The Islandian Times
Monday, September 22, 2025

2025 Ruthlandian West Final Standings

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 22, 2025

2025 Ruthlandian West Final Recap

Roosters 3-Repeat In RU West, Stars and Rovers Close
Three teams fought tooth-and-nail all season long in the Ruthlandian West. In one of the closest races in the IPA the defending division champion Middlefield Roosters came on strong in September to edge the Stoner Stars by one game and the Sligo Rovers by two games. This was Middlefield's third pennant in a row... Going into the late stages of the season the Rovers had a slight one game lead over the Stars and were up by two over the Roosters. Middlefield captured the flag with a 13-7 stretch run, while Stoner went 11-9 and Sligo slipped to 9-11. The fourth place Forest City Lumberjacks closed with a second-half rush, but flopped with a 7-13 mark in September, yet finished only 6 games behind. At one point in the last weeks the 'Jacks narrowed the gap to just two games. Forest City was sixth and 10 games off the pace at mid-season... five clubs finished .500 or better... fifth-place Volusia broken even for the year and was only 8 games back of Middlefield.

The Middlefield Roosters (85-69) won handily in 2023 and 2024, but not this year... Bailey Norcross' Roosters just barely won by the skin of their beaks... the lost of superstar 1B Allan Stewart was huge... Stewart suffered a fractured skull when he was hit in the head and will miss a year... Stewart played in only 54 games, hit .282 with 11 homers and 34 RBIs... Danny Denver (23-7 3.31) had a super season to lead the mound corps... Frank Dean (16-17 3.03) and Tyrus Cobb (11-14 3.20) didn't have winning records, but did pitch well... closer Waylon Hillman (5-7) had a very good year with 33 saves and a 1.92 ERA... the Roosters again led the RU in homers with 170... 6 of them had 10 or more roundtrippers... vet RF Chuck Larkin paced the club with 26 home runs and 97 RBIs, but batted just .235... All-Star C Rod Buckley topped the team with a .313 BA and had 16 homers... CF Tom Daniels hit 18 home runs and scored 105 times, but batted only .249... LF Floyd McClellan collected 24 home runs, drove in 76 and hit .275... SS Wes Gore and 3B Stu Butterworth hit 18 homers each, but batted .222 and .241.

The Stoner Stars (84-70) have a great pitching staff with a fabulous 2.70 ERA, second best in IPA history to Crystal Lake's 2.66 in 2022... manager Benny Stern had three veterans and a rookie as starters: All-Star Billy Chapel (23-11 2.46), Tommy Tuckman (14-11 3.29), Charley Norton (15-16 2.82) and rookie Raul Hidalgo (14-16 2.30)... the Stars bullpen was a fine one, too... headed up by All-Star closer Joel Shepard (7-4), who racked up 31 saves and a 2.28 ERA... however, Stoner had lousy defense with a .965 FA, the worst in the IPA... and lousy hitting, too, with a .249 BA (17th) and were 26th in scoring runs... 1B Fletch Fowler (.301/15/86/58), CF Al Rispone (.289/15/64/95) and RF Kevin Fisher (.271/8/63/89) provided what little offense the Stars had.

Manager Eddie Keys and his Sligo Rovers (83-71) could have used more offense to back up its fine pitching... the Rovers hit only ..244 (25th) and ranked 23rd in scoring... but on the hill they were very good with a 3.28 team ERA (9th)... 6-time All-Star Les Patterson (22-14 2.64) turned in another excellent season with help from Sam Tate (19-13 2.19)... number three starter Gabe Thomas (18-16 3.61) had a solid season as well... closer Milt Flanagan registered 26 saves with a 2.04 ERA, but was a poor 0-6 record-wise... LF Biff Blauer (.285/13/68/84) was the only effective hitter... Blauer ranked first in the RU with 134 walks and second in the IPA... topped only by San Alejo's Lou Browning, who chalked up 151.

The fourth place Forest City Lumberjacks (79-75) were a mystery... they ran hot-and-cold through the year with a great April (17-6), strong July (17-12) and a marvelous August (19-9), but not so good otherwise... still manager Rob Jackson's crew had a good shot at the pennant until the September sag, winding up 6 games off the pace... the 'Jacks batted .258 (5th), were 2nd in homers with 139 and rated 3rd in scoring, while they were just average on the hill with a 3.50 ERA (17th)... 3B Rusty Hood (.270/26/97/80) led the attack with help from LF Ryan Ray (.277/26/68/71), RF Luc St. Germain (.293/12/75/88) and 2B Jackie Jackson (.302/10/69/93)... Forest City's top hurlers were Stephen Phillips (18-12 2.37) and Doug Haynes (18-18 3.26).

The fifth-place Volusia Vigilantes (77-77) ended up even for the season, trailing by 8 games... manager Alfonso Feliz has a so-so team... the V's top performers were solid veteran ace Sixto Moreno (17-11 3.07) and rookie closer Val Cameron with 31 saves, 2.35 ERA and a 5-8 record... star CF Joe DeLucca, a career .320 hitter, dipped below the .300 mark for the second time in his 13 seasons... he hit .295 as a rookie... DeLucca batted only .270 with only 7 homers and 64 runs batted in... still he was Volusia's most productive bat... that's how bad the offense was.

The sixth spot in the RU West standings went to the Rocky Rapids Snappers (73-81), who wound up 12 games back... skipper Ryan Noland could use a lot of everything... better hitting, more power, better pitching and improved defense... his youngest son, 20-year-old Walter Noland, was a standout with a 21-12 mark and a strong 2.76 ERA... vet Don Chaney pitched much better than his won-lost record... Chaney moved closer to the 300-win milestone with a 15-17 mark and a fine 2.92 ERA... the 36-year-old Chaney is 295-223 in his 16 years in the IPA... offensively it was 7-time All-Star 2B Paul Shelton leading the way with 25 homers, 97 RBIs, 78 runs and a .266 BA... 1B Angelo Nardone added 16 homers, 77 RBIs and a .274 BA... two of Noland's sons, CF Tiger Noland (.307/10/57/60) and SS Tommy Noland (.270/10/47/61) also chipped in... a fourth son Cyrus Noland (.203/4/12/12) is a backup outfielder.

The Colfax Blasters (70-84) escaped the division basement, but not by much... Clem Rogers' ball club finished seventh, 15 games behind Middlefield... Colfax is just plain bad and near the bottom on the hill and at the plate... Rogers only has two decent players in RF Glen Smith (.308/13/92/64) and 1B Doug Kirkwood (.278/17/80/79).

For the fifth season in succession the Fort Benton Defenders (66-88) came in last, but manager Robbie Brooks' team did show some improvement... they were only 19 games out, usually they are at least 30 games back... three youngsters looked good on the mound... starters Paul Flowers (9-14 2.91) and Augie Marquis (8-9 3.20), along with closer Kurt Cobb (6-9), who notched 19 saves and an impressive 2.04 ERA... rookie 2B Jerome Cox (.281/17/65/66) and vet LF Stan Saunders (.292/10/46/71) led the mediocre offense.

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 22, 2025

2025 Tycobbian North Final Standings

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 22, 2025

2025 Tycobbian North Final Recap

Frogs Leap Past Rascals In TU North
Fairfax leapfrogged past defending champ White River in July and maintained a good lead until the final week when the Rascals cut it down to 3 games... Oxford and Hartsdale were the other two clubs with winning records in the division... the Red Caps came in third, 8 games off the pace and the Hellcats were fourth, trailing by 9 games.

Strong pitching carried manager Dane Wesner's Fairfax Frogs (87-67) to the title this year... This is the fourth time the Frogs have won the TU North, last capturing it a dozen years ago in 2013... All-Star Kevin Meeks (21-12 2.26), Ken Hill (17-16 2.84) and rookie Darien Russell (19-13 2.97) stood tall on the hill... however Walt Smith (23-13 4.24) was the biggest winner... and closer Manny Hunsinger (2-5) led the IPA with 37 saves and a super 1.83 ERA... the Frogs were not much with the bats, hitting only .251 (20th)... top bats were CF Alton Dale (.293/13/57/83) and RF Johnny Eichhorn (.269/18/93/65).

Last year's TU North winner White River (84-70) possessed good hitting and scoring with a .260 BA (6th)... the Rascals ranked 8th in runs... on the mound manager Mick Cronyn was better-than-average with a 3.28 team ERA (8th)... All-Star 1B Marty Blake again led the club with a .306 BA, 25 homers, 92 RBIs and 106 runs... Blake is a 6-time All-Star and a career .332 batter with 512 homers... fine RF Kenneth Kent chipped in with 109 RBIs, 17 roundtrippers and a .283 BA... other solid contributors were LF Jim Abrams (.303/12/82/70) and CF Hal Littleton (.297/8/56/88)... 3B Sammy Tucker (.300/3/43/67) missed the last third of the season due to injury... splendid Paul Sardini (18-14 1.96) and Ron Hendrix (17-12 3.34) topped the twirlers... twins Don French (13-12 4.08) and Jon French (17-15 4.53) struggled this season.

The Oxford Red Caps (79-75) were the runner-up last year, but slipped to third this year... All-Star LF Dennis Hartwig was brilliant again with a .353 BA, 24 homers, 109 RBIs, 111 runs and 33 SB... at age 23 Hartwig is averaging a lofty .353 for his 3 years in the league... RF Barney Burns also stood out with a .284 BA, 125 walks, 5 homers, 70 RBIs and 95 runs scored... skipper Mack Spencer didn't have much punch after them on his line-up card... 10-year vet Tony Mack (23-14 3.20) had his best season and last year's TU top rookie Carmine Scalise (16-12 3.41) dipped in production from 22-10 and 2.71... Spencer found himself a fine closer... Kurt Jelesko, a very reliable middle reliever for four years, found a niche as closer with 10 saves and a 1.41 ERA after taking over the spot in August... Jelesko was 7-0 for the year.

Fourth place Hartsdale (78-76) is pretty much an average team... Zim Donner is at the helm of the Hellcats... his best performer was All-Star 1B Johnny Scott (.301/27/92/108)... CF Ken Wessel (.279/17/84/78) added some offense, too... closer Tommy Klein (4-5) sparkled with 36 saves, which led the Tycobbian Union and was second-best in the IPA... Donner's best starter was 41-year-old Bobo Boisseau... the 15-year vet posted a 19-14 mark with a 4.00 ERA.

Winding up fifth for the second year in a row were Rudy Tanussa's Mahaska Haymakers (70-84)... they were 17 games back in the race... the Haymakers have some talent... All-Stars Sammy Kafelnikov (18-13 2.94) and C Bucky O'Brian (.299/16/75/69) were the team leaders with help from standout RF Travis Tuttle (.302/34/96/77) and rookie CF Pasha Yablonski (.305/3/42/91), who stole 55 bases and was ranked third in the TU and the IPA... Hillsboro's Biggy Washington was the IPA and TU leader with 76 thefts... 26-year-old rookie James Allington stood out with a 13-8 record and a fine 3.03 ERA after joining the team in June.

The rest of the TU North are just plain bad... the North Hills Hawks (61-93) were sixth and 26 games out... manager Masaichi Okawa has little talent... his best are only ordinary... Kerry Hoffman (15-13 3.85) was the best pitcher, while the most productive hitters were RF Al Bowden (.251/10/65/81) and 1B Lou Hooper (.309/10/51/68).

Next-to-last were the Blue Lake Blue Sox (60-94). who finished 27 games back of the Fairfax Frogs... Cobb Tyson's best pitchers were 36-year-old starter Kip Day and 25-year-old closer Chris Landry (6-5), who chalked up 23 saves and an impressive 1.81 ERA... the Blue Sox best bats belonged to CF Gil Willis (.265/19/85/85), rookie LF Douglas Pitts (.293/15/60/62), 1B Randy Milne (.317/4/28/70) and 43-year-old 3B Sal Avallone (.323/2/55/51).

The last place Luxora Zorros (50-104) were terrible, but they didn't set the record for the most losses in a season... that mark still rests with the North Hills Hawks, who were 47-107 in 2019... the Z's wound up 37 games behind Fairfax... 38-year-old Tiago Torres (11-23 3.53) and 21-year-old closer Toby White (3-5 2.14) were skipper Cristo Viamonte's only credible hurlers... White saved 20 games... at the plate rookie LF Kevin Hanley hit 20 homers, batted in 75 runs, scored 88 and hit .286... Hanley also stole 34 bases... C Jim Thorpe Chandler, a 3-time All-Star in his career, had a good year with a .282 average, 16 roundtrippers, 69 RBIs and 81 runs with 15 SB... and 2B Julio Canseco made the All-Star team, hitting .319 for the year with 6 homers, 51 RBIs and scored 76 runs.

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 22, 2025

2025 Tycobbian South Final Standings

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 22, 2025

2025 Tycobbian South Final Recap

Ninjas Dethrone Suns In TU South
Four teams contested most of the year for the Tycobbian South... the Ginza Ninjas took charge in July and prevailed by one game over the tough Turon Typhoons, 5 better than last year's champ Arroyo Grande Suns and 6 up on the Southport Sun Sox... the Ninjas ran off a terrific 19-10 July, while the other three dipped below .500 for the month... Ginza then held off last-minute challenges to capture the division flag in one of the strongest divisions in the IPA... 5 clubs finished above .500 and 2 more barely missed winning seasons with 76-78 marks... This was the Ninjas second title in the last three years.

1st - Ginza Ninjas (93-61)... was second last season, lost by a game in a playoff to Arroyo Grande... pitching (2.98 ERA) and power (146 HR) won it for manager Huroko Uchiyama... top pitchers were All-Star Daniel Ferguson (21-12 1.97), Yutaka Yoshida (20-12 2.82) and Ron Koehler (16-13 3.08)... and number four Yuko Takata (11-11 3.85) was also effective... offense was led by All-Stars 1B Johnny O'Rorke (.309/31/97/89) and C Crash Davis (.310/14/64/82).

2nd - Turon Typhoons (92-62)... one game behind Ninjas... up from fifth last year (75-79)... good turnaround season for manager Whitey Richburn... strong pitching by All-Star Nicky Engstrom (20-9 2.60) and Sal Quattrone (18-11 2.85) led the way... Engstrom has been brilliant in his 16 seasons with a 340-158 record with a remarkable lifetime 2.29 ERA... 36-year-old Engstrom will be gunning for Cody Burg's IPA record of 369 victories in the next two years... Quattrone is only 22 with 2 years' experience... Bobby Byrd (15-14 3.59) was a good number three starter... Turon may have found a closer in the second half of the year... Gil Donahue (6-4 2.19) saved 15 games after taking over for vet Merle Studebaker (7-7 3.36)... the Typhoons played very well down the stretch, but fell a game short... 1B Michael Page carried the offense with 31 homers, 90 runs batted in and 80 runs scored... Page batted .266 for average... he didn't have much help.

3rd - Arroyo Grande Suns (88-66)... 5 GB... defending division champ... 89-66 last season... high-powered offense... led TU with .277 BA and 170 homers... top-scoring team, too... leading the attack were All-Stars SS Andy Pearson (.343/18/74/97) and 1B Rusty Vizcarra (.296/33/130/98)... Vizcarra paced the IPA in RBIs... manager Cyclone Cobb has a wealth of quality bats in his batting order: RF Buddy Bechtel (.292/30/93/97), LF Eduardo Villanueva (.315/23/85/123) and C Gary Troxell (.257/34/93/76)... lack of pitching cost them the crown this year (4.15 ERA-26th)... much of the pitching problem is caused by the short fences in Capet Stadium... the Suns perform much better on the road... they were 41-36 at home and 47-30 out of town... top pitchers were Ernie Matthews (20-17 4.00), Earl O'Reilly (19-9 4.31), Cesar De Leon (19-17 4.25) and Ricky Lemos (17-11 4.78)... closer Steve Sampson (2-3) did his job very well with 34 saves and an impressive 1.93 ERA.

4th - Southport Sun Sox (87-67)... 6 games out... much-improved pitching this year... wound up 7th last season (67-87)... Charley Oscar has three fine starters and a standout closer... 18-year-old All-Star Don Pascioni (18-13 2.94) had a super freshman season... 22-year-old Wiley Wheeler was sensational with a 24-11 record and 3.22 ERA... 6-year vet Al Laclair was solid, too, with a 14-11 mark and 3.28 ERA... in the bullpen All-Star Ronnie Galus posted a 10-3 record with a super 1.00 ERA and he racked up 27 saves... Southport lacked offense, but did find a very promising rookie RF Lorne Evans, who joined the club in July and became a regular by mid-month... Evans slammed 15 homers with 52 RBIs, while batting .311 in 79 games... 23-year-old 3B Timmy Gilbert performed well with a team-high .314 BA and 82 runs.

