Category: Headlines

by Herts Baseball News Editor

The Show begins this Sunday as Falcons-Mets rivalry resumes

After two seasons of reaching the postseason but missing out on the NBL title, the Falcons are ready to go at it again – will it be third-time-lucky? They open the 2014 NBL season this Sunday, 6 April, against bitter rivals, London Mets, at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead. It’s a doubleheader. First game starts at 1:30pm.

Last weekend’s display of home run power was the boost which Herts fans needed. Cris Hiche launched two against the MK Bucks, going the opposite way for the first one and the second to the deepest part of the ballpark in dead-centerfield. Two of the team’s new acquisitions also went deep. Lefty Abelardo Salas drove the ball over the left-centerfield wall, while a day earlier Jamie Gregory went deep over the left field wall.

There was more good news for the Falcons as starting pitcher, Mike Osborne, made his first appearance on the mound after sustaining an injury earlier in Spring Training. The discomfort from the injury didn’t seem to affect him as he put on another of his solid performances which NBL fans have come to expect from him over the last 15 seasons in which he has accumulated 45 wins and 372 strikeouts.

The second week of HSL games gave the Falcons a chance to field many of the club’s youth team players who are part of the Great Britain U19 and U16 national teams. They put on some very encouraging performances so that would suggest that we may be seeing more of the club’s young talent on the biggest stage in British baseball this season.

Over the last few seasons the series with the Mets have always been tense affairs with an average of one bench-clearing per game. The two clubs have a healthy rivalry which has served both clubs well by motivating them to push harder to improve in every department from on-field competitiveness to infrastructure and grassroots development. This has made them the two biggest clubs in the UK.

Among the Mets to watch out for on Sunday are catcher Grant Delzoppo batting .522 (3rd) with 3 home runs in 2013, pitchers Pietro Sollecito (7-2, ERA 0.95), Julian Somers (5-0) and Sam Sproule (1-1) not forgetting Erick Henson who is always a difficult batter to face.

Pietro Sollecito is expected to start one of the two games and perhaps Sam Sproule the other, however there may be one or two surprises as new players are usually unleashed to unsuspecting opponents at this time of the year.

For the Falcons, it looks as though 2012 home run leader, Dave Tretheway, may not be ready in time to make his return after his ankle operation kept him out for the whole of the 2013 season. Louis Hare is in a similar situation having undergone a broken elbow and knee operations following a football accident. No date has been set for his return yet.

Hot and cold drinks, hot dogs, and other snacks and refreshments will be on sale at the ballpark and with many HSL games scheduled on the same day, the venue is expected to be buzzing with home and away fans. The hope is that the weather will co-operate to make it a truly great occasion as Opening Day always is.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Blow for Herts as Xavi completes move to Germany

Over the last few weeks the Herts Baseball Club front office has been opening mailboxes with trepidation in anticipation of bad news. A final confirmation of that news came a week or so ago. During the winter period the big clubs in Europe have been holding negotiations with the Herts Falcons 2013 MVP, Xavi Gonzalez. The paperwork has been received and the Falcons shortstop will be wearing the colours of the Stuttgart Reds in 2014.

The 24-year-old Venezuelan joined Herts 12 months ago and played a key role in the very successful 2013 season for the Falcons which saw the team finish top in the regular season standings for the first time in the club’s history, with a winning percentage of .857. His outstanding fielding ability was recognised by the league awarding him the NBL Gold Glove at shortstop. There aren’t many 5-tool players in the world and Gonzalez is one of them. His batting average was .411 and slugging average .712 with 3 home runs which made him the joint-team leader in that category. Defensively he committed only 2 errors. We can add his speed to that with 13 stolen bases.

As one of the best players in the NBL last season it will be difficult for the Falcons to replace a player like Xavi Gonzalez, but this means that there is an opportunity for someone to take his spot in the lineup and become a star just like him. The Opening Day clash with the London Mets is just a few days away so it will be interesting to see who will play in the shortstop position this Sunday.

“Everyone in the club will miss Xavi not just because of his baseball ability, but we will also miss him as a person and because of what he brought off the field” said club president, Aspi Dimitrov. He added: “There aren’t many players who would make a 4-hour round trip from Bournemouth every week for games and training sessions”.

