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Scared Hitless Suprise Champions
Congratulations to Scared Hitless as they take home the BWBL Red Robin Cup as champions! They completed one of the most improbable runs in league history to defeat Balls Deep three games to two.
Award Nominees
by: Steve Dotzel
(posted Tuesday, September 8, 2020)
With the 2020 season in the books, it is time to give out some hardware. Let’s take a quick run though the nominees for each award before voting gets underway. Keep in mind, outside of Playoff MVP these are regular season awards.
(Players Listed in Alphabetical Order)
Most Improved
Dave Brigido
2019 Stats: .282 AVG, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 10 R
2020 Stats: .364 AVG, 6 HR, 19 RBI, 24 R
Brigido improved across the board at the plate in 2020 in all major categories. Also on the mound he recorded a 16.38 ERA and while he did not pitch in 2019, that is almost a 4 run improvement compared to his career ERA entering 2020.
Alex Chronowski
2019 Stats: .411 AVG, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 13 R
2020 Stats: .647 AVG, 3 HR, 23 RBI, 17 R
Despite playing in 10 fewer games in 2020 as compared to 2019, Chronowski still outpaced his 2019 stats in a major way.
Mike Cinti
2019 Stats: .128 AVG, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 9 R
2020 Stats: .343 AVG, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 21 R
2019 Stats: (2-1) 14 IP, 4.64 ERA, 2.86 WHIP, 27 K
2020 Stats: (3-6) 40 IP, 8.75 ERA, 2.98 WHIP, 92 K
At the plate Cinti’s numbers improved dramatically after finishing 2019 with the lowest average among qualified hitters. On the mound, his workload nearly tripled and he saw a major uptick in strikeouts, averaging 2.3 per inning up from 1.9 in 2019.
Justin Gober
2016-2018 Stats: .262 AVG, 0 HR, 12 RBI, 21 R
2020 Stats: .306 AVG, 2 HR, 17 RBI, 14 R
With no games played in 2019 and only four in 2018 where Gober hit just .050, I had to go back to 2016 to get a full seasons worth of numbers. But you can see Gober raised his average nearly 50 points and saw a bump in his run production at the plate.
Gerald Johnson
2019 Stats: .290 AVG, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 13 R
2020 Stats: .288 AVG, 7 HR, 20 RBI, 24 R
2019 Stats: (0-4), 9.2 IP, 23.79 ERA, 6.32 WHIP, 17 K
2020 Stats: (1-8), 36.1 IP, 11.28 ERA, 4.07 WHIP, 64 K
Johnson showed improvement offensively and on the mound in his new full time rule with Bases Loaded.
Rookie of the Year
Stew Caladie
Key Stats: .500 AVG, 6 HR, 26 RBI, 25 R, .565 OBP
The newest Caladie finished in the Top 10 in the BWBL in AVG, HR, RBI, and R as a key piece in the Balls Deep offense that finished second in the league with 169 runs scored during the year.
Max Kraus
Key Stats: .333 AVG, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 10 R, .429 OBP
Kraus helped to fill the void in the ECE lineup that was vacated by several off-season departures. He put up solid numbers for just 12 games worth of action.
Nick Pugh
Key Stats: (5-5), 2.60 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 108 K
Pugh led the BWBL in strikeouts with 108, tying him for the 3rd most all-time in BWBL history for a single season. His ERA was 5th best amongst pitchers who threw at least 15 innings and his WHIP ranked 3rd.
Captain of the Year
Joey Dougher
Dougher captained the merger of what was two of the top teams from 2019, guiding the Flying Pierogies and their mix of personalities to an American Division title and league best 19-1 record.
John Kotsko
Kotsko brought in Stew Caladie and James Ziobro to replace the departed Steve Dotzel and Mikey Grebeck and followed up his 2019 championship season with a 15-5 record and National divisional title.
Brett Rooney
Rooney took the reins of Scared Hitless and helped lead a late season charge which culminated in the final playoff spot and a record of 9-11.
Josh Sorber
Sorber brought in Steve Dotzel and Jon Fernandes in the off-season and managed a roster of eight players on a weekly basis to a 10-10 record, a seven game improvement from Wiffleball Junkies 3-17 record in 2019.
