Category: Headlines

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Catcher Omar Vallenilla joins Herts

Omar Vallenilla (left) meeting Carlos Casal, one of many Venezuelans playing for Herts

The club has confirmed that it has added Omar Vallenilla. The 23-year-old comes from Venezuela, where he played for the Capital District team at Under-16 league level.

He has since moved to the United Kingdom and he is looking forward to restarting his baseball career with Herts. Vallenilla is a catcher but can cover other positions.

This is another in the long list of Venezuelan players to wear the Herts uniform over the years.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts looking for paid baseball coaches

Earlier this month Herts Baseball Club announced plans for the expansion of the Club. As part of this, the Club plans to invest into coaching and various other projects thanks to programmes such as London Sport and Herts Sports Partnership’s Satellite Clubs. This is opening up a number of opportunities for coaches from around the United Kingdom and other countries to get involved in this development and earn self-employed income at the same time.  There are projects which last just a few days or a week, and others which cover several weeks or the full baseball season.

Furthermore, there are various other non-coaching roles including communications director, game day venue manager, public announcer and others.

For a full list of the projects and roles which the club is looking to fill (click here).

If you require further details, please contact us.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Tough draw for Herts teams in the BBF Cup First Round

This article first appeared on britishbaseball.org

The BBF has announced further details and first round draws for their new knock-out Cup competitions in 2015 – competitions they hope will add interest to the season and draw fans from different areas to watch games between teams that don’t normally play against each other.

The 2015 BBF Cup will be played as two separate competitions – one in the South for NBL and Triple-A South teams and one in the Midlands and the North for Triple-A and Double-A teams in those regions.

All Cup games will be played over nine innings.

BBF CUP: SOUTH

NBL and Triple-A teams from the South will compete in a knock-out competition held over three rounds followed by a final. Round 1 will be held on Sunday 26 April, and the draw has created the following match-ups:

Herts Falcons at London Metros (11.00 am)

Oxford Kings at London Mammoth (2.30 pm)

Bracknell Blazers at Herts Eagles (1.00 pm)

South London Pirates at Richmond Knights (12.00 pm)

Brighton Bulldogs at Essex Redbacks (12.00 pm)

Quarter-finals will be held on Sunday 21 June when the winners of the first-round matches will then be joined by the top three NBL teams from last season: the champions Essex Arrows plus the London Mets and Southampton Mustangs. Semi-finals will be held on Sunday 9 August, when the quarter-final winners will battle for a place in the BBF Southern Cup final. The final itself will be played on Sunday 20 September, though the venue is still to be decided.

BBF CUP: CENTRAL & NORTH

Meanwhile, a parallel knock-out Cup competition will be held in the Central and North regions, with each club submitting one team into the contest. The first two rounds of play will split into regional pools to minimise travel requirements before the competition hots up at the quarter-final stage with inter-pool play. Teams will be seeded based on league positions last season, with the first round effectively being a wild card match-up between the four lowest-ranked clubs from the North before the remaining teams join in the subsequent rounds. This first round will take place on Sunday 12 April with the following games:

Harrogate Tigers at Bolton Robots of Doom (12.00 pm)

Oldham North Stars at Manchester A’s (12.00 pm)

The winners of these two fixtures will then join Cartmel Valley, Liverpool Trojans, Hull Scorpions, Halton Jaguars, Newton Aycliffe Spartans and Sheffield Bladerunners in the second round scheduled for Sunday 3 May. In the Central pool, second round match-ups featuring Birmingham Bandits, Leicester Blue Sox, Long Eaton Storm, Milton Keynes Bucks, Northants Centurions and Stourbridge Titans will also be scheduled for Sunday 3 May. The reigning Triple-A Champions Cambridge Royals will get a bye in this round and enter at the quarter-final stage. The quarter-finals, to be played on Sunday 23 May, will be an open draw, but each fixture will incorporate a Central v North match-up. Two of the quarter-finals will be hosted by Central teams and two will be hosted by North teams. The winners of each quarter-final will progress to a finals weekend on 6-7 June.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

The Ward Dynasty

Gary Ward (right) working with Maikel Azcuy in Spring Training this month

Herts Baseball Club has just added a second member of the Ward family. British baseball legend Darrin Ward has been a fan-favourite for many years. He is preparing for his eighth season as a Herts player. Herts fans can now look forward to seeing his nephew, Gary Ward, in a Herts jersey.

