The Colonial Baseball League (redux)

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Midseason “All-Stars”

We’ve passed the midway point of the season, so this is normally where the all-star game would fall. Unfortunately, since this is a one Sub-league setup, there is no ASG. Because of that, I’m going to do a quick rundown of the positions and select a pool of players that would probably be the All-stars were the game to happen. Note that these selections are based on the stats post week 12, which will have its update in the post following these.

First Basemen

1. Roy Macgowing – Hadrian United Macgowing is the two time reigning league MVP. He’s probably not on MVP pace this year, but he is certainly making the case for best first baseman in the league. He’s hitting .359 with 11 homers. Macgowing leads the league in hits with 71, and RBI with 46.

2. Brice Brown – Caprica City Buccaneers Brown is hitting .324, with 8 homers and 25 driven in. He’s also crossed the plate 25 times himself.

3. Scott Auchnie – Promethea Miners Auchnie leads all first basemen with 13 homers. He’s hitting .309 with 44 batted in. Auchnie has yet to record a season with fewer than 20 home runs, and he’s well on pace to match that again.

Second Basemen

1. Russ Strickland – Fateu Blaze Strickland is hitting .287 this year, which is slightly above his career average, with 5 homers and 25 RBI. The Canceron native is fielding at a .979 clip, and has turned 42 double plays in 48 games this season.

2. Christie Stone – Itar Aces Stone leads all second basemen hitting .324 with 57 total hits. The versatile defender has split his time between second and short this year, fielding .987 while playing to his left of second base.

3. Ryan Merriam – Promethea Miners Meriam is hitting .321 this season. He’s also walked 25 times, for an OBP of .422. The sure handed fielder is on track to win a gold glove, as he’s fielding a perfect 1.000 this season.

Shortstops

1. Vasil de Brouwer – Tauron City Bulls Vasil was an all-star last year with the Hadrian United, and is picking up right where he left off with his new team this year. De Brouwer is hitting .350 this year, with 28 driven in. 24 of de Brouwer’s 69 hits have been for extra bases. Vasil has also swiped a handful of bases.

2. Alan Peterson – Hadrian United The three time gold glover winner would get an all-star nod this year as well. Peterson is hitting .353 with 20 driven in. Peterson is also getting it done with his glove, having yet to commit an error this year.

3. Nikolai Jakubowski – Reidi Drillers Jakabuowski is a 4 time all-star, and would probably just sneak into this year’s version as well. He’s hitting .280, but leads all shortstops with 11 homers and 28 driven in.

Third Basemen

1. Rodney Nathaniel – Kobol College Twins The two-time gold glove winner is back to his ways again, making numerous highlight reel plays at third. He’s been hitting at a good clip as well, with a .367 average and 24 extra base hits. Both of those numbers lead all third basemen. Nathaniel has driven in 36, the most among third basemen.

2. Jim Hoffman – Hadrian United Hoffman leads the third base division in homers and is second RBI, with 10 and 32 respectively. He’s hitting a respectable .311, and slugging .523. This would be his third all-star selection.

3. Danny Schuetz – Itar Aces Schuetz is hitting .355 this season with 18 driven in and 25 runs scored. The former Red was traded to the Aces in January, and is making the most of his time with his new team.

Left Fielders

1. Jared Weatherdon – Promethea Miners The Miners leadoff man leads league so far this year in average: .374, OBP: .473, OPS: 1.024, and triples: 8. Add that to just two errors and 5 outfield assists, Weatherdon is putting his hat in the ring for the MVP discussions.

2. Jim Shorter – Queenstown Wave Shorter is still young, in just his third major league season, but he’s already putting up great numbers. His average is a bit lower than most other all star selections at .261, but he’s hit 7 homers, and leads all left fielders with 24 RBI.

3. Corey Ballinger – Kobol College Twins Ballinger is hitting .296 with 16 driven in. The speedy left fielder has also stolen 9 bags this season. He’s played every position in the outfield so far this season for the Twins, and is yet to commit an error while racking up 6 outfield assists.

Right Fielders

1. Rusty O’Leary – Tauron City Bulls O’Leary is making a good case for his fourth career all-star selection, hitting .309 with 15 home runs and a whopping 40 RBI. He’s also responsible for 8 outfield assists, with only 2 errors.

Orlando Lucero – Caprica City Buccaneers Lucero isn’t doing any one thing spectacularly this year, but his doing just about everything well. He’s hitting .306 with 9 homers and 23 driven in. Lucero has also scored 26 runs.

3. Horan Toovey – Ersia Elephants One of the bright spots for the last place Elephants this year has been Horan Toovey, who is hitting .314 with 23 runs driven in. The hard throwing right fielder has also thrown out 6 runners from the outfield.

Center Fielders

1. Jamie Marnoch – Lumiere Reds Last year’s Colonial Cup Finals MVP is back at it again, hitting .320 and driving in 23 runs. Marnoch has 62 total hits, with 31 runs scored.

2. Sharidan O’Fallon – Reidi Drillers O’Fallon would be making his third career all-star game this year. He’s hitting just .267, but has 8 home runs and 24 driven in. O’Fallon also has 12 outfield assists.

3. Jed Acker – Hadrian United Acker is hitting .298 with 28 batted in and 25 runs scored. The United center fielder has also left the yard 6 times this year.

Catchers

1. Alonso Calderon – Reidi Drillers Calderon is hitting just .257, but when he connects it goes far. The Picon native has 13 home runs with 34 driven in. He’s crossed the plate 21 times himself. Calderon is slugging .544 with an OPS of .872.

2. Scott Wilbourn – Itar Aces Wilbourn was the league MVP last year, and while his numbers are drooping a tad this year, he would still be in line for his 5th career all-star appearance. He’s hitting .305 with 25 driven in. With a keen eye at the plate, Wilbourn has also walked 21 times this season, bringing his OBP up to .376.

3. Rick Densmore – Fateu Blaze Densmore is hitting right on the .300 line with 7 home runs. He’s driven in 27. The Canceron native has also thrown out 7 potential base stealers.