Silver Slugger
Brett Caladie
Key Stats (BWBL Ranks): .573 AVG (4th), 12 HR (2ND), 43 RBI (2ND), 39 R (3rd), .627 OBP (4TH)
Christian Faulkner
Key Stats (BWBL Ranks): .574 AVG (3rd), 7 HR (T-6TH), 30 RBI (6TH), 22 R (14th), .676 OBP (2ND)
Alex Fuchylo
Key Stats (BWBL Ranks): .491 AVG (8TH), 11 HR (T-3RD), 37 RBI (3RD), 50 R (1ST), .590 OBP (7TH)
Rob Hess
Key Stats (BWBL Ranks): .452 AVG (11TH), 11 HR (T-3RD), 36 RBI (4TH), 38 R (4TH), .574 OBP (13TH)
Jake Lukachik
Key Stats (BWBL Ranks): .603 AVG (2ND), 13 HR (1ST), 46 RBI (1ST), 30 R (6TH), .622 OBP (5TH)
Cy Young
Zach Artim
Key Stats (BWBL Ranks): 8-0 (T-1ST), 0.38 ERA (1ST), 0.92 WHIP (1ST), 12.4 K/5 (2ND)
Anthony Caladie
Key Stats (BWBL Ranks): 8-2 (T-1ST), 1.63 ERA (3RD), 1.22 WHIP (2ND), 10.3 K/5 (7TH)
Brett Caladie
Key Stats (BWBL Ranks): 4-1 (T-7TH), 1.50 ERA (2ND), 1.50 WHIP (4TH), 10.5 K/5 (5TH)
Christian Faulkner
Key Stats (BWBL Ranks): 7-1 (3RD), 2.16 ERA (4th), 1.73 WHIP (5TH), 12.7 K/5 (1ST)
MVP
Zach Artim
Artim led the entire BWBL in wins, ERA, and WHIP as the ace of the league’s best team. He finished the season with a spotless 8-0 record. At the plate, he finished second on the team in both HR and RBI.
Anthony Caladie
At the plate A. Caladie led the BWBL in doubles with 6 and led Balls Deep in OBP at .636. On the mound he went 8-2 tying him for the league lead in wins and led Balls Deep with 95 strikeouts. He finished top 3 in the BWBL in both ERA and WHIP.
Brett Caladie
B. Caladie finished in the Top 4 in the BWBL in all major offensive categories (AVG, HR, RBI, R, OBP) and was the only player in the league to accomplish this feat. On the mound he went 4-1 and finished 2nd in the BWBL in ERA.
Alex Fuchylo
Fuchylo led the BWBL with 50 runs scored and finished Top 3 in both HR and RBI. On the mound he went 6-3 leading his team in both wins and strikeouts.
Nick Pugh
Pugh tossed 108 strikeouts which led the BWBL and tied him for 3rd most all-time for a single season. He finished with a record of 5-5 and his 2.60 ERA was good for 5th best in the BWBL. His WHIP of 1.48 was 3rd best. At the plate his 19 runs scored led the team.
Playoff MVP
Anthony Caladie
A. Caladie led the Balls Deep staff in the postseason with a 3-1 record and 3.81 ERA. His 8 HR tied him for the postseason lead.
J.J. Neely
Neely led Scared Hitless with 5 postseason HR and a team leading .429 average. On the mound he picked up a pivotal Game 4 win in the Championship series.
Nick Pugh
Pugh led the postseason with 5 wins en route to a 5-1 playoff record. His 1.79 ERA and 61 strikeouts were the best marks among those who pitched at least two games.
Julian Sperazza
Sperazza hit 4 HR and drove in 13 in just nine playoff games, far out producing his entire season totals of 1 and 11 respectively. This included pivotal go-ahead home runs in Game 2 and Game 4 wins of the Championship series for Scared Hitless.
(Players Listed in Alphabetical Order)
Most Improved
Dave Brigido
2019 Stats: .282 AVG, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 10 R
2020 Stats: .364 AVG, 6 HR, 19 RBI, 24 R
Brigido improved across the board at the plate in 2020 in all major categories. Also on the mound he recorded a 16.38 ERA and while he did not pitch in 2019, that is almost a 4 run improvement compared to his career ERA entering 2020.
Alex Chronowski
2019 Stats: .411 AVG, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 13 R
2020 Stats: .647 AVG, 3 HR, 23 RBI, 17 R
Despite playing in 10 fewer games in 2020 as compared to 2019, Chronowski still outpaced his 2019 stats in a major way.
