BASEBALL: Pirates Play-off Bound
JAMES YOUNG
Next Saturday the players and coaches of Hastings Pirates baseball club will wake up to some unfamiliar feelings. Nerves. Adrenalin. Excitement not just at playing a game, but at what it means.
Uduak Victor Robert slides in to score at Brighton
That’s because at 12 noon the Pirates will play their first post-season game since the current version of the club was born in 2023, away to the Guildford Millers in the British Baseball Federation (BBF) Division 5 play-offs.
“I’m pumped up and nervous at the same time,” says star pitcher Uduak Victor Robert. “It’s the biggest game since I joined the club.”
“We started the season hoping to win more games than we lost, so to be in a play-off game is pretty amazing,” agrees second baseman Tim Whittlesea.
Post-season play represents uncharted waters for the Pirates, who have endured hard times in recent years, with a shortage of players and little success on the field. Three years ago they went an entire season without a win.
This year’s turnaround has been remarkable, with a 12-3 win away against Brighton Jets on 16 August clinching the Division 5 South division title. The win was led by another stellar pitching performance from Robert, who finished the season with an 8-0 record (in baseball a pitcher is credited with a win when his team is victorious), and some impressive hitting from Whittlesea, who knocked in four runs.
Although the Pirates lost the second game of their double-header against Brighton, they went on to sweep the Kent Mariners in their final two home fixtures of the season the following week. Those games were a terrific advert for British baseball, with strong pitching, sure-handed fielding, and crisp, timely hitting. Both victories came on ‘walk-off’ hits (when the home team bats in the final inning, a go-ahead run ends the game) – the first when veteran slugger Frank Cooper brought home third baseman Liam Drane, the second when shortstop Lloyd Knight scored Robert.
Those victories gave the Pirates a record of 13 wins and five losses for the season, well clear of nearest rivals Tonbridge Bobcats, and sent the club off to the play-offs with wind in its sails.
FAR BEYOND THE TARGET
“Winning the division was far beyond the target we set ourselves, but it wasn’t down to luck,” says Robert. “It’s a product of belief, determination and fighting spirit from every member of the team and management.”
“We have a really cohesive team that trusts each other in every aspect of the game,” adds Tim Whittlesea. “Everybody has contributed to being top of the table.”
Guildford, who finished the season with 20 wins and four losses on their way to the Division 5 Central title, will represent stiff opposition. The Pirates are confident, though, that if they play to their strengths, victory – and a place in the BBF semi-finals and finals weekend at the National Baseball & Softball Complex at Farnham Park later this month – is within their grasp.
“Guildford are a good team, but I fancy our chances,” says Robert. “We go into every game with the belief we can win.”
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