Category: Youth Leagues

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Players now registering for the 2017 Herts baseball…and softball season

The wait is over. Player registration for the 2017 season has commenced.

SOFTBALL

In addition to adult and youth baseball, this year will see the launch of the Herts softball programme. This will enable the club to offer playing opportunities to a much wider audience and to women in particular. Slowpitch Softball is the more recreational version of the game, which is equally appealing to male and female players. Softball is a social and enjoyable game that’s easy to learn and play, even for people who are not “athletes” or don’t have much experience of team sports. The fact that men and women play together in the same team and on an equal level gives the sport a social buzz.

There will be four open softball sessions to get the programme started and give as many male and female players the opportunity to give it a try for free.  The first session is at 10am on Sunday, 12 February. These first few sessions will be held indoors at the modern sports facilities of John F Kennedy School in Hemel Hempstead. All equipment will be provided so anyone aged 14 and over can come and enjoy the day, meet new friends and try a new sport. For more details about the Herts Softball Programme click here. If you are interested to come and try softball at any of the upcoming  open sessions contact us and we will provide you with full details and add you to our mailing list.

ADULT LEAGUES

Herts has already completed the 2017 British Baseball League entry process and will be represented by three teams. The Herts Falcons will be looking to bounce back in the National Baseball League after a season in which they had more losses than wins. Herts Hawks have made the step up to the Double-A League after winning the Single-A National title. The Herts Raptors will be flying the flag in the Single-A League, looking to repeat or even improve on last year’s amazing season in which they reached the playoff quarter finals, eliminating the reigning national champions Tonbridge along the way.

KEY DATES – ADULT TEAMS

5 February – Adult team players report for first Spring Training indoor session

5 March – Adult teams return to Grovehill Ballpark for the first time in 2017

18 March – Start of the 2017 Herts Spring League

2 April* – Opening Day (National Baseball League)

2-9 April*, Opening Day (Double-A and Single-A Leagues)

May – Start of Midweek Evening Baseball

August-September – Postseason Playoffs and National Championships

September-October – Hunlock Series

* – these are preliminary dates. The BBF will be making its official announcements in due course.

YOUTH LEAGUES

The hard work which the Herts youth teams have put in over the last few years is starting to pay off and it must have felt good for all the players and coaching staff to see the teams do so well in 2016.  They may have fallen at the semi-final stage in the National Baseball Championships, but those games were worthy of being the Finals of the respective age groups.  But the success of the youth programme is not measured only by looking at where the teams finish in the National Championships.  The coaches have built something very special which the players and their families enjoy being part of every week.

The British Baseball Federation has provided preliminary details of a model which they hope to adopt in 2017 which is expected to enhance youth baseball further and make it even more attractive to boys and girls of all ages.  We will keep you updated as more details come out about the upcoming season.

KEY DATES – YOUTH TEAMS

5 February – U17 and U15 players report for first Spring Training indoor session

11 February – U13 and U11 players report for first Spring Training indoor session

March – First session at Grovehill Ballpark for the youth teams

April – U17, U15, U13, U12, U8 Season Opening Day

June – Little League UK Qualifiers (U17, U15, U13, U11)

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

September – National Youth Baseball Championships (U17, U15, U13, U11)

September – Herts Futures Tournament (U17, U15, U13, U11, U8)

HOW TO REGISTER FOR THE 2017 HERTS BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL SEASON

Herts Baseball Club has commenced the 2017 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 2017 members by completing this form.

by Rob Jones

Excelling Young Men: Herts Kites 2016

Once autumn fades away, baseball does not fade away. Instead it begins its awards season. For the Major League players in the US, this means the Cy Young award, the leagues’ Most Valuable Player, and Gold Gloves for the top fielders.

Well, things are no different at Herts baseball! Club-wide voting is under way for several awards, and teams will also give out gongs. First out of the blocks this year are the Herts Kites, the Under-17 team, who enjoyed a tremendously successful season. Their coach and spiritual leader Andrew Fulford here gives us his take on how it all went:

“Wow, what a season. It started off with a bunch of shy and intimidated 13, 14, & 15 year olds on a U17 Herts Baseball Club, and I believe we ended the season with confident and excelling young men. For some, it was their first year of baseball and for others it’s been a life long passion. Regardless, every single one of them improved in their individual performances and as a team.