5th - Colchester Elites (78-76)... 15 games behind... was sixth last year (73-81)... Uncle Robbie Wilbertson needs some bats to contend in the TU South... his mound corps is looking good with Mac Flowers (15-14 2.88), Brian Britt (20-11 3.87) and Brandy Snow (14-20 3.28)... however Flowers went down to injury in September and will be out 7 months... the Elites have a good closer in Cholly Burdette (3-5), who chalked up 23 saves and a fine 1.66 ERA... Colchester's only reliable bats were 1B Steve Burns (.337/17/93/79) and CF Terry Thorsen (.263/17/79/81).

6th tied - San Alejo Montaneros (76-78)... 17 games behind... finished last with a 62-92 record in 2024... the Monties are managed by Alberto Herrera... his club improved on the mound and at the plate this year... San Alejo has good power with 151 home runs (5th) and scores well (4th)... they don't hit well with a .250 BA (25th), but are first in walks... pitching is average with a 3.77 team ERA (16th)... rookie John Kaltenbach (20-11 2.96) led the hill corps with help from Jose Dominguez (17-10 3.86) and Vet Trini Corona (16-17 3.72)... closer Konrad Koch (4-7) had a fine season with 33 saves and a 1.28 ERA... vets RF Lou Browning (.277/26/73/101) and LF Warren Love (.279/31/106/89) were Herrera's top producers... Browning led the IPA with 155 walks, while Love chipped in 105 more... rookie CF Vince Barbieri showed good promise with 21 homers and 75 RBIs in 96 starts... Barbieri batted .265.

6th tied - Summerland Sunsets (76-78)... 17 GB... was third last season (81-73)... manager Will Hackett was very disappointed this year as he thought his Sunsets would be contenders... not so... 19-game winner Sparky DeWey (19-12 3.62) fizzled this year with a 6-8 mark and a 5.28 ERA and lost his roster spot... and Jason Castille dipped from 18-17 to 15-21 this season... however Hackett had a 20-game winner... James Beckworth blossomed this year with a 21-9 record and a 3.21 ERA... Willie Baldwin (6-6 3.16) joined Summerland in late July in a trade with pitching-rich Crystal Lake of the RU... Overall Baldwin was 20-13 with a 3.05 ERA... Hackett is optimistic about the future with a solid core of hitters: 1B Mandu Purula (.334/22/86/94), SS Greg Proctor (.292/21/119/65) and All-Star CF Clell Renshaw (.263/11/68/96)... C Archie Shanahan drove in 90 runs and hit 13 home runs, but batted only .242.

8th - Cape Coral Hurricanes (55-99)... 38 GB... 4th last year (80-74)... it was a terrible season for Huggy Miller's Hurricanes... last season they had broken a string of five straight years in seventh place and looked forward to 2025... but his bats went on the fritz and the pitching was the pits... the 'Canes batted only .234 (32nd), were near the bottom in homers (29th) and last in runs scored... the starting rotation was atrocious with a 4.55 ERA (27th)... only one starter Karl Zenger (14-20 2.95) had a good year... the other starters' ERAs were sky-high at 4.35, 4.90 and 5.79... however the bullpen was fine, led by Flapper Bird, who totaled 24 saves with an excellent 1.45 ERA, but an 0-5 record... offense was almost non-existent... 1B Neil Ribbens hit .311 with 16 homers, but had only 59 RBIs... no one else came close to his numbers.

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 22, 2025

2025 Tycobbian East Final Standings

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 22, 2025

2025 Tycobbian East Final Recap

South Fork Shocks Tucks, Wins TU East
It was a shocker in the Tycobbian East this season... The South Fork Stallions have always been perennial also-rans... 23 years without a pennant... no postseason since 2002... after a sixth-place finish last season, no one expected it to change in 2025 either... most everybody thought it be pretty much the same this year... everybody but the Stallions... They stunned the heavily-favored Tuckanarra Blue Jays with a fantastic second-half run to win the TU East by 3 games... the strong Midway Wolves came in third and 6 games back with Hillsboro fourth in the standings, 10 games out of first... six teams wound up .500 or better in the very strong TU East.

1st - South Fork Stallions (96-58)... sixth last year (69-85)... Deloche "Lips" Leon had a lot to talk about this year as his South Fork Stallions won more games than anybody in the IPA... an influx of 5 rookies made the difference... they started off slowly and trailed Midway by 6 games in May and 5 games in June... Pro Cup champ Tuckanarra took over and led them by 9 in July... but the Stallions went an astounding 44-13 the next two months to go up by 2 games over the Blue Jays by September... South Fork is a well-balanced ball club with a .261 BA (5th), 3rd in scoring and 12th with 136 roundtrippers... on the mound they had a 3.14 team ERA (4th)... they are just average defensively with a .971 FA... Gary Price (22-14 2.95) and rookie Bill Massey (21-10 2.99) sparked the rotation with help from two more freshmen Jim Tettelbach (17-12 3.63) and Ozz Gatsby (19-9 3.73)... solid vet LF Patric Giles led the team with 28 homers, 94 RBIs and 114 runs, while hitting .291... 1B Teddy Nixon added a .307 BA, 10 home runs, 64 RBIs and 77 runs... rookies SS Kurt Pankewitz (.267/11/68/66) and 3B Mark Barker (.287/7/45/53) also contributed with their bats and gloves... South Fork's triumph was no fluke... Tuckanarra and Midway never gave up, they were just outplayed.

2nd - Tuckanarra Blue Jays (93-61)... coming into the season the magnificent Blue Jays were favored to win a third straight TU East and a third straight Pro Cup and they might have, if it wasn't for South Fork... manager Carlton "Lefty" Stevens had everybody back and was ready and primed to 3-peat... the Blue Jays hit very well with a .263 BA (4th), scored well (4th-tied), had good power with 148 homers (6th) and handled the gloves well with a very good .976 FA (6th)... All-Star 3B Koora Nawajuk (.313/28/111/101) had a break-out season... standout 1B Lynn Starr (.302/30/97/109) and All-Star RF Danny Redd (.306/7/41/117) performed admirably, too... the mound corps did their job well, too... Quinn Starr (26-13 2.33) led the IPA with 26 wins... Croc Wedgedale (17-11 3.03) and Lynn Starr (17-16 3.03) were very effective, too... in the bullpen closer Archie Desmond (6-2) stood out with 28 saves and a microscopic 1.10 ERA... how good was Tuckanarra?... the Blue Jays were tied with Rolling Hills and Ginza for second place with 93 victories.

3rd - Midway Wolves (90-64)... runner-up in 2024, lost out by one game... this year Midway was a powerhouse, too, but overshadowed just a little bit by South Fork and Tuckanarra... Cochise Chandler's crew batted .268 (2nd), were second in scoring and hit 138 homers (11th)... the Wolves had a fine 3.32 team ERA (9th) and were tied for 9th in fielding with a .975 percentage... Midway had it all, too... they were just unlucky to play in the strongest division in the IPA... Chandler's line-up is packed with fine hitters: All-Star 3B Rusty Graves (.321/24/85/98), All-Star SS Rob Gigler (.296/19/73/100), RF Chitto Chandler (.287/15/97/83), CF Johnny Lee (.312/18/67/97) and 1B Cal Hunter (.285/14/72/70)... anchoring the mound staff were Motega Wolf (20-10 3.29) and Bobby Dorignac (18-15 2.69)... Luka Abromowitz (20-11 3.83) and Alberto Toledo (13-10 3.40) were quality number three and four starters.

4th - Hillsboro Blazers (88-66)... In recent years Hillsboro has had to play third and fourth fiddle to the TU East powers, winding up fourth last year with an 87-67 record... nonetheless they are a pretty fair ball club with solid pitching (3.23 ERA-6th) and good power (153 HR/4th), but play poor defense (.968 FA)... All-Star Ben Garvik (22-13 2.77) had a super year... manager Rawhide Marshall had an effective rotation with veterans Tom Edgar (17-14 3.10), Pat Buettner (18-14 3.60) and Yank Yoland (15-13 3.59)... his bullpen was excellent, led by All-Star Gregg Hughes (6-7), who registered 33 saves and chalked up a strong 1.48 ERA... the Blazers featured some good bats, too, paced by 1B Larry Guichard (.308/15/82/85), SS Jason DiMucci (.300/5/84/82), CF Biggy Washington (.272/14/48/103), who led the IPA with 76 SB, All-Star RF Tommy O'Hara (.280/34/91/93) and 2B Matt Lalonde (.300/9/47/76).

5th - Ozarka Naturals (86-68)... 10 GB... improved from 67-87 and 6th place last season... skipper Joe Mac Carney easily has the best fifth-place team in the IPA... the Nats hit well for average with a .265 (3rd), but they don't hit with power, only 83 homers (31st) and they are only average in offense (16th)... on the hill Ozarka is better-than-average with a 3.48 team ERA (14th)... Defensively they are the best in the IPA with a superb .980 FA... top mound performers were starters Jeb Mashburn (17-18 2.83), Howard Hutch (18-13 3.74), who topped the IPA with 320 strikeouts in 282 innings and Wayne Gates (16-11 3.84), plus super closer Josh Carpenter (6-5) with 32 saves and an impressive 1.53 ERA... at the plate 1B George Jenkins was outstanding with a .349 BA, 27 HR, 99 RBIs and 96 runs... SS James Couch also chipped in with 10 homers, 76 RBIs and scored 96 runs, while batting .274.

6th - High Mesa Cowboys (77-77)... 19 games behind... the Cowpokes were 5th last year with a 73-81 mark... Frisky Franks' bunch don't hit much for average (.249-27th), but do hit with power... High Mesa led the IPA with 199 homers, helped quite a bit by its small stadium... they can score runs (7th)... pitching is pretty decent... a 4.13 team ERA is not bad at Queen Ranch Stadium, where the dimensions are 312 and 306 down the lines and 350 in the power alleys... veteran Ronald Ward paced the pitchers with a 20-15 record and a 3.91 ERA... rookie Emil Kaltenborn (6-6 3.32) showed well after joining the club in late July... vet closer Pete Woods (3-3) enjoyed a very nice season with 25 saves and a great 2.04 ERA... IPA icon and superstar 1B Jack Elliott again led High Mesa at the plate with 41 homers, 94 RBIs and 108 runs, while batting .300... his 41 home runs were the most in the IPA this season... it's the 8th time Elliott has led the TU in roundtrippers... in 13 seasons Elliott has 676 homers and a .353 career batting average... Elliott's average is the best in IPA history... he is second to Phil Gravelli in home runs... 41-year-old Gravelli has 726 in 25 years... RF Bill Andrews (.268 BA) and CF Joe Hamilton (.259) also swing power bats for the Cowboys... Andrews had 35 homers and 102 RBIs and Hamilton had 33 homers and 73 RBIs.

7th - Red Bluff Red Sox (64-90)... 32 games off the pace... were cellar-dwellers last season with a 66-88 mark... good offense, lousy pitching... batted .253 (18th), but had good power with 158 homers (3rd)... 9th in scoring... pitching poor with 4.59 team ERA (30th)... top bats were RF Corbett Brooks with a .288 BA, 32 homers, 100 RBIs and 91 runs... and 40-year-old star 3B James Mack .291 BA, 27 HR, 96 RBI and 84 runs... C Jim Schubert (.251/8/43/55) made the All-Star team for the fourth time this season... Schubert fielded .994 and threw out 43% of the runners... 14-year vet Rodger Wright (14-11 4.28) was the most effective pitcher manager Bucky Frizzell had.

8th - East Point Panthers (53-101) 43 GB... surprising 4th last season with 73-81 record... pitching totally collapsed this year with a 5.47 team ERA... only young closer J. D. McDermott (7-3) had a good year... McDermott saved 23 games and posted a 2.48 ERA... fair offense led by LF Jerry Thomas (.298/18/96/77) and RF Kendo Aoki (.278/24/85/82)... Panthers finished last for the 13th time in history... last appeared in the playoffs in 2008 when they won the division... also made the postseason in 2002 when the top four teams in each division qualified.

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 22, 2025

2025 Tycobbian East Final Standings

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 22, 2025

2025 Tycobbian West Final Recap

RH Reds Run Away With TU West
Not much of a pennant race this year in the Tycobbian West... champ Rolling Hills had a little competition till mid-year, then ran away with it, beating last year's division winner Kenwood by 10 games... the Reds and Wildcats were the only teams with winning records... Arlon and Bay St. Clair tied for third place, but were 19 games behind... the Buccaneers really bombed in the second half, after hanging close at the All-Star break, trailing Rolling Hills by 4 games.

1st - Rolling Hills Reds (93-61)... were a close second last season, losing out by just 2 games (88-66) to Kenwood... Matty Christianson had wonderful pitching with a 2.86 ERA, second to Stoner's IPA best (2.70)... vets All-Star Sal Jordan (23-13 2.65) and Errol Gaudet (17-14 2.86) topped the staff with lots of help from Christianson's two sons, McGraw Christianson (20-14 2.99) and Joey Christianson (12-5 2.53)... however Joey went out with rotator problems in mid-July and will be lost for the postseason... a huge loss for the Reds... offensively the Reds were fairly good with a .258 BA (8th), ranking 10th in scoring, but with little power... they hit 98 homers (28th)... All-Star Pat Webb led a solid offense with 21 homers, 129 RBIs and a .315 BA... Webb was number two in the TU in RBIs... Christianson's third son, 1B Billy Christianson batted .332 with 13 home runs, 63 RBIs and scored 89 runs... SS Tony Ptacek added a .299 BA, 11 HRs and 94 RBIs... and CF Skip Greene hit .279 with 11 homers, 54 RBIs and 114 runs... look for Rolling Hills to do well in the Pro Cup playoffs.

2nd - Kenwood Wildcats (83-71) 10 GB... won the pennant last season with a 90-64 mark... started off slowly because ace Jody Gentry missed April and May with a bad back... the Wildcats also played without one of their best bats RF Babe Hankins for a month in May... however, manager Aaron Hankins got things going after the All-Star break, but the Wildcats had dug too deep of a hole to get out of it... by then they trailed Rolling Hills by 11 games... Kenwood played well in the second half, led by great relief pitching and solid starters... the bullpen was the best in the IPA with a 1.95 ERA... closer Glenn Kennedy (4-1) was magnificent with 32 saves and a gaudy 0.65 ERA... Johnny Shaw (23-13 3.42) and Thomas Norman (18-11 3.55) paced the starters... Gentry was only 9-12, but had a fine 2.50 ERA... Hankins led the bats with a .300 BA, 19 homers and 85 RBIs... vet SS Lee Sullivan hit 18 home runs, scored 86 runs, batted .268 with 68 RBIs... 1B Johnny Ostendorf hit .276 with 9 homers, 70 runs batted in and scored 85 runs...the Wildcats ranked near the bottom with a .245 BA (30th) and in runs scored (26th), but did hit with some power, smacking 129 (13th).

3rd tied - Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (74-80) 19 GB... came in third last season, only 4 games off the pace... this year the Bucs stayed in the race until mid-year (41-32), but then faltered badly (33-48)... lackluster starting pitching and poor defense (.968 FA) were Guy Rondre's prime problems... they got Woody Crawford in July from Far Mountain of the RU to shore up the staff for the stretch run... Crawford was 16-16 with a 3.36 ERA overall and 5-7 with a 3.37 ERA for Bay St. Clair... only super ace Greg Moss (25-11 1.91) did the job and he did it superbly with a 1.91 ERA, best in the TU and second best in the IPA to Far Mountain's Jeff Cooper, who posted a 1.85 ERA... but the Buccaneers had a very strong bullpen with a 2.37 ERA (5th), headed up by closer Ray McClendon (4-3) with 23 saves and a 2.06 ERA... the Buc bats tapered off quite a bit in the second half... leading the way was 1B Jerry Todd (.334/25/87/73), who had another fine year... All-Star RF Don Smithers dipped in the second half, but still batted .295 with 19 homers and 82 RBIs... vet CF Bill Howell hit .290 and scored 96 runs... vet 2B Bud Walker had a subpar season with a .258 BA, but he did score 92 runs.

