Category: U17

10 January 202310 January 2023 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts publishes Spring Training schedules for its adult and youth league teams

The BBF has indicated that the Opening Weekend of the NBL season is expected to be 15-16 April 2023. For the other leagues the Opening Weekend is expected to be 22-23 April 2023, although some lower league teams may play their opening games on 15-16 April 2023. More will be known when the BBF league schedules are published.

This is later than in previous years and the Spring Training schedule of the Herts teams has been adjusted accordingly to reflect this.

The Herts youth league is expected to start slightly earlier than last year.

Here are the key 2023 Spring Training dates for the Herts adult and youth league teams. Events are subject to change due to weather or other reasons.

National Baseball League

Players will report for Spring Training on Sunday, 26 February 2023. This includes players who have expressed interest in trying out for the NBL. The schedule will include four weeks of training and three weeks of Spring Training games.

Click here to express interest in trying out for the NBL

Triple-A, Double-A and Single-A League

Players will report for Spring Training on Sunday, 5 February 2023. Double-A and Single-A players based in Hemel Hempstead will start with several training sessions indoors. The schedule will include eight weeks of training and three weeks of Spring Training games.

Herts Spring League

The Herts Spring League is scheduled to start on the weekend of 1-2 April by which point the team managers are expected to have announced their preliminary rosters. The HSL will run for three weeks for Triple-A, Double-A and Single-A teams and for two weeks for the NBL teams as their BBF league season starts a week earlier.

Teams are expected to announce their Opening Day rosters shortly after their final HSL games.

Herts U15, U13, U11 youth league teams

Herts youth players will report for Spring Training on Saturday, 25 February 2023. The first four weeks will take place indoors alternating between indoor venues in Hemel Hempstead and in NW London. This will be followed by five weeks of Spring Training at Grovehill Ballpark and Basing Hill Ballpark. The Opening Day of the various age groups of the Herts Youth Baseball League is expected to be on Saturday, 29 April, subject to confirmation.

Full schedule

Registered players can view the full list of 2023 Spring Training dates, times and venues by logging into the Clubhouse.

Players now registering for the 2023 season

27 September 202227 September 2022 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Futures Tournament this Saturday.

7 teams will be in action at the 2022 Herts Futures Tournament (HFT) which will take place this Saturday, 1 October 2022. The number is considerably lower then in previous years but it is in the context of the BBF national youth baseball championships being cancelled last week due to lack of teams so this is positive news and an opportunity to end the 2022 youth baseball season on a high.

U15 Division

Essex Redbacks (U15)
Herts Falcons (U15)
Northants Centurions (U15)

U11 Division

Essex Redbacks (U11)
Herts Hawks (U11)
Herts Londoners (U11)
Nottingham Rebels (U11)

The opening ceremony will take place at 10:45am. The first games begin at 11:15am and games will be played right up to around 3:30pm.

To view the games schedule click here.

“Herts Baseball Club welcomes new players at any time of the year” said the club’s co-Director of Youth Baseball, Aspi Dimitrov. “Any children aged between 6 and 14 who are interested to give baseball a try should contact the club. It is not too late to play in these games, regardless of whether you are a complete beginner or an advanced player.”

The HFT was first held in 2008 and is now a permanent fixture in the British baseball calendar. It brings together youth teams 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.

17 August 202217 August 2022 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts youth teams gear up for the National Baseball Championships. Badenhorst and Barrett to manage the U19s.

Herts is preparing to enter teams in all age divisions of the of the 2022 National Youth Baseball Championships – U19, U15, U13 and U11. The event is expected to take place on 24 and 25 September.

New players are continuing to register to play for the Herts teams in these games which will give them the opportunity to represent the club and compete with teams from around the UK for the national title.

The majority of these players are playing baseball for the first time in their lives this year so it will be interesting to see how they will respond to the challenge.

The club has also confirmed that Duane Badenhorst and Colin Barrett (pictured above) will be the joint managers of the Herts U19 team. Both bring a wealth of baseball experience having played and coached in South Africa and Great Britain, including at international level with the South Africa U12 National Team, South Africa Men’s Softball Team and, currently, the Great Britain Men’s Softball Team.

