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Eugene Church · 04-03-2023, 07:21 PM

YESTERDAY IN THE IPA
(Recap of 2022 IPA Playoffs)

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 21, 2022

IPA Elite 8 Series Picks
The Crystal Lake Crushers are back again in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs after a year's absence. The 3rd-seeded Crushers won it all in 2020 under manager Herman "Baby " George and have a better team this year according to the experts. They drew a tough ball club in the RU Elite 8. The 5th-seeded Ancona Red Elephants (84-70) hit very well and have pretty fair pitching, while Crystal Lake (97-57) tied Arroyo Grande of the Tycobbian Union for the best record in the IPA this year. The Crushers have great pitching with three 20-game winners in veterans Duncan Welch (23-12 2.18), Ralph McCullough (20-9 2.56) and rookie phenom Dennis Taylor (21-9 2.41). In a super trade, the Crushers acquired star RF Augie Marshall from Taranto in August and now have him in the lineup to support all-time legendary 1B Phil Gravelli (.312 BA/21 HR/87 RBI) and 2B Greg Murphy (.312 BA/14 HR/61 RBI). Marshall (.293 BA/24 HR/97 RBI) is a much-needed addition and could be a crucial factor in the playoffs.

The key to the series is Manny Mickens' mound corps: Clete Dukas (17-14 3.29), Spiros Zodiates (16-8 3.40) and Hubie Croft (13-13 3.16). If they can stop the Crushers Big 3, Ancona has a shot at winning. The Red Elephants have one of the best attacks in the IPA with 3B Todd Nasso (.306 BA/32 HR/109 RBI), 1B Alekos Kotas (.301 BA/27 HR/125 RBI), LF Kenny Willard (.320 BA/27 HR/103 RBI) and SS Yanni Kouris (.303/10 HR/63 RBI).

Prediction: Pitching will prevail... Crystal Lake in 6 games... but it won't be easy... Ancona can hit with the best of them.

It will the defending Pro Cup champions, the Sligo Rovers (95-59), battling the Wynnamac Sundowners (93-61) in the other RU postseason match-up. Sligo is the top seed and favored to win the whole shebang again. Skipper Eddie Keys has standout pitching and rock-solid bats. They can hit with Ancona and pitch as well as Crystal Lake. Every regular has double-digit homers, led by 3B Manny Alou (.272 BA/29 HR/115 RBI), 2B Garlin Delk (.303 BA/15 HR/101 RBI), LF Biff Blauer (.322 BA/10 HR/91 RBI), C Sherman Albert (.253 BA/23 HR/81 RBI), RF Clell Renshaw (.289 BA/20 HR/80 RBI), 1B Johnny Lee Harder (.280 BA/21 HR/77 RBI). On the hill Sligo will go with Les Patterson (18-9 1.94), Ralph Odakota (20-11 2.49) and Luka Abromowitz (19-10 3.25) as starters. 24-game winner Sam Tate (24-9 2.42) will switch to the bullpen for the playoffs. Keys has a poor bullpen. That's the Rovers one weakness. Tate went to the bullpen because he has better control and also Abromowitz outpitched him in the playoff last year. Abromowitz was 3-0 with a 3.56 ERA, while Tate was 1-1 and 4.82.

Matt Donnelly's Wynnamac Sundowners are an unheralded 6th-seed by the prognosticators, but they do possess three fine starters in Lon Marshall (24-11 2.90), Jerry Meeks (20-13 3.24) and Dean Barber (15-9 2.88) and a talented closer in Jim Horton (6-6 2.05). Horton notched 25 saves this season. At the plate Wynnamac features four .300 hitters: 2B Liam Cadbury (.322 B/26 HR/103 RBI), RF Bob Carr (.318 BA/4 HR/73 RBI), LF Joey Eaton (.313 BA/20 HR/83 RBI) and CF Ian Holmes (.301 BA/0 HR/52 RBI/102 R). Star 1B Pete Simmons (.296 BA/21 HR/102 RBI) boasts a big bat, too. It really isn't as much of a mismatch as you would think.

Prediction: Sligo will prevail in six games, but the Sundowners will make them sweat.

