Cris Hiche was playing in the National Baseball League Championship final for the Herts Falcons last week. He hasn’t had much time to absorb the experience of reaching the final as his attention is now firmly on his role as manager of the Herts Under-17 team which is about to go into the 2012 Youth Playoffs this Saturday. We had the opportunity to talk with him about the Herts U17 team as well as other Herts and British baseball topics.

hertsbaseball.com: Before looking at the upcoming British Youth Playoffs, it is a good opportunity to ask you a few questions about the Herts Falcons and the National Championships in the senior leagues played last week. The Falcons made the news with a series of high-profile player acquisitions at the start of 2012. You moved to the UK from Arizona this year and were one of the first high profile arrivals before the wave of big player trades. How soon after you joined the Falcons did you start to feel that something special is happening at Herts and the team has a chance to compete for the title?

CH: Very early on after just 2 or 3 workouts. Robbie Unsell, Jordan Farkas, Kevin Niedringhaus, and Jake Michels were in those workouts and I mentioned it in my first interview that if we had the pitching we were going to fight for the title. Later seeing Dave and Jeff (The House Brothers), Ryan Bird, Phil Clark, Mike Osborn, among others confirmed my early intuition.

hertsbaseball.com: The Falcons went so close going to game 6 of the Championship series. The Nationals won it and over the course of the 2012 season won 4 and the Falcons 2 of the 6 games between the two teams. The difference between the two teams was not big, but in what areas were the Nationals superior to the Falcons?

CH: Consistency. We had too many ups and downs as a team. You can see it in the scores where 1 inning we would score 5-8 runs and then get blanked for 3-4 innings. Defensively it happened too. When it comes to batting it really hurts because you leave too many men on base and those opportunities can’t be wasted against a strong team like the Nationals.

hertsbaseball.com: You arrived in the UK this year and probably didn’t know what to expect from British Baseball. You have now played for the Falcons in the country’s top league and have managed in the youth leagues. What is your general impression of British Baseball?

CH: At the club level it is fantastic with some good organizations (Herts I think being one of the top ones) and people who want to improve baseball. There is room for improvement at the governing body level. If they would just make a few, but critical, adjustments, British Baseball at all levels could improve massively.

hertsbaseball.com: Obviously Great Britain is far behind the leading baseball leagues in the world. Which aspects of British Baseball do you think can be targeted for improvement in order to make some quick gains and start to catch up on countries like the Netherlands, Germany and Italy?

CH: Unfortunately there are no ‘quick’ solutions (besides recruiting new “British” citizens from the US and the Caribbean countries but that’s a risky solution). However, the big gain would be in heavy involvement of Youth programs. London Mets seem to have a strong program and we are developing a very strong one here at Herts and there are one or two others but besides that I don’t see many other strong British programs. There’s so much which can be done I could talk forever. If you ask me, one suggestion would be to impose that every NBL team must have a youth program (of course giving current NBL teams who don’t have youth programs 2-3 years to create one).

hertsbaseball.com: Apart from playing for the Falcons you have a busy schedule working for one of the Formula 1 teams. Despite a difficult timetable you decided to take on the role of managing the Herts U17 team. What made you make this extra commitment to Herts Baseball Club?

CH: I saw a lot of potential but also a lack of fundamentals of our kids (and most British baseball players). This meant that by changing and improving these things, the team could improve in leaps and bounds. We are doing that, a bit slower than expected but that’s because the rain didn’t help much this season. I hope we are going to be stronger next season and I have already many plans for spring training.

hertsbaseball.com: If other players from the adult teams are considering managing one of the Herts youth teams and ask for your advice, would you recommend it to them and why?