Pitchers

Starter: Nelson Nihane – Luminere Reds Nihane has a 6-2 record this season with a 1.87 ERA, allowing only 16 runs in 77 innings. The Aerlonian righty allows just under 1 walk or hit per inning, and has a K/9 ratio of 5.6

Starter: Cameron Teall – Hadrian United Teall is an impressive 8-1 in 11 starts this season, but has had some help from his offense, as his own ERA is over 3. Still, a 6.2 k/9 rate is great, and a WHIP of 1.28 is respectable. Teall is making the most of his first year with the United after being traded from the Arrows, where he was 5-10 with an ERA over 5 last year.

Starter: Carl Conner – Ersia Elephants Carl Conner has the worst record in the league at 3-9. Despite that, he would get my vote to the all-star team, as with any other team in the league he’s probably closer to 9-3. Conner has an ERA of 2.73 with a WHIP of 1 flat and a K/9 Ratio of 8.2. All of which are on pace to be career bests.

Reliever: Rino Casamonica – Itar Aces The Aces found a diamond in the rough when they offered Casamonica a minor league deal. Converting him from a starter to reliever seems to have done the trick, as the one time struggling righty has yet to allow an earned run in over 20 innings of relief work. Casamonica has a WHIP of .82, and a K/9 of 5.2 this season.

Reliever: Sean McClung – Caprica City Buccaneers McClung has been a workhorse out of the pen for the C-Bucs this season, appearing in 23 games and working 32 innings. McClung has been rock steady in that time, with an ERA of 1.39 and a K/9 of 10.6. (38 strikeouts in 32 and a third innings). The Caprica City native also enjoys huge support from his hometown fans.

Closer: Keely Mobbs – Reidi Drillers Mobbs has blown just 1 save in 14 tries, while maintaining a 1.71 ERA and a WHIP of 1.29. Mobbs is a free agent after this season, and is putting on a good showing for potential suitors.

(shoutout to Hankyu Braves for the awesome card template)

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Complete Challenger League Coverage weeks 11 and 12

A new team at the top
Move over Panthers, the Promethea Pirates are the new top dogs in the Challenger League. The Pirates are on a massive heater, 9-1 over their last ten, and coming off back to back sweeps of the Storm and Lightning. The men in grey outscored their opponents 41 to 11 over the last two weeks.

Dust Valley also surging
Because of the Pirates’ incredible run, the Dust Valley Riders fell to third in the league. But they aren’t too concerned, as they are also running hot. The Riders went 7-1 over the last two weeks, losing only a 1 run contest in extra innings to the Argentum Silverstars. The Riders have been getting it done with pitching. Their starters have the 4th best ERA in the league, and their bullpen has the 5th best ERA in the league. They’ve allowed the 3rd fewest runs of all teams in the Challenger division.

Player moves heating up
The trade deadline is still over a month away, but as the season gets into crunch time, many GMs are starting to make moves they think will help position them in a push for promotion. There have been 6 trades over the course of the last week, with arguably the biggest coming between the top and bottom of the table teams. The Prometha Pirates have sent 25 year old rookie Tony Winburn to the Scorpions, in exchange for 2b McGrath Gascoine. Winburn will be a project for the Scorpions, as he’s hitting only .186 with 4 RBI and just a .222 OBP. Still, scouts project Winburn to be a solid middle of the lineup hitter in a few years. Gascoine can provide an immediate impact to the now league-leading Pirates. He was hitting .325 for the Scorpions, with 9 runs scored.

Krill toss no-no
The Opadea Galaxy’s offense is considered one of the best in the league, but that was of no concern to Cahill Orpin, the 30 year old righty for the Mangala Krill. The no-no was a bit unconventional, as Oprin struck out only 3 hitters for his 27 outs, but the defense behind him was good enough to keep the bid intact. Orpin faced only 2 over the minimum, both reaching on walks. The righty is 6-2 in 11 starts with a 3.55 ERA.

Matchup of the Week
The Opadea Galaxy currently hold the final wildcard spot, and they will put that spot on the line in their series against the Spatiu Gol Thunder. The Thunder are currently one game behind the Galaxy for that final wildcard spot.

Full CCL Standings through week 12 of 19

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Complete Premier League Coverage weeks 11 and 12

Fateu Blaze insert themselves into picture
In a relatively quiet two weeks at the top of the table, the Fateu Blaze have taken the opportunity to get within striking distance of the top. The Blaze are 6-2 over their last 8, including a big sweep of the Queenstown Wave. This is the best mark in the league for the last two weeks.

C-Bucs suffer big loss
Bad news for the Caprica City Buccaneers, as they have announced Center Fielder Dave Hendrick is out for the year with a broken kneecap. The Scoripa native slipped while rounding second, and fell on the knew awkwardly while attempting to scramble back to the base. He was hitting .286 with 4 home runs and 12 batted in. Hendrick started the season with the Hadrian United as their left fielder, but was traded to Caprica City in week three and took over center field duties.

Elephants closer to safety
The Ersia Elephants are out of the bottom spot in the table for the first time all season. Their 4-4 record of the last 8 games isn’t an impressive mark by any means, but with the Vipers and Reds trending downward, hope is certainly not lost on the Elephant’s squad.

Vipers in trouble
The Landson Vipers are firmly in the relegation zone after a disastrous 0-8 stretch, the Vipers are now 13 games out of first and, more importantly, 4 games out of safety from relegation. The key weakness for Landson is their pitching. The Vipers are last in the league in every pitching category except walks allowed. They surrender over 5 runs a game, while allowing opponents to hit .310 aginst them.

Matchup of the Week results
The Drillers managed to hold their own and split the series with the Miners two games apiece, but then had a bit of a meltdown as they lost 3 of 4 to the Bulls the following week.

Matchup of the Week
Two teams trying to claw their way into a spot for the Colonial Cup Championship, the Caprica City Buccaneers and the Hadrian United will meet to battle it out. The United took 3 of 4 when these met earlier this season.

Full CPL Standings through week 12 of 22

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Colonial Pyramid Association Announces Renamed Awards

A press conference held this morning at the Colonial Pyramid Association offices on Caprica City announced the new names for the end of season awards handed out to the Colonial Premier and Challenger leagues.

“This is an effort to bring a new sense of perspective to our sport,” said Jim Anderson, spokesman for the CPA. “As well as shining the light on our heritage and our past.”

The new naming convention goes into effect this season. Anderson said the physical trophy designs would be unveiled at the end of season awards banquette. Previous winners of the awards will keep their old trophies and not receive the new ones as replacements.

