Category: Headlines

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Falcons off to a flying start

Robbie Unsell prepares to take one for the team (photo by Rob Jones)

The Herts Falcons opened the 2013 season with two wins in the home doubleheader against the South London Pirates.

GAME 1: FALCONS 11 PIRATES 0 (click to view box scores)

Darrin Ward started on the mound in game one and had a smooth ride allowing only 2 hits and 2 walks over 4 innings. Robbie Unsell came in to close the final inning with 2 strikeouts.

The Falcons had the best offence last season and despite missing several big hitters through injury they still managed to score 11 runs in 4 innings. Robbie Unsell and Xavier Gonzalez contributed with 2 hits and 1 RBI each. Ryan Bird delivered the deadly blows which drained the energy out of the Pirates. He went 3-for-3 with a double and 3 RBIs. Carlos Velazco-Carus made his debut as a substitute for Bird in the final inning and he picked up where Ryan Bird had left with the walk-off 2-run double.

GAME 2: FALCONS 14 PIRATES 4 (click to view box scores)

The Pirates took the lead early in game 2. Jim Farley 2-4 2B(2) and manager Alex von Rosenbach 2-3 RBI (2) led the Pirates rally, but Herts responded quickly. Robbie Unsell continued to wreck opposition defences doing what top lead-off batters do. He went 2-3 with a double 3 RBI and 4 runs adding 5 stolen bases to the 2 he picked up in the first game of the day. Jordan Farkas (3-4 2B 2 RBI) Mike Osborn (2-3 2 RBI), Phil Clark (2-3 RBI) added to the Pirates woes.

Jordan Farkas and Mike Osborn were the pitchers for Herts and although they may feel that they should have allowed less runs, those that were allowed were largely due to uncharacteristic fielding errors (5).

Herts Falcons Manager, Lee Manning, was pleased with the team’s good start of the season. “Our fielding in the first game was very good and Wardy threw a great game. In the second game we put runs on the board in most innings and played solid baseball from start to finish” said Manning. He added “The Pirates have improved massively since last year and they definitely got stronger as the day went on. Hopefully their hard work will pay off soon. British Baseball needs a strong Pirates ballclub.”

The ceremonial first pitch of the 2013 season was thrown by Dave Ward. This was a very fitting tribute to one of the Pirates’ longest serving members who has been the backbone of that organisation over the years.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE

After the end of the game news came in that the reigning champions, Harlow Nationals, shared the spoils in their doubleheader at the Southampton Mustangs. On one hand this gives the Falcons an early 1-game lead over the Nationals who everyone sees as the favourites, but on the other this could be a signal that Southampton may be mounting an even bigger challenge than they have in the last 3 seasons when they reached the postseason but couldn’t quite overcome the eventual winners. Since the end of the game the Mustangs also announced the addition of Czech national team pitcher Tomas Zondra from Hrosi Brno in the Czech top league.

London and Bracknell swept against the Lakenheath Dbacks and the Essex Redbacks, respectively. The Bracknell Blazers are currently leading an online poll asking who will finish top of the NBL and these Opening Day scores seem to justify the confidence of their fans.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

MK Bucks and London Marauders win HSL titles

The third and final week of Herts Spring League action was completed this weekend. With the NBL teams turning their attention to the opening day of the 2013 league season the games involved the AAA and AA League teams.

AAA

The MK Bucks finished the HSL in style with two more wins to complete a perfect 4-0 record clinching this year’s HSL AAA championship. They first needed to do battle with the London U16 team which will be heading to the Pony tournament in Prague, Czech Republic. The youngsters form London put up a good fight but at the end the 2012 AA national runners-up from Milton Keynes came out on top in an exciting 9-8 win.

In the afternoon the Cambridge Royals had a chance to leapfrog over the Bucks in their direct clash, however the Bucks won again by 1 run (7-6).

