ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

Poor Forest City has made the playoffs only four times in its history and has never come close to winning a Pro Cup trophy... the last postseason appearance was three decades ago in 2013... however, the Lumberjacks made progress this year, climbing up from sixth place (22 GB) to a tie for second and just 5 games out of first... the 'Jacks improved from 70-84 to 80-74 this year.

Offense is Forest City's Achilles' heal, ranking 30th in scoring with only 640 runs... pitching is their strong point with a 3.46 ERA (7th)... Rusty Howard (23-12/2.81) leads the staff, tying for sixth in the IPA with 23 wins... other capable starters are Jimmy Kirkpatrick (16-9/3.12) and Walter Gibbons (16-20/3.05)... Omar Cordero (6-5/2.94/10 saves) is a reliable closer... 1B Pistol Pete Picard (.280) topped the team with 24 homers and 77 RBIs... and RF Otto Glintmeyer (.306/15/71/75) and C Bob Brisdon (.306/12/70/66) led the club in batting average.

FOREST CITY: 2nd Place (tie) (5 GB)

[Eugene Church]

After three straight years near the bottom of the division, the Stoner Stars perked up a bit and went from 64-90 (28 GB) to the fourth spot in the standings with a 75-79 mark (10 GB)... the Stars have been in the playoffs just three times in its history...they haven't won a pennant since 2029, never has won a Pro Cup, but they were finalists twice in 2007 and 2029.

Earl Marley (19-14/3.27) and Jimmy Ellerbee (9-5/3.10/14 saves) were the top hurlers... with 1B Richie Strickland (.313/24/81/94), 3B Ralph Sackett (.295/5/72/79) and 2B James Belasario (.303/3/44/67) were the only reliable batters.

STONER: 4th Place (10 GB)

[Eugene Church]

Last year's RU West Division champ Volusia's pitching staff went into a tailspin this year and they fell from 92-62 to 74-80, dropping to a distant fifth and 11 games behind winning Rocky Rapids... 9 times the Vigilantes have made the Pro Cup playoffs and they have won it on one occasion, but not recently... the V's captured the first IPA title in 2001... they also made the Finals in 2006, but lost.

Raul Navarro (17-11/4.09) and Leandos Dizon (14-14/3.82) had fair seasons... last year Navarro, Drew Selby (14-18/3.08) and Skeeter Millham (14-19/3.79) posted 20 victories each... all of the starters saw their ERAs rise up quite a bit this season... the V's offense is still pretty good with SS Duane Blayney (.292/25/93/81), 1B Kris Wilson (.297/24/93/73), LF Lonny Womack (.274/31/84/100) and RF Cazzie Carvalho (.288/17/91/79).

VOLUSIA: 5th Place (11 GB)

[Eugene Church]

After winning the division in 2042 with a 93-61 record and being a Pro Cup finalist, the Colfax Blasters have gone downhill in a hurry, falling to 69-85 (23 GB) last season and to 71-83 (14 GB) this year... the club has made the playoffs 13 times in its history with one Pro Cup in 2010... in '32 and '42 the Blasters reached the Finals.

Ray Maxon (18-15/4.10) and Jorgen Krogstad (12-11/4.37) were the most dependable starters... Colfax still has some quality bats at the plate with 3B Kristian McEly (.326/24/81/91), LF Chet Penn (.309/21/92/78), C Darrell Dillon (.283/30/97/88) and 2B Gerry Sives (.295/11/50/92).

COLFAX: 6th Place (14 GB)

[Eugene Church]

For the past three seasons the Fort Benton Defenders have been wallowing in the depths of despair in the RU West Division... they were last in 2042 (28 GB), fifth in 2043 (21 GB) and seventh this year (21 GB)... prior to this, the Defenders were a regular contender in the pennant race... only one time in the team's history has it ever made the playoffs, that was in 2037... Fort Benton is still looking for its first Pro Cup trophy... and it looks like it could be years away.

