The Divisional Era Is Upon Us
Written by Josh Smith
We already have 6 to 8 teams that are showing promising progress on preparing for the 2014 season. It is to be expected that we may reach 10 or more teams before opening day but in the event that we only have 8 we will enter an era that no other wiffleball league in West Virginia has experienced. If we reach 8 or more teams we will be the biggest league to ever exist in the state and as a result we will be needing to ensure that things don't get sloppy. It is for this reason that teams will be split into two divisions: River City and Jewel City. Both division names are named after the nicknames the city of Huntington. The divisional colors are not set in stone. Scarlet and grey for the Jewel City Division is taken from Cabell-Midland High School. Green and Black for the River City Division is taken from Marshall University.
Teams will play within their division for the most part and this will aid in creating a clear and effective game schedule for the 2014 season. There will be inter-divisional play but it will only encompass about 20% of a team's schedule. The plan now is for there to be a 10-week season with an all-star game between weeks 5 and 6. After the 10th week of scheduling there will be make up games followed by the playoffs. If the total amount of teams is beyond 8 teams then divisional rivalries and wildcard races will be an added bonus to the divisional era as only 8 teams will be permitted to participate in the playoffs.
So which teams are going into each division? We will find that out at the Winter Meeting which is on February 4th at Fat Pattys in Huntington at 7:00 pm. All team captains MUST attend this meeting to draw for which teams will be placed in either division. There is also a captain's vote on whether or not the league will switch to the yellow bat. If the team captain cannot make the meeting then they need to appoint another team member to be present in their place. Divisional drawing ensures that all teams are placed at random so if you find yourself in a hard division it was decided by fate. But given the fact that a lot of teams are virtually evenly matched it is hard to say that there will be a "hard" division.
