Honestly, you’d think I’d have learned by now.

After, what, three seasons of taking my sons to Hemel Hempstead to play baseball, I should be used to the unusual climatic conditions to be found at Grovehill Ballpark.

But on Saturday I stepped outside my front door in North London, sniffed the warm spring air, glanced at the boys in their Herts T-shirts and we drove north. We pulled up at the ballpark, under menacing dark clouds, in temperatures fully fifteen degrees lower than when we left. All around me were better-prepared families with puffa jackets, skiing gloves and thermos flasks.

Aspi gathered us together for the Opening Ceremony, sound system at the ready. In truth, Aspi serves as Herts Baseball President solely so that he can play at being DJ to large crowds. Move over Fatboy Slim… Aspi’s in the house.

The massed ranks of the newly-renamed Herts Harriers, Herts Cardinals, and the two Herts U11 teams assembled on the first base line. With them stood the visiting London Mets U17 team, exchanging puzzled looks. On the horizon, it looked grim. Those dark clouds drew nearer.

The National Anthem was played. Caps were doffed; Americans amongst us placed hand on heart and sang lustily, while the Brits kept quiet and looked vaguely uneasy.  It always seems incongruous to hear “God Save the Queen”, rather than “The Star-Spangled Banner”.  Yet, given the approaching precipitation, a better choice might have been “Hail to the Chief”.

After taking refuge in the changing rooms, we headed off to play the U11 season opener. The under-14s had a practice session, so we had the unusual privilege of playing on the old diamond.

The transfer market has been active during the off season. The Giants traded Alex Trautman in exchange for Nicholas Durer, while Noah Haines also made the switch to the Dodgers. Both teams have benefited from a number of draft picks. For the Giants, we welcome Sebastian Bohn, Lenny Flavin, and the Zneimer trio of Lily, Lexi and Leo. The Dodgers are also proud to announce their new signings – Chloe and Callie Amsterdam, Amber Chisholm and Joe Gipple.

The game was a rain-shortened four inning affair. This season we will have players pitching; after four balls a coach will pitch until the batter is out or gets on base.

With the Dodgers as the home team, Ozan Martin opened the pitching with an impressive display of control, striking out the first three Giants batters.

Christian Lynch pitched first for the Giants, and drew Alex Trautman into flying out to Oliver Durer at shortstop, before William Morillo fell to a 4-3 ground-out, and Jonathan Wakelam struck out swinging.  So 0-0 after the first.

After another two strikeouts, the Giants got bat on ball in the second inning; Nicholas Durer and Lexi Zneimer hit singles, leaving Nicholas on third, but alas Lily Zneimer hit a flyball to Ozan as pitcher to end the inning.

Joshua Jones now took over pitching duties for the Giants. With Ozan Martin and Thomas Garton on base, Noah Haines doubled on a wild throw to bring home Ozan for the RBI. Chloe Amsterdam then stepped up to hit a line drive double for a second run, and her sister Callie singled for another RBI, making it 3-0 to the Dodgers after two.

Alex Trautman now pitched for the Dodgers. With one out, Noah Lynch, Leo Zneimer and Lenny Flavin each hit singles to load the bases. Lewis Auchterlounie drove home one run although Leo was forced out at third. The Giants were denied a second run as Lenny Flavin was tagged out at third base.

With Ben Jupp now on the mound, the Dodgers batters hit their groove, with singles from Joe Gipple, Alex Trautman, Jonathan Wakelam, Ozan Martin, Thomas Garton, Rory Vangundy and Noah Haines. Five runs were scored, which automatically brought the inning to an end.  The scoreboard showed 8-1 to the Dodgers after three, and the Giants had a lot of ground to make up.

New signing Lucas Lebrato pitched the last for the Dodgers, an inning characterized by some strong hitting from Ben Jupp and Joshua Jones. But Lebrato managed to find the strike zone with some good accurate pitching, and finally struck out Nicholas Durer to end the inning as the rain returned. With the score at 8-2, that was the ballgame – no need for the Dodgers to bat again.

All the pitchers on display showed great promise – there will clearly be stiff competition for the coveted All-Starts starting pitcher slot.

Players, coaches and supporters alike deserved three cheers and a warming cup of cocoa (available at a very reasonable price on the concession stand). They call baseball players the “Boys [and girls] of Summer” for a reason – it’s a tough game to play in the cold. We should reassure new players and their families that the sun sometimes shines at Grovehill. But whatever Tomasz Schafernaker may say, always throw a coat in the back of the car.

Giants:

Dodgers:

The Herts Harriers opened their 2013 season in the BBF U17 League against the most difficult of opponents. The London Mets have won the U17 national championship in 2 out of the last 3 seasons and are expected to be one of the main contenders again this year.

