2021 League Hall of Fame Ballot Announced

The league hall of fame was founded by the league committee in mid-2017 and inducted the first class that included league founders Joshua Smith and Greg Sowards. The following year the committee inducted superstar Drew McClanahan, former league commissioner Patrick Rayl and league co-founder and media extraordinaire Jeremy Litton into the hall. 2018 would prove to be the league's final season and as that year came to a close the committee did not reconvene in 2019 to create another ballot, this neglect would occur again in 2020.

Being as the league was no longer active, the committee was unsure if continuing things such as the league hall of fame made sense. As 2021 has come around and the future of the league is less... finite, the league committee has decided to consider putting in a 2021 class into the hall of fame regardless of if the league will be resurrecting itself this year.

If you peruse the Hall of Fame section of our website you may notice the ballot and voting rules and while they're as exciting as you'd imagine it's important to know who the process works. Simply put, the committee is the body that determines what players are put on the ballot. The committee members and any players that have been inducted into the Hall of Fame get a vote on that ballot to determine who will make it into the hall. The two players that receive the most votes are inducted that year.

Typically, the ballot only features four players but there was a tie for the fourth spot (Anthony Stidham and Ryan Pritt) so we decided to place them both on the ballot. As you may have noticed from the article image, the players that made it on the 2021 ballot are as follows: Brice Clark, Ryan Pritt, Jeremy Ray, Andrew Westcott and Anthony Stidham.

This year's ballot is exciting for a few reasons. First, it's the first ballot released since 2018. Secondly, it has five players on it instead of the usual four. And finally, this is the first ballot where there appear to be no obvious shoe-in candidates on it. The first two classes featured league co-founders and superstar players that were clear choices for the hall and this ballot (and presumably future ballots) will require more consideration when voting for who will make it in. So, there's plenty of reason to be excited about who will make the 2021 class. Let's take a look at who made the ballot...

Brice Clark is no longer that young rookie he once was. He started out in 2016 on the Mothmen team and quickly made a name for himself as a player but in subsequent years he'd not only show his worth on the field, but off of it as well. Brice is a man who went 'all in' on the league the following year and was willing to part ways with his ringer team for the greater good of the league as we entered the draft era. And in 2018 he joined the league organizing committee where he was key in promoting to potential players and other vital league running roles. After the league went on hiatus at the end of 2018, Brice has started his own wiffle endeavor in Mason WV where he runs the Wild and Wonderful Wiffleball league that hosts occasional tournaments. This guy just has all 'the right stuff' and the fact that he accomplished so much in three seasons is truly phenomenal. He's got the wisdom and baseball IQ of someone at least twice his age and has earned my respect and the respect of so many others as well.

Ryan Pritt is a name often overshadowed by other star players that were featured on Breaking Balls. This often criminally overlooked player has been a constant force and was the backbone of the franchise. Pritt began his wiffleball career in 2013 by participating in the Charleston Wiffle League's [sic] fall ball season and showed early talent. That winter he built the Breaking Balls, arguably the greatest team in league history, and brought them to prominence in the 2014 season. Some of those players became household names but Ryan was rarely singled out for his talents and contributions, which is a shame. Pritt's numbers at the plate are nothing to scoff at and his attendance makes him one of the steadiest captains in league history. He played for the Breaking Balls in 2014/2015 and then played on Sit On My Base the following year. He had been drafted onto Wiffle Hit Wonders in 2017 but never had the opportunity to play. But in just three seasons played, he managed to win TWO championships and neither of those teams would have won those trophies without the necessary contributions of Ryan Pritt.

Jeremy Ray is possibly the biggest name on the ballot and the closest thing to a shoe-in on the list. Beginning his career in 2014, he's one of the most tenured players in the league with five seasons played. He has played on all four total NWLA teams we've sent (2014 Brew Jays national team, 2016 Blizzard regional team, 2017 Saved By The Balls regional team & the 2018 Mothmen national team) and made a name for himself in 2014 on the mound with his accuracy and variety of pitches. Statistically, he's one of the most solid players the league has ever had from both the mound and at the plate. But his pitching is his best known feature. He is good at medium and fast pitch styles and is probably the best overall pitcher in league history. Have there been pitchers who can throw harder and faster? Yes. Have there been pitchers with more filth and curves? Yes. But no one can perform such variety of pitches with the same accuracy and stamina as him and that's what makes him special. He also was known as a leader on the field and co-captained many of the teams he played on.

Andrew Westcott's name is one you normally hear after Jeremy's name, this article not being an exception. Also starting his career in 2014, Westcott has been a steady force in the league. He's primarily known for his ability at the plate where he's regularly hit bombs and is one of the most dependable run generators a team could ever ask for. But what he's slightly less known for is his defensive capabilities. He has been seen making diving catches and even robbing home runs throughout the years and is probably one of the top five fielders in league history but is somehow less celebrated than Brian Ball. Andrew has either captained or co-captained every team he's played on and won a championship in 2016 with Sit On My Base and again in 2017 with Saved By The Balls. Any other team he's been on has finished in 2nd place, making him the most successful team captain in league history.

Anthony Stidham is a name some may be surprised to see on this list but it's a name that deserves to be on this ballot. He came in halfway through the 2015 season to play for the Plain White Tees where he regularly took beatings with the team but fell in love with the game between mercy rulings. In 2016 he moved on to Make Wiffleball Great Again where he where he hit 20 dingers and made himself known as a power hitter. That same year he joined the NWLA regional team sent to Morenci MI where he shocked many with his relief pitching capabilities. In 2017 he captained the Wiffle Hit Wonders that tragically had the wheels fall off of their season due to poor drafting. He had his banner year in 2018 where he hit .564, 20 HR, and 40 RBIs on the OD Bangers team. In 2017 he joined the league committee and was a valued voice until the end of the 2018 season when the league went on hiatus. He's proven himself to be a more-than-capable podcast host in the last handful of podcast episodes the league produced as well.

Ballots will be going out to all committee members as well as hall of fame inductees soon and they will cast their votes by April 3rd. After that we will announce the 2021 class for the Huntington Wiffle Hall of Fame! There will be a podcast episode in which this is discussed as well so stay tuned!