Sheffield Bladerunners
| Sheffield Bladerunners | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | English League (Division AA North) | |||
| Location | Sheffield, England | |||
| Ballpark | Thorncliffe Park | |||
| Year founded | 1985 | |||
| Nickname(s) | Bladerunners | |||
| Colors | Blue and white | |||
| Manager |
Nick Wills  | |||
| ||||
The Sheffield Bladerunners[1] are a baseball team based in Sheffield, England who currently compete in the AA North Division of the British Baseball Federation. The Bladerunners were established in 1985 and their home ground is Thorncliffe Park in High Green, Sheffield.
Franchise history
In the 2006 offseason, the Sheffield Bladerunners merged with the Barnsley Strikers to form two teams, the Sheffield Bladerunners and the Sheffield Strikers. The Strikers played in the league below the Bladerunners, the Division 1 North.
Following the merger, the 2007 season was a rebuilding year for both the Bladerunners and the Strikers. With the retirement of many veterans, the Strikers team became more of a youth side, completed by a few of the remaining Barnsley old boys.
After a disappointing season, the Bladerunners finished 5th in the league with a 6–18 record. The Strikers struggled even more than the Bladerunners, ending with a 1–18 record. The 2010 and 2011 seasons went far better for the Bladerunners however; in the latter, the team placed 2nd in the division with a record of 13–9, making the playoffs for the second straight season.
The 2014 season marked a period of growth and expansion for the Bladerunners, as the pre-season brought a substantial number of new players, both rookies and returning players. This season also featured an overhaul of the team's management and structure, with the introduction of new coaches, a media officer and a social events officer.
Current Roster
| Pitchers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Nationality | Positions | Bat/Throw |
| 6 Nick Wills | |
P/C/IF/OF | R/R |
| 7 Jim Ellis |  |
P/IF/OF | R/R |
| 88 Nestor Martinez |  |
P/SS | R/R |
| 72 Matt Khine-Short | |
P/OF | R/R |
| 24 Matt Risby | |
P/OF | R/R |
| Catchers | |||
| Player | Nationality | Positions | Bat/Throw |
| 8 Jonathan Gardner | |
C/2B | R/R |
| 40 Wei-Kai Liao | |
C/IF | R/R |
| 25 Damien Kilkenny | |
C/OF/IF | R/R |
| 11 Frank Felix Vasquez Vasquez |  |
C/IF | R/R |
| Infielders | |||
| Player | Nationality | Positions | Bat/Throw |
| 00 Rich Green | |
1B/OF | R/L |
| 12 Alex Brancker | |
2B | R/R |
| 20 Liam Booth | |
IF/P | R/R |
| 17 Simon Guppy | |
2B/OF | R/R |
| 3 Sam Hill | |
2B/OF | R/R |
| 10 Josh Taylor | |
3B | R/R |
| 34 Miguel Juarez |  |
1B | R/R |
| 5 Chris Pickford | |
3B | R/R |
| 27 Jose Toriz-Garcia | |
3B | R/R |
| 19 Castor David Merino Perez | |
3B/OF | R/R |
| 15 John Mackie | |
3B/RP | R/R |
| 33 Dave Whitaker | |
3B/OF | R/R |
| Outfielders | |||
| Player | Nationality | Positions | Bat/Throw |
| 2 Samuel Musarika | |
OF | R/R |
| 52 Rob O'Neill | |
OF | R/R |
| 30 Michael Carnall | |
OF | R/R |
| 29 Steve Wood | |
OF | R/R |
| 14 Dominic Norburn | |
OF | R/R |
| 81 Andrew Adebogun | |
OF | R/R |
| 31 Peter Kirkup | |
OF | R/R |
| 26 Al Houser | |
OF | R/R |
| 18 John Briscoe | |
OF | R/L |