Below are the new award names, with the explanation given in the official press release:

The League MVP will now be awarded the Globe of Atlas trophy, to represent the task the player completed of hoisting his team to victory.

The Starting Pitcher of the Year will now be awarded the Lightning of Zeus trophy, to represent the ferocity in which the player pitched and dominated.

The Relief Pitcher of the Year will now be awarded the Shield of Ares trophy, to represent the protecting of the team and its lead.

The Best Hitter at Each Position will be awarded the Arrow of Apollo trophy, to represent the distance or accuracy with which they hit.

The Best Fielder at Each Position will be awarded the Wings of Nike trophy, to represent their constant presence and watchfulness over the field of battle.

Finally, a new trophy is being added to the league: The Sandals of Hermes trophy will be awarded to each league’s leading base stealer.


(Sidenote: if anyone wants to come up with some sweet award icons for these, I’d be forever grateful. I’m struggling to make anything that looks good in 40x40 pixels.)

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Complete Challenger League Coverage weeks 13 and 14

Panthers pull away
Apparently the Pailyn Panthers were very offended that they dropped from the top spot in the table last week, as they came out roaring in weeks 13 and 14. The squad from Picon went an impressive 7-1 over the past two weeks, taking 3 of 4 from the Racers and sweeping the Hidden Bay Arrows. Pailyn’s next two series are against the Scorpions and the Islands, currently last and second-last in the league. Its possible the Panthers can lock up at least a guaranteed playoff spot in the coming weeks.

Front-runners complete trade
They may be directly competing for a promotion spot, but that didn’t stop the front offices of Saptiu Gol and Opadea from making a trade this week. The Thunder will be shoring up their bullpen by adding lefty Ed Lewis. Lewis his a .045 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 20 innings worked. Opadea adds yet another bat to its impressive offensive lineup. Steve Garcia will join the Galaxy, he’s hitting .271 with 26 RBI in somewhat limited at bats for the Thunder this season. Garcia is expected to win the starting job over Nelek Olczyk, who’s numbers are way down from an all-star season a year ago.

Wildcard spots still up for grabs
The battle for the playoffs is still a hot one, as eight teams could all still have a chance at the 3 wildcard spots. The Silverstars hold the final qualifying position, but are two games behind the Thunder and Pirates, while only being a game ahead of the Galaxy. The Galaxy and Silverstars will meet for their four games in the final week of the season. Meanwhile the Riders, Vice, Archers, and Racers are all within three games of the wildcard, and all have series yet to play against teams currently holding the wildcard spots.

Matchup of the Week
Dust Valley will try to pick itself up after a disappointing two weeks as they battle the Spatiu Gol Thunder. A good result over the series for the Riders could see them back in the wildcard picture. A bad result will most certainly see them on the outside looking in.

Complete CCL standings through week 14 of 19

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Complete Premier League Coverage weeks 13 and 14

Top of the table remains stable
The Tauron City Bulls are doing what they need to to stay atop the league, with the Miners holding steady in second. Neither team is pulling away from the field, but they’re doing enough to keep their head above the crowd. The parity of the teams here in the Premier League seems to be much closer than those of the Challenger division.

Blaze and Buccaneers lose ground
Despite the lack of movement at the top, poor weeks by the Fateu Blaze and Caprica City Bucs have seen them slip a few games back in the hunt. Fateu was nearly swept by the Luminere Reds, a team currently in a relegation spot. Fortunately a strong Sunday showing kept the Blaze from the sweep, and kept them just 5 games back of the leaders and 4 games out of the second spot in the Colonial Cup finals. The C-bucs went 3-5 over the last two weeks, also dropping them to 5 games back.

Drillers dueling hitting streaks
With a big 2 RBI triple in the 3rd, Troy Poole of the Reidi Drillers extended his hitting streak to 20 games. The right fielder is having a break out year after spending almost all of last year at the AAA level with the Kyros Eruption. The Picon native is hitting .367 this year with 58 total hits and 16 batted in. Not to be outdone, Sheridan O’Fallon, also of the Reidi Drillers, has a 19 game hitting streak going. O’Fallon is a career Driller who signed a huge extension in the offseason. He’s hitting .287 this year with 13 homers and 34 batted in.

Matchup of the Week results
The first time Hadrian and Caprica City met this year, the United took 3 of 4. This time the C-bus fared a bit better, splitting the series at 2-2. Hadrian won the bookend games of the series. United pitcher Riemer Segaar picked up just his second win of the season in game four, throwing 8 innings of shutout ball, while striking out 6. Segaar is now 2-8 on the year with a 5.14 ERA.

Matchup of the Week
The Fateu Blaze look to turn things around as they take on the Hadrian United in a 5-6 matchup in the table. This is a good opportunity for the United to gain some ground and get some wins against a slumping team. The United took 3 of 4 when these teams met in week 4.

Complete CPL standings through week 14 of 22

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Complete Challenger League Coverage weeks 15 and 16

Medium weeks all around at the top
The Pailyn Panthers may have missed a golden opportunity to put the final nail in their claim for the #1 seed going into the promotion playoff. The Panthers could only manage a 4-4 record against two of the worst teams in the league, allowing the rest of the pack to stay within striking distance. Fortunately for the men in red, no one else at the top of the table had a fantastic two weeks either. The Pirates managed to get back two games on the Panthers, and the Silverstars and Thunder remain 4 back of the top spot.

Key injury for the Panthers
Coming at the worst possible time for the Pailyn Panthers is an injury to one of their top relievers, and the lone left-hander in the bullpen. Paul Gow has appeared in half of the Panthers’ games this year, with an ERA of just 2.45 and 18 strikeouts. Gow will miss the rest of this year and most of next year with a torn UCL. He tore the ligament while pitching in a game against the Islanders. With no other left-handed pitchers in the pen, we’ll have to wait and see if the Panthers feel the need to trade for some bullpen help to go after their promotion push.

First 4 out
On the flip side, we know for certain that the Boskirk Brewers, Jonoel Scorpions, Ionian Islanders, and Hedon Lions will not be battling for promotion and will spend next season in the Challenger League. Jonoel still has something to look forward to as Raul Valentine has a real chance at winning the Arrow of Apollo award for catchers.