CH: Of course, because you learn as much as the kids. Being a coach means observing (not merely watching) baseball from a different perspective and that would make you a better player. Two examples: 1) hitting good ground balls to players (hard, soft, to the player’s left and right side, etc) isn’t that simple but by doing it, you’ll have better hand-eye coordination and bat control which will translate to being a better hitter playing in the adult team. 2) Being a 3rd base coach deciding when to send the runner for a steal or going home on a single and making mistakes in the process, would allow you to then make better ‘intuitive’ decisions as a player running the bases.

hertsbaseball.com: What is the hardest part of coaching the next generation of British baseball players?

CH: As I said lack of fundamentals and with that comes motivation. In the US, a 10yr old already knows how to catch, field, and throw and thus you can work with them in more advanced drills that would entertain a teenager. However, when they lack the fundamentals and they do drills that a 5-6yr old ‘would do’. I say this because kids here think MLB players practice must be so much ‘fun’ but don’t realise MLB players also hate spring training because they work on fundamentals like crazy and doing the same “boring” drills we do. The difference is that in the US every player knows they have to do them to get better so they set aside the “boring” part and work 100% to execute them perfectly. Here they believe they don’t need to do them. Also, every kid in the US works hard and goes through the “painful” drills because the motivation is to reach the big leagues, earn good money, and make a living playing the sport you love. Unfortunately for British players there’s no reference, or end goal, to motivate them to get better every day. That’s why I try to tell them and motivate them to become at least the best players/team in the NBL.

hertsbaseball.com: Turning our attention to this Saturday’s massive National Youth Playoffs, Herts will face the Forest Glade Redbacks in an elimination game first. The two teams met in exactly the same scenario 12 months ago and the Redbacks won it in extra innings. Will that play on the minds of the players or is there sufficient confidence in the team to go into this game with belief that they can do it this time?

CH: I wasn’t here 12 months ago so at least I’m not concerned! This is my very narrow opinion but I think with my presence as a manager, the kids hopefully feel this has been a new beginning and thus this is a very different team than last year. I think they have the confidence we can win this game (although it’ll be tough).

hertsbaseball.com: The Herts U17 team had a 1-11 record last year and a 4-8 record this year which is a significant improvement, but the team is seeded 4th and very much one of the outsiders behind the giants of the U17 league, London, Cobham and Horsham. If the team overcomes the Redbacks, Herts will have to face the top seed London Mets. Are the Mets unbeatable and can Herts cause a surprise?

CH: The Mets are not unbeatable but I’m realistic and know it would be very hard to win it (I don’t want to call it a miracle but the famous ‘Miracle on Ice’ comes to my mind). The main reason is similar to the ‘Miracle on Ice’. They are vastly more experienced because most of them are 2-3 years older. This makes a huge difference in terms of physical attributes but also how much baseball they have in their bodies. If we win against the Mets (first we need to win against the Redbacks!) it would be a highlight in my baseball life. Just to clarify, the 4-8 record is a bit misleading since early in the season I gambled a bit to see players perform in different circumstances. Our record should be more like 6-6.

The Herts Under-14 All Stars go into battle this Saturday as the British youth baseball playoffs take centre-stage. We managed to speak with Manager, Kent Peterson, who is currently in the USA, via satellite linkup to get his thoughts on the big weekend ahead for the team.

hertsbaseball.com: This is your second year as the manager of the Herts U14 team. Last year the team had an amazing run going all the way to the final despite the majority of the 2010 championship-winning U14 team moving to the U17 team. 7 members of the 2011 team which reached the final have also moved up to the U17 league level. This is a brand new group of players which has had to face older or more experienced teams all year. Going into the playoffs, should the team try to set high expectations or should the approach be more realistic with emphasis on building a team to challenge for the title in 2013 or 2014?

KP: The greatest part of being a coach is not always represented in the amount of wins a team has each year. Each team is special in its own way, last year we were privileged to have a team that had many members with years of baseball experience. This year we have introduced a great game to a number of younger kids that are just as willing to go out and play the game to the best of their ability. In my mind, that is how a winning team is built, you must start with enthusiasm and the common goal of getting better each game. Then the W’s start to happen. That is what I find to be realistic.

hertsbaseball.com: The veterans in the team are Adam White, Callum Vangundy, Drew Mayhew and Gavin Peterson. There is pressure on the shoulders of these four young players to be the leaders this Saturday. Can they handle it?