In the Tycobbian Union it will be 2nd-seed Rolling Hills and 7th-seed Midway in one Elite 8 Series and 4th-seeded Arroyo Grande and 8th-seeded Luxora in the other series. Matty Christianson's Rolling Hills Reds (96-58) may be the best all-around team in the IPA with strong pitching, pretty fair hitting and excellent defense. The Reds will live and die with the offense. If RF Manuel Leon (.269 BA/29 HR/99 RBI), rookie SS Tony Ptacek (.275 BA/31 HR/93 RBI), LF Donnie Lewis (.295 BA/6 HR/73 RBI/106 R), 1B Mickey Greene (.264 BA/17 HR/83 RBI) and CF Mark Coker (.279 BA/19 HR/75 RBI) can hold up their end of the bargain, Rolling Hills can go far in the playoffs.

The Midway Wolves (92-62), guided by Cochise Chandler, are a talented team with strong pitching and good power. Motega Wolf (21-9 2.44) is the ace, although Dakota Dyami (25-8 3.45) led the club in wins. Bobby Dorignac (19-14 2.74) gives Midway another standout starter. Chandler's bullpen could be a problem. Offensively, the Wolves depend on LF Chitto Chandler (.299 BA/30 HR/101 RBI), 2B Frank Reinhard (.301 BA/27 HR/89 RBI), 3B Rob Gigler (.306 BA/13 HR/69 RBI) and RF Kyle Rigney (.270 BA/21 HR/70 RBI). Midway has good home-run power with 179 hit out of the park for the year. Rolling Hills hit 140 for the season.

Prediction: Both clubs have strong pitching... Rolling Hills is superb, while Midway is very good... offensively the two teams are fairly even... defensively, the advantage goes to Rolling Hills... it should be quite a series with the Reds taking it in six games.

Arroyo Grande (97-57) topped the Tycobbian Union in victories and tied Crystal Lake in the Ruthlandian Union for the IPA lead. Cyclone Cobb's Suns have a high-powered offense, the best in the IPA with a .275 BA, 220 homers and 855 runs, ranking second in all categories. The pitching is not on par with the offense. If the pitchers can keep the Suns in the ball game, the teams will go far in the postseason. Arroyo Grande needs strong efforts from Sixto Zamora (19-13 2.86), Ernie Matthews (22-11 3.31) and Cesar De Leon (23-9 4.03). Cobb's bullpen is in great hands with Jason Patrick (5-4), who racked up 26 saves with an extraordinary 1.10 ERA. And what a batting order the Suns have with rookie sensation 1B Rusty Vizcarra (.323 BA/58 HR/165 RBI), C Gary Troxell (.300 BA/38 HR/98 RBI), LF Eduardo Villanueva (.319 BA/30 HR/91 RBI), SS Andy Pearson (.315 BA/19 HR/70 RBI/85 R) and RF Buddy Bechtel (.288 BA/26 HR/62 RBI/80 R). Pearson missed 50 games in the season with an injury, but still put up healthy numbers.

Cristo Viamonte's lowly-regarded Luxora Zorros (84-70) rely on his mound staff. The Z's are never picked very high in the postseason polls, but they did upset highly-favored Arroyo Grande in 2020 in the opening series and gave perrenial power Ozarka fits in the TU Final 4 that year. Luxora's ace is Tiago Torres, one of the finest hurlers in the IPA. He can almost win a series by himself. Viaconte just needs one of the other two starters to step it up and knock off the Suns in a couple of games. Torres was 21-12 with 7 shutouts and a 2.12 ERA this season. It's up to Mike Boyce (19-13 3.01) and Valerio Lopes (17-12 3.47) deliver the goods and upset Arroyo Grande's apple cart. The Zorro bats are led by LF Jon Stafford (.265 BA/35 HR/103 RBI), CF Johnny Clark (.285 BA/31 HR/102 RBI), C Jim Thorpe Chandler (.273 BA/26 HR/81 RBI) and 2B Julio Canseco (.269 BA/19 HR/81 RBI). Good performances by Boyce and Lopes on the hill and by the Zorro hitters could pull a big surprise in the Suns series.

Prediction: Arroyo Grande has too much firepower... the Suns will win in six... Zamora, Matthews and Patrick should be able to put down the Z's offense.