Matchup of the Week
This one isn’t close. #1 Pailyn Panthers taking on #2 Promethea Pirates. Pailyn with a chance to all but lock up that #1 seed, and potentially put a serious dent in the Pirates hopes for one of the wildcard spots. The Pirates have the chance to put themselves in the driver seat for the remainder of the season.

Complete CCL standings after week 16 of 19

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Complete Premier League Coverage weeks 15 and 16

C-bucs, Aces mount charge
With a big 6-2 record over the last 8 games, including taking 3 of 4 from arch rival and league leading Tauron City, the Caprica City Buccaneers are now just two games out of first place and one game back from the second qualifying spot into the Colonial Cup. The Itar Aces have also crept up the table, moving into a tie for the second spot with the Promethea Miners. The two teams met in week 15 and split their series, but the Aces then took 3 of 4 from the Luminere Reds to move back into a tie with the Miners. The Aces were selected by the computer to be the pre-season favorites to win it all.

Drillers collapse
The Reidi drillers may have doomed themselves with a disasterous 2-6 record over the past 2 weeks, including losing 3 of 4 to then relegation zone team Ersia. Reidi was almost swept by the Elephants, but fortunately for the Drillers Todd Ritchie blew the save in game one of the series. The Drillers are now just two games above .500 and 3 games out of a Colonial Cup berth.

Poole just keeps on hitting
The longest hitting streak in Colonial history is 34 games, by Ashley Butler (then with the Elephants). His streak may be in jeopardy, as Troy Poole has extended his hitting streak to 27 games. Poole is hitting .359 this year with 20 driven in. He was hitting .291 when the streak started. Sheridan O’Fallon, his teammate who was also on a heater, lost his hitting streak at 20 games.

Matchup of the week result
The Blaze and United split their series, each winning one at home and one on the road. The key game in the series was the Sunday contest. The United go out to an early 7-4 lead, but a big four run 6th inning propelled the Blaze to an 8-7 victory. Unfortunately for both teams, their split and performances the next week didn’t allow them to gain any ground on the league leaders.

Matchup of the Week
The Caprica City Buccaneers take on their sister planet’s representative the Kobol College Twins. We’re going to watch to see if the C-bucs can ride this little hot streak they are on to get themselves into a Colonial Cup spot. The two teams split their series the first time they played, with each team winning their 2 road games.

Complete CPL standings through week 16 of 22

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Complete Challenger League Coverage week 17

Panthers, Pirates split crucial series
In what was probably the most important series of the season, the Promethea Pirates and Pailyn Panthers split their 4 game set, each winning once at home and once on the road. Because of this, neither team managed to pull away, but both remained at the top of the table.

Wildcard chase heats up
Not only did the top 2 teams split their series this week, but the Silverstars, and Thunder also went 2-2, losing a game in the wildcard hunt to the Riders and Vice, both of whom went 3-1 over the weekend. Opadea also managed a 3-1 record this weekend, keeping themselves in striking distance at 2 games back.

Lightning and Silverstars deal
In an effort to help secure their wildcard bid, the Argentum Silverstars have swapped 3rd basemen with the Celeste Lightning. Candy McVitty joins the Silverstars, hitting .248 with 32 driven in this season in Celeste. He’s also scored 25 times. On the flip side, the Lightning get a slightly younger and more controllable 3rd baseman in Mike Flores, who is hitting .229 with three homers and 16 RBI in his second major league season.

MVP Watch update
During the first half of the season, Michael Attrill was the runaway pick for the newly named Globe of Atlas trophy. However, Attrill’s numbers have cooled slightly (he’s only hitting .358 with 18 homers and 61 driven in). Meanwhile, Carl Witter of the Hades Vice is putting together quite the career year. He’s hanging with Attrill in the home run category, where he has also hit 18, and RBI, where Witter matches Attrill’s 61. Witter has been more consistent at the plate, however, slashing an incredible .408/.483/.706. He leads the league in all three categories, plus OPS with a 1.191 line.

Matchup of the week
There are no top of the table matchups in week 18, so we’ll specifically call out the Argentum Silverstars vs. the Hidden Bay Arrows, and the Spatiu gol Thunder taking on the Mangala Krill. Both teams will most likely need series wins at minimum to hold on to the final two qualifying spots into the promotion playoffs.

complete CCL standings through week 17 of 19

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The Chase for Promotion

With just two weeks and 8 games left in the regular season, we’re going to take a look at each of the teams still in the playoff hunt, and go over exactly what they need to do to make the playoffs and have a chance to move up to the Premier League next season. The battle for the top 4 spots is extremely close, and should make for some exciting pyramid down the stretch.

Pailyn Panthers


44-24 1st place – 3 games ahead of final wildcard spot

Magic Number for playoff spot – 4 Magic number for 1 seed – 7

Remaining opponents’ win percentage: .434 (4 games each)
Week 18 – Kyros Storm (32-36)
Week 19 – Boskirk Brewers (27-41)

Believe it or not, the Panthers haven’t actually clinched a playoff spot yet. The scenario is quite unlikely, but even a 3-5 record over the last 8 games could see them miss a chance for promotion after sitting atop the table for most of the season. That being said, the computer puts their odds of making the post season at 99%. The Panthers have one of the easiest schedules remaining, as both of their last two opponents are under .500, with the Brewers having never done anything remotely challenging to the top half of the league this season. The Panthers have played well all season, and it would be the biggest collapse in the history of colonial pyramid should they fail to make the playoffs.

Promethea Pirates


42-26 2nd place – 2 games ahead of final wildcard spot

Magic number for Playoff spot – 6 Magic number for guaranteed home series in playoffs – 7

Remaining opponents’ win percentage .426
Week 18 – Olympia Racers (33-35)
Week 19 – Ionian Islanders (25-43)

They certainly can’t be complacent, but the Pirates can feel a relative amount of safety with their position. Missing the playoffs is certainly still a possibility, but if the Pirates go out and get the job done against the one of the easiest remaining schedules in the league, they’ll guarantee themselves the home field advantage for their promotion series. The Racers were in the discussion for a few weeks, but a disastrous July has dropped them out of the playoff picture and below .500 for the season. The Pirates finish their campaign against the Ionian Islanders, the worst team in the league this year. Computer projections put them at 97% to play for a spot in the Premier League.