Mike Cinti
2019 Stats: .128 AVG, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 9 R
2020 Stats: .343 AVG, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 21 R
2019 Stats: (2-1) 14 IP, 4.64 ERA, 2.86 WHIP, 27 K
2020 Stats: (3-6) 40 IP, 8.75 ERA, 2.98 WHIP, 92 K
At the plate Cinti’s numbers improved dramatically after finishing 2019 with the lowest average among qualified hitters. On the mound, his workload nearly tripled and he saw a major uptick in strikeouts, averaging 2.3 per inning up from 1.9 in 2019.
Justin Gober
2016-2018 Stats: .262 AVG, 0 HR, 12 RBI, 21 R
2020 Stats: .306 AVG, 2 HR, 17 RBI, 14 R
With no games played in 2019 and only four in 2018 where Gober hit just .050, I had to go back to 2016 to get a full seasons worth of numbers. But you can see Gober raised his average nearly 50 points and saw a bump in his run production at the plate.
Gerald Johnson
2019 Stats: .290 AVG, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 13 R
2020 Stats: .288 AVG, 7 HR, 20 RBI, 24 R
2019 Stats: (0-4), 9.2 IP, 23.79 ERA, 6.32 WHIP, 17 K
2020 Stats: (1-8), 36.1 IP, 11.28 ERA, 4.07 WHIP, 64 K
Johnson showed improvement offensively and on the mound in his new full time rule with Bases Loaded.
Rookie of the Year
Stew Caladie
Key Stats: .500 AVG, 6 HR, 26 RBI, 25 R, .565 OBP
The newest Caladie finished in the Top 10 in the BWBL in AVG, HR, RBI, and R as a key piece in the Balls Deep offense that finished second in the league with 169 runs scored during the year.
Max Kraus
Key Stats: .333 AVG, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 10 R, .429 OBP
Kraus helped to fill the void in the ECE lineup that was vacated by several off-season departures. He put up solid numbers for just 12 games worth of action.
Nick Pugh
Key Stats: (5-5), 2.60 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 108 K
Pugh led the BWBL in strikeouts with 108, tying him for the 3rd most all-time in BWBL history for a single season. His ERA was 5th best amongst pitchers who threw at least 15 innings and his WHIP ranked 3rd.
Captain of the Year
Joey Dougher
Dougher captained the merger of what was two of the top teams from 2019, guiding the Flying Pierogies and their mix of personalities to an American Division title and league best 19-1 record.
John Kotsko
Kotsko brought in Stew Caladie and James Ziobro to replace the departed Steve Dotzel and Mikey Grebeck and followed up his 2019 championship season with a 15-5 record and National divisional title.
Brett Rooney
Rooney took the reins of Scared Hitless and helped lead a late season charge which culminated in the final playoff spot and a record of 9-11.
Josh Sorber
Sorber brought in Steve Dotzel and Jon Fernandes in the off-season and managed a roster of eight players on a weekly basis to a 10-10 record, a seven game improvement from Wiffleball Junkies 3-17 record in 2019.
Silver Slugger
Brett Caladie
Key Stats (BWBL Ranks): .573 AVG (4th), 12 HR (2ND), 43 RBI (2ND), 39 R (3rd), .627 OBP (4TH)
Christian Faulkner
Key Stats (BWBL Ranks): .574 AVG (3rd), 7 HR (T-6TH), 30 RBI (6TH), 22 R (14th), .676 OBP (2ND)
Alex Fuchylo
Key Stats (BWBL Ranks): .491 AVG (8TH), 11 HR (T-3RD), 37 RBI (3RD), 50 R (1ST), .590 OBP (7TH)
Rob Hess
Key Stats (BWBL Ranks): .452 AVG (11TH), 11 HR (T-3RD), 36 RBI (4TH), 38 R (4TH), .574 OBP (13TH)
Jake Lukachik
Key Stats (BWBL Ranks): .603 AVG (2ND), 13 HR (1ST), 46 RBI (1ST), 30 R (6TH), .622 OBP (5TH)
Cy Young
Zach Artim
Key Stats (BWBL Ranks): 8-0 (T-1ST), 0.38 ERA (1ST), 0.92 WHIP (1ST), 12.4 K/5 (2ND)
Anthony Caladie
Key Stats (BWBL Ranks): 8-2 (T-1ST), 1.63 ERA (3RD), 1.22 WHIP (2ND), 10.3 K/5 (7TH)
Brett Caladie
Key Stats (BWBL Ranks): 4-1 (T-7TH), 1.50 ERA (2ND), 1.50 WHIP (4TH), 10.5 K/5 (5TH)
Christian Faulkner
Key Stats (BWBL Ranks): 7-1 (3RD), 2.16 ERA (4th), 1.73 WHIP (5TH), 12.7 K/5 (1ST)
MVP
Zach Artim
Artim led the entire BWBL in wins, ERA, and WHIP as the ace of the league’s best team. He finished the season with a spotless 8-0 record. At the plate, he finished second on the team in both HR and RBI.