So far in his career he has played for the Croydon Pirates and the Kent Mariners in the BBF Leagues progressing from Single-A to Triple-A.

He has also played in the British University Baseball Leagues for the University of East Anglia with whom he won the 2009 University Fall Cup, held at Grovehill Ballpark (pictured above, front row first from right to left).

Gary is only 24 and it will be interesting to see how he will progress over the next few seasons. He has looked very good so far in Spring Training and as a switch-hitter he will give Herts coaches extra options to deploy against opponents this season.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Repair of vandalised areas at Grovehill Ballpark to commence with support from Herts County Councillors

Herts Baseball Club has received support from Hertfordshire County Councillors in its project to repair the vandalised areas at Grovehill Ballpark.

Over the last few years Herts Baseball Club suffered some severe vandalism causing damage to fencing including outfield, perimeter fencing and dugouts. The cost of repair amounts to several thousand pounds, which means that club cash reserves set aside for development projects will need to be redirected towards repairing the vandalised areas.

A recent application by Herts Baseball Club to the Hertfordshire Locality Budget Scheme has been successful and Councillors Ian Reay, Richard Roberts and Andrew Williams have contributed a total of £1,000 from their Locality budgets to support this project.

“We are grateful to all the Councillors for supporting this project and for being so helpful throughout this process” said club president, Aspi Dimitrov. He added that “the club is confident that the project will deliver enormous value to the community”.

The club invited companies to bid for the contract. This process was completed a few weeks ago and the project is expected to commence in the next few weeks with projected completion date between 27 March and 11 April 2015, which would be just in time for the 2015 league opening day on 12 April.

The club has been receiving support from the Hertfordshire Constabulary to reduce risks of future vandalism and will also be working closely with the local community around Grovehill to achieve this.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Countdown to HSL – first chance to see the teams ahead of the 2015 British baseball season

The biggest pre-season baseball competition in Britain is back. Commencing on March 21, the Herts Spring League (HSL) will see 20 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 20 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 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 and Town Mead Ballpark in Waltham Abbey, the home of the Essex Arrows and Essex Archers.

SCHEDULE

32 games are scheduled to be played on the three diamonds. The competition begins on March 21 with a clash between the Herts Raptors and the Kent Mariners in the HSL-A bracket. The HSL-AA and HSL Majors divisions commence 24 hours later when the 2014 Triple-A National Champions, Cambridge Royals, face the Double-A National Champions, London Mammoths, which secured their promotion to the Triple-A League this year.

Click to view full 2015 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

20 teams will signal the arrival of Spring in the 2015 HSL

Herts Baseball Club has confirmed that 20 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, 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

1

Herts Eagles

AAA

7

Herts Falcons

NBL

2

London Mammoths

AAA

6

London Metros

AAA

4

Milton Keynes Bucks

AAA

5

HSL – AA

TEAM

CLASS

HSL RANKING

Brighton

AAA/A

2

Cambridge Monarchs

AA

5

Haverhill Blackjacks

A

4

Herts Hawks

A

6

London Marauders

AA

3

Sidewinders

AA

1

HSL – A

TEAM

CLASS

HSL RANKING

Bracknell Inferno

A

6

Guildford Mavericks

A

5

Herts Raptors

A

7

Kent Mariners

A

4

London Musketeers

A

1

Milton Keynes Coyotes

AA

2

Tonbridge

A

3

SCHEDULE AND FORMAT

The HSL will be played over three weeks commencing on the weekend of 21 and 22 March and ending on 4 and 5 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

Herts add Vasquez to the roster

Moises Vasquez has completed his move to Herts Baseball Club.

The Dominican infielder played last season with the Harlow Nationals in the National Baseball League and prior to that with the Richmond Knights and the Leones de Feltham.  He is the third former Harlow Nationals player to join Herts this Spring after Maikel Azcuy and Robbie Almanzar.