3rd tied - Arlon Champions (74-80) 19 GB... improved from 8th place last year (68-86)... manager Gary Louis had mediocre offense (.246 BA-28th), poor starting pitching (4.13 ERA-21st) and average defense with a .973 FA (14th-tied)... however Arlon hit with some pop... they had 141 roundtrippers (9th)... the Champs best performers were All-Star CF Carlos Quintana with 35 homers, 93 RBIs, 91 runs and a .262 BA, All-Star 2B Ryan Hicks with 18 homers, 63 RBIs, 85 runs and a .277 BA and reliable vet 3B Johnny Madigan with 3 homers, 58 RBIs, 86 runs and a .296 mark... SS Karl Lindquist had 21 homers and 81 RBIs, but batted only .247... 1B Artie Anderson collected 19 home runs and 82 RBIs, but hit only .245.

5th - LaClaire Lynx (72-82) 21 GB... finished 7th last year with a 69-85 record... the Lynx have never made the playoffs... have only made the first division 4 times in history... have had only 5 winning seasons in 25 years... manager Maka Bardinda has some offense, but not a lot of pitching... the Lynx batted .257 (9th), ranked 6th in scoring and posted 128 homers (14th)... they had a 3.89 team ERA (21st) and poor defense (.969 FA)... top performers were rookie starter Pat Kovacs (9-9 2.23), along with superstar SS Flash Devlin (.297/25/100/119)... this was Devlin's first time to hit under the .300 mark in his 13 years in the league... lifetime Devlin carries a strong .328 BA and has 426 homers... 2B Norm Petitjean also stood out with 19 homers and 101 RBIs, while batting .282... 1B Jess Swain led the club with a .315 BA... Swain drove in 86 runs, scored 80 and popped 15 homers... vet CF Andy McGee scored 97 runs, had 13 homers and a .275 BA.

6th - Chicopee Braves (71-83)... 22 GB... posted the same record last year and was also 6th in the standings... have never made the postseason... made first division only 7 times in history... manager Harry Fleetfoot has one of the worst defensive team in the IPA with a .967 FA... Stoner of the RU West is the worst with a .965 FA... rookie Bob Ferguson sparked the starting rotation with a 16-12 record and a fine 2.88 ERA... closer Paul Quinn was 10-4 with 10 saves and a 2.52 ERA... 9-year vet LF Dominick DiCaprio (.276/25/88/79) had another solid season... the Braves don't hit much, but do have some power with 139 homers (10th)... CF Vinny Anderson led the team with 26 homers and 95 runs, but hit only .256 for average... 1B Gary Burchfield cracked 25 and drove in 68 runs, while batting .271.

7th - Denton City Redbirds (70-84) 23 GB... wound up 4th last year with 75-79 record... Ford Whiteman's club missed the playoffs again this year for the 12 consecutive season... not a lot of talent in Denton City... young hurlers Phil Cooper (15-12 4.03) and George Hudson (18-18 4.00) are the top starters... closer Johnny Duncan got 31 saves with a 2.62 ERA, but was just 1-6 in wins and losses... vet 1B Don Timmons (.279/21/88/86) and C Wes McMahon (.275/20/74/50) topped the lineup... rookie LF Don Cain led the team with a .323 BA in a platoon role... Cain started 100 games with 5 homers, 49 RBIs and scored 53 times.

8th - Bayview Vikings (66-88) 27 G B... dropped from fifth last year (71-83)... this year for the 9th year in a row skipper Walter Johanssen has failed to make the postseason... his pitching was terrible with a 4.87 team ERA (31st)... however at the plate the Viks had some punch with 143 home runs (8th) and were 12th in scoring runs... they hit for a .252 BA (19th)... and were an average club defensively with a .973 FA... Don Griggs (14-14 3.44) was the only starter with less than a 5.00 ERA... closer Gunnar Haagensen (3-4) did a capable job with 24 saves and a 2.33 ERA... longtime star CF Davey Krueger hit only .233 at age 37, but was still productive with 32 roundtrippers and 97 RBIs... 25-year-old RF Knut Valen had 27 home runs and 96 RBIs, while batting .251... 36-year-old 1B Rafael Garza led the team with a .317 average... Garza hit 14 homers, scored 81 runs and batted in 61... Garza has hit .309 in his 14-year career... All-Star 2B Tommy Shore batted .281 with 14 home runs, 63 RBIs and 69 runs.

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 22, 2025

Swing Kings Crowned By IPA
The top hitters in the two IPA leagues have been proclaimed. This year's Ruthlandian and Tycobbian Union batting crown trophies have been awarded to Lloyd Kelly of San Dimas and Dennis Hartwig of Oxford.

It's the second time in three seasons that Hartwig has captured the Tycobbian award. The 23-year-old left fielder led the TU in 2023 with a .372 average. This year the multi-talented Hartwig batted .353 to edge out Ozarka's George Jenkins and Arroyo Grande's Andy Pearson. Hartwig collected 198 hits, 48 doubles, 11 triples and 24 homers. He batted in 109 runs and scored 111. Hartwig also stole 33 bases. Jenkins was a close second, batting .349, while Pearson was third with a .343 batting average. Jenkins totaled 27 home runs, 99 RBIs and 96 runs in 152 games. Pearson appeared in 149 games, hit 18 out of the park, scored 97 runs and batted in 74.

The Ruthlandian champ was a 19-year-old rookie Lloyd Kelly, who led the IPA with a .382 mark, easily outdistancing Grand City veteran Ricky Rich and another first-year player Kyle Hunt of Ranford. Playing in only 129 games, Kelly put up modest numbers with 17 doubles, 11 homers, drove in 57 runs and scored 58. But he ran away with the batting title. In 149 games 33-year-old Rich posted a .338 batting average with 12 homers, 85 RBIs and scored 87 times. Hunt in his rookie season batted .336 with 13 roundtrippers, 71 runs batted in and tallied 75 runs. Hunt participated in 129 games.

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 23, 2025

2025 IPA Elite 8 Series

IPA Elite 8 Set To Go Thursday
Magic is in the air all across the Islands. It's Pro Cup playoff time with the best 8 teams in the Islandian Pro Alliance going at it this Thursday at four sites. On tap in the Ruthlandian Elite 8 are the Far Mountain Redhawks at the Crystal Lake Crushers and the Middlefied Roosters at the Wynnamac Sundowners. Oddsmakers are giving the favorite role to the Crushers because of the overwhelming pitching. Same thing for pitcher-heavy Wynnamac. A Crystal Lake-Wynnamac battle is forecast in the RU. The Rolling Hills Reds are the choice to take the Tycobbian title. They will have to whip a fine South Fork team in the Elite 8, which had the best record in the IPA this season with 96 wins. Then the Reds will meet either the Ginza Ninjas or the Fairfax Frogs, who tangle in the other Elite 8 matchup. The experts think it will be a Reds-Ninjas finale. All of the series will be best-of-seven.

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Times Poll Picks Reds In Pro Cup
The baseball experts have made the Rolling Hills Reds of the Tycobbian Union the top choice to win the IPA Pro Cup this season. Number two in The Islandian Times poll was the Crystal Lake Crushers of the Ruthlandian Union. These two talented clubs are predicted to win their leagues and face each other in the Island finals. In the championship series Rolling Hills was given the edge because of its better hitting. Crystal Lake has great pitching, but not much at the plate. The Wynnamac Sundowners were voted the third-best team with the South Fork Stallions rated fourth. In spite of winning the most games in the regular season, the Stallions were downgraded because they only have two strong starters. The Sundowners have excellent starters and a lineup that can score runs. The Ginza Ninjas and the Far Mountain Redhawks are rated dark horses with the Fairfax Frogs and Middlefield Roosters given little chance to take the Island title. Middlefield is the only returning club. The Roosters lost out early in the first round last season. They lost superstar first baseman Allan Stewart in June and will greatly miss his bat this year... South Fork whipped Tuckanarra in the TU East this season. The Blue Jays won the Pro Cup the last two years. Far Mountain, Crystal Lake, Middlefield, Wynnamac and Ginza have won the Pro Cup in previous years. The Redhawks took three straight 2011-2013 and the Crushers won twice in 2020 and 2022. Wynnamac copped the Pro Cup in 2008, Middlefield in 2005 and Ginza way back in 2001, the first IPA season.

The Islandian Times Pro Cup Poll
1. Rolling Hills Reds (93-61)
2. Crystal Lake (92-62)
3. Wynnamac Sundowners (92-62)
4. South Fork Stallions (96-58)
5. Ginza Ninjas (93-61)
6. Far Mountain Redhawks (91-63)
7. Fairfax Frogs (87-67)
8. Middlefield Roosters (85-69)

The Islandian Times
Thursday, September 25, 2025

2025 IPA Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Roosters Rally, Edge Wynnamac 6-5 In Opener
On the road at Granger Field, the Middlefield Roosters rallied from a 5-1 deficit to whip the Wynnamac Sundowners 6-5 in game one of the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series... PH Larry McFarlane's 2-run double in the ninth was the decisive hit... bullpen ace Jim Horton (0-1) blew the save and lost it for Wynnamac... Middlefield outhit the Sundowners 12 to 8 and were led by C Rod Buckley and LF Floyd McClellan with 3 hits each... CF Tom Daniels and RF Chuck Larkin each drove in a pair of runs for the victors... 3B Dorak Aranda paced Wynnamac with 2 homers and 3 RBIs... Ken Crawford (1-0) got the victory with a scoreless 7th and 8th... Waylon Hillman picked up the save with a scoreless, but tense ninth... the Sundowners got runners to second and third with two outs before Hillman closed it out.

Cooper Wins Duel With Welch, FM Nips CL 1-0
In the opening game of the Ruthlandian Elite 8 at Trumpy Donald Stadium in Crystal Lake, Jeff Cooper (18-11) outdueled Duncan Welch (21-14) and led the Far Mountain Redhawks to 1-0 victory over the Crystal Lake Crushers... Cooper (1-0), who led the IPA with a 1.86 ERA, was at his best, limiting Crystal Lake to just 4 hits... going all the way Cooper walked 3 and fanned 2... Welch (0-1) was almost as tough, yielding just 5 hits with 5 Ks and a walk... the only run of the game came in the fifth when 2B John Deville singled, was sacrificed to second, advanced to third on a groundout, then scored on RF Travis Baker's single.

Tycobbian Union

Reds Roll Over Stallions 8-2 In Game 1
At Jock Ewing Stadium in South Fork, the visiting Rolling Hills Reds rolled over the hometown Stallions 8-2 in the Tycobbian Elite 8 opener... 23-game winner Sal Jordan went the distance, backed up by a 12-hit attack... Jordan (1-0) allowed 9 hits, but only 2 runs, struck out 6 and issued one walk... sparking the Reds at the plate were CF Skip Greene, 3B Jeff Booker, 1B Billy Christianson, C Don Schexnayder and Jordan, all with 2 hits apiece... leading 3-1, Rolling Hills wrapped it up with a 5-run seventh, sending Gary Price down to defeat... Price (0-1) was rocked for 8 runs and 8 hits in 6 innings with 7 walks and 7 strikeouts... Price was 22-14 in the regular season... CF Shelby Glasscock homered for South Fork.

Frogs Nips Ninjas 2-0, Meeks Outstanding
At Ninja Stadium in Ginza, two of the top pitchers in the IPA squared off in the first game of the Tycobbian Elite 8 Series... 21-game winners went at it with Fairfax's Kevin Meeks outdueling Ginza rookie Daniel Ferguson 2-0... the game was scoreless until the seventh when Fairfax won it on a 2-run double by C Anthony Lee... Meeks (1-0) worked 8 shutout innings, allowed only 3 hits, fanned 7 and walked 2... closer Manny Hunsinger saved it with a runless ninth... Ferguson (0-1) went the distance, giving up only 5 hits, struck out 8 and walked 3... none of the runs against Ferguson were earned.

The Islandian Times
Friday, September 26, 2025

2025 IPA Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Wynnamac Holds Off Middlefield 4-3, Series Even
In game two of the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series, the Wynnamac Sundowners held off a late rally by the Middlefield Roosters to even it up at a game each with a 4-3 triumph... the Sundowners Jerry Meeks was cruising along with a 2-hitter and a 4-0 lead after 7 innings and just barely escaped with the win... the Roosters struck for 3 runs in the eighth to make it close... Meeks (1-0) picked up the win, permitting 4 hits in his 8 innings with 3 Ks and 3 walks... Jim Horton nailed down the save with a perfect ninth... Frank Dean (0-1) went the distance for Middlefield, surrendered 4 runs and 9 hits... the Sundowners were led by 2B Liam Cadbury, C Tweet Tillman, 3B Dorak Arando and 1B Pete Simmons, each with a pair of hits... Simmons had a homer, Cadbury a triple and Aranda a double... games three, four and five will be played in Middlefield.

Crushers Slip By Redhawks 5-4, Tie Series With 3 HRs
It took 3 home runs and a walk-off single to give Crystal Lake the 5-4 win over the Far Mountain Redhawks in game two of the RU Elite 8... the series is now tied at a game apiece... three bottom-of-the-ninth back-to-back-to-back singles by LF Michael Melchiore, PH Ben McKinney and SS Pete Hicks scored the winning run... Keith Hunter (1-0) blew the save in the top of the ninth, but racked up the victory... Hans Becker (0-1) lost it for the Redhawks... Hicks, RF Augie Marshall and 1B Benny Rousseau blasted homers for Crystal Lake... SS Rusty Adler led the Redhawks with 2 doubles... Dennis Taylor started for the Crushers and left with a 4-3 lead after 8 innings, allowing only 5 hits and one earned run... Taylor struck out 6 and walked 3... Karl Franz tossed 8 frames for Far Mountain and was tagged for 7 hits and 4 runs... the two teams will now head to Far Mountain for the next three games.

Tycobbian Union

SF Trims RH 6-4 To Tie Series
It's all even after two games of the Tycobbian Elite 8... South Fork trimmed Rolling Hills 6-4 with a 3-run seventh inning, nullifying the Reds 4-3 lead... 2B Norris Nettles doubled in the tying run, C Dennis Johanson groundout drove in the winning run and pitcher Bill Massey added an insurance run when he also grounded out... rookie SS Kurt Pankewicz and CF Shelby Glasscock went deep for the Stallions... Glasscock also homered yesterday... the Reds also had two homers... CF Dwain Altman had a two-run clout and 1B Billy Christianson a solo shot... winning pitcher Massey (1-0), a 20-year-old rookie southpaw, pitched a complete game for the win, striking out 6, walking none and giving up 9 hits... McGraw Christianson (0-1) also went the route and went down to defeat, ripped for 6 runs and 9 hits... the series now switches to Rolling Hills for the next three contests.

Yoshida Blanks Frogs 1-0, Ginza Evens Series
It was another pitching gem in Ginza at Ninja Stadium, this time by the Ninjas to deadlock the TU Elite 8 Series at a game each... Yutaka Yoshida bested Darien Russell and the Fairfax Frogs 1-0 on a six-hit shutout... in a masterful performance Yoshida (1-0) walked only one and fanned 6... Yoshida was backed by 3 double plays... Russell (0-1), a rookie right-hander, permitted only 5 hits, struck out 6 and walked 2... SS Ralph Hart's long sacrifice fly in the seventh inning was the only difference in the game... the two clubs will now move to Fairfax for games 3, 4 and 5.

The Islandian Times
Saturday, September 27, 2025

2025 IPA Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Sundowners Shoot Down Roosters 7-1, Up 2-1
Like father, like son... Wynnamac's Jason Meeks, the 21-year-old son of Jerry Meeks, shot down the Middlefield Roosters 7-1 on the road, a day after dear old dad beat them, giving the Sundowners a two-games-to-one edge in the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series... junior Meeks (1-0) was sensational, stopping the Roosters on just 3 hits and going all the way with 3 walks and 5 strikeouts... 1B Karl Yashin's home run in the ninth was the only run Meeks allowed... the Sundowner bats rapped out 9 hits and were paced by CF Nathan Cockroft (.286) with 2 hits and 3 RBIs, 2B Liam Cadbury (.333) with 2 hits, including a 2-run roundtripper, and by 3B Dorak Aranda (.700) with 2 hits and 2 runs scored... rookie Tyrus Cobb (0-1) was the losing pitcher... he was shelled badly for 6 runs and 7 hits in 5-plus innings.

