2012 was the most successful year in Herts Baseball Club’s history in every department on and off the field. It continues to be one of the largest baseball clubs in Great Britain in terms of size, infrastructure, financial performance and is now beginning to mount a serious challenge on the field at every league level with 4 out of the club’s 8 teams reaching the postseason in 2012.

To review 2012, we are publishing excerpts from the End of Year Report at the club’s Annual General Meeting.

HERTS TEAMS IN THE YOUTH LEAGUES

Success is usually measured by whether a trophy was won or not and on that basis Herts would not be considered a major player in the British youth leagues in 2012. However, those with inside knowledge of the youth leagues in this country would say that Herts is seen as the model for others to follow. The youth programme is positioned very well to offer a high quality product for every young player, from a beginner who is keen to give baseball a try to an advanced player aiming to play at the highest level of the game and represent their country internationally. With growth of 12% in youth players this year and plans for further growth, the club would be in an even better position to do this in the coming years.

The Herts U17 and U14 teams did not win the championship this year but they are very much on track to be a major contender when this Herts generation reaches the final year of the 3-year cycle in the respective age group.

Cris Hiche took charge of the U17 team and we are already seeing significant progress, earlier than we could have expected. Last year the team lost 11-10 in the quarter-final against the Essex RedBacks. This year the two teams met at the same stage and Herts won convincingly 23-0. The team is also starting to challenge the favourites like the London Mets and had a .500 record in the regular season games against the eventual champions, Cobham Cougars. This has raised expectations for 2013 when this generation of U17 players is expected to reach its peak and aims to win the title in the same way as they did in 2010 at U14 level.

The Herts U14 team reached the final last year, however 7 players from that team moved up to the U17 age group which meant that 2012 was a transitional year. The team is expected to be at its peak in 2014 and 2015 and performances this year indicate that with hard work over the next few years this new generation of U14 players can be just as successful as the previous one.

The coaching staff of the Herts U11 teams made a deliberate shift in its approach. The number of league games has been reduced in favour of intensive training sessions. This has meant that players are able to perform greater number of repetitions which is critical in developing the fundamental baseball skills at this age. The progress has been remarkable and the U11 coaches should be very proud of what they have achieved. Coach Mike Wakelam even managed to add extra summer sessions for the U11 players at the ballpark and the batting cages in Northwick Park.

The players are recognising the extra effort made by the coaches and they are responding by working even harder.

Herts Little League players from Hemel Hempstead, Watford, St Albans and the surrounding regions enjoyed a day which they could only dream about before this weekend. Major League Baseball (MLB) and the European Big League Tour (EBLT) joined forces with BaseballSoftballUK (BSUK), the development agency for baseball and softball in the United Kingdom, and London Sports to bring five of the biggest baseball stars in the world to London.

The EBLT was the brainchild of Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher and native Netherlander, Rick van den Hurk, who got the idea to bring a piece of the Major Leagues back home during the 2008-09 season. In an article for MLB.COM he said: “When I was little, I was a big baseball fan, and I never really got the chance to go to the United States and watch any Major League games, so I decided to set up a tour and bring baseball here.”

Van den Hurk was joined for the London tour by Kansas City Royals pitcher, Jeremy Guthrie, New York Yankees outfielder, Chris Dickerson, Washington Nationals outfielder, Roger “the Shark” Bernadina and Seattle Mariners outfielder, Kalian Sams.

The five baseball stars headed for the David Beckham SoccerDome in Greenwich, London, to run a series of sessions for young baseball players aged 6 to 16 from across the United Kingdom. The event proved to be so popular that it could have been booked many times over. Among the participants were many of the players from Herts Baseball Club’s youth teams based in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. They had the opportunity not only to learn from the best players in the game, but also to show their talent.

Kansas City Royals pitcher, Jeremy Guthrie, said: “”They’re so similar to how I was. They want to see what a Major League player thinks about their game. They want to show their arm off or show how well they can hit the ball. That’s what’s fun. It’s a neat experience to be able to compliment them and encourage them and give them the hope that they can make a career out of this if they continue to work hard.”