Tom Everex-Armstrong started strongly on the mound for Herts maintaining a 2-1 lead going into the third inning, however he appeared to pull a back muscle during one of his deliveries and that took him out of the game. Brodie Caress came in relief and he did well allowing only one earned run, however a series of errors proved to be costly. The Mets took full advantage and took a 7-2 lead.

With a very accomplished pitcher like Taichi on the mound for the visitors from London, this game seemed out of reach for Herts, but they received the boost they needed. Charlie Mayhew led-off the inning and he put up a major fight against Taichi. He managed to get on base with a walk after an epic 11-pitch at bat. From the 11 pitches he saw 8 were with two strikes against him, but he kept fighting off the pitches. A simple walk very rarely brings a team back from a 5-run deficit, but it was the nature of the walk that did it for Herts. The Harriers were back in the game. The players were no longer sitting in desolation. Everyone was up on the dugout fence cheering on the next batter.

That walk led to 5 Herts runs to tie the game 7-7. The Harriers took that momentum into the next inning and took a 9-7 lead going into the last inning. The Mets responded taking a 10-9 lead. In the bottom of that final inning Conner Brown worked a walk and stole his way to third base. Jonny Compton-Weight drove him in to take the game into extra innings with the score 10-10.

Herts Manager, Cris Hiche, had a difficult decision to make. Should he utilise the pitchers he had reserved for the second game of this double-header which would almost certainly have resulted in a loss in game two, or should he save those pitchers for game two and try to win game one in extra innings with less experienced pitchers? Not an easy decision to make. At the end Hiche decided to choose the second option and the gamble didn’t pay off for Herts. The Mets scored 14 runs in extra innings. It must be said that they deserved the win outhitting Herts (9-5), committing less errors (4-5) and allowing less walks (11-17). They also did it with only 8 players.

Click to view box scores of game 1

The weather was becoming worse and the teams and officials agreed to postpone game two, and it is to be rescheduled later in the season. If Cris Hiche had known this, he would have undoubtedly used the starting pitcher designated for game two and the outcome of the game may have been different.

A wild game of baseball which generated a lot of excitement for the spectators and gave us a taste of what can be expected this year. One thing is certain – Herts are firmly in the title-race this season.

Ahead of this Saturday’s season opening games in the youth leagues we are in conversation with Herts Baseball Club’s Head of Under-11 programme, Mike Wakelam.

The Dodgers versus Giants rivalry resumes this Saturday with the opening day of the 2013 season for the Herts U11 teams. Is one of the teams seen as the favourite or do you expect it to be a close race once again?

Mike Wakelam: It’s been close the past couple of years, and really, at the beginning of the year we feel it’s best to revisit the lineups for each time and make sure both teams are balanced out to ensure a great season’s competition and fun for all.

We understand that several players from the U11 age group will gradually be making the step up to the U14 league. Do you have any specific advice for them?

Mike Wakelam: There are a couple of the under 11s ready to move up this year or definitely next year. Ozan Martin and Oliver Durer are turning 11 in August, so primed to step up when needed in the Under-14 team. They’re both ready, having grown immensely the past couple of years.

There has been a good number of new players joining the U11 teams. If this continues would the club consider creating a new U8 age group and how would this benefit the Herts baseball programme?

Mike Wakelam: We’d love to have an Under-8 age group. The past couple of years we’ve had a few players join, and yes, this year more are interested, but unfortunately not enough to have their own age group. There are a couple of considerations when including Under-8 players in the Under-11 age group. Safety is an important point, as the older players are hitting and throwing the ball harder, but also the enjoyment factor. Young players enjoyment is usually linked to their skills and understanding, and this is different for all players.

Do you have any suggestions for the new U11 players who have joined the league on things they can do during the week at home or in the park to help their development?

Mike Wakelam: Consistency is very important at a young age. So playing catch at home with parents or siblings is a great way to improve skills. Also watching games or youtube skills videos is a great way to get a further understanding of the game.

We understand that the number of U11 teams from other regions is increasing. Will Herts look to use this opportunity to add a few exhibition or interleague games for this age group?

Mike Wakelam: Yes! This season we will be playing several games against other clubs. We’ll be selecting an All-Star team to play these games, giving the older and more experienced players in the age group a chance to display their skills at a higher level of competition.

The parents of the U11 league members are always in attendance on game days to support the teams. Do you have a message to the parents ahead of the new season?

Mike Wakelam: Enjoy! And please try to be on time. The first part of each Saturday is skills work, so for players to improve, they need to be on time. This means at the field with gloves on when it’s time to start. If you want to be in the starting line-up, please try to get to the park on time. Of course it’s fine when players are late with legitimate reasons.