The Defenders hit for a decent average, but seriously lack power... RF Cayman Crittenden is the most productive and leads the club with 182 hits, 20 homers, 89 RBIs and 86 runs, while batting at a .294 clip... other contributors are 3B Mitch Hamilton (.305/11/77/80), 1B Simon Pembroke (.296/6/64/83), C Varnell Larrimore (.297/10/81/66) and LF Miguel Marichal (.280/16/68/80)... the only dependable pitchers were 38-year-old Augie Marquis (16-20/3.55) and Jordy Raeburn (16-16/3.94)... after 20 years in the IPA Marquis ranks third all-time with 356 wins, topped only by Hall-of-Famers Nicky Engstrom with 387 victories and Cody Burg with 369 wins.

FORT BENTON: 7th Place (21 GB)

[Eugene Church]

In its IPA history the Sligo Rovers have appeared 9 times in the postseason and have won one Pro Cup in 2021... in the last three years the Rovers have finished fourth twice... 17 GB in 2042 and 16 GB in 2043... both year they compiled 76-78 records... this year they plunged badly to 61-93 and came in last, trailing by 24 games... basically, Sligo didn't hit or pitch very well.

Randall Steele (16-17/3.90), Buzz Bumgartner (13-13/3.60) and Tom Pierson (12-18/3.87) were the most reliable starters... the Rovers sorely missed ace Scotty Price (3-3/2.88), who suffered a torn rotator cuff in May and will be out until mid-season next year... the only decent bats in the lineup were vets 1B Denny Simmons (.298/14/59/88) and SS Neil Mitchell (.285/16/74/93).

SLIGO: 8th Place (24 GB)

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 19, 2044

HAWKS HOIST ANOTHER TU NORTH PENNANT
For the 10th time in 11 seasons the North Hills Hawks have copped the Tycobbian North Division... this time around they outlasted the Blue Lake Blue Sox, Luxora Zorros and fast-closing Hartsdale Hellcats by 4 games... it's the 12th time the Hawks have made the postseason, thus giving them a crack at a record-setting fifth Pro Cup... North Hills is currently tied with the Turon Typhoons of the TU South for the most IPA titles... the Hawks won in 2034, 2036, 2038 and 2041.

Most baseball analysts see the Hawks as one of the prime contenders in the Pro Cup playoffs this season, along with the Southport Sun Sox and Red Bluff Red Sox of the Tycobbian Union, and the Wynnamac Sundowners of the Ruthlandian Union... the Sun Sox led the IPA with 104 victories.

Colfax of the RU has the record with 107 in 2010... Ozarka holds the TU mark with 106 in 2021... the Sundowners were second with 98 victories and the Red Sox third with 95... North Hills was 92-62, the fourth-best record this season.

Clubs have won 100 games a total of 18 times in IPA history.. only three of the "100 Win" Club have gone all the way and captured the Pro Cup... Colfax did it in 2008... Turon in 2018... and the Sligo Rovers in 2021... Ozarka is the leader as they have reached the 100-victory mark three times in its history... 2016, 2018 and 2021.

North Hills has made the postseason 12 times with 4 Pro Cup trophies... 10 times in the last 11 years the Hawks have won the TU North title... they are very solid ballclub with a .278 BA (2nd), 764 runs (3rd), 163 HRs (11th) with a fine 3.26 ERA (7th)... top Hawk hurlers are starters David Michael (23-13/2.64) and Tony Mack (22-12/2.70)... in 15 years the 37-yer-old Michael is 274-194 with a 3.01 ERA... Mack, age 32, has won 20 games for five of the last six seasons... Butch Cortelloni (15-9/3.36) and Joey Santini (16-15/3.94) are credible starters, too... Kyle Oliver (5-4/1.86/11 saves) was tops in the bullpen... best batters were superstar LF Adam Thurgood (.315/37/111/110), 1B Oscar Pendleton (.345/23/69/63), SS Tommy Vavas (.297/16/78/95), C Timmy Stevens (.304/13/69/76), 3B Ric Hamilton (.314/12/64/57) and 2B Jim McDermott (.272/16/70/82).