With Ravens Manager, Carlos Casal, out of the country Louis Hare and Pete Kikel were the stand-in managers and they secured a win against the London Mammoths which put the Herts team in third place. Unconfirmed reports indicate that Carlos Casal is on a scouting mission in France, so we will have to wait and see if Herts will add more French players after adding Frenchman, Elie Colin, earlier this Spring.

AA

The London Marauders came into the final HSL weekend in pole position with a 2-0 record. They lost their first game of the day against the Kent Mariners. They quickly recovered beating the Herts Eagles convincingly to win the HSL AA title. The Herts Harriers, which plays in the BBF U17 league had a chance to share top spot with the Marauders. To do this they needed to beat the London Mets U16 team, which proved to be beyond them on this occasion.

Click to view full 2013 HSL schedule

Click to view the final HSL standings

Despite the cancellation of the first week of HSL games due to the snow, the competition proved to be very productive for the teams involved giving them the best possible preparation for the new season playing at one of the best baseball venues in the country. We understand that the participating teams have been sending messages of thanks to the umpires who officiated this year’s HSL games. Many of the HSL teams will be playing in the lower leagues this season where there is a critical shortage of umpires, so playing with the country’s top umpires is appreciated by these teams in particular.

Attention now turns to this weekend’s Opening Day in Britain’s Minor Leagues (AAA, AA and A) as well as week 2 of the National Baseball League.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

One better than last season

As we build up to the Opening Week of the 2013 British baseball season across the six BBF leagues, we will be speaking with the managers of each of the Herts teams.

With the Herts Falcons starting their NBL campaign this Sunday, we spoke with Manager, Lee Manning.

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

Lee Manning: I don’t think any British team can be ready after the poor weather we’ve had. The only good thing is that all teams are in the same boat. The Falcons have shown amazing commitment this season with guys hitting the batting cages and even taking time off work to train mid-week to get to the level they want to be at.

What are your main goals for this season?

Lee Manning: We all want to go one better than last season. Winning the championship is a must for all of us.

What win-loss percentage would be seen as a successful season for the team?

Lee Manning: We will look to finish the season with a record of .750 but the main goal is to get everyone in enough games to play in the post season.

Will the entry of the Herts Ravens in the AAA League affect your team’s chances this season by diluting the strength of the Herts rosters across a larger number of teams?

Lee Manning: No. We are probably the one team in the club this expansion will help. Every year we rely on players stepping up to the NBL level from the lower leagues and choosing from a AAA roster rather than a AA roster will only make the Falcons stronger.

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

Lee Manning: We have a strong roster and with all team sports it takes more than one player to win a game. Last year we added 15 new players to the Falcons and it took us a few months to get to know each other. This year we have added again but the core of the roster from last year team is returning. I’m really looking forward to watching all of these great players in Herts uniforms pulling together for one clear goal – winning it all.

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

Lee Manning: Hard to say at the moment but it’s got to be Harlow Nationals, Southampton Mustangs, Lakenheath Dbacks and maybe the London Mets.

Which league game are you looking forward to most?

Lee Manning: The old rivalry between Essex and Herts is great and is one I personally like to play in but the Falcons vs. Nationals is the best baseball game on the British isle right now. Both teams always seem evenly matched and we hope our new players will give us the extra edge this year.

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?

Lee Manning: I was heartbroken we couldn’t win the championship at our ground last year in front of our fans but we don’t really mind where the playoffs/NBC will be played. Winning is winning and we want to win every game we play. I’ve been to the new park and it looks great. I can’t wait to see how it plays after all the hard work that has been put in by everyone connected to the project.

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

Lee Manning: Get your thermal on and bring your chair. It’s going to be an exciting season which begins this Sunday.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

2013 NBL season opens this weekend with Falcons vs Pirates

The Major League Baseball season opened last weekend and it is the turn of the National Baseball League (NBL) to signal the start of the new British baseball season this weekend.

The Herts Falcons fell at the last hurdle last year losing 6-3 to the Harlow Nationals in game 6 of the Final. That was the highest that a Herts team had finished in the 16-year history of the club giving a sense of pride to everyone connected with Herts, but despite this the players and coaching staff felt that they should have done more. Over the last few weeks there has been a sense of quite determination in the Falcons camp, determination not to go through the feeling of losing game 6 again.