Gonzalez is expected to make his debut for the Stuttgart Reds in the Germand Bundesliga this Sunday at 12pm UK time in their Opening Day game against Heidenheim Heideköpfe. The Reds finished fifth in the South Division with a .500 winning percentage.

So does this transaction carry any significance in terms of the long-term prospects for growth and development of Herts Baseball Club and the British baseball league as a whole? Does this mean that clubs like Herts cannot compete with teams in the Netherlands, Germany and Italy due to their financial superiority? Will all of Britain’s rising stars end up playing under similar professional or semi-professional contracts in these countries? A few years ago the answers to these questions would probably have been pessimistic, but there are signs of a shift in direction in the UK. There is a buzz around the leagues right now and obvious signs that clubs are starting to realize that there is potential to grow the sport and secure a market share similar to the British ice hockey and basketball professional leagues. Front offices are beginning to approach the running of their clubs as a business generating extra income which is then quickly reinvested into baseball infrastructure, grassroots development and promoting the game in the community.

“We are very optimistic that in the next few years we will be able to turn the table and compete financially with the big European leagues. The traffic of players will change direction and we hope that we will be able to see Xavi back in a Herts jersey. This gives us one more reason to push even harder” said Dimitrov.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Week two of HSL reveals player trades ahead of Opening Day

We are starting to see team rosters shaping up in the HSL games as the 2014 baseball season is just days away. The Herts Falcons are being reinforced by new signings Abelardo Salas, Andrew Fulford and Jamie Gregory. Another new arrival, Robert Davis, had an emergency and missed the final pre-season games of the Falcons, so we will have to wait and see if he has done enough to be included in the Herts roster on NBL Opening Day this Sunday, or whether he will start in the minor leagues and look to work his way up in the coming weeks. The Falcons picked up a win against MK Bucks. Cris Hiche hit two homeruns in that game. New signings Salas and Gregory also hit homeruns this weekend, which is exciting news for Herts fans.

British baseball fans would have noticed that the NBL’s 2012 Most Valuable Player, Jarrod Pretorius (pictured right), was wearing a MK Bucks uniform this weekend so there is a question as to which team he is likely to play for this season.

Falcons’ second game ended in a tie against the South London Pirates which was awarded as a win for the Pirates on the “count-back” rule. This was the first opportunity to see the Pirates this Spring and they unveiled an interesting starting pitcher (pictured left). The name of the player was not disclosed but he will certainly cause problems for NBL teams this season with a lively arm.

At the same time news was filtering through from Town Mead Ballpark of a potential shift in the balance of power in the NBL. The rumours are that GB National Team player, Maikel Azcuy, Edwin Alcantara and perhaps one or two other members of the 2013 championship-winning Nationals will be wearing the Arrows uniform this season. Home runs are rare at Town Mead Ballpark, but that didn’t seem to worry Azcuy who launched one in the Arrows’ 14-3 win over London.

In a further blow to the reigning champion Nationals it is being reported that their gold glove-winning catcher, Will Lintern, has made the move to Hove Tuesday.

Bracknell and Southampton have announced several big additions. Catcher James Pearson has joined the Blazers, while the Mustangs will look to go one better this year with the addition of Jose Lopez, Marius Urbanavicius and Steve Petzer. We understand that they have lost their base-running king, Victor Aizpura.

GB Team third-baseman Maikel Azcuy is reported to have made a move to the Essex Arrows

Elsewhere during week two of the HSL the London Marauders produced a staggering comeback as they overcame a 10-run deficit going into the final inning of their HSL game against the Herts Hawks. Some would attribute this partially to the Hawks running out of pitchers at the end, but there is no doubt that the Marauders needed a great deal of clutch hitting to make this possible. The U17 league teams all won. London Mets U17 beta Southampton. The Herts Harriers came out on top in a closely fought 1-run game with the London Musketeers. The Ravens (U19/U17) also picked up a win in their game with Cambridge Royals’ second team.

The unbeaten streak continued for London Mammoths pitcher, John Peters, as his team won convincingly against the Essex Redbacks. The Herts Raptors brought the tying run to the plate but Kent Mariners held on for the win on Saturday.

Click to view the full HSL scoreboard and HSL standings.