NORTH HILLS: 1st Place

[Eugene Church]

Hartsdale is the only club to win the TU North in the last decade other than North Hills... the Hellcats won in 2042, but dropped to fifth last year, going 72-82 (21 GB)... they rebounded to 88-66 this year (4 GB)... Hartsdale has made the postseason playoff 7 timee, but has never won a Pro Cup... they ran a good race this year, but just waited to long to make their move... until August the Hellcats were just a .500 team, but they finished with a flourish (32-13) and almost caught the Hawks... they featured very good pitching (3.13 ERA-6th) with an adequate offense.

Gil Younger (23-12/2.44) led the rotation, helped out by David Payne (17-9/3.00) and Perry Givens (20-11/3.36)... the best reliever was Alfonso Cervera (3-5/2.27/20 saves), who ranked 4th in the IPA in saves... top Hellcat hitters were 1B John Ford (.307/27/91/60), RF Emilian Burgess (.275/20/84/93), 3B Greg Melton (.309/21/80/72) and CF Darrell Nesbitt (.275/12/64/96).

HARTSDALE: 2nd Place (tied) (4 GB)

[Eugene Church]

The Blue Lake Blue Sox rose up from third to second this year... they went from 82-72 (11 GB) in 2043 to 88-66 (4 GB) this season... however, it been quite a while since the Blue Sox made the playoffs... that was 2030 when they took the pennant and the Pro Cup... Blue Lake has made the postseason just three times in its IPA existence and has won only one Pro Cup trophy.

The Blue Sox get by with strong pitching (3.13 ERA-5th)... they only have a modest offense with 679 runs (20th)... Van Johnson (22-12/2.87) and Frankie Quinn (20-15/2.14) are elite pitchers... the 38-year-old Blair won 20 games for the 12th time in his storied career (343-254/2.97)... he is now seventh on the all-time wins list... Nicky Engstrom of Turon is the leader with 387 victories... starter number three is Sal Mays (16-13/3.55), also a capable pitcher... in the bullpen Razzy Richmond (8-9/2.41/14 saves) is a high-quality reliever... 3B Matt Thompson (.295/11/66/77) is the best bat in the lineup, which shows how much they need help offensively... he is the team leader in BA, RBIs and runs.

BLUE LAKE: 2nd Place (tied) (4 GB)

[Eugene Church]

Except for this year, the Luxora Zorros have been stuck near the bottom of the Tycobbian North since 2041... Luxora made the postseason 11 times in its club history, but not lately... the last playoff appearance was 13 years ago in 2031... never have the Zorros won a Pro Cup.

the Z's went from sixth place last year (22 GB) to a tie for second, just 4 GB out of first... boosting their record from 71-83 to 88-66 this year... a much-improved offense made the difference... they batted .255 in 2043 and .273 this season... the big guns were 1B Joel Poche (.317/25/107/105), LF Derrek Jackson (.347/28/107/100) and RF Emil Pasek (.318/17/56/99)... Jackson was the sixth-leading hitting in the IPA with a .347 mark... 38-year-old veteran Kent Halloran (20-11/3.14) was the ace of the staff... he is 241-187 with a great 2.61 lifetime ERA in 15 seasons... Joao Damaso (14-13/3.89) was also a dependable starter... Lorenzo Alonso (18-9/4.43) had the most victories, but had a lofty 4.43 ERA... the top reliever was Jerry Jankins (11-6/2.67/17 saves).

LUXORA: 2nd Place (tied) (4GB)

[Eugene Church]

It's been 18 years since the White River Rascals appeared in the postseason (2027)... they have made it only 4 times and have yet to win a Pro Cup, never coming close... good things were expected this year, but didn't happen... the Rascals had a fine 88-66 season in 2043, just 5 games behind winner North Hills, good enough for second place... this year they fell to fifth in the standings at 76-78 (16 GB)... the only place the Rascals stood out was in home-run power... they slammed 196 (4th) into the stands.

