Angels Drop Pitcher´s Duel to Greys

The Defending Champion Merksem Royal Greys used a second inning run and a complete game 12 strikeout, 5-hit, no walk performance from Dennis Van Hoof to defeat the Namur Angels 1-0 at Stad Antwerpen.

Namur countered with its own stellar pitching from Caleb Calarco and Nicolas Migeot who combined to strike out 9 Greys and scatter just four hits yielding a single run. They also managed to pitch around six walks.

Merksem scored their run in the second inning courtesy of a lead-off double from Bryon Bell followed by a walk to Kevin Knollenburg. Both runners were advanced on a sacrifice bunt from Andy Ruelle and scored on Dave Herssens ground ball to third base. Another walk loaded the bases, but Calarco induced the Greys to hit into an inning ending double play to escape from the bases loaded situation. That was the last time the Greys would threaten until the seventh inning when Migeot entered the game with a runner on third and two outs and promptly recorded a strike-out to end the threat. In the 8th Migeot again came up with a huge strikeout to leave the bases loaded.

Namur´s offense never really hit its stride against Van Hoof as it recorded multiple baserunners in only the first inning. After the first two batters were retired Juny Gressman knocked a single through the hole on the right side and move to second on a single to left by Morgan Brown. A groundout ended the inning and the Angels would not see another runner at second base until the 9th inning on a double by Ronny Heymans. The only other offense mustered by Namur was a hit in the second inning by Adrien Geuquet and another by Brown in the sixth.

Namur next faces the Brussels Kangaroos.

-MB

Angels 9th Inning Comeback Defeats Stars

Adrien Stockart´s sacrifice fly in the 9th inning plated Ronny Heymans with the eventually winning run after Cedric Nauts held on with the bases loaded in the bottom of the inning to seal the win for Namur.

After scoring once in the first inning, Namur saw that eclipsed by two Mortsel runners crossing the plate in their half of the inning. The game would be let by Mortsel or tied the rest of the way until the Angels scored three times in the top of the 9th without the benefit of a hit to win.

Rain played havoc with the weekend scheduling again as the Sunday rematch was washed out and postponed until early May.

Namur got a second solid start from Caleb Calarco who held Mortsel to only four hits over seven innings while recording three walks and three strikeouts.

Both teams committed their share of mistakes, and as is inevitable in baseball, these mistakes were generally the catalysts to big innings on both sides.

In the first Namur broke out on top after an error allowed Calarco to reach and three consecutive hit batters (Juny Gressman, Morgan Brown, and Heymans) forced a run home.
Mortsel doubled that score with one run coming home on a chopped grounder that took a high hop into the outfield, and a second run scoring on a double-play groundout.

In the second another Mortsel run scored with two-out when Namur tried to gun down a Mortsel runner attempting to steal second but the throw sailed into center field. Another run came home in the third on a sacrifice fly that Namur turned into a double play when Namur redirecting their relay throws to cut a Mortsel runner down at third base trying to advance.

In the fourth a lead off walk to Heymans followed by another hit batsman and a misplay by the Mortsel pitcher of an Adrien Geuquet sacrifice bunt lead to a second Namur run scoring without the benefit of a hit.

In the sixth the bats finally got involved as Xavier Pierreux scored on a hard single up the middle from Ludovic Geuquet after Stockart had moved runners along with a sacrifice bunt and a walk to Philip van Woensel had loaded the bases. An error by the third baseman allowed Adrien Geuquet to come home with the fourth Namur run.

The Stars got back on the board in the 8th against Nauts using a hit batsman, an error, a sacrifice bunt, a balk, and a sacrifice fly to plate two more and give Namur a steep hill to climb in the 9th.

Namur responded with three runs all scored with one out. Two consecutive Mortsel errors allowed Gressman and Brown to reach again while a walk to Heymans put him on base for the fourth time. A walk to Pierreux plated Gressman while Nauts helped his own cause by picking up an RBI when he was drilled in the back and Brown crossed the plate. Stockart executed his second sacrifice of the day by lofting a fly ball to right and Heymans slid under the Mortsel tag to put Namur ahead by the final margin.

In the bottom of the last frame the Stars loaded the bases, by Nauts escaped by getting Mortsel´s cleanup hitter to fly to left where Gressman made a great running catch over his shoulder to close the book.

Namur takes on the defending champion Merksem Royal Greys of Antwerp next weekend.

