Category: Youth Leagues

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Weekend round-up: Wins for Hawks and Eagles. Raptors and Herts u12s suffer defeats

Herts Hawks continue winning run (photo by John Kjorstad)

HERTS EAGLES vs LONDON MAMMOTHS (Triple-A League)

While the Falcons were resting, three other Herts teams were in league action. The Herts Eagles suffered two heavy defeats on opening day. It became three losses in a row after the London Mammoths won the first of two games on Sunday. However the Eagles fought back in the second game of the doubleheader to end the losing streak with a 13-4 victory.

HERTS HAWKS vs BRIGHTON RED HAWKS (Single-A League)

The Herts Hawks remain unbeaten this season after a 22-18 win over the Brighton Red Hawks, who came close to pulling off a major come-from-behind win in the late innings.

HERTS RAPTORS vs TONBRIDGE (Single-A League)

Herts Raptors came up against a Tonbridge side who have made big strides over the winter and look like they will be a major playoff contender this year. It proved to be an uphill task for the team from Hertfordshire who went down 27-9. Six Raptors players made their league debut so it may take several more games for them to find their feet, but the signs are good at this stage of the season especially with several big names expected to return to the lineup shortly.

HERTS U12 vs LONDON METS U12 – (pre-season friendly)

photo by Vicky Sinclair

The youth baseball season is about to get underway. In a under-12 pre-season friendly on Saturday the London Mets proved too strong for the Herts under-12 team. With teams in every age group it is not too late for players between 4 and 18 years of age to join the Herts teams in Hemel Hempstead and North West London. Contact us for more details.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts launches a new baseball programme for boys and girls between 4 and 7

Herts Baseball Club has launched a programme for boys and girls aged between 4 and 7. The initiative for this has come from Herts Falcons manager, Lee Manning, who also played a leading role in the launch of the Herts youth baseball programme in 2007. “My son Riley turned 5 in January. He loves coming to the field with me and loves to hit and run the bases like all kids” said Manning.  To our knowledge no other baseball club in the United Kingdom is offering baseball to players in this age group and Manning feels that “Herts is in a good position to lead the way”. As British baseball continues to grow, the hope is that many other under-8 programmes will start popping-up.

In the older age groups teams aim to develop and, in later years, compete. The approach is completely different for the under-8 programme. “It will be all about having fun” said Manning. He added that “If they can pick up some good fundamentals along the way, it would be a bonus. For the kids this will be their first introduction to baseball and I hope that they will love it.”

Lee Manning will be joined by coaches John Kjorstad and Ken Pike. Both of them are players and coaches with the Herts adult league teams.  Similar to Manning, they also have children who will be playing in this age group so this is very much a project which will be created by families to give kids the opportunity to enjoy the game and create life-long friendships. “We hope to welcome many more mums and dads to take part in building this programme as coaches, umpires, fans or in some other capacity” said Manning.

The Herts under-8 baseball programme will commence on 9 May 2015 at Grovehill Ballpark and will include around 11 events which will run until September.  The membership fee for the full season is £20 which equates to less than £2 per session.  It will be reduced proportionately for those who join partway through the season.  Contact us for more details about the programme and how to sign up. Children are welcome to come and give baseball a try for free before they join.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

First games at the new baseball diamond in North West London to be played in May

Yesterday’s announcement that Herts Baseball Club has received a £10,000 National Lottery grant to launch its North West London branch confirmed that a new baseball diamond will appear in West Hendon.

It is always exciting when a new baseball venue is created and Herts fans will be keen to find out more about what it will look like. In the first year the venue is expected to stage predominantly youth league games, but the option is available for Herts to schedule adult league games too. The outfield dimensions will be 268ft to left field, 356ft to centerfield, and 255ft to right field. Compared to the new diamond at Grovehill Ballpark, centerfield will be deeper by 14ft. The left field foul pole will be shallower by 42ft however the distance starts to increase rapidly and left-centerfield will be much deeper in comparison. The distance to right field will be very similar to both the old and the new diamonds at Grovehill Ballpark. The first games at West Hendon are expected to be played in the beginning of May.

