Category: Headlines

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.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

The people who make things happen

Tim Elkins wearing his Herts cap at Boston Red Sox Spring training with the World Series trophy

Herts Baseball Club is blessed with so many fantastic members and volunteers who generously give their time, energy and apply their expertise to build a truly special club, but there are volunteers like Tim Elkins who take contribution to a whole new level.

Tim joined Herts at the start of the 2006 British baseball season and since then, in addition to being a player, he has acted in many different capacities from team manager, coach and member of the club’s front office to being part of the grounds crew, field maintenance and events staff.

During that period Tim Elkins has persistently been submitting his application to link his work as Herts Baseball volunteer to the Royal Bank of Scotland Community Cashback Scheme. The scheme rewards the work of people like Tim by making a cash contribution to the community groups which they are involved in.

Every year since 2007 Tim’s applications to RBS have successfully been bringing in cash grants for Herts Baseball which have accumulated nearly £2,000. Contributions like this have enabled the club to meet the match-funding requirements of grants such as the recent BSUK facilities grant which saw around £17,000 go into the upgrade of Grovehill Ballpark to make it one of the premier baseball venues in the UK.

Not many know that in addition to his contribution as volunteer and the RBS grants, Tim Elkins, together with his parents, Derek and Josephine Elkins, have made substantial cash donations which have reached a four-digit number.

When people look around Grovehill Ballpark, they won’t see his name but they should know that Tim Elkins has played a major part in building the facility and the community which people see today.

It will not be easy for members and fans to express with words their appreciation for what Tim has done for their favourite club, but Tim should know that, when people tip their cap to say hello, it is intended as more than just a greeting.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Preliminary rosters announced by Herts

The five Herts senior league teams have announced their preliminary rosters ahead of the 2013 Herts Spring League which gets underway next Saturday, 23 March.

Since the start of Spring Training Herts players have been pushing themselves to secure a roster spot within the Herts adult team structure. Some have been targeting a move to a Herts team playing in a higher league. Others have been looking to reinforce their place within their current team. It is a moment of trepidation for the players as they learn whether they have met that target, as illustrated in the movie Major League (see video clip).

But don’t worry folks. Herts has room for all its players and no one is going to get cut – everyone plays. The club is continuing to receive enquiries from new players every week and players can be added to the rosters at any time of the year. For more information on how to join the club or to give baseball a try contact the club.

 

Those who were hoping to secure a spot in a higher league team should bear in mind that this is just a preliminary roster. We still expect player movement over the next three weeks of HSL action as the managers will be assessing not only the players in their roster but those in other rosters with a view to promoting them or to assess backup options for later in the season. As always there is bound to be player movement up and down the rosters throughout the season, just like MLB teams move their players up and down their affiliated minor and major league teams.

A quick look through the rosters reveals interesting information ahead of the season. The core of each team remains intact, but there is a visible movement of players upwards, which was expected due to the creation of the Herts Ravens as the club’s fifth team which will compete in AAA. Most of the previously announced new additions such as Carlos Velazco-Carus, Joe Gray, John Blose, Xavier Gonzalez and Dave Westfallen have been added to the NBL roster.

Tom Everex-Armstrong is one of 10 Herts players who are also in the Great Britain U19 or U16 preliminary rosters

But there are some significant reinforcements in the other teams. The club has been joined by Elie Colin who played in the French league last season and he goes into the AAA roster for Manager, Carlos Casal, to have a first-hand look before making a decision. Gilberto Medina has moved up two leagues to the Ravens from the Raptors. Other players moving up into the AAA squad are the club’s U17 prospects Carlos Casal Jr, Jake Caress, Kyle Lloyd-Jones, Tom Everex-Armstrong and the club’s new arrival, catcher Conner Brown. All of these young players are currently in the preliminary rosters of the Great Britain U19 or U16 teams and playing in the AAA league will challenge them to push themselves even harder. An interesting late addition is returning right-handed pitcher, Pete Kikel, announced just a few hours ago.

The Hawks have added to the core from last year’s successful squad, by drafting John Kjorstad and Ben Marques from the Raptors, returning catcher and infielder Hunter Devine and the fastest man on the planet, Ross Asquith, who during fitness sessions this Spring with fitness coach Tony Marshall was discovered to have the extraordinary ability to jump up in the air higher than the average professional athlete. The other two additions are Callum Vangundy, Jonny Compton-Weight and Jose Morillo from the Herts U17 team.

Right-handed pitcher Jeff Witter makes his return with the Raptors. Moving into the roster from last year’s Eagles team is the South African duo, Theo Scheepers and Craig Le Roux, as well as infielder Sonny Lama, pitcher Will Zucker and his younger brother Martin Zucker who looks likely to be pushing up the leagues in the coming years as a catcher. Warwick Byrne is another addition from the club’s U17 team.

The Eagles will be missing Joseph Osborne-Brade as he is on the long-term DL after a serious injury last season. They will look to fill the gap left by Osborne-Brade and the others who have moved up to the other teams by adding Rob Crouch, Manny Banson, father-and-son combination of John and Tom Jansson, debutants Harry Douglas, Jonny Gates, Ashley Hughes and the exciting prospect of Daniela Phillips who joined the club after bumping into the Herts teams during her indoor cricket training session at the same venue as the Herts baseball teams.
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FALCONS (NBL)
Carlos Velazco-Carus
Cristobal Hiche
Darrin Ward
Dave Westfallen
David House
David Tretheway
Jeff House *
Joe Gray
John Blose
Jordan Farkas
Kevin Freeman
Kevin Niedringhaus *
Kimiyoshi Saionji
Lee Manning
Liam Green
Matt Spaulding *
Michael Osborn
Mike Cattermole
Phil Clark
Robbie Unsell
Ryan Bird
Xavier Gonzalez

* – subject to confirmation

RAVENS (AAA)
Aspi Dimitrov
Carlos Casal
Carlos Casal Jr
Conner Brown
Elie Colin
Gilberto Medina
Jake Caress
Jim Arnott
Jonathon Lewys
Kyle Lloyd-Jones
Louis Hare
Matt Johnston
Nick Russell
Paul Auchterlounie
Pete Kikel
Rod Naghar
Seth Lipstock
Tom Everex-Armstrong
Vassil Botev

 

HAWKS (AA)
Andrew Slater
Andy Cornish
Ben Marques
Bobby Gould
Callum Vangundy
Greg Bochan
Hunter Devine
Ilya Dimitrov
John Kjorstad
Jonathan Compton-Weight
Jose Morillo Jr
Kal Dimitrov
Nicolas Goetz
Ralph Bartholomew
Ross Asquith
Tim Elkins

 

RAPTORS (A)
Amit Odedra
Arnold Longboy
Brodie Caress
Charlie Mayhew
Craig Le Roux
Glen Downer
Jeff Witter
Kennet Pike
Mark Caress
Martin Zucker
Rob Jones
Sonam Lama
Theo Scheepers
Warwick Byrne
Will Zucker
Zachary Longboy

 

EAGLES (A)
Adam Landau-Smithers
Adrian Smithers
Ashley Hughes
Daniela Phillips
David Ames
Duncan Hoyle
Emmanuel Banson
Geoff Thomas
Harry Douglas
Jamie Lang
John Jansson
Jonny Gates
Joseph Osborne-Brade
Michael Cresswell
Reagan Wood
Rob Crouch
Serge Plata
Simon Roberts
Takeshi Ashida
Tim Blackman
Tom Jansson-Wright
Tomasz Kosak
William Belbin
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts add homerun power with return of Kikel

photo by Will Baxter

Herts Baseball Club has received another boost with the news that right-handed pitcher, Pete Kikel, will be making his comeback this season.

Kikel joined the Hemel Hempstead-based club in 2003 when he was just 12 years of age. Together with his father, Jake who now plays in the German Baseball League with the HSV Stealers, he has grown up with the club. He was a member of the Herts Falcons team which won the AAA National Championship in 2008 and in 2010 was one of the starting pitchers for the Herts Falcons in the NBL. His ERA in the NBL stands at 4.83 with a record of 4 wins and 4 losses, which is quite impressive in a season when the Falcons had a win-loss record 9-19, well below .500.

photo by Will Baxter

Kikel is a multi-tooled player and he will also bring power to the batting lineup. In 2010 he recorded a batting average of .277 with 2 homeruns from 47 NBL at bats*.

The 21-year-old missed the last two seasons so it is expected that the Herts coaching staff may assess him at the AAA level to ease him back into action.

* – stats courtesy of www.projectcobb.org.uk

photos by Will Baxter