Opening Day Gem

The 2008 edition of the Namur Angels kicked off their season in solid form on Sunday with a 6-1 victory at Borgerhout. Following a rain-postponement on Saturday, Caleb Calarco opened the season for the Angels on the mound with a standout performance as he owned a perfect game through six and two-thirds innings. Calarco overpowered the Borgerhout lineup to the tune of 15 strikeouts, while only yielding two hits and two walks over the final three frames.

A four run second inning was all the offense Namur would need, but a two run fourth helped to further pad the lead.

In the second; Ronny Heymans led off with a well hit double to left and managed to work himself home without the benefit of a hit, ultimately scoring on a wild pitch.

Cedric Nauts got the offensive wheels going again for the Angels with two out by working a walk. Adrien Stockart followed that with a single up the middle before Philip Van Woensel delivered the second double of the inning and got Namur on the board again. Ludovic Geuquet and Calarco reached on an error and an infield hit, respectively, before the four run inning ended with a fielder´s choice groundout. The Angels offense sent every batter to the plate in the decisive four run second.

In the fourth inning Stockart was again involved as he led off with a single and came around to score when the Borgerhout third baseman badly misplayed Van Woensel´s bunt single into a two base error, leaving a hustling Van Woensel at third base and Namur ahead, 5-0. The next Angels batter, Geuquet, would score Van Woensel with a sacrifice fly to complete Namur´s scoring on the day. They would threaten again the sixth and seventh; both times getting two runners into scoring position with less than two out, but failing to capitalize.

However, with Calarco keeping the Squirrels at bay, the excitement shifted to watching the perfect game. Borgerhout´s Sam Brown broke up the bid with a clean double to right-center and he scored one batter later on a flair to left field. Calarco issued his first walk of the game in the 8th, but quickly erased the runner with a pick-off before fanning the next two hitters. In the 9th Borgerhout got two runners into scoring position following another double by Brown, but Calarco´s 15th strikeout ended the game.

Van Woensel and Stockart, the 1st and 9th hitters, mirrored each other by leading the offense with two hits and two runs scored each. Calarco added three hits.

Breaking News

Opening Day - 2008 -

Just another few hours to wait for the :

I wish you all a nice and good championship made of fun, nice plays, fair-play and wins.

I hope too that all the parents and families will come to support every player.

And don't forget to visit this website for informations aboutyour club's life.

Hitting clinic for the Angels on Sunday the 24th of February

Sunday afternoon, the Angels will host Karl Onzia, hitting coach from the Dutch Major League team Sparta Feyenoord.

Onzia was one of the best Belgian hitters of the 90's, and he will be coaching Sparta Feyenoord hitters this year, under the helm of head coach Steve Janssen.

Hitting has always been Angels' weakest link and they could definitely use some help in that department.

Karl will have a session with the cadet team from 4.00 to 6.00 PM and will follow at 6.30 PM with the big club.

Angels are thinking about bringing him back for some sessions at some point during the season.

Hopefully, he can bring some of his magic to Namur hitters.

Namur welcomes Italian National coaches for LFBBS clinic

This coming Sunday, Namur will have the privilege to host Carlo Mazzieri, Italian National Team Manager and William Holmberg, Italian National Team Pitching Coach, for a LFBBS sponsored coaching clinic.

Here is the schedule:

09.30 to 10.20 Pitching strategy
10.20 to 10.30 Break
10.30 to 11.20 Offensive stategy
11.20 to 11.30 Break
11.30 to 12.20 Mental approach

Lunch 12.30 to 1.30 PM

Gym sessions 2.00 – 4.00 PM :

- Infield drills
- Outfield drills
- 1 B drills
- Catcher drills
- Pitching fielding practice drills
- Base running

New faces for the Angels

It’s a whole new team that will compete for Namur this season.
Six players who were on the roster in 2007 have left the ballclub.
Niels Rombouts, Derek Lyons and Tim Dunphy are the non-returning foreigners.
J-C Willem, Philippe DiGiosue and Michel Legrand are the Belgian players who are headed in other directions.

The biggest loss will obviously be Tim Dunphy who, despite terrible run support, found ways to win games for the Angels. So many times he produced in the clutch and he was a real workhorse on the mound. His 0.353 batting average and his very good defensive abilities sure helped the team too. He was also a very good team-mate and helped a lot with the youth programme.

Philippe DiGiosue will be the biggest Belgian loss. Philippe started every game in the last two years for the Angels and proved to be a gifted baseball player.
An other year with Namur would probably have helped him fine-tuning his skills and compete for a spot on the national team. Together with Michel Legrand, Philippe will be playing for Brown Boys in 09, a division 3 team that has very good chances of promoting to D2.
JC Willem will be coaching former D1 ballclub, Wanze Cardinals.