The action continues next weekend. 8 HSL games are scheduled at Grovehill Ballpark and they will be followed by the main event, London Mets at Herts Falcons, in their NBL season opening series.

WEAR THE HERTS BASEBALL JERSEY IN 2014

Herts Baseball Club welcomes youth players from 6 to 16 and adult players from 14 to 45+ from complete beginners to experienced ballpalyers. New players can join at any time of the year. For more details on how to give baseball a try contact us.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

London teams dominate week one of the HSL


Herts Falcons’ John Blose beats the ball sliding into third base. (photo by Will Baxter)

At the weekend the MLB season got underway with the opening series between the LA Dodgers and Arizona D’Backs at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Australia and so did the Herts Spring League at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead and Town Mead Ballpark in Waltham Abbey.

With the exception of the biting wind and a ten-minute game delay due to hale, this was the ideal way for British teams to make their pre-season preparations. The weekend had everything from home runs and spectacular fielding plays to walk-off wins and shutouts.


The 4 London teams overpowered their opponents winning all five of their games. On Saturday in the HSL Single-A division, the Marauders and Musketeers won against the Kent Mariners and Herts Raptors respectively. This was the first game for the Musketeers as they prepare for their debut season in the BBF Single-A league. They seemed like a fun group of players with some outstanding heavy-metal hairstyles and facial hair.

On Sunday, the London Mammoths and London Metros continued the winning streak with wins over Southampton Mustangs (AA), Herts Hawks and the Herts Falcons. John Peters continued his incredible streak of remaining unbeaten so far in his pitching career. The streak goes back to last season when he appeared on the British baseball scene like Jimmy Morris of the Tampa Bay Rays as depicted in the movie “The Rookie” starring Dennis Quaid. Last season he was a member of the London Marauders but his performances have pushed him up into the Double-A roster of the London Mammoths. He allowed a home run by GB Team player, Gary Davison, but that didn’t prevent him from picking up the win with a final score 11-7.

The London Metros versus Herts Falcons game was much anticipated as it was an opportunity to see a few of the new arrivals for the two teams. Both teams fielded a mix of NBL and AAA players. The Falcons gave debut to Abelardo Salas (pictured right). The leftie had a good outing on the mound working well with catcher Ryan Bird. Errors in the field proved to be very costly for the Falcons as the Metros went on to win the game convincingly. Herts fans were also able to see Robert Davis for the first time. He impressed driving the ball deep into left field in his first at bat. The ball fell just a few inched short of the home run fence and that was with the wind blowing in the opposite direction. The highlight of the game was 2014 NBL MVP, Ryan Bird, at bat against Pietro Sollecito who had the lowest ERA in the NBL last season. It was a 10-pitch battle which started with Bird driving the ball deep over the right field wall only for the wind to take it to the wrong side of the foul pole. Sollecito came back strong forcing Bird to foul-off a large number of pitches. The at bat ended with a not so dramatic walk but everyone knew that this was a battle of titans. It will be interesting to see them clash again on Sunday, 6 April, as the Mets and Falcons open the 2014 NBL season at Grovehill Ballpark.

Over in Waltham Abbey, Essex Arrows won convincingly in the Essex derby with the Essex Redbacks. The Arrows are expected to be in the thick of the NBL title race this year. Milton Keynes Coyotes picked up a good win against last year’s Single-A national runners-up Haverhill Blackjacks.

Click to view the full HSL scoreboard and HSL standings.

The action continues next weekend with the addition of 6 more teams making an appearance.

WEAR THE HERTS BASEBALL JERSEY IN 2014

Herts Baseball Club welcomes youth players from 6 to 16 and adult players from 14 to 45+ from complete beginners to experienced ballpalyers. New players can join at any time of the year. For more details on how to give baseball a try contact us.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Pre-season rosters announced

The managers of the 5 Herts teams which will be playing in the Herts Spring League over the next 3 weeks have announced their 2014 preliminary rosters for these upcoming HSL games.  We understand that these rosters are not fixed and it is very likely that there may be movement between teams over the course of the HSL.  Some players may be asked to play for more than one team as managers look to evaluate players ahead of the announcement of the 2014 Opening Day rosters.

New players are registering every week, therefore some new names may be added over the course of the HSL and into the league season.