At the plate longballers LF Billy Joe Hickman (.279/47/128/100), 2B Warren McKenzie (.246/34/104/73) and 1B Enrique Encarnacion (.244/23/83/73) led the club with help from SS Kunta Burton (.295/4/44/92)... Hickman had a fine season, ranking 3rd in the IPA with 47 homers and 7th in RBIs with 128... only Wayman Stetson of Denton City with 56 homers and Dale Weston of Ranford with 48 topped him in the IPA... the Rascals were led on the hill by Trenton Anderson (18-17/3.28) and Nicky Palmer (13-9/3.23)... and in the pen by Les Dennis (12-5/2.98/10 saves)

WHITE RIVER: 5th Place (16 GB)

[Eugene Church]

The Fairfax Frogs ran well in the first half of the season, but slumped badly in the second half... they trailed North Hills by only 5 games at the All-Star break, but wound up 17 games back in sixth place... its been a dozen years since the Frogs won the division crown (2033)... Fairfax has appeared in the postseason 8 times, but has never claimed a Pro Cup trophy.

The Frogs were fourth in 2043 with a 77-77 record (16 GB)... they slipped a bit to 75-79 this year to sixth... they have an average offense and average pitching... the Frogs hit well for average with a .273 BA (4th), but have very little power, hitting only 101 home runs (32nd)... RF Brad Johnston paced the club with 91 RBIs and 91 runs, while batting .314... 3B Bobby Joe Daniel (.320/5/43/79) had the best average at .320... long-time star 2B John Velasco (.314/17/76/76) still swings a good bat at age 38... C Scott Courtney (.267/17/85/76) tied Velasco for the home-run lead with 17... and SS Daniel Pierce (.314/3/62/64) also batted over .300... the mound leaders were starters Harold Dorman (15-11/3.46) and Shaun O'Riley (15-15/3.53)... and Wes Christopher (8-9/2.78/22 saves) and Terry Sawyer (6-3/1.72/6 saves) in the bullpen... Christopher was the IPA co-leader in saves with 22, tied with Kenwood's Artemus Hale and Ginza's Timmy Hitchens.

FAIRFAX: 6th Place (17 GB)

[Eugene Church]

Nothing new in Oxford where the Red Caps came in near the bottom for the seventh straight season... they were seventh in 2043 (23 GB) and it got worse this year as they were again seventh, but 32 GB... last year Oxford was 70-84, this year a very poor 60-94... the Red Caps haven't graced the playoffs since the golden year of 2006, when they won their only Pro Cup... Oxford made the postseason five of the first six IPA seasons, but none since.

The Red Caps don't do much very well... Tekkan Nishikawa (13-15/3.550 and Rudy Mellancamp (13-23/3.50) are the most reliable starters... RF Donny Braun (.282/15/76/67), C Glen Lee (.285/16/60/57) and 3B Alonzo Norris (.243/22/79/84) are only fair at the plate.

OXFORD: 7th Place (32 GB)

[Eugene Church]

Only the Ancona Red Elephants of the Ruthlandian North Division had a worse record than the Mahaska Haymakers... Ancona was 56-98, while the Haymakers were 58-96, tied with Belair Beach of the RU South... Mahaska was dead last in the Tycobbian North this season, 34 games out of first... they were also last in 2043 with a 60-94 mark (33 GB)... the Haymakers' last playoff appearance was in 2028... Mahaska has been to the postseason only 4 times in its history... so far, they have no Pro Cups... the closest the Haymakers ever came was when they were swept by Valmara in the 2026 Pro Cup Finals.

Mahaska's pitching is horrible with a 4.53 team ERA (31st)... and the offense is just mediocre (23rd)... star C James Boswell is the only standout ballplayer... at 27 Boswell is one of the top backstops in the IPA... he placed 5th in the IPA with 130 RBIs and 6th in homers with 45... Boswell batted .268 and scored 88 runs... aging 37-year-old star 2B Mikk Kukk still is outstanding with the glove and pretty fair with the bat... Kukk hit .293 with 10 HRs, 67 RBIs and 67 runs... young SS Rocco Bertara is a solid light-hitting defender with a .283 BA, 4 HRs, 40 RBIs and 68 RBis... 38-year-old Freddy Pfeffer is the most dependable starter, but was only 11-20 with a 4.34 ERA... Pfeffer is 255-228 with a 3.65 ERA in his 17 seasons in the IPA... he has split time with three teams, Mahaska, Valmara and Elnora.