U-17s in Herts Futures action

At the beginning of the year I selected two Captains, Adam White (Veteran) and Lucas Lebrato (Rookie) they both did a fantastic job in leading our team this year. These guys are natural leaders. We will miss Adam White as a player next season, but hope to see him back as a Junior Coach.

While on the topic, I want to give a huge thank you to Jeff Witter and Duane Badenhorst. Both of you were a huge help to me this season, and the quality of training and coaching would not have been near the same without your voluntary help. Thank you to all other parents who contributed this season, including Genevieve Chew, who did most of our scoring.

The fundamentals

This season we alternated games and practices. One Saturday was a double header, the next would be a 4 hour practice. There’s no doubt in my mind that these long and hard practices paid off.

At the beginning of the season I was pulling my hair out during the games, because not every player was familiar with the fundamentals of the game. At the end of the season, I swear we knew exactly what we were doing in any situation.

I was able to keep my hair, but not my beard unfortunately. After losing a bet to the team in one of our practices, (betting that out of an entire bucket of balls, no one would throw from centerfield into a bucket) my beard was in their hands.

The team wins, the beard loses

As Manager, I’ve had an absolute blast this season, and I hope all the players and parents feel the same way. This season being my first as a Manager, I took it easy on you guys. I played Mr. Nice Guy to make you all like me, but next season you’re gonna be pushed a lot harder. Why? Because we got unfinished business to take care of.

This season we were just getting on our feet, and we did more than that! Winning the Herts Future Tournament screams of the potential success we’ll have for next year.

Mental strength

But we need to work harder than ever before, we got to want the Little League Championship. We gotta crave that National Championship Trophy. Everyone’s heart has to be in it!

Whether you’re a starter or a sub, you are all a vital part of us being the best. Remember the theme of most my talks this season was about our Mental Game, its gotta be strong and must be positive, Mental Strength is what wins ball games.

To complete the recap, we have some award announcements – but before we get into that, there’s just one more thing to mention.

You all are at a very important age in life, I know you probably hear this all the time from your teachers in school, but it’s true. Take it from me, I’m not your parents’ age, I’m 25 years old and being your age is fresher in my mind. (No offense parents)

You guys will blink and before you know it you’ll have your independence and a whirl of responsibilities. Being 14, 15, 16 its now time to find a balance in your lifestyles. Yes, no matter how old you are, fun and social life should be on the priority list. But right now you’re shaping your futures, being your age feels invincible and you’re anxious to be a bit older so you can drive and have additional liberties.

Kites, with London Sports, taking on an Australian side

But hear me clearly when I say, you’re only this age ONCE. And that means two things, one, you better be having lots and lots of fun discovering who you are. And two, have some sincerity in choosing the course you want to take in your life. Learn from those older than you, seek advice and guidance in every step to adulthood. There’s lots of people around you who want to support and who really care. And as I’ve said before you all can speak to me about anything, even if I’m harder on you guys next year in practice. I’m still your friend off the field.

Now enough of the wishy washy stuff, without further ado, here is the 2016 Herts Kites Awards! Literally every single one of you deserve an award making it very difficult for me to choice one person per category.

MVP – Aaron Witter

Aaron is certainly deserving of this award. With his fantastic pitching performances, clutch at bats, and glove in the infield. He really carried his teammates when they needed him. Not only is he MVP but Adam White has passed on his Captain legacy to Aaron for next season.

Infield Golden Glove – Juon Oono

Anytime the ball was hit to Juon I would take a nice big sigh of relief because I knew it was a guaranteed out. He was also one of our strongest catchers this season. Not many people work harder and are more dedicated to the game than Juon.

Outfield Golden Glove – Jamie Warren

Anyone who has watched Jamie play baseball, know they are watching a master at work. He is by far one of the most mechanically sound players I’ve seen. All around a fantastic player and was incredible to see some great diving catches in CF this season from Jamie.