Herts fans remember Vasquez well. He hit two home runs against the Falcons in the heart-breaking 6-5 defeat against the Nationals in June 2014. Thankfully he will be wearing a Herts uniform this season.

His NBL career batting average stands at .317 with slugging average of .512 so it looks like Herts have added another productive right-handed batter to the lineup.

He has already met his new team mates in Spring Training and he would have seen several familiar faces among them. Vasquez is expected to play his first game for Herts in the upcoming Herts Spring League which is a pre-season competition ahead of the league Opening Day on 12 April.

by Daniel Levitt

Herts Falcons announce the acquisition of the 2012 NBL best pitcher

Pitcher Robbie Almanzar facing Falcons slugger Ryan Bird in game 6 of the 2012 National Championship Final

The Herts Falcons have announced the signing of left-handed pitcher Robbie Almanzar.

Hailing from the Dominican Republic, Almanzar is entering his fourth season in the National Baseball League, having spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons with the Harlow Nationals followed by a brief spell with the Essex Arrows last year.

In his NBL debut season he burst onto the scene scooping the Most Valuable Pitcher Award after a remarkable debut season. He led all of the key pitching categories including Most Wins (9 wins 0 losses), Most Strike-Outs (52), Best ERA 3.36, Best WHIP (1.17) and Most Innings Pitched (72).

TEAM

SEASON

W

L

ERA

CG

IP

SO

SO/9IP

Harlow Nationals

2012

9

0

3.36

8

75   

52

6.2

Harlow Nationals

2013

1

4

6.75

2

29 1/3

18

5.5

Essex Arrows

2014

0

0

0

0

 2/3

0

0

Source: Project COBB

Herts fans remember him well after he broke their hearts in game 6 of the National Baseball League Championship Final. He won that game 6-3.

Robbie Almanzar (left) trying to get to first base in the 2013 National Championship Semi-Final (photo by Richard Lee)

He added to Herts Falcons’ misery a year later when the two teams met again in the playoffs, this time in the National Semi-Final. The game finished 9-8 with Almanzar once again pitching a complete game to claim the win.

Although NBL fans mostly recognise him for his pitching achievements, he has impressive batting stats with career batting average of .281, slugging average of .378, including one home run, which was a grand slam against the Essex Redbacks in May 2013.

TEAM

SEASON

R

HR

RBI

SB

BA

OBA

SLA

PA/SO

Harlow Nationals

2012

24

1

10

6

0.338

0.44

0.463

12.1

Harlow Nationals

2013

14

0

5

6

0.216

0.32

0.275

15.3

Essex Arrows

2014

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

4

This news is a major boost for Herts ahead of the new season. With 2014 NBL Most Valuable Batter and Most valuable Pitcher, Abel Salas, making the move to the USA, the Falcons were desperate to add to their roster. The additions of Maikel Azcuy and Robbie Almanzar are two major acquisitions which have put the team straight back in the NBL race.

Falcons fans are expected to see both new signings make their Spring Training debuts when the Herts Spring League commences later this month.

By Daniel Levitt @DanielLevitt32

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Baseball teams up with Middlesex University to promote baseball in North West London

Herts Baseball Club has teamed up with Middlesex University to introduce adults and youngsters in North West London to the game of baseball.

A large number of open sessions have already been scheduled to take place at Middlesex University’s modern sports facilities and these are proving to be very popular already. The University has been promoting these events and a large number of students have signed up over the last few weeks. In addition, Herts Baseball Club is promoting these sessions through other channels as part of the launch of its North West London branch which is located just a few minutes away at West Hendon Playing Fields.

“We are pleased to have established this relationship with Middlesex University” said Herts Baseball Club President, Aspi Dimitrov. “They have outstanding facilities and we are already looking into ways of expanding the relationship further by exploring areas which could be of mutual benefit not just this year but for many years to come”.

The sessions which started in February and will end in April will take place at the 3G artificial field at Middlesex University. Players will also have access to five batting lanes as well as other facilities.

For details of upcoming open sessions click here.