The 2008 British Baseball season gets underway on April 20th with seven teams from the north and south of England vying for the country’s 75th national championship. The National League South, which has produced the past nine British title winners, consists of four teams: LONDON METS, CROYDON PIRATES, RICHMOND FLAMES and BRACKNELL BLAZERS.
Three teams will compete in the National League North where each squad’s schedule will also include crossover games with the lower-division Premier League North. The clubs in the NL North are LIVERPOOL TROJANS, MENWITH HILL PATRIOTS and MANCHESTER EAGLES.
The season will culminate the weekend of September 6-7 with the British Baseball Final 4, featuring the country’s top four teams battling it out for the national title (lower division championship competitions will also be held as part of the weekend’s festivities).
Schedule for week one:
{mrb-schedule:2008-04-19|2008-04-20|GB}
Complete Schedule
Although they lost in the national finals last season, the CROYDON PIRATES will attempt to extend a 38-game winning streak in the regular season (believed to be a national record). Looking further ahead, the team will attempt to make its fifth straight national final, tying the streak of the BRIGHTON BUCCANEERS from 1999 to 2003 – just one short of the Enfield Spartans’ record streak of six straight finals (1989 to 1994).
If the PIRATES are able to add to their impressive record, it will be done without the services of some key players. Outfielder Charlie Caskey and catcher Andy Kulina have both retired from the game. Caskey won the 2006 National League South batting title, while Kulina enjoyed the best form of his career in 2007. In addition, Brett Tait and Rhys Dixon are among a group of several other players who have moved on from the club.
Last year’s national champions, the LONDON METS, will aim for their second-straight title behind new addition Brian Essery. The right-hander pitched for the silver-medal winning Great Britain national team at the 2007 European Championships in Barcelona, starting three games with a 1-1 record and an ERA of 3.31. He also pitched professionally in the Frontier League, an independent professional circuit in the U.S.
Beyond Essery, the METS boast a number of players with U.S. baseball college experience including Troy Kantor (Nebraska Wesleyan University), Jason Holowaty (Brown University), Josh Chetwynd (Northwestern University; also a Frontier League alumnus), Alex Malihoudis (Menlo College) and Will Lintern (Menlo College) as well as current GB junior national team members Callum Woods and Jonathon Cramman.
The RICHMOND FLAMES – winners of the 2006 national title – narrowly missed out on the playoffs in 2007 but should contend again this season. They are led by the all-around play of pitcher/infielder Cody Cain, a long-time standout in British baseball. Cain previously played at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon and was a member of the 1990 squad that won the NAIA Area I Championship and reached the NAIA College World Series.
This season should be an interesting one for the BRACKNELL BLAZERS, a squad long known for developing British-trained players. Matthew Maitland, Ryan Trask and Phil Matthews – all former members of the Great Britain national team program – combine with junior national players Mike Trask and Max Flajsner to provide a strong nucleus. Bracknell‘s management is also eyeing some U.S. college talent to bolster its pitching staff, which will further increase its competitiveness.
In the National League North, the LIVERPOOL TROJANS won league honors last year and should be competitive again this season. Former Great Britain national team pitcher Martin Godsall and American slugger Mike Waisome have led the squad in the past.
The MENWITH HILL PATRIOTS, winners of NL North in 2006 and a Final 4 participant in 2007, are always a difficult team to read. The club is only open to employees, dependents and family members associated with the RAF Menwith Hill military base. As a result, the team’s roster sees considerable turnover from year-to-year. Nevertheless, with its U.S. personnel the squad is always sure to have an experienced roster. The PATRIOTS are the last northern team to hoist the national championship, earning the crown in 1998.
Completing the northern division are the MANCHESTER EAGLES. According to www.bbfbaseball.com, the club will be without key pitcher Rich Kiljin but has added veteran Dave Mercado, who was previously a key member of the Liverpool ball club.
The British Champions of this century:
2007 London Mets
2006 Richmond Flames
2005 Croydon Pirates
2004 Croydon Pirates
2003 Windsor Bears
2002 Brighton Buccaneers
2001 Brighton Buccaneers
2000 London Warriors