[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, May 1, 2037

HAWKS HANKERIN' FOR ANOTHER PRO CUP
In recent years it would suffice to say that the defending IPA champion North Hills Hawks have been a dominant force in the IPA with two Pro Cups in the last three seasons... the Hawks are again resting on top of the Tycobbian North Division after one month's play... they have a two-game bulge over the Mahaska Haymakers, Hartsdale Hellcats and Fairfax Frogs... from top to bottom the TU North is tightly crammed with only 4 games separating last place White River and Luxora from leading North Hills.

Great pitching and solid bats are the driving forces for first place North Hills (15-9), a strong favorite to win the division for a fourth consecutive season... only Fairfax and Blue Lake are given an outside shot at the title... the rest of the teams will just have to wait until next year... the Hawks have compiled a sensational 2.87 ERA, second best in the IPA behind Turon of the TU South, which has put up a superb 2.83 ERA in April... the Hawks are hitting very well with a .282 BA (6th), but they are only 15th in scoring runs and 14th in homers with 28... leading the way on the mound are Frankie Lambert (4-0/1.84), last year's Pro Cup MVP Jeff Owens (4-1/3.26), David Michael (3-2/2.79) and Nelson Hooper (1-0/3.31)... top batters are RF Gerry Rice (.342), 1B Ric Hamilton (.309) and 2B Kiril Ivonski (.323)... best run producers are LF Adam Thurgood (.258) with 6 HRs and 20 RBIs... and C Mikhael Romanovsky (.291) with 7 HRs and 19 RBIs... North Hills looks like it has what it takes to win back-to-back Pro Cups.

Last year the Fairfax Frogs (13-11) finished a very distant second to North Hills, 16 games behind in the pennant race... this year they look to be better with a blistering .290 BA (2nd), topped only by Wynnamac (.296) and Valmara (.295), two Ruthlandian clubs... plus improved pitching with a 3.36 ERA (9th)... the Frogs were picked second in the preseason poll, but still are not ranked in the class of North Hills... leading the Frog attack are vets CF Eric Kusek (.369), CF Max Lebowitz (.380), LF Sonny Oliver (.333), RF Roger Krieger (.354) and C Joe King (.333)... top hurlers are Lucien Vashon (3-2/2.22) and Steven McLeod (3-3/3.11).

Mahaska (13-11), tied with Fairfax and Hartsdale this year for the runner-up spot, was ranked fourth in the preseason poll, a great improvement over last year's eighth place... the Haymakers had a fine April statistically with a .286 BA (4th), ranked 12th in scoring and a vastly better 3.07 ERA (4th)... Rob Randolph (2-2/2.40) and Valente Viero (3-3/3.31) have been the best starters, while bullpen standouts have been Kirk Stanley (2-0/1.50/1 save) and Warren Heath (2-1/1.25)... leading bats are 2B Mikk Kukk (.365), SS Rocco Bertara (.300), RF Anton Hymel (.328) and 1B Johnny Watts (.353).

The Hartsdale Hellcats (13-11) came in sixth the last two years and were forecast for the cellar this year in THE ISLANDIAN TIMES preseason poll... the Hellcats are just an average ball club with a .256 BA (18th), 25 HRs (17th-tied) and a 3.86 team ERA (17th)... however, they don't score many runs (25th-tied) and have a very weak bullpen (4.82-25th)... Hartsdale has gotten by in the early season with two good starters and one elite reliever... vets Wayne Dawson (3-2/2.85) and Freddie Whitaker (2-3/3.13) have been effective... in the bullpen veteran Hank Cooke (4-0/1.35/3 saves) has been so terrific, he has been moved into a starting role... at the plate the most productive have been 1B Hayden Richardson (.373), 2B Glen Duffy (.306) and RF Jeffrey Karkinos (.345)... Karkinos is tops in homers with 6 and RBIs with 15.

The Oxford Red Caps (12-12) are just a mediocre ball club with a .250 BA (24th) and a 4.31 ERA (23rd) that hasn't played in the postseason since their Pro Cup victory in 2007... not much is expected this year... the sportswriters pegged them to come in seventh... they are currently tied with Blue Lake in fifth place in the standings.... pitcher Cody Quackenbush (3-1/2.92) has had a good first month, but he is the only one... Oxford's top performers on offense have been C Jayson French (.387), 3B Boyd Olsen (.333) and vet 1B Kerry Sterling (.306)... long-time star RF Dennis Hartwig (.280) leads the club with 6 homers and has batted in 11 runs.

