by: Tom Hannon
It’s been almost four years since those first three words in the title have been said. A lot has changed since then, players have changed teams and some players have come back to where it all began. For those of you that don’t recall why those words are important I’ll give you a quick recap. A diving catch to end one of the longest six-inning games I have ever been a part of. The catch and the win kept BWBL away from the dreaded Dangerfield Tournament and kept their dream alive to win the championship on Sunday.
Zach Artim- A fiery competitor with his will to win as strong as any on this roster. A double elimination pitcher for sure but could throw all day as witnessed from his 2016 marathon of a game vs HRL. Keeping him fresh will be a key component in the success of the BWBL.
Mark Belles- A scrappy hitter and a very good defensive player and will help that this is his third National event so he knows what to expect. Getting him on base and utilizing his speed and aggression will be a key for not only his personal success but the team’s.
Steve Dotzel- Bonafide Ace. There really isn’t anything else that can be said about his pitching ability when it comes to the national level. He has pitched against some of the tournaments best and held his own. If possible a fresh Dotzel on Sunday morning could spell trouble for other teams.
Alex Fuchylo- A newcomer to the NWLA tournament but he has all the tools necessary to help in a big way. He is a five-tool player and once he gets a couple games under his belt he could be a player to watch the rest of the tournament. He will most likely pitch some in RR but could also see him in a DE game to keep Artim or Dotzel fresh for Sunday.
Tom Hannon- A player that has a vast amount of experience in all styles of Wiffle ball. With the success he has had in the BWBL it’s hard to find some positives on the national level. He will most likely hit in some pool play games and possibly pitch a couple innings. If the BWBL needs an enforcer or antagonist this may be their guy. (No BWBL suspensions for out here right?)
Joey Dougher- As of late he has found himself in a nice groove pitching and will look to continue that trend at the NWLA tournament. A switch hitter most noted for his 78 walks against Flakne in the infamous game against HRL where he got plunked 4 out of 5 pitches each at bat. His speed and aggressive nature on the base paths will help this team once he gets on. He will get some work most likely in pool play and could be a reliever come DE.
Doug Novitski- A very athletic outfielder and will dive unnecessarily for balls that are within an arm’s reach. Very rarely will you see Doug take it easy when he patrols the outfield. His fielding is his strongest asset but don’t sleep on his hitting ability. Most likely for Doug he will be in the field and hit and in the extreme situation, you may find him on the mound.
This year’s version of the BWBL is one that could and should have been together since the BWBL joined this tournament back in 2015. The pool that they find themselves in has a couple heavy hitters in the 3-time and defending champion WSEM Dads, 2-time champ OCWA Freaky Franchise and lastly the BCW Keg Crushers. How the pitching assignments for not only the pool play games but our double elimination games later that night will determine exactly what we will be playing for on Sunday.
This right here is a brief look at the BWBL Breaker Boys roster. Currently we are without an 8th and we are exploring our options within the players in the league. With that being said, many inside the league and maybe some outside the league may wonder will this team gel? Will they have any issues with chemistry and I won’t lie I have had some of those doubts myself. However, I’m hoping that whatever rivalries that are already there or even some starting to develop inside the league itself can be put on hold until we all get back from this tournament champions or not. In the four years that the BWBL has sent a team to the NWLA Tournament, there hasn’t been this much buzz or positive feedback from within our league regarding the roster ever. Personally I’m expecting big things from this team and anything less than a 2-0 start in DE to me would be a failure regardless of who we match up against in those 2 games. So once we conclude our games on Saturday July 14th, we will again be “PLAYING TOMORROW” but the biggest difference being with a legitimate chance at bringing home the championship.
It’s been almost four years since those first three words in the title have been said. A lot has changed since then, players have changed teams and some players have come back to where it all began. For those of you that don’t recall why those words are important I’ll give you a quick recap. A diving catch to end one of the longest six-inning games I have ever been a part of. The catch and the win kept BWBL away from the dreaded Dangerfield Tournament and kept their dream alive to win the championship on Sunday.
Zach Artim- A fiery competitor with his will to win as strong as any on this roster. A double elimination pitcher for sure but could throw all day as witnessed from his 2016 marathon of a game vs HRL. Keeping him fresh will be a key component in the success of the BWBL.
Mark Belles- A scrappy hitter and a very good defensive player and will help that this is his third National event so he knows what to expect. Getting him on base and utilizing his speed and aggression will be a key for not only his personal success but the team’s.
Steve Dotzel- Bonafide Ace. There really isn’t anything else that can be said about his pitching ability when it comes to the national level. He has pitched against some of the tournaments best and held his own. If possible a fresh Dotzel on Sunday morning could spell trouble for other teams.
Alex Fuchylo- A newcomer to the NWLA tournament but he has all the tools necessary to help in a big way. He is a five-tool player and once he gets a couple games under his belt he could be a player to watch the rest of the tournament. He will most likely pitch some in RR but could also see him in a DE game to keep Artim or Dotzel fresh for Sunday.
Tom Hannon- A player that has a vast amount of experience in all styles of Wiffle ball. With the success he has had in the BWBL it’s hard to find some positives on the national level. He will most likely hit in some pool play games and possibly pitch a couple innings. If the BWBL needs an enforcer or antagonist this may be their guy. (No BWBL suspensions for out here right?)
Joey Dougher- As of late he has found himself in a nice groove pitching and will look to continue that trend at the NWLA tournament. A switch hitter most noted for his 78 walks against Flakne in the infamous game against HRL where he got plunked 4 out of 5 pitches each at bat. His speed and aggressive nature on the base paths will help this team once he gets on. He will get some work most likely in pool play and could be a reliever come DE.
Doug Novitski- A very athletic outfielder and will dive unnecessarily for balls that are within an arm’s reach. Very rarely will you see Doug take it easy when he patrols the outfield. His fielding is his strongest asset but don’t sleep on his hitting ability. Most likely for Doug he will be in the field and hit and in the extreme situation, you may find him on the mound.
This year’s version of the BWBL is one that could and should have been together since the BWBL joined this tournament back in 2015. The pool that they find themselves in has a couple heavy hitters in the 3-time and defending champion WSEM Dads, 2-time champ OCWA Freaky Franchise and lastly the BCW Keg Crushers. How the pitching assignments for not only the pool play games but our double elimination games later that night will determine exactly what we will be playing for on Sunday.
This right here is a brief look at the BWBL Breaker Boys roster. Currently we are without an 8th and we are exploring our options within the players in the league. With that being said, many inside the league and maybe some outside the league may wonder will this team gel? Will they have any issues with chemistry and I won’t lie I have had some of those doubts myself. However, I’m hoping that whatever rivalries that are already there or even some starting to develop inside the league itself can be put on hold until we all get back from this tournament champions or not. In the four years that the BWBL has sent a team to the NWLA Tournament, there hasn’t been this much buzz or positive feedback from within our league regarding the roster ever. Personally I’m expecting big things from this team and anything less than a 2-0 start in DE to me would be a failure regardless of who we match up against in those 2 games. So once we conclude our games on Saturday July 14th, we will again be “PLAYING TOMORROW” but the biggest difference being with a legitimate chance at bringing home the championship.