*Duane Badenhorst (centre) with the Herts U17 team in the Youth NBC*

Six members of the Badenhorst and Barrett families have worn the Herts jersey over the years and fans of the club will be delighted to see them back.

For more details about joining the Herts youth baseball teams for the upcoming national youth baseball championships contact us.

23 December 202123 December 2021 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Adult and youth league players now registering for the 2022 baseball season

Player registration for the 2022 season has commenced.

In 2021 Herts Baseball Club grew by 44% introducing many newcomers to the game of baseball. The goal for 2022 is to bring performance levels of all Herts adult and youth league teams up and to move up the league standings.

ADULT BASEBALL LEAGUES

How many teams will represent Herts in 2022? The next few weeks will be crucial as the number of players registering will determine how many teams will be entered before the league entry deadline; how many will play in Hemel Hempstead and how many will play in London; which leagues the teams will play in.

KEY DATES – ADULT TEAMS

(events and dates are subject to change depending on Covid-19 restrictions)

30 January – players report for Spring Training
19-20 March – Start of the 2022 Herts Spring League (subject to confirmation of the BBF League Opening Day)*
March-April – Great Britain National Team Tryouts (senior and youth teams)*
3 or 10 April – BBF League Opening Day (subject to confirmation)*
May – Midweek Evening Baseball commences
August-September* – BBF Postseason Playoffs and National Championships
September-October – Hunlock Series

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

Click here for more details of the membership packages

YOUTH BASEBALL LEAGUES

Last year saw the first season of the Herts Youth Baseball League. The number of registered youth players rose from 21 in 2020 to 75 in 2021 which is the highest in the club’s history. 2021 was just the starting point. In 2022 and subsequent years the club will aim to enhance and develop the programme further to make Herts one of the leading clubs for youth players.

KEY DATES – YOUTH TEAMS

(events and dates are subject to change depending on Covid-19 restrictions)

March – players report for Spring Training
March-April – Great Britain National Team Tryouts (senior and youth teams)*
May – Opening Day of the Herts Youth Baseball League season
May-July – Midweek evening baseball sessions
June – UK Little League Qualifiers
July – European Little League Qualifiers
mid-July – Playoffs and Finals of the Herts Youth Baseball League
September – BBF Playoffs and National Championships
September – Herts Futures Tournament

Click here for more details of the membership packages

WHICH BALLPARK WILL YOU PLAY YOUR HOME LEAGUE GAMES AT?

Herts has two ballparks. The online registration form will ask players to indicate whether they prefer to play their home league games in Hemel Hempstead or in NW London, or whether they would be happy with either. This will provide important information to club management when they configure the adult and youth team rosters for the new season.

HOW TO REGISTER FOR THE 2022 BASEBALL SEASON

Those who already have an account with the club will be prompted to register when they log on next time (click here to go to the Herts online Clubhouse and log on with your existing username and password). Those who are new to Herts Baseball Club and do not have an online account can register as members by completing this form. For more details about joining our teams in 2022 and the membership packages click here or contact us.

9 December 202111 December 2021 by Herts Baseball News Editor

2021 MVP vote results are in

The Most Valuable Players (MVP) of the ten Herts adult and youth teams have been announced. The players of each team voted to determine their team’s MVP so the results reflect who the players consider to have been the most influential members this year.

The Falcons voted for Will Zucker who led the team not only as a player but also stepped in as interim co-manager alongside Mike Cresswell in what was a very challenging year for the team. Jack O’Brien has made big strides over the last few years and this has been recognised as he was voted the Hawks MVP. 14-year-old Harry McMenamin was the Raptors MVP in what was his debut year in the BBF senior leagues. There could be no question about the Eagles MVP where Mike Wakelam led not just the team but the entire league with 9 home runs. He also led the team with a .667 batting average and 1.444 slugging average. Cory English was the Londoners MVP. He made his BBF league debut with Herts this year and in just a few months has become one of the most popular players around the league, not to mention his spectacular fielding which produced multiple nominations for Play of the Year.