04-03-2023, 07:21 PM	#9470
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 36,223	YESTERDAY IN THE IPA (Recap of 2022 IPA Playoffs) *The Islandian Times* Wednesday, September 21, 2022 IPA Elite 8 Series Picks The Crystal Lake Crushers are back again in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs after a year's absence. The 3rd-seeded Crushers won it all in 2020 under manager Herman "Baby " George and have a better team this year according to the experts. They drew a tough ball club in the RU Elite 8. The 5th-seeded Ancona Red Elephants (84-70) hit very well and have pretty fair pitching, while Crystal Lake (97-57) tied Arroyo Grande of the Tycobbian Union for the best record in the IPA this year. The Crushers have great pitching with three 20-game winners in veterans Duncan Welch (23-12 2.18), Ralph McCullough (20-9 2.56) and rookie phenom Dennis Taylor (21-9 2.41). In a super trade, the Crushers acquired star RF Augie Marshall from Taranto in August and now have him in the lineup to support all-time legendary 1B Phil Gravelli (.312 BA/21 HR/87 RBI) and 2B Greg Murphy (.312 BA/14 HR/61 RBI). Marshall (.293 BA/24 HR/97 RBI) is a much-needed addition and could be a crucial factor in the playoffs. The key to the series is Manny Mickens' mound corps: Clete Dukas (17-14 3.29), Spiros Zodiates (16-8 3.40) and Hubie Croft (13-13 3.16). If they can stop the Crushers Big 3, Ancona has a shot at winning. The Red Elephants have one of the best attacks in the IPA with 3B Todd Nasso (.306 BA/32 HR/109 RBI), 1B Alekos Kotas (.301 BA/27 HR/125 RBI), LF Kenny Willard (.320 BA/27 HR/103 RBI) and SS Yanni Kouris (.303/10 HR/63 RBI). Prediction: Pitching will prevail... Crystal Lake in 6 games... but it won't be easy... Ancona can hit with the best of them. It will the defending Pro Cup champions, the Sligo Rovers (95-59), battling the Wynnamac Sundowners (93-61) in the other RU postseason match-up. Sligo is the top seed and favored to win the whole shebang again. Skipper Eddie Keys has standout pitching and rock-solid bats. They can hit with Ancona and pitch as well as Crystal Lake. Every regular has double-digit homers, led by 3B Manny Alou (.272 BA/29 HR/115 RBI), 2B Garlin Delk (.303 BA/15 HR/101 RBI), LF Biff Blauer (.322 BA/10 HR/91 RBI), C Sherman Albert (.253 BA/23 HR/81 RBI), RF Clell Renshaw (.289 BA/20 HR/80 RBI), 1B Johnny Lee Harder (.280 BA/21 HR/77 RBI). On the hill Sligo will go with Les Patterson (18-9 1.94), Ralph Odakota (20-11 2.49) and Luka Abromowitz (19-10 3.25) as starters. 24-game winner Sam Tate (24-9 2.42) will switch to the bullpen for the playoffs. Keys has a poor bullpen. That's the Rovers one weakness. Tate went to the bullpen because he has better control and also Abromowitz outpitched him in the playoff last year. Abromowitz was 3-0 with a 3.56 ERA, while Tate was 1-1 and 4.82. Matt Donnelly's Wynnamac Sundowners are an unheralded 6th-seed by the prognosticators, but they do possess three fine starters in Lon Marshall (24-11 2.90), Jerry Meeks (20-13 3.24) and Dean Barber (15-9 2.88) and a talented closer in Jim Horton (6-6 2.05). Horton notched 25 saves this season. At the plate Wynnamac features four .300 hitters: 2B Liam Cadbury (.322 B/26 HR/103 RBI), RF Bob Carr (.318 BA/4 HR/73 RBI), LF Joey Eaton (.313 BA/20 HR/83 RBI) and CF Ian Holmes (.301 BA/0 HR/52 RBI/102 R). Star 1B Pete Simmons (.296 BA/21 HR/102 RBI) boasts a big bat, too. It really isn't as much of a mismatch as you would think. Prediction: Sligo will prevail in six games, but the Sundowners will make them sweat. In the Tycobbian Union it will be 2nd-seed Rolling Hills and 7th-seed Midway in one Elite 8 Series and 