Of course there is a lot of work to be done before the Falcons even begin to think about the postseason. Over the winter the other NBL teams have been busy making their own plans to win the title. Players have been traded, new players have been added and the nature of the league is such that not even the most knowledgeable NBL experts would dare to make any firm predictions about the outcome of the season. The addition of one or two new players could turn an outsider into a title-contender. The second coldest March in history meant that the NBL teams were not able to get a proper look at each other in the Herts Spring League with 11 games wiped out by the snow.

Herts have been busy again this winter strengthening further with the addition of infielder Xavier Gonzalez, the club’s first Cuban player, Carlos Velazco-Carus, John Blose from the Essex Arrows and Carlos Casal from the Harlow Nationals. The club has also seen the return of catcher Dave Westfallen and pitcher Pete Kikel.

They go into Sunday’s Opening Day game with several players who are on the disabled list. Cris Hiche (hamstring), Dave Tretheway (ankle), Ryan Bird (skiing incident) are all doubtful for this weekend

Their opponents, the South London Pirates, formerly the Croydon Pirates, are hoping that with a new name come better results. South London had a disastrous 2012, struggling both offensively (82 runs for) and defensively (236 runs against) while posting a 2-21 record. Look for Alex von Rosenbach, Jim Farley and Robert Brooke to do much of the heavy lifting for the Pirates, with some new additions from their recruiting drive possibly turning some heads this year.

The double header will be played at Grovehill Ballpark starting at 1:30pm. This is also the final weekend of the Herts Spring League and there will be HSL games taking place on both Saturday and Sunday with a large number of people expected to come to the ballpark over the course of the two days (click for full HSL schedule).

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Snoods galore on an ice-cold HSL weekend

The widest possible selection of snoods was on display this weekend during the Herts Spring League games in Hemel Hempstead. The snood is often dismissed as a fashion item of over pampered Premier League football players, but this weekend the snood saved lives. Temperatures stayed below 3oC on both Saturday and Sunday. That was the temperature for teams who had the fortune of being scheduled on the new diamond at Grovehill Ballpark. It was a completely different story for the fans and players of teams playing on the old diamond. Despite sitting right alongside the new diamond, the old diamond has a completely different climate with swirling wind channelled through to the open cornfields. With wind chill, temperatures felt more like -10oC making it the British Candlestick Park.

Despite the unpleasant meteorological conditions the teams made the most of the games to prepare for the start of the 2013 British baseball season. For the NBL teams this weekend was the first and last opportunity to play pre-season games before next weekend’s Opening Day.

Maikel Azcuy’s batting performance for the Harlow Nationals stood out. He launched two homeruns over the left-centerfield wall in the game versus the Herts Falcons. Before the games the Great Britain National Team slugger said: “I am not going to do too much today. I just want to get loose, see a few pitches and take a few groundballs”. It is scary for opponents to think what Azcuy will be like on Opening Day. Many may decide to give him the Barry Bonds-treatment and walk him intentionally in certain situations.

The Nationals also gave a debut to their new signing, Matt Gilbert, confirming the rumour which was going around the league and was mentioned in our article on Friday.

On Saturday we saw Matt Gilbert's first game wearing a Harlow Nationals uniform, as well as a very stylish navy blue snood

With many players away during the Easter holidays teams were visibly under strength, which was a good opportunity for players to make a claim for a promotion to a higher league team, earn a spot in the starting lineup or to be moved up the batting order. Pete Kikel was back in a Herts jersey after a two-year absence and Falcons manager, Lee Manning, was able to assess him offensively and defensively, including on the mound in the game against the Nationals.

Liverpool Trojans pitcher, Mario Escobedo, was in an Essex Arrows jersey on Sunday, raising speculations that he could be making a switch from the AAA-Merseyside team to the NBL.