For the first time since they won the 2030 Pro Cup, the Blue Lake Blue Sox (12-12) had a good year last year with a second-place finish to North Hills, but 10 games off the pace... the Blue Sox were hoping to really be a serious contender this year... the preseason poll listed them as the third best team in the TU North behind North Hills and Fairfax... pitching is up this year with a 3.30 ERA (8th) and batting is better with a .280 mark (7th)... but scoring is only average (16th) and power is short with 17 HRs (28th-tied)... starters Frankie Quinn (4-1/2.98), Pat Brown (2-1/1.95), Lee Price (2-2/3.48) and Sal Mays (2-3/3.58) have done their jobs... 26-year-old Brown came over in a trade with Marston of the Ruthlandian Union... he was a 25-game winner in 2034, but hasn't done well since... the Blue Sox are hoping he can regain the magic... the top sticks are LF Jack Ryan (.395), CF Raddy Pajak (.315), SS Joe Korman (.290), 3B Matt Thompson (.333) and 1B Elton Graff (.323)... Korman and Thompson are the only ones left from the Pro Cup year... they were only 20 and 21 that year... Blue Lake has a good, solid club and should rival Fairfax for second place.

White River (11-13) is tied for seventh place this season with Luxora and forecast to be fifth in the preseason poll... since coming in a close second to North Hills in 2034, the Rascals have trended downward, winding up fifth those two seasons... they have good pitching with a 3.48 ERA (11th), but can't hit a lick (.224 BA/31st) except for CF Buford Cross (.325), 2B Quincy Shanahan (.303) and RF Zachary Kriger (.293)... veteran C Stevie Dee Daniels is the only power guy with 7 homers and 16 RBIs, but he is hitting only .232... heading up a fine starting rotation are vets Kenny Nikas (2-3/2.54) and Paul Sardini (2-2/3.71), both 34 years old... Sardini is 207-174 with a terrific lifetime 2.88 ERA, while Nikas is 137-106 with a superlative 2.60 career ERA... rounding out the rotation are youngsters Mickey Cronyn (1-2/3.86) and J. C. Hudson (2-2/3.33)... Cronyn is the son of Rascal manager Mick Cronyn, who toiled long and hard for 15 seasons in White River from 2003 to 2017... he posted a 196-201 record with a 3.73 ERA... the Rascals were a pathetic team during most of those years... they never made the playoffs.

The Luxora Zorros (11-13) are a lackluster club with just a few talented players... they were sixth in the preseason poll... the Z's are batting .254 (19th) and have posted a fairly good 3.68 ERA (15th)... they have two standout pitchers in Kent Halloran and Benny DeVito, both 31 years old... Halloran (2-3/2.45) won the TU Golden Arm two years ago and has notched an impressive 110-72 mark with a dynamite 2.29 career ERA, second best in IPA history to J. J. Gillespie of the Cold Creek Catamounts... Gillespie is still active with a 2.23 lifetime ERA... DeVito (4-2/2.01) is in his 12th season with Luxora and has registered a 169-154 record with a 3.24 career ERA... DeVito won the TU Golden Arm Award in 2031 with a 22-14 record, the last time the Zorros made the playoffs... Luxora has a few good bats in 3B Todd Dubbins (.326), SS Kelvin Cassidy (.279) and 1B Gerry Hathaway (.323).

BATTLE ROYAL IN TU SOUTH
The Tycobbian South is poised for a pennant race that could involve five or six of the teams in the division... after the first month of action, all of the teams just might be contenders... Favored San Alejo has a game lead over Summerland and is two better than Ginza, Colchester and Arroyo Grande... Southport is only three games behind in sixth place... and Turon and Cape Coral are both in last place, but just 4 games out of first.

San Alejo (14-10) reached the pinnacle of success in 2032 with its first Pro Cup... they have also won two pennants since, in 2034 and 2035... however in 2033 and 2035 they suffered off-years with second-division finishes... the Montaneros were fifth last season, but they are forecast to get back in contention this year... the Monties have been made the favorite in the TU South according to THE ISLANDIAN TIMES preseason poll... so far, so good... San Alejo is leading the division, but it has suspect pitching with a 4.22 ERA (22nd)... perhaps three quality starters can pull it off... Tommy Smith (4-1/2.70), Johnny Brown (4-1/3.66) and Lupe Olmedo (2-3/3.38) are all capable starters, but they will need help from the bullpen, which has been ineffective thus far... the bats have been blazing this season in the early going... San Alejo is hitting .276 (9th), but is rated number two in scoring and tied for fourth with 35 homers... the lineup is chocked full of good hitters like C Filipe Zamora (.355), RF Charlie Wilberforce (.360), CF Dusty Rogan (.326) and 3B Bubby Blackwell (.328)... SS Sancho Cruz (.264) is the club leader with 8 homers and the league leader with 26 RBIs... Zamora is number two in RBIs with 25... teams can win pennants with plenty of firepower and a few good pitchers... history has shown it... Chicopee has done quite well with this formula in recent years.

The second place Summerland Sunsets (13-11) are the exact opposite of San Alejo... they do it with pitching... picked for third in the preseason poll, the Sunsets have chalked up a strong 3.07 ERA (5th), but they are batting only .250 (25th), are ranked just 22nd in scoring runs and absolutely last in home runs with 15... Johnny Young (2-2/1.68) and Freddi Rossi (2-3/3.12) are quality starters... and rookie reliever Jayson Hallstrom (1-1/0.64/2 saves) had done extremely well in 8 appearances... most of the offensive production has been provided by LF Eamon O'Toole (.284), CF Antonio Vasquez (.305), C John Bedell (.306) and 1B Chuck Moyer (.284).

