[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, May 1, 2066

TURON TOPS TU SOUTH, TIED WITH SUNS
Preseason favorite Turon (17-9) has started fast out-of-the-gate in the Tycobbian South Division, you all!... but it does have a couple of clubs contending with them at the end of April... the Arroyo Grande Suns (17-9) are right up there tied with the Typhoons with the Summerland Sunsets (15-11) just two games back in the race... last year's division champion Southport (12-14) and Ginza (12-14) are in fifth place, five games off the pace... the baseball writers and broadcasters voted overwhelmingly for Turon in the preseason balloting... the Typhoons are forecast to win the division flag by a wide margin like they did in '52, '53 and '54... nobody is going to upset them like the Southport Sun Sox did last year in '55, nipping them in a single-game playoff... no other club was even close in the last year's race.

Turon (17-9) is already atop the TU South where they have lived for the past six years... the Typhoons are one of the more successful franchises in IPA history with 18 postseason appearances and a record four Pro Cups (tied with Valmara and North Hills)... however, Turon's last Pro Cup crown came in 2018... the Typhoons are a talented team with standout pitching... 2.76 ERA (3rd)... anchored by last year's Tycobbian Golden Arm winner Yancey Hedges (3-4/2.70), Ollie Dickinson (3-0/2.23), Dickie Parmenter (4-2/3.40), Bobby Reimer (1-0/3.07) and Ivar Jevicks (4-1/3.21)... the bullpen is a good one, too, led by 39-year-old Nate Scottsdale (0-0/0.00/6 saves/7 G)... Turon can hit, too, with a .276 BA (6th) and 123 runs (13th-tied), but they come up short on longball power... only 17 homers (25th-tied)... leading the hit parade are SS Bill Wolverton (.385/4 HR/17 RBI/18 R/3 SB), RF Matthew Fears (.338/2 HR/11 RBI/13 R), 1B Shoyo Yuro (.330/1 HR/15 RBI/11 R/2 SB), C Doyle Ashcroft (.287/3 HR/14 RBI/12 R), CF Tank Shepperton (.287/2 HR/7 RBI/12 R/7 SB) and 2B Bo Kaline (.312/9 RBI/0 HR/11 R/4 SB)... Turon has been in the thick of things for the last few years... this would be a good year to make a run for the Pro Cup trophy that has eluded them for so long... they won four in the first 18 years of the IPA... none since... many people think the time is ripe for number five.

It's been over three decades since the Arroyo Grande Suns (17-9) won the TU South... but recently, the Suns have been on the rise... this season they have a strong 2.91 team ERA (5th) and dynamite firepower... despite batting only .228, they have hit 41 out of the park this season, tops in the entire Islandian Pro Alliance... they can put runs on the scoreboard... the Suns have scored 126 runs and rank 10th in the Tycobbian Union... they were fourth in the Tycobbian South standings in '54 (27 GB) and third in '55 (9 GB)... currently they are tied for first place with powerful Turon... heading up the starting rotation is Beau McCloud (7-1/2.48), along with Nap Vickerson (3-2/2.79) and Roy Tuthill (3-3/3.22)... the bullpen is even better with a 1.45 ERA, best in the league... Stan Chaffin (0-0/2.45/4 saves/4 G) and Elliott Sexton (1-1/2.45/no saves/7 G) have done a good job so far... third-year CF Rueben Jones (.311/13 HR/29 RBI/30 R/2 SB) has been amazing this year... he had a good rookie season with 27 homers, but fell off to just 13 last year... his batting average also tumbled to just .179 last year... this year Jones hit 13 in April and is one of the leaders in homers (1st), RBIs (3rd) and runs (1st)... 18-year-old SS Dan Fargo (.290/7 HR/16 RBI/18 R/2 SB) has also sparkled... Arroyo Grande's dilemna is a lack of hitting by the rest of the regulars... they will have to do an about face soon to keep up with potent Turon... the Suns were ranked fourth in the preseason poll, but they are playing like the second-best club in the division.