This proved to be the case for one Herts player who made an impression on the MLB stars. This prompted an EBLT representative to enquire about the young player and seek him and his parents out after the event. (hertsbaseball.com cannot provide more information on this at this time until authorised by MLB, EBLT and the player’s parents.)

After the clinic the young players had the opportunity to sit down and have a chat with the stars in an open question-and-answer session and pick up tips and learn more about the players. When meeting these players in person you wouldn’t think that they are MLB superstars receiving millions of dollars in salaries and playing in front of 50,000 fans every week. They were so down-to-earth and immediately established a connection with the hundreds of young players and parents who came to the event.

Everyone became so attached to the MLB players during their London tour that so many are now following them on twitter. Jeremy Guthrie now has over 42,000 followers and that number is rising (follow him on Twitter @TheRealJGuts). He is still keeping everyone entertained with his Top 10 things I DID/DID NOT expect to see in London. Speaking with MLB.COM he said: “”When I travel, I don’t sleep. I don’t have time to sleep when I’m trying to see the entire city of London,” Guthrie said. “I took my wife out on the Boris Bikes here, and we’ve seen the entire city maybe three or four times. We try to take every tour we can, so for me the vacation is not a vacation, and there’s no vacation after the vacation — but I love it.”

One thing is for sure, the event has inspired the British Baseball community as it prepares for the 2013 baseball season, especially the young players who are buzzing at the moment and many saying that this has been the best day of their lives.

Herts Baseball Club President, Aspi Dimitrov said: “We are grateful to the players, the EBLT, BSUK, MLB, London Sports, the volunteers and everyone else who made this special event possible and for welcoming our club’s young players. They can’t wait for Spring Training to come and we hope that in the coming months and years we can work together with schools, the media and other organisations to spread the word and continue the amazing growth of baseball and softball in this country with particular focus on getting the kids playing the game.”

As Jeremy Guthrie said in a tweet: “Talent in Europe is coming, you’ll see!”

Players from 6 to 16 years of age can join the Herts youth teams at any time of the year. To join the club or for more information contact Herts Baseball Club. Adults over the age of 14 can join the club’s adult league teams. From complete beginners to experienced professionals, everyone is welcome to join the Herts teams.

For at least 5,000 years, people have run, jumped, swam, kicked things, hit each other and thrown a variety of round, oval or pointy objects, all in the name of sport.

At first these games were individual affairs: one Greek against another, lobbing a stone plate into the distance. But at some point we started organising ourselves into teams. Later, perhaps, teams would appoint a captain, someone to lead, motivate or just shout at the other players. Finally, team managers were introduced, to pick the team, plan the strategy and take the blame.

One of the key jobs for any team manager is the team talk. When the half-time whistle blows, and the football players trudge off, three-nil down after some inept defending, the manager will carefully deploy a range of techniques to turn things around. Arsene Wenger may offer a logical analysis of pass completion percentages; while Sir Alex Ferguson prefers the hairdryer and a well-aimed football boot to the kidneys.

In baseball, the manager has more opportunities to butt in with helpful advice: in the dugout, between innings, or during a flamboyant visit to the mound. And in last Saturday’s season finale between the Giants and the Dodgers, Coach Mike Wakelam found the perfect time and the perfect words to make the difference.

Over on the posh diamonds, the U14s and U17s were in playoff action. But here, the drama was somehow more personal. The Giants trailed by three games to one in the series. We would play a 4-inning game, then a 5-inning game. If the Giants could win these two games to draw level, there would be a one-inning decider for the championship title.

Both teams fielded familiar line-ups, with a couple of additions. A new arrival for the Dodgers: Niklas Makwana, a cricketer with a fearsome throwing arm, looking to apply his batting and fielding skills to this, the junior game. Noah Haines came in for the Giants: he also looked pretty handy during pre-game practice.

