Preseason Power RAYnkings
I'M BACK BITCHES!!! It's been way too long since I wrote about the raynkings in this league but excited to see what happens this year. We have some new faces, old faces, and some that we wish would go away this year, but more importantly having old players COMING BACK!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! We're bringing back the wiffle awards, All Star game/home run derby all to remind players of the way 2014 was. Hopefully it surpasses 2014 so we can say how amazing 2018 was. So without further ado, here are my WAY too early raynkings this year.
#6 Men of Moth
This team is captained by Patrick Horton and his team has for some reason been an absolute secret. Pat himself is a great player and hero of the GAWL game that our league played against to qualify for the 2017 NWLA Regionals. His credentials alone could have his team not in last place but with a league full of veteran players its hard to rank a team off one player.
#5 Thunderducks
This is a reoccurring team captained by Hall of Famer Greg Sowards. The team consists of Josh Blair, Ian Handy, Derek Darlak, Greg Sowards and a possible 5th to come. This team is full of talented players that have played in this league before. Josh Blair is a great defensive player and can be a threat in the field. Ian is used to being the cannon arm so I cant wait to see how his arm will adjust to medium pitch and has his defensive skills improved? Time will only tell. A gem for this team is Derek Darlak. He has proven himself already as a medium pitch threat last year stepping up to pitch on the dismal Wiffle Hit Wonders. Will this be his year to be a break out star in the league? Now on to the greatest team manager of all time: Greg Sowards. Greg is in his element already as a pitcher for medium style pitching so he may be able to keep his team in the game with his crazy high throwing pitch. this team is difficult at the plate which is going to be their downfall very streaky players in a format where you have to be consistent. Other than questionable hitting, defense is their other flaw. They will need more than Josh Blair to climb the ladder to the top. Picking up Charles Briscoe and Jamar could be the missing ingredients they needed to make them a contender. Guess we'll have to wait and see.
#4 OD Bangers
A team that I'm most excited to talk about is captained by the one armed bandit Justin Fairman. This legendary team consists of Justin Fairman, Big Mike McCoy, Rick Patterson, Ronnie Canterbury, Virgil Vanover, and the injured Anthony Stidham. This team is loaded with talent and possible future Hall of Famers! Each players has had a memorable moment in the league whether is was Rick Patterson giving Sit On My Base its first tournament win and league championship, or Big Mike shocking the world and showing that Drew McClannahan is mortal with a solo shot in 2014. While this team has talent, all but the injured Anthony missed out on playing last year. Will this be the thing that hurts them? On the offensive side of the ball this team can hurt anyone. Major bat experience being led by a difficult out in Ronnie Canterbury will help this team stay in games. The one armed legend himself, Justin Fairman, is coming back to play after his stint with SOMB. Justin's odd batting approach looks childish, but it's very effective. And who could overlook the fact that Big Mike is BACK!!! One of the most feared deep ball hitters will definitely be fun to see play again and the homerun derby potential match up between Tyler Roush and Big Mike could be very special to see. The biggest question for this team is defense. They have potential pitchers in Rick and Ronnie, but will Justin step up as a defensive asset? Where will the new guy Virgil step in? Will this team be the same without Anthony pitching?
#3 Asthmatics
Paul Hesson is coming back to look for another wiffleball championship like in 2014 by captaining this team. This is a team mixed with Veterans and new comers so out of respect to Paul - I'm ranking them at 3 based on his previous leadership. The team includes veterans Paul Hesson, Jacob Dunkle, Steven Adkins, and new comers Sam Garton and Cody Brown. Asthmatics have a great chance of coming out of this season as champs. They are solid across the board on defensive, offense, and pitching with just the veteran players. Explosive bats will make all pitchers facing this team worried to play them. They added a great hitter and Homerun king Steven Adkins to add to the smash brothers. Dunkle is one of the fastest and best defensive players in the league along with probably the best defensive pitcher in Paul. I'm curious on how the new comers will show up and contribute. With any great team, a good veteran team can help rookies evolve in the game. Keep your eye on this team!
#2 Sit On My Base
The best runner-up team of all time is back together with Andrew Westcott at the helm. This time around the team is added Hall of Famer Josh Smith to the squad to accompany Jeremy Ray, Andrew Westcott, Scott Westcott, and Brian Ball. The core of this team (Westcott bros and Jeremy Ray) have had success in the league for as long as they've been involved. The hop is that Josh Smith will be a major role player this year in the pitching rotation. His medium style pitching is a major reason he was recruited to help catapult this team into a championship run. There's also the fact that Josh seems to play up to the level of talent around him, so his bat could be very helpful. The final piece to this juggernaut is probably the best defensive player to ever play in the HWL: Brain Ball. Ball has highlight after highlight of top plays of the week just off his defense alone. Robbing homeruns and making diving plays in the field make it almost impossible to score on him when he is in the field. Now all this talk on one side of the ball is one thing, but his offense is equally as good as his defense! He hits bombs, and causes chaos on the bases and can really put some runs on the board in a hurry.
The trio are back! Andrew and Scotty are coming off back to back league championships (one with SOMB and last year with Saved By The Balls). Andrew always adds that fear in hitting being one of the best clutch hitters in the game. Will we see him on the mound this year? After a season like last year i cant see him not throwing from the mound. He also adds great defense. Scotty can pitch, hit, and play defense. Ever the solid player, he's an all around any team would be happy to have to make a run for the trophy. Finally, we have Jeremy Ray. He has always been a threat on the mound for SOMB over the years. He is used to having to carry the team in pitching, but it will be a breathe of fresh air to adapt to the style of medium pitch. Being one of the most accruate pitchers the league, Ray has seen in all formats and with his speed and arm diminishing, medium pitch might be his style to thrive in. He is not only a force on the mound, his batting matches his pitching stature. He has been silver slugger, and gold slugger he always finds a way to get on base so andrew can hit him in. This team will be very tough to beat this year.
#1 Mothmen
The Mothmen took the league by storm so much they made them split up last year to try to spread the talent this team has. The team consists of Tyler Roush, Brice Clark, Wyatt Zuspan, and Kris Clark. Although this team is captained by Tyler Roush, Brice Clark is the brains of this franchise. Brice Clark is an amazing player on both sides of the ball. He is one of the smartest hitters I've seen in both fast and slow pitch formats. His ability to get on base is amazing and helps his team to knock him in. He is a very good fast pitch player, so I'm curious if he can adapt to a slower style of pitching. If he can be consistent in his pitching we are looking at the front runner for Cy Wiffle. Tyler Roush has three jobs: hit homeruns, stop everything on defense, and win championships. As a hitter, Tyler should be the most feared in the league. Having been walked the most last year should tell you how much pitchers don't like to throw to him. He qualified for the homerun derby at nationals this year but was unable to make it at the last minute. Even if the ball stays in the yard, his speed will beat you too. Between Brian Ball, Jacob Dunkle, and Paul Hesson its hard to say who the fastest player is but Roush is certainly up there. A front runner for Defensive player of the year with his ability to make unbelievable plays, Roush is a vital member of this team. I've seen Wyatt Zuspan play briefly but those brief moments is why he was a major reason he played up in Wilkes-Barre regional tournament last year. His ability to place the ball anywhere in the field will make him as feared of a hitter as Brice and Tyler. Wyatt in the field is another reason why this team is number one. Now add Kris Clark, brother of Brice, to the mix. I haven't been able to see him play much so to say anything about his talent level would be stretching it. But from what I've heard Brice say, he can play! This is the most solid team put together so its no wonder why they are number one. But honestly, any of these other five teams have what it takes to take them on for the title this year. I'm excited to see what happens!