This season third place Summerland (15-11) has sensational pitching, but also has horrendous hitting... two years ago in '54 they had the same scenario and came in a very distant second to Turon... in this year's preseason poll they were picked to wind up sixth in the Tycobbian South after plunging to eighth place in '55 when the pitching took an unexpected decline... the team ERA skyrocketed from 2.63 to 3.71... if the pitching continues to hold up this year, the Sunsets could be in the running for third or fourth place... they might be able to compete with second-ranked Southport... the Sun Sox also have fine pitching, but little offense... it's unlikely Summerland can challenge powerful Turon with their fine staff and solid offense and well-balanced Arroyo Grande... this season Summerland has a ridiculously low 2.49 ERA (1st), the best in the IPA... but in contrast they are dead last in scoring with only 79 runs (32nd)... Tommy Underhill (4-1/1.53), Jacob Vandenboom (4-1/2.01), 39-year-old long-time ace Jayson Hallstrom (3-3/2.88) and Rudy Hilgendorf (1-3/3.00) are an impressive starting four... with Corey Vinson (1-0/0.84) a pretty good #5... plus the bullpen is in good hands with Rory Poe (2-1/2.79/5 saves/10 G) and Kip Dzerko (0-0/1.86/no saves/5 G)... however, there is no such thing as a good hitter to be found on the roster... the best of the lot is 1B Hans Brouwer (.297/2 HR/7 RBI/17 R/9 SB) and LF Cy Brigman (.207/7 HR/20 RBI/9 R)... neither is much to boast about... but Brigman has some pop... and Brouwer is a speedster... looking at the team's history the last time Summerland made the playoffs was a decade ago... the Sunsets have only appeared in the postseason on four occasions ('05, '33, '40, '46)... and they have never won a Pro Cup.

Last year the Southport Sun Sox (12-14) found enough offense to upend highly-favored Turon for the TU South pennant... however, last year's division champ is off to a slow start this year... they are currently tied for fourth place with Ginzas... Southport hitting is down and so is pitching... the Sun Sox have done well the last 15 years with 8 Tycobbian South pennants and two Pro Cups ('44, '47)... and they have finished above .500 for 14 years in a row... and they did it with a superior mound staff... but they are struggling a bit in the early season so far... the offense is terrible with a .246 BA (24th), only 83 runs (31st) and 15 HRs (28th)... 1B Zee Graham (.358/4 HR/12 RBI/10 R) is the only regular hitting well... but he does get some support from 2B Buzzy McGinnis (.281/0 HR/2 RBI/10 R/1 SB), RF Manuelo Garcia (.275/2 HR/14 RBI/8 R/3 SB) and CF Ross Good (.258/1 HR/11 RBI/8 R/6 SB)... pitching has declined some with a 3.37 ERA (12th)... up a little from a strong 3.07 ERA last year... top starters are Champ Shafer (2-3/2.60), Zack Phillips (3-3/2.52) and Irv Carwell (3-3/3.31)... good rookie prospect Jordy Wales (1-5/4.97) has flopped thus far... they need a solid fourth starter... closer Troy Hill (1-0/0.00/5 saves/7 G) is still holding down the bullpen in very good fashion... the outlook for Southport in 2056 is perhaps third place... they don't seem to have the offense to challenge the league elites, Turon and Arroyo Grande... but they do have enough to hang with the likes of Summerland, San Alejo or possibly Cape Coral.

For the past four seasons the Ginza Ninjas (12-14) have finished near the bottom of the TU South, winding up seventh or eighth in the division standings... they have yet to win a Pro Cup... have appeared in the playoffs only 7 times... the last time the Ninjas captured a pennant was long ago in 2031... the preseason pollsters ranked them last in the division this year... at the end of April Ginza is in a fourth-place tie... the Ninjas have a pretty fair offense with a .268 BA (11th), 135 runs (6th-tied) and 23 homers (16th)... but very little pitching with a poor 4.55 ERA (29th)... they are a second-rate club, likely to end up near the bottom of the division again this year... at the plate Ginza is looking good with star SS Kuzuki Tamura (.320/2 HR/14 RBI/22 R/2 SB), 2B Vic Carnaggio (.411/3 HR/11 RBI/18 R/1 SB), LF Chris Pfeiffer (.418/4 HR/20 RBI/13 R/1 SB), RF Shogo Asamura (.339/2 HR/10 RBI/8 R) and 1B Crash Corrigan (.282/4 HR/18 RBI/9 R)... but they sure could use some help on the hill... Fran Kercheval (3-2/3.68) is a solid starter and Motohiro Shima (3-3/4.15) is reliable, too... they have a couple of good relievers in Sammy Fitzwater (2-1/1.32/no saves/7 G) and Abram Worth (0-0/1.59/3 saves/5 G).

