BNN Weekly Report
This Week in the CBO, BMU, and GBRL
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
9 October 2309
Sole Survivor Series Preview
NCA Playoffs - #2 Nordhagen Beach Party Boys (76-44) vs #2 University Point (74-46)
Season Series
Nordhagen Beach 1, University Point 0
April 9 @UP: NB 5-2
Analysis
And here we are. Two of the decade's best teams will meet up in the 2309 Sole Survivor Series after great seasons from both. It will be the third Sole Survivor Series matchup between the two teams. University Point is making its third Sole Survivor Series appearance, all three against Nordhagen Beach. The Deathclaws are 2-0 in those series matchups, winning 4 games to 3 in 2302 and 4 games to 1 in 2305. The Party Boys are making their CBO-record sixth Sole Survivor Series appearance where they are 2-3 overall. The Boys last won the Series in 2307 when they defeated the Roxbury Rad Sox, 4 games to 1.
This year's Series will be the tale of two very different teams with the Claws being one of the best offensive teams the CBO has ever seen, while Nordhagen Beach has been dominant on the mound. First, let's take a look at a comparison of team statistics:
As you can see, University Point dominates every category in offense, while the Party Boys have better statistics in every pitching category. Is this an unstoppable object versus an impenetrable force? It sure seems so. Let's take a look at the teams and what needs to happen for each team to win their third championship.
Matchups (NB - UP):
SP 1 - Beachboy Nut (20-5, 2.31) > Alex Alexson (12-7, 5/13)
SP 2 - Deedee Martinson (10-12, 4.28) > Tony Bertha (16-4, 4.76)
SP 3 - Ugio Church (14-6, 3.71) > Lawdog Whipple (13-8, 4.95)
RP 1 - Chopstick McWilliams (18 SV, 2.30) > Chase Southie (35 SV, 5.34)
RP 2 - David "AntAgonist" Kidd (30 SV, 3.47) < Erik Wipf (8-2, 1.32)
C - Biter Trout (.312/2/44) > Shawn Cherry (.262/3/37)
1B - Dirty Dog Sapienza (.292/15/51) < Barker Cocoa (.405/55/147)
2B - Bobb County (.344/0/5) < Chris Recore (.282/12/45)
3B - Aaron Sinn (.267/12/54) > Nate Tivity (.227/7/43)
SS - Pipe Wallcrawler (.252/10/44) < Austin Engill (.244/34/100)
LF - Young Goodman (.323/25/80) > Chris Hirshfield (.304/39/132)
CF - Maxx Murtagh (.262/27/82) < Aesed Hayjen (.308/27/57)
RF - Jonathan Angelou (.273/38/86) > Jarrett Metalbox (.299/10/45)
Key Matchup: Party Boys' starting pitching vs University Point's 1B Barker Cocoa. Advantage: Cocoa.
The Deathclaws were deadly all season when it came to generating runs (6.37 per game). The 3-4-5 hitters in the lineup become the first ever three teammates from a single team to generate 100+ RBI in a season. Cocoa finished with the third-best ever in Average and RBI and fourth-best HR production. Winning this series will depend on that lineup being consistently deadly so that the Party Boys cannot pitch around Cocoa.
The Boys may not compare to the Claws' offensively, but they still have a good offense. They were 1st in the NCA in run production and 3rd in the CBO. Even if they scored 139 fewer runs than University Point, the Party Boys still scored a lot of runs (5.21 per game). Paired with their pitching having the 2nd-lowest number of runs allowed (3.88 per game), it was tough to beat Nordhagen Beach without the pitching staff having a bad day. Comparatively, the Deathclaws finished 18th in the CBO in runs allowed (5.19 per game), which means they will need to outscore the Boys to win this.
Prediction
Neither team finished first in their association this season, but these are two good, deserving teams in the Sole Survivor Series. History would give the advantage to University Point since it has won both matchups against the Party Boys. Also, history would give the advantage to the team with the best pitching, which was a factor in the Deathclaws' last two championships where they were a decent pitching team. This season, pitching is largely in the Boys' favor and three matchups featuring Beachboy Nut, along with the ability of Deedee Martinson and Ugio Church to shutdown offense tilts this one in the Party Boys' favor. Nordhagen Beach may be undefeated so far in the 2309 playoffs, but they will have a fight in this one. Still, we are picking the Boys to win their third championship. Nordhagen Beach 4, University Point 2