Slugger Award – Felix Maldonado

Felix has some beastly at bats this season. Leading the team in extra base hits. We all hope to see more of that from him next year!

Rookie of the Year – Matthew Lister

This is a well deserved award. Matt showed up at the beginning of the season with little to no baseball experience at all. By the end of the season, he became a player I could rely on. Both at the plate, on base, and in the OF. Congrats Matt!

Cy Young Award – Tyler Badenhorst

Well, lets not toot his horn to much, but I think its safe to say Herts Baseball acquired one the best to ever play in British Baseball at the end of last season. Tyler is a phenomenal ball player, not only that, but a GREAT kid. His fastball never ceases to give me a nice breeze when coaching from the dugout. He really helped us out at the end of the season with some great pitching performances. Welcome aboard Tyler!

And to the rest of the team …..

Adam White; Giuseppe Basilea;  Michael Johnson; Tom Weatherilt; Plamen Georgiev; Matthew Benge; Maximilian Ixer; Oliver Durer;  Tobi Simmons;  Robert Wallace; Lucas Lebrato;  Thomas Garton.

…. you guys are all incredibly talented!”

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts, LYBL and London Sports are the HFT winners

This was another fantastic Herts Futures Tournament with 20 teams entering the four different age divisions.

UNDER-17

In the Under-17 Division Herts Kites had their revenge over the London Mets who beat them in an epic National Championship Semi-Final six days earlier.  Herts won 10-4 on this occasion and with a win over London Sports won the U17 division of this year’s HFT.

UNDER-13

Herts and LYBL finished top of their respective groups, but in the final LYBL proved too strong for Herts winning the U13 HFT championship convincingly.

UNDER-11

LYBL and London Sports were both unbeaten in the group stages.  The Final was a closely fought encounter which London Sports won 2-1

UNDER-8

The youngest age group saw players aged 4 to 7 from Herts, Leicester, London Mets and London Sports. London Sports and Leicester met in their final game of the day both with a 100% record.  Their head-to-head clash ended in a 13-13 so both teams finish in first place.

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

2017 BASEBALL SEASON

The Herts Futures Tournament has rounded off the 2017 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 2017 season or giving baseball a try when the teams return to the ballpark in the new year.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

20 teams heading to the Herts Futures Tournament this Saturday

20 teams will be in action at the 2014 Herts Futures Tournament (HFT) which will take place this Saturday, 17 September 2016.

UNDER-17

Three teams will play a league format facing each of their opponents. The team finishing top will be the U17 HFT champion.

U17 TEAMS
Herts Kites (U17)
London Mets (U17)
London Sports (U17)

UNDER-13

The seven U13 teams have been divided into two pools of 4 and 3 teams. They will play in a league format, facing each of their opponents in their pool. The teams which finish top of their pool will play in the Final for the U13 HFT Championship.

U13 (POOL A) TEAMS
Herts (U13)
London Mets (U13)
London Sports (U13)
Northampton Centurions (U13)

U13 (POOL B) TEAMS
Brighton (U13)
Essex All Stars (U13)
LYBL Bulldogs (U13)

UNDER-11

The six U11 teams have been divided into two pools of three teams. They will play a game against each of their opponents in their pool. The teams which finish top of their pool will play in the Final for the U11 HFT Championship.

U11 (POOL A) TEAMS
Herts (U11)
Leicester Blue Sox (U11)
London Sports (U11)

U11 (POOL B) TEAMS
Brighton/London (U11)
Forest Glade RedBacks (U11)
LYBL Bulldogs (U11)

UNDER-8

The four U8 teams will play each of their opponents in a league format. The team finishing on top of the standings would be the 2016 U8 HFT Champion.

U8 TEAMS
Herts (U8)
Leicester Blue Sox (U8)
London Mets (U8)
London Sports (U8)

The opening ceremony will take place at 10:30am. The first games begin at 9am 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 4 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.

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.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Rain affects all Saturday YNBC semi-finals. Sunday games schedule revised.

After the cancellation of all YNBC games on Saturday the British Baseball Federation has published the revised games schedule for Sunday, 11 September, which is as follows:

U16 SCHEDULE

Sunday, 11 September 2016

8:00am, Semi-Final: Herts Kites (U16) @ London Mets (U16) (on Field 1)

10:o0am, Semi-Final: London Sports (U16) @ LYBL (U16) (on Field 1)

12:00pm, Final: SF1 Winner vs SF2 Winner (on Field 1)

 

U13 SCHEDULE

Sunday, 11 September 2016

10:00am, Wild Card Eliminator: Brighton (U13) @ Herts (U13) (on Field 2)

12:30pm, Semi-Final 1: Winner of Wild Card Eliminator @ LYBL (U13) (on Field 3)

12:30pm, Semi-Final 2: London Mets (U13) @ London Sports (U13) (on Field 2)

3:00pm, Final: SF1 Winner vs SF2 Winner (on Field 2)

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts U16 and U13 baseball teams going for the National Championship this weekend

Since publishing this article Saturday’s games were cancelled due to rain.  We are expecting confirmation of the revised games schedule for Sunday.

The Herts Hawks brought the Single-A League National Championship trophy back from Farnham Park last Sunday. This weekend it’s the turn of the Herts youth teams as they go into the Under-16 and Under-13 National Baseball Championship.

HERTS KITES (U16)

The Herts U16 team has been given the toughest draw possible as they face the London Mets U16 on Saturday in the Semi-Final. Back in 2013 Herts were in exactly the same situation facing the London Mets in the Semi-Final with the odds stacked heavily against them, but they overcame the Mets in an unforgettable 6-4 win. In 2013 the name of the Herts U17 team was the Herts Harriers. This year the age groups were realigned from U17 to U16 and manager Andrew Fulford and his team have just announced that they will enter the National Baseball Championships with the team name Herts Kites, named after the bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which can be seen regularly flying over Grovehill Ballpark, the home of Herts Baseball Club.

If the Herts Kits win their semi-final on Saturday they will face either LYBL or London Sports in the final later on the same day.

U16 SCHEDULE

Saturday, 10 September 2016

9:30am, Semi-Final: Herts Kites (U16) @ London Mets (U16) (on Field 1)

11:30am, U16 Skills Competition

1:30pm, Semi-Final: London Sports (U16) @ LYBL (U16) (on Field 1)

4:30pm, Final: SF1 Winner vs SF2 Winner (on Field 1)

HERTS (U13)

The Herts U13 team also has a difficult task if they are to reach the National Final. They will face London Sports and London Mets in the qualifying round on Saturday. From the five teams in that round the team finishing last will be eliminated and the remaining four will go through to the Semi-Finals on Sunday, with the Semi-Final winners facing each other to determine the 2016 U13 National Champions.

Manager Mike Wakelam and the rest of the Herts U13 coaching staff know that this is going to be a major challenge for the team, but they know that the team is capable of beating any of the top seeds this weekend.

U13 SCHEDULE

Saturday, 10 September 2016

Qualifying Round

12:00pm Herts (U13) @ London Sports (U13) (on Field 3)

2:30pm U13 Skills Competition

4:30pm, Herts (U13) @ London Mets (U13) (on Field 3)

 

Sunday, 11 September 2016

9:30am, Semi Final: 4th seed @ 1st seed (on Field 2)

12:00am, Semi Final: 3rd seed @ 2nd seed (on Field 2)

3:00pm, Final: Lower seed @ Higher seed (on Field 2)

VENUE

All games will be played at the Farnham Park National Baseball and Softball Complex in Slough (Beaconsfield Road,Slough,SL2 3BP).

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Gary Lineker-like gamble backfires on Herts U17 baseball manager


Football and non-football fans will be glued to their TV screens this Saturday evening as Match of the Day returns for the start of the new Premier League season. The reason is something which happened in the first few weeks of last season when 5000-to-1 outsiders, Leicester City, found themselves top of the table. At the time this was seen as something which can happen in the early weeks of the season and everyone assumed that order will quickly be restored by the big spenders taking their places at the top. When Leicester-fan Gary Lineker said at the time that he would present the first Match of the Day show of the new season in his underpants if Leicester become Premier League Champions, everyone accepted it as one of those throw-away remarks that people say sometimes to illustrate just how improbable a scenario is. 10 months later and the nation is waiting to see if Gary Lineker will deliver on his promise.