The sixth-place Colchester Elites (11-15) are just a mediocre ballclub in most respects... in April they hit .256 (17th), scored 113 runs (19th) and posted a 4.06 ERA (24th), but on the positive side they slammed 32 out of the park (4th-tied)... top hitters are RF Graig Sutton (.338/7 HR/14 RBI/14 R), 1B Erroll Waldrep (.333/3 HR/15 RBI/13 R) and C Tomas Marantos (.324/4 HR/11 RBI/8 R/4 SB)... the ace of the starting rotation is veteran Denzel Durand (4-2/3.75)... young Johnny Walker (3-2/2.55) has looked very good the first month of the season... best relievers are long-time closer Haden Fraser (1-0/1.42/3 saves/6 G) and Gavin Ainsley (0-1/1.32/no saves/7 G)... Colchester was the ranked seventh in the preseason prognostications... the Elites have never had much success in the IPA... just 4 postseason appearances... 2036 was the last time... Colchester is one of 33 teams in the league that has never taken the overall IPA crown... they have never won a Pro Cup trophy... and it ain't gonna happen anytime soon, either... Colchester will be near the bottom again this season... the Elites were basement dwellers two seasons ago... and fifth last year... Colchester has only had a winning record two times in the last 20 years... that was in '41 and '53.

Perennial contender San Alejo (10-16) has fallen on hard times in recent years, coming in sixth the past two seasons... and the Montaneros are getting old and are not doing very well this year... the hitting is the worst it's been in three decades... and the usually-good pitching has also declined to the point of mediocrity... at the end of April the Monties are in seventh place in the TU South with a pathetic .232 BA (31st), only 91 runs scored (27th) and 19 roundtrippers (21st)... on the hill the team ERA is 4.13 (25th)... but the preseason poll chose them third in the division after Turon and Southport... in actuality, San Alejo will have a tough time staying out of last place this year... the Montaneros have made the postseason playoffs 8 times and chalked up one Pro Cup title (2032)... the last division flags came in '49 and '51.

Two legendary San Alejo pitchers Matt Bell (370-204/2.40 ERA) and Will McKinney (309-171/2.61 ERA), the heart and soul of the team for almost 20 years, are beginning to look like simple mortals on the mound... both are 36 years old... Bell (3-3/3.33) and McKinney (1-4/3.59) are the top two starters in the rotation, but have very little help... not a lot in the bullpen, either... it's gonna be a very long season for both of the IPA greats... Bell is third on the all-time list for the most victories, trailing only Frankie Quinn (391-297/3.04 ERA) and Nicky Engstrom (387-218/2.43 ERA)... Quinn starred for East Point for 7 seasons and 14 for Blue Lake from '27 to '47... Engstrom was with Turon for his entire 20-year career... the best Montanero bat belongs to aging superstar CF Paulo Texeira (.268/7 HR/17 RBI/13 R), who still packs a wallop in his bat, but is a defensive liability at 36... this looks like his last season... a 9-time All-Star he has 543 homers and a lifetime .298 BA... 1B Dontrelle Bradbury (.267/4 HR/15 RBI/8 R) and 34-year-old LF Royce Grantham (.244/3 HR/10 RBI/11 R) also provide a little offense, too... this is probably Grantham's last hurrah, too... he's been a consistent power guy for the Monties for the last decade... a career .266 batter with 276 homers and 903 RBIs.

In the preseason poll the Cape Coral Hurricanes (7-19) were ranked the fifth-best club in the Tycobbian South and were expected to challenge for a high spot in the first division... forecast to be a contender for second place along with Southport, San Alejo and Arroyo Grande... instead, the 'Canes had a terrible month, winning only 7 of 26 games... they were fourth last year and considered on the rise this season... but bad pitching with a 4.47 ERA (28th) and poor offense with only 107 runs (23rd) and only 14 HRs (29th) severely hurt them in April... on the hill 22-year-old youngster Jerrod Kipling (2-4/1.43) has been the only good starter... 19-year-old Edgardo Arriaza (3-3/4.00) has shined at times and shows some potential... the rest of the starting rotation is terrible with 6.00 ERAs... ditto in the bullpen, too... Cape Coral still has one of the top sluggers in the IPA... but 3B Jaybird Ethridge (.303/2 HR/18 RBI/13 R) hasn't hit a lot of homers so far, but he is still a big threat at the plate... SS Lynwood Barley (.333/1 HR/11 RBI/15 R/5 SB) doesn't hit with power, but he is an impressive contact hitter and fielder... powerhitter 1B Kalian Coston (.263/5 HR/16 RBI/13 R) has been a productive batter so far... also C Herbie Reece (.349/1 HR/6 RBI/12 R) is off to a good start... Cape Coral doesn't look anything like a first-division team... not too sure they can do better than San Alejo and Colchester... they will struggle to get out of the TU South cellar, but could wind up as high as fifth place because Ginza, Colchester and San Alejo are bad ball teams, too... historically the Hurricanes have not been very successful in the IPA with only 8 postseason appearances... and Cape Coral has never won the IPA Pro Cup... the last time the 'Canes won the TU South was 15 years ago in 2041... in about half of the seasons since, they were an also-ran in the second division.

TYCOBBIAN SOUTH STANDINGS