Game 1 started in a cagey fashion, scoreless after one inning despite Noah Haines hitting a confident double. In the second, Niklas also doubled for the Dodgers, advancing to third on an error in the same play and scoring during the next at-bat. Ozan Martin also scored thanks to a Tom Garton double. But the Giants hit straight back, with a string of singles and two runs. The Giants’ inning was ended with an individual double play, as Tom Garton caught a fly ball from Noah Haines at third base before tagging out Noah Lynch. The scores were tied 2-2. In the third, no Dodgers batters achieved a hit. For the Dodgers, Ben Jupp got on base and scored when Oliver Durer hit a double. Three to two for the Giants. The Dodgers couldn’t find a run at the top of the last, and so Game 1 ended with a narrow win for the Giants.

The Dodgers now held a slim one-game lead over the Giants. Could the Giants level the series ?

The Giants were now the visiting team and first to bat. Alex Trautman singled, then Ben Jupp hit a double to deep right field. Noah Haines hit a single to bring home both Trautman and Jupp, and Haines then scored, as did Lewis Auchterlounie, with RBIs for Oliver Durer and Alex Jones. Four runs to the Giants, which looked more impressive when they picked up three quick outs to close out the Dodgers.

The Giants’ strong batting form continued in the second inning. Alex Trautman bunted cheekily for a single, Christian Lynch got on base, and then Ben Jupp stepped up again to blast a two-RBI triple. Singles from Haines, Oliver Durer, Jones and Trautman brought two more runs, and the Giants suddenly found themselves 8-0 ahead.

Things were looking bleak for the Dodgers, and the mood didn’t improve as they went scoreless again at the bottom of the second. At least they pegged back the Giants in the third, which included a double play as newcomer Noah Haines failed to tag up on a fly ball caught by pitcher Nicholas Durer. At bat, the Dodgers finally got onto the scoreboard, with a ground rule double from Ozan Martin and a line drive from Jonathan Wakelam for a two-RBI single. 8-2 to the Giants after three innings.

Despite achieving three quick outs at the top of the fourth, gloom was spreading in the ranks of the Dodgers. It was hot, players were tired, and they saw the coveted title slipping away from them. Coach Mike gathered his players. “Don’t worry about the score”, he told them “Let’s relax, swing the bat and have fun out there.”

Fired up, the Dodgers looked a changed team. Niklas Makwana hit a single, then managed to sprint home all the way from first base while the Dodgers fielded an outfield line drive from William Morillo. Two more singles loaded the bases, and Ozan Martin stepped up to hit a 2-RBI double straight past second base. Rory Vangundy finished up the inning by hitting a single to bring home Garton and Martin. Five runs to the Dodgers, and now it was 8-7.

Rattled, the Giants hit back. The first seven batters reached first base, and three runs were scored before Oliver Durer was forced out at home plate to close the inning. The Dodgers needed four to tie, five to win. Coach Mike took his team into a huddle. “You hit five runs in the last inning – just go out there and do it again.” A group shout of “Dodgers” filled the Grovehill ballpark.

After five at-bats, they had scored one run but were two down. Ozan Martin then hit a single and Nicholas Durer ran in. Now Jonathan Wakelam hit a huge line drive to the right field fence, allowing Thomas Garton to score and putting Ozan on third. Rory Vangundy came to the plate and followed suit for another RBI. Scores were tied. Up stepped Niklas. He needed only one pitch to drive the ball past Christian Lynch at second base; Jonathan Wakelam sprinted in from third, crossed home plate and the Dodgers erupted.

To mark the end of this Dodgers vs Giants series, there was a short presentation. Coach Paul and Coach Mike awarded medals to the outstanding players of today’s games: Oliver Durer for the Giants, and Niklas Makwana for the Dodgers. Both coaches thanked players and parents for their commitment over the course of a rain-shortened season, and commented on the enormous progress made by all the players in all areas of the game. It only remained to spray the Perrier and present the handsome crystal trophy to the winning Dodgers team, who will keep it until this classic series resumes in the spring.

Game 1

Game 2

Season Batting Averages

The British Baseball Federation’s U17 playoffs took place at Grovehill Ballpark, Hertfordshire, on one of probably the only three good-weather days of this year so-far. These playoffs traditionally feature the best of young talent in British baseball, and this proved to be the case again this year.

