Category: Headlines

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Falling (back) in love with the game

written by Herts Raptors player, Ken Pike

Whenever I hear stories in the news about top class athletes having problems because they are not enjoying the game or finding the stress particularly difficult to cope with I used to scoff and wonder how people could get stressed at doing something that most people did for fun or enjoyment. They even had the added benefit of getting paid to basically take part in a hobby!

To the casual sportsman a day playing baseball, or football, or whatever sport floats your boat, is a way of relaxing, blowing off steam , and clearing your mind. It is fun. Maybe the aches and pains the next day take a bit of grimacing to get through, and the occasional more serious injury can put a damped on your enjoyment, but for the most part, hearing a multimillionaire complaining about playing is at least confusing and at worst galling and infuriating for those whose jobs are much less savoury.

However, over the past couple of years I may have found some empathy for them. For those who don’t know me, and those particularly new to the club (welcome) I used to manage the Herts Raptors. By further admission, and I am sure those who do know me will nod emphatically, I am not particularly easygoing or relaxed owing to being massively competitive.I generally want everyone and everything to go in the direction of a win. Not at all costs, but certainly at high cost (having myself been at the receiving end of a very serious, and nearly baseball career ending injury three years ago, I fought through hell and high water to get back into the sport).

Let me just point out that this article may read in parts as a confessional, and in parts like a whinge. It isn’t one, it’s an explanation of a journey from love to hate and back. Over the past two years of managing a rookie team I have discovered there is a point where it does start to matter so much that it causes you sleepless nights, stress, gnashed teeth and tense shoulders. A sad point where ultimately, you wake up one day realising that you are not looking forward to going to play baseball.

The Raptors were never expected to achieve much other than train new blood to feed the more senior leagues, but when you are part of the team, and in charge of the team, that expectation is out of the window. You do care, and you want to win, and my opinion is that the day I no longer win is the day I walk away.

I recall heated debates and arguments with the other managers in the club over team selection (I apologised after, and do so again). I also recall being the first at the field and the last off it at every game and every training session, and several more occasions too in a hope to put as much of my soul and energy into the Raptors. I’d like to think I was never the kind of manager to ball people out for not playing well, and hope that the times that I did raise my voice were only ever taken to be the encouragement that I intended them to be, but I imagine that is probably naive, and it is almost certain that at some point people have felt downbeat and sometimes even insulted. (Again, I apologise to them – it wasn’t meant that way). Whether I was right or wrong is now irrelevant, and not the point of this little story anyway.

The end result is that two years in management of a team was hard work. Don’t worry, I am not looking for sympathy, as there is also plenty I gained from it including some good friends, some real experience in teamwork, and even management that has even been translatable to my workplace in small degrees, and a feeling of achievement. Granted, we never won the league, but in both seasons the Raptors went from a team with potential but without any skill or experience to a team that won games and progressed players up the leagues. That was the point of the Raptors at the time so in a way, we were successful.

However, at some point last year, I have to admit I was not enjoying it. It was adding to pressure elsewhere in my life (young family, new job, empty bank account) instead of relieving it. I wouldn’t say it was turning into a job, as I wasn’t getting paid, but it was certainly not the fun pastime it had started out as. I spent hours after the game and even into the next few days analysing my performance and that of the team. Figuring out how we were going to get wins. Figuring out how to get the performances I knew we were capable of. I couldn’t get it out of my head and lost plenty of sleep as a result.

So, one day, after a rather heated argument with one of my own team mates which nearly came to blows, I realised the time had come to step down. Properly. I had done so after my first year in charge to make way for someone else, but was persuaded to give it another shot when no one stepped up, but this time I was certain that if I continued to manage it would damage my relationship with the sport.

The result has been night and day. Now, several months, one Hunlock series, one offseason, one pre-season and one HSL later and a few games into the season and the Raptors are a different kettle of fish. Thanks to some excellent work by various members of the board and the generally fantastic reputation of the greater club, some wonderful talent was recruited to bolster the upper teams, and the knock-on effect has been that the Raptors were put together with the intention of creating playoff (and possibly title) contenders.