The Herts U18 team voted Josh Badenhorst as the MVP after his outstanding pitching performance in the Semi-Final of the U18 National Championships. That game was suspended halfway through and is expected to resume in the Spring so he has some unfinished business. Harry McMenamin was the U15 MVP while Lucas Hao was the U13 MVP after a dominant display which almost gave Herts a win over LS. The Herts U11 league home run leader Connor O’Neill-Thompson was voted Herts Falcons U11 MVP and Cosmo English of the Herts Londoners U11 became the second member of his family to be voted MVP this year.

Dale Hardwick’s canon throw from centerfield was voted Play of the Year in a close race with Connor O’Neill-Thompson and Rory Graham and Cosmo English and Simon Painvin who turned a triple play in the U11 national championships group stages.

The winner of the not-so-coveted Nob-Out Award was Mike Cresswell who managed to fall on his face while being filmed by a high-tech 2-man camera crew and a microphone attached to him for a promotional video. The club is trying to obtain the video from the tv crew.

The club doesn’t have a personality of the year award but, if it did, it surely would have gone to 6-year-old Mason Barnaby. He was already recognised during the trophy presentation at the end of the Herts Youth Baseball League season for an outstanding act of sportsmanship. During one of the championships-deciding games he asked the umpire for time in order to run to the team bench area to encourage his teammate Owen Ridgway to rejoin the game after he had picked up a knock earlier in the day. He is one of the youngest members from the new generation of players who joined the Herts youth baseball programme this year and after the end of the season he has been involved in raising awareness of diabetes. He was on BBC radio to talk about diabetes and playing baseball. (Click to listen on BBC Sounds)

21 September 202121 September 2021 by Herts Baseball News Editor

No silverware but Herts youth teams put on strong performances in the national championships. U18s still in the hunt.

Herts Baseball Club entered five teams into the BBF U18, U15, U13 and U11 National Baseball Championships. As expected, they came up against more experienced teams so the odds were stacked firmly against them, but that didn’t seem to faze the Herts boys and girls.

U11 Division

Two Herts teams competed in the U11 division – Herts Falcons U11 made up of players from its Hemel Hempstead branch and Herts Londoners U11 representing its NW London branch. Both had closely-fought encounters with LYBL U11 and London Mets U11 but those two teams made it to the final which the Mets won 8-7. It would have been interesting to see what the outcome would have been if Herts had entered an all-star team selecting the top players from the Falcons and Londoners.

U11 Division

Date	Home	Time/Results	Away	Field
2021-09-18 09:00:0018 September 2021	Mets U11	8 - 5	Falcons U11	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 09:00:0018 September 2021	LYBL U11	12 - 9	Londoners U11	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 10:45:0018 September 2021	LYBL U11	5 - 9	Mets U11	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 10:45:0018 September 2021	Falcons U11	6 - 8	Londoners U11	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 13:15:0018 September 2021	Londoners U11	6 - 9	Mets U11	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 13:15:0018 September 2021	Falcons U11	4 - 7	LYBL U11	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 15:15:0018 September 2021	Mets U11	8 - 7	LYBL U11	Grovehill Ballpark

U13 Division

LYBL U13 proved too strong for all teams that came up against them. They overcame the Mets U13 by 19-1 in the Final. The Herts Falcons U13 was a combined squad with players from the club’s Hemel Hempstead and NW London branches. Although they couldn’t cope with LYBL, they were in control against London Sports U13 in the first half of the game but four runs in the last inning cost them.

BBF (U13) Pool A

Date	Home	Time/Results	Away	Field
2021-09-18 09:00:0018 September 2021	Mets U13	8 - 7	Combined B U13	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 11:00:0018 September 2021	Combined B U13	9 - 10	Combined A U13	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 13:00:0018 September 2021	Combined A U13	11 - 19	Mets U13	Grovehill Ballpark

BBF (U13) Pool B

Date	Home	Time/Results	Away	League	Field
2021-09-18 09:00:0018 September 2021	London Sports U13	0 - 16	LYBL U13	BBF (U13), Pool B	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 11:00:0018 September 2021	Herts Falcons U13	0 - 15	LYBL U13	BBF (U13), Pool B	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 13:00:0018 September 2021	London Sports U13	6 - 2	Herts Falcons U13	BBF (U13), Pool B	Grovehill Ballpark

U15 Division

The Herts U15 team were expected to struggle as they were missing key players, but they came very close against both the Mets and London Sports, losing 8-13 and 7-10, respectively. Once again LYBL dominated and they went on to lift the trophy.

