Category: Headlines

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Black Widows win 2013 Hunlock Series, for now.

The Black Widows management went out from the first round of the Hunlock Series draft with the intention to pick any and all available pitchers including Darrin Ward (photo by Rob Jones)

The final weekend of Hunlock Series games was rained out and weather conditions mean that the Series will most likely end without completing that final round of games. The Black Widows would be declared the 2013 Hunlock Series winners as they currently sit on top of the standings.

The organisers have left an option open that the final round of games may be played in the event of warm and dry weather drying the baseball diamonds sufficiently before winter arrives, so players of the four teams which trail the Black Widows in the standings will be watching weather reports with a great deal of enthusiasm in the coming weeks.

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STANDINGS
TEAM W L % GB STRK RS RA 1-RUN
Black Widows 6.5 1.5 0.813 – W1 22 4 2-0
Red Roosters 5 3 0.625 1.25 W2 21 20 3-1
Green Gators 4 4 0.500 2.25 W1 25 33 1-0
Blue Dogs 3 5 0.375 3.25 L4 18 23 1-1
White Lightning 1.5 6.5 0.188 5.0 L1 18 24 0-5

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by Rob Jones

The baseball bonus: the Hunlock Series

It’s one of the moments in life that you rarely know about as it actually happens. It is not until later that it all becomes clear, writes Rob Jones. And, so, only now can I confirm that my final baseball activity of 2013 was lining out to the first baseman as the Blue Dogs went down to the Black Widows in the Hunlock Series.

You always want that moment to be a walkoff home run, or something similar, but as in much of life it is usually prosaic. During each season you notice the little milestones – I still remember scoring the first Raptors run of the season one year, and catching the ball for the final out in another — and together they build a bigger picture.

Hunlock Series action
Blue Dogs' Ben Marques grounds out in the battle against the Black Widows

I had hoped to be part of the final weekend of the Hunlock, the extravaganza of single-inning games, but rain washed it out and now I am back at work. So it’s over. And that lineout-cum-failed-flare was the final full stop.

The Hunlock Series is the club’s now traditional coda to the baseball season, fought between rejigged rosters of all the Herts teams. Also traditional is my peaen to its charms, and 2013 should be no different. The sun shone kindly on the second round of games, the one in which I took part. It was relaxed yet competitive, fun yet serious. And there was good baseball on show.

Perhaps most notably, pitching ace Ryan Bird got to show off his famous fastball in a series of great moments. There were match-ups with batters from the youth leagues and from the Single-A Eagles, who got a taste of what they are striving for. They probably heard the ball go past rather than actually seeing it, but you still learn the lesson. There was the gloriously even contest against slugger Andy Cornish, the Hawks co-manager, who defiantly won by ripping a double down the left field line. And there was the pitching duel against Liam Green — of which more later.

Old faces are welcomed back for the Hunlock — such as Andrew Fulford, a hero of the Hawks 2012 post-season, and Simon Langton who now plays his baseball in Hull. And these are mixed up with players who are brand new to the game, such as Mike Green of the Blue Dogs, who showed both power and poise in his first at-bats.

The spirit is always great and perhaps that comes from the feeling that you are getting a little something extra, a baseball bonus, by playing into October.

Hnlock Series action
Darrin Ward in action on the pitching mound

So how was my Hunlock playing experience? Actually pretty decent, considering it was my first baseball action in five weeks, and only my second in about nine weeks. I made some plays at third base — tagging out a runner on a throw from Carlos Velasco-Caruz, and even fielding a grounder and throwing out a White Lightning runner at first.

I also felt that I had made one of my best ever plays from the position to secure the final vital out of the game against the Red Roosters. Remember that pitching duel I was telling you about? Well, at the bottom of the final inning, with the go-ahead run on third base, and two men out, Liam Green chopped a hit into the hole towards short. I roved to snare the ball, and with no chance to get Kimi Saionji racing home I hurled it as hard as I could to Rod Naghar at first.

Bang. Bang. But I was sure the play had gone in our favour and the Dogs started to celebrate a job well done when the umpire called Liam safe. The Roosters instead celebrated a walk off, while complaints about the call were added to earlier complaints about the controversial balk call which had put Kimi on second and ultimately into scoring position.