The new Raptors manager in the shape of Arnie Longboy brings a much deeper tactical knowledge to the position than I did, and also a much calmer and more pragmatic style of leadership. These are things that are starting to pay off much earlier in the season as we sit on a .500 record with two of the next three games being very winnable. Despite a wobbly start against high quality opponents, hindered by long spells of not having any games thanks to a mixture of timetable, weather and other factors, the Raptors look powerful. Solid defence and a powerful offence. They look like they could be contenders.

For my own part I can concentrate on my own game again, and while parts of my game are still not where I want them to be (notably pitching) other parts have returned in full force (I seem to be able to catch again and ground balls no longer fill me with any fear) and others are returning nicely (I’m getting bat to ball more often than not again).

The insertion of confidence from the first win, hopefully followed by a straightforward fixture against league struggling Tonbridge next week may be enough to kickstart a roll. There are at least three fixtures that the Raptors should be well capable of winning, and another that will be close. If we put those in the bag then we are facing postseason.

However, that’s a paragraph full of ‘ifs’ ‘hopefullys’ and ‘shoulds’ and ultimately the end position is not the point. It is not always getting the result and league position that counts in making a game enjoyable. That’s not to say winning isn’t important though. I think the hardest thing for someone with my competitive streak was not being competitive. Not being in with a shout at all is harder than narrowly missing out on what could have been. Spending every game looking for the little victories and sometimes scraping the barrel when trying to find the positives is not easily sustained. Sooner or later morale starts to sap.

The long and short of it is, that without the burden of management, and coupled with a real prospect of competing for wins, means that slowly but surely that passion for the game is re-igniting in my heart. I had a smile on my face for the whole of Sunday’s hard fought win against the Eagles, and for the first time in a long time my head was not racing for the rest of the evening with things that I or the team could have done better, because for the large part…there wasn’t really anything. Instead it was filled with dreams of the Raptors playing that well again (as Eagles manager Duncan Hoyle said, the Raptors made few mistakes and were clinical in everything they did.)

Maybe I do understand how people fall out of love with the game now. When the desire to win, or to achieve a certain target, even if that target is just to play to your best irrespective of results, does not meet up with reality it can feel a bit like a kick in the teeth. Maybe some of those MLB/NFL/NBA/NHL/Premier League superstars that swap from team to team hoping for a solution are not looking for more money or glory, but just trying to re-set their focus and find a place they enjoy being at (maybe).

I have now re-set my focus, and have been hit with the wonderful fortune that it seems the whole team have turned a new page at the same time. Some habits die hard, and I am sure there will be times when I feel frustrated and downbeat if we blow a close game for example. I still want to win more than ever, and with the potential of doing so being closer than ever part of me burns for that success. But for the most part, I am not just back to enjoying the game…I am back to sitting at my desk on a Tuesday afternoon, barely over the aches and pains from the last game, dreaming of next Sunday. Of hitting that ball one more time, of running the paths, and making those outs…all for the love of the game.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts topple Southampton at the top of the NBL

Jeff House colliding with Victor Aiazpurua at second base (photo by British Baseball Magazine click image for more)

written by Trevor Clissold for britishbaseball.org

The top four teams in the BBF’s National Baseball League are separated by just one game following sweeps for Herts, Harlow and London. Herts took the spoils in their top-of-the-table clash with the Southampton Mustangs and the lead at the top changed hands for the third time in three weeks.

Having earned a hard-fought split in their series with the defending champion Harlow Nationals on June 10, the Herts Falcons could have been forgiven for wanting an easier encounter than hosting the NBL-leading Southampton Mustangs the very next week. But following their sweep of the Mustangs, Herts will be elated at coming through with a 3-1 record against two of their biggest rivals in the standings.

Sam Dempster, Head Coach for the Great Britain National Team, was in the crowd on Sunday and everyone was keen to impress. And the visiting Mustangs got off to a fast start in Game 1 with some help from the Herts defense, who showed some early nerves.

Robbie Unsell was given the start on the mound for Herts and looked dominant initially, striking out the lead-off batter and getting ahead 0-2 against Alberto Rodriguez. But then things started to go wrong for Unsell as he threw four consecutive balls to walk Rodriguez before a wild pickoff attempt allowed him to progress to second base. Rodriguez then stole third before scoring on a ground-out by Victor Aizpurua to give the Mustangs an early 1-0 lead. This quickly became 2-0 on a home run from the very next batter, as Gary Davison lifted a 1-2 pitch over the left field fence. Despite issuing another walk to Marius Urbanavicius, who also stole second, Unsell managed to get out of the inning without any further damage.