Crystal Lake Takes Lead, Whips Far Mountain 5-1
Crystal Lake got a sterling performance from its newest starter Rick Gilliam, who stumped Far Mountain 5-1 on 5 hits to send the Crushers ahead in the RU Elite 8 Series by a 2-1 count... Gilliam did not give up an earned run, fanned 5 and walked 2... Gilliam was 7-2 after moving into the starting rotation in August, taking the placed of the traded Willie Crawford... the light-hitting Crushers battered the Redhawks for 10 hits, getting 8 of them off loser Jakob Wagner (0-1)... Wagner permitted 5 runs in 7-plus frames, but only 2 were earned... SS Pete Hicks (.385) and C Rob Stern (.300) both had 2 hits and scored twice for the Crushers, while CF Herb Taylor (.231) and 1B Benny Rousseau (.333) posted 2 hits and drove in 2 runs apiece.

Tycobbian Union

Stallions Outslug Reds 12-7, Nab Series Lead
Balls were flying all over the Midtown Base Ball Grounds in Rolling Hills in game three of the Tycobbian Elite 8 Series... however the visiting South Fork Stallions did most of the damage with 20 hits and a 12-7 triumph over the hometown Rolling Hills Reds, moving them up two-games-to-one in the series... the Stallions ripped 4 triples and 2 doubles... LF Patric Giles (.273) scored 3 times, knocked in 3 runs and had 3 hits to lead the attack, 2 of them triples... 1B Teddy Nixon (.500) added 3 hits and 2 runs batted in... SS Kurt Pankewicz (.364) smacked 2 hits and batted in 2 runs... and 2B Norris Nettles (.444) drilled a double and a triple, scored twice and batted in a run... the Reds had 12 hits and stayed close until the fifth inning, when they only trailed 5-3... but South Fork exploded for 4 to make it 9-3... the Reds cut it to 9-7 with a 4-run sixth, but South Fork put 3 more on the scoreboard in the ninth to cinch it... the Reds top bats were C Don Schexnayder (.385), who drove in 4 runs with 2 doubles and SS Eddie Dupre (.500) with a pair of hits, an RBI and 2 runs scored... South Fork's number three starter Ozz Gatsby started and had a terrible day, but got the win... Gatsby (1-0) lasted into the fifth, gave up 7 runs and 6 hits... four Stallions relievers blanked the Reds the rest of the way... Reds starter and loser Errol Gaudet (0-1) was blistered for 11 hits and 8 runs in 4-plus innings.

Ginza Gigs Frogs 10-9, Lead By 1 Game
There were lots of runs, lots of hits and lots of errors in wild game three of the TU Elite 8 Series between Ginza and Fairfax at Frog Stadium... the Ninjas rebounded from an 8-2 deficit after 4 innings to snatch a 10-9 victory away from the Frogs, taking the lead in the top of the ninth when RF Kenji Yamamura (.100) doubled in the winning run... Ninja reliever Ken Kechida (1-0) was the winning hurler, holding the Frogs without runs in the last two frames... Fairfax closer Manny Hunsinger (0-1) took the loss... Ginza got 16 hits with 1B Johnny O'Rorke (.462) getting 4 of them and 3B Kurt Holstein (.333) 3 of them... SS Russ Wellman (.400) drove in 3 runs with a pair of hits and 2B Ralph Hart (.222) batted in 2 with 2 hits... Fairfax piled up 11 hits and were led by CF Alton Dale (.273) with 2 hits, 2 runs and an RBI and 3B Sandy Coburn (.214) with 2-for-5... 2B Walt Cumby (.125) got a hit, scored twice and batted in one run... defense was non-existent with 10 errors in the game... the Frogs committed 6 errors and gave up 6 unearned runs... the Ninjas made 4 miscues that led to 3 runs.

The Islandian Times
Sunday, September 28, 2025

2025 IPA Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Roosters Tie Sundowners, Denver Fires 3-Hitter
Just when Middlefield badly needed a victory, they got it from ace Danny Denver, who stifled Wynnamac 4-1 at home on just 3 hits to tie the RU Elite 8 at two-all... Denver was wild and wooly with 8 walks, but he shut down the Sundowners when he had to and struck out 5... the Roosters were led at the plate by 1B Keith Yashin (.333), who got his second homer of the series... Yashin went 2-4 and drove in a run... CF Tom Daniels (.250) had 2 hits and batted in a run, while 3B Stu Butterworth (.231) collected 2-4 and scored twice... Middlefield took the lead 2-1 in the last of the fourth and never gave it up... the Roosters also scored in the fifth and eighth frames.

Crystal Lake Squeaks By FM, Takes Command
In another battle of aces, Duncan Welch got revenge for a first-game loss to Jeff Cooper as Crystal Lake squeaked out a 2-1 victory in game four to take a big three-games-to-one lead in the RU Elite 8 Series... Cooper won the opener 1-0... They were both equally good this time around at Sky High Stadium in Far Mountain... Welch (1-1 1.06) worked 8 sharp innings for the win, allowed 7 hits, fanned 9 and walked 3... closer Keith Hunter got the save by blanking the Redhawks in the ninth... Cooper (1-1 1.00) pitched the entire game, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits with 4 Ks and 2 bases on balls... CF Herm Taylor (.235) gave Welch all the runs he needed with a 2-run clout in the third inning... Cooper (.600) tripled in the Redhawks only run in the bottom of the fourth... Far Mountain had the advantage in hits 8 to 6.

Reds Knot Series, Nip Stallions 2-1
Game four was crunch time for the Rolling Hills Reds... playing at home they couldn't afford another loss to South Fork in the TU Elite 8 Series... longtime star Sal Jordan came through like he has many times before... Jordan whipped Gary Price and the Stallions 2-1 to knot the series at two games each... Jordan also won game one 8-2... Jordan (2-0 1.59) fashioned a 5-hitter, struck out 8 and walked just 2 for the victory... he did need help from closer Alfonso Gonzales, who notched his first save in the postseason this year... Gary Price (0-2 1.93) lost again, but redeemed himself with a strong outing... Price worked a complete game, scattering 8 hits and permitting only one earned run... South Fork went in front in the fourth 1-0 on a triple by LF Patric Giles (.267) and a double by 1B Teddy Nixon (.455)... it lasted until the sixth when the Reds tied it up... RF Pat Webb (.261) singled, was bunted to second and then he scored when 3B Mark Barker (.364) botched a ground ball... PH Bucko Parks (.250) was the hero when he doubled in the game-winner in the eighth.

Ginza Trims Fairfax 2-1, Lead Series 3-1
On the road at the Frog Pond, Ginza gained its third consecutive one-run victory over the tough Fairfax Frogs, slipping past them 2-1... the Ninjas had to beat Kevin Meeks, who had blanked them 2-0 in the series opener... first-game loser Daniel Ferguson was the victor this time with a 5-hit performance... Ferguson (1-1 0.53) walked 2 and had 6 strikeouts in his 8 innings... closer Ken Kichita fanned 2 of the 3 batters in the ninth for the save... going the route Meeks (1-1 1.06) again was outstanding, allowing only 2 runs on 8 hits with 7 Ks and 2 walks... Ninja CF Taka Yokayama (.143) plated the game's first run with a single in the top of the second... Fairfax tied it in the bottom of the inning... RF Kenji Yamamura (.143) threw it away when he had a chance to cut down RF Johnny Eichhorn (.083) at the plate... the Ninjas won it in the third on a single by C Crash Davis (.250) and a double by 1B Johnny O'Rorke (.588).

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 29, 2025

2025 IPA Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Roosters Rule, Beat Sundowners In 12th
At Middlefield Park the underdog Roosters outscrapped favored Wynnamac 5-4 in 12 innings to go up by a game in the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series... Middlefield has a 3-2 advantage and needs only one more win to advance to the RU Final 4... 3B Stu Butterworth (.333) led off the 12th with a single, moved up to second on a sacrifice and scored the winning run on a single by SS Tim Tyler (.333)... it was an up-and-down affair... Middlefield was up 2-0 after 3 innings... Wynnamac came back to tie 2-2 in the fourth... the Roosters scored single runs in the seventh and eighth to make it 4-2, but they blew it in the ninth and allowed the Sundowners to tie it at 4-4... both clubs got good starting efforts... Middlefield's Frank Dean tossed 8 strong innings, yielding only 2 runs on 5 hits with 6 strikeouts and a couple of walks... Dean departed with a 4-2 lead, but his relief Waylon Hillman couldn't hold it... Jerry Meeks went 8 innings, surrendered only 4 hits, but 3 of the went out of the park... Meeks was touched for 4 runs, 3 of them earned... Jim Horton blanked the Roosters on one hit in his 3 innings... Carlo Nardini (0-1) came on in the 12th and lost it... Alec Bacardi got the victory with 2 perfect frames... Middlefield's 1B Keith Yashin (.300), CF Tom Daniels (.238) and SS Tim Tyler (.333) all cracked homers... it was Yashin's third in five games... each club collected 7 hits... 1B Pete Simmons (.438) paced Wynnamac with 2-for-4, an RBI and a run scored... C Tweet Tillman (.421) had two singles and scored a run.

Crystal Lake Crushes FM Redhawks In 5 Games
Second-seeded Crystal Lake showed its stuff by whipping Far Mountain, a sixth seed, in five games... the Crushers finished the Redhawks off 7-2 in the fifth game... 22-game winner Dennis Taylor (1-0 1.59) went all the way, fanned 5, walked one and held Far Mountain to 2 runs on 8 hits... losing pitcher Karl Franz (0-1 8.03) was lambasted for 7 runs in 4-plus frames... 1B Benny Rousseau (.368) had a marvelous game with 2 homers and 4 runs batted in... 2B Mack Hood (.235) chipped in 2 hits and 2 RBIs... Both teams picked up 8 hits apiece.

Tycobbian Union

Stallions Sneak By Reds 3-1, Snatch Series Lead
South Fork rookie Bill Massey won the crucial fifth game in the Tycobbian Elite 8 Series to give the Stallions a one-game edge in the best-of-seven series... Massey (2-0 2.65) stopped Rolling Hills 3-1 at the Midtown Base Ball Grounds... South Fork got a big break when the Reds scheduled starter McGraw Chrisianson missed his turn due to illness and number four starter John Ryck got the call... Massey permitted 7 hits, but only one run, struck out 7 and walked none in an almost flawless outing... loser John Ryck (0-1 3.38) pitched well, too, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits with no walks and 6 Ks... LF Patric Giles (.263) homered for South Fork... 1B Teddy Nixon (.467) and CF Shelby Glasscock (.300) drove in the other runs... Glasscock's sac fly in the fifth was eventual winning run... the Reds only run was batted in by 3B Jeff Booker (.350) in the third frame, cutting the lead to 2-1.

Ginza KOs Fairfax, Wins Elite 8
As expected the Ginza Ninjas knocked off the Fairfax Frogs four games to one in the TU Elite 8 Series... the fifth-seeded Ninjas will now advance to play the South Fork-Rolling Hills winner in the TU Final 4... Fairfax was the number 7 seed... Ginza's stylish southpaw Yutaka Yoshida (2-0 0.50) hurled a superb 3-hitter and eliminated the Frogs 5-1... in his previous start Yoshida shut them out 1-0... Yoshida whiffed 7 and walked nobody today... rookie Darien Russell (0-2 2.12) had the misfortune to face Yoshida twice in the series... the Ninjas got to him for 5 runs and 8 hits, but only 3 were earned... Russell went the distance, fanned 5 and walked 3... RF Kenji Yamamura (.167) hit a two-run double in the fifth to lead Ginza in the win... C Crash Davis (.190) and LF Daiki Kono (.263) drove in the other two scores.

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 30, 2025

2025 IPA Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Roosters Upset Sundowners, Advance To RU Final 4
Surprise, Surprise... the lowest seed in the playoffs this year, the Middlefield Roosters, have knocked off the number three seed Wynnamac Sundowners, winning the Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series in six games... the Roosters were shut out 2-0 through seven innings by young Jason Meeks, who looked unbeatable at that point... but then Meeks collapsed, giving up 3 in the eighth and 4 more in the ninth... Middlefield battered him 7-3 to end the series in sudden fashion... 3B Stu Butterworth (.333) started the ball rolling with a 3-run homer, giving the Roosters a 3-2 lead... Wynnamac quickly tied it in the bottom half of the inning, only to lose it in the 4-run ninth... 1B Keith Yashin (.280) drove in the series-winning score with a single... CF Tom Daniels (.269) added two insurance runs with another single... and PH Nick Kanellis drove the last one with a base hit... winning pitcher Tyrus Cobb (1-1 5.93) made amends for a bad outing in the 7-1 loss in game three... Cobb was only 11-14 in the regular season, but had a fine 3.20 ERA... this afternoon he pitched a solid 8 innings, allowed only 5 hits and 3 runs with 2 walks and 6 strikeouts... Alec Bacardi picked up the save with a scoreless ninth... Meeks (1-1 4.15) suffered the loss... Middlefield mauled him for 10 hits and all 7 runs, though he fanned 10, while walking 4... the Roosters had 11 hits to 6 for the Sundowners... Middlefield now goes up against the number two seeded team, the Crystal Lake Crushers for the Ruthlandian crown and the right to go to the IPA Pro Cup Finals.

Commenting on his club's 8th seeding by The Islandian Times poll, Rooster manager Bailey Norcross told the press after the game, "Before the first game I just told my boys that quite a few times low seeds have won the Pro Cup, so don't worry about what you read in the polls... worry about what you do on the field... that's where the game is played, not in the papers."

Tycobbian Union

Tettelbach Brilliant, SF Wins Series
"Hey, we won 96 games... we didn't get lucky."... That was manager Duroche "Lips" Leon's comments after his South Fork Stallions whipped the favored Rolling Hills Reds and captured the TU Elite 8 Series by a 4-2 margin... "We didn't care what the so-called experts said... we expected to win this series... and we did... and we also expect to win the Pro Cup."... Rolling Hills was rated the top seed in the Pro Cup playoffs, while the Stallions were ranked only fourth in The Islandian Times poll... In the sixth-and-deciding game at Jock Ewing Stadium in South Fork, Leon got a great performance from his number three starter Jim Tettelbach, who fired a 1-hit shutout for 8 innings and beat the Reds 1-0 with the help of closer Tommy Galloway... Galloway sat down the Reds in the ninth for his second save of the series... the winning run came in the fourth inning when LF Patric Giles (.261) hit a 435-homer off losing pitcher McGraw Christianson... Christianson (0-2 3.94) was magnificent in defeat, yielding only 4 hits, struck out 4 and walked only one... The Stallions will now go up against the fifth seeded Ginza Ninjas for the Tycobbian title.

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, October 1, 2025

IPA Final 4s Set, Stallions And Crushers Favorites
The number one seed Rolling Hills is gone after the first round in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs. In round two, the Ruthlandian and Tycobbian Final 4s will feature the number 2, 4, 5 and 8 seeds. In the RU, number 2 Crystal Lake will try to take care of underdog Middlefield, the lowest rank team, and over in the TU it will be fourth seed South Fork and fifth seed Ginza. The most impressive teams in the Elite 8s were the Crystal Lake Crushers, who easily disposed of Far Mountain in 5 games and the South Fork Stallions, who beat the top-ranked club, the Rolling Hills Reds in 6 games. The Ginza Ninjas also played very well whipping Fairfax in 5 games. The unheralded Middlefield Roosters bounced back from a 2-1 deficit to win the last three games and eliminate favored Wynnamac.

Lips Leon's South Fork Stallions gained a lot of respect by knocking off a very talented Rolling Hills team, but they are in for another battle in the TU Final 4. Ginza has fine pitching and will be no pushover. In fact, the Ninjas took 2 of the 3 regular season games with the Stallions, who led the IPA with 96 victories. South Fork has fine pitching, plus some very good bats. That should give them the edge over Ginza. Crystal Lake's pitching dominance continued into the postseason. The Crushers allowed Far Mountain only 9 runs in 5 games. Baby George's Crushers are a very similar team to Wynnamac. Neither of them have much offense, but pitch very well. Bailey Norcross's Roosters took care of the Sundowners and feels he can do it to Crystal Lake, too. The two clubs split 6 games in the regular campaign. All of them were decided by 2 runs or less. This may be a closer match-up than the soothsayers say.