The venue offers amenities such as changing rooms, toilets and showers as well as a car park with good capacity. Travelling to this new baseball facility will be much easier compared to the club’s Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead. Click here to view transport options by car, bus, train (Thameslink) and London Underground (Northern Line and Jubilee Line).

The view from centerfield towards home plate at the new baseball diamond in West Hendon

In 2015 there are no plans to create cut-out areas. From that perspective it will resemble Oxford Kings’ diamond to a large extent. Baseball-specific components such as backstop, dugouts and outfield fence will be portable or semi-portable. “We are already in discussions about the long-term development of the baseball facility. This will be a gradual process and the scale of the project will increase as the programme grows. London Borough of Barnet and the local councillors have been very supportive and enthusiastic about bringing baseball to North West London and we look forward to working with them for many years to come to bring something special to the community” said Herts Baseball Club President, Aspi Dimitrov.

A look at the British Baseball archives reveals that the last team to play in this particular part of North West London was the Golders Green Sox who had their best years in the late 1970s winning the National Championship in Britain’s top league with a 9-5 win over the Hull Aces in 1977 and a 9-7 win again against Hull in 1979. We would be interested to find out more about the Golders Green Sox and see if we can get in touch with members of that team. They may have retired from baseball, but perhaps their children and grandchildren can get involved and keep the legend alive. If you know a member of the Golders Green Sox please contact us.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Baseball is coming to North West London

Herts Baseball Club has been awarded a £10,000 grant from Sport England to launch the club’s branch in North West London and give the local community an opportunity to play baseball.

Herts Baseball Club has been based at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead since it was founded in 1996. It has grown into one of the biggest baseball clubs in the UK with eight teams playing in the various adult and youth leagues of the British Baseball Federation. In 2013 the club recognised that in order to accommodate the growing number of new players who want to play baseball, the club needed to expand.

“30% of our members are based in North West London and our data also showed that we receive many enquiries from potential new members from that part of London, however many of them have not been able to start playing because the public transport connections from North West London to our ballpark in Hemel Hempstead are very poor” said cub President, Aspi Dimitrov. He added that “currently there is no other club located in the North West quadrant of London which offers adult and youth baseball so the natural progression for the club was to expand by establishing a branch in this densely-populated area.”

This project would not be possible without the £10,000 grant awarded by Sport England as part of its National Lottery-funded Small Grants programme. The funds will be invested in launching the new branch with various open events for the local community to try baseball and start to play regularly in the youth and adult leagues at regional, national and even international level. The grant will also fund taster sessions and other activities in local schools to promote the new baseball programme among students.

With support from the London Borough of Barnet the club’s new diamond in North West London will be located at West Hendon Playing Fields. Dr. Matthew Offord, Member of Parliament for Hendon, welcomed the news and said “Sport England has made a tremendous bequest to our area by making this award. Baseball is not a traditional game of the UK but there is not only a great appetite for different type of sports but it also presents an opportunity for people of different backgrounds to come together and be united in the games. I look forward to visiting the diamond and perhaps swinging a bat myself.”

The venue has good bus, train and London Underground connections. It is also in the M1 corridor just a 25-minute drive from the club’s other ballpark in Hemel Hempstead which opens up the opportunity for interaction between the two branches.

Events will begin this month with open sessions for youth and adult players at the fantastic sports facilities of Middlesex University (click here for more details on how to take part in upcoming open sessions). The adult and youth baseball leagues will then commence in April and May when we will see the first baseball games played at the club’s new ballpark in West Hendon.

“We are very excited to be bringing baseball to North West London and we hope to repeat the success of our existing programme in Hemel Hempstead which would mean that boys and girls, men and women of all ages, from beginners to elite players, will be able to play this fantastic sport, stay fit and healthy and become part of the Herts Baseball family and the wider British Baseball community” said Aspi Dimitrov.

With the prospect of Major League Baseball coming to London in 2016 to create a similar extravaganza as the NFL international series at Wembley Stadium, Herts Baseball Club hopes that this project will help increase the size of the club by fifty per cent in time for the arrival of MLB in London.

For more information about the project, the club or playing baseball with Herts contact us.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Adult and Youth players have started registering for the 2015 Herts baseball season

Player registration for the 2015 Herts Baseball season has just commenced and the club is hoping to make it a record year after 2013 saw the largest number of Herts members in the club’s 19-year history. In 2014 the club came just short of beating that record.

