British National Baseball League gets underway this Weekend

2014 had it all in British baseball’s top level, the National Baseball League: hot streaks, upsets, injuries and more importantly, a new championship team for the first time in four seasons as the Essex Arrows triumphed over the London Mets at the National Baseball Championships on the last day of August. The Arrows’ win halted the charge of the Southern Nationals, who had previously won three championships in a row and had looked like contenders for four.

With Opening Day for the 2015 season on Sunday, 12 April, here is a preview of what is to come this year as the Arrows try to go back-to-back.

The biggest change in 2015 is the loss of the Southern Nationals from the British Baseball scene. Having been on the aforementioned championship streak, the Nationals have now unfortunately had to close their doors. This means that the National Baseball League will consist of six teams this year as all other NBL teams return.

The next big change for 2015 is the inclusion of a cup series of games in which NBL teams will take on teams from the tier below, Triple-A South, in a bid to win the inaugural BBF Cup. This will provide not only a chance for the Triple-A teams to pit themselves against the top tier of British baseball, but also another piece of silverware for teams to compete for.

Much like the Major League Baseball offseason, the NBL clubs have been busy making player acquisitions in an effort to bolster their line-ups and give them a chance to win the coveted National Championship.

Read the complete preview at www.britishbaseball.org