Anthony Caladie
At the plate A. Caladie led the BWBL in doubles with 6 and led Balls Deep in OBP at .636. On the mound he went 8-2 tying him for the league lead in wins and led Balls Deep with 95 strikeouts. He finished top 3 in the BWBL in both ERA and WHIP.
Brett Caladie
B. Caladie finished in the Top 4 in the BWBL in all major offensive categories (AVG, HR, RBI, R, OBP) and was the only player in the league to accomplish this feat. On the mound he went 4-1 and finished 2nd in the BWBL in ERA.
Alex Fuchylo
Fuchylo led the BWBL with 50 runs scored and finished Top 3 in both HR and RBI. On the mound he went 6-3 leading his team in both wins and strikeouts.
Nick Pugh
Pugh tossed 108 strikeouts which led the BWBL and tied him for 3rd most all-time for a single season. He finished with a record of 5-5 and his 2.60 ERA was good for 5th best in the BWBL. His WHIP of 1.48 was 3rd best. At the plate his 19 runs scored led the team.
Playoff MVP
Anthony Caladie
A. Caladie led the Balls Deep staff in the postseason with a 3-1 record and 3.81 ERA. His 8 HR tied him for the postseason lead.
J.J. Neely
Neely led Scared Hitless with 5 postseason HR and a team leading .429 average. On the mound he picked up a pivotal Game 4 win in the Championship series.
Nick Pugh
Pugh led the postseason with 5 wins en route to a 5-1 playoff record. His 1.79 ERA and 61 strikeouts were the best marks among those who pitched at least two games.
Julian Sperazza
Sperazza hit 4 HR and drove in 13 in just nine playoff games, far out producing his entire season totals of 1 and 11 respectively. This included pivotal go-ahead home runs in Game 2 and Game 4 wins of the Championship series for Scared Hitless.
End of the Season Captains Poll
by: Steve Dotzel
(posted Friday, August 21, 2020)
It’s been a few weeks since a Captain’s Poll has been published, but it’s back as we head in to the final week of the regular season. The captains are confident at the top as all eight of them put the same three teams in each of the top three spots. Let’s see how the poll shook out and run through the playoff scenarios for each team.
8. Bases Loaded (2-16)
As expected Bases Loaded heads into the final week with nothing to play for, at least on paper. However that has been the case for several weeks yet the team has been playing much better in the 2nd half of the season, picking up two wins along the way, thanks in most part to some strong pitching performances from Gerald Johnson. Surely Bases Loaded will just try and enjoy their final series of the season.
7. Electric City Express (5-13)
Another team that has been a bit of a thorn in team’s sides is ECE who is coming off a surprising sweep of Bad Meets Evil last week. After crunching the numbers, it is possible for ECE to finish in a tie for the last wild card spot. That would require them to sweep Scared Hitless on Sunday along with Scared Hitless then losing both games to Kings of the North AND Bad Meets Evil losing both games to Flying Pierogies. This would put both ECE and BME at a 7-13 record, while Scared Hitless would be 6-14. This would result in a tiebreaker between ECE and BME. First is head to head, which is a 2-2 tie. Next would be record vs playoff teams which is another tie at 1-9 for both teams. That leaves run differential as the deciding factor. BME currently sits at -15 for the season, whereas ECE is at -90. So yes it is technically possible for ECE to make the playoffs but they would somehow have to make up that differential which is highly unlikely.
6. Bad Meets Evil (7-11)
BME has faltered down the stretch winning just one of their last ten games. This can likely be attributed to missing both Curtis Wagner and Doug Novitski for most of that stretch. In fact, both players are in line to be ineligible for the playoffs if BME were to make it. That is obviously a big blow for the pitching staff on this team. Regardless, playoffs are still a possibility for BME. I will discuss their scenarios below.