Argentum Silverstars


40-28 3rd place, tied for final wildcard spot

Magic number for playoff spot – 8

Remaining opponents’ win percentage .515
Week 18 – Hidden Bay Arrows (32-36)
Week 19 – Opadea Galaxy (38-30)

The Silverstars will face their toughest test of the final 8 games in the first game against the Arrows. The Arrows will send Chris Winyard to the mound. Winyard is 7-2 with a 1.91 ERA this season. After that the projected pitching matchups get quite a bit easier, but that first contest is crucial to set the tone and momentum for the series. With the second toughest remaining schedule amongst contenders, every single game could be crucial to the Silverstars’ playoff chances. The week 19 matchup against the Galaxy will almost certainly be featured as the matchup of the week, and has the potential to be played for one of the wildcard spots.

Spatiu Gol Thunder

40-28, 4th place, tied for final wildcard spot

Magic number for playoff spot – 8

Remaining opponent’s win percentage .419
Week 18 – Mangala Krill (31-37)
Week 19 – Jonoel Scorpions (26-42)

Despite having the same record as the Silverstars, the computers give Spatiu Gol a 13% higher chance of securing a wildcard spot, thanks in large part to their remaining schedule. The Thunder have a golden opportunity to maybe even jump into that second place spot and host a playoff series, as they play the weakest remaining schedule in the league. At this point in the season, with this much on the line, a record of 6-2 or worse in these last 8 games should probably be a disappointment to this squad, who have done a good job of slowly rising up through the table this season.

Dust Valley Riders

39-29 5th place, 1 game back of final wildcard spot

Remaining opponents’ win percentage .478
Week 18 – Delphi Legion (33-35)
Week 19 – Olympia Racers (32-36)

As we move into the teams that don’t control their own destiny, the computers think the most likely candidate is the Riders. Dust Valley has a 30% chance of playing for a promotion spot, according to our systems. They play a pretty middle of the road schedule in their final two weeks, with the Legion and Racers being 10th and 9th in the league respectively. Fortunately for the Riders, the Legion pitching staff has been decimated by injury, and Gideon Sneath is projected to make his first career start for the Legion on Sunday. The opportunity is there for the Riders. They’ll need a little help, but the path to the post season is certainly still there for the Riders.

Hades Vice


39-29 6th place, 1 game back of final wildcard spot

Remaining opponents’ win percentage .471
Week 18 – Celeste Lightning (32-36)
Week 19 – Kyros Storm (32-36)

The Hades Vice are led by Carl Witter, the current frontrunner for the Globe of Atlas trophy, and he will have to lift that metaphorical weight of his team to his shoulders to get them into the post season. The schedule is slightly favorable, but the Lightning are starting to heat up as the season comes to a close, having won 5 of their last 6 games. The pitching matchups they face are also tougher than those faced by the Riders. Still, with a player like Carl Witter on the team, anything is possible for the Vice down the stretch.

Opadea Galaxy

38-30 7th place, 2 games back of final wildcard spot

Remaining opponents’ win percentage .529
Week 18 – Heim Blizzard (32-36)
Week 19 – Argentum Silverstars (40-28)

The Galaxy seem to have always been hanging around right there, on the cusp, but could never quite get over the hump this year. The offense is probably the most explosive in the league, but their pitching has held them back. And this time of year, it’s all about the pitching. The simple fact is that the Galaxy need to get the job done against the Blizzard. It’s a team they should beat, and anything less than a 3-1 series win will be a problem. If they want that final week matchup against the Silverstars to be meaningful, they need to take care of business in the clutch. The computer puts the Galaxy at just 7% to make the playoffs.

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Complete Challenger League Coverage week 18

A tie at the top
Thanks to the most well-timed sweep in team history, the Argentum Silverstars have pulled level with the Pailyn Panthers at the top of the table. The Stars’ pitching was lights out, allowing just 3 runs over the four games, striking out 43 Hidden Bay batters. The Panthers, on the other hand, had about the biggest disaster they could, being swept by the Kyros Storm. The Panthers’ offense went completely cold, as they were shut out 3 of the 4 games. Should the same happen next week, there is still the chance the Panthers miss the playoffs entirely. This sequence of events sets up arguably the series of the year next week between the Silverstars and the Galaxy, because…

Galaxy sweep Blizzard, move into playoff spot
In what was almost certainly their most clutch performance of the year, the Opadea Galaxy completed a 4 game sweep of the Heim Blizzard to move into 4th place in the league and that all important final playoff spot. As opposed to the Silverstars, the Galaxy did it with offense, as they have all year, scoring 19 runs over the 4 game stretch. The Galaxy now hold a 1 game lead over the Riders and Thunder for that final qualification spot.

Thunder run out of steam
Nearly mirroring the Panthers, the Spatiu Gol Thunder barely avoided the sweep at the hands of the Mangala Krill. The one game they did manage to salvage could reap huge rewards as they stay just a game outside of the playoff picture. The Thunder’s final series of the season is against the last place Jonoel Scorpions. Krill ace Eric Harp struck out 13 Thunder hitters in game 1 of the series.

Crucial injury for Silverstars
Despite the importance of the sweep, the Silverstars’ locker room was a subdued after their game on Sunday, as the team awaited word on the injury sustained by left fielder Brian Roberts. The news wasn’t good. Roberts, the league’s leading home run hitter with 23, will miss at least 3 weeks with a torn thumb ligament. Roberts has had a season that should at least put him in the conversation for the Globe of Atlas trophy, but he will have to miss the final week and almost certainly the promotion playoff series should the Silverstars make it that far. He could possibly play in the championship series, if the Silverstars were to advance.

Matchup of the week
No questions here, the SIlverstars and Galaxy will battle for spots in the post season. The SIlverstars have a big advantage coming into this series, only needing one win to secure a playoff spot. The Galaxy technically control their own destiny, but a 4 game sweep of the Silverstars would go down as the greatest performance in league history.

Complete CCL standings through week 18 of 19

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Complete Premier League Coverage weeks 17 and 18

Enter the C-bucs
The Caprica City Buccaneers are riding quite the wave right now, and they have taken it all the way to the top of the table. The C-bucs are 9-3 over their last twelve, and have moved from a middle of the pack team to a tie for first place and a spot in the Colonial Cup championship. The pitching is still very much middle of the pack caliber, but the bats have been doing enough to keep the C-bucs afloat and ahead. Brice Brown leads the charge with 16 homers and 49 driven in.

