News Editor

3-way tie after opening round of Hunlock Series games

Kevin Niedringhaus is one of a number of very accomplished players picked by Roosters Manager Ken Pike in the Draft making them one of the favorites. (photo by Will Baxter)

The first week of Hunlock Series games produced some very close encounters with 4 of the 6 games being decided by 1 run. At the end of the day 3 teams are tied at the top of the standings.

WHITE LIGHTNING 4 RED ROOSTERS 13 (click to view box scores)

The Red Roosters started strongly with a convincing 13-4 win against White Lightning. Their first round pick, Nick Russell, produced another solid performance on the mound. The scoreline would suggest that he had the support from the team’s batting lineup, but in fact White Lightning outhit them 6-4 with Lucas Lattergrass (3-3) and Craig Le Roux (1-2 2B) standing out from the Lightning lineup. It was walks and errors which proved very costly for White Lightning otherwise the game could have been very different.

BLUE DOGS 5 BLACK WIDOWS 6

The Black Widows are a team managed by the Herts U17 team manager, Cris Hiche, who adopted a clear strategy during the Draft of putting together the U17 team. We understand that before Sunday’s games Hiche was desperately trying to pick up the other youth players who ended up in the rosters of other teams, but to no avail as rival managers seemed reluctant to make a deal. With so many young players in the Black Widows’ lineup it was a major upset that they managed to beat the experience and power of the Blue Dogs in a dramatic 6-5 walk-off win.

Darrin Ward (right) hit a home run on Sunday coming home with a gentle home run trot. We will have to wait until next Sunday to see the Usain Bolt speed and pose (photo by Will Baxter)

RED ROOSTERS 4 BLUE DOGS 5 (click to view box scores)

The Blue Dogs bounced back against the Red Roosters in what was billed as the clash of the day. The two teams featured the highest number of NBL players and both managers chose NBL pitchers to pitch in this matchup – Darrin Ward for the Dogs and Kevin Niedringhaus for the Roosters. Both pitchers dominated allowing only 1 earned run each with Ward striking out 8 through 4 innings and Niedringhaus 7 over 3 innings.

Ward also helped himself with a home run in that game holding on for the win despite a late Roosters’ rally.

Jake Caress was impressive on the mound and with the bat.

BLACK WIDOWS 3 WHITE LIGHTNING 2 (click to view box scores)

White Lightning regrouped and produced an outstanding performance against the Black Widows. The team picked up Lucas Lattergrass and Perrie Sherman from the free agents block just 24 hours before this game and started as catcher and pitcher, respectively. They provided the stability they needed after a rough ride in the earlier game. The defence behind them was also much improved with only 1 error in the game. They took a 2-0 lead going into the late innings, but the Widows came back with several quality at bats including Duncan Hoyle and Kyle Lloyd-Jones making good contact in consecutive at bats to drive ground balls to the right side of the infield allowing runners from third base to score and tie the game at 2-2. In the last inning the Widows scored the go-ahead run without a single hit in the inning but with some productive at bats. Cris Hiche came on to pinch hit working a lead-off walk to get on base and the team brought him home to score with several productive at bats. The loss was very harsh on White Lightning, but the young Widows are certainly showing maturity of seasoned professionals. Jake Caress came in relief with a 1-run lead and he closed the game without showing any nerves in a tense situation.

BLACK WIDOWS 2 RED ROOSTERS 8 (click to view box scores)

Red Roosters ended Black Widows’ 100% record with an 8-2 win. Rob Jones, Lima Green, kevin Niedringhaus, Carlos Casal and Nick Russell all recording a hit, but it was new recruit Matthew Cox who got the biggest cheer after flying around the bases on a hit to left field to score with an inside-the-park-homerun.

WHITE LIGHTNING 14 BLUE DOGS 15

With both teams running low on pitchers this proved to be a high-scoring game. White Lightning once again came agonisingly close to winning but lost a second consecutive 1-run game. The win put the Blue Dogs in a three-way tie at the top of the standings.