Herts knew they would have to respond early and took full advantage of some wayward pitching by Mustangs starter Gary Davison. Robbie Unsell was hit by the very first pitch and reached third on a line drive double from Cristobal Hiche. Unsell would score on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Bird to halve the deficit, and then a series of errors from Southampton allowed Hiche, David Tretheway and Darrin Ward to follow Unsell across the plate as the Falcons began to take charge.

Herts added two more runs in the second inning to take a 6-2 lead and threatened to run away with the game.

But the Mustangs then showed why they were leading the NBL coming into this series. Justin Frosina started the comeback with a solo shot over the right field fence in the top of the third inning and Southampton tied the game at 6-6 an inning later.

Herts reacted by adding three runs of their own in the bottom of the fourth and moved five runs clear with two more in the fifth, but the scoring was far from over as the Mustangs came back again, scoring twice in the top of the sixth to keep the pressure on their hosts.

Despite this, it was Southampton who cracked, as the Falcons’ bats came to life in a big way with seven runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to force a mercy-rule victory. Herts had already scored three times when David Tretheway hit a two-run home run, leaving Robbie Unsell to deal the decisive blow with a two-RBI single to finish a breathtaking encounter.

 

“The final score did not tell the full story,” reflected Falcons Team Manager Lee Manning. “They’re a top team and the game was in the balance right up to the last inning.”

Ryan Bird (3-for-4, 4 RBIs) and David Tretheway (4-for-4, 1 HR, 4 RBIs) both starred with the bat while Robbie Unsell picked up the win along with three RBIs of his own.

Click to view box scores and play-by-ply from Game 1

Game 2 was a much tighter affair, as both sides settled down on defense to back up some solid pitching.

Just as in Game 1, it was Southampton who took an early 2-0 lead with runs in the first and second innings. Alberto Rodriguez took the mound for the Mustangs in Game 2 and was strong early on, holding the Falcons scoreless and allowing just three hits through the first three innings.

But mirroring Game 1 again, the Falcons’ bats came to life in the second half of the game and they lit up Rodriguez for nine runs on nine hits over the next two frames.

Darrin Ward allowed just four hits over the last five innings as he shut the Mustangs down to pick up the win and seal the sweep for Herts. Ward pitched a complete game, allowing two earned runs on seven hits and also went 4-for-4 with the bat to round out an excellent day. Ryan Bird also went 4-for-4 while Jeff House knocked in three runs on two hits.

Southampton Team Manager Ross Arieta was left to reflect on what might have been for the Mustangs. “Obviously, we are disappointed with our performance today,” he said. “Herts are a good team and we gave them too many outs to not be punished today.”

There will be no rest for Southampton though, as they look to return to the summit. “We play Harlow next week,” Arieta added, ”and we are looking forward to making amends for today.”

Herts Manager Lee Manning said, “They were the leaders coming into this game and we knew we needed two wins to overtake them. It was important for the standings to win both games today but it was also important for our momentum; it feels good to be back to winning ways. We have London next and it’s a really exciting time for the whole club. We feel better equipped this year to deal with the top teams, we recruited well both domestically and internationally, and there’s a sense of pride building throughout the club at AAA, AA and Single-A levels.”

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Young blood and big bats of the ‘older brother’ overpower Herts newcomers

written by hertsbaseball.com correspondent Ken Pike

Across the sporting world rivalries are borne from close proximity. Either geographical proximity such as football’s Arsenal v Tottenham derby, or from proximity of ability or regular competition such as England v Australia in the Ashes. In our neck of the sporting world a new rivalry has sprung up this year arising from not one, but both of these factors. The Herts Eagles have risen phoenix-like from a one year sabbatical to enter the Single-A division joining the traditional Herts entry, the Raptors.

As far as proximity goes the two teams are from the same club and play on the same fields, so you can’t get any closer. However on competitiveness, there had been a conscious Herts board choice to pick the Raptors team to create a pennant chasing side while the Eagles would be grounds for blooding new players and providing experience and game time to those who could develop over time. As is often the case however, reality bears out a little difference from expectation.