KP: Those are four fine young men you mentioned, but I would add a couple more that maybe don’t get the limelight as much but are just as important. Ben Jones and Aaron Witter have contributed well to the team this year and although we haven’t had as many games this summer due to the weather I saw great strides by all those players already mentioned. Most noticeably Drew with his improved hitting and Adam has been on fire playing second base. Very exciting to see!

hertsbaseball.com: The playoffs will be staged at Grovehill Ballpark in Herts. Will home field advantage play a part?

KP: I will never disagree with the idea of home field advantage, it just seems to settle a younger team down quicker, same sights and feel to the game never hurts. I’ll take it!

hertsbaseball.com: Unfortunately, you will be overseas so the team will miss your presence this Saturday. What is your message to the players ahead of the playoffs?

KP: Hello from the States and best of luck. I really miss watching the boys and girls play and I know they will try their best, that is all I’ve asked of them. To the team, just believe in yourselves and try your best, the rest will take care of itself.

hertsbaseball.com: Aspi Dimitrov will be standing in as the coach of the team while you are away. Do you have any last-minute instructions for Aspi?

KP: Aspi and his efforts is the backbone to the club, he’s really the unsung hero of the organization and will be a great replacement. His knowledge of the game and his patience with the team is amazing and I’m sure they will put forth a great effort and show us all the joy of playing baseball, because in the end that’s what it is all about. Best of luck and go Herts!

With just days before the British U17 and U14 playoffs the deciding games in the Herts Under-11 Championship Series we had the opportunity to talk with the manager of the Herts Dodgers, Mike Wakelam, about the games this weekend, the season so far and look into the future of Herts Baseball’s youth programme.

hertsbaseball.com: Over the last few years you have played a key role with the Herts Baseball youth programme with focus on the Under-11 teams, which is the youngest age group. This year in particular you and the other U11 coaches have made some changes in the coaching approach. Is this starting to pay off already in terms of player development and enjoyment?

MW: The changes this year have certainly started to pay off. At this age, games aren’t worth playing if the fundamentals aren’t being taught. We’ve implemented an approach that sees the kids spend about 90 minutes on drills and mechanics, helping them to grasp some of the fundamentals of the game, so that when they step into a game situation they do so with more confidence and enjoy the game more. The impact on the games has been great, with everyone contributing.

hertsbaseball.com: At such an early age it is difficult to forecast how a particular player will develop. Are the U11 coaches starting to notice players making improvements and showing the promise of becoming a star player for Herts or perhaps even representing Great Britain at the Olympics in the future?

MW: The best thing about coaching at this level is seeing how much a player can progress in one season. Sometimes you think you know where a player is at, and then something just clicks and they surprise you. I often remember when I was a skinny uncoordinated 9 year old, I was at the bottom of the talent list, but everybody develops in skill and coordination at different rates, so what looks one way now could be completely different in 5 years. The main thing to look for is the desire to play and to practice, and hustle. The ones who are there early and stay late and hustle after every ball, they’re the ones to watch – and we definitely have a few potential stars based on that scale.

hertsbaseball.com: Ahead of this Saturday’s final games in the 2012 Championship Series between the Herts Dodgers and the Herts Giants, the Dodgers were on the losing side last year and they have been on fire this year showing so much desire to win the trophy this year. What has been the reason behind their success so far?

MW: To be honest, the season has been extremely close, despite the difference win/loss columns. We’ve been hampered by a few too many rainouts this year, but each time we’ve played, they’ve been back and forth affairs, including extra innings, so I’m hoping for more of that this Saturday.

hertsbaseball.com: Who are the Dodgers’ and Giants’ players to watch out for this Saturday?