Stand-out players of the weekend:

Guv Bhangal – his home run in his first ever baseball game has provided enough material for a Hollywood movie. Guv Bhangal introduced himself to Herts baseball club in the best possible way and he proved that the home run was not a fluke with display of more power later in the day. What will “the Natural” have up his sleeve next Sunday.

Lucas Lattergrass – provided much-needed stability for White Lightning in the absence of some of the team’s more experienced players. The team was down after a bad loss in the opening game of the day, but Lattergrass, aong with Theo Scheepers and Reagan Wood, had a calming influence and offered words of encouragement and constructive advice for his team mates.

Jake Caress and Cris Hiche – impressive pitching outing for both. No runs, no walks, and no hits allowed by them.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

October Softball at Grovehill Ballpark

This summer Herts Baseball Club made its first steps towards adding the one missing component – Softball.

Before winter sets in the club plans to add one more softball event.  The plan is to schedule it on a Sunday, either 7 or 14 October at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead as part of the Hunlock Series which is a competition involving 80+ Herts baseball players, so baseball and softball teams are expected to create a nice atmosphere at the ballpark. The softball game will be played in the morning and will be followed by the Hunlcok Series baseball games in the afternoon.

Herts Baseball Club is inviting those who want to play in this exhibition softball game to complete a short online feedback form which will enable the club to see player availability, form the teams and schedule the game in the most convenient time slot. Playing in this game is free of charge and equipment will be provided. Players must be 14 years of age or above.

The club is encouraging those who sign up to invite relatives, friends or colleagues from work to sign up as well.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OCTOBER SOFTBALL AT GROVEHILL BALLPARK

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Cobham are 2012 Champs. Mets, and London Sports clinch Herts Futures titles.

The 2012 youth baseball season ended in style with the Herts Futures Tournament (HFT). A record 16 youth teams from across Southern England descended on Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead for a day packed with baseball action.

The event opened with the U17 National Final. The London Mets and Cobham Cougars have been dominating the U17 league, meeting in the final of the last two seasons. On both occasions the London Mets came out on top. The two teams met again in what was built as the clash of the titans. Cobham came from behind to win it 7-3. Everyone expected the headlines to be made by the towering starting pitchers of the two teams, Kazuma (Mets) and Chad Munger (Cougars), but it could be argued that the game turned on a play by the smallest player in the game, Connor Dellapena. The Cobham right fielder turned a double play to end a Mets rally and then the Cougars jumped in front and held on for a memorable win.

After the final the Mets went on to play in the Herts Futures Tournament seeking redemption. They met the Horsham Hornets in the Semi-Final and came back from a 4-1 deficit to clinch a walk-off 5-4 win. In the other Semi-Final the SoNo Stars overcame hosts, Herts, who almost pulled off a late comeback putting the tying run on first base, but SoNo held on for a 4-2 win.

Eager to erase the memories of the loss against Cobham earlier in the day, the Mets clinched the HFT U17 title after a closely fought game with the SoNo Stars.

In the U14 division London Sports proved to be the outstanding team of the tournament. They were the only team to complete the day with a perfect record 3-0 overcoming the Essex Redbacks, Horsham Rays and the London Mets.

London Sports completed a very successful end to the baseball season by also clinching the HFT title in the U11 division. They had to battle hard for it as Herts and Horsham pushed them to the end.

Click here for HFT scoreboard and standings.

Note for fans: One of the lottery runner-up cash prizes has not been claimed yet. Herts Baseball Club is looking for the holder of lottery ticket number 294. If you are the ticket-holder please contact Herts Baseball Club

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Sunday’s opening round of games in Hunlock Series rained out

Despite glorious weather over the last few days, heavy and prolonged rain combined with strong winds is expected to reach London and Hertfordshire on Sunday, 23 September. This leaves Herts Baseball Club with no other option but to postpone the opening round of games in the 2012 Hunlock Series.

The four teams will have to wait until next Sunday, 30 September, to get the Series under way.

