[Litty]

2030

Asheville began the 2030 draft by selecting Oklahoma pitcher Nora Lowry. Asheville was one of those teams who always said it was going to be their year but were never able to follow through. The Dudley twins, drafted first and second last year, were hoping for an equally productive sophomore year. Breanna had won Rookie of the Year while Olivia had played admirably as a closer.

At the All Star break, Bristol held a four and half game lead at the top of the North Division while Charlotte led the South by 14. The Storm were slumping, holding onto the 6th seed playoff spot by two games. A surprise team, currently sitting at the 5th seed, was Huntington. The Forresters had never really challenged for a playoff spot but had broken out in the new seeding format. The North beat the South 4-2 in the All Star Game, with Jayla Van Iderstine taking the MVP award.
Bristol only extended their lead throughout the rest of the season and finished top of the North at 84-36. Second and third place Cape Cod and New York also made the playoffs as the #3 and #5 seeds respectively. Huntington missed the playoffs by two games but it was good to see a team challenge the hold of the ‘Founding Four’. Charlotte won the South with ease, matching Bristol’s 84-36 record. Richmond and Salisbury also progressed to the postseason as the #4 and #6 picks.

Richmond shutout Cape Cod 4-0 while Salisbury beat New York 4-2 in the single-game play-in matches. In the shortened semifinals, reduced to a five-game series due to the extra round, Bristol swept Richmond. Meanwhile, Charlotte dropped game 3 to Salisbury but still managed to finish the series in 4. In the Abigail Lawlor Trophy series, Bristol found themselves leading 3-1 going into game 5. However, Charlotte rallied and brought the series even, forcing a game 7. However, Charlotte would be punished late in the game. Holding a 2-1 lead in the 7th, the Valiant failed to capitalise on a bases-loaded opportunity, with a fly ball by Lulu Casares ending the inning. In the bottom half, Bristol scored six runs off middle reliever Ray Moloney and by the time the third out was made, the Bristol had essentially won the game. Bristol became the first expansion team to win the league following the all-2021 expansion final.

Christine Carter of Bristol became the new batting average champion as Keesha DeWilliams fell to third. Carter hit .368, as well as 32 home runs. Japanese rookie Taasa Hirano of Hamilton was the home run champion however as she hit 41 bombs in her first year in the league. She also lead in RBIs with 124. Bristol’s Glenda Latimer led the league in ERA at 2.65 across 24 starts. Charlotte’s Connie Boudreau beat her to the wins title however with 16. New York’s Davina Aragon was the strikeout queen with 151.

Charlotte’s Dutch rookie, Ingrid Geijtenbeek, took home Rookie of the Year with a .337 batting average and 35 home runs. Glenda Latimer took home the Madeeha Baqri Award with her 15-3 record, 2.65 and 129 Ks. Keesha DeWilliams won her third MVP award with a .348 batting average, 24 home runs and 7.4 WAR.

The old guard shrunk a little more with the retirement of Mica Agazzi. The Salisbury pitcher played 180 games, finishing her career 63-34 with 4.29 ERA and 829 Ks. Also gone was Chrissy Jones, who played 688 games for Richmond, New York, Charlotte and Asheville. She hit .297 with 64 home runs and 330 RBIs. Jack Head, one of the pitchers who appeared in the league’s first ever game, also hung up their glove, playing in 206 games with a 69-25 record.