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Former Battlefield standout Herbek returns to Haymarket with Senators
David Herbek has a built-in advantage of sorts when the Haymarket Senators play at home in Haymarket.
One of his old jersey numbers is already posted on a wall of recognition. On Tuesday, fans called out “D-Herb” and “Herbie” from the stands as Herbek came to bat at the plate.
“That doesn’t look like him,” said a little girl in the stands at Battlefield High School on Tuesday after Herbek came to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning.
“He got bigger,” replied an older gentleman. “He’s been eating all his dinner.”
He usually receives the loudest cheers, sleeps in his own bed after each game and even knows where the best fishing holes are around town.
Welcome home, David.
The former Battlefield High School infielder who helped guide the Bobcats to a spot in the 2007 Northwest Regional tournament returned to Haymarket this summer after completing his freshman year at James Madison University to play in the Valley Baseball League.
On the Senators’ roster alone, players come from places like Tennessee Tech and Brown University for the 44-game regular season where they swing wooden bats instead of the aluminum ones they are used to hacking in college.
“The biggest adjustment I make is not really [trying to hit] home runs, not trying to do too much because obviously with the wood bats, it’s a whole lot harder,” said Herbek of the difference between swinging the types of bats. “So, it’s more focusing on line drives and making solid contact.”
He has enjoyed another change since returning home to Battlefield: the irrigation system on the field installed by his high school coach Matt Caudle.
“Well, the major difference is the field condition. Since they put in the irrigation system, it’s a whole lot nicer. The grass is a whole lot fuller,” commented Herbek.
When he entered JMU last fall, he found out rather quickly that he was just another player trying to make it big against talent as good if not better than his own.
“First year, it was an incredible year. Probably the big thing I had to learn is when you walk into college, they don’t really hand you anything. They don’t look up to you. You have to earn everything you have to get as far as respect,” he said, adding that playing time is not guaranteed to anyone.
Having a local guys like Herbek, who was among the league leaders in batting average at .370 entering Tuesday night’s game against Woodstock, on the team is a concept Haymarket coach Bill Shields would like expand on.
“I love it, personally,” said the coach. “And if we can get some local talent around here to fill the stands and get these guys involved with the surroundings that they’re playing every day, it’ll be a big draw for more people to come out and see more games because the new owners have done a great job so far, but they’re just getting the word out as the owners.”
Herbek is also excited that his high school teammate and friend Evan Scott may be joining him at JMU in the fall. Shields is also interested in the right-handed pitcher with a fastball in the low 90s joining the Senators.
There is one catch though: The Los Angeles Angels called Scott in the 37th round of the 2008 MLB draft.
According to Herbek, his friend Scott had yet to decide whether he would skip college and join the Angels’ minor league system or go on to JMU and re-enter the MLB draft at a later date.
“If I have anything to say about it, he’ll be playing with me next year,” said Herbek with a smile.
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