The Islandian Times
Friday, October 3, 2025

2025 IPA Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Crushers Edge Roosters, Welch Wins Opener 3-2
Manager Herman "Baby" George continues to get super pitching... The low-scoring Crystal Lake Crushers edged Middlefield 3-2 in the opening game of the Ruthlandian Final 4 Series... and they did it the hard way, scoring runs on a balk, wild pitch and finally a base hit... winning pitcher Duncan Welch (2-1 1.44) went 8 strong innings, limited the Roosters to 4 hits and 2 runs, while fanning 8 and walking just one batter... closer Keith Hunter finished it off with a runless ninth... Danny Denver (1-1 3.13) was done in by mistakes... he went the route, gave up 6 hits and 3 runs... it was 0-0 until the bottom of the sixth when the Crushers went up 2-0... after two singles put runners on the corners, Denver balked in a run and RF Augie Marshall (.091) had an RBI single... the Roosters RF Chuck Larkin (.200) deadlocked it in the top of the seventh with a 2-run smash... then Crystal Lake won it in the last half of the inning when Welch doubled (.143) and went to third on a fielder's choice... Welch scored the winning run on a wild pitch... not much hitting in the game... the Crushers had 6 hits to the Roosters 5.

Tycobbian Union

Ginza Grabs 1st Game, Ferguson Stops SF 4-1
Opening up out of town at Jock Ewing Stadium, the Ginza Ninjas grabbed game one of the Tycobbian Final 4 with a 4-1 triumph over the South Fork Stallions... Daniel Ferguson (2-1 0.36) pitched a whale of game, holding the potent Stallions to just 3 hits and an unearned run... Ferguson fired strikes past 8 batters and issued 3 walks in his 8 innings... closer Ken Kichida chalked up his second playoff save with a perfect 1-2-3 inning... SS Kurt Pankewicz's (.360) double gave South Fork an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third... that was all the offense for the day for the Stallions... the Ninjas took charge in the top of the fourth on a bases-loaded walk to 2B Russ Van Kleek (.188) and a sacrifice fly by SS Ralph Hart (.158)... C Crash Davis (.208) singled in another run in the fifth to make it 3-1 and Ginza tacked on a run in the ninth on an RBI single by PH Yuko Mihashi (.333)... LF Daiki Kono (.304) led the Ninjas with 2 doubles in 4 at-bats.

The Islandian Times
Saturday, October 4, 2025

2025 IPA Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Roosters Even CL Series, Zap 'em 7-3
In game two of the RU Final 4 the Middlefield Roosters ripped Crystal Lake 7-3 to deadlock it at one game each... the Roosters tore into Crusher starter Dennis Taylor (1-1 4.66) for 7 runs in 2-plus frames and won going away, making shambles of Crystal Lake's vaunted pitching... 3B Stu Butterworth (.318) and 1B Keith Yashin (.294) led the Roosters 10-hit attack with homers... Yashin had 3 hits overall... Frank Dean went the distance for the win, checking the Crushers on 7 hits and 3 runs, just one of them earned as Middlefield made 4 errors.

Massey Blanks Ninjas 5-0, SF Knots Series
South Fork was outhit 9 to 4, but they came away with a weird 5-0 victory over Ginza behind 20-year-old rookie left-hander Bill Massey... Massey stranded 10 baserunners, while allowing 9 hits... Massey (3-0 1.73) continued a great postseason by striking out 7 and giving up only 2 walks... the Stallions took a 3-0 lead in the second on two hit batsmen and two singles...1B Joe Peters (.250) walked to force in the first run, C Dennis Johanson (.273) got hit for run number two and Massey (.000) brought in the third one with a sac fly... all the runs came off loser Yutaka Yoshida (2-1), who lost for the first time in the playoffs and also suffered an arm injury and will miss the rest of the playoffs... the Ninjas are also playing without its regular left fielder Chuck Wilson (.234 BA/18 HR/77 RBI), who went out for the season in September... Yoshida was tagged for 3 runs on just 2 hits in 5-plus innings... he fanned 4 and walked 3... South Fork added 2 more scores in the eighth on PH Paul Kretzmeier's (.200) two-bagger.

The Islandian Times
Saturday, October 4, 2025

2025 IPA Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Roosters Crow Loudly, Trounce Crushers 8-3
The eighth-seeded Middlefield Roosters have a lot to crow about so far... they surprised the Wynnamac Sundowners and everybody else by winning the Elite 8 Series and doing it without injured superstud first baseman Allan Stewart... now the Roosters are crowing even louder with a 8-3 troucing of number two seed Crystal Lake for the second game in a row to go up in the series two games to one... Middlefied bashed out 11 hits and got 9 walks in the rout... they busted up a tight 4-2 ballgame with a 4-run uprising in the last of the eighth... SS Wes Gore (.280) sparked the win with 2 hits and 3 RBIs... his 3-run shot in the eighth pretty much put Crystal Lake away... CF Tom Daniels (.297) went 2-for-3 and batted in 2 runs and PH Sammy Randell (.333) also drove in a pair of runs... rookie Tyrus Cobb turned in his second consecutive standout performance... Cobb (2-1 4.57) worked 8 impressive innings and held the Crushers to just 2 runs on 7 hits... starter Rick Gilliam (1-1 2.40) took the loss as he was shelled for 4 runs and 8 hits in his 6 innings... Crystal Lake racked up 4 double plays and still lost.

Tycobbian Union

Stallions Blank Ninjas Again, Up 2-1 In Series
South Fork manager Lips Leon likes what he saw... back-to-back shutouts over the Ginza Ninjas to give them a two games to one edge in the TU Final 4 Series... 20-year-old rookie Jim Tettelbach (2-0 0.00) was sensational again with 8 shutout innings... he surrendered 8 hits with 2 walks and 5 Ks... in the playoffs Tettelbach has not allowed a single run in 17 innings... closer Tommy Galloway combined with him for the shutout by setting Ginza down in order in the ninth... Ron Koehler (0-1 3.68) pitched the entire game for the Ninjas, gave up 10 hits, but only one earned run... Stallion SS Kurt Pankewicz (.323) snapped a scoreless tie in the sixth with a sacrifice fly... South Fork padded the score with another run in the eighth on PH Paul Kretzmeier's (.333) base hit.

The Islandian Times
Sunday, October 5, 2025

2025 IPA Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

McClellan HR In 16th Makes Middlefield Winner
Here we go again!... the upstart Middlefield Roosters are about to whip another favorite... this time in the Ruthlandian Final 4... the Roosters took a giant step to go up three games to one with a 6-5 victory over the Crystal Lake Crushers... LF Floyd McClellan (.308) 16th-inning blast did it... both clubs got spotty pitching from ace starters Duncan Welch and Danny Denver, but excellent relief work... the Crushers led 4-1 after 3 innings, but the Roosters rallied and went in front 5-4 at the end of 6... Crystal Lake forced extra innings with a run in the eighth... the Roosters collected 11 hits to the Crushers 6... Waylon Hillman and Ken Crawford gave up no runs and hurled 1-hit ball over the final 7 frames, with the win going to Crawford (2-0 0.00)... he allowed no hits in his 4 innings... likewise three Crusher relievers stopped the Roosters on no runs and 3 hits over 8 innings... Sammy Richards (0-1 3.00) lost it in the 16th... C Rod Buckley (.225) and 2B Arnie Stone (.167) led the Roosters with 2 RBIs each... Crusher 2B Mack Hood (.188) had two doubles and 3 runs batted in.

Tycobbian Union

SF Up 3-1 On Ginza, Wins 9-8 In Game 4
The hitters finally lashed out and scored some runs in the Tycobbian Final 4... South Fork took a commanding 3-1 lead in the series by outlasting Ginza 9-8 at Ninja Stadium... 27 hits reverberated around the park with South Fork getting 15 of them... even the pitchers got into the act with 5 RBIs... the Stallions built up a 7-3 lead in the fourth, only to have the Ninjas bounced back and tie it 7-all by the sixth... in the top of the seventh South Fork went ahead to stay 9-7 on CF Shelby Glasscock's 2-run single... leading the way for the Stallions were rookie SS Kurt Pankewicz (.324), 2B Norris Nettles (.290) and Glasscock (.225), all with 2 RBIs each... C Dennis Johanson (.290) had 3 hits and scored twice for the winners... Ginza starter Daniel Ferguson (.222) doubled in 3 runs in the second inning, SS Ralph Hart (.241) singled in 2 in the fourth and reliever Kakuzo Harimoto hit a solo homer in the sixth... 2B Russ Van Kleek (.280) had 3 hits, scored twice and drove in a run... Ozz Gatsby (2-0 9.39) got credit for the win, going a rocky 2-plus , giving up 4 hits and a run... Tom Galloway closed it out by retiring three straight in the ninth for his 4th playoff save... Harimoto (0-1 3.86) suffered the lost after permitting 2 runs and 6 hits in 4-plus frames.

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 6, 2025

2025 IPA Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union

Roosters Earn Pro Cup Slot
Higher seeds don't mean much to the eighth-seeded Middlefield Roosters... they have KO'ed another one and now will get a shot at the Holy Grail - the much-coveted IPA Pro Cup... the Roosters have won it only once... in 2005, 20 years ago... of course, they will have to beat another higher seed to win it.

Middlefield powered 4 home runs and came back from a 7-0 deficit to nip favored Crystal Lake 11-10 in game five of the Ruthlandian Final 4... the Roosters took four of the five games and put an end to the Crushers season... LF Floyd McClellan was again the hero with 2 roundtrippers and 4 RBIs... 1B Keith Yashin (.326) got his 5th homer in the series and drove in two runs... 3B Stu Butterworth (.433) cracked his 3rd and batted in 4 runs, too... overall Middlefield smacked 16 hits, while Crystal Lake managed 14.

1B Benny Rousseau clouted his 4th postseason home run and drove in 3 runs to lead the Crushers... SS Phil Hicks (.233) had 2 hits, 3 RBIs and scored twice... CF Herm Taylor (.227) went 2-5 with 2 runs batted in... 3B Tommy Gompers (.233) was 3-5 with 2 doubles and 2 runs scored... and C Rob Stern (.361) had 3 hits and scored two times for Crystal Lake.

Middlefield's Butterworth singled in the series-winning run in the bottom of the ninth... the Roosters rallied with 3 runs in the third and 6 in the fourth to take a 9-7 lead... in a seesaw game the Crushers tied it with single runs in the fifth and sixth, then lost the lead again when Middlefield scored a run in the last of the seventh, making it 10-9... Crystal Lake managed to tie it up in the top of the ninth, only to lose it and the series in the last of the ninth.

8 of the 9 pitchers in the game gave up runs... Glenn Tackett (1-0 9.00) blew the save, but copped the win... Keith Hunter (1-1 2.57) was the loser... Middlefield will take on the Tycobbian champ in the Pro Cup Series... it will be either the 4th seeded South Fork Stallions or the 5th seeded Ginza Ninjas... no problem for the Roosters... they have already beaten the second and third seeds.

SF Stallions Race By Ginza In 5 Games
After losing the opening game in the Tycobbian championship series, the South Fork Stallions reeled off four victories in a row to wipe out the Ginza Ninjas... Now South Fork will battle Middlefield, the RU champ, for the Islands' Pro Cup... They lost in the second round in 2001... and in the TU Final 4 in 2002... haven't been in the playoffs since... and have never played in the Pro Cup Finals.

Game 5 went to the Stallions 4-2 behind the solid pitching of rookie left-hander Bill Massey (4-0 1.86)... He tossed 8 innings, held the Ninjas to 2 runs on 8 hits with 2 walks and 6 strikeouts... Ricky Raeburn closed it out with a perfect ninth for the save... Harlan Wilson (0-1 4.00) took the loss in his first start of the postseason... Wilson allowed 4 runs and 7 hits in 7 innings, walking 6 and fanning 4.

South Fork had 9 hits to 8 for the Ninjas... RBIs by RF Robby Michael (.256), LF Patric Giles (.225), CF Shelby Glasscock (.227) and 2B Norris Nettles (.314) gave the Stallions a 4-0 lead after 6 and a half innings... CF Lyle McCann (.333) doubled in Ginza's only runs in the seventh.

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, October 8, 2025

South Fork Favored In Pro Cup Finals
The 25th IPA Pro Cup begins play on Friday afternoon at J. R. Ewing Stadium in South Fork. Middlefield hasn't been to the Pro Cup Finals for the last two decades and South Fork has never been here until now. So who's the favorite? It's easy for the critics and the forecasters. Just go by the season records - the Stallions were tops in the IPA with a 96-58 record, while the Roosters were a lowly 85-69. Or go by what The Islandian Times Pro Cup poll indicated - South Fork was rated the fourth-best team in the playoffs and Middlefield was the worst. All that was based on stats, suppositions, summations and speculation. However on the diamond, South Fork whipped the Pro Cup favorite Rolling Hills Reds and fifth seed Ginza, while the overlooked Roosters knocked off number three Wynnamac and number two Crystal Lake to get their shots at the renowned Pro Cup, symbolic for the best pro baseball team in Islandia.

Serious analysis doesn't go with the heart and choose the underdog Roosters. Most of the experts point out South Fork won more games than anybody over the long regular season. Not only do the Stallions have better starting pitching than Middlefield, they hit better, too. The two bullpens are pretty much even. Defensively South Fork is a little below average (.971 FA) with the glove, while Middlefield is poor (.968 FA).

The experts say this is the first time in the playoffs the Roosters will face a good-hitting team. Crystal Lake and Wynnamac possessed outstanding pitching, but neither Crystal Lake, nor Wynnamac could hit. Those that favor Middlefield counter that South Fork will be facing a team with power for the first time in the playoffs. Middlefield hammered 170 homers in the regular season and top the playoff teams with 15 roundtrippers so far. South Fork went deep 136 times duing the year, but only 5 times in the postseason.

It will be a close series going six or perhaps seven games. One key factor for South Fork will be whether Gary Price can regain his regular season form. Price was 22-14 with a fine 2.95 ERA, but has struggled in the postseason with an 0-3 mark with a high 4.44 ERA. Another key factor will be whether number three starter Jim Tettelbach can sustain his remarkable playoff performance. Tettelbach is 2-0 in 2 starts and has not allowed a run. During the season he was 17-12 with 3.63 ERA.

All things point to a Pro Cup crown for the South Fork Stallions. Manager Duroche "Lips" Leon has the better starters. Rookie Billy Massey was great in the regular season with a 21-10 record and a strong 2.99 ERA... and even better in the postseason with a spotless 4-0 mark and a superb 1.85 ERA. And Tettelbach has been extraordinary. All Leon and the Stallions need is for Price to do it like he did during the season and they are home free. If that happens, it could be a short four or five games series. At the plate in the postseason the Stallions top performers have been SS Kurt Pankewicz with a .300 BA, 1 HR, 8 RBI and 5 runs scored, 2B Norris Nettles with a .314 BA, 0 HR, 5 RBI and 5 runs, CF Shelby Glasscock with a .227 BA, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 5 runs and 6 SB and LF Patric Giles with a .225 BA, 2 HR, 6 RBI and 10 runs scored.

Skipper Bailey Norcross needs his starters to step it up a notch for the Roosters to upset the Stallions. He also needs his bats to keep booming and bombing. Danny Denver is the ace and only consistent starter. Denver went 23-7 with a 3.31 ERA. None of the other starters had winning records. Frank Dean was only 16-17 with a good 3.03 ERA, especially in the small confines of Middlefield Park with its very short dimensions. Rookie Tyrus Cobb was 11-14 with a 3.20 ERA. In the playoffs Denver is 1-1 with a 3.67 ERA, Dean 1-1 with a 3.09 ERA and Cobb 2-1 with a 4.57 ERA. But Cobb has really pitched well in his last two starts after being creamed in his initial start. Offensively in the playoffs Middlefield has been led by 3B Stu Butterworth with a .433 BA, 3 HR, 9 RBI and 8 runs, 1B Keith Yashin with a .326 BA, 5 HR, 8 RBI and 11 runs, CF Tom Daniels with a .306 BA, 1 HR, 9 RBI and 5 runs and LF Floyd McClellan with a .341 BA, 3 HR/5 RBI and 9 runs scored.

South Fork will have the homefield advantage. The Stallions were 49-28 at home and 47-30 on the road, while Middlefield played very well at home with a 51-26 mark, but dismally away, posting a poor 34-43 record. South Fork hits right-handers better, compiling an 81-47 record. Against southpaws there were only 15-11. The Roosters were better against lefties with a 22-14 record. They were 63-55 against the righties. Middlefield has four portsiders, while South Fork only has two. Two of the three starters on each team are right-handed.

Pro Cup Prediction: South Fork Stallions in 6 games.