The first game between these two minor league teams was as hotly contested as it was anticipated. The Raptors played the ‘home side’ for this meet having played only two of their regular season fixtures so far thanks to rain delays, forfeits and unfortunate scheduling. Conversely the Eagles had fared better with six games under their belt, including three wins. As a result they had built up some confidence and experience in some of the new young prospects, and more importantly, regular game time for the whole team.

The opening innings were set to be pitched by two of these very bright young prospects for the club with the Raptors promising star Zack Longboy taking the mound while young newcomer William Zucker started for the Eagles.

The first inning saw Zac dominate the mound retiring the first batter with a strikeout. Craig La Roux reached base after being hit by a pitch, but was out the very next play after a bouncer from Theo Scheeper’s bat went straight to second baseman Ken Pike forcing out La Roux on the fielders choice. Shortly after power hitter Reagan Wood grounded out to end the inning with a zero on the board.

 

By return the powerful bats of the Raptors make the first dent with a mixture of hits and walks bringing four runners home with a nervy start from Will leading to a balk and some errors before he settled into a groove. Singles from Brodie Caress, Gilberto Medina, and Jake Caress were added to by four walks, a fielding error and a balk.

The second inning was a much closer affair. Zack Longboy’s pitching however remained impervious to Eagles attack to result in clean inning number two. The Raptors only added one run courtesy of a Glen Downer double scoring John Kjorstad before the Eagles retired the side.

The third inning saw the Eagles bounce back with three runs courtesy of strong running from Senna Ashida and Craig La Roux topped off by a big double from Reagan Wood. The Raptors had tagged on another single to keep the gap at three runs before the Raptors defence clamped up again and put the Eagles out of business for the next three innings, while adding three more of their own.

To keep the game close the Eagles brought in relief pitcher Theo Scheepers who had a good three innings keeping the Raptors pegged at eight while the Eagles added one run in the top of the seventh.

The eighth inning however proved the final undoing of the Eagles as the Raptors changed up a gear. While the titing, but still impressive pitching from Zack closed out all but one run (which only reached courtesy of a fielding error), doubles from Gilberto Medina and Brodie Caress helped tack a further six to open up a gap just shy of requiring an early mercy rule finish to the game.

This proved too big a gap for the eagles to overcome with two ground outs and a stealing runner beaten by the tag thanks to an immaculate throw from catcher Ben Marques. the final inning resulted in the sixth zero on the board for young star Zack Longboy resulting not just in him being the game MVP, but provided the best performance by a Herts pitcher in a Single-A league game.

In the end that pitching performance and a near impervious Raptors defence (only three errors in total) left precious few chances for the Eagles. On the other half of the inning, the Raptors batting line-up gave the Eagles pitchers no gaps in which to find respite by combining the impressive power hitters Ben Marques, Glen Downer, Gilberto Medina and John Kjorstad with the consistent and speedy base presences of the Caress family, Arnie Longboy, and Ken Pike.

That is not to say the Eagles were impotent by any means. Both young starting pitcher William Zucker with three strikeouts, and reliever Theo Scheepers pitched calmly and impressively showing signs of great things to come, while powerful hits by Scheepers and Reagan Wood were matched by several strong performances around the lineup, notably several great catches from young outfielder Senna Ashida. The Eagles have already matched the Raptors record from the previous year with two games left (including bottom of the table Braintree Rays) and look set for great things to come.

Herts Raptors Manager, Arnie Longboy, commented after the game: “I am really proud of how everyone on the team contributed to the win. As a manager I was particularly proud of how we excelled on the fundamentals of base running – manufacturing runs when we needed them and limiting fielding errors to a season low of 3. As a father I was proud of how Zack not only pitched but also played all aspects of the position from fielding to keeping base runners in check. We won’t have our Ace for our next game but this should test our mettle as a team and I expect us to do well.”

Eagles Manager, Duncam Hoyle, said: “We went into the game believing we had a good chance of winning but the Raptors reminded us why they are the Raptors and we are the Eagles. In general I thought we played well, especially defensively but we couldnt get our offense going – mainly due to the excellent pitching display by Zack. The Raptors made few mistakes and were very clinical in everything they did. Once again we had a lot of positives to take from the game, I was delighted to be able to give Will Zucker his first start from the mound and I thought he was superb. The defeat does hurt but we will bounce back”

Click to view box scores and play-by-play

This derby, one of the closest of rivalries, played out in the best weather that British baseball could offer, on one of the best fields in the country, provided a true classic. Perhaps the skills on display were no match for the ‘big brother’ National League Falcons, but, much as the English football team are proving in Ukraine and Poland, a little heart and a lot of passion can go a long way. A dominant win…but by no means a blowout. A game which will surely become unmissable in Herts calendars.