Date	Home	Time/Results	Away	Field
2021-09-18 09:00:0018 September 2021	London Sports U15	3 - 10	LYBL U15	Williams Field
2021-09-18 11:15:0018 September 2021	Mets U15	13 - 8	Falcons U15	Williams Field
2021-09-18 13:30:0018 September 2021	Brighton U15	3 - 8	Mets U15	Williams Field
2021-09-18 15:45:0018 September 2021	London Sports U15	10 - 7	Eagles U15	Williams Field
2021-09-19 09:00:0019 September 2021	London Sports U15	11 - 1	Brighton U15	Williams Field
2021-09-19 11:15:0019 September 2021	LYBL U15	3 - 0	Mets U15	Williams Field
2021-09-19 13:30:0019 September 2021	London Sports U15	9 - 6	Mets U15	Williams Field
2021-09-19 15:45:0019 September 2021	LYBL U15	3 - 0	London Sports U15	Williams Field

U18 Division

Heavy downpour in Surrey halted the U18 contest with the semi-final between Herts Falcons U18 and LYBL U18 finely poised at 0-0. The game was suspended in the bottom of the third inning with one out and it will resume on a date and at a venue which will be confirmed by the BBF in the coming days. There are signs that the Herts team, led by co-managers Colin Barrett and Duane Badenhorst, could cause an upset and progress to the Final.

Date	Home	Time/Results	Away	Field
2021-09-19 09:00:0019 September 2021	Cobham U18	6 - 3	London Sports U18	ACS Cobham
2021-09-19 11:15:0019 September 2021	LYBL U18	11:15:00Postponed	Herts Falcons U18	ACS Cobham
2021-09-19 13:30:0019 September 2021	Game 1 Loser	13:30:001:30 pm	Game 2 Loser	ACS Cobham
2021-09-19 15:45:0019 September 2021	Game 1 Winner	15:45:003:45 pm	Game 2 Winner	ACS Cobham

Herts launched its own Herts Youth Baseball League this year which saw an influx of new youth players join the club, the majority of whom are playing baseball for the first time in their lives this year. The weekend’s action showed that there is enormous talent in the Herts youth teams and it is now for the club, the coaches and the players to realise that potential in the coming years.

14 September 202114 September 2021 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Five Herts teams go into the national youth baseball championships this weekend

Five Herts teams go into the 2021 British Baseball Federation (BBF) National Youth Baseball Championships this weekend.

The club launched its own Herts Youth Baseball League this year which saw a new generation of boys and girls join the club. The club currently has over 80 registered youth players with the majority playing baseball for the first time in their lives this season.

The five Herts teams go into the weekend as the underdogs but it will be interesting to see if they can put on a good performance and maybe even cause an upset.

The BBF selected Herts to host the U13 and U11 divisions at its Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead, while the U15 bracket will be hosted by the Kent Buccaneers and the U18s by ACS Cobham.

The U11 Division will play a double-elimination format where teams are eliminated if they lose two games until only two teams remain and those two teams will play in the final to determine the national champion.

U11 Division

Date	Home	Time/Results	Away	Field
2021-09-18 09:00:0018 September 2021	Mets U11	8 - 5	Falcons U11	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 09:00:0018 September 2021	LYBL U11	12 - 9	Londoners U11	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 10:45:0018 September 2021	LYBL U11	5 - 9	Mets U11	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 10:45:0018 September 2021	Falcons U11	6 - 8	Londoners U11	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 13:15:0018 September 2021	Londoners U11	6 - 9	Mets U11	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 13:15:0018 September 2021	Falcons U11	4 - 7	LYBL U11	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 15:15:0018 September 2021	Mets U11	8 - 7	LYBL U11	Grovehill Ballpark

The U13 Division has been divided into two pools. The winners of each pool meet in the final.