5. Scared Hitless (6-10)
Scared Hitless saved their season and kept them playoff dreams alive last week in a sweep over Bad Meets Evil. The two wins put the team in a very good position for the final wild card spot. It will come down to them and BME and the scenarios are a bit messy, so let’s get to it.
Scenario #1 – Both teams finish the season with a record of 7-13. For this to happen, BME would have to lose both games to the Pierogies and Scared Hitless would have to win one of their four games on the day (any more wins than one and Scared Hitless will get the spot). If this happens the tiebreaker will go to record vs playoff teams since the head to head on the year is tied at 2-2. BME would finish with a 1-9 record vs playoff teams whereas Scared Hitless would finish either 2-8 or 3-7 depending in which series they picked up their one win. Either way, if BME gets swept and Scared Hitless wins at least one game on the day, Scared Hitless will get the final playoff spot.
Scenario #2 – Both teams finish with a record of 8-12. For this to happen, BME would have to split with the Pierogies and Scared Hitless would have to go 2-2 in their four games on the day (any more wins than two and Scared Hitless will get the spot). If this happens the tiebreaker will again go to record vs playoff teams. BME would now have a record of 2-8 while Scared Hitless can have a record of either 2-8, 3-7, or 4-6 depending on where they got their wins. If they were to sweep ECE and then get swept by Kings of the North that would give them the 2-8 record which means the run differential tiebreaker would come into play. BME is -15 and Scared Hitless is -51. So it would appear BME has the edge on the last spot here. If Scared Hitless were to beat Kings of the North at least once in recording their two wins on the day, then they would take the final spot over BME.
Scenario #3 – Both teams finish the season with a record of 9-11. For this to happen, BME would have to sweep the Pierogies and Scared Hitless would have to win three of their four games on the day (4/4 would give them the last spot). If this happens the tiebreaker will once again go to record vs playoff teams. BME would be sitting at 3-7 and Scared Hitless would be either 3-7 or 4-6 depending on where they got their three wins. If they sweep ECE and split with Kings that would give them the 3-7 mark where they would likely lose the run differential tiebreaker yet again. But if they split with ECE and sweep Kings, they would take the final spot.
So in summary the easiest (and most likely) way for Scared Hitless to take the final playoff spot would be for BME to get swept by the Pierogies and Scared Hitless themselves wins one game somewhere. If BME can pull out a split, then Hitless would need to find a way to beat Kings of the North one time.
Got all of that?
4. Wiffleball Junkies (8-10)
The Junkies are securely into the playoffs as they hold the tiebreaker over Scared Hitless, if the two were to finish tied at 8-12. The Junkies can clinch the #4 seed with one win on Sunday against Bases Loaded OR by one loss from BME against the Pierogies. So it seems all but certain that is where they will end up. From there they will wait to see who they will face in the play-in game, either BME or Scared Hitless. The Junkies split with each team during the regular season.
3. Kings of the North (11-5)
2. Balls Deep (14-4)
-While the National Division title is still up for grabs between these two teams, the outcome matters very little. With no chance of either moving up to the top spot or dropping to the fourth spot, which one of these teams comes out as division champ will only determine who is home for next week’s playoff series between the two. It will be interesting to see how both teams approach their meeting this week, considering they will play again next week in a much more important series. It is possible you won’t see any of the top arms on the day.
1. Flying Pierogies (17-1)
-The Pierogies are the clear cut top team heading into the playoffs in terms of both record and perception. At 17-1 they already have the top seed clinched and in this poll they received all eight 1st place votes. They will sit back and wait to see who their 1st round opponent will be – either Wiffleball Junkies, Bad Meets Evil, or Scared Hitless. On paper a meeting with BME and Curtis Wagner would look to be the worst case scenario of that group (if he gained eligibility), but they can likely end BME’s season with a sweep this week. Regardless, the Pierogies are 8-0 against these teams this season collectively.
Good luck to all teams this week as we finish off the 17th Season of the BWBL!
8. Bases Loaded (2-16)
As expected Bases Loaded heads into the final week with nothing to play for, at least on paper. However that has been the case for several weeks yet the team has been playing much better in the 2nd half of the season, picking up two wins along the way, thanks in most part to some strong pitching performances from Gerald Johnson. Surely Bases Loaded will just try and enjoy their final series of the season.