Herts has already completed the league entry process for the Herts Falcons in the National Baseball League and in the coming days will be completing the process for its other adult and youth league teams.

ADULT LEAGUES

The Herts Falcons gave everything in the battle to reach the NBL playoffs last season but were eliminated two games before the end of the regular season. They will be eager to regain the team’s competitiveness which saw them come so close to clinching the NBL championship in 2012 and 2013. The team has already shown its intentions with two major acquisitions. GB third baseman Maikel Azcuy has joined the Falcons from reigning champions, Essex Arrows, and middle infielder, Pau Sancho, has completed the move from the German Bundesliga where he played for the Bonn Capitals last season.

The Eagles, Hawks and Raptors also struggled last year finishing their seasons below .500 in the Triple-A, Double-A and Single-A Leagues, respectively. At this time of year, there is an incredible buzz around the club with so many new faces joining the club – from complete beginners to accomplished ballplayers. In previous years we have seen how new arrivals can bring energy to the club and turn an underdog into a contender. We will have a first glimpse at some of those new faces this Sunday, 11 January, as current and new players report for their first Spring Training session of 2015. For more details about coming to this free open session to give baseball a try contact us.

KEY DATES – ADULT TEAMS

11 January – Adult team players report for first Spring Training session

22 February – First outdoor session for adult team players on the Astroturf

15 March – Adult teams return to Grovehill Ballpark for the first time in 2015

21 or 28 March – Start of the 2014 Herts Spring League

12 April – Opening Day (NBL)

19 April, Opening Day (Triple-A, Double-A, Single-A Leagues)

August-September – Postseason Playoffs and National Championships

September-October – Hunlock Series

YOUTH LEAGUES

In 2014 Herts teams reached the National Championships in all three age groups of the BBF youth leagues. They picked up bronze medals in the U17 and U14 age groups, while the U12s finished fourth in their first appearance on the national scene.

The Herts U17 players and coaches will feel disappointed that they couldn’t fulfil their ambition of winning the U17 National Championship for the first time in Herts baseball history as they knew they had a team which could compete. There are rumours around the league that the U17 league may be converted into an U19 league which could give the generation which missed out in 2014 another shot at the national title.

KEY DATES – YOUTH TEAMS

11 January – U19 and U17 team players report for first Spring Training session

22 February – First outdoor session for the U19 and U17 players on the Astroturf

1 March – U15, U14, U12 and U10 players report for their first Spring Training session

April – Opening Day (U19, U17, U15, U14, U12, U10)

20-21 June – Little League UK Qualifiers (U19/U17, U15, U12)

July-August – Little League Europe Qualifier (Poland or Italy) and World Series (USA) (subject to qualification)

September – National Youth Baseball Championships (U19/U17, U15/U14, U12/U10)

September – Herts Futures Tournament (U19/U17, U15/U14, U12/U10)

HOW TO REGISTER FOR THE 2015 HERTS BASEBALL SEASON

Herts Baseball Club has commenced the 2015 member registration process. For those who already have a Herts Online Club House account they will be prompted to register when they log on next time (click here to go to the Herts Online Club House and log on with your existing username and password). Those who are new to Herts and do not have an online account will be able to register as 2015 members by completing this form.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts 2015 Spring Training dates announced

At its Annual General Meeting, Herts Baseball Club announced details of its Spring Training schedule. Adult, under-19 and under-17 players will be the first to report for Spring Training on Sunday, 11 January 2015. In the first few weeks preparations will take place indoors at JFK Catholic School.

On 22 February the teams will have their first outdoor training session on artificial grass playing surface. The under-14, under-12 and under-10 age groups will also get their Spring Training underway on the Astroturf field.

The Herts teams will return to Grovehill Ballpark for the first time on the weekend of 14 and 15 March 2015 where training will continue until the Herts Spring League (HSL) pre-season games. After that it will be ShowTime as the Herts teams get their 2015 league seasons underway.

