Category: Headlines

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Countdown to HSL – first chance to see the teams ahead of the 2016 British baseball season

The biggest pre-season baseball competition in Britain is back. Commencing on March 19, the Herts Spring League (HSL) will see 15 teams compete over the 3 weeks of the HSL. Organised by Herts Baseball Club, it is Britain’s very own version of MLB’s Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues currently under way in the US, and it signals that the season is just around the corner.

FORMAT

The 15 teams will be entered into three HSL tiers. The top teams in the country from the National Baseball League and Triple-A Leagues will play in the HSL Majors. The HSL-AA is the second tier of the Herts Spring League. It will feature predominantly British Double-A League teams. The third tier is the HSL-A consisting mainly of Single-A teams.

The organisers considered the possibility of a tournament format, but ultimately adopted a league format in the same way as the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues in MLB. “The objective of the HSL is to enable the teams to prepare for the new season and we have noticed that teams are increasingly starting to approach the HSL in the same way as MLB teams approach the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues” said HSL Commissioner, Aspi Dimitrov. He added “we have taken this into account when formulating the schedule putting greater emphasis on the preferences and preparatory requirements of the teams over the format of the competition”.

The teams finishing at the top of their respective division will win the HSL. The “games-back” column in the standings will be critical, but undoubtedly some teams will end up with the same record and so it may go down to the number of runs conceded per game to break the tie.

THE VENUES

The action will take place at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead, the home of Herts Baseball Club.

SCHEDULE

24 games are scheduled to be played on the two diamonds. The competition begins on March 19 with a clash between the Herts Hawks and the Essex Redbacks in the HSL Double-A bracket. The HSL Single-A commences on the same day while HSL Majors division commences 24 hours later and includes the mouth-watering clashes between the Essex Arrows and Herts Falcons, and the Cambridge Royals and the surging London Mammoths.

Click to view full 2016 HSL schedule

EXCITEMENT BUILDING UP

The Herts Spring League adds a competitive edge to Spring training. It’s the time for managers to work out their winning formula going into the BBF league season. It is an opportunity to evaluate existing and newly recruited players. Which players will earn a spot in the pitching rotation and who will be batting where in the batting order? Who will make the first team and who will have to work their way up with the minor league teams? Not forgetting, it’s a chance to size up your rivals for the year ahead. It’s the first big challenge and the first big excitement of the baseball year. Don’t miss it.

GET IN THE GAME

For more details about the event or if you are interested to give baseball a try in this competition contact Herts Baseball Club.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

15 teams will signal the arrival of Spring in the 2016 HSL

Herts Baseball Club has confirmed that 15 teams have entered this year’s Herts Spring League (HSL). The teams come from all British baseball leagues including the National Baseball League (NBL), Triple-A, Double-A and Single-A Leagues.

The HSL teams will be divided into three divisions as follows:

 

HSL – MAJORS

TEAM

CLASS

HSL RANKING

Cambridge Royals

AAA

3

Essex Arrows

NBL

2

Herts Falcons

NBL

1

London Mammoths

AAA

4

Milton Keynes Bucks

AAA

5

HSL – AA

TEAM

CLASS

HSL RANKING

Daws Hill Spitfires

AA

2

Essex Redbacks

AAA

1

Herts Hawks

AAA/A

4

London Musketeers

AA/A

3

HSL – A

TEAM

CLASS

HSL RANKING

Cambridge Monarchs

A

2

Herts Raptors

A

5

Kent Mariners

A

6

London Mercenaries

A

4

Milton Keynes Coyotes

A

3

Tonbridge

A

1

 

SCHEDULE AND FORMAT

The HSL will be played over three weeks commencing on the weekend of 19 and 20 March and ending on 2 and 3 April. The HSL format and games schedule are expected to be announced shortly and hertsbaseball.com will bring this and all other HSL news as they happen.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Unveiling the new Herts Baseball Cap model

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Baseball Club experimenting new business model

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

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

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

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

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

U15 Team Manager

U19 Team Manager

For more information, contact us.

by Rob Jones

Herts youth stars invited to MLB tournament

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts announce 2016 HSL details

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

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

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

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

Spring is the time when managers put together their teams and aim to turn them into winning machines ahead of Opening Day. Similar to the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues in MLB, the HSL provides a competitive edge to spring training. This is the ninth year of the HSL. Every year this competition keeps growing. The geographic spread of participating teams seems to be expanding as well. For more details visit the HSL site.

LEAGUE FORMAT

Teams will be placed in two or more divisions (HSL Majors and HSL Minors) based on the teams’ ranking going into the new season. The exact format will depend on the number of teams entering the HSL and the availability of venues, therefore full details will be published when the league line-up is confirmed.

TEAMS

Over the years the HSL has featured teams from the National Baseball League (NBL), Triple-A, Double-A and Single-A Leagues, as well as international teams such as the GB Under-19 and Under-16 National Teams and the ASL Eagles.

“The number of team entries has been going up every year. Last year we somehow managed to fit all of the entrants, however in 2016 we have to be mindful of the fact that we may once again reach our full capacity and we may have to restrict team entries when we reach that level again.” said HSL Commissioner, Aspi Dimitrov.

The addition of U19 and U17 league teams in previous years has worked very well. The high standard of most of the BBF U19 and U17 League teams will certainly enable them to comfortably compete at the level of adult teams from the Double-A and Triple-A League teams, or perhaps even the NBL.

Teams from around the United Kingdom will be submitting their entries over the next few weeks and the HSL lineup and games schedule is expected to be published in early March.

