May 1, 2016
Bay League Standings
Code:
Team W L Pct GB Stk
Elliott Springs 5 1 .833 - W5
Lorris 5 2 .714 0.5 W2
Allison 3 2 .600 1.5 L2
Silver Beach 3 3 .500 2.0 L1
Marsein 2 3 .400 2.5 W1
Gentry Hills 2 4 .333 3.0 L1
Tifton 2 4 .333 3.0 L1
Deepvale 1 4 .200 3.5 L1
League News
Welcome to the opening of the 2016 season, the third season of the Bay League. With last season's exciting finish, optimism is running high as spring rolls around again and baseball returns to city parks and local stadiums once again. The Tifton Generals and Silver Beach Whales both have new parks to call home, but neither team has played a game at home yet this season, an oddity of the schedule that has officials from Silver Beach lobbing accusations at the league offices. Offices which just happen to be run by John Baxter, the owner of the Tifton Generals. Tension between the two clubs is nothing new, however, and most of it has been ignored by the fans as a whole so far.
The Elliott Springs Tornadoes have jumped out of the gate early, winning five straight after dropping their first game. The big news in Elliott Springs is the brilliant early-season play of enigmatic first baseman
Riyad Gomes. Gomes has long been considered one of the biggest potential talents in the game, but he has yet to approach those lofty expectations. In the first month of 2016, however, he's busted out with a .435 average and is slugging .739. His partner in leading the Tornadoes is 29-year old right-hander
Matt Willis. Willis had a breakout season in 2015, going 9-4 with a 2.93 ERA before suffering back problems in August that shelved him for the remainder of the season. He's out to prove that last season was no fluke, starting out 2-0 with a sparkling 0.60 ERA. A concern is his usually dependable control, walking 8 batters while striking out 10, a far cry from the 21-77 ratio he posted last year.
The Lorris Greens are just a hair behind, looking to return to their championship form of the inaugural Bay League season. They're led by
Frank O'Neil, who has pitched three outstanding ballgames already this season, winning all three with an ERA of just 1.00. The Shepherd, as he's called, has struck out 25 batters and walked 7. There was some concern in the offseason that the 35-year old O'Neil was losing steam, but he looks like a spring chicken so far.
While there were a number of shutouts and 1-run efforts in the first two weeks of the season, the April 24th game between Silver Beach and Gentry Hills stood out among the crowd. The game matched
Jimmie Watson for the Whales and
Will Brooker for the Scouts. Watson gave up a 2nd inning homer to
Tarise Ellis but allowed only 2 other hits and a single walk. But it was Brooker who came away with the 1-0 win, as the 25-year old talent allowed just 2 hits and 2 walks -- and both of those hits were made by the opposing pitcher! Brooker fanned 7 as well, and looks to be cashing in on his promise, something that would help the Scouts' cause tremendously.
The upcoming month features a full slate of games, and should provide the usual amount of drama and excitement. Stay tuned, Bay League fans!