Tauron City can’t figure it out
Former league leaders Tauron City are in the midst of a 10 game losing streak, one of the longest in league history. They’ve lost 11 of their last 12 The Bulls have now been swept by the Buccaneers, Elephants and Twins. The schedule doesn’t get much easier as the next two weeks feature the Queenstown Wave and Promethea Miners. The Wave are having a bit of a down season, but the two time champs are always a challenge, and the Miners currently sit tied with the C-bucs at the top of the standings.

Huge setback for Miners
The Promethea Miners will be making the pennant chase without their star left fielder. Jared Weatherdon will miss the rest of the season with a broken leg. He will possibly miss some of next year as well. The injury occurred away from the stadium. Wetherdon was hitting .379 this year with 21 driven in. He’s recorded 102 hits. He leads the league in OBP with a .488 rate. The Miners had been using a platoon in right field, so former Wings of Nike award winner Eric Hembree will move over and play left. Hembree is hitting .264 this year, with 3 home runs.

Poole’s hitting streak ends
Troy Poole will have to settle for the 4th longest hitting streak in Premier League history, as his streak ends at 27. Poole lost the streak when he went 0-4 in game one of the week 17 series against the Blaze. Apparently not discouraged by his blemished game, Poole has hit consecutively in the seven games since.

Matchup of the Week results
The Caprica City Buccaneers took 3 of 4 from the Kobol College twins en route to the top of the standings. It could have been a sweep, but the Twins managed a ninth inning comeback in game 1 of the series, winning via a walk-off double in the bottom of the 10th

Matchup of the Week
The Buccaneers will be right back in the spotlight, as they take on the third place Itar Aces. This is a crucial matchup for both teams, as it will set the standard for which team has the advantage down the stretch. Caprica city won 3 of 4 when these two teams met in week 2.

Complete CPL standings through week 18 of 22

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Complete Challenger League Coverage week 19

3 teams for 1 spot
What a finish to the season, and we aren’t done yet! Coming into the final weekend, the Silverstars magic number to lock up the 3rd seed was 1. All they had to do was win one game against the Galaxy. After losing both Thursday and Friday games on the road, the Silverstars clinched the playoff spot with a home win on Saturday. That left 1 spot for the Galaxy, Riders, or Vice. Thanks to their two home wins, the Galaxy controlled their own destiny. A win on Sunday and they were in. Both the Riders and the Vice needed a win and the other two teams to lose. Well, as fate would have it, the Galaxy lost an incredibly close 4-3 game thanks to a 9th inning walkoff, the Vice completed a 4 game sweep of the Storm, and the Riders shut out the Racers to force a three-way tie for the final playoff spot.

The playoff format
There will be two games played to determine the final wildcard spot and final team with a chance for promotion. The three teams will be given the designation A, B, and C. Teams A and B will play game 1, with A being designated the home team. Then the winner of that game will play team C in game 2, with team C being designated the visiting team. Designation is determined by record against the other tied teams. The Dust Valley Riders went 3-1 vs the Vice and 2-2 vs the Galaxy, for a 5-3 combined record. This is the best of the 3, meaning they were given first choice of designation. The Riders chose to be team C, and only have to play one game to earn the spot, despite the fact that they will be the away team. The Galaxy went 2-2 against both the Vice and Riders, which was good enough for 2nd place of the three teams. They chose designation A, meaning they will be the home team in first wildcard game. The Vice, by virtue of the 1-3 record against the Riders, were left to fill team B, and will be the visitors in the first wildcard game.

Panthers top league, Pirates close second
Not to be overshadowed by the playoff drama, congratulations to the Pailyn Panthers for finishing at the top of the table and winning the Colonial Challenger League regular season. The Panthers will host the winner of the play-in tiebreaker in a best 2 of 3 series to see who is promoted to the Premier League. The Promethea Pirates finished a game behind the Panthers, and will host the Argentum Silverstars in a best of 3 for promotion.

Thunder drop out in final weekend
The Spatiu Gol Thunder will be watching the post season at home this year after their collapse in the final two weeks of the season. The men in purple made their task more difficult in week 18 by losing 3 of 4 to the Mangala Krill, but could have forced a 4 way playoff tie had they won 3 of 4 from the last place Jonoel Scorpions. Unfortunately for the Thunder, they could only manage a split, losing a heartbreaker on the final day of the season to punch their tickets home. Losing 8-1 to entering the bottom of the ninth, the Thunder managed a good rally, but could only put 4 runs on the scoreboard and lost 8-5.

Complete CCL standings through week 19 of 19

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Complete Premier League Coverage week 19

Miners Sweep Vipers, Hold on to first
The Promethea Miners are back in front as their heater continues with a sweep of the Landson Vipers. The Miners took care of business against the league’s last place team in impressive fashion, outscoring the Vipers 24-6 over the course of the 4 games. Promethea’s starting pitching was dominant: Dirk Winters through a complete game 3 hit shutout in game two, while Jack Kennison allowed just one run in 8 innings of work in game four.

C-bucs split with Aces, stay in Colonial Cup spot
In our Matchup of the Week, the Caprica City Buccaneers and the Itar Aces split their 4 game set, with each team winning once at home and once on the road. That puts the C-bucs 2 games back of the Miners for the top spot, but still one game clear of the Blaze and Aces for the wildcard. The Aces fall 3 games back of the Miners, and join with the Fateu Blaze, who took 3 of 4 from the Ersia Elephants and are also now 3 games back of the top of the standings.

Vipers, Reds, Wave nearing relegation
The Landson Vipers are now 9 games out of the safety spot, with just 12 games left in the season. Still, there is still hope for the squad, who was just swept by the league leading Miners. Their final 3 series are against the Reidi Drillers, the Luminere Reds, and the Caprica City Buccaneers. The C-bucs series will be a challenge, but the Vipers could at least have a fighting shot against fellow cellar dweller Reds and the slumping Drillers. Meanwhile, the Wave, the team they are chasing, plays one of the toughest schedules in the league for their last three series, taking on the Twins, United and C-bucs. The Twins are desperate for wins, as they try to get their name in the hat for the Colonial Cup. The Reds are just three games behind the Wave, close their season with the Elephants, Vipers and Bulls, and with that schedule may also be able to jump out of the relegation zone. The week 21 matchup between the Reds and Vipers may very well decide which of the two teams stays in the Premier League.