MAHASKA: 8th Place (34 GB)

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 19, 2044

SUN SOX EASY WINNER IN TU SOUTH
Southport chalked its third consecutive Tycobbian South championship in easy fashion with a 17-game bulge over second place Summerland... third place went to San Alejo, 23 games back... and in fourth place was Cape Coral, a distant 26 games behind... the Sun Sox built up a 15-game margin by the All-Star Game and never looked back... they won 104 games, the most in the IPA this season... and will be one of the Pro Cup favorites again this year... Southport took its only Pro Cup in 2027... they were highly-favored the past two seasons, but came up empty both times and were eliminated in the first round.

Southport had an outstanding season and dominated the IPA with a .271 BA (3rd), 822 runs (1st), 172 HRs (9th) and a splendid 2.91 ERA (2nd)... heading up the pitching corps was Johnny Swanson (25-10/2.61) and Billy Hoover (21-14/2.38)... Swanson finished third in the IPA in wins behind Jay Murphy (27-8/2.59) of South Fork and Tommy Carter (26-8/2.47) of Kenwood... Hoover has been a 20-game winner for the last three seasons... the other starters were Gordon Forbes (18-10/3.43) and Brandon Delmore (12-7/3.82)... the relief corps is also outstanding, led by Hal Combs (11-1/1.54/16 saves) and Wayne Stewart (6-2/1.53/10 saves)... the Sun Sox don't have any great bats, but has a lot of good ones... 1B Eddy Douglas (.293/32/88/79) and CF Barney Douglas (.300/28/85/75) are the prime producers with lots of help from LF Chris Jones (.323/4/64/79), SS Gonzalo Topez (.304/5/46/65), C Vasilis Vlachos (.283/17/74/69), 2B Owen Wallace (.316/5/50/59) and 3B Craig Glennon (.274/15/61/52).

SOUTHPORT: 1st Place

[Eugene Church]

Summerland had the best pitching in the IPA with a super 2.88 ERA, but can't hit a lick... the Sunsets batted .252 (23rd), scored only 648 runs (25th) and hit 109 home runs (31st)... 10 times in the last 12 years they have been a first-division team and won two pennants... in 2040 Summerland lost in seven games to the Ranford Bulls in the Pro Cup Finals... that's as close they have ever come to winning the IPA crown... this will be the Sunsets' fourth playoff appearance... last season they ran up a 90-64 record and came in third (2 GB)... an 87-67 mark this year was good for second place (17 GB).

The starters were great... leading the rotation was Jacob Gillen (20-7/2.44), who blossomed at the ripe old age of 36 as a starter... along with Jayson Hallstrom (20-13/2.56) and Billy King (19-11/3.18)... even Dutch De Boer (10-17/2.99) posted an ERA under 3.00... the bullpen was just average with a 3.40 ERA (15th)... and the bats poor... LF Tony Vargas (.305/8/56/79) and 1B Stan Terry (.279/20/78/87) were the best of the lot.

SUMMERLAND: 2nd Place (17 GB)

[Eugene Church]

In its history San Alejo has only made the postseason 6 times with one Pro cup to show for it... the Montaneros won it all in 2032... lately they have been in contention often with 11 first-division finishes in the last 13 seasons with 4 TU South championships... the Monties last won the division flag in 2037... they were 91-63 last year, losing out by just a single game... this year they were 81-73 and 23 games back of Southport in third place.

San Alejo has good starters in Matt Bell (19-13/2.03), who ranked third in the IPA behind the ERA leaders: Jack Rogers (6-5/1.30/16 saves) of Tuckanarra and Clark Van Vreeland (14-5/1.92/11 saves)... Will McKinney (20-14/3.16) and Benny Buckmaster (10-11/2.67) are also strong starters... this was 24-year-old McKinney's third consecutive season to win 20 games... McKinney ranked number two in the IPA with 277 Ks in 307 innings, topped only by Harry Elliott (22-11/3.69) of Denton City with 285 in 324 innings... at the plate it was the foursome of C Filipe Zamora (.321/31/130/90), RF Paolo Teixeira (.297/37/81/110), LF Charlie Wilberforce (.302/27/82/74) and CF Andrew Hicks (.253/23/81/99) that led the way.