The Islandian Times
Friday, October 10, 2025

2025 IPA Pro Cup Series

Roosters Stun Stallions 9-3 In Pro Cup Opener
On the road the underdog Middlefield Roosters jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first two frames and stunned the favored South Fork Stallions 9-3 in the opening game of the 2025 IPA Pro Cup Finals... the Roosters ripped rookie Bill Massey for 6 runs in the first inning and never looked back... it was Massey's (4-1 3.41) first postseason loss... Middlefield pounded out 15 hits and were paced by RF Chuck Larkin (.196) with a homer and a double and 4 RBIs... LF Floyd McClellan (.348) and SS Tim Tyler (.263) batted in a couple of runs apiece... Danny Denver (2-1 2.85) was effective, especially with such a big lead... He permitted only 2 earned runs and 7 hits, while going the distance.

The Islandian Times
Saturday, October 11, 2025

2025 IPA Pro Cup Series

Tettelbach Tames Roosters, SF Evens Pro Cup
South Fork's Jim Tettelbach cooled off the red-hot Middlefield Roosters 6-2 and snapped their 4-game winning streak... Tettelbach (3-0 0.69) stopped them on 6 hits, struck out 7 and issued two walks and won his third successive playoff game... Tettelbach's 17-inning scoreless string came to an end in the first inning, but it didn't matter... the Stallions promptly tied it up in the bottom of the first, then broke the game wide open with 4 runs in the fourth... South Fork outhit Middlefield 12 to 6... RF Robby Michael led the way with 3-for-4 and 3B Mark Barker (.320) and C Dennis Johanson (.262) collected 2 hits each... SS Kurt Pankewicz (.277) drove in 2 runs for the winners... rookie Tyrus Cobb (2-2 6.12) took it on the chin and was pelted for 6 runs and 10 hits in 3-plus innings.

Middlefield was happy to get split at J. R. Ewing Stadium. The series will now switch to Middlefield Park after the first two were played in South Fork. Middlefield plays much better at home where the Roosters are 51-26. On the road they are only 34-43. The Stallions play well at home and away.

The Islandian Times
Sunday, October 12, 2025

2025 IPA Pro Cup Series

Roosters Up 2-1 In Pro Cup, Nose Out SF 7-6
Happy to be back at home at Middlefield Park, the pesky Middlefield Roosters nosed out favored South Fork 6-5 to go ahead two games to one in the IPA Pro Cup Finals... although they were peppered for 14 hits and only got 7 themselves, they managed to salvage a win... 11 bases on balls made the difference... the Roosters shot in front 3-0 after 3 innings, lost the lead 4-3 in the fourth, regained it for good in the fifth with 4 runs, then held off the Stallions in the late innings... strong relief pitching saved the day... Ken Crawford, Waylon Hillman and Alec Bacardi combined to hold the Stallions at bay the last few innings... starter Frank Dean faltered in the seventh... Dean (2-1 4.01) got credit for the win despite being tagged for 6 runs and 13 hits in 6-plus innings... Dean fanned 6 and walked just one... Gary Price's (0-4 4.94) playoff woes continued to plague him... the Roosters routed him in the fifth and dealt him his fourth straight defeat... Price allowed 7 runs in 4-plus innings... 7 walks killed him.

Sparking the Roosters were RF Chuck Larkin (.185), who got his 3rd home run in the postseason and batted in 2 runs... CF Tom Daniels (.328) added an RBI triple and scored twice... SS Wes Gore (.222) and C Rod Buckley (.263) each batted in a run... and Dean (.200) also chipped in an RBI double... top bats for South Fork belonged to CF Shelby Glasscock (.259), LF Patric Giles (.302) and 1B Teddy Nixon (.500), all with 3 hits apiece.

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 13, 2025

2025 IPA Pro Cup Series

Stallions Outslugs Roosters 9-7, Ties Pro Cup
Down 7-5 in the final at-bat at Middlefield Park, South Fork stung Middlefield for 4 runs and captured the fourth game of the Pro Cup Series to tie it at two games each... in the top of the ninth, 1B Teddy Nixon (.500) doubled in two runs to win the game... it was a slugfest with both clubs registering 12 hits... winning pitcher Richie Raeburn was superb in relief of South Fork starter Bill Massey... Raeburn (1-0 0.84) came on in the fourth frame, trailing 7-1 and shut down the Roosters on one hit and not a single run for 4 and a third innings... closer Tom Galloway took over in the bottom of the ninth and stumbled in with his 5th postseason save... Galloway loaded the bases on a single and two walks, then got out of the mess with a double play to end the game.

South Fork CF Shelby Glasscock (.290) was 3-for-4 with 4 runs batted in... one of them was Glasscock's 3rd roundtripper in the playoffs... he now leads the Stallions with 12 RBIs... LF Patric Giles (.316) also knocked in a pair of runs for South Fork... Middlefield cracked 3 out of the park with LF Floyd McClellan (.345) getting 2 of them, good for 4 RBIs and 2B Arnie Stone (.217) went deep, too... McClellan had 3 hits in defeat and scored 4 times... Rooster closer Waylon Hillman (0-1 6.75) blew his second save of the playoffs as he was battered for all 4 runs in the ninth.

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, October 14, 2025

2025 IPA Pro Cup Series

SF Nears Pro Cup Title, Tettelbach Wins 6-3
South Fork's 20-year-old rookie right-hander Jim Tettelbach continued to blitz the opposition in the playoffs... unbeaten Tettelbach posted his fourth win with a 6-3 victory over Middlefield, putting the Stallions in command in the IPA Pro Cup Finals... South Ford leads the series three games to two and only needs one more triumph to win its first-ever Pro Cup.

Tettelbach worked 8 innings, gave up 3 runs, one unearned, and 7 hits... he fanned 7 and walked only one... Tom Galloway got his 6th save in the postseason with a scoreless ninth, but the Roosters loaded the bases with three singles before Galloway put them away... the game was close for 6 innings with South Fork up 3-2... the Stallions put 3 on the scoreboard in the seventh to nail down the verdict... Danny Denver ((2-2 3.40) took the loss, permitting 6 runs and 12 hits in 6-plus frames.

South Fork had a 13-10 hit advantage, led by LF Patric Giles (.311) with 2 RBIs... CF Shelby Glasscock (.303) added 2 hits and drove in a run... and RF Robby Michael (.266) had 2 hits and scored twice... CF Tom Daniels (.371) paced the losers with 3-for-4 and an RBI.

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, October 15, 2025

2025 IPA Pro Cup Series

Roosters Tie Pro Cup, Force 7th Game
The Middlefield Roosters bats boomed just at the right time to stave off elimination in the Pro Cup Finals... the underdog Roosters ravaged South Fork for 15 hits and an easy 8-2 victory to tie up the series at three games apiece... game seven will be tomorrow in South Fork for all the marbles... winning pitcher Frank Dean (3-1 3.59) tossed a steady game, holding the Stallions to 6 hits and 2 runs with 4 walks and 4 Ks... RF Chuck Larkin (.210) and SS Wes Gore (.246) sparked Middlefield with 2-run homers each... Larkin, playing with bruised ribs, had 2 hits and 3 RBIs... Larkin has 5 homers in the playoffs... manager Duroche "Lips" Leon took a gamble by starting Ozz Gatsby (2-1 10.80) in place of Gary Price, but it didn't pan out... Gatsby was hit hard for 6 runs and 11 hits in 4 innings... Price has labored in the postseason with an 0-4 record.

Slated to pitch in tomorrow's finale are rookie Bill Massey for South Fork and 5-year vet Danny Denver for Middlefield... the 20-year-old Massey was 21-10 with a 2.99 ERA in the regular season and the 23-year-old Denver was 23-7 with a 3.31 ERA... in the playoffs Massey is 4-1 with a 4.71 ERA, while Denver is 2-2 and 3.40. Denver will be working on just 2 days' rest.

The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 16, 2025

2025 IPA Pro Cup Series

What a Relief, South Fork Wins First Pro Cup
Great relief work in the seventh game of the Pro Cup Finals paved the way for South Fork's first-ever Pro Cup victory... three Stallion relievers stopped Middlefield cold, blanking them over the final 6 innings on one hit, striking out 9 and walking only one... that gave South Fork a chance to rally from a massive 6-run deficit after 3 innings... they slowly pecked away and shaved it to 6-4 after 7 innings and then delivered the coup de grace - a 5-run explosion in the eighth, putting them ahead to stay 9-6... the big blow of the game was when PH Lou Boone crashed a 3-run triple to put South Fork ahead 7-6.

Winning skipper Lips Leon exclaimed excitedly at the press conference, "Wow, that was a wild and crazy game and a wild and crazy series... to come back from a 6-0 score in game seven is fantastic... thank heavens we hit the ball today... We won the series, but got outscored... how about that!"... Both clubs averaged almost 6 runs a game with Middlefield having the edge 42-41.

Just like they were the entire season, the Stallion bullpen was fabulous... Kyle Preston worked four hitless innings and fanned 4... winning pitcher Ricky Raeburn (2-0 1.98) struck out all 3 batters in his only inning and closer Tom Galloway got his 7th save with a scoreless ninth... Galloway allowed one hit and whiffed 2 batters... Working on 2 days' rest Danny Denver ran out of gas in the late innings and lost it... Denver (2-3 4.12) was tagged for 7 runs and 8 hits in 7 innings... the Stallions outhit the Roosters 12 to 9... RF Robby Michael (.296) had 3 hits, including a home run... he drove in 2 runs... 3B Ray Hershberger (.324) also batted in a pair of runs with 2 hits.... 1B Keith Yashin (.329) had a 3-run double to pace the Roosters.

Losing manager Bailey Norcross was disappointed, but not down. "The Roosters had a great season... we won our division for the third year in a row and we went all the way to the finals of the Pro Cup... we whipped two fine teams in Wynnamac and Crystal Lake and we came pretty darn close to whipping another fine team... we had our chances... we were up two games to one... we just didn't do it... South Fork did... congratulations to Lips and his boys."

The Islandian Times
Friday, October 17, 2025

SF's Tettelbach 2025 Pro Cup MVP
A 20-year-old rookie right-hander named Jim Tettelbach was honored as the IPA Pro Cup Most Valuable Player today by The Islandian Times. Tettelbach was the prime reason why the South Fork Stallions won the IPA Pro Cup for the first time in history. He was superb in the playoffs with a 4-0 record and a sparkling 1.06 ERA. Tettelbach whipped Middlefield twice in the Finals, 6-2 in game two and 6-3 in game five. He also defeated Ginza 2-0 in the TU Final 4 and Rolling Hills 1-0 in the Elite 8. During the regular season Tettelbach recorded a 17-12 mark with a 3.63 ERA.

Stallion teammate Patric Giles was a distant second in the voting. Giles, a veteran left fielder, had a fine postseason with a .313 batting average, 2 homers, 13 RBIs and 16 runs scored. Number three in the balloting was South Fork closer Tommy Galloway, who didn't allow a run in 8 relief appearances and stood out with 7 saves. Also receiving some support were two Middlefield Roosters, left fielder Floyd McClellan and first sacker Keith Yashin. McClellan batted .348 with 5 homers, 11 RBIs and 17 runs scored, while Yashin hit 5 roundtrippers, drove in 15 runs and scored 15 times with a .329 average.

The Islandian Times
Saturday, October 18, 2025

Ranford's Hunt Reaps RU's Rookie Award
The top-ranked rookie performer in the Ruthlandian Union was Ranford catcher Kyle Hunt. It was announced today by league officials that he had been named the winner of the 2025 Rookie of the Year Award. The 22-year-old Hunt chalked up some strong season stats, including a .336 batting average and .401 on-base percentage, while racking up 13 home runs, 71 RBIs and 75 runs scored. Hunt made the All-Star team in his freshman year and led a revival in Ranford, helping the Bulls rise up from last place to fourth place this season. He also threw out 41.7% of the runners that tried to steal.

Beechwood's pitcher Maury Patterson was second in The Islandian Times poll. Patterson, a 22-year-old right-hander, was brilliant in his first year with a 12-7 mark and a super 2.10 ERA. Patterson didn't join the Bobcats until the middle of June. Belle Plaine reliever Mac Shaw came in third in the balloting. Shaw was 7-0 in 31 games with a remarkable 0.33 ERA.

Pascioni Snags TU Rookie Award
Don Pascioni's age didn't show very often in his first year. He performed more like a veteran on the hill for the Southport Sun Sox and today he walked away with the 2025 Tycobbian Union Rookie of the Year Award. The 18-year-old starter registered a 18-13 record this season in 38 starts. Over 303 innings he gave up 243 hits, struck out 241 and issued 109 walks as he held the opposition to a .219 batting average and fashioned a 2.94 ERA. Pascioni was a big reason the Sun Sox climbed from 7th to 4th in the TU South this year. He also made the All-Star squad.

26-year-old Darien Russell was the runner-up to Pascioni with a fine 19-13 record and a 2.97 ERA. Russell was one of the main ingredients the Fairfax Frogs has such a successful season. The Frogs leaped from fourth place in the TU North to first place. Luxora's left fielder Kevin Hanley was the number-three vote-getter. The 19-year-old Hanley hit .286 with 20 homers, 75 RBIs and scored 88 runs for the last-place Zorros.

The Islandian Times
Sunday, October 19, 2025

Woods Tops Best Hitter List
What a way to finish off the year -- being honored with the 2025 Golden Bat Award in the Ruthlandian Union. It had already been a very special season for Sugar Valley's Dean Woods, but today's announcement really put the icing on his cake. All season long Dean Woods gave opposing pitchers fits by hitting .329 as he collected 164 hits, 29 doubles, 4 triples, 33 home runs and 129 RBIs. The 23-year-old Rattler first baseman played in 152 games and scored 83 runs. Woods topped the Ruthlandian Union with 129 runs batted in and was second overall in the IPA.

The top three vote-getters in the RU Golden Bat competition were all first sackers. Number two in The Islandian Times poll was Belair Beach's Kees Draeger, who batted .328, hit 32 home runs, drove in 97 runs and scored 97 times. Draeger also made the All-Star team. Coming in third in the voting was Ancona's Alekos Kotas. He posted a .325 batting average with 24 roundtrippers, 113 runs batted in and scored 81 runs.

Oxford's Hartwig Named TU's Best Hitter
After coming close in his first two IPA seasons, Dennis Hartwig of the Oxford Red Caps finally copped the Tycobbian Union Golden Bat Award for 2025. The extraordinary 23-year-old left fielder was second in his rookie season in 2023 and third last year. This year Hartwig hit for a .353 average while collecting 198 hits, 48 doubles, 11 triples, 24 home runs, 109 RBIs and scoring 111 times. His Red Caps came in third place in the TU North.

Hartwig edged out last year's Golden Bat honoree Rusty Vizcarra of the Arroyo Grande Suns. The Suns talented first baseman chalked up another strong season with 33 homers, 130 RBIs and 98 runs, while hitting .296 for average. Vizcarra led the IPA in runs batted in. Rolling Hills right fielder Pat Webb wound up third in the polling. The 23-year-old batted .315 with 21 home runs, 129 RBIs and tallied 85 runs as he sparked the Reds to the TU West flag.

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 20, 2025

RU Top Pitcher Selected, Award To FM's Cooper
He's in the early phase of his career, but this past season Jeff Cooper performed like a veteran on the hill for the Far Mountain Redhawks and walked away with the Ruthlandian Union Golden Arm Award in the process. The 23-year-old Redhawks star fashioned a 18-11 won-loss record in 2025 with an IPA-leading 1.85 ERA. In 325 innings of work and 39 starts, Cooper completed 20 games, struck out 178 while giving up 237 hits and 95 walks. He held opposing batters to a .204 average. In his 4 years in the league Cooper has compiled a 79-52 record with a great 2.24 ERA. He was voted the RU Rookie of the Year in 2022. Cooper led Far Mountain to the RU North title this year. The Redhawks were 5th last season and it's been 8 years since they won a pennant.

Golden Arm runner-up Billy Chapel of the Stoner Stars had a fine season, too. For the first time in 18 years the Stars had a shot at the RU West, losing out in the late stages to the Middlefield Roosters by just one game. Chapel played a big role in the Stars success this year with a sparkling 23-11 mark and a strong 2.46 ERA. He led the IPA with 24 complete games. The 33-year-old right-hander is 233-189 in his 13 seasons with Stoner. The third-place finisher in The Islandian Times poll was Sugar Valley's 28-year-old right-hander Benny McConnell, who wound up 21-7 with a 2.86 ERA. McConnell paced the Rattlers to a first-division spot in the RU East this season with an 83-71 record.