4th-seeded Arroyo Grande and 8th-seeded Luxora in the other series. Matty Christianson's Rolling Hills Reds (96-58) may be the best all-around team in the IPA with strong pitching, pretty fair hitting and excellent defense. The Reds will live and die with the offense. If RF Manuel Leon (.269 BA/29 HR/99 RBI), rookie SS Tony Ptacek (.275 BA/31 HR/93 RBI), LF Donnie Lewis (.295 BA/6 HR/73 RBI/106 R), 1B Mickey Greene (.264 BA/17 HR/83 RBI) and CF Mark Coker (.279 BA/19 HR/75 RBI) can hold up their end of the bargain, Rolling Hills can go far in the playoffs. The Midway Wolves (92-62), guided by Cochise Chandler, are a talented team with strong pitching and good power. Motega Wolf (21-9 2.44) is the ace, although Dakota Dyami (25-8 3.45) led the club in wins. Bobby Dorignac (19-14 2.74) gives Midway another standout starter. Chandler's bullpen could be a problem. Offensively, the Wolves depend on LF Chitto Chandler (.299 BA/30 HR/101 RBI), 2B Frank Reinhard (.301 BA/27 HR/89 RBI), 3B Rob Gigler (.306 BA/13 HR/69 RBI) and RF Kyle Rigney (.270 BA/21 HR/70 RBI). Midway has good home-run power with 179 hit out of the park for the year. Rolling Hills hit 140 for the season. Prediction: Both clubs have strong pitching... Rolling Hills is superb, while Midway is very good... offensively the two teams are fairly even... defensively, the advantage goes to Rolling Hills... it should be quite a series with the Reds taking it in six games. Arroyo Grande (97-57) topped the Tycobbian Union in victories and tied Crystal Lake in the Ruthlandian Union for the IPA lead. Cyclone Cobb's Suns have a high-powered offense, the best in the IPA with a .275 BA, 220 homers and 855 runs, ranking second in all categories. The pitching is not on par with the offense. If the pitchers can keep the Suns in the ball game, the teams will go far in the postseason. Arroyo Grande needs strong efforts from Sixto Zamora (19-13 2.86), Ernie Matthews (22-11 3.31) and Cesar De Leon (23-9 4.03). Cobb's bullpen is in great hands with Jason Patrick (5-4), who racked up 26 saves with an extraordinary 1.10 ERA. And what a batting order the Suns have with rookie sensation 1B Rusty Vizcarra (.323 BA/58 HR/165 RBI), C Gary Troxell (.300 BA/38 HR/98 RBI), LF Eduardo Villanueva (.319 BA/30 HR/91 RBI), SS Andy Pearson (.315 BA/19 HR/70 RBI/85 R) and RF Buddy Bechtel (.288 BA/26 HR/62 RBI/80 R). Pearson missed 50 games in the season with an injury, but still put up healthy numbers. Cristo Viamonte's lowly-regarded Luxora Zorros (84-70) rely on his mound staff. The Z's are never picked very high in the postseason polls, but they did upset highly-favored Arroyo Grande in 2020 in the opening series and gave perrenial power Ozarka fits in the TU Final 4 that year. Luxora's ace is Tiago Torres, one of the finest hurlers in the IPA. He can almost win a series by himself. Viaconte just needs one of the other two starters to step it up and knock off the Suns in a couple of games. Torres was 21-12 with 7 shutouts and a 2.12 ERA this season. It's up to Mike Boyce (19-13 3.01) and Valerio Lopes (17-12 3.47) deliver the goods and upset Arroyo Grande's apple cart. The Zorro bats are led by LF Jon Stafford (.265 BA/35 HR/103 RBI), CF Johnny Clark (.285 BA/31 HR/102 RBI), C Jim Thorpe Chandler (.273 BA/26 HR/81 RBI) and 2B Julio Canseco (.269 BA/19 HR/81 RBI). Good performances by Boyce and Lopes on the hill and by the Zorro hitters could pull a big surprise in the Suns series. Prediction: Arroyo Grande has too much firepower... the Suns will win in six... Zamora, Matthews and Patrick should be able to put down the Z's offense. Last edited by Eugene Church; 05-25-2023 at 02:47 PM.