At the weekend the manager of the Herts Under-17 baseball team, Andrew Fulford, found himself in a similar predicament. A few weeks ago, in an effort to give his players an incentive, he promised to shave his beard if they manage to throw two balls into a bucket all the way from centerfield. A bookmaker would probably give such an outcome odds of around 5000-to-1, so, like Gary Lineker, Fulford must have felt that the odds are on his side. The improbable happened and on Saturday his players were looking forward to shaving his beard as the main event of a barbeque party at Grovehill Ballpark.

Coach Fulford had written off his beard but in an effort to salvage at least his sideburns, he included a gentle warning for his players in one of his weekly emails. The message read: ”I wasn’t sure if we won the Little League World Series or if Babe Ruth got resurrected, but being able to shave my beard got you guys a little excited. As agreed, you guys threw 2 balls into the bucket from centerfield, and now my beard is in your fragile little hands. If you guys even get close to my sideburns, you’ll be doing 100 push-ups while you eat your hot dogs.”

We understand that, while the sideburns are still intact, the beard is gone. Gary Lineker, over to you.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

European Champions – Straight Outta Herts

Marianna Casal and Theo Longboy became Under-19 European Softball Champions at the weekend.

Herts fans will recognise their names as both came through the Herts youth baseball programme. 2008 saw the inaugural season of the Herts Little League and at the time it is unlikely that Marianna and Theo would have expected to find themselves wearing the GB Team jersey playing in, and winning, the European Championships eight years later. Coaches Lee Manning and Marty Cullen who founded the club’s youth baseball programme had set very ambitious targets for the project but seeing two members of the league reach such heights is unlikely to have been one of those targets.

Both girls were seven years old when they joined Herts but they didn’t seem to mind competing against older players, most of whom were boys. This, along with the fact that they came from families which spent most of their time at the ballpark, may have helped them along the way.

Even when they weren’t playing they would be at the field in various capacities from cheering on their older brothers Carlos Casal and Zack Longboy or their dads who play for the Herts adult league teams to singing the national anthem in front of a large audience at the National Baseball Championships.

This is the first time that a Great Britain Fastpitch Softball Team has ever won a European Championship at any age level. Coincidentally, while the GB U19 National Team was battling it out in Spain last week, the International Olympic Committee announced that baseball and softball have been added back to the list of sports to be played at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Following the excellent play by the GB Women’s Team at the World Championship in Canada last month, it means that GB Softball is on the rise at exactly the right time, with the sport back in the Olympics for 2020 and a Europe/Africa Olympic Qualifier likely to happen in three years’ time.

 

GB Team photos courtesy of Amanda Murphy

A good number of the players who went undefeated in this year’s U19 European Championships, with a record of 10-0 and two wins over both Italy and the Czech Republic, are bound to be involved when that Olympic Qualifier comes around. We have no idea if Marianna and Theo will get the call up, but it will be exciting for us Herts baseball fans to follow their progress in the coming years.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

2016 Herts Futures Tournament details announced

Herts Baseball Club has announced that the 2016 Herts Futures Tournament will take place on Saturday, 17 September 2016.

The Herts Futures Tournament (HFT) has been held every year since 2008 and is now a permanent fixture in the British baseball calendar. Last year was a record year for the HFT with 20 teams entering the competition, which makes it the largest youth baseball event in the United Kingdom. It will be interesting to see how many teams will enter this year. If the number continues to increase the club will have to consider ways of expanding the venue further.

The event 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 UK. Grovehill Ballpark is the home of Herts Baseball Club. Over the years the venue has been selected to host some of the biggest events in the British baseball calendar including the National Baseball Championships. During the Herts Futures Tournament additional diamonds are added to cater for all the age groups.

This year’s edition is expected to cover the Under-17, Under-13, Under-11 and Under-8 age groups.

For more information about the event or if you require details about how teams can enter the Tournament or how players can join the Herts teams in time for the HFT, visit the Herts Futures Tournament homepage or contact Herts Baseball Club.