A little earlier today it was confirmed that just 24 hours after the Draft, the team managers have completed the first player trade of the Series. White Lightning have traded first-baseman, Gary Armstrong, to the Black Widows for third-baseman and key member of the Herts Hawks, Seth Lipstock.

We understand that various other player transactions are currently being discussed between team offiicials.  We will keep you updated as soon as any transactions are confirmed.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

82 players drafted live on TV. Teams open the Hunlock Series this Sunday

British baseball legend Darrin Ward was the first draft pick of the night

Last night, after the end of the GB vs Canada WBC qualifying game, the Herts Baseball TV Channel had live coverage of the 2012 Hunlock Series Draft. The managers of the four teams had a plethora of talent to choose form with 82 players drafted over 21 rounds.

THE FIRST ROUND PICKS

On a toss of a coin the Blue Dogs were given the first pick. Standing in for manager John Kjorstad was Duncan Hoyle and without hesitation announced that the first pick of the 2012 Hunlock Series Draft is Herts Falcons pitcher and first baseman, Darrin Ward. “Darrin is a British Baseball legend” said Duncan Hoyle. He added: “In my time at the club he has always had time for some of the younger and newer players at the club and he will have very positive influence on some of the less experienced players who will be added to the Blue Dogs roster”.

Next it was the turn of the Black Widows to make their first pick. Manager Cris Hiche chose Herts U17 third baseman, Kyle Lloyd-Jones. “I have had the pleasure of working with Kyle this year. This is his last year in the U17 league and he is ready to make the step up to the adult leagues. I think he is going to be one of the stars of the Series”.

Red Roosters Manager, Ken Pike, decided to go with one of the most reliable pitchers in the country, Nick Russell. “He keeps delivering year-after-year and we need stability on the mound” said Pike.

Nick Russell won the Hunlock Series with the Blue Dogs 12 months ago. He will be wearing red this year

By virtue of White Lightning having appointed their 3 co-managers, Dave Tretheway, Jarrod Pretorius and Ryan Bird, they were restricted from picking in the first few rounds of the Draft. When they came to make their first unrestricted pick, co-manager, Ryan Bird, confirmed Herts Eagles pitcher, Theo Scheepers, as their first pick. “I have worked with Theo over the last few weeks in the softball project which Herts is running together with BSUK and he is a great guy to have in the team. He also comes from South Africa like the three co-managers of White Lightning so it is good to pick some local talent” said Bird.

If you missed the 2012 Hunlock Series Live Draft Show, you can watch it on demand (click to view)

FREE AGENTS AND TRADES

The full team rosters determined at last night’s draft are shown here. Several more players have become available as free agents after the draft and they will be drafted in due course. We will keep you updated about free agent signings and trades over the four weeks of the series.

OPENING DAY

The Series commence on Sunday, 23 September, with all 4 teams in action from 1pm at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead. For complete Series schedule click here.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Live Hunlock Series Draft will be shown following GB vs Canada qualifier

With the news that all World Baseball Classic games will be shown live on ESPN America and on the internet, free of charge, and in view of the Team GB playing against Canada on Thursday, 20 September, the LIVE Draft for the 2012 Hunlock Series will be moved back by approximately 1 hour and will now commence at around 8:30pm or as soon as Team GB’s game against Canada ends.

This is the biggest game in years for the Great Britain National team. A place in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) is up for grabs and if the team qualifies for the prestigious WBC, this could be an amazing boost for British Baseball. Playing on the biggest international stage will bring substantial publicity and televised games could attract new players to the game of baseball in this country. Another potential benefit could come in the form of a financial boost for the British Baseball Federation as all qualifying national federations are exected to receive fees for qualifying.

The game will commence at 6pm UK time and is expected to end at around 8:30pm or 9:00pm. As soon as it ends we will join Herts Baseball TV host, Ken Pike, and special guests for the 2012 Hunlock Series Draft.

Over 80 players have already signed up to play in the Series. Who will be the first round picks for the teams?