SAN ALEJO: 3rd Place (23 GB)

[Eugene Church]

If standout hitting could win the pennant, Cape Coral would have won it often in the last 20 years... the Hurricanes can put runs on the scoreboard, but so does the opposition... they need better pitching... Cape Coral is still looking for its first Pro Cup title... the 'Canes have made 8 playoff appearances, but never have taken the trophy home... the last time they won the TU South was in 2041... Cape Coral was 81-73 in 2043, good for fourth place (11 GB)... this year they were again fourth with a 76-78 record (26 GB).

Cape Coral led the IPA with a .283 BA, were in the top 10 in scoring and 4th in homers with 213... the pitching was a little deficient with 4.11 ERA (26th)... the Hurricanes can start five .300 hitters with superstar LF Rikky Van Dalen (.358/35/117/113) heading up the list... Van Dalen was second to the IPA leader Roberto Campos (.359) of St. John in the Ruthlandian Union... Van Dalen won the Tycobbian batting crown... other prolific bats were 1B Stan Ferguson (.306/43/113/87), 8th in the IPA in homers... 2B Kent Mantle (.328/23/83/96), RF William Snyder (.311/19/72/69) and CF Maxi Tselika (.304/23/77/69)... the only reliable moundsmen were Vernon Marks (21-16/3.44) and Benton McCall (15-16/3.76).

CAPE CORAL: 4th Place (26 GB)

[Eugene Church]

For the fourth year in a row the Ginza Ninjas have been stuck in mediocrity... stuck in the second division... they were 75-79 last year (17 GB) in sixth place in the TU South standings... this year the Ninjas were 76-68 in fifth, but 28 games out... Ginza has never captured a Pro Cup... the only time they ever got to the Finals, they were swept by Volusia in the inaugural title game in 2001... the last time the Ninjas were in the postseason was in 2031.

Ginza has an average offense and pitching with pretty good power... they hit 195 roundtrippers (5th)... the main leaders at the plate were 1B Kim Kudo (.306/20/70/93), SS Sam Essex (.277/35/104/89), CF Sogo Takagi (.250/26/74/86) and C Whip Harrell (.291/22/75/57)... top hurlers are Julian Bass (16-15/3.48) and Carlos Del Toro (14-11/3.23)... the bullpen leader is Timmy Hickens (11-12/3.09/22), who tied Wes Christopher (8-9/2.78) of Fairfax and Artemus Hale (5-7/3.48) of Kenwood for the most saves in the IPA with 22.

GINZA: 5th Place (28 GB)

[Eugene Church]

Turon can hit and score, but they lack pitching... therefore the Typhoons ended up sixth in the division with a 67-87 mark (37 GB)... in 2043 they were in the cellar with a 67-87 record (25 GB)... Turon has been one of the best franchises in the IPA with 4 Pro Cups and 15 playoff appearances... they are tied with North Hills for the most IPA titles... 6 times the Typhoons have been a Pro Cup finalists... the last Pro Cup came in 2018... the last pennants was more recent... 2038 and 2039.

Turon led the TU with 217 homers, while batting a solid .265 (8th) and scoring 732 runs (8th)... pitching was their downfall with a lousy 4.45 ERA (30th)... only Nate Stocksdale (17-16/3.47) and Jarred Franklin (11-5/3.46) were reliable in the starting rotation... the best reliever was Kyle Collins (6-9/2.63/14 saves)... the batting order was chocked full of good hitters and booming bats: 1B Nick Fisher (.296/34/99/94), 2B C. C. Kingsford (.301/31/89/90), CF Guido Gervasio (.291/29/96/78), 3B Al Salisbury (.296/21/72/82), RF Wallace Sonnier (.261/36/77/105) and SS Rafer Robertson (.269/26/77/73).

TURON: 6th Place (37 GB)