(The result brings Herts Raptors to a .500 record with two wins and two losses while the Eagles sit on 0.429 with 3 wins and 4 losses.)

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Giants win ties series with Dodgers 1-1

written by hertsbaseball.com correspondent, Chris Jones

The latest match in the series between the Herts Dodgers and the Herts Giants was held on Saturday 16th June at Grovehill.

The Dodgers came to the game one-up in the series after a 10-4 victory on May 26th. For the Dodgers, Thomas Garton and Cameron Manning came in for Ozan Martin, William Ahern and Alex Jones, while the Giants brought in big hitter Joshua Jones in place of Rose Burgess-Van Dort and Talia Martin. With seven players per side, both coaches elected to omit centre and right fielders.

Despite apocalyptic warnings of “once-in-50-year” rainstorms, the Grovehill field was playable, and the weather held up just enough to allow the game to proceed. Elsewhere on the field the concession stand pavilion was straining at its guy-ropes, threatening to sail off towards St Albans. Spectators kept themselves wrapped up well, thermos flasks at hand, and your scorer wore one woolly glove while tapping the plays into the computer.

The Giants took the first turn at-bat. All of the first six batters hit singles, and four runs were scored in all. In reply, the Giants had their opponents scoreless with two outs, but let the opportunity slip. Again, a parade of singles brought runner after runner to home plate, five runs in all.

Another three runs to the Giants in the second, to take a 7-5 lead. The Dodgers were restricted to two, after some efficient infield play forced out runners at third and second. Scores were tied after two innings.

Into the third, the Giants hit more infield singles, plus a line drive to the left-field fence from Joshua Jones to bring home Oliver Durer. 10-7 to the Giants, and the pressure was on the Dodgers to reclaim the lead. All was set, with bases loaded and one out, before a strike-out and a 1-3 ground-out (Alex Trautman and Oliver Durer) closed the inning without a run scored.

The Giants turned the screw in the fourth inning, scoring the maximum five runs, the highlight an unstoppable ground rule double by Joshua Jones. Now facing an eight-run deficit, the Dodgers couldn’t repeat their batting form from the start of the game, scoring only one in their last two innings. A fly-out to pitcher and catcher at the bottom of the fifth brought the game to a close, the Giants running away with a 15-8 win to tie the series.

After the game, the coaches were encouraged by the continuing improvement we are seeing from these two teams. Fielding seemed sharper, and there was more awareness of where to make the plays. We have plenty of areas to work on, including throwing accuracy and base-running, but there’s a lot of promise here – sometimes we have to remind ourselves how young some of the players really are.

To relive the full game with full statistical analysis fans can view a new facility which Herts Baseball Club is testing at the moment. CLICK TO OPEN THE GAMECAST AND PRESS REPLAY IN TOP RIGHT CORNER

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Anticipation

Hawks pitcher, Larry Martillo, started game 1 against the Falcons in the first ever Herts baseball derby in 2007
written by hertsbaseball.com correspondent, Glen Downer
Anticipation, or being enthusiastic, is an emotion involving pleasure, excitement, and sometimes anxiety in considering some expected or longed-for good event.
For only the second time in the club’s history two Herts teams will face each other in a competitive league game as the Herts Eagles and the Herts Raptors face-off this Sunday at Grovehill Ballpark. Both teams come off the back of a loss, so the need to put in a good performance couldn’t be higher. In its 16 years as a baseball club, Herts has faced a scenario like this only once and that was five years ago when the Falcons and the Hawks were both in the AA League. Back then the club had only two teams. Now it is the turn of the Raptors and the Eagles.
At the start of the season nobody could have predicted the significance of the game between the two teams; this single game could be the difference in making the post-season, or once again being subject to the agony of just missing out. Both the Raptors and the Eagles have had their fair share of ups and downs already in this rain soaked season, having to endure long breaks due to the poor weather, and suffering losses that could or should have been wins. All this has resulted in the need for both teams to come away with a win this weekend, which could very well be the turning point for each for the rest of the season.
Yankees v Red Sox, Giants v Dodgers, Cardinals v Cubs, and now Raptors v Eagles, team rivalries don’t come any higher than this!! So get yourself down to Grovehill Ballpark this Sunday and enjoy only the second Hertfordshire baseball derby in history! (That is of course if the Great British Weather doesn’t have its say!).