But this being the Hunlock rather than a big league playoff game, the controversy faded quickly. We are all still talking to each other. No helmets were thrown. On this occasion, I have the satisfaction of knowing I am right, and that is enough!

With the bat, I went 0-3, but got good wood on it every time. I grounded out against Mike Cattermole, but moved the runner over. Against the heat of Liam Green, I thought it would be best to try to go the other way. I hit the ball almost exactly where I wanted it, just about two feet too low, and it was caught by Kyle Lloyd-Jones at first base.

Then there was that final out, against the Black Widows’ and Herts Falcons’ very own pitching Yoda, Darrin Ward. His main trade is not exactly high heat but I was still determined the get that hit to right field. Instead, Gilberto Medina’s glove was the recipient of my final gift.

The baseball year was over. The Blue Dogs hoped for a big comeback in the final round of games, but a double-rainout meant the Widows took the title.  But maybe the result is not what is important. Maybe it’s about the fact that the baseball family which has been built in Herts is still so strong, so deep into the year. And that it can once again hope for even better next year.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts confirm AGM details

Herts Baseball Club has confirmed that its 17th Annual General Meeting will take place on Sunday, 17 November 2013.

2013 has been one of the most successful years in the club’s history with five of the club’s nine teams reaching the postseason in the various senior and youth British Baseball leagues. The AGM will provide a deeper understanding of what that on-field success means for the club’s various departments, whether the club has achieved growth financially and an increase in the number of its members and fans.

Members will receive the AGM Information Pack in due course and that will give a better idea of what to expect. We understand that the meeting is likely to look at the options available to the club to make the step up to the next level and stay ahead of the rest.

Apart from the end of year financial and other reports from the club’s departments, club members will be asked to elect the members of the Board for the forthcoming year. Nominations for Board members are currently invited and those who are interested to put their name forward or second a nomination can contact the club for more details.

Although only 2013 paying members have the right to vote at the AGM, the meeting is very much open to former members and those who are considering joining the club in 2014 as players, members of staff, volunteers and fans. This is a good opportunity for newcomers to learn more about the club and meet its members. The meeting is also open to observers who are not members of the Club, but they would need to advise the club in advance as spaces are limited. If you are not a current member and wish to attend the AGM please contact the club.

The AGM will be held just a few minutes away from Grovehill Ballpark. The venue is the Gadebridge Community Centre.

DATE: Sunday, 17 November 2013

TIME: Registration starts at 2:00pm, the AGM will commence at 2:10pm (expected to end at around 5:45pm)

VENUE: Galley Hall, Gadebridge Community Centre, The Nokes, Rossgate, Gadebridge, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 3LF (Directions and Map)

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts submits motions to the British Baseball AGM

The MLB and MiLB Winter Meetings in America are enormous conventions held over a large number of indoor venues and arenas, bringing all members of the industry together

The final baseball games of 2013 will be played this Sunday as the Hunlock Series reach their climax. While activities on the field slow down after this weekend, off the field winter is an exciting period for British baseball. This is the time when the British Baseball Federation (BBF) and the member clubs hold their annual general meetings and carry out the planning and preparatory work which will shape the British baseball leagues in 2014 and beyond.

The BBF recently announced that its AGM will be held on 9 November 2014 in Leicester. As part of that process member clubs have the opportunity to nominate candidates for BBF Board positions, candidates for Life Members, propose constitutional amendments and submit motions to the AGM.

We have received a copy of the motions submitted by Herts Baseball Club and they are listed below.

MOTION 1: Add Under-11 division to the BBF postseason and National Baseball Championships.

MOTION 1 BACKGROUND: The number of teams in this age group is growing (6 U11 teams entered the Herts Futures Tournament in 2013) and it can be promoted further by adding it to the BBF postseason and NBCs in the same way as the U17 and U14 age groups. This would also help increase attendance at the NBCs.

MOTION 2: Change regular season game format in the Single-A League, from single 9-inning games to doubleheaders (two 5-inning games with 10-run mercy-rule after 4 innings). Any one pitcher cannot pitch more than 7 innings over the two games of the doubleheader.