Three clubs are deadlocked in third place: the Ginza Ninjas (12-12), Colchester Elites and Arroyo Grande Suns... the Ninjas are touted to be the second best squad next to San Alejo... since winning the division crown in 2031, Ginza has been a pathetic team... they were seventh in 2034, eighth in 2035 and sixth last season... long-time skipper Huroko Uchiyama retired and his 29-year-old son, Sadaharu, has taken his place as a playing manager... excellent hitting can do wonders for a team... the Ninjas are hitting .289 (3rd), tied for fourth in scoring and are tied with East Point and Red Bluff for first in the TU with 37 roundtrippers each... Sugar Valley of the Ruthlandian East has the most in the IPA with 39... top hitters are LF Uchiyama (.337), C Whip Harrell (.384) and 1B Steve Daniels (.342)... several others have added to the numbers... SS David Sulligent (.290), CF Sogo Takagi (.284), RF Scott Sparks (.279) and RF Ichiro Kazumi (.391)... Sparks is the club leader with 20 RBIs... he is tied for second in the Tycobbian Union with 9 dingers... veteran ace Hollis Pace (4-2/3.860), now in his 11th season, is the team's best pitcher... talent is sparse after him... the division title will probably go either to Ginza or St. Alejo, whichever one can come up with a few good pitchers.

The Colchester Elites (12-12) won the TU South last season for the first time in almost 30 years... but it didn't impress the pollsters, who placed them fifth in the preseason predictions... they did it last year with firepower, lots of longballs... the sluggers are off to a slow start in 2037, ranking 21st in the league with 22... yet the Elites are still near the top... batting (.257/16th) and pitching (3.88/18th) are just average... but vet Roy Watson (4-0/2.10) and young Eduardo Rivera (3-2/2.31) have been outstanding... the most productive hitters thus far have been Chet Porter (.328), 3B Jasper Matthews (.306), SS Joey Rogers (.283) and 1B Alejandro Vasquez (.296)... 21-year-old star RF Blake Barrister, who hit .311 with 49 homers and 129 RBIs last season, has yet to get it going... Barrister is batting a lowly .192 in the first month of the year.

The last time the Arroyo Grande Suns (12-12) enjoyed any success was 2024 when they captured their last TU South flag... the Suns came in seventh the last two years and according to the preseason picks would be seventh again... so far the offense is carrying the day with a .267 BA (12th) and 31 HRs (12th-tied), putting them third in the league in scoring... the pitching is just tolerable with a 3.93 ERA (20th)... the Suns' top bats are 2B Johnny Hensley (.313), LF Rene Jesclard (.308) and RF Gregorio Oliviera (.345)... the top hurlers are Mateus Castro (4-1/3.99), Matt Stevens (2-2/3.96) and Freddy Farentino (2-3/3.20).

Sixth in the standings are the Southport Sun Sox (11-13)... they have been shut out of the playoffs for almost 10 years... after winding up sixth and eighth the last two years, they were chosen to end up in the cellar this season in the preseason poll... the Sun Sox don't hit very well with a .257 BA (17th), they don't go deep much with 22 HRs (21st-tied) and the pitching is atrocious with a 4.77 ERA (29th), but they do surprislingly score runs and are tied for sixth in the rankings ... average-wise the top batters are RF Pat Kinney (.313), CF Barney Lewis (.282) and C Jason Lee (.277)... and Gordon Forbes (4-1/3.40) and Ruben Ekker (2-3/3.77) are the most productive pitchers.

The Turon Typhoons (10-14) and the Cape Coral Hurricanes are in last place in the TU South... Turon has a fabled history in IPA lore, but not for the last two decades... the Typhoons hold the IPA record with four Pro Cup trophies, the last one coming in 2018... but the team has been on the rise the last four seasons... last year they came in third, 12 games behind winning Colchester... the outlook this year was fourth place as per the baseball experts... in the first month of the season Turon tops the IPA with a very impressive 2.83 ERA... even more impressive is that the bullpen did not give up an earned run... lousy hitting is the Typhoons' problem... they batted only .253 (20th), ranked 30th in scoring and hit only 20 homers (26th-tied)... mound leaders were Nate Scottsdale (4-2/2.08) and Wes Brynnton (3-3/2.45)... batting leaders were 2B Little Mac McCurnan (.367), SS C. C. Kingsford (.313) and RF Guido Gervasio (.312).

Cape Coral (10-14) hasn't seen the postseason since 2030... and they are not likely to see it this year either... they were sixth in THE ISLANDIAN TIMES preseason polling... the 'Canes hit the ball very well with a .285 BA (5th), score runs pretty well, tied for 12th in the league, but don't have much power with only 22 homers (21st-tied)... leading the offense are CF Maxi Tselika (.317), 3B Rikky Van Dalen (.309), 1B Stan Ferguson (.294), SS Joel Collins (.293), LF Paul Law (.288) and RF William Snyder (.280)... on the hill they are horrific with a 4.88 ERA (31st)... Tommy Van Noord (3-2/4.20) is the only decent pitcher on the team.