by Herts Baseball News Editor

League leaders come to town this Sunday – Falcons looking to overtake them

While the Herts Falcons and the Harlow Nationals locked horns and shared the spoils in the biggest game of the season so far, the Southampton Mustangs took full advantage with two wins against the Essex Arrows. They now stand on top of the NBL. The Nationals are one game back while the Falcons are one and a half games behind.

This means that for the Herts Falcons the next game becomes even bigger than last Sunday’s showdown as Southampton makes the trip to Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead this Sunday, 17 June. Two wins for Herts in this upcoming doubleheader would put them above the league leaders in the standings.

The two teams met on the south coast on the second weekend of the season. Southampton won game one 7-5 while the Falcons won game two 7-3. Since then the Mustangs have been the best team in Great Britain winning 11 out of their 12 games. This incredible run wasn’t given the publicity it deserved. Although they have reached the playoffs in the last two seasons, they have not been ranked as one of the favourites to win the NBL championship. They sit on top of the league and are now seen by many to be a genuine title-contender.

Falcons shortstop Robbie Unsell had an amazing leaping catch to grab a laser-like line drive out of the air. Will he get the fans off their seats again this Sunday?

This Sunday Southampton’s probable starters are Gary Davison and Alberto Rodriguez. For the Falcons it is impossible to even guess who is likely to start on the mound. Manager, Lee Manning kept the Nationals guessing revealing his starting pitchers just seconds before first pitch and once again he chose a starting rotation completely different from previous games. 2011 NBL Best Pitcher Robbie Unsell started game one and Darrin Ward started game two.

The Mustangs have the NBL homerun leader Marius Urbanavicius who already has 3 home runs this season. The Falcons added two new players to the list of home run hitters as Mike Osborn and Cris Hiche went deep against the Nationals. Herts now have 6 players with home runs – Bird (2), Clark (1), Hiche (1), Niedringhaus (1), Osborn (1), Tretheway (1) – which is the highest among all NBL teams, tied with the London Mets who also have 6 players with home runs to their name this year.

AND THEN THERE WERE 4…OR 6 EVEN

While Harlow, Herts and Southampton trade blows at the top, the London Mets have been quietly catching up and they are now just two games behind the leaders. Essex and Lakenheath may be a few games further behind but they are still very much involved in the title race. This makes it 6 teams with genuine title hopes making it one of the most exciting seasons in recent years.

But without any doubt all eyes will be on Grovehill Ballpark this Sunday, 17 June, for the Falcons vs Mustangs clash. First pitch 12:00pm.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

“Pimping” a home run

Mike Osborn demonstrating his beautiful, and respectful, home run trot after he hit his first home run of the season on Sunday (photo courtesy of hp2photographic.com)

One of the many talking points after Sunday’s biggest game of the NBL season so far was the altercation after the 3-run home run by Edwin Alcantara which tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning.

For a few minutes while the game was stopped fans were in the dark about what had sparked this confrontation. Even when different versions of events started circling around Grovehill Ballpark some fans were still fidning it difficult to understand the precise reasons.

Baseballgb.co.uk writer and Project COBB founder, Joe Gray, who was at the game reported on the incident in an article which enhances the post-match analysis so hertsbaseball.com was keen to post a link to the article (Click to view).

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts looking to add softball programme

Over the last 16 years Herts Baseball Club has built an impressive baseball programme and is currently one of the leading clubs in the United Kingdom. Herts have thriving adult and youth baseball programmes and high grade facilities but the one big component which has been missing has been a softball programme.

hertsbaseball.com had the opportunity to chat with club president, Aspi Dimitrov, about the prospect of softball being played in Hertfordshire.

hertsbaseball.com: We understand that the club is exploring the option to add softball. How did this idea come up?