BBF (U13) Pool A

Date	Home	Time/Results	Away	Field
2021-09-18 09:00:0018 September 2021	Mets U13	8 - 7	Combined B U13	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 11:00:0018 September 2021	Combined B U13	9 - 10	Combined A U13	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 13:00:0018 September 2021	Combined A U13	11 - 19	Mets U13	Grovehill Ballpark

BBF (U13) Pool B

Date	Home	Time/Results	Away	League	Field
2021-09-18 09:00:0018 September 2021	London Sports U13	0 - 16	LYBL U13	BBF (U13), Pool B	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 11:00:0018 September 2021	Herts Falcons U13	0 - 15	LYBL U13	BBF (U13), Pool B	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 13:00:0018 September 2021	London Sports U13	6 - 2	Herts Falcons U13	BBF (U13), Pool B	Grovehill Ballpark

The U15 Division is also base don double-elimination.

Date	Home	Time/Results	Away	Field
2021-09-18 09:00:0018 September 2021	London Sports U15	3 - 10	LYBL U15	Williams Field
2021-09-18 11:15:0018 September 2021	Mets U15	13 - 8	Falcons U15	Williams Field
2021-09-18 13:30:0018 September 2021	Brighton U15	3 - 8	Mets U15	Williams Field
2021-09-18 15:45:0018 September 2021	London Sports U15	10 - 7	Eagles U15	Williams Field
2021-09-19 09:00:0019 September 2021	London Sports U15	11 - 1	Brighton U15	Williams Field
2021-09-19 11:15:0019 September 2021	LYBL U15	3 - 0	Mets U15	Williams Field
2021-09-19 13:30:0019 September 2021	London Sports U15	9 - 6	Mets U15	Williams Field
2021-09-19 15:45:0019 September 2021	LYBL U15	3 - 0	London Sports U15	Williams Field

The U18 Division will see four teams play semi-finals with the winners meeting in the final.

Date	Home	Time/Results	Away	Field
2021-09-19 09:00:0019 September 2021	Cobham U18	6 - 3	London Sports U18	ACS Cobham
2021-09-19 11:15:0019 September 2021	LYBL U18	11:15:00Postponed	Herts Falcons U18	ACS Cobham
2021-09-19 13:30:0019 September 2021	Game 1 Loser	13:30:001:30 pm	Game 2 Loser	ACS Cobham
2021-09-19 15:45:0019 September 2021	Game 1 Winner	15:45:003:45 pm	Game 2 Winner	ACS Cobham

21 August 202121 August 2021 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts youth baseball teams about to commence preparations for the 2021 National Championships. New players can still join.

As the end of the school summer holidays nears, the Herts youth baseball teams will be returning to training on Saturday, 4 September, in preparation for the 2021 National Youth Baseball Championships (NBCs) which is scheduled for 18 and 19 September.

Herts Baseball Club submitted a bid to host some or all of the age divisions at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead and is awaiting the decision of the British Baseball Federation (BBF).

The club is planning to enter teams in all four age divisions, and the coaching staff of the five teams has been confirmed.

U18 Herts All Stars

Co-Manager – Colin Barrett

Co-Manager – Duane Badenhorst

U15 Herts All Stars

Manager – Will Zucker

Coach – Bryan Mencias

Coach – Aspi Dimitrov

U13 Herts All Stars

Co-Manager – John Kjorstad

Co-Manager – Donnie Parsons

Coach – Aspi Dimitrov

U11 Herts Falcons

Co-Manager, Jordon Fox

Co-Manager, Nick Barnaby

Coach – David Sanok

Coach – Joe Brown

Coach – Aspi Dimitrov

U11 Herts Londoners

Manager – Cory English

Deputy Manager – Marshall Stark

Coach – Marko Petromarkov

Coach – Mo Milosavljevic

Coach – Aspi Dimitrov

Preparatory Training Sessions

The training schedule ahead of the NBCs has also been confirmed as follows (note venues alternaing for some of the teams):

U18 Herts All Stars

DAY	DATE	TIME (START)	TIME (END)	VENUE
Sat	11-Sep-21	09:45	12:00	Grovehill Ballpark

U15 Herts All Stars

DAY	DATE	TIME (START)	TIME (END)	VENUE
Sat	04-Sep-21	09:45	12:00	Grovehill Ballpark
Sat	11-Sep-21	14:30	16:30	Basing Hill Ballpark

U13 Herts All Stars

DAY	DATE	TIME (START)	TIME (END)	VENUE
Sat	04-Sep-21	09:45	12:00	Grovehill Ballpark
Sat	11-Sep-21	14:30	16:30	Basing Hill Ballpark