 

 

Herts recently announced the appointment of Jake Caress and Lee Manning as the co-managers of the Herts Cardinals, the club’s U14 league team. We had the opportunity to put some questions to Jake Caress as his team prepares for the start of the U14 season next month.

We are not too far away from Opening Day. Do you feel ready or has the bad weather in March affected preparations?

Jake Caress: In many cases this year the march weather has greatly affect the amount of training in preparation for the season, but all of this aside I believe that the team will be ready for opening day.

What are your main goals for this season?

Jake Caress: The main goal for the Cardinals this year is to work on fundamentals while playing the game but more importantly to have fun.

What win-loss percentage would be seen as a successful season for the team and is it realistic to expect your team to reach the playoffs or even challenge for the title?

Jake Caress: If we could break even with a .500 then I would consider the season very successful, I have high hopes that we will certainly challenge our way into a playoff spot as well.

Who are the players we should look out for this year?

Jake Caress: I haven’t had a chance to look at all of the players this year yet but I’m sure by the end of the season some will be a Herts household name.

Which of your opponents in the league are likely to be the biggest challengers for the national title?

Jake Caress: From what I can remember the London Mets are always tough competition, but there will be others who will also be challenging for the title.

Which league game are you looking forward to most?

Jake Caress: Well it has to be the London Mets game as Southern derby’s go.

The postseason playoffs will be played at the brand new Farnham Park. Will this act as an even greater incentive for players to reach the postseason?

Jake Caress: I hope it will. The new facilities are second to none is this country.

What is your message to Herts Baseball fans ahead of the U14 season?

Jake Caress: We’re going to give it our best and hope to come out with some positive achievements, Play ball!

The Herts Baseball youth program had a good 2012 season and it is expected that 2013 would be even better. Ahead of the new season we put several questions to Herts Harriers (U17) Head Coach Cristobal Hiche who is in his second year in charge of the team and led them to postseason quarter-finals.

We are just days away from the Opening Day clash with the London Mets. Do you feel ready or has the bad weather in March affected preparations?

Cristobal Hiche: No, I don’t feel ready. We haven’t practiced as a team. Maybe individually they’re ready since most attended GB and/or the Academy during the last few months. But baseball is still about teamwork.

What are your main goals for this season?

Cristobal Hiche: To reach the playoffs and fighting to reach the championship game. In other words that no matter if we end up winning or losing in the playoffs, the opposite team will be quite worried until the last pitch of the game. There are other goals off the field to try and make this the best Youth Program in the UK and creating future GB players.

What win-loss percentage would be seen as a successful season for the team and is it realistic to expect your team to reach the playoffs or even challenge for the title?

Cristobal Hiche: We need to finish above .500. That to me is the minimum for the year. We should reach the playoffs and a lofty but achievable goal is to reach the championship game.

Who are the players we should look out for this year?

Cristobal Hiche: There are many players, if not all, in the team that can make an impact this season but also in the future. However, if you ask me for players that should step up to the plate because it’s either their last year in the team and/or are ready to play in the adult league very soon (some already are doing it), those would be Zack Longboy, Marty Cullen Jr, and Jonny Compton-Weight. They’ll need to carry this team this season.

Which of your opponents in the league are likely to be the biggest challengers for the national title?

Cristobal Hiche: I think in U17 every team can be a challenge because kids can grow and improve so fast, a year can make a difference between an ok team and an excellent team the next year. Furthermore because it’s age-specific, you’ll have players getting too old but also getting many new young players. This means you don’t have the consistency for example of NBL teams like Falcons, Nationals, Mets,etc which you know they’ll be strong based on last year’s performance. We’ll have to see each weekend how strong the opposition is, which is actually quite exciting and should be fun.

Which league game are you looking forward to most?

Cristobal Hiche: All of them. Each weekend will be a new challenge as mentioned above…Of course I’m looking forward to the championship game!

The postseason playoffs will be played at the brand new Farnham Park. Will this act as an even greater incentive for players to reach the postseason?

Cristobal Hiche: Maybe, maybe not. I think the incentive for players to make the playoffs should be more than where the playoffs are played. The desire to win should be as a reward for their hard work, commitment, and the love of the game and to say they’re the best team in the UK, regardless if we play in Yankee Stadium or in a barn. Nevertheless, if that’s an extra motivation I’ll take it.

What is your message to Herts Baseball fans ahead of Opening day?

Cristobal Hiche: Come watch us some time. You’ll have fun watching these kids and possibly future GB stars. Besides, there are always some nice doughnuts, hot dogs, and drinks to kill the time.