BSC's Moss Elbows His Way to TU Award
21-year-old Greg Moss of the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers put together a super year in 2025 for such a young player. Moss was named today as the winner of the Tycobbian Union Golden Arm Award. He was a first-time winner. Moss crafted an impressive 25-11 record and a 1.91 ERA, topping the TU with a splendid 1.91 ERA. In 320 innings he allowed 238 hits, struck out 252, walked 60. Moss tossed 22 complete games, leading the TU in that category. Players only hit .207 against him.

Quinn Starr was number two in the TU Golden Arm balloting. The 27-year-old Tuckanarra star southpaw, won more games this year than anyone in the IPA with a 26-13 record. Starr led the Blue Jays to second-place in the TU East, losing out to the eventual Pro Cup champion South Fork by only 3 games. He notched 20 complete games and an excellent 2.33 ERA. Third in the voting was Daniel Ferguson, who sparked the Ginza Ninjas to a second pennant in the last three years with a 21-12 mark and a sensational 1.97 ERA.

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, October 21, 2025

RU Honors Golden Glove Award Winners
Defense is a critical element in the game of baseball. Good defenders are worth their weight in gold and today the best of them for 2025 have been recognized. Multi-year Golden Glove winners were Jug Slavin of Grand City (7 times), Russ Woodward of Marston (5 times), Warren Fisher of Waleska (3 times) and Gerry Garner of Eastshore (2 times). The only rookie on either team to be honored was Ranford's Kyle Hunt.

These players will receive the Ruthlandian Union Golden Glove Award:
Pitcher: Billy Chapel (Stoner Stars) 1.000 FA (23-11 2.46)
Catcher: Kyle Hunt (Ranford Bulls) .993 FA/41.7% RTO/5 PB (.336 BA/13 HR/71 RBI/75 R)
First Baseman: Benny Cortazzo (Elnora All-Stars) .995 FA (.254 BA/18 HR/87 RBI/62 R)
Second Baseman: Gerry Garner (Eastshore Elegants) .977 FA (.237 BA/14 HR/70 RBI/79 R)
Third Baseman: Jug Slavin (Grand City Cybercats) .978 FA (.254 BA/7 HR/36 RBI/91 R)
Shortstop: Warren Fisher (Waleska Westerners) .978 FA (.256 BA/0 HR/35 RBI/55 R)
Left Fielder: Lil Hoss Burkhalter (Wynnamac Sundowners) .987 FA (.289 BA/29 HR/108 RBI/77 R)
Center Fielder: Russ Woodward (Marston Nine) .998 FA (.298 BA/32 HR/101 RBI/98 R)
Right Fielder: Kevin Fisher (Stoner Stars) .993 FA (.271 BA/8 HR/63 RBI/89 R)

Year's Best Gloves Selected by Tycobbian Union
It's been said that the best offense is a good defense. That's why contending teams are always looking to improve on the defensive side of the game. Keeping runs from scoring is just as good as driving them in. Norm Owens of Bayview tops the teams with 10 Golden Gloves, followed by Jim Schubert of Red Bluff with 7, Danny Redd of Tuckanarra with 4, Tommy Shore of Bayview and Eddie Lasky of Bay St. Clair with 3 each and Andy Pearson of Arroyo Grande with 2.

The top fielders have been chosen in the Tycobbian Union for 2025. Here are the Golden Glove Award winners:
Pitcher: Eddie Lasky (Bay St. Clair Buccaneers) .988 FA (14-19 4.45)
Catcher: Jim Schubert (Red Bluff Red Sox) .994 FA/43.1% RTO/8 PB (.251 BA/8 HR/43 RBI/55 R)
First Baseman: Johnny O'Rorke (Ginza Ninjas) .995 FA (.309 BA/31 HR/97 RBI/89 R)
Second Baseman: Tommy Shore (Bayview Vikings) .987 FA (.281 BA/14 HR/63 RBI/69 R)
Third Baseman: Sammy Tucker (White River Rascals) .979 FA (.300 BA/3 HR/43 RBI/67 R)
Shortstop: Andy Pearson (Arroyo Grande Suns) .981 FA (.343 BA/18 HR/74 RBI/97 R)
Left Fielder: Norm Owens (Bayview Vikings) .995 FA (.262 BA/10 HR/58 RBI/58 R)
Center Fielder: Alton Dale (Fairfax Frogs) .997 FA (.293 BA/13 HR/57 RBI/83 R)
Right Fielder: Danny Redd (Tuckanarra Blue Jays) .990 FA (.306 BA/7 HR/41 RBI/117 R)

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, October 22, 2025

Stars Chapel Acclaimed RU MVP
The Rutlandian Union has awarded its Most Valuable Player trophy to Billy Chapel, Stoner's ace right-hander. Chapel was a vital part in the Stars rise from fifth to second in the RU East this season. Stoner fought tooth-and-nail with Middlefield and came up one game short. The 33-year-old Chapel fashioned a 23-11 mark with a 2.46 ERA. He led the IPA in complete games with 24.

Chapel edged out Ancona's fine first baseman Alekos Kotas, who led the Red Elephants to the runner-up spot in the RU North. Far Mountain beat them out by 3 games. Kotas is 28 and a 7-year veteran. He batted .325, the best of his career. Lifetime he is a .299 hitter. Kotas hit 24 homers, batted in 113 runs and scored 81, while playing in 151 games.

Number three in The Islandian Times MVP poll was Sugar Valley's talented first sacker Dean Woods. He is 23 years old and a 4-year vet in the IPA. Woods batted .329 with 33 home runs, 129 RBIs and scored 83 runs. The Rattler slugger was the top RBI man in the RU. Sugar Valley ended up fourth in the RU East with an 83-71 record.

Ginza's Ferguson Nabs TU MVP
Prior to Daniel Ferguson's arrival in Ginza in 2023, the Ninjas had never won a pennant and hadn't played in the postseason since 2003, when wildcards were part of the Pro Cup playoffs. The 24-year-old lefty quickly changed that by leading Ginza to it first division title. This season Ferguson was a big part in winning its second pennant in three years with a 21-12 mark and a superlative 1.96 ERA. He had the fourth-best ERA in the IPA and ranked third in the TU. The Ninjas had to fight off 3 tough challengers, topping Turon by one game, Arroyo Grande by 5 and Southport by 6.

The second-highest vote-getter in The Islandian Times poll was Rolling Hills right-fielder Pat Webb. The 23-year-old Webb was ranked second in the IPA and TU with 129 RBIs. Arroyo Grande's Rusty Vizcarra edged him out for the honor with 130. Webb hit .315 with 21 homers and scored 85 runs, helping the Reds run away with the TU West by 10 games with a 91-63 record.

Tuckanarra's talented southpaw Quinn Starr came in third in the balloting for the MVP. Starr led the IPA with 26 victories, while losing 11 games. The 27-year-old helped the Blue Jays to a fine 93-61 mark, second best in the TU East. Tuckanarra lost out by 3 games to the Pro Cup champ, the sensational South Fork Stallions. Starr had 20 complete games and posted a 2.33 ERA in 40 starts.

The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 23, 2025

Ranford's Fargnoli Top RU Skipper
The Ranford Bulls made a huge turnaround this season under manager Rick Fargnoli. The Bulls soared from deep in the cellar to fourth place in the RU North, winding up 84-70 this year 7 games off the pace. Last year they were a lowly 62-92 and trailed by a whopping 35 games. For his efforts Fargnoli has been selected as the Ruthlandian Union Manager of the Year for 2025. This is the first time Fargnoli has been so honored.

Dave Torregrossa of the Belle Plaine Musketeers was the runner-up in The Islandian Times poll. Torregrossa improved the Muskies from third to second place this year, just barely losing out by a game in the RU East to the Wynnamac Sundowners. Belle Plaine went from 81-73 to 91-63 and still couldn't win.

Benny Stern guided his Stoner Stars up from fifth to second in the RU West. Stoner fell just one game short of the pennant, losing out to Middlefield. The Stars went from 70-84 and 15 games back to 84-70.

SF's Leon Snares TU Best Manager Award
The Tycobbian Manager of the Year was also a first-time winner. This season Duroche "Lips" Leon piloted his South Fork Stallions to a great season, moving them up from sixth to first place. The Stallions were a dismal 69-85 in 2024, winding up 27 games out of first. South Fork was the winningest club in the IPA with a 96-58 mark. In a remarkable season the Stallions eventually won the Pro Cup.

Leon won a tight vote with Huroko Uchiyama of Ginza, Whitey Richburn of Turon, Dane Wesner of Fairfax and Charley Oscar of Southport. Uchiyama was the second-highest vote-getter. The Ninjas won the TU South by a slim game in a great battle with the Typhoons of Richburn. Uchiyama also edged Richburn in the Manager of the Year poll. Tied for the fourth spot in the poll were Fairfax's Wesner and Southport's Oscar. The Frogs won the TU North this season after finishing 4th the year before. The Sun Sox climbed up from seventh to fourth in the strong TU South, just 6 games out.

I have played 25 years now in the IPA.
Several readers have asked me to give the history of each franchise so they can get a better understanding of the league. So I will now recap each IPA division. There are 8 of them, North, South, East and West in each league with 8 teams in each, a total of 64 teams.

I think it would be better to cover all the teams division by division, rather than just go from the worst franchise in both leagues to the best franchise in both leagues. This should give a better understanding of the league's history. It will show you how division teams compare to one another.

So I will cover the Tycobbian East first, beginning with the East Point Panthers. I will go from worst to best in each division's history.

After I have recapped the franchise histories, I will announce the IPA Hall of Fame. It's time I started electing the HOF-ers.

The Islandian Times
Friday, October 24, 2025

RU West, TU East Won Most Pro Cups
In its first 25 years of play in the Islandian Pro Alliance, each division has won at least one Pro Cup with the Ruthlandian West and Tycobbian East the leaders with 5 victories each in the Finals. The TU East has made the most Pro Cup appearances with 12 and has compiled a 5-7 mark in the Finals, while the RU West is 5-3. The RU North is 4-4, followed by the RU South at 2-1, the TU North is 1-1 and the TU West is last with a 1-3 record.

The Turon Typhoons have captured the most Pro Cup trophies with 4. Far Mountain of the RU North is number two with 3 titles. Three clubs have won a pair of Pro Cups each: Crystal Lake from the RU South, Eastshore of the RU East and Tuckanarra of the TU East. One-time winners are Taranto of the RU North, Wynnamac of the RU East, Volusia, Middlefield, Colfax, Rocky Rapids and Sligo of the RU West, Oxford of the TU North, South Fork, High Mesa and Red Bluff of the TU East and Kenwood of the the TU West. Turon has the most Pro Cup appearances with 6. The Typhoons are 4-2. Ozarka has played for the championship 5 times, but has never won. Far Mountain is 3-1 in the Pro Cups.

The Islandian Times
Friday, October 24, 2025


East Point Panthers History
The Tycobbian East is the toughest division in the IPA down through the years and is tied with the Ruthlandian West for the most Pro Cup crowns. The two divisions have won 5 apiece. The TU East, however, has appeared 12 times overall, but has posted a lackluster 5-7 record, while the RU West is 5-3.

The hapless East Point Panthers are a member of the TU East and are the worst franchise in the IPA... the Panthers are over 600 games below .500 in their IPA history with a .416 winning percentage (1538-2159)... they have made the playoffs only twice and have just one pennant to show for 24 seasons in the league... East Point join the IPA in its second season as part of the expansion from 24 to 64 teams... the last time the Panthers made the postseason was way back in 2008... Denton City swept them in the TU Elite 8 Series... the Redbirds went to the Pro Cup Finals that year and were beaten by Wynnamac in 6 games... in 2002 South Fork eliminated the Panthers in the first round 2 games to none... the Stallions fell to the High Mesa Cowboys in 3 games in the Elite 8... the Cowboys whipped Elnora in the Pro Cup 3 games to none... East Point has been in the cellar 13 times and in the first division only 4 times... its 4.60 ERA is the highest ERA in the IPA.

Top Hitters: 2B Karol Zodoka (2002-2006) is East Point's all-time star with a .305 BA and 193 homers in his 5 years with the team 2002-2006... in his fine 16-year career with 3 teams Zodoka hit 391 homers and batted .293... Zodoka made the All-Star team 7 times and won 4 Golden Gloves... in 2002 he won the Golden Bat... 2B Jesse Goodwin (2008-2019) stood out for 12 years, hitting 375 homers and batting .283... won the Golden Bat in 2012 and made the All-Star team 5 times... overall Goodwin played 15 years with Ranford and East Point with a .287 BA and 430 homers...3B Rex Sokolov (2002-2006) starred in the Panthers best years, batting .278 with 136 roundtrippers (7th) and 437 RBIs (8th)... he and Zodoka formed a great 1-2 punch... Sokolov was a 2-time All-Star... 1B Bill McCann (2020-2025) was signed late in his career after 12 seasons with Southport of the TU South... with the Panthers he really blossomed and slugged 136 home runs with a .280 BA and won a Golden Glove... McCann retired at 42 after this season... SS Gil Rayfor (2014-2025) has hit .290 for his 12 years... 33-year-old Rayfor has twice been an All-Star... and is the career club leader in hits with 1930, doubles with 334 and walks with 1003.

Top Pitchers: pitchers have a tough time at hitter-friendly Armed Forces Stadium... 32-year-old Bingo Long (2013-2025) has suffered through 13 years in East Point... Long is the top winner with a poor 153-233 mark and a decent 3.95 ERA... Long is still in the current starting rotation... one of the few good pitchers the team ever had was Jarred Robillard (2003-2006), who was with the club for 4 seasons 2003-2006 and compiled a 54-49 record with a 3.85 ERA.

Islandian Times
Saturday, October 25, 2025

Hillsboro Blazers History
The Hillsboro Blazers have never made the playoffs and are a sub .500 team overall... they have won 1769 games and lost 1927... the closest the Blazers have ever come to a TU East pennant was a third-place finish in 2020, when they came in third and just 2 games behind... the powerful Ozarka Naturals were in their prime and edged out second-place Midway by a game... that year the Nats made it all the way to the Pro Cup Finals, but fell in 5 games to Crystal Lake of the Ruthlandian South... the Blazers usually are a second-division fixture in the Tycobbian East except for the last 9 years... it took Hillsboro until 2017 to finally make the first division.

Not a lot of great ballplayers in Hillsboro's history... 14-year veteran, current ace and 2-time All-Star Tom Edgar 2012-2025 has been a very fine starter in his 14 seasons, chalking up a 219-201 record with mediocre to bad teams... Edgar's standout 3.05 ERA speaks volumes for his talent... Edgar might have been a 300-game winner with contenders... two other hurlers Pat Buettner (2013-2025) and Yank Yoland (2013-2025) have been solid, too... Buettner is 181-163 with a 3.79 ERA and Yoland is 172-148 with a 3.79 ERA... they each have 13 years' experience... Edgar is 38, Buettner is 35 and Yoland is 33... all are in the current rotation.

25-year-old 1B Larry Guichard (2020-2025) had been a standout in his 6 years on the team... Guichard is an All-Star performer (2023) and has a career .311 BA, the highest in Hillsboro history... He is a longball threat with 96 homers so far... Guichard is the only .300 career hitter the Blazers have ever had... 1B Andy Jefferson (2013-2024) had a very good career, batting .292 with 320 homers and 845 RBIs from 2013 to 2024... Jefferson is the team's home run leader and is number two in RBIs... 13-year vet Matt Lalonde (2013-2025) is the current second baseman... Lifetime he has the second-best BA at .294 and is also number two in homers with 182... Lalonde tops the team in doubles with 360... Lalonde was an All-Star in 2019... SS Tommy Cooper (2007-2021) was a reliable infielder for the Blazers for 15 years, leading the team all-time in games played and RBIs, but hit only .257... Cooper was in 2057 games (1st) with 238 home runs (2nd), 850 RBIs (1st) and scored 889 runs (1st).

The Islandian Times
Sunday, October 25, 2025

High Mesa Cowboys History
The High Mesa Cowboys started off great in the IPA and won the Pro Cup in its first year of the franchise's existence in 2002. The Cowboys swept the Elnora All-Stars in three games. High Mesa also qualified for the postseason in 2003, but were quickly eliminated in the first round by Tuckanarra, two games to none. Since then the team has only come close one time to qualifying for the Pro Cup playoffs. That was in 2023 when the Tuckanarra Blue Jays edged them out by just a single game. The powerful Blue Jays went on to claim the Pro Cup by whipping Valmara in 6 games. Most of the time the Cowpokes wind up in the first division, but rarely close to the pennant winner. In 24 seasons High Mesa has put up a winning .514 mark in the TU East with a 1898-1798 record.