MOTION 2 BACKGROUND: With many beginners playing at Single-A League level, adopting this format could help teams (i) develop more pitchers (ii) give managers more flexibility to give game time to bench players while maintaining competitiveness (iii) with no independent umpires at this level, a player can umpire one game and still play in the second.

MOTION 3: From the start of the 2015 season all clubs with an NBL team must have at least one active youth team. Their NBL team will be demoted to the next league tier if they fail to meet this requirement.

MOTION 3 BACKGROUND: All of the country’s leading clubs must have a youth programme in order to (i) become more stable organisations (ii) grow their membership and fan base (iii) improve their financial position (iv) develop and feed more players into the youth leagues, senior leagues and the GB national teams (v) promote and grow the sport in their region. Once they realize the incredible benefits of adding a youth programme, clubs will be grateful that the BBF prompted them to make this step.

MOTION 4: From the start of the 2016 season all clubs with a AAA-League team(s) must have at least one active youth team. Their AAA team(s) will be demoted to the next league tier if they fail to meet this requirement.

MOTION 4 BACKGROUND: See supporting information for Motion 3.

MOTION 5: All disciplinary actions (fines, suspensions etc) and player transactions (transfers) to be published on the BBF website.

MOTION 5 BACKGROUND: The objective is to increase transparency, make disciplinary actions more effective which would also help protect umpires. Publishing this information would also provide more talking points and can enhance the media coverage of British Baseball.

MOTION 6: The existing special relaxation of the balk rule for U17 games to apply to U17 regular season games only. This special relaxation of the balk rule shall not apply in the U17 League postseason, when the standard balk rule as per MLB rulebook shall be in force.

MOTION 6 BACKGROUND: The relaxation of the balk rule has some benefits during the regular season as new/younger pitchers are introduced to the rules of U17 league baseball for the first time. However, by the time we reach the postseason, pitchers would have had sufficient time to learn and comply with the balk rule as applied by MLB.

We would be interested to hear the views of Herts fans, as well as other baseball fans, on the motions submitted by Herts Baseball Club. You can post your comments on the Herts Facebook Page.

 

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

20 ninth innings in one day

We are into the final week of the 2013 baseball season and it is all set to be a spectacular event which will decide the 2013 Hunlock Series Champions.

In 2012 the Hunlock Series introduced the “9th Inning Game” and it proved to be a big success so it is back again for the final week of this year’s Series. All 20 games scheduled for this final day of the Series will be played over 1 inning only. Tension and drama are guaranteed. Can the teams manufacture the all important go-ahead run? Can they deliver the walk-off hits? Can the pitchers and defence execute with the game on the line?

The excitement and the pressure of the ninth inning comes once a day for MLB managers. How will the Hunlock Series managers and players handle and approach 8 ninth innings in one day.

The Black Widows lead in the standings and have a very strong roster, however the other four teams will know that they will need to put their ace pitchers on the mound against the Black Widows in order to give themselves the best chance of catching up with the leaders. That means that the Black Widows are going to have to pick up wins against first-round-draft-pick pitchers which will be a big test.

These 9th-inning-games will be played just like the ninth inning of any MLB game. There are however a few special rules which will apply this Sunday, mainly dealing with the transition from one game to the next and aiming to ensure that managers are not taking unfair advantage. Here are the special rules which will apply to the 9th-inning-games:

• During the 9th-inning-games each game will last one inning only.

• The game ends when 3 outs are recorded in the bottom of the inning or when the home team takes the lead, whichever occurs first.

• If 3 outs are recorded in the bottom of the inning and the game is tied, each team is awarded half a win.

• The batting order of each team remains unchanged for the duration of the day unless a substitution is made.

• A substituted player cannot re-enter the same game, however that player can re-enter a subsequent game.

• The batter who was next to bat upon completion of the previous game will be the first batter in the next game with the rest of the batting lineup coming up to bat in order.

The organisers have made minor amendments to the games schedule for the final week so that the first and second placed teams meet in the final game of the day. Of course with 8 games for each team, the standings could look very different by the time we play the final game of the Series.

USEFUL LINKS

Schedule and scoreboard

Standings

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

All 5 teams still in the running for the Hunlock Series title

Xavier Gonzalez added an extra spring in the step of the Black Widows (photo by Rob Jones)

The Black Widows are in pole position going into the final weekend of the 2013 Hunlock Series. They received a major boost prior to the second round of games when they picked Falcons shortstop, Xavier Gonzalez, from the Free Agents block.