It will be shown on the Herts Baseball TV channel (click to view). Viewers will be able to interact using the ChatZone on the right-side of the TV screen.

Note: For players who wish to play in the Series but have missed the deadline for the Draft, they can still register and be added to the team rosters from the trading/free agent block.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

16 teams heading to Herts for the Futures Tournament. U17 National Final added to the event

A record 16 teams will be in action at the 2012 Herts Futures Tournament (HFT) which will take place this Saturday, 22 September 2012. In addition, it has been confirmed that the BBF U17 National Final between the London Mets and the Cobham Cougars which was rained out last Sunday, will be added to the HFT schedule which will mean that this could be a record crowd for a youth national final.

Herts Baseball Club President, Aspi Dimitrov, said: ” We are very pleased that the BBF approached our club to add the U17 Final to the event programme.  It is the biggest game of the youth baseball season and it is an honour to add it to the HFT. It is an extra treat for those who are coming for the HFT”

The action begins at 10am and continues into the evening.  To view the games schedule click here.

 

Traditional Baseball snacks will be on offer including hot dogs, big league chew, home made cookies, Krispy Kreme Donuts and much more.

Host Herts Baseball Club welcome new players at any time of the year.  Aspi Dimitrov, said: “Any children aged between 6 and 16 who are interested to give baseball a try should contact the club. It is not too late to take part in this record breaking event.”

The HFT has been held every year since 2008 and is now a permanent fixture in the British baseball calendar. It brings together youth teams of all age groups from across the country for a day of baseball at one of the best baseball venues in the United Kingdom.  Grovehill Ballpark is the home of Herts Baseball Club.  It is the only baseball facility in the country which features two purpose-built full-size baseball diamonds, both with permanent outfield walls. The venue recently hosted the National Baseball Championships which is Great Britain’s equivalent of MLB’s World Series. During the Herts Futures Tournament additional diamonds are added for the Under-14 and Under-11 age groups.

For more information  about the event visit the Herts Futures Tournament homepage.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Hunlock team managers revealed. Stars from as far as Guildford and Liverpool added to the Draft

Cris Hiche (left) and Jarrod Pretorius (right) faced each other in Game 6 of the NBL Final. They will face off again as Hunlock Series player/managers (photo by Jim Garnett, British Baseball Magazine)

We are counting down to the 2012 Hunlock Series Draft which will be shown on the Herts Baseball TV Channel this Thursday, 20 September at 8pm.

Dave Tretheway (left) and Ryan Bird (right) have teamed up with Jarrod Pretorius in an all-South African managerial team of White Lightning

The managers of the teams have just been announced. The Blue Dogs won it 12 months ago and returning to defend the Hunlock Series title is their manager, John Kjorstad. The Blue Dogs swept their opponents away losing only 2 of their 9 games. Can the Blue Dogs win it again?

After a successful debut year as the manager of the Herts U17 team and one of the key members of the Herts Falcons, Cris Hiche has been confirmed as the manager of the Black Widows. 12 months ago they finished last and Hiche will be hoping to improve on their 2011 record of 2 wins and 7 losses.

John Kjorstad (pictured) and Andrew Slater had reasons to be pleased as their Blue Dogs won the Series 12 months ago. Can the Blue Dogs pull it off again.

The Red Roosters have a new manager. Ken Pike had the last 12 months away from managerial duties after managing the Herts Raptors in 2010 and 2011. But he cannot shake off the managerial bug and he is back in the hot seat again. The Red Roosters had arguably the best squad last year and were the hot favourites, so it was a major upset that they could only win 5 of the 9 games.

White Lightning were last year’s expansion team and they will start the Series with, not one but, 3 co-managers – Dave Tretheway, Jarrod Pretorius and Ryan Bird. All three of them played in the Final of this year’s NBL National Championships between the Herts Falcons and the Harlow Nationals. Bird and Tretheway were part of this year’s phenomenal Falcons team while Jarrod Pretorius was arguably one of the MVPs in the NBL with the Nationals.  All three of them have played for the South Africa National Team. Will they target the other South African players in the Draft to turn White Lightning into Team South Africa?

There will be a familiar face in the Hunlock Series as Marty Cullen will be one of the players in the Draft

Performances in previous years of the Hunlock Series will have hardly any bearing on this years competition as all teams start with a blank sheet of paper and will have to build their teams from scratch as part of the Draft.

Ken Pike is back in the hot seat as the manager of the Red Roosters

There will be a plethora of baseball talent to choose from. All members of the Herts Eagles, Herts Raptors, Herts Hawks, Herts Falcons and the Herts U17 All Stars will be up for grabs.

Just like previous seasons they will be joined by stars from other baseball teams from across the country. Jarrod Pretorius is one of three members of the 2012 National Champions, Harlow Nationals, who will be playing in the Hunlock Series. The manager of the Nationals, Marty Cullen, and infielder, Carlos Casal, have also been added to the Draft.

Tetsuro Shinkawa will be making his second Hunlock Series appearance after winning the Series with the Blue Dogs last year. He was the starting pitcher for the Guildford Mavericks in the AA playoff quarter-final against the Herts Hawks a few weeks ago and Andrew Fulford hit a decisive grand slam against him in that playoff game. Shinkawa promised that next time he faces Fulford he will strike him out. We may find out very soon who will win that battle as they are expected to face each other during the Series provided that they are not picked for the same team.

Mario Escobedo in a Liverpool Trojans jersey

This year the Liverpool Trojans will also be represented in the Hunlock Series. Mario Escobedo is well known to fans of Herts Baseball Club as he attended tryouts with the Falcons during the Herts Spring League in March. He is based in Manchester so arranging transport to Hemel Hempstead on a weekly basis proved to be a major obstacle and he joined the best team in the North, Liverpool Trojans, with whom he won the AAA National title just a few weeks ago.

Given the strength of White Lightning on the basis of their 3 co-managers, there will be a restriction on them and they will have to miss the first few rounds of the Draft to enable the other teams to grab some of the top players in this year’s Draft.

We will be publishing more details about Thursday’s Live Draft and the Hunlock Series schedule over the next 48 hours, with Opening Day this Sunday at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead.

by ChrisJones

The Power of Positive Thinking

For at least 5,000 years, people have run, jumped, swam, kicked things, hit each other and thrown a variety of round, oval or pointy objects, all in the name of sport.

At first these games were individual affairs: one Greek against another, lobbing a stone plate into the distance. But at some point we started organising ourselves into teams. Later, perhaps, teams would appoint a captain, someone to lead, motivate or just shout at the other players. Finally, team managers were introduced, to pick the team, plan the strategy and take the blame.

One of the key jobs for any team manager is the team talk. When the half-time whistle blows, and the football players trudge off, three-nil down after some inept defending, the manager will carefully deploy a range of techniques to turn things around. Arsene Wenger may offer a logical analysis of pass completion percentages; while Sir Alex Ferguson prefers the hairdryer and a well-aimed football boot to the kidneys.

In baseball, the manager has more opportunities to butt in with helpful advice: in the dugout, between innings, or during a flamboyant visit to the mound. And in last Saturday’s season finale between the Giants and the Dodgers, Coach Mike Wakelam found the perfect time and the perfect words to make the difference.

Over on the posh diamonds, the U14s and U17s were in playoff action. But here, the drama was somehow more personal. The Giants trailed by three games to one in the series. We would play a 4-inning game, then a 5-inning game. If the Giants could win these two games to draw level, there would be a one-inning decider for the championship title.

Both teams fielded familiar line-ups, with a couple of additions. A new arrival for the Dodgers: Niklas Makwana, a cricketer with a fearsome throwing arm, looking to apply his batting and fielding skills to this, the junior game. Noah Haines came in for the Giants: he also looked pretty handy during pre-game practice.

Game 1 started in a cagey fashion, scoreless after one inning despite Noah Haines hitting a confident double. In the second, Niklas also doubled for the Dodgers, advancing to third on an error in the same play and scoring during the next at-bat. Ozan Martin also scored thanks to a Tom Garton double. But the Giants hit straight back, with a string of singles and two runs. The Giants’ inning was ended with an individual double play, as Tom Garton caught a fly ball from Noah Haines at third base before tagging out Noah Lynch. The scores were tied 2-2. In the third, no Dodgers batters achieved a hit. For the Dodgers, Ben Jupp got on base and scored when Oliver Durer hit a double. Three to two for the Giants. The Dodgers couldn’t find a run at the top of the last, and so Game 1 ended with a narrow win for the Giants.

The Dodgers now held a slim one-game lead over the Giants. Could the Giants level the series ?

The Giants were now the visiting team and first to bat. Alex Trautman singled, then Ben Jupp hit a double to deep right field. Noah Haines hit a single to bring home both Trautman and Jupp, and Haines then scored, as did Lewis Auchterlounie, with RBIs for Oliver Durer and Alex Jones. Four runs to the Giants, which looked more impressive when they picked up three quick outs to close out the Dodgers.

The Giants’ strong batting form continued in the second inning. Alex Trautman bunted cheekily for a single, Christian Lynch got on base, and then Ben Jupp stepped up again to blast a two-RBI triple. Singles from Haines, Oliver Durer, Jones and Trautman brought two more runs, and the Giants suddenly found themselves 8-0 ahead.

Things were looking bleak for the Dodgers, and the mood didn’t improve as they went scoreless again at the bottom of the second. At least they pegged back the Giants in the third, which included a double play as newcomer Noah Haines failed to tag up on a fly ball caught by pitcher Nicholas Durer. At bat, the Dodgers finally got onto the scoreboard, with a ground rule double from Ozan Martin and a line drive from Jonathan Wakelam for a two-RBI single. 8-2 to the Giants after three innings.

Despite achieving three quick outs at the top of the fourth, gloom was spreading in the ranks of the Dodgers. It was hot, players were tired, and they saw the coveted title slipping away from them. Coach Mike gathered his players. “Don’t worry about the score”, he told them “Let’s relax, swing the bat and have fun out there.”

Fired up, the Dodgers looked a changed team. Niklas Makwana hit a single, then managed to sprint home all the way from first base while the Dodgers fielded an outfield line drive from William Morillo. Two more singles loaded the bases, and Ozan Martin stepped up to hit a 2-RBI double straight past second base. Rory Vangundy finished up the inning by hitting a single to bring home Garton and Martin. Five runs to the Dodgers, and now it was 8-7.

Rattled, the Giants hit back. The first seven batters reached first base, and three runs were scored before Oliver Durer was forced out at home plate to close the inning. The Dodgers needed four to tie, five to win. Coach Mike took his team into a huddle. “You hit five runs in the last inning – just go out there and do it again.” A group shout of “Dodgers” filled the Grovehill ballpark.

After five at-bats, they had scored one run but were two down. Ozan Martin then hit a single and Nicholas Durer ran in. Now Jonathan Wakelam hit a huge line drive to the right field fence, allowing Thomas Garton to score and putting Ozan on third. Rory Vangundy came to the plate and followed suit for another RBI. Scores were tied. Up stepped Niklas. He needed only one pitch to drive the ball past Christian Lynch at second base; Jonathan Wakelam sprinted in from third, crossed home plate and the Dodgers erupted.

To mark the end of this Dodgers vs Giants series, there was a short presentation. Coach Paul and Coach Mike awarded medals to the outstanding players of today’s games: Oliver Durer for the Giants, and Niklas Makwana for the Dodgers. Both coaches thanked players and parents for their commitment over the course of a rain-shortened season, and commented on the enormous progress made by all the players in all areas of the game. It only remained to spray the Perrier and present the handsome crystal trophy to the winning Dodgers team, who will keep it until this classic series resumes in the spring.

Game 1

Game 2

Season Batting Averages