High Mesa has always featured a high-octane offense and lots of longballs because of its band box stadium, Queen Ranch Stadium, which is only 312 and 306 down the lines and 353 in the power alleys... it's enough to say that High Mesa is a hitter's paradise and a pitcher's nightmare... it's also the home of the greatest hitter in IPA history - the remarkable and legendary 1B Jack Elliott (2013-2025)... Elliott is a 12-time All-Star, 11-time Golden Bat winner, 5-time TU MVP, won 7 batting crowns, 5-time Gold Glover, Rookie of the Year and led the league in homers on 8 occasions... Elliott hit 65 homers in 2021 to set the IPA mark... he also holds the highest IPA lifetime BA at .353 and goes into the 2026 season with 676 roundtrippers... retired great 1B Phil Gravelli is the current leader with 726... Elliott is only 32 and still quite a hitter... it's very likely he will set the all-time HR standard... only recently has Elliott had a good supporting cast... he was the whole show for a decade... it's unlikely that the IPA will ever see the likes of Jack Elliott again.

In the early year of the franchise, the Cowpokes had some solid ballplayers... Adam Zitek, Ed Granberg, Rolf Kellgren, Jay Fessler and John Owens led the team to the Pro Cup crown in 2002... LF Adam Zitek (2002-2006) was twice an All-Star for High Mesa, won the Golden Bat and Tycobbian MVP in 2005 when he slammed 51 homers and drove in 171 runs, while batting .305... Zitek is 6th with 181 home runs and 568 RBIs for the Cowboys... his best seasons were with the Cowboys... Lifetime he played for 13 years, 5 with High Mesa and 8 with South Fork, batting .272 with 262 roundtrippers and 825 runs batted in... 2B Ed Granberg (2002-2006) is the number two Cowboy career batter with a .322 BA, 98 HRs, 483 RBIs (8th)and 498 runs (8th)... Granberg was a 1-time All-Star and Gold Glover... 4-time All-Star SS Rolf Kellgren (2002-2006) is number three with a .312 BA... Kellgren was the 2002 Pro Cup MVP... he hit .466 with 8 doubles, 1 triple and 4 homers as he led the Cowboys to the IPA title, beating the Elnora All-Stars in a three-game sweep... Kellgren also scored 14 runs and batted in 13 in the postseason... Kellgren had a fine 17-year career from 2002 to 2018, playing for five teams in all... Kellgren totaled 2649 hits, 466 doubles, 136 triples, 155 homers, 998 RBIs, 1625 runs and stole 491 bases... his lifetime average was .285... C-1B Jay Fessler (2002-2006) was fourth with a .311 BA... Fessler made the All-Star squad twice... 2-time All-Star IF Wild Deer Etchimin (2008-2021) was second to Elliott with 341 homers, 1077 runs and 1043 RBIs... overall Etchimin batted .276 in his career with 413 home runs, 1308 RBIs and 1330 runs... Etchimin played 17 years in his career, his first 5 seasons were with the Chicopee Braves... 2-time All-Star OF Darrel Alston 2012-2021) split 20 seasons with Eastshore (2002-2011) at first and the later years with the Cowboys... Alston totaled 568 HRs, 1644 RBIs and scored 1563 times in his career and batted .284 for average... he is number three on the High Mesa homer list with 284, fourth in RBIs with 778 and fifth in scoring with 680 runs.

Leading the High Mesa hurlers were 1-time All-Star Kent Wells (2006-2017), who was 193-173 with a 4.05 ERA... 1-time All-Star John Rainer (2005-2024) with a 185-167 mark and a 4.16 ERA... 1-time All-Star Ronald Ward (2016-2025) with a 161-122 record and a 3.91 ERA... and 1-time All-Star Johnny Falcon (2006-2016) with a 159-147 record and a 4.08 ERA.

Are the team histories sufficient?

Comments for improvement would be appreciated.

One thing they will help me with is the Hall of Fame.

They will be a good review of the great IPA players.

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 26, 2025

Red Bluff Red Sox History
After excellent success in the early days of the Red Bluff Red Sox franchise, the team has now fallen on hard times. The Red Sox won the TU East three times in the first four seasons. They also won the team's only Pro Cup during that era. Red Bluff rolled over Sugar Valley in the 2004 Pro Cup with four wins in five games, lead by a superb mound corps of Mila Mohoski, Leonard Urban and Frank Beaudoin and position players Tony Blundell, Vern Gable and Kris Grabowski. In 2003 the Red Sox advanced to third round of the playoffs before losing to the Oxford Red Caps in three games. Red Bluff made it as far as the Elite 8 in 2005 when they were eliminated by Denton City in three games. Several seasons later in 2009 Red Bluff won its fourth TU East flag. In the Pro Cup playoffs Denton City disposed of the Red Sox again. This time it was in six games in the Elite 8. The Redbirds were edged out in the Final 4 by the Turon Typhoons in a great series four games to three. Turon took the Pro Cup that year. 17 years have now past since the Red Sox have graced the postseason, but the overall 1923-1773 record is still good with a .520 winning percentage.

Red Bluff's best all-time player is SS Jose Aguilar (2005-2025), a 7-time All-Star and 3-time Gold Glover, who put in 21 years with the team before being traded to Kilkenny at the end of this season at age 40... Aguilar, a career .295 hitter, tops the Red Sox in just about all offensive categories with 2922 games, 3223 hits, 459 doubles, 117 triples, 1401 RBIs, 485 stolen bases and 1762 walks... Aguilar is fourth in batting average and second in homers with 317... 1B Tommy Klegg (2006-2018) is the all-time Red Sox slugger with 460 homers and number two with 1353 RBIs... Klegg made the All-Star team on three occasions and hit 475 home runs in his fine career with a .276 BA... 2B-3B James Mack (2019-2025) is the current career leader with a .311 BA and still very productive at age 40... Mack is third with 239 homers and fifth with 766 RBIs... Mack has been picked on the All-Star team three times and has nabbed two Gold Gloves... at age 37 Jim Schubert (2010-2025) has been a standout catcher for 16 years, batting .282 (7th) with 2330 hits (2nd), 336 doubles (2nd), 168 home runs (7th), 1054 runs (2nd) and 837 RBIs (4th), while making the All-Star team 4 times and honored with 7 Golden Gloves... OF-1B and 3-time All-Star Kris Grabowski (2003-2016) played a big part in the Pro Cup year... Grabowski hit .301 lifetime (2nd) in 1701 games (3rd) with 1934 hits (3rd), 216 roundtrippers (4th), 920 RBIs (3rd) and 781 runs (5th)... OF Tony Blundell (2002-2006) only played five years with the Red Sox, but they were good ones... Blundell batted .296 (3rd) with 117 homers (10th)... his main claim to fame is a .377 BA with 5 homers and 22 RBIs in the 2004 Pro Cup... Blundell was traded in 2007 and retired in 2014 at 37... he played for 3 other teams, but never performed like he did in his prime with the Red Sox.

The King of the Hill in Red Bluff history is Mila Mohoski (2002-2006), who was with the Red Sox only four seasons, but he made a huge impact with an 87-52 record and a 3.15 ERA, leading them to three pennants and a Pro Cup Crown... 2004 Pro Cup MVP Mohoski was the ringleader in the championship season with a 4-1 record in the playoffs... in 2006 Mohoski was traded to Denton City for Tommy Klegg... Mohoski had fine success for the Redbirds, helping them win 5 pennants, finishing with a 353-257 record for his 20 seasons and retiring at age 41... Mohoski won the TU Golden Arm in 2010 with a 26-11 mark... other solid pitchers were John Dougherty (2002-2017), the closer in Pro Cup year, who later became a steady starter... Dougherty is the all-time club victories leader with a 235-205 mark, third in saves with 91 and a 3-time All-Star... he is number two behind Mohoski with a 3.21 ERA... and Frank Beaudoin (2002-2019) is second in wins with a 228-207 record... he started more games and pitched more innings than any other pitcher in Red Bluff history, while compiling a 3.69 ERA (5th).

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, October 27, 2025

Midway Wolves History
The Midway Wolves suffered most of the first decade in the IPA with a losing record 7 of the first 9 seasons. However, they have turned it around since 2011 and had winning seasons for the last 15 years. The Wolves never made the playoffs until 2014. They didn't last long that postseason and were knocked out by the Kenwood Wildcats of the TU West 4 games to 1 in the Elite 8 Series. Kenwood went on to take the Pro Cup that year by beating Belair Beach in the finals 4 games to 3. Midway finally made it to the Pro Cup themselves in 2022, but were defeated by Crystal Lake 4 games to 2. The Wolves had a heart-breaking season in 2024 when they wound up second in the TU East to the talented Pro Cup titlist Tuckanarra Blue Jays. Midway posted a terrific 95-59 record, but came up one game short. In its history Midway has chalked up a fine .528 winning percentage, tied for the 8th best in the IPA. Record-wise the Wolves have compiled a 1951-1746 mark in their history.

Midway's all-time great is pitcher Motega Wolf (2012-2025)with a 248-166 record and a marvelous 2.93 ERA in his 14 seasons... Wolf has appeared in 2 All-Star games... the 34-year-old right-hander leads the Wolves in wins and is second in career ERA... young 25-year-old Bobby Dorignac (2021-2025) is tops with a lifetime 2.38 ERA... Dorignac is 98-51 overall and has been sensational in his 5 years with the club... Last year Dorignac won the prestigious TU MVP Award and the Golden Arm Award... in 2022 Dorignac was the runner-up for the Pro Cup MVP trophy... in the loss to Crystal Lake, he was sensational with a 5-0 mark and a super low 0.64 ERA in the postseason... long-time Midway closer Dom Vilaggio (2010-2025) has rung up 440 saves with a 2.99 ERA... he is number two on the all-time IPA saves list... only Turon's Merle Studebaker is ahead of him with 445... 35-year-old Vilaggio is number one in saves and third-best in ERA in the team's history... Vilaggio is 64-95 in his 16 seasons with the club... Sherm Jarvis (2012-2020) (167-108) is the second-biggest winner with 167 victories in his 9 years with the team... Jarvis compiled a 3.86 ERA (9th) with the Wolves... Jarvis played 4 seasons with Eastshore of the RU East at the beginning of his career... overall he was 193-125 with a 3.92 ERA.

OF Johnny Lee, C Sammy Murphy and SS Rob Gigler have been standouts for Midway for quite a few years and are the offensive leaders of the team... 34-year-old Lee (2010-2025) is a 5-time All-Star and tops the team in most categories... Lifetime Lee is hitting .281 (6th) with 2209 games (1st), 2013 hits (2nd), 1364 runs (1st), 382 doubles (1st), 85 triples (1st), 374 homers (1st), 1218 RBIs (1st), 189 SB (2nd) and 1320 walks (1st)... Murphy (2011-2025) is 35 years old and tops in hits with 2040 and ranks high in other categories with 998 runs (3rd), 301 doubles (3rd), 186 homers (7th), 929 RBIs (3rd) and 819 walks (2nd)... Murphy has won one Golden Glove and sports a .277 career BA... the 30-year-old Gigler (2015-2025) is the club and career leader with a .299 batting average and 2 All-Star Game appearances... 26-year-old RF Chitto Chandler (2019-2025) has posted 7 solid seasons with a .292 BA (4th) and 154 homers (9th), made the All-Stars twice and won two Golden Gloves... Chandler is the son of Midway manager Cochise Chandler... one other player deserves mention... LF Lou Sturge (2007-2022) batted only .247 in his 16-year career, but played in 1939 games (3rd) with 362 homers (2nd), 1201 runs (2nd), 1517 hits (4th), 935 RBIs (2nd) and stole 436 bases (1st).

I like the team by team review, it's a nice history lesson. I think that what you're doing is just fine, although I'd like to see what others have to do. Now I just need to pick a team to support and we should be good to catch up and be able to follow this on a day by day basis.

You comments are muchly appreciated.

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, October 28, 2025

Tuckanarra Blue Jays Histor
The Tuckanarra Blue Jays have chalked up the fourth-best record in IPA history with a .545 winning percentage with a fine 2016-1681 mark. The Blue Jays have garnered 2 Pro Cup titles, taking it recently in back-to-back years, 2023 and 2024. They have appeared 8 times in the playoffs and won 4 TU East pennants. From 2001 to 2006 the division winners and wildcards participated in the Pro Cup playoffs. Since then, only division winners have qualified for the postseason. Two years ago in the Pro Cup Finals Tuckanarra tamed Valmara of the RU North in 6 games. Last year they swept Sugar Valley of the RU West in 4 games. The Blue Jays also reached the Finals in 2013 when they led the IPA with a 100-54 record, but were swept by Far Mountain of the RU North in four games. In five other postseasons Tuckanarra went out early, losing to Pro Cup champ High Mesa (TU East) in the first round in 2002, to Red Bluff (TU East) in the Sweet 16 in 2003, to Bayview (TU West) in the Sweet 16 in 2004, to Arlon (TU West) in the Sweet 16 in 2006 and to Bayview (TU West) in the Elite 8 in 2007.

Tuckanarra twirlers usually were the reason for the Blue Jays success... IPA icon Titus Bristow (2002-2020) spent 19 years with the Tucks and is the club's all-time ace with a 342-258 record and third with a 2.75 ERA... 6-time All-Star Bristow is tied with Denny Coulon of Summerland for third place in all-time IPA victories... Bristow won the 2006 Golden Arm for a brilliant 27-7 record with a great 1.73 ERA... reliable Roy Spence (2003-2018) is number two in wins with a 210-139 mark... Spence played for 15 seasons, putting up a lifetime 3.44 ERA... Delaney Elliott (2006-2016) was a solid starter for 11 seasons, registering a 163-139 record with a 3.42 ERA... closer Stephen Eubarinja (2012-2023) headed up the bullpen for 12 years and saved 157 games with a 43-41 record and a fine 2.77 ERA in 454 games... his successor Archie Desmond (2017 to 2025) has been extraordinary with a 50-30 record, 232 saves (1st) and a sensational 1.71 ERA (1st) in his 9 seasons... Desmond made the 2024 All-Star team and led the IPA in saves with 33... He had 10 saves in the Pro Cup title years... Yuka Nawajuk (2010 to 2019 was a strong starter for the Blue Jays from and went on to more success after being traded to Ozarka in 2019 with two 20-game seasons... He retired in 2024 after a season in Colfax at age 40... Nawajuk was ranked fifth in club wins with a 119-80 mark for Tuckanarra and 203-132 in his 13 years in the league... in the future look for rising young stars Quinn Starr (83-58 2.53), Glynn Starr (77-53 2.93), both 27, and 22-year-old Croc Wedgedale (37-20 2.91) to challenge for club records... they were the leaders in bringing in 2 Pro Cup trophies in recent years.

RF Danny Redd (2013-2025) has been the Tucks offensive leader for 13 years and he had a good shot at the IPA Hall of Fame... Redd is a 6-time All-Star, 4-time Gold Glover and topped the TU with a .371 batting average in 2020... Redd's career BA is .331, ranked sixth-best in IPA history... He leads the Blue Jays in just about all categories: .331 BA (1st), 1816 games (3rd), 2299 hits (1st), 410 doubles (1st), 112 triples (1st), 188 HR (1st), 984 RBI (2nd), 1303 runs (1st) and 457 SB (1st)... in 47 playoff games Redd is hitting .358 with 28 RBIs, 34 runs scored and 11 stolen bases... 1B Erik Vayda (2007-2019) is Tuckanarra's all-time RBI man with 1143... Vayda won 2 Golden Gloves, played in 1887 games (2nd), batted .284 (4th) with 2066 hits (3rd), 165 HR (3rd) and scored 945 runs (4th)... 2-time Golden Glove IF Rocky Fuqua (2007-2020) was a fixture in the Blue Jays line-up for 14 seasons, played in 1997 games (1st), batted .283 (6th) with 2067 hits (1st), 1060 runs (2nd), 297 doubles (3rd), 53 triples (2nd), 118 HR (7th) and 728 RBI (3rd)... 1B Lynn Starr, one of the Starr triplets on the team, has been terrific in his first 4 seasons with a career .321 BA (2nd), 124 homers (6th), 387 RBIs and 412 runs... Starr was an All-Star in 2023... in the two Pro Cup victories Starr batted .345 in 31 games with 6 homers, 24 runs, 20 walks and 16 RBIs.