Tuesday, September 20, 2061
VOLUSIA V'S LED RU WEST ALL THE WAY
Start-to-finish it was the Volusia Vigilantes (97-57) in the Ruthlandian West Division... only the second place Sligo Rovers (91-63) gave them any kind of a challenge... the V's captured the RU West division flag by six games, however they had a double-digit lead in August... Sligo closed the gap by winning its final 10 games of the year... but Volusia was never in danger of losing... the rest of the teams were far, far behind... third place Rocky Rapids (76-78) was 21 games behind... and fourth place Stoner (75-79) was 22 games out... Volusia was picked to beat out Rocky Rapids and Middlefield (72-82) in a close race... Colfax (63-91) and Stoner were supposed to be in the hunt, but it never transpired... the Sligo Rovers were the sixth choice in the preseason polls.
1st Place: Volusia Vigilantes (97-57)
Outlook: this was the V's second RU West flag in four seasons... Volusia won its only Pro Cup in the first season of the Islandian Pro Alliance... after Pro Cup champion Rolling Hills (99-55) and Wynnamac (98-56), they had the third-best record this year in the IPA... the V's make contact very well, one of the best-hitting club in the IPA, but they come up short on longballs, which might be a critical factor in the postseason... they are just average on the hill... score better-than-average... and handle the gloves well with a .979 FA... four years ago in the playoffs, Wynnamac handled them easily in the first round... Volusia draws the Macs in the opening round... the Sundowners seem to have the superior pitching.