U11 Herts Falcons

DAY	DATE	TIME (START)	TIME (END)	VENUE
Sat	04-Sep-21	09:45	12:00	Grovehill Ballpark
Sat	11-Sep-21	09:45	12:00	Grovehill Ballpark

U11 Herts Londoners

DAY	DATE	TIME (START)	TIME (END)	VENUE
Sat	04-Sep-21	14:30	16:30	Basing Hill Ballpark
Sat	11-Sep-21	14:30	16:30	Basing Hill Ballpark
Tue	14-Sep-21	17:00	19:00	Basing Hill Ballpark

Team Rosters

The five teams currently have a total of 75 registered players with three additional players on standby. Click here to view the full roster.

There are a few available places in some of the teams so new players can still register in time to play in the National Championships. They can also come to try baseball at the upcoming training sessions to help them decide before they register. Those interested to register or to try baseball before registering should contact the club.

Contact us for details about joining or trying baseball before registering

28 July 202128 July 2021 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts to battle on all fronts in the national youth baseball championships. Badenhorst and Barrett to manage the U18s.

The Herts adult league teams may be struggling to qualify for the playoffs, so the club’s youth teams may have to carry the flag in the national baseball championships (NBCs) this season.

Herts is preparing to enter teams in all age divisions, U18/U17, U15, U13 and U11. The club has submitted a bid to host the Youth NBCs at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead. The event is expected to take place on 18 and 19 September.

The Herts youth baseball programme was restructured this season and has seen significant growth from 21 registered players last year to over 70 this season and that number is continuing to grow as new players are still registering to play in the NBCs.

The majority of these players are playing baseball for the first time in their lives so they will have the difficult task of competing against the more experienced teams from around the country, but it will be interesting to see how they will respond to the challenge.

The club has also confirmed that Duane Badenhorst and Colin Barrett (pictured above) will be the joint managers of the Herts U18/U17 team. Both bring a wealth of baseball experience having played and coached in South Africa and Great Britain, including at international level with the South Africa U12 National Team, South Africa Men’s Softball Team and, currently, the Great Britain Men’s Softball Team.

Six members of the Badenhorst and Barrett families have worn the Herts jersey over the years and fans of the club will be delighted to see them back.

For more details about joining the Herts youth baseball teams for the upcoming national youth baseball championships contact us.

18 March 202118 March 2021 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Behind the scenes of the newly launched Herts Youth Baseball League

Last month, Herts Baseball Club elected Will Zucker and Aspi Dimitrov as Co-Directors of Youth Baseball. We asked them about the launch of the brand new youth baseball league.

What can young players look forward to when the new league commences?

How many of the children and their parents watching MLB on their TVs have wondered what it would be like to wear those uniforms and play for a team on a beautiful baseball diamond? Or compete in playoffs surrounded by cheering fans enjoying the food and unique atmosphere of the ballpark? Even without MLB’s multi-billion dollar budget, we want to offer the players and families of our new league an experience as close to MLB as possible.

Where will the league games be played?

Our club has two ballparks: one in Hemel Hempstead, another in North West London. They are conveniently located within a thirty minute drive from each other. Substantial investment has gone into Grovehill Ballpark, making it one of the best baseball venues in the UK. Crowdfunding is underway to repeat that success story at Basing Hill Ballpark.

What will the league schedule and format be?

Though we have two ballparks, the league will minimise travel for families so that around 75% of the season will be played at the team’s nearest ballpark. The season will start in May and end in the middle of July. Each team will play around twelve games: four home single games, two home doubleheaders and two away doubleheaders. Similar to MLB, teams will be in a race to qualify for the postseason playoffs which will determine the league champions.

We are still considering whether the champions will win the privilege to represent Herts at the National Baseball Championships in September or whether the club will select an All-Star team from all of the Herts teams in the league.

What will game days look like?

Our goal is to recreate that special baseball atmosphere in our ballparks with food, music and a lot more. We want children and their families to enjoy game days, allowing developing players the incredible feeling of playing in front of fans – similar to the superstars of MLB.