Gonzalez played a key role as the team won 3 and drew 1 of their 4 games of the day. The Black Widows were already seen as having a superior roster with some outstanding players, and standing in first place it is difficult to see anyone challenging them, but with more free agents joining all the time, there can be no guarantees about who will be on top after the final weekend.

The other big mover in week 2 was the Red team. They won 3 out of their 4 games to move into second place. They displaced the Blue Dogs who move from first to fourth place after four defeats.

No one could have predicted such a turnaround for the Blue Dogs who have Ryan Bird in their squad. He blew away opponents in week 1, but this week he was involved in a dramatic pitchers’ duel with the Red Roosters’ ace pitcher, Liam Green. Both pitchers were in control and didn’t allow any runs until the bottom of the final inning. Lead-off batter for the Blue Dogs was Kimiyoshi Saionji, who is a difficult out regardless of whether he is facing a Single-A pitcher someone as accomplished as Ryan Bird. Left-handed batter Saionji connected well for a line drive to left field which put him on first base. A controversial balk call by the umpire moved him to second base. A passed ball followed and that allowed Saionji to move to third base but by that time there were 2 outs. Up stepped Liam Green and he managed to put the ball in play and beat out an infield ground ball to bring the winning run in.

The Green Gators have very quietly picked up enough wins to stay in touch with the leaders and are in a good position to cause an upset in the final week. They currently stand in third place with a .500 winning percentage, 4 wins and 4 losses.

White Lightning are still bottom of the league but they have given themselves a chance picking up a win against the Blue Dogs and tying with the Black Widows. The White Lightning team includes only players from the club’s U17 team and while playing the Hunlock Series they have one eye on the bigger prize of the 2014 National Baseball Championship. The whole team went through various tests before the start of the day, including a gruelling Beep Test, which was won by Nimrod Wynne.

Play of the Day: Black Widows executing a perfect rundown play to get two outs with runners on first and third base.

Game of the Day: Blue 0 Red 1

Controversy of the Day: Balk call on pitcher Ryan Bird which moved the winning run into scoring position and eventually came in to score.

Players of the Day: Xavier Gonzalez and Nimrod Wynne

Clutch Hit: Kimiyoshi Saionji and Liam Green’s hits versus Ryan Bird.

USEFUL LINKS

Schedule and scoreboard

Standings

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Hunlock Series – Week One – freakish stats, MLB fastballs, Mo Vaughn and Frank Spencer

Andrew Fulford was reunited with the 2012 Herts Hawks. There is hope that he will be back for 2014 season.

Black Widows and Blue Dogs will feel confident after the first round of games in the Hunlock Series. They both won three out of their 4 games and are in joint-first place in the standings.

It is a major surprise to see White Lightning languishing in last place after they lost all four of their games. They were tipped as the team to watch after they picked all of the club’s Herts Harriers players and turned up at the ballpark with a squad of 20 very talented players, giving them enviable pitching depth. However, they should not feel too down. All of their games were lost by one run only. This is a very unusual statistic. In a league with a large number of games such as the Hunlock Series the number of wins and losses by one run are expected to be more evenly distributed. For example, in MLB the worst 1-run win-loss ratio is that of the Houston Astros (18-36) and the best is that of the New York Yankees (30-16). It is very unlikely for the ratio to deviate beyond 2:1 or 1:2. The law of averages would suggest that White Lightning will return to a more normal ratio over the course of the competition with 12 more games still to be played by each team.

Apart from the Herts U17 team players, fans also had a chance to see two of the club’s U14 players, Ben Jones and James Roberts, who were squeezed into the competition despite the age limit set at 14. They didn’t look out of place and managed to get a hit against an NBL pitcher.

The Green Gators came through with flying colours (2 wins – 2 losses) in this first week of games when they are missing their star-players. They will be in the mix now that their manager, Cris Hiche, and several others return to the line up in weeks 2 and 3.