We will keep you updated as soon as the British Baseball Federation confirms the Opening Day of the 2015 season. This will also dictate the HSL dates.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts confirm Jeff Witter’s board appointment as head of under-14 baseball

At its Annual General Meeting, Herts Baseball Club announced the appointment of Jeff Witter as a board member heading the under-14 baseball department. He has been a member of the club since 2009 acting both as a player and as a member of the club’s under-12 and under-14 coaching staff, in addition to other roles.

For the last two seasons the under-14 baseball department was headed by Jake Caress, who has now moved to the club’s Triple-A League department, as the co-manager of the Herts Eagles alongside Arnie Longboy.

The club is currently preparing its plans for the 2015 season and the under-14 department is an area it hopes to grow and develop further. “The next two years are critical for the Herts youth baseball programme and we need passionate and professional people like Jeff to realize the ambitious plans which we are putting in place at the moment” said club president, Aspi Dimitrov. If these plans materialise Jeff Witter will be hoping to add quite a large number of coaches to his department. The club’s annual general meeting indicated that these expansion plans depend on a grant application which was submitted recently. Securing such funding would give Jeff Witter and the club’s other youth baseball departments the start-up capital needed to launch this expansion project.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

2014 Herts MVPs announced

The 2014 Most Valuable Player awards for the Herts adult and youth baseball teams were presented on Sunday at the club’s annual general meeting.

Abel Salas was voted Herts Falcons 2014 MVP. This came as no surprise given that a few weeks ago his outstanding season was recognised by awarding him all three MVP awards in the whole of the National Baseball League, including Most Valuable Batter, Most Valuable Pitcher, Most Valuable Two-Way Player. He also won the 2014 NBL Home Run title which he shared with Essex Arrows’ Maikel Azcuy who will be wearing the Herts Falcons uniform in 2015.

The Herts Eagles MVP award went to Takaya Miki. He joined the club one month into the season after a move from the Essex Redbacks, but quickly established himself in the team. He rounded off an excellent season with a leaping catch at the wall in the Hunlock Series Final which was later nominated as one of the plays of the season.

Greg Bochan has been an unsung hero of Herts Baseball Club for many years being a major contributor in numerous departments and one of the best loved members at the club. On Sunday his on-field contribution was recognised as he was voted 2014 Herts Hawks MVP. His consistent performances at third base and on the mound combined with him being one of the most dangerous hitters on the Hawks roster made it a very easy choice for members when they cast their votes.

There was a very close race in the Herts Raptors MVP poll. It went right down to the wire. At the end the MVP award went to Michael Cresswell. 2014 was his third season with the club and he has been taking his game up a notch every year. This year he proved to be a key player offensively, defensively and on the mound for the Raptors. For the Herts Raptors coaching staff, Michael Cresswell was always one of the first players in the lineup.

The MVP race in the club’s Under-17 team, the Herts Harriers, proved to be just as close. Only one vote divided the top candidates and the MVP award went to pitcher Zack Longboy. He may have missed a large proportion of the U17 season due to his commitments in the American Varsity League and the GB Under-17 National Team, but there can be no doubt about the progress which he has made to become one of the top young prospects at Herts and in Great Britain as a whole. He was recording wins with more or less every one of his starts this season in the U17 league, Varsity League, Little League Europe Qualifier, GB U17 Team, Herts Hawks (BBF Double-A League), Herts Eagles (BBF Triple-A League) and even made a winning debut with Herts Falcons in the NBL, Britain’s top league.

The Herts U14 programme had a difficult year as part of its restructuring process, but managed to put together a team which surprised everyone by eliminating Brentwood Bucks, Essex Redbacks and London Sports in the bronze medal game. One player in particular stood out and he was voted 2014 Herts Cardinals MVP. Mikey Sylvester maintained a 0.00 ERA throughout the U17 National Championships with an opponent’s batting average of just .061 and 23 strikeouts per 9 innings which is unheard of. His offensive numbers were just as good – batting average of .900, slugging average 1.600, 1 HR and 8 RBI.

In the Herts Under-12 programme the MVP was awarded to Aaron Witter. There was little doubt about the identity of the winner as Aaron Witter made a real impression not only with Herts fans but with coaches from other clubs and the Great Britain national Team programme. On Sunday, Aaron could not pick up his MVP trophy during the club’s annual general meeting as he was attending the GB under-17 National Team tryouts. This is his first ever tryout with GB and he will face very tough competition as he has just turned 12 years of age, but it will be exciting for Herts fans to follow his progress in the coming years.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Bulldogs, Mets and Redbacks are the 2014 HFT winners

This was a record-breaking Herts Futures Tournament with 17 teams entering the four different age divisions.