7. Electric City Express (5-13)
Another team that has been a bit of a thorn in team’s sides is ECE who is coming off a surprising sweep of Bad Meets Evil last week. After crunching the numbers, it is possible for ECE to finish in a tie for the last wild card spot. That would require them to sweep Scared Hitless on Sunday along with Scared Hitless then losing both games to Kings of the North AND Bad Meets Evil losing both games to Flying Pierogies. This would put both ECE and BME at a 7-13 record, while Scared Hitless would be 6-14. This would result in a tiebreaker between ECE and BME. First is head to head, which is a 2-2 tie. Next would be record vs playoff teams which is another tie at 1-9 for both teams. That leaves run differential as the deciding factor. BME currently sits at -15 for the season, whereas ECE is at -90. So yes it is technically possible for ECE to make the playoffs but they would somehow have to make up that differential which is highly unlikely.
6. Bad Meets Evil (7-11)
BME has faltered down the stretch winning just one of their last ten games. This can likely be attributed to missing both Curtis Wagner and Doug Novitski for most of that stretch. In fact, both players are in line to be ineligible for the playoffs if BME were to make it. That is obviously a big blow for the pitching staff on this team. Regardless, playoffs are still a possibility for BME. I will discuss their scenarios below.
5. Scared Hitless (6-10)
Scared Hitless saved their season and kept them playoff dreams alive last week in a sweep over Bad Meets Evil. The two wins put the team in a very good position for the final wild card spot. It will come down to them and BME and the scenarios are a bit messy, so let’s get to it.
Scenario #1 – Both teams finish the season with a record of 7-13. For this to happen, BME would have to lose both games to the Pierogies and Scared Hitless would have to win one of their four games on the day (any more wins than one and Scared Hitless will get the spot). If this happens the tiebreaker will go to record vs playoff teams since the head to head on the year is tied at 2-2. BME would finish with a 1-9 record vs playoff teams whereas Scared Hitless would finish either 2-8 or 3-7 depending in which series they picked up their one win. Either way, if BME gets swept and Scared Hitless wins at least one game on the day, Scared Hitless will get the final playoff spot.
Scenario #2 – Both teams finish with a record of 8-12. For this to happen, BME would have to split with the Pierogies and Scared Hitless would have to go 2-2 in their four games on the day (any more wins than two and Scared Hitless will get the spot). If this happens the tiebreaker will again go to record vs playoff teams. BME would now have a record of 2-8 while Scared Hitless can have a record of either 2-8, 3-7, or 4-6 depending on where they got their wins. If they were to sweep ECE and then get swept by Kings of the North that would give them the 2-8 record which means the run differential tiebreaker would come into play. BME is -15 and Scared Hitless is -51. So it would appear BME has the edge on the last spot here. If Scared Hitless were to beat Kings of the North at least once in recording their two wins on the day, then they would take the final spot over BME.
Scenario #3 – Both teams finish the season with a record of 9-11. For this to happen, BME would have to sweep the Pierogies and Scared Hitless would have to win three of their four games on the day (4/4 would give them the last spot). If this happens the tiebreaker will once again go to record vs playoff teams. BME would be sitting at 3-7 and Scared Hitless would be either 3-7 or 4-6 depending on where they got their three wins. If they sweep ECE and split with Kings that would give them the 3-7 mark where they would likely lose the run differential tiebreaker yet again. But if they split with ECE and sweep Kings, they would take the final spot.
So in summary the easiest (and most likely) way for Scared Hitless to take the final playoff spot would be for BME to get swept by the Pierogies and Scared Hitless themselves wins one game somewhere. If BME can pull out a split, then Hitless would need to find a way to beat Kings of the North one time.
Got all of that?
4. Wiffleball Junkies (8-10)
The Junkies are securely into the playoffs as they hold the tiebreaker over Scared Hitless, if the two were to finish tied at 8-12. The Junkies can clinch the #4 seed with one win on Sunday against Bases Loaded OR by one loss from BME against the Pierogies. So it seems all but certain that is where they will end up. From there they will wait to see who they will face in the play-in game, either BME or Scared Hitless. The Junkies split with each team during the regular season.
3. Kings of the North (11-5)
2. Balls Deep (14-4)
-While the National Division title is still up for grabs between these two teams, the outcome matters very little. With no chance of either moving up to the top spot or dropping to the fourth spot, which one of these teams comes out as division champ will only determine who is home for next week’s playoff series between the two. It will be interesting to see how both teams approach their meeting this week, considering they will play again next week in a much more important series. It is possible you won’t see any of the top arms on the day.