Matchup of the Week
The Itar Aces and the Fateu Blaze are tied for third place in the Premier League, each with a record of 42-34. Both teams will look to break that tie as they square off in an ever important week 20 showdown. This may very well be the end of one team’s Colonial Cup hopes. Itar won 3 of 4 when the two teams met earlier this year.

Matchup of the Week #2
The Kobol College Twins are 4 games out of 2nd place and a chance to play for the Colonial Cup. A 3 win series or, better yet, a sweep, could get them right back into the hunt for that spot. The Queenstown Wave are 3 games above relegation and could really use some wins the bolster their chances of staying in the top division. On the flip side, losing 3 or 4 games to the Twins could mean they fall into the relegation zone. There will be plenty on the line when these two teams meet in week 20. Queenstown won 3 of 4 when the two teams met in week 4.

Complete CPL standings through week 19 of 22

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The Hunt for the Cup

There are three weeks and 12 games left for each team in the Colonial Premier League season. Four of the twelve teams have a shot at being in the top 2 and playing for the Colonial Cup. The Twins are also still alive, but will need a lot of help to get there. Here’s a look at the stretch run for each of the teams.

Promethea Miners

45-31 1st place – 3 games ahead of final qualifying spot

Magic number for playoff spot – 8 Magic number for 1st seed – 11

Remaining opponents’ win percentage .539
Week 20 – Tauron City Bulls (38-38)
Week 21 – Caprica City Buccaneers (43-33)
Week 22 – Fateu Blaze (42-34)

The Miners have one of the toughest schedules of any team in the league coming down to the wire, as they will close the season against two teams that are trying to oust them from the top spot. In a way, this is a good thing, as the Miners control their own destiny and every win makes that Magic Number go down a little quicker. On the other hand, every loss is magnified and the competition is that much more fierce. Still, the Miners are the hottest team in the Premier League right now, and if they can keep the momentum going will find themselves battling for the Colonial Cup.

Caprica City Buccaneers

43-33 – 2nd place, hold final qualifying spot, 2 games out of first

Magic number for playoff spot - 12

Remaining opponents’ win percentage .474
Week 20 – Landson Vipers (27-49)
Week 21 – Promethea Miners (45-31)
Week 22 – Queenstown Wave (36-40)

The marquee matchup will obviously be the week 21 showdown with the Miners, potentially with home field advantage in the Colonial Cup on the line. Outside of the that, the C-bucs have a relatively easy path to the post season, facing two relegation level teams in the final three weeks of the season. But those may be trap games, as both the Vipers and Wave will potentially be fighting to stay in the Premier League, and may give that much extra effort to win.

Fateu Blaze


42-34, tied for 3rd place, 1 game out of final qualifying spot

Remaining opponents’ win percentage .548
Week 20 – Itar Aces (42-34)
Week 21 – Tauron City Bulls (38-38)
Week 22 – Promethea Miners (45-31)

The Blaze have a great chance to take things into their own hands with two series against teams tied with or ahead of them in their final three. That does mean that the path won’t be easy, by record the Blaze have the toughest schedule to close out the year. But with great challenge comes great opportunity, and the Blaze have been rising to that challenge as of late.

Itar Aces


42-34, tied for 3rd place, 1 game out of final qualifying spot

Remaining opponents’ win percentage .522
Week 20 – Fateu Blaze (42-34)
Week 21 – Reidi Drillers (38-38)
Week 22 – Kobol College Twins (39-37)

Not that the last two weeks of the season will be easy, by any means, but you have to think the signpost for how the season will end for the Aces will be their matchup with the Blaze this upcoming week. The matchup with the Twins is also intriguing, as the Twins schedule coming into that week is light (more on that in a second), so there is a chance that series may have a lot riding on it as well.

Kobol College Twins


39-37 – 4 games out of final qualifying spot

Remaining opponent’s win percentage .500
Week 20 – Queenstown Wave (36-40)
Week 21 – Ersia Elephants (36-40)
Week 22 – Itar Aces (42-34)

The only real reason the Twins still have a shot to be a surprise entrant into the Colonial Cup is their week schedule. If the Twins can take care of business against the Wave and Elephants, two teams they shouldn’t do worse than split against, than the matchup in the final week vs the Itar Aces could have playoff implications. The Twins have been ravaged by injury this year, but if they can put that behind them and mount a late season comeback, it will be one of the best stories in Premier League History.

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Playoff Results

Vice win game 1

Galaxy second baseman Steve Garcia did everything he could to get his team one step closer to the playoffs, but it wasn’t enough, as the Vice take down the Galaxy 5-3 and secure a home game against the Riders in the final play-in game.

Garcia went 4-4 with a homer and drove in all three of his team’s runs, but in the end it was the pitching that doomed the Galaxy to another year in the Challenger league.

The Vice’s offense was a total team effort, with their 7 total hits coming for 6 players. Mark Cullinan and Murray MacKintosh drove in two runs apiece for the Vice. Conway Argentine picks up the win for the Vice, despite going just 5 innings. He allowed 2 runs on 4 hits, struck out 2 and walked 3. He improves to 8-5 on the year.

The Vice take on the Dust Valley Riders in Hades on Canceron tomorrow.

Dust Valley Punches Their Ticket

The Dust Valley Riders will be the 4th and final team playing for a chance at promotion to the Premier League, thanks to their 2-1 victory over the Hades Vice.

We’ll never know if it was fatigue, pitching, or a mixture of both, but the Vice’s offense didn’t have the same pop as it did against the Opadea Galaxy yesterday. The Vice managed just one run on 4 hits, and didn’t put a runner on base after the 5th inning.

Greg Greening gets the win for Dust Valley. He went 7 strong innings, allowing just the 1 run while striking out 5. He improves to 6-6 on the year. Este Della Vedova picked up his 20th save of the season, a 6 out affair, where he didn’t allow a hit and struck out two.

Dust Valley’s offense wasn’t an oppressive force either, but did enough to eek out the W. Paul Maxwell went 2-5 with a leadoff double in the third. He came around to score what would ultimately be the winning run.