UNDER-17

In the Under-17 Division the national champions, LYBL Bulldogs, didn’t show any mercy as they swept their opponents winning all four of their games. Their game against the Herts Harriers proved to be the deciding one. Both teams went into the game with 100% records and the HFT title on the line. Five Bulldogs came home in the first inning without reply to complete a perfect day for them. Herts Harriers managed to put that loss behind with a 4-0 win over the London Mets in the final game of the day to take the second place in the Under-17 standings.

UNDER-14

For the first time in the seven-year history of the competition all four teams in the Under-14 division ended up with identical win-loss records. The tie had to be broken on the “fewest conceded runs” rule. This meant that the LYBL Bulldogs secured the Under-14 HFT title as their team had allowed only 2 runs in their 3 games. London Mets and London Sports were in joint-second-place with 5 runs allowed. The Herts Cardinals conceded 11 so they had to accept forth place despite having the same won-loss record as the winners.

UNDER-12

The number of runs conceded was also the deciding factor in the Under-12 Division Pool A. The LYBL Bulldogs allowed 3 runs fewer than the Horsham Yankees and reached the final where they met the London Mets in a repeat of the National baseball Championship Under-12 Final. This proved to be a pitchers’ duel ending with a score of 0-0 which meant that the Mets were the Under-12 HFT Winners as they had a better win-loss record over the course of the competition.

UNDER-10

This was the first year that Under-10 teams entered the HFT and they produced arguably the most enthralling games. The Redbacks overcame the Mets in their best of 3 series to win it.

Click to view the full scoreboard and standings in all divisions.

GET YOUR PERSONALISED PHOTOS

The HFT was covered by DE Photo and participants can get their personalised photos, framed or otherwise, by visiting the HFT photo gallery (click to view)

2015 BASEBALL SEASON

The Herts Futures Tournament has rounded off the 2014 British youth baseball season in style. Teams up and down the country will now have to somehow survive the winter months without baseball. Thankfully Major League Baseball is about to enter its most exciting phase and we can follow the drama of the postseason on tv.

Players of all ages can contact Herts Baseball Club with a view to signing up for the 2015 season or giving baseball a try when the teams return to the ballpark in the new year.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

17 teams heading for Herts this Saturday

17 teams will be in action at the 2014 Herts Futures Tournament (HFT) which will take place this Saturday, 20 September 2014. This breaks the previous record of 15 team entries. This year, in addition to the U17, U14 and U12 divisions, an U10 division has been added as clubs expand their programmes to cover much younger age groups then we have been used to in the past.

 

U17

U14

Herts Harriers (U17)

Herts Cardinals (U14)

Horsham All Stars (U17)

London Mets (U14)

Hove Tuesday (U17)

London Sports (U14)

London Mets (U17)

LYBL Bulldogs (U14)

LYBL Bulldogs (U17)

U12

U10

Essex Arrows (U12)

Forest Glade RedBacks (U10)

Herts All Stars (U12)

London Mets (U10)

Horsham Yankees (U12)

London Mets (U12)

London Sports (U12)

The opening ceremony will take place at 10:30am. The first games begin at 11am and continue into the early evening. To view the games schedule click here.

“Herts Baseball Club welcomes new players at any time of the year” said club president, Aspi Dimitrov. “Any children aged between 6 and 16 who are interested to give baseball a try should contact the club. It is not too late to take part in this event.”

Traditional Baseball snacks will be on offer including hot dogs, chilli dogs, big league chew, Krispy Kreme Donuts and more. Imported baseball merchandise will also be on sale at the Herts Baseball shop. Professional photographers DE Photo will be on hand to capture every player from every team in action and players and fans will have a chance to buy framed photos from the games instantly at the venue.

The HFT has been held every year since 2008 and is now a permanent fixture in the British baseball calendar. It brings together youth teams of all age groups from across the country for a day of baseball at one of the best baseball venues in the United Kingdom.

For more information about the event visit the Herts Futures Tournament homepage.