The Red Roosters had picked up Andrew Fulford who is one of the best players in the Draft. He is not available in week 2 or 3 and despite his team losing the one game he was available for, he still managed to show why he is a very sought-after player. He is a catcher and in just two innings of play he threw out three runners trying to steal bases. The runners somehow managed to stay safe simply because the fielders were not able to catch the ball thrown by Fulford as it was travelling with such ferocious velocity. The Red Roosters will not have Fulford in the remaining 12 games, but there is good news for Herts Baseball club as we understand that Fulford will be flying into the UK for parts of the 2014 season and the club can count on having one of the bets catchers in any of the British League tiers.

Players of the 7 senior and youth league teams were cheering on Ryan Bird this year in the NBL as he dominated on the pitching mound recording back-to-back NBL no-hitters. Today they had the opportunity to face a Ryan Bird-fastball. For many of the batters this was as close as they will get to facing an MLB-type fastball. The majority tried their best to swing and make contact without success. Many chose to bunt and got a buzz out of how far a ball can travel over the backstop fence by simply laying the bat down for a bunt. Sony Lama got a piece of one of those fastballs to foul it off. Only one batter, Carlos Casal Sr, managed to get on base against Bird and it came at a great cost as the Mizuno bat which had served Casal so well for 4 seasons shattered into pieces in the process. If that success gave batters of the other 4 teams some hope that perhaps the two-time NBL MVP is not unhittable, those hopes were quickly dashed when Bird showed his curveball to the next batter. The pitch broke so hard that catcher Carlos Velazco needed to stay fully alerted just to keep a hold of the ball when strike 3 was called.

USEFUL LINKS:

Scoreboard and games schedule

Standings

Every year during the Hunlock Series, Herts fans get a glimpse at the new talent which will be wearing the Herts jersey next season. There were many players who made an impression, but it was the muscular structure of 22-year-old Mike Green that caught the eye. He made Greg Bochan look like Sheldon in the sitcom series, “The Big Bang Theory”, (or Frank Spencer for our older audience). Mike Green had never played baseball before today’s Hunlock Series games, but it was obvious that he will add incredible power to the Herts batting line-up in 2014. Sometimes muscles do not necessarily come with hand-eye co-ordination, but it was clear for all to see that Green is very capable of combining his explosive power with consistent contact with the bat. He even had batting stance which reminded baseball fans of former Boston Red Sox slugger, Mo Vaughn, but without the extra weight.

The games continue next Sunday, 6 October. First pitch 11:00am.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Hunlock Series start this Saturday. 5 teams go into battle each with 17-player rosters.

The 2013 Hunlock Series Draft was completed a few hours ago. The managers of the five teams had a plethora of talent to choose from with 82 players drafted over 17 rounds.

THE FIRST ROUND PICKS

On a toss of a coin White Lightning were given the first pick. Without hesitation manager, Carlos Casal Jr., announced that the first pick of the 2013 Hunlock Series Draft is Herts Ravens and Great Britain Under-16 national team pitcher, Tom Everex-Armstrong.  With all other teams having the advantage of two co-managers and an extra player as a result, their turn was skipped. The table turned full circle and White Lightning made their second pick. It was Herts Ravens and GB U16 team catcher, Conner Brown.

Next it was the turn of the Red Roosters to make their first pick. Co-Manager Ken Pike went for Liam Green, who is used to being quite high up in the picking order.  he played for the Herts Ravens in AAA and Herts Falcons in  NBL this year.

Black Widows Co-Manager, Andrew Slater, decided to select Herts Falcons pitcher and first baseman, Darrin Ward.

The Blue Dogs Co-Managers, Joseph Osborne-Brade and ben Marques were next and their first pick was two-time NBL MVP, Ryan Bird.

The last pick of the first round was made by the Green team, managed by Cris Hiche and Duncan Hoyle. They went for Herts Falcons versatile player, John Blose, who offers so much value offensively, defensively and he will also be able to help his team on the pitching  mound.

FREE AGENTS AND TRADES

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

New players aged 14 or above, regardless of whether they are members of Herts or another club, can be added to the teams at any point.  Players play free of charge. To be added to the teams or for more details contact Herts Baseball Club.

OPENING DAY

The Series commence this Saturday, 28 September, with all 5 teams in action. The first games start at 10:30am at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead. Admission is free and fans can enjoy food and drinks at the concessions stand. For complete Series schedule click here.