The Riders move on to the Promotion Finals where they will take on the Pailyn Panthers in a best 2 of 3 series. Games 1 and 3 if needed will be on Picon. The other side of the bracket features the Promethea Miners hosting the Argentum Silverstars. A Miners win would probably mean a flip of Aerilon teams, as the Landson Vipers are almost a sure lock to be demoted to the Challenger league following the season.

Note: Coverage of the Challenger Playoffs will be posted after the end of the Premier League regular season, as we switch our focus to the hunt for a spot in the Colonial Cup

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Complete Premier League Coverage week 20

Top teams take care of business, open bigger lead
Both the Miners and C-bucs did what they needed to do against lower quality teams, winning 3 of 4 games, to maintain their spots in the Colonial Cup Championship. This sets up next week’s clash between the two to be the most important series of the season. More on that below.

Matchup of the Week result
It wasn’t the best result for either side, but it wasn’t the possible total disaster either. The Fateu Blaze and Itar Aces split their series, causing each team to drop another game back of the Buccaneers. Each team won a game at home and a game on the road. The highlight of the series was game two, when Ercole Gabrieli threw a complete game 2 hit shutout for the Blaze. He only struck out 2 batters, but the defense was behind him all night.

Matchup of the Week #2 result
The Twins are doing what they can. Kobol College also managed to win 3 of 4 this weekend, but unfortunately they didn’t get the help they needed from the top two teams, so they stay 5 games out of a shot at the title. Unfortunately, the Twins’ window is getting smaller and smaller.

Caprica City’s offense heating up
Caprica City powered their way through the 4 game stretch with the Landson Vipers, scoring 28 runs over the course of the series. The offense was led by Kenny Eldred, C-bucs short stop, who went 10 for 15 with 3 driven in and 4 runs scored. Eldred was named player of the week for his efforts. On top of that, 1st baseman Brice Brown went 4-4 with three home runs in game one of the series, driving in 6 runs in that contest alone.

Vipers nearing relegation, fire skipper
The writing may have been on the wall for Vipers manager Christian Luffman, but it was made official today. Luffman is out as the Viper manager. Luffman is 270-258 with the club, making the playoffs 3 of the first 5 years in the league. However, his team will almost certainly be the first club relegated under the new system. The Vipers are 27-50 this season.

Matchup of the Week
Another pretty obvious pick this week, as the Caprica City Buccaneers and the Promethea Miners battle for the top spot in the table. Not only is the series important for the two teams playing in it, but also for the Aces and Blaze. Should one team sweep the other, that second place spot will be wide open for the taking. Even with a split series, if the Blaze or Aces sweep their own series, they would move into a tie with the C-bucs for second place.

Complete Premier League standings through week 20 of 22

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Complete Premier League Coverage week 21

C-Bucs top Miners, move into tie
The Caprica City Buccaneers took 3 of 4 from the Promethea Miners to move into a tie at the top of the Premier League table, with both teams being 2 games clear of the next closes competitor. The C-bucs won three games in regulation, while it took the Miners 13 innings to take the Saturday contest. Caprica’s closer, Daryl O’Daal, picked up two of the three saves. He blew the save on Thursday, but thanks to his offense picking up the winning run in the bottom of the ninth he got the win. O’Daal leads the league with 25 saves.

Blaze try to keep pace
The Fateu Blaze did just about everything they could to keep pace with the league leaders, as they took 3 of 4 from the Tauron City Bulls. Blaze 3rd baseman Werner Macfie led the charge with two home runs and 7 hits in 16 tries over the course of the series. He also drew 2 walks. With the wins, Fateu remains 2 games back of the Colonial Cup.

Tauron City sinking like a stone
Just six weeks ago, the Tauron City Bulls sat at the top of the table and looked like a favorite to play for the Colonial Cup. Then came the ten game losing streak, and the downward spiral has kept on turning. With their 3 losses to the Blaze, the Bulls sit just three games above the relegation zone. While that sounds safe with only 4 games to play, their opponents for the final week of the season will be the team directly below them, the defending league champion Lumineere Reds. Should the Reds sweep the Bulls next week, the once unthinkable would happen: the Bulls would be relegated after sitting in the first place spot for more than 6 weeks. There isn’t really any one thing you can point to as to why the team has fallen off so quickly. There have been no major injuries or trades. The momentum seems to have just gotten on the wrong side of the squad from Tauron. All it will take is a single victory to be safe, but with Tauron City’s struggles as of late, even that may be a large ask.

Aces need a miracle
Thanks to a split series over the weekend, the Itar Aces are still alive for the Colonial Cup, but only just. The Aces are three games out of a qualifying spot, and will need a sweep plus a lot of help to get in. Because two of the three teams above them are playing against each other this week, the Aces’ only hope is that the C-bucs get swept by the Queenstown wave. It will be impossible for the Aces to jump both the Blaze and Miners, so they need Caprica City to take themselves out of the picture in order to have a chance.

Matchup of the Week
The Fateu Blaze will meet the Promethea Miners with a spot in the Colonial Cup Finals on the line. The Blaze are two games back, meaning they need to win 3 of 4 to force a tiebreaker game, or sweep the series to get into the Colonial Cup outright. There is also the chance that the C-bucs fall out of the picture, but most experts agree that this series is pretty much a playoff series in its own right.

Complete Premier League standings through week 21 of 22

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Sidenote 1 - Hey folks, sorry for the brief hiatus. Unexpected death in the family had me out of town for a few weeks. Right at the high point of the season, too. But we’re back, with quite the finish…

Complete Premier League Coverage week 22

A tie at the top
Through 21 weeks and 88 games, the top two teams in the league have been identified. But exactly which one finishes first and second is yet to be determined. The Caprica City Buccaneers and the Promethea Miners finished deadlocked at 52-36, tied for first and second in the league table. They will compete for the Colonial Cup, but not before the teams play a one game playoff to determine who has home field advantage in the Colonial Cup Championship.

Tauron City collapse is complete, the Bulls are Relegated
The Bulls are the true heartbreak story this season, sitting at the top of the table just seven weeks ago. But after a sweep by the Luminere Reds, the Bulls will not be in the top division next season. The fall for Tauron City has been remarkable. The team won just 3 of its last 24 games of the regular season. Injuries played a small part, as they always do, but no “franchise” players went on the DL for a significant amount of time during the stretch. The starting pitching just let the team down; Bulls starters had a combined ERA of 4.37, and gave up the second most home runs in the league.

Reