Category: Featured

1 April 201213 June 2012 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Last minute signing from South Africa to make debut later today

Herts announced four late additions to their roster on Friday ahead of Opening Day, but there was a fifth signing, coming in late in the day, of left-handed outfielder Dave Tretheway.

Originally from Durban, South Africa he has now live sin Watford, Hertfordshire. He started his career playing provincial and national league baseball. He has been a member of a various South African national teams from Under-13 through to senior level.

“I would describe myself as a hard hitting batter and attacking outfielder.” said Tretheway and he certainly has the stats to back that statement up finishing most tournaments at the top of the batting and slugging averages.

Dave Trethway with the Astros in the South African League

“My career highlight was competing in the Youth World Series where I finished with a batting average of .645 which was among the top 5 players in the category in the tournament. My career best tournament average is .898 with 19 home runs including 2 in the all star game.

Tretheway’s career was interrupted for several years after suffering an injury, but he is looking forward to building up full fitness and giving his best in the British league. He is expected to go straight into the lineup for the Falcons season opener against Bracknell.

30 March 2012 by AspiDimitrov

Clark completes a crazy day of player transactions announced by the Falcons

The Herts Falcons have already announced three player acquisitions today and they have made one more late transaction this evening adding catcher, Phil Clark, from the London Mets, which means that he will be eligible to make his Falcons debut this Sunday against the Bracknell Blazers.

Adding Phil Clark is a major coup for Herts. Clark is considered one of the top catchers and third basemen in the NBL so this is a major player acquisition for Herts.

The 33-year-old Australian made his NBL debut in 2004 with the Windsor Bears. The following year he moved to the Brighton Buccaneers. In 2004 and 2005 he reached the NBL Final but ended up on the losing side on both occasions losing to the Croydon Pirates. In the last 4 seasons he has been a member of the London Mets, including the invincible London Mets of 2008 who destroyed the rest of the league losing only one game all season. In that season he was the NBL leader in batting average (.548) and on-base average (.615), which is an incredible achievement considering the superstars who played for the Mets in that year. His NBL career batting average stands at .341 with 4 home runs in the NBL.

The move from the Mets to the Falcons is intuitive as his family relocated to Harpenden in Herts last year. In fact for members of Herts it does not feel like Phil is a new arrival as, despite being a Mets player last year, he has been a regular at Herts training sessions over the last 12 months and also appeared for the Herts White Sharks last October in the 2011 Hunlock Series. He has also had a very positive influence on the Herts Under-17 players who have been involved in those training sessions last year.

Hertsbaseball.com had the opportunity to chat with Phil Clark earlier today about the upcoming season, MLB coming to London and more.

hertsbaseball.com: What would be the key to a successful 2012 season for Herts?

Phil Clark: Herts have acquired some quality experienced NBL players who most have played in the final fours and know what is necessary to get there, as well as win. Consistency and `heart’ (pardon the pun) is going to be the key to Herts success as there are many strong teams out there who are also biting at the bit to win. Provided we can come together as a team, we should do very well this year.

hertsbaseball.com: Which team or teams do you think go into the new season as the favourites to win the NBL?

Phil Clark: This year is somewhat different to most. Previous seasons have always seen the top 2 or 3 being of equal standard. However this season, there appears to be a fairly balanced player quality amongst the teams which will make for a tight season. I haven’t seen every team, so I can only comment on teams from last season and the spring league, but Nationals, Mets, Lakenheath are always going to be favourites. But I hear Essex played well in the spring tournament and Bracknell have found a couple of players – and they were always a threat. So we’ll wait and see.

hertsbaseball.com: What do you see as a realistic target for Herts this year?

Phil Clark: Herts should aim and achieve Final Four. But, there is also no reason why we can’t be aiming for the final play-off and even a championship. The quality and talent is there, we just have to bring that together as a team.

hertsbaseball.com: There is an increased interest and optimism from fans of Herts. Do you have a message for them ahead of the new season?

Phil Clark: If there is one thing that makes baseball great fun, it’s the fans. Come down at home games and support your teams. Baseball can create a great atmosphere and is a very family orientated sport, but that only helps when fans get involved. Fans help make clubs successful and Herts is unique to have such a fan base and it’ll be great to see everyone down at the field when they can make it and this club can grow that bit stronger.

hertsbaseball.com: You are one of several lefties joining Herts this winter. With the short right-field wall at Grovehill Ballpark how much of an advantage is it to have so many lefties?

Phil Clark: I wish I could say a short porch benefits me… but I’m just not that power hitter. But I’m sure there will be some guys in our team who are busting to get out on the diamond on Sunday and create some havoc down the right side.

hertsbaseball.com: British newspapers have reported that MLB is inspecting the Olympic Stadium as a potential venue to host a regular season MLB game in the next few years. What do you think about the prospect of MLB teams coming to town?

Phil Clark: I think that it’s a long time coming. The NFL have been doing this for years now and turned it into a great spectacle where the sport has now increased its coverage and rekindled an old flame of followers and even picked up some new ones along the way. The MLB should be doing this to help boost it’s credentials and place a bigger spot-light on the sport here in the UK and even the continent for that matter with not just a series played here, but a bunch of games over a period of time. My only concern would be that the UK – as a lot of the current players know, is that we lack any decent facility that could a) closely resemble a MLB quality diamond; and b) hold the crowd capacity they would require. I think that BSUK, if they are serious about the sport – along with Sport England and the Government to be fair, need to consider placing some serious finance into helping to deliver a playing quality pitch as a minimum. It’ll be great to see a game close to home though, that’s for sure!

WILL YOU BE WEARING THE HERTS JERSEY IN 2012?

Herts’ recruitment efforts ahead of the new season continue and in fact new players can join at any point during the year. The club welcomes players from complete beginners to accomplished players. 6 to 16-year-olds play for the Herts youth teams while adults (over the age of 14) play for the club’s major and minor league teams. For more details contact Herts Baseball Club.

NBL statistics courtesy of projectcobb.org.uk

30 March 201230 March 2012 by AspiDimitrov

Herts add two more ahead of 2012 Opening Day

With less than 48 hours before the first pitch of the 2012 National Baseball League (NBL) season there does not appear to be an end to the waves of player transactions made by the Herts Falcons this Spring. They have strengthened their NBL roster further with the addition of infielder, Dave House and left-handed pitcher, George Naumczik.

GEORGE NAUMCZIK

George Naumczik comes with a wealth of experience which could prove to be very valuable for Herts on and off the field. He is one of the few players in Great Britain with experience of playing for an MLB franchise. In 1986 he played for the Idaho Falls Braves in the Pinoneer League. This was the minor league affiliate of the Atlanta Braves.

He was out of action last season, but prior to that he had four seasons in the NBL under his belt with the Flames in 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2010. His NBL career batting average is .317 with 1 home run.

Naumczik is a left-handed pitcher and fans who have followed British Baseball in the last few years will recognise his distinctive wrist action when he delivers a pitch which can be quite deceiving for opposing hitters.

DAVE HOUSE

David House in 2007 with the TASIS Varsity Baseball team

Dave House is a player known to NBL fans. He has previously appeared for the Windsor Bears and the Richmond Flames. Last year in the NBL he had an impressive batting average of .314. His primary positions are third base and second base.

Earlier in his career House spent four years playing for the TASIS Varsity Baseball team, which he later coached in 2006 and 2007.

House is 25 years old and is yet another addition which is bringing the average age of the Falcons squad down. Adding players who are about to reach the peak of their physical and baseball development is exciting news for everyone connected with Herts.

Hertsbaseball.com had a chance to put a few questions to Dave House on the eve of Opening Day.

hertsbaseball.com: What would be the key to a successful 2012 season for Herts?

Dave House: The key to success this year will be for everyone on this Falcons team to come together as a cohesive unit. With so much new talent being combined with the great players that are returning, it will be important for the team to work together to improve upon everyone’s strengths and weaknesses.

hertsbaseball.com: Which team or teams do you think go into the new season as the favourites to win the NBL?

Dave House: Just as last year, the Nationals look to be a solid group of players, and the London Mets have added some new talent during the offseason. But I honestly believe that based on the quality that I have seen on the Herts training ground, the Falcons rightfully deserve to be right up there in the group of favourites – and for those who have not yet seen this Falcons team, I would say look out for the dark horse!

hertsbaseball.com: What do you see as a realistic target for Herts this year?

Dave House: Realistically, the Falcons should finish well above .500 in winning percentage and should be competing in the postseason NBC.

hertsbaseball.com: Do you have a message for fans of Herts Baseball Club?

Dave House: To the Herts fans, I would say that this is going to be one exciting season! Based on the talent that I have seen at training, the Falcons look to be very strong competitors in the NBL, and fans should expect to see some top class ball being played at this club.

WILL YOU BE WEARING THE HERTS JERSEY IN 2012?

NBL statistics courtesy of projectcobb.org.uk

30 March 201230 March 2012 by AspiDimitrov

Herts Falcons acquire Jordan Farkas

Jordan Farkas on the mound for the Hornets in the Anchorage Adult League in 2010

The Herts Falcons have announced the acquisition of right-handed pitcher, Jordan Farkas.

The 28-year-old American from Anchorage, Alaska, comes with an impressive CV and experience at a very high level in various leagues in the US.

Between 2003 and 2010 he played for the Hornets in the Anchorage Adult League. During that period he has proven to be one of the top performers in the league among the leaders in various pitching categories. In 2009 he had ERA 0.63 (1^st), 4 Wins (1^st), WHIP 0.95 (3^rd), 35 strikeouts (2^nd) and to top it all off his team won the Championship in that season.

Farkas (right) with the 2009 Anchorage League Championship trophy

Between 2004 and 2007 he pitched for Division III, Whitworth Pirates(Whitworth College). In 2006 he played for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots, a team which has seen a large number of its players progress to play in MLB. This includes players like Mark McGwire (St Louis Cardinals), Jacoby Ellsbury (Boston Red Sox), J.T. Snow (San Francisco Giants), Mark Pelfrey (New York Mets) among many others.

With the unrelenting announcements of new arrivals, Herts is starting to look formidable and Farkas agrees. “I am looking forward to playing for Herts this year. We have a great group of guys with a lot of talent, and I am looking forward to seeing the great things we will bring to the field as a team” he said.

The Falcons now have a star-studded list of potential starting pitchers, but who will be the starting pitcher in the Opening game of 2012? Falcons Manager, Lee Manning, will have the enjoyable task of finding an answer to that question. It will all be revealed this Sunday as the show begins.

28 March 201214 June 2012 by Herts Baseball News Editor

NBL Opening Day baseball extravaganza for the whole family this Sunday

Ceremonial first pitch - 2012 season will open this Sunday

If you happen to be anywhere around Hemel Hempstead this Sunday, you wouldn’t want to miss the baseball gala at Grovehill Ballpark. This is the Opening Day of the 2012 National Baseball League (NBL) season as the Herts Falcons face the Bracknell Blazers, but there will be so much more as part of this special day.

EVERYONE PLAYS

The show begins with a softball tournament for the whole family. The teams will feature members of the Herts youth teams, but very importantly it will see their parents, other family members and friends join in the fun similar to the MLB All-Star Celebrity and Legends Softball Game. The club is also inviting supporters and friends of the club to get involved in this game by simply coming down to the ballpark wearing sporty clothing. For more details and to sign up for the softball tournament contact the club.

HSL CONTINUES

At the same time on the adjacent diamond the Herts Spring League (HSL) continues with 6 more teams in action starting from 10am and finishing at 7pm.

THE MAIN EVENT

The softball tournament will be followed by Awards presentations to the Herts youth team players and then the Opening Game of the 2012 NBL season, national anthem and all. Can the Herts Falcons get off to a winning start? Everyone connected with the club is optimistic that this year the team would be able to compete in the title race and, who knows, perhaps the NBL trophy will return to Hertfordshire. It has been 43 years since the Watford Sun Rockets lifted the NBL trophy beating the Liverpool Trojans 8-7 in extra innings in the 1969 NBL Final.

HOT DOGS

The baseball season cannot start without hot dogs at the ballpark. Fans and players will be able to enjoy not just hot dogs, but all sorts of other snacks including freshly made Krispy Kreme donuts, hot and cold beverages and more.

WEATHER

Will the sunny warm weather stay with us for the weekend’s event? If the event has to be postponed due to rain, this will be announced on hertsbaseball.com, and to all followers of Herts Baseball on twitter and facebook. Click here to follow us on Twitter or to like us on Facebookand you will receive a weather alert if the event is cancelled.

THE DAY’S SCHEDULE

· 9:45am Softball Tournament participants (young and old, male and female) report to ballpark
· 10:00am Softball Tournament begins
· 10:00am Herts Hawks vs London Mets U17 (HSL-AAA)
· 12:00pm Herts Little League Awards Presentation
· 1:00pm Milton Keynes Bucks vs Cambridge Royals (HSL-AAA)
· 1:20pm The National Anthem
· 1:22pm Ceremonial First Pitch
· 1:30pm Herts Falcons vs Bracknell Blazers (NBL 2012 Opening Game)
· 4:00pm Herts Falcons vs Bracknell Blazers (Game 2)
· 4:00pm Essex RedBacks vs Sidewinders (HSL-AAA)

VENUE

For venue address and directions click here.

27 March 201228 March 2012 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Hoyle is new Eagles boss

Duncan Hoyle (left) gets a helping hand from John Kjorstad

Herts Baseball Club has confirmed that Duncan Hoyle is the new manager of the Herts Eagles. This announcement comes just 48 hours after Hoyle sustained a heavy injury in Herts Spring League (HSL) action on Saturday. He is expected to be on the DL for around six weeks and everyone at Herts wishes him a full and speedy recovery.

Rather than letting the serious injury bring him down, Hoyle chose to stay positive and put his name forward for the vacant Eagles Manager position. “Herts is a great club to be involved with and I am looking forward to the challenge” said Hoyle.

Hoyle joined Herts Baseball Club last season playing for the Herts Raptors in the British Single-A League so he is familiar with the challenge ahead for the Herts Eagles. He will also be able to count on coaches Arnie Longboy, Glen Downer and Ken Pike who will make themselves available as supporting coaching staff whenever they do not have duties as players or coaches of one of the other Herts teams. Hoyle may also be appointing other Eagles members to perform coaching roles for the team this season.

The Eagles have two more weekends of HSL games before they open their 2012 campaign with a home game against the Richmond Dukes on Sunday, 15 April. First pitch 12:00. The injury will prevent Hoyle from making his debut as Manager until Opening Day and in the meantime a caretaker manager will be in charge of the Eagles for the next two HSL weeks, starting with this Saturday’s game with the Great Britain Under-15 National Team.

25 March 201228 March 2012 by Herts Baseball News Editor

HSL AAA and AA week 1 roundup

HSL-AAA

When the BBF AAA League lineup was announced many fans were surprised to see the Cambridge Royals in the list. It is very rare for a team to rise by two league tiers which is what happened in the case of the Royals this winter. They may have played in the Single-A last year but have already had a strong performance in their first HSL AAA game beating the Sidewinders 32-5. With new additions like former Bracknell Blazers starting pitcher, Matt Maitland, they look like they will not be out of place in the AAA this year.

The Essex Redbacks were just as impressive winning 16-7 against the Herts Hawks. A grand slam by Matt Jennings put them in the lead and didn’t look back after that.

The MK Bucks managed to squeeze out a 7-4 win against the impressive London Mets Under-17 team. The boys from the capital were ruing a missed opportunity. They outhit the Bucks 10-to-4, but crucially left 11 runners stranded on base. Defensively they ended up committing more errors in this game than their last four Spring Training games combined.

HSL-AA

Guildford Mavericks I opened their HSL campaign with win over Kent

Over in Guildford the HSL-AA action involved teams from South of London. John Kristensen took the win for Guildford Mavericks I in a close game that was tied at 5-5 until the 6th innings when Guildford broke it open with a 5-run bottom half of the inning. Guildford offensive highlights were doubles from James Guerra and John Kristensen, whilst Kent’s Jamie Morris also had an extra base hit. Mavericks starter, Sam Jones gave up just 3 hits in 4 innings of work. In a high scoring contest, Guildford Mavericks II scored early and often to ease to victory over the Barons. In a game dominated by offence, the Mavericks benefited from Owen Hazelby going 5-for-6 (2B), along with extra base hits from John Gray and Gillian Conway. Torbay had an extra base hit from Tony Watson, and Gabor Nemeth went 2-for-3. Owen Hazelby took the win for Guildford.

This year the HSL features the GB Under-15 National Team and it was fascinating how the superstars of tomorrow will compete against their older opponents. A strong start from GB and Herts pitcher Tom Armstrong, followed by Patrick Hansford produced a close game versus the London Marauders. They were tied 4-4 going into the 4th and GB put up 8 runs with two outs, but couldn’t close out the game as London came back with 10 of their own to win as the GB pitching and defence started to struggle. In their second GB faced the Essex RedBacks. They had another great start this time from Jonathan Fretheim who pitched two quick innings securing a 3-0 lead going into the fourth inning. Once again the fourth innings curse struck as a combination of pitchers struggling to find the zone and poor defence resulted in GB conceding 12 runs. Fretheim came back into the game to close out the inning and the game, but the damage was done.

The Herts derby game between the Raptors and Eagles ended with a win for the Eagles which featured a youthful lineup of Under-17 players. Starter Jake Caress pitched a complete game for the win supported by lively Eagles bats to record a 5-3 vistory. The Raptors remain without a win after they lost their earlier game against the Essex RedBacks II. The second game for the Eagles was against the London Marauders who were looking for their second win. Zack Longboy started for the Eagles. He needed one inning to get a feel for the mound and then produced a very confident pitching performance. Going into the fourth inning the game was tied 1-1 which is very unusual for two Single-A teams, but it must be said that the Marauders were always threatening and it took a 1-3-5 triple-play to keep the game tied. A combination of good hitting by the Marauders and too many London players getting on base after being hit by pitch or walking was costly for the Eagles and they couldn’t catch up.

The HSL AAA and AA action continues next weekend.

Click to view full HSL scoreboard and standings

24 March 201228 March 2012 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Dbacks sweep to win 2012 HSL Majors

Jake Michels was on fire against the Nationals (for more HSL photos by Jim Garnett visit britishbaseball.blogspot.co.uk)

The Lakenheath Dbacks steam-rolled their opponents to win the Majors Division of the 2012 Herts Spring League (HSL). The Harlow Nationals came in second after a win against Essex Arrows to add to their victory over the London Mets in week one.

MICHELS DOMINATES ON THE MOUND

The final week of HSL games for the country’s top teams started with a convincing win for the Herts Falcons over the Harlow Nationals. The Nats had many members of their championship-winning roster including the 2011 MVP, Edwin Alcantara, Maikel Azcuy, Brendan Cunliffe, Marty Cullen, Carlos Casal and the magical short stop, Luis Goncalves, who was facing his former team mates from Herts having spent five years as a player of the Falcons, however there were some notable absentees. Many of their players were called up by the GB Under-19 National Team for a friendly game in Birmingham. They were also missing ace pitcher, Jason Roberts, with unconfirmed reports that he is on the DL and may miss opening day.

Their absence cannot take away from the impressive performance of the Falcons. Their new arrival from New York, Jake Michels, started on the mound and pitched a complete game shutout allowing only one hit and striking out 9 Nationals in the process. The Falcons offence was also looking strong giving the hosts a 9-0 win.

ARROWS’ NEW LOOK ROSTER

The Nationals bounced back in a close game against the Essex Arrows winning 4-2. There were some notable additions to the Essex Arrows roster including one of the best catchers in the NBL, Jon Mabie and infielder, John Blose, both moving to Essex from the Mildenhall Bulldogs. Franklin Perez is a new arrival from the Nationals and the legendary Darrin Ward who moves across to Essex after 4 years with Herts. Before the games Herts presented Ward with a series of awards which he earned playing for the Falcons in 2011 including Best Pitcher, Home Run Champion, Batting Champion, and most RBIs, underlining what a big loss his departure will be for Herts. The player who caught everyone’s attention was the Arrows’ new unnamed shortstop, who made two spectacular diving plays during the game showing off his acrobatic skills and strong arm.

The Arrows also lost their second game of the day to the Dbacks, who also beat the London Mets earlier with an impressive 6-1 score line. This was the Mets’ second loss in the HSL, but they recovered to secure a very impressive 7-0 win against the Herts Falcons. Starting pitcher Pietro Sollecito kept the Falcons bats very quite with a lot of control and movement on his pitches.

Herts Falcons' new arrival Kevin Niedringhaus is strating to attract many fans to Grovehill Ballpark (for more HSL photos by Jim Garnett visit britishbaseball.blogspot.co.uk)

Despite the loss the Falcons still had a chance to win the 2012 HSL Majors as the suspended game from week 1 against the Dbacks was resumed. Lakenheath were leading 7-5 and they needed only 3 more outs in the bottom of the final inning to end their HSL campaign with a 100%-record. New arrival, Cris Hiche, led off the inning by getting on base for the Falcons, but that didn’t seem to worry Dbacks pitcher, Carl Petmecky, who retired the next three batters stranding Hiche on base.

STAGE SET FOR OPENING DAY

On their HSL showing, Lakenheath look like the team to beat, especially when Ken Reber returns to the UK in the next few weeks, however teams like London and Harlow also looked impressive despite missing some of their big names. Essex Arrows also look strong. Herts made a series of high-profile signings and all eyes will be on them. Then there are the Bracknell Blazers, Croydon Pirates, and Southampton Mustangs who are preparing for the new season behind closed doors and could have a surprise for the rest of the league next Sunday, 1 April, when the show begins with the Herts Falcons hosting the Bracknell Blazers at Grovehill Ballpark. First pitch 1:30pm.

Click to view full HSL scoreboard and standings

22 March 201221 March 2012 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts awarded BSUK grant for next stage of Grovehill Ballpark development

Aerial view of the next stage of the long-term development of Grovehill Ballpark (click image to enlarge)

Herts Baseball Club has been awarded a grant of £10,000 from BaseballSoftballUK‘s capital facility funding from Sport England.

This grant, together with nearly £7,000 raised separately by Herts through various fund-raising activities, will be invested into the next stage of development of Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead, creating one of the most advanced baseball and softball venues currently in existence in the United Kingdom.

History

The baseball facility at Herts was created in the early 1990s. In those early years it consisted of a single baseball diamond with a backstop and dirt infield, hosting games for the club’s one adult baseball team. Since then, Herts Baseball Club has seen unprecedented growth and has become one of the biggest baseball organisations in Great Britain with eight baseball teams — four senior and four youth — playing in various British senior and youth leagues. The facility was no longer capable of accommodating so many teams and the club had to put in place a plan for the long-term expansion and development of the venue.

With funding and support from BSUK, the National Lottery, Dacorum Borough Council, Dacorum Sports Network, Scotthall Watford BMW and MINI and many others, a second baseball field was added in 2010 and both diamonds now feature permanent backstops and permanent outfield fences – the only such facility in the UK.

Strategic investment

BSUK’s decision to award the £10,000 grant to Herts Baseball Club is in line with BSUK’s 2009-2013 Whole Sport Plan and Sport England’s strategic aims for the sport. The funds will be invested in the installation of perimeter fencing along the first and third base dead-ball lines of both diamonds, making each diamond a fully-enclosed baseball venue. Further fencing will be installed to create four fully-enclosed team dugouts for home and visiting teams on both diamonds. Work is scheduled to begin on 26 March 2012.

This phase of the long-term project will bring the venue a little closer to the standards set by countries such as the USA and Japan, and start to make up lost ground on fast-growing European baseball countries such as Germany, Holland and Italy.

“BSUK is delighted to award Herts Baseball Club £10,000 towards their facility improvements,” said Brendan Cunliffe, Development Logistics Manager for BaseballSoftballUK. “Herts Baseball Club is a progressive and well-governed club and the improvements they are continuing to make to their already excellent facilities will attract new adult and youth club members in the Hemel Hempstead area, increase the baseball playing population in the UK, and raise the satisfaction of all players visiting the site over the coming years.”

The expansion and improvement of Grovehill Ballpark over the years has enabled Herts to host much bigger events and attract large crowds

BSUK support

Herts Baseball Club President, Aspi Dimitrov said: “Baseball and softball facilities in the UK have remained underdeveloped over the years and BSUK identified that this is stopping our sport from realising its full potential. BSUK’s Facility Strategy in the last few years has energised the British baseball and softball communities, giving clubs around the country the capacity to grow and offer a much better product to participants”.

“No matter how hard clubs try on their own, the progress being made at the moment would not be possible without BSUK’s support,” Aspi added, “not just in terms of funding but also in expert advice and guidance in developing these facilities”.

“This announcement is a tremendous boost not only for the Hertfordshire public, but for the whole British baseball and softball community, who will be able to enjoy the benefits of this investment for many years when they come to Grovehill Ballpark for league, tournament, exhibition and international games and events.”

About BaseballSoftballUK Ltd (BSUK)

BaseballSoftballUK Ltd is the development agency for baseball and softball in the United Kingdom. Since 2000, BSUK has provided services to the sports’ governing bodies, the British Baseball Federation (BBF) and the British Softball Federation (BSF), with the aim of developing and increasing levels of participation, skill and achievement in UK baseball and softball. Projects delivered through BSUK’s Whole Sport Plan, funded by Sport England, include regional support for youth baseball and softball development programmes, support for workplace softball, coaching and coach-training, facility development and the expansion and strengthening of clubs throughout the country.

For more information about BSUK visit baseballsoftballuk.com

21 March 2012 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Rubbing Shoulders with Baseball Royalty

Herts Raptors first baseman Glen Downer (right) with New York Mets and LA Dodgers legend Mike Piazza

Boarding the plane at Stansted Airport early on Friday 2nd March, Herts Raptors first baseman Glen Downer could hardly contain his excitement for what awaited him at the other end in Pisa, Italy. After winning a competition through ESPN America and MLB Europe to attend a baseball camp with ex MLB stars and MLB coaches, Glen reports on what was the trip of a lifetime for him….

After a short flight I arrived at Pisa airport to be greeted by the guys from ESPN America and MLB Europe, and off we went to my temporary home for the weekend, the MLB European Academy at the Italian Olympic Training Centre in Tirrenia just outside of Pisa. Upon arrival we were shown to our rooms before we met for a tour of the facility. The anticipation grew as we approached the baseball field, where we were met with a view of a beautiful looking well groomed diamond, with an outfield that stretched out all the way to the 410ft centre field fence! No chance of hitting the ball over that one then! We stood and watched the Belgian and Italian national teams train for a while, then everyone decided they could wait no longer to get stuck to some ball, so Dan, one of the MLB European Academy coaches, arranged for us to play a bit of casual softball on the adjacent field, which ended up turning into a full blown softball game! So much for taking it easy before the next day’s mammoth baseball training session!

We were then summoned to the dining hall to meet the rest of our hosts, and the two people we were most looking forward to meeting, the stars themselves! First up was the Italian player Alessandro Maestri, a one time Minor League AA ball player from the Cubs organisation, he played in a couple of appearences for the Cubs and is currently playing in Japan in the hope of returning to America soon to continue in his career. Second to be introduced needed no introduction, Dodgers and Mets legend Mike Piazza!! A career .308 hitter, with 427 career HR, a 12 time All Star, and the second longest RBI game streak in the history of the game, this wasn’t just an ex player who’d spent some time in the show, it was nothing less than a baseball God!! This most definitely set the standard for the whole weekend.

The next day we woke up to perfect baseball weather, a warm 17 degrees and sunny skies. After a short introduction we got going with a full on Major League style dynamic warm up, run by Alex Maestri. Well all I can say is it made the Herts Raptors warm ups look like a mere trot up the baseline to the fence and back! It certainly highlighted quite how fit these top players are, and why they need to go through such a warm up to keep themselves in shape and avoid injuries. After that was the normal game of catch progressing into long ball toss, where Mike Piazza, Alex Maestri and the MLB coaches educated us in the best way to throw a baseball; this was the first thing in the day that I realised I hadn’t been doing properly, and was most certainly not the last! After that were the infield drills, which were much the same as the drills we run at the club, fielding ground balls and tossing back; however there were still plenty of things to be learnt about body position, resulting in a much easier throw to base, and techniques that led to better glove control.

After lunch we all reconvened for the part that I was looking forward to the most, the opportunity to face a pitcher throwing at big league speeds!! Alex Maestri was on the mound and was told not to take anything off, and he didn’t! Throwing fastballs reaching 87-88mph on estimation from the coaches, which is easily as fast as some pitchers in the Majors, you barely have time to think about swinging the bat, let alone spotting the location and trying to get some wood on the ball! After taking a few pitches to gauge the speed, and a few wafts at thin air, I finally heard the sound I was hoping for, that of baseball on wood bat; ok I only just managed to foul it off over the first base line, but that was good enough for me and I left the batting cage smiling, I’d managed to foul off a Major League speed pitch!! Ok, you might be thinking this is no incredible achievement, but bearing in mind we’re lucky to face pitching at above 50mph in A ball in the UK, facing something nearly twice as fast was really quite daunting!

We then moved on to normal BP, with pitches at 60-65mph from the pitching machine. This was a little more familiar now, and Mike Piazza spent some time giving us hitting coaching (you don’t get many better batting coaches than that), I did Herts Baseball Club proud by managing to collect the most fair ball hits for the whole group, with Mr Piazza telling me that I had a good swing with plenty of power, so be proud of yourselves Herts Baseball coaches you’re clearly doing something right, compliments from Mike Piazza don’t come lightly! Then came the moment we’d pretty much all been waiting for, Mike Piazza stepped up into the batting cage to hit a few pitches. The quality of this man’s swing was immediately apparent, even though he’d not participated in any proper batting practice since leaving the bigs almost 5 years ago, it was pretty obvious this hadn’t really affected it! After a couple of spotting pitches he crushed a huge fly to right clearing the fence, to raptuous applause and cheers from the entire congregation! His lazy but incredibly powerful swing produced a few more huge hits that we were all scrabbling to try and catch, and it was over. After catching a few fly balls from the coaches to finish the day we all retired back to our rooms to get ready for an evening of celebration following such an amazing day.

After one last game of softball the next morning to put a huge cherry on top of what had been an unbelievable weekend, with Mike Piazza as umpire, we all had our photo taken with him and made our way back to collect our things for departure. Enjoying a few beers in the airport waiting for the flight home I reflected on what I had just experienced. Not only had I made friends with a great bunch of people from all over europe, I’d been part of a once in a lifetime experience, being treated to coaching from baseball greats and some of the best coaches in the game. The whole weekend will stay with me for the rest of my life, and I can only hope that it has made me an even better player. I can’t wait to get going on the new season! PLAY BALL!!!