1. Flying Pierogies (17-1)
-The Pierogies are the clear cut top team heading into the playoffs in terms of both record and perception. At 17-1 they already have the top seed clinched and in this poll they received all eight 1st place votes. They will sit back and wait to see who their 1st round opponent will be – either Wiffleball Junkies, Bad Meets Evil, or Scared Hitless. On paper a meeting with BME and Curtis Wagner would look to be the worst case scenario of that group (if he gained eligibility), but they can likely end BME’s season with a sweep this week. Regardless, the Pierogies are 8-0 against these teams this season collectively.
Good luck to all teams this week as we finish off the 17th Season of the BWBL!
Season 17 Guidelines
| BWBL COVID-19 guidelines.pdf |
BWBL Hall of Fame, Class of 2019
In continuing to commemorate the efforts of great players and organizers, the Backyard Wiffle® Ball League is proud to announce the BWBL Hall of Fame, Class of 2019!
Members are elected to the Hall of Fame through a vote of BWBL Council members and still-active Hall of Famers. In order to become a member of the Hall of Fame, players/organizers must first be nominated by the Council and then receive 75% of the vote.
The league is proud to announce the BWBL Hall of Fame, Class of 2019:
Mikey Holloway -- Player for all 15 years of the league’s existence and was the league’s youngest player at the age of 12 when the league formed. Mikey has transformed his game throught the years, at first relying on his speed and quick hands then becoming an all-around player capable of carrying a team on his back. Don’t be fooled by the lackadaisical effort because if you sleep on him, he will turn a little 15-foot hit into a double. Holloway’s speed and quickness has garnered him some national recognition from the NWLA as a first team fielder and is considered to be one of the most reliable defensive players roaming the outfield at Diamond City Park. With his induction, the Core-4 of not only the 2004 Dragons but the original one-on-one league is now all derservingly in the Hall of Fame.
Bob Sickle -- Father of the league co-creator, without Sickle, the league most likely would have gone under within the first few years. Sickle was routinely at the field early to help set up and get the field in playing condition. Sickle is best known for his supervisory skills and ability to see where improvements could be made. He is also famous for one-liners, with favorite targets being fellow Hall of Famers Tom Hannon, Mike White, and his son Kevin Sickle. Sickle was instrumental in getting Diamond City Park up and running to allow the league to continue well into the future. Athletically, Sickle served as a fill-in during the early years for his son's teams and has two sons who hold BWBL titles (Kevin and Nate with Bases Loaded in 2013). The league, its founders, commissioner son, council, and all players past, present, and future owe a debt of gratitude to Bob.
Stay tuned for plans for the Hall of Fame Induction!
Members are elected to the Hall of Fame through a vote of BWBL Council members and still-active Hall of Famers. In order to become a member of the Hall of Fame, players/organizers must first be nominated by the Council and then receive 75% of the vote.
The league is proud to announce the BWBL Hall of Fame, Class of 2019:
Mikey Holloway -- Player for all 15 years of the league’s existence and was the league’s youngest player at the age of 12 when the league formed. Mikey has transformed his game throught the years, at first relying on his speed and quick hands then becoming an all-around player capable of carrying a team on his back. Don’t be fooled by the lackadaisical effort because if you sleep on him, he will turn a little 15-foot hit into a double. Holloway’s speed and quickness has garnered him some national recognition from the NWLA as a first team fielder and is considered to be one of the most reliable defensive players roaming the outfield at Diamond City Park. With his induction, the Core-4 of not only the 2004 Dragons but the original one-on-one league is now all derservingly in the Hall of Fame.
Bob Sickle -- Father of the league co-creator, without Sickle, the league most likely would have gone under within the first few years. Sickle was routinely at the field early to help set up and get the field in playing condition. Sickle is best known for his supervisory skills and ability to see where improvements could be made. He is also famous for one-liners, with favorite targets being fellow Hall of Famers Tom Hannon, Mike White, and his son Kevin Sickle. Sickle was instrumental in getting Diamond City Park up and running to allow the league to continue well into the future. Athletically, Sickle served as a fill-in during the early years for his son's teams and has two sons who hold BWBL titles (Kevin and Nate with Bases Loaded in 2013). The league, its founders, commissioner son, council, and all players past, present, and future owe a debt of gratitude to Bob.
Stay tuned for plans for the Hall of Fame Induction!
The BWBL is officially sanctioned by The Wiffle Ball, Inc., 275 Bridgeport Ave., Shelton, CT 06484