* – The HSL dates are based on the indication that the BBF league season will start on April 3 for NBL teams and on April 10 for all other leagues. If these dates change the HSL may make adjustments where necessary.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts youngsters enjoy guest appearance by elite coaches


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

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

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

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

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

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Raptors and Eagles appoint managerial duos

At its Annual General Meeting Herts Baseball Club confirmed several managerial appointments ahead of the 2016 season.

CARESS DUO AT THE HELM

The Herts Eagles will have a father-and-son managerial duo in 2016. Jake Caress managed the team last year and this season he will be joined by his father, Mark Caress. Mark is already fully immersed into the role as he has been performing many of the duties supporting Jake in 2015 therefore this appointment formally confirms his role with the team.

The Eagles picked up only 3 in the whole of last year so they will be looking to improve their record this time around. The team is blessed with many young talented players who are just a year or two away from being able to challenge for the playoff places so there is great optimism that this group of young players will become a dominant force in the BBF Triple-A League. The main uncertainty is the likelihood that some of their top performers may receive a call-up from the Herts Falcons and that may affect the team’s competitiveness.

RAPTORS APPOINT CRESSWELL AND BARTON

Michael Cresswell and Paul Barton are the new joint managers of the Herts Raptors. They take over from Rob Jones and the late Kal Dimitrov who managed the team last season.

Michael Cresswell has been a key and ever-present member of Herts since 2012 and has already had managerial experience acting as stand-in co-manager of the team in the second half of last season.

 

Paul Barton made his league debut for the Raptors in 2015 and his tremendous performances were recognised as his teammates voted his as the Raptors’ Most Valuable Player.

The team ended the 2015 season on a high with a run of four wins in their last six games. If they can maintain this form they would be a major contender for the Single-A League title in 2016.

The managers will take their players through their first Spring Training session of 2016 this Sunday, 7 February.

 

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts adult and youth baseball league teams start pre-season training this Sunday

Herts Baseball Club published details of its Spring Training schedule. Both adult and youth teams will return to training for the first time in 2016 this Sunday 7 February. The only exception being the Under-8 programme which starts later in the year.

In the first few weeks preparations will take place indoors at JFK Catholic School. On 27 February the adult, under-19 and under-17 teams will have their first outdoor training session at Middlesex University on the 3G artificial grass playing surface. The under-15, under-13 and under-10 age groups will also get their first taste of outdoor baseball on 5 March.

The Herts teams will return to Grovehill Ballpark for the first time on the weekend of 12 and 13 March.

A week later Herts Spring League (HSL) pre-season games commence. The Show begins in April as the Herts teams get their 2016 league seasons underway. The Herts Falcons are expected to open their season on Sunday, 3 April, while the Herts minor league teams are expected to start on 10 April.

As always around the middle of March the Herts adult team managers will announce their preliminary rosters ahead of the HSL. Of course these preliminary rosters are likely to change as we get closer to Opening Day and managers promote those who impress in Spring Training. The movement of Herts players up and down the Herts league teams is usually an ongoing process.  We have witnessed players start the season with the fourth team in the Single-A and end up making their NBL debut later in the year.  We will follow players’ progress over the course of Spring Training and during the league season.

SPRING TRAINING SCHEDULE (more events may be added)

 

DAY

DATE

TEAMS

DETAILS

LOCATION

Sun

07-Feb-16

U15, U13. U10

Spring Training

JFK Catholic School

Sun

07-Feb-16

NBL, AAA, AA, A, U19, U17

Spring Training

JFK Catholic School

Sat

13-Feb-16

U15, U13. U10

Spring Training

JFK Catholic School

Sun

14-Feb-16

NBL, AAA, AA, A, U19, U17

Spring Training

JFK Catholic School

Sat

20-Feb-16

U15, U13. U10

Spring Training

JFK Catholic School

Sat

27-Feb-16

NBL, AAA, AA, A, U19, U17

Spring Training

Middlesex University

Sat

27-Feb-16

NBL, AAA, AA, A, U19, U17

Batting Practice

Middlesex University

Sat

05-Mar-16

U15, U13. U10

Spring Training

Middlesex University

Sat

05-Mar-16

U15, U13. U10

Batting Practice

Middlesex University

Sun

06-Mar-16

NBL, AAA, AA, A, U19, U17

Spring Training

Middlesex University

Sun

06-Mar-16

NBL, AAA, AA, A, U19, U17

Batting Practice

Middlesex University

Sat

12-Mar-16

U19, U17, U15, U13. U10

Spring Training

Grovehill Ballpark, Herts

Sun

13-Mar-16

NBL, AAA, AA, A, U19, U17

Spring Training

Grovehill Ballpark, Herts

Sat

19-Mar-16

NBL, AAA, AA, A, U19, U17

Herts Spring League

Grovehill Ballpark, Herts

Sun

20-Mar-16

NBL, AAA, AA, A, U19, U17

Herts Spring League

Grovehill Ballpark, Herts

Sat

26-Mar-16

NBL, AAA, AA, A, U19, U17

Herts Spring League

Grovehill Ballpark, Herts

Sun

27-Mar-16

NBL, AAA, AA, A, U19, U17

Herts Spring League

Grovehill Ballpark, Herts

Sat

02-Apr-16

NBL, AAA, AA, A, U19, U17

Herts Spring League

Grovehill Ballpark, Herts

Sun

03-Apr-16

AAA, AA, A, U19, U17

Herts Spring League

Grovehill Ballpark, Herts

Sun

03-Apr-16

NBL

League Game Day

TBC

Sun

10-Apr-16

NBL, AAA, AA, A

League Game Day

TBC

 HOW TO TAKE PART?

Existing players who have not reactivated their registration for the 2016 season can do so here.  New players can register for the new season here or contact us for more details.