In the first game of the day, Herts U17 faced the Forest Glade Redbacks, in an encounter that should have been a much more even-keeled affair than the final score suggested. Partly, this may have been due to a tactical gamble by the Forest Glade management not to start with their hardest-throwing pitcher available, and partly it was due to Herts’ unremitting ability to put bat on ball, or, most likely, on the cool and collected performance of Herts’ pitcher, Marty Cullen Jr., who was on the mound from start to finish, allowing a single hit in the last inning to break a no-hitter. The Redbacks pitchers gave a good account of themselves, and gave up relatively few walks, but were unable to keep the Herts’ bats leashed. The offensive highlights included a 3-run jack to left-centre field by Liam Green, who went 4-for-4 and was only lacking a triple for the cycle, and Tom Everex-Armstrong with 4, and Kieran Manning, with 3 RBI’s in the game. The game finished Herts 23 Forest Glade Redbacks 0.

Click to view Herts vs Redbacks box scores and play-by-play

After the flush of the win, Herts had to face pretty much everybody’s favourites for this year’s title – the London Mets. Zack Longboy started on the mound for Herts and gave a creditable performance, allowing only 3 earned runs in 3 and 2/3 innings to the hard-hitting Mets lineup. However, good hitting combined with some errors allowed the London team to gradually build a lead, which, by the 4th inning was a respectable 7 runs. This was sufficient for the Mets starter, Kazuma, who went 4 and 1/3 innings, with 7 strikeouts and allowing only a single earned run. The Mets then switched their hard-hitting short stop with the pitcher, and he closed the game, throwing a couple of strikeouts in the bargain, putting the Mets through to the Semi-Final in the Lake District next week. The game ended London Mets 13 Herts 2

Click to view Herts vs Mets box scores and play-by-play

The third game of the U17 playoffs pitched the highly touted Horsham Hornets against the Cobham Cougars. This proved to be the most competitive game on the day, with a number of exciting plays, good pitching and defensive plays. Despite a depleted squad, the Cobham Cougars were able to book their place for the finals next week with a 4 to 3 win.

The Herts U14 team went into the playoffs with only one win during the 2012 regular season and the odds stacked heavily against them. But this was the postseason and there was an extra belief that the team will be able to pull off an upset. Their opponents were the Forest Glade Redbacks, a team which had the upper hand having beaten Herts twice during the regular season.

The youngsters form Hertfordshire had a dream start. The first 6 batters reached base with 3 walks and 3 hits. The seventh batter was Alex Guthrie and he delivered a crushing blow with a 3-run home run over the left centerfield wall. This gave Herts a 7-0 lead. There were still no outs but Forest Glade’s pitcher managed to regain his composure and struck out the next 3 batters to end the inning.

THE GAMBLE

Aspi Dimitrov who was standing in for manager Kent Peterson decided to change the Herts starting pitcher before he had even taken the mound in the bottom of the first. This was an unusual move. In MLB it is only likely to happen when the starting pitcher sustains an injury during warm-up.

“We have very little pitching depth and felt that with an early 7-0 lead we could win the game using relief pitchers in order to save our ace pitcher, Callum Vangundy, in the event that we win this first game and have to face the top seed London Mets” said Dimitrov. “It was a gamble which could improve our chances against the Mets dramatically, but it was risky as a loss in this first game would mean that there would be no game against the Mets and we would end up underutilising a key player.”

Another factor which played a part was that, despite being given the signal to start warming up partway through the top of the first inning, this was not the ideal preparation for Tom Jansson-Wright to jump on the mound at such short notice. On top of that he had to adapt to pitching from an artificial mound for the first time. The Redbacks responded with 11 runs in the bottom of the first inning. Alec Broadbent came in to pitch and struck out the final batter for the third out in that difficult first inning for Herts. Broadbent went on to give his team 3 and one-third innings of solid pitching allowing only 4 runs and striking out 5.