   
   

WEAR THE HERTS BASEBALL JERSEY IN 2014

Herts Baseball Club welcomes youth players from 6 to 16 and adult players from 14 to 45+ from complete beginners to experienced ballpalyers. New players can join at any time of the year. For more details on how to give baseball a try contact us.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Pirates make a late HSL entry

Earlier this week we announced the lineup for the 2014 Herts Spring League (HSL). At the time the number of team entries was 19. It has now increased to 20.

The South London Pirates, who are members of the National Baseball League (NBL), have made a late entry. This means that four of the seven NBL teams will be on show during the HSL. This will be the first opportunity to gauge the strength of these NBL teams before they begin their league campaigns.

The full HSL schedule has been adjusted accordingly and can be viewed here.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Falcons add U19 GB Team player Jamie Gregory

Great Britain Under-19 National Team third baseman and right-handed pitcher, Jamie Gregory, has joined Herts. He is the third big signing for the club after Abelardo Salas and Andrew Fulford joined this Spring.

Gregory started his career with the Essex Redbacks as a member of their Under-17 league team. At the age of 16 he was already a member of the Redbacks first team making his debut in the Triple-A League which is the second league tier in British baseball. His talent was recognised early by the Great Britain National Team and he was added to the GB Under-19 squad with whom he took part in the tour of South Africa.

The six-feet-three-inch righty made his debut in the National Baseball League in 2013 with the Essex Arrows. He was utilised as a relief pitcher but played predominantly at third base. He had a batting average of .261 and a slugging average of .333, driving in 12 runs.

Gregory is 18-years-old and it is an exciting prospect for Herts fans to see how this young talent will develop both as a member of Herts and with the Great Britain National Team. “I greatly look forward to joining such a well established and ever growing baseball club as Herts” said Gregory.

He is expected to make his debut in the Herts Spring League pre-season games which commence on 22 and 23 March.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Leading the Raptors into the new season

The Board of Herts Baseball are delighted to confirm the appointment of Rob Jones (above left) and Geoff Thomas as the co-managers of the Herts Raptors.

The Raptors will play in the Single-A League for 2014 after the BBF rejected their application to be promoted to Double-A.

This managerial role has been vacant since the club’s AGM last November.  On advertising the role, a large number of candidates expressed an interest, which gave the Board some real encouragement in the commitment at the club.  However, it also left them with a lot of thinking to do and choices to make!

The club now believe that, in Rob and Geoff, they have the right men for the job.

Rob Jones has considerable experience, having been with Herts since the early days when the club had only one team.  Rob has played a key role in the remarkable growth of Herts Baseball.

As a player, Rob was 2005 Batting Champion with the Herts Falcons second team playing in Division 1 (now AA) and in 2008 was Batting Champion for the Herts Raptors (Single-A league) and in the same season was awarded the Outfield Gold Glove.

Geoff Thomas is a knowledgeable player, with over 10 years playing experience.  Geoff has been a member of the Herts Eagles for the last 2 seasons, having previously played and been on the Board at Bristol.

Together, Rob and Geoff have outlined their vision for developing a team culture and have a strong coaching ethic to ensure the players understand all aspects of the game.

The timing of the appointment is key as the managers of the adult league teams will shortly be going through the process of determining their preliminary 2014 rosters.  The Raptors will be active in the Spring League series, commencing on 22 March with a home fixture against London Musketeers.

All at Herts Baseball are behind Rob and Geoff for a great season ahead.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Countdown to HSL – first chance to see the teams ahead of the 2014 British baseball season

The biggest pre-season baseball competition in Britain is back. Commencing on March 22, the Herts Spring League (HSL) will see 19 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 19 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 as well as U19 and U17 teams. The third tier is the HSL-A consisting predominantly 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

23 games are scheduled to be played on the three diamonds. The competition begins on March 22 with a clash between the London Marauders and the Kent Mariners in the HSL-A bracket followed by the game between the London Musketeers and the Herts Raptors. The HSL-AA and HSL Majors divisions commences 24 hours later.

Several youth league games have also been added to the HSL schedule.

The final day of the HSL coincides with the Opening Day in the National Baseball League as rivals Herts Falcons and London Mets meet.  We are expecting a packed venue for a game which has always been a fiery affair.

Click to view full 2014 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.