Aspi Dimitrov: Although baseball is the multi-billion dollar sport watched by millions on TV around the world, a large proportion of people like to show their passion for baseball by playing softball which is the more recreational version of the game. During MLB’s All Star week celebrities and former baseball players get together for the MLB All Star Softball Game and it is the ideal way to get male and female players of all ages and ability playing together. Herts has baseball teams playing in all senior and youth leagues of British Baseball so we are already able to accommodate players of various abilities and ages into our baseball teams, however adding softball would enable us to make the game appealing for an even wider audience.

hertsbaseball.com: When did the idea of adding softball come about?

Aspi Dimitrov: The club has been eager to add softball for many years now and is something which the Herts Executive Board has discussed on many occasions. The main obstacle which has stopped us from making it possible has been that we need one or two members who would be able to give up some of their spare time to drive the project forward. We have so many members but they are all baseball-mad so they have been reluctant to give up their baseball time.

hertsbaseball.com: How do you plan to overcome this hurdle?

Aspi Dimitrov: We are hoping to organise several softball events this year and this may attract these key members who can provide the platform which we can build on. We already had one softball event on April 1 which was part of the 2012 NBL Opening Day celebrations at Grovehill Ballpark. It went very well. We managed to attract enough players for 4 softball teams. The majority were parents and family members of our youth team families and there were others who came to the ballpark for the first time to give softball a try.

hertsbaseball.com: What is the club hoping to achieve with the softball programme?

Aspi Dimitrov: Softball is very popular and in fact there are more softball teams than baseball teams in this country. The majority of softball teams and leagues are located in central London. There are no softball programmes in Hertfordshire at present. Hertfordshire County, North West London and the surrounding regions are a huge untapped market so there is potential for substantial growth. It is an exciting opportunity. If we find the right people to set up the administrative infrastructure we may be able to double the size of Herts Baseball Club in the next 4 or 5 years and create a large regional softball league here in Hertfordshire. Many softball leagues play their games on weekday evenings so if we can achieve this we can look forward to having baseball and softball league games being played at Grovehill Ballpark every day of the week.

hertsbaseball.com: So what is the next step in the project?

Aspi Dimitrov: We are very fortunate that this summer BSUK will be running softball taster sessions in St. Albans which is just a few minutes away from our ballpark. These will take place every Wednesday evening from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. These sessions will continue for a period of 8 weeks. The first session is on Wednesday, June 20. We have already started recruiting softball players, coaches, and facilitators and this BSUK project will hopefully attract enough new members to enable us to start the softball programme here at Herts. For more details about these softball taster session click here.

 

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Passions flare up as title race reaches boiling point

The Falcons vs Nationals showdown was billed as “the biggest game of the season so far”. There is absolutely no risk that the Advertising Standards Authority will be cautioning hertsbaseball.com for overhyping Sunday’s NBL doubleheader as it most definitely lived up to the billing.

The game was in doubt right up until 2 hours before first pitch due to a waterlogged Grovehill Ballpark, but once it was given the go-ahead fans started streaming down to Grovehill Ballpark, some fans coming from as far as Oxford.

Among the many who came was the GB senior national team manager, Sam Dempster, who had the opportunity to assess several possible candidates for the GB Team which has a big year ahead including the European Championships and qualification for the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

The Falcons started game one with 2011 NBL Best Pitcher, Robbie Unsell, who got out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the first without allowing any runs. But the Nationals were at it again taking a 3-0 lead in the second inning on a home run by Jarrod Pretorius. Their pitcher Roberto Almanzar was very effective in the first few innings not allowing any hits. The Herts batters eventually got into their usual rhythm which has devastated NBL opponents all season long. They tied the game 5-5 in the fourth inning and took a 9-5 lead going into the sixth. Jeff House was now on the mound for Herts and he had to come up against a Nationals lineup looking determined not to lose this game. They responded with a home run by Luis Goncalves which flew over the right field foul pole. Most of the Herts fans seated on the first base side thought that it was a foul ball, but umpires Hare and Dollin were unanimous in their decision confirming that it was a home run. Harlow followed that with a 3-run home run by Edwin Alcantara to tie the game 9-9 in dramatic fashion. Tensions were running high as Falcons players felt that Alcantara’s reaction as he trotted around the bases was disrespectful towards Herts. For a moment it seemed like the incident would end up in a bench-clearing brawl but both teams soon focused back on the game.

Into the top of the seventh inning the Nationals continued their relentless offence bringing 4 runs in. That 4-run lead was too much for Herts to claw back and the visitors recorded a dramatic come-from-behind win.