The team of the weekend surely has to be the London Marauders who won two 1-run games. Their success had a lot to do with the incredible team chemistry and enthusiasm which they have been renowned for ever since the team made its debut in the British leagues.

The final scores are still coming in. Click here to view full HSL scoreboard and standings.

Umpires had to cover every part of their bodies from the biting wind

A Herts Spring League spokesperson asked us to give a special mention to the umpires who officiated games this weekend in the most difficult weather conditions – Chip Andersen, Darrin Muller, Gabor Erdos, Geoff Hare, Petter Nordwall and Tomasz Kosak. It will take several days for them to regain their normal body temperature but they will be back in business for the Opening Day of the National Baseball League and the final round of HSL games next weekend.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Game on! HSL games will go ahead this Saturday

Could Matt Gilbert be wearing the Harlow Nationals jersey this season?

Temperatures may be low but the baseball diamonds at Grovehill Ballpark are in good shape so the Herts Spring League games scheduled this Easter holiday weekend will go ahead as planned.

These will be the first pre-season baseball games of 2013 for these teams and there are some intriguing matchups to look forward to. The Essex Redbacks are the newest member of the National Baseball League making their NBL debut this year and this Saturday is the first opportunity to see how their roster is shaping up. They will face the London Mets who are expected to be a major title-contender this season.

The 2012 NBL champions, Harlow Nationals, will face NBL runners-up Herts Falcons in a repeat of the 2012 final. We understand that there has been a player transaction involving the Harlow Nationals which has just come to light. Right-handed starting pitcher and former GB Team player, Matt Gilbert, appears to have moved to the Nationals from the Essex Arrows. This has not been confirmed by the teams involved. We may be able to get a confirmation this weekend as the Essex Arrows are also in action against the surging Cambridge Royals who appear to have a lot of momentum at the moment. Could they follow in the footsteps of the Essex Arrows and be added to the NBL in the coming years? They currently do not have a youth programme which can compare to the Redbacks but they certainly have shown that they can compete against the toughest teams in this country.

Kent Mariners, London Marauders, London Mammoths and four other Herts teams are also on show this weekend.

Click here for full HSL schedule

Over the years the HSL has shown that many players are missing during the HSL games on Easter weekend so we may not get a full picture of the strength of these teams ahead of Opening Day, but we will certainly be able to see some of the high-profile signings made over the winter.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Caress appointment marks a shift in Herts’ strategy

Herts Baseball Club has announced the appointment of Jake Caress and Lee Manning as joint managers of the Herts Cardinals, the club’s Under-14 league team.

While the recent announcements of acquisitions of high-profile players by the Herts Falcons can excite supporters of the club in the short run, this appointment could potentially bring even greater value for the club in the long run.

Ware-based Jake Caress is 17-years-old. Some may view this as too young to be a team manager, but on the other hand some of this country’s best baseball coaches started their coaching careers at a similar age. The coaching staff of the Great Britain national teams is a good example. Brendan Cunliffe, James Pearson, Liam Carroll and Will Lintern started their development as coaches early and they now play leading roles in British Baseball and internationally. Herts’ own Lee Manning and Mike Wakelam both started coaching at the age of 16.

Herts approached Jake Caress several months ago and this could see the beginning of a deliberate strategy by the club to identify young club members who have interest and potential to become coaches and promote their long-term development as part of the club’s coaching staff. The emergence and recognition of young talented coaches is not limited to British baseball. The trend is noticeable in other sports, most notably Jose Mourinho’s rise from a 20-year-old coach of a school team to one of the world’s most successful football managers. If this approach adds five new Will Linterns to the Herts coaching staff, this would give the club a very significant advantage not just within British Baseball but in the wider competition for market share in the very crowded UK sports industry.

We understand that Kyle Lloyd-Jones who, like Jake Caress, has just graduated from the club’s U17 team, could be joining the coaching staff soon after the end of his exams in the current academic year.