MW: The hustlers – Nicholas Durer and Ben Jupp. The big bats – Josh Jones, Cameron Manning, Thomas Garton and Christian Lynch. The sure glove of Alex Trautman. And I’m sure many surprises from the other talented players. This is also Katie’s last game in Under-11s, so I’m sure she wants to leave a mark.

hertsbaseball.com: The Dodgers have a 2-game lead, so the Giants have no room for error. They need to win both games this Saturday to force a deciding final game. Do they have a chance?

MW: As I coach the dodgers, I’d like to think they don’t. But they certainly do, especially with Paul, Max and John coaching.

hertsbaseball.com: Herts has invested heavily into upgrading facilities over the years to create arguably the best facilities in the country. Looking ahead over the next few years, what should the club invest in next? Further facilities improvement, team equipment, coaching aids, or should the club look to improve facilities for fans such as toilets, seating for fans, kitchen and other facilities for concession stand operations?

MW: I love where the facilities have got to, and I think that the fans facilities need to catch up a little bit. I’d also like to see the fields mowed a little more often, as in our age group, the length of the grass helps determine how far a hit will travel.

hertsbaseball.com: The U11 age group includes players as young as 5 and as old as 10. If the rate of new young players joining club continues, Herts may be able to introduce an Under-8 age group soon. Would this be a step forward or would it be better to keep the U11 age group and simply create more teams for a more vibrant U11 regional league?

MW: I’ve thought about this a lot. Obviously it’s great experience for the younger ones to play with the older group, but I’d have to suggest that if we continue to grow in the number of under-8s, it would be beneficial to have a separate under-8 age group. This could be either coach pitch or tee ball. What I think this would do is allow the older kids to start facing kid pitching at a younger age, readying them for under-14s. Until the time we have enough kids to do that, I’d advocate taking a team of older kids out to play other clubs. We could do that on a few weekends every year, or have a weekend tournament or two throughout the year.

hertsbaseball.com: You have previously played for Herts at the NBL and AAA level and are one of the most feared hitters in the league. You are about to undergo a knee operation. What is the likelihood of you making a comeback and putting on the Herts jersey after the operation?

MW: Haha. On a scale of 1 to 10, the likelihood of me playing again is probably a 1. Maybe a 2.

Last weekend British Baseball fans enjoyed the climax of the 2012 season as the national champions in all four senior leagues were crowned.

Now it is the turn of Britain’s youth teams to compete for the national title. The action begins with the playoffs for both the Under-17 and Under-14 leagues. The British Baseball Federation announced that this event will be held on Saturday, 8 September 2012.

It will be hosted by Herts Baseball Club at their ballpark in Hemel Hempstead (click for venue details). Admission is free and fans and families can enjoy the baseball action along with traditional baseball snacks which will be on offer including hot dogs, Krispy Kreme donuts, Big League Chew and other snacks and drinks.

Players and their families will also be able to purchase instant framed photos from the day’s games as DE Photo have been appointed as the photographers for this event.

Baseball gloves, bats, bags, and other merchandise including baseball memorabilia will also be on offer at the retail outlets around the ballpark.

The U17 and U14 playoffs will each feature 5 teams. All of them have been seeded based on their regular season league record.

U17 Seedings

1. London Mets Pony

2. Cobham Cougars

3. Horsham Hornets

4. Herts All Stars

5. Forest Glade Redbacks

U14 Seedings

1. London Mets Bronco

2. London Youth Baseball League

3. LondonSports

4. Forest Glade Redbacks

5. Herts All Stars

Confirmation of the playoff format and games schedule will be released shortly by the BBF and we will keep you updated. The two best teams in each of the two leagues will progress through to the National Youth Baseball Championships which will be played in Cartmel Valley on 15 and 16 September.

HERTS U11 SERIES

The event will also include the Final of the Under-11 Series between the Herts Dodgers and the Herts Giants. The Dodgers have the upper hand at the moment leading the series 3-1.