Team Tuesdays: Green Bears
Written by Josh Smith
There's no denying it - the Green Bears have been having an incredibly rough season. At 6 games under .500 they are in last place in the Jewel City division and next to last in the entire league. They currently have the lowest team batting average in the league at .253 and have left a whopping 54 runners stranded on base and have only brought in 22 RBIs (tied for 2nd to last). Mike McCoy and Josh Smith are the team's leading batters. McCoy leads the team with a .350 AVG, 4 HRs, & 7 RBIs while Smith bats .312, 4 HRs, & 5 RBIs. Greg Sowards is not too far behind with a .269 AVG and a couple of home runs but has struggled with the rest of the team to get on base consistently.
Pitching was believed to be the team's strong point prior to the beginning of the season. The team had two accomplished pitchers (Smith and Sowards) from the first two seasons and promising talent in Andrew Hankins and Mike McCoy in the bullpen. Sowards has a 3-2 record with 5.62 ERA and 12 Ks. Smith has yet to get a win on the mound and leads the team in most pitching categories such as a 2.41 and 27 Ks (6th most in league) and 2 Saves (leading league) yet has a 0-4 record. Hankins (32.50 ERA) and McCoy (40.00 ERA) have not seen as much action as many thought they would see and when they have visited the mound it's been rough. The team's fastest pitcher, Smith, is nothing spectacular and as a result the team just simply doesn't have an ace. And in a league where pitching has become dominant, not having an ace has cost the team several games as they've given up 65 Earned Runs (most in the league).
But the season is not over for this team. They are wrapping up the most difficult leg of their schedule with brutal matchups against some of the best pitching in the league. This week they play their old foe the Honey Badgers and then it's back to divisional play until the end of the season where they may earn a couple more wins. The Green Bears are a team that have accepted their sub .500 status and have taken it in stride. The team brings a wireless speaker and play walk-up music and constantly joke around during and after the games. They can often be seen performing hip thrusts, a technique they call "rally thrusting", on and off the field. Perhaps it's to get into their opponents heads but it's most likely just another odd tactic the team entertains for their own amusement. They managed to be the first (and only) team in the league to score a run on Drew McClanahan (and his team for that matter) with a solo shot from McCoy. But the team will most likely be bringing up the rear in the Jewel City division unless something changes. Their goal now is to simply stay ahead of Poker Night.
Greg Sowards
Captain | #16 | SP/OF
Age? 26
What is your favorite food? Fried Chicken
What made you want to play wiffleball? Josh Smith keeps me here at gun point
Any previous experience with baseball or softball? How many years and in what leagues? 3 years Hurricane Baseball League, 10 years Garrett Drive Wiffleball League, & 2 years Huntington Wiffle League
Do you have any personal goals for this season? If so, what are they? Having fun
What do you do for a living? Little Caesar's
Favorite TV show? NCIS
Favorite movie? Tremors
What are you other hobbies? Video games and spending time with my kids
Josh Smith
Co-Captain | #10 | SP/CP/OF
Age? 27
What is your favorite food? Pizza
What made you want to play wiffleball? I sucked at baseball
Any previous experience with baseball or softball? How many years and in what leagues? 5 years Hurricane Baseball League, 10 years Garrett Drive Wiffleball League, & 2 years Huntington Wiffle League
Do you have any personal goals for this season? If so, what are they? To become a more accurate pitcher
What do you do for a living? Store Manager for Dollar Tree
Favorite TV show? Breaking Bad and Dexter
Favorite movie? Batman movies
What are you other hobbies? Wasting time on Netflix, working with this website and podcast, shooting and editing video, reading, & studying history
Mike Saxton
#9 | OF/EH
Age? 14
What is your favorite food? Steak
What made you want to play wiffleball? My step-dad invited me
Any previous experience with baseball or softball? How many years and in what leagues? 2 years in Garrett Drive Wiffleball League, & 2 years in Huntington Wiffle League
Do you have any personal goals for this season? If so, what are they? Jack some home runs
What do you do for a living? Student and ladies man
Favorite TV show? Duck Dynasty
Favorite movie? October Sky
What are you other hobbies? Fishing
Andrew Hankins
#5 | OF/RP
Age? 25
What is your favorite food? Sushi
What made you want to play wiffleball? Always dreamed of being an adult athlete
Any previous experience with baseball or softball? How many years and in what leagues? Tee Ball, 1 year in Garrett Drive Wiffleball League, & 1 year in Huntington Wiffle League
Do you have any personal goals for this season? If so, what are they? Hitting a grand slam
What do you do for a living? Work at Heritage Station
Favorite TV show? Trailer Park Boys, Game of Thrones, & Workaholics
Favorite movie? The Goonies
What are you other hobbies? Playing guitar and singing for drunk people
Julie Meadows
#7 | OF/EH
Age? 33
What is your favorite food? Chinese
What made you want to play wiffleball? Sounded like fun
Any previous experience with baseball or softball? How many years and in what leagues? 11 years of softball
Do you have any personal goals for this season? If so, what are they? Nope
What do you do for a living? Student
Favorite TV show? Big Bang Theory
Favorite movie? Sixteen Candles
What are you other hobbies? Zumba
Mike McCoy
#9 | OF/RP
Age? 33
What is your favorite food? Pizza
What made you want to play wiffleball? Paul Martin invited me to the Fall Ball league last year and I joined the Green Bears...been with the team ever since
Any previous experience with baseball or softball? How many years and in what leagues? Minor league, Little League, Babe Ruth, & Senior Babe Ruth
Do you have any personal goals for this season? If so, what are they? Just don't want our team to finish in last
What do you do for a living? Asst. Branch Manager at US Bank
Favorite TV show? The Walking Dead
Favorite movie? Braveheart
What are you other hobbies? Spending time with my son, golfing, watching movies, & eating