Harlow Nationals first baseman Jarrod Pretorius dives for a bullet down the first base line from a Herts Falcons bat (photo by British Baseball Magazine click image for more)

Darrin Ward started game two for the Falcons in his first game since his move back to Herts from the Essex Arrows. He was in commanding form changing speed and locating his pitches very effectively. By the third inning Herts had a 13-1 lead after bombarding the Nationals with hits including home runs for Ryan Bird, Cris Hiche and Mike Osborn. Into the 5th inning and with the score 13-3 the Nationals managed to avoid the mercy-rule coming into effect scoring 2 runs.

With the scoreboard operating staff having to attend an emergency, the lack of scoreboard updates gave the Nationals the impression that Herts had written them off and that they consider the game to be won. That seemed to spur the Nationals on. And they mounted a strong come back, but at the end the Falcons stayed in control and won the second game 15-10.

An exciting afternoon of baseball which had everything and the fans certainly enjoyed it. The scores mean that the NBL race is very finely poised with the promise of more encounters like this one to come between now and the postseason playoffs.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Eagles unable to end Archers’ unbeaten streak

British A-League

Herts Eagles 15 Essex Archers 32

written by Duncan Hoyle

 

Senna Ashida was solid at shortstop for the Eagles

Herts Eagles knew they would be up against it when they travelled over to Waltham Forest for their league game against runaway leaders Essex Archers. The Archers have dropped down to Single A despite having an impressive record at AA last season and so far this year have easily won all 5 of their league games.

Despite the forecast in the early part of the week predicting rain all day, gameday turned out to be a dry, humid day. With a number of key players unavailable, the Eagles were forced to play Will Belbin at catcher – a position he hasn’t played since 2010, Senna Ashida moved from left field to 1st base and debutant Mike Cresswell made his debut in right field.

Herts got off to a good start, with Duncan Hoyle hitting a line drive to centre field to bat in Joseph Osborne and Senna Ashida to get the scoreboard ticking over in the first inning. At the end of the 1st the score was 3-2 to the Archers, and with the consistent Theo Scheepers once again putting in another good shift on the pitching mound, the Eagles were able to keep in touch with the Archers in the early exchanges. In the second and third innings, 18 year old Mike Cresswell got his Herts career off to a great start by getting a RBI in the 2nd, and then hitting a drive to right field to bring in another 2 runners in the 3rd. Tak Ashida was looking good at short stop, and Will Belbin was catching confidently. Belbin was letting little get past him but unfortunately injured his finger in the bottom of the 3rd. He was substituted by the versatile Adrian Smithers to avoid any long term damage. Most of the Herts batting lineup were able to get on base one way or another, and were then baserunning confidently to be able to pick up runs regularly.

However, as the game went into the 4th inning, Essex began to show why they are top of the league. Their powerful batting lineup started to get their eye in, and the Herts outfield suffered some long chases as the ball sailed over to the fence on a number of occasions. Despite a couple of great outfield catches from Osborne, the Archers were beginning to get away from the Eagles.

In the middle of the 5th, the score was 14 – 8 to the Archers. Herts then had a half inning they will want to forget as 13 runs were added to the Archers total, as a now tired Herts defence started to let a few errors creep into their game. The Archers made the Eagles pay for these errors ruthlessly, and with their powerful batting line up bossing the game they were even able to hit an inside the park home run.

The Eagles kept giving nothing less than 100%, and kept the runs ticking over. Lefty batters Joseph Osborne and Senna Ashida are both getting a reputation of being able to draw a walk from the pitcher – Osborne in particular is becoming something of an expert in this as in his 6 at bats he found himself on base no less than 5 times from walking. Craig La Roux finally got himself a deserved hit towards the end of the game, and he also made his second pitching appearance of the season to close out the 6th with the Archers having finished their scoring on 32. The Eagles kept on battling right until the end and Senna Ashida and Simon Roberts where able to get round to score in the top of the 7th to take the Eagles run total to a respectable 15. The mercy rule then came into effect, as it has done in every game for the Archers. Despite what on paper looks a heavy loss, Herts will be able to take away some satisfaction from the manner in which they played the game and the fact they scored 15 runs – 1 more than all five previous opponents of the Archers have scored put together.