Namur welcomes 7 new players though.
Four new players are coming from last year’s D2 runner-up, Louvain-la-Neuve Phoenix.
Florian Lekeu and Xavier Pierreux were the first ones to sign with Namur.
They were followed by Nicolas Migeot and Cedric Nauts at the end of the transfer period.
Florian has spent the first half of 2007 as a reserve player but really broke through in the play-offs. He has excellent athletic abilities and will compete for a spot in the outfield. Much like Philippe Digiosue, he is a rough diamond and his success will depend on his ability to do the little things right. If he does, he might see a lot of action in the outfield this season and for the years to come.
Xavier Pierreux was playing mostly shortstop last season. In Namur, however, he will probably move towards the corners. His best shot might probably be on the mound where he proved to have an effortless delivery and good breaking stuff.
Nicolas Migeot was the number one starter for Phoenix last year. The 24 year old, 6,6 foot right-hander has been working hard this off-season and has a legitimate shot at being the n°1 this season also. He will also be one of the many players to compete for an outfield spot.
Cédric Nauts is a familiar face. He played in black and gold in 2004 and 2005. After 2 seasons in Louvain-la-Neuve, he decided it was time for him to go back to D1. Cedric will compete for an outfield spot and may pitch in relief.

Namur also picked up former national team player Philip Van Woensel who will make his comeback in baseball after a few years spent abroad for his work.
In only a few practices, Philip has proved that he hasn’t lost much of his abilities.
He seems to be a lock for a starting job. The only question is: "Where?". Philip his an excellent centerfielder and his experience can sure help turn last year's weak part of the defense into a strong one. However, he may also compete for a spot in the middle infield where he spent the first part of his career.

Last but not least, this season’s imports Caleb Calarco and Morgan Brown.
Both of them will also do a lot of coaching and help make the youth programme even better.
Caleb should start a game on the mound every week-end. A 2-way player in College, he can also fill any spot on the field. He can run, pitch, hit for average and power and gives a lot of flexibility to the Angels’squad.
The last off-season addition is Morgan Brown, the starting shortstop and captain of Harvard University. He should start most games at short and pitch in relief of Caleb Calarco.
He has good speed, can hit for average and his defensive skills and leadership will sure help to make the whole infield a lot better.

If all the pieces of this puzzle fit together, it could translate into a very exciting season for the 08 Angels who seem to have improved in all areas of the game.
The biggest issue will be to get all these players get familiar with each other as soon as possible because of the new competition format.
Hopefully, the challenging pre-season schedule will help to get it done.

Brown changes his colors, Crimson to Black and Gold. Angels ready to roll.

Namur addressed their last off-season goal yesterday by signing former Harvard Crimson’s captain, Morgan Brown.
Brown played 4 years for the Crimson and had his share of sour times during his career.
After being slowed down in 2004 by a shoulder surgery, he bounced back in 2005, hitting a career-high .298 and winning a spot on the All-Ivy League second team.
His fine leather work at shortstop earned him the attention of the Cape Cod League that Summer, fulfilling a life-long dream
The dream turned to a nightmare on June 28, 2005. Morgan got hit in the face by a ball that took a weird hop as he was covering the bag on a steal. The ball shattered his nose and ruptured an artery behind his left eye.
But again, he bounced back. He was voted lone team captain by his Harvard teammates. He earned an All-Ivy 1st team selection in 2006.
After his college career, he signed with the North Shore Spirit, in the CanAm Professional League.
Brown is expected to anchor the infield in 2008 and bring some leadership to a revamped Angels’ team.
Even if we have learned that he will be on scout’s radar and he may leave at some point during the season, Morgan will bring more than fielding or hitting to Namur. He will bring a “never-give-up” mentality the club wants to see from the youth teams he will be coaching all the way to the big club that he will be playing for.

Angels to face tough pre-season schedule

Angels will have a tough pre-season this year.

A schedule that will include games against German D1 team (Cologne Cardinals), Belgian champion (Merxsem Greys).

But the pre-season will be highlighted by the trip to the Netherlands.
Namur might face very good Dutch teams as well as Cologne Cardinals and the Euro-Cup runner-up, Rouen Huskies.

They will complete their preparation with games against D1 team Brussels and Dutch team Bergen op Zoom, 2 teams that Namur has struggled with last year.

A great schedule to put the revamped Angels to the test.