The two home and two away doubleheaders will be large scale events, bringing all teams to the same venue. Grovehill Ballpark may even be able to stage games for teams from all age groups – eight or more in total.

We are mindful of the increasing pressures on families to balance work, school and other commitments. Game days will run no longer than two hours, though team managers have discretion to extend that time a little if the players would benefit from extra practice before or after games.

League games are to be played on Saturdays, but we are also considering youth team games in NW London on Sunday mornings before the adult league plays. In this way, Herts adult players can be spectators for the youth league and the younger leagues and their families would feel welcome to stay after their games to watch adult league action in the afternoon.

What age groups will the league cover?

Players aged 6 to 14 with an Under-11, Under-13 and Under-15 league. Initially, the Under-13 and Under-15 leagues will be combined until we accumulate a sufficient number of players for separate U13 and U15 leagues. Players over the age of 14 move up to the Herts adult league teams and we hope to select Under-17 players to represent Herts at the BBF U17 national championships.

What level of coaching can the players expect?

The league already has five coaches in place all of whom have either played or coached in America, Japan, Britain’s National League or the Great Britain National Teams. The league is looking to recruit more coaches. Those interested in getting involved, or who would like more details should contact the club.

How much will it cost to play in the league?

We want baseball to be affordable for every family. We have set membership fees very low – £49 for the U11s and £59 for the U13s and U15s – probably the lowest in the UK.

The club provides all of the baseball equipment such as bats, balls, helmets, including fielding gloves for kids that don’t have their own. The uniform is not included in the membership fee, but to reduce that cost, youth players joining the club for the first time will be given a £6 voucher which they can use when buying a Herts New Era 9FORTY baseball cap.

How many teams will play in the league?

Our aim is to have four league teams in each age group – two based in Hemel Hempstead and two in NW London. We’re assessing the option to add interleague games with teams from neighbouring clubs, with a possibility of external teams joining the league. However, it’s essential that these teams are no more than around 30 minutes from either ballpark. At the moment there are just one or two other clubs that meet that criteria as our two ballparks are the only ones in the region.

Have the team names been announced and what uniforms will they wear?

The teams have adopted the names of the Herts adult league teams. For example, Herts Falcons U11, Herts Londoners U15. This is an approach more common with Premier League football teams and we felt that the young players would enjoy playing under the same Herts team names and they can progress through the age groups and into the big leagues in the coming years. We will be announcing more details about the teams’ uniforms in the coming weeks.

How will coaches select the players for their respective teams?

This league welcomes everyone from complete beginners to advanced players. Everyone plays and will have an important role in the team. Children will be invited to the Open Days in Spring Training to prepare for the season, a great way to introduce newcomers to the game of baseball.

The managers will select players for their teams adopting a system similar to the MLB Draft. This should ensure that all the teams are of equal strength, which should make it an exciting and a close race for the playoffs.

Players now registering to play

The number of youth players was very low last year. Will you be able to grow fast enough before the start of the season and do you have a backup plan if you don’t?

Despite a significant drop of youth players in the previous three years, we are already seeing a lot of interest from both former and new youth players and their families. We started our discussions with schools in Hemel Hempstead and in North West London; we are fortunate to have a newly appointed Head of U13/U11, Cory English who is an active member of his local school working as both parent governor and freelance teacher. Even if a particular age group does not have enough players for a 4-team league, we have alternative options such as a best-of-7 World Series format and interleague games similar to MLB.

Can Herts fans and the wider community help with the launch of the league?

It’s crucial that the league inspires support from the community to spread the word. We are asking Herts baseball families to share news of our league on social media and with their friends, colleagues and neighbours. If every club member recommends the league to two friends, we will reach our target.

How does Covid affect the league’s plans?

The NHS and the government have done tremendously well with the vaccination roll out. It’s encouraging to see the statistics already proving it is effective in controlling Covid. Of course, the virus remains unpredictable and we will ensure government guidance is strictly followed. The government already approved a Covid-secure protocol for baseball games last year so we are hopeful to welcome a full first season of Herts Youth Baseball League (HYBL).

Contact us to try baseball at upcoming Open Days

Players are now registering for the 2021 season. More information about joining the league can be found here.

To come to try baseball at no cost at one of the upcoming Open Days, or if you require more information, contact the club.