Herts Falcons’ manager, Lee Manning, will be working alongside Caress as co-Manager of the U14 team, providing support along the way. When Caress settles into the role after the initial few months, Manning is expected to gradually leave Jake Caress in sole charge of the Herts Cardinals. The role is also a Board position which means that the club now has a Board member who can further enhance the diversity of the Executive Board.

As a player of the Herts youth and adult league teams and the Great Britain U19 National Team, Jake Caress has played under some of this country’s top coaches. He can now begin to transfer the information and experience he has picked up to the next generation of Herts youth players.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Sunday’s HSL games snowed out

The snow covered the baseball diamonds at Grovehill Ballpark on Saturday morning and it has just been announced that Sunday’s five Herts Spring League games have been cancelled. This comes after Saturday’s HSL schedule was wiped out by the weather.

A spokesperson for the HSL said: “We have been very reluctant to cancel these HSL games as we have a responsibility to the paying teams to do everything possible to give them the best value for the entry fee which they are paying, but the opinion of the teams was unanimous and we are grateful for their feedback which has made it easier for us to make this decision”.

The teams are now looking ahead to the 14 HSL games scheduled for Easter weekend, 30 and 31 March. The matchup’s include a repeat of the 2012 NBL final between the Herts Falcons and the Harlow Nationals, the first opportunity to assess NBL newcomers, the Essex Redbacks, as they face the London Mets, among other interesting encounters in all three divisions of the HSL. Click here to view the full HSL schedule.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Saturday’s HSL games cancelled

Herts Baseball Club has just confirmed that all HSL games scheduled for Saturday, 23 March, have been cancelled

Two ground inspections were carried out today in the afternoon and in the evening and they have shown that the heavier rain late this evening has flooded the diamonds.

Based on previous experience with standing water at the fields and the current weather conditions, the grounds crew would struggle to make the diamonds playable for Saturday’s games. This is made even more difficult by the fact that continuous rain is forecast for the rest of the night and more or less the whole day on Saturday.

Herts had scheduled a 6:30am ground inspection, but it was decided that this would be pointless given the outcome of this evening’s inspection.

A spokesperson for the HSL said: “We have been very reluctant to cancel these HSL games as we have a responsibility to the paying teams to do everything possible to give them the best possible value for the entry fee which they are paying. However, we have also taken into account the feedback from teams today indicating that they would prefer not to play if the weather conditions are as forecast. We certainly do not want to force teams to play against their will. It will not help their pre-season preparations”.

For the moment, the games scheduled for Sunday, March 24, are still on. There will be further ground inspection on Saturday and we will keep you informed if the HSL schedule is affected further.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

All eyes on the skies

The grounds crew made final preparations at Grovehill Ballpark before the first Herts Spring League games this weekend.

Members of the Dacorum Borough Council Sports Team marked the lines at both diamonds, while five members of Herts Baseball Club grounds crew worked on the infield clay areas of both diamonds topping-up and smoothing critical areas.

When the work was completed the field was in playable condition with no standing water.

It must be noted that the playing surface is soft and to ensure that the diamonds stay in top playing condition over the 3 weekends and 36 games of the Herts Spring League, the grounds crew has set some strict conditions on the use of the diamonds for pre-game drills.

Each team will be allowed up to a maximum of 10 minutes on the diamond for their infield/outfield drills before their first game of the day. At any other time, teams will have to make use of playing areas adjacent to the baseball diamonds for their pre-game drills. No batting practice will be allowed on the diamonds. Separate areas with L-screens have been designated for pre-game batting practice during the HSL.

The new diamond at Grovehill Ballpark after the grounds crew had completed its work today

All eyes are now on the skies and the rain radar. The diamonds are in good condition today and will be able to absorb some extra rain, but any heavier rain over the next 36 hours or on the day of the games could make the fields unplayable.

The weather forecast indicates that it will be very cold but Hertfordshire may miss the heavy rain and snow. The HSL organisers have indicated that it is too early to make any conclusions at this stage. We will keep you updated over the next 36 hours.