Herts needed a repeat of their explosive first inning, but the Redbacks pitching staff settled down and recorded 4 consecutive scoreless innings. Time was running out for the team from Hertfordshire. The team was trailing 15-7. The gamble didn’t pay off.

Broadbent was reaching his pitch count limit for the day and Callum Vangundy came in to pitch the last 2 innings of the game.

Despite walking four batters he got out of the jam with brilliant fielding to turn a double play at home and third base and then retired the last batter with a strikeout, without any runners crossing home plate.

THE COMEBACK

This was the spark that the team needed going into the final inning. Herts were trailing by 8 runs which seemed like an insurmountable lead. Suddenly there was a light at the end of the tunnel. The first 4 batters, Drew Mayhew, Alec Broadbent, Tom Jansson-Wright and Callum Vangundy each reached base with a hit. The Rebacks managed to retire the next two batters. The score was now 15-10 but crucially there were 2 outs. Herts needed to score 5 more runs without giving up an out. Alex Guthrie was next up. He continued his exceptional day with his third extra-base hit of the game to drive in 2 more runs. He went 3-4 HR 2B(2) with 5 RBI. Tom Adams followed with a big 1-run triple to make the score 13-15.

THE CONTROVERSIAL PINCH HITTER

With the Herts U17 team having completed their game on the adjacent diamond, the Herts U14 team was reinforced with the arrival of 13-year-old Tom Everex-Armstrong whose impressive performances earned him a promotion to the U17 team this season but he was still eligible to play in the U14 league. Aspi Dimitrov called time to announce that Tom Everex-Armstrong will be the next batter pinch hitting in the ninth spot of the batting order. This energised the Herts bench and fans even more. Everyone was on their feet and comments like “here comes the cavalry” could be heard from the stands.

Before the game could resume, the Forest Glade coaching staff called time to make an official protest. Everex-Armstrong’s 6ft 1in muscular frame certainly didn’t seem that of an under-14 player so the Redbacks could be forgiven for being concerned, especially as they were aware that the player had played an U17 playoff game earlier in the day. The BBF Technical Commissioner, Blake Taylor, was called in to deal with the official protest. After checking the Herts roster registration forms and the player’s date of birth it was confirmed that the player is eligible to play at U14 level, so after a 15-minute delay, the drama could resume.

Tom Everex-Armstrong came up to bat with 2 outs and a runner on third base, but Herts was still trailing 15-12 and the tying run was on deck, so it was surprising to see the Redbacks deciding to walk him intentionally, which meant that Drew Mayhew could now come up to bat representing the tying run.

Mayhew worked a walk. The at bat included two wild pitches which allowed two runs to score and Mayhew even managed to advance to second on the ball 4 wild pitch and later to third base. The tying run was just 70ft away now. All eyes were on the next batter, Alec Broadbent. With two outs and two strikes against him he managed to put the ball in play and it was now all down to whether he can beat it out at first. He did, sliding into the base and driving Drew Mayhew home to tie the game. The next Herts batter struck out so they couldn’t take the lead but the team was still alive after an incredible 8-run final inning.

They now needed faultless defence, but credit goes to the Redbacks. It was their turn to bat under pressure and they delivered. A ground ball in the hole between shortstop and third base was enough to put the batter on first base representing the winning run. He was driven home by a hit from Adam which travelled all the way to the outfield fence to end the game.

Click to view box scores and play-by-play.

Herts coach, Aspi Dimitrov, was positive after the game despite a heartbreaking loss: “The gamble at the start of the game didn’t pay off, but we are very proud of the players for showing incredible character to come back and tie the game when everyone had written us off. Even multi-million dollar MLB players would find it difficult to keep their energy up faced with an 8-run deficit going into the final inning. All of our players who started on the bench managed to get into the game and they all contributed. We knew at the start of the season that this is a transitional year for a brand new generation of players in the U14 team but coach Kent Peterson and the rest of the coaching staff have put in a lot of work and this is starting to bear fruit. We are now looking forward to the Herts Futures Tournament on 22 September.”