HWL Heading To NWLA Regionals
Tomorrow evening we will be traveling to Morenci, Michigan to participate in one of four National Wiffleball League Association Regional Tournaments. This is the first time our league will be involved with the organization since 2014 where we finished with a 4-3 record and finished in the top 10. Various circumstances led to the league abstaining from the tournament last year and it was uncertain that the league would ever participate in the NWLA Tournament again. When Patrick Rayl took over as league commissioner this year one of his top priorities was to field a team in the NWLA Tournament. It was a task that would not be without it's challenges. Many of the players from the 2014 NWLA team we fielded no longer play in the league. So we essentially were starting from scratch. Below is the roster for the team representing the HWL in Michigan this weekend:
Patrick Rayl (Team Manager) followed the team up to Ohio a couple years ago and was blown away by the organization of the event. He was appointed as commissioner by Smith and Sowards in fall of 2015 and has been focused on getting a team to return to the tournament since day one as commish. He has held several team practices so that we bring a team that is prepared for what they may encounter in Michigan.
Greg Sowards (Assistant Manager) has 15 years of wiffleball experience and has been to every NWLA Tournament (except last year). He is a student of the game and is always thinking of strategies to give his team an edge. His expertise will be of incredible value in Michigan this weekend.
Jeremy Ray is only one of two players on the team that participated in the 2014 NWLA Tournament. He did well on the mound and has continued to improve with his craft. Jeremy became the league's best pitcher last year and still practices fast-pitch despite the league adopting a slow-pitch tournament format. He's been waiting a long time for another shot to compete on the fast-pitch level.
Andrew Westcott was supposed to be on the 2014 team but was unable to attend after winning a trip to the MLB All-Star Game. He is regarded by many as the league's top power-hitter. He can hit the long ball on a fast pitcher and in a slow-pitch situation. He's also not a bad fielder.
Paul Hesson is the only other player on the team to have attended the NWLA Tournament (2014). Paul has some great speed on his pitches and continues to improve into a reliable second ace for the team. He's a phenomenal hitter and even better fielder.
Ian Handy is a newcomer to the league and team practices have shown him to be a very accurate pitcher. He could be the team's third starting pitcher or a reliable reliever.
Josh Blair is another new player and has been practicing on the mound a lot. He is best known for his skills in the outfield.
Anthony Stidham hacked it out last year on the 0-20 Plain White Tees franchise, so we know this guy has patience and really wanted to be on this team. He's great with banter and trashtalk, a requirement for being on the team he's part of (Make Wiffleball Great Again).
Joshua Smith (Player/Pitching Coach) is someone who swore off the tournament last year. The only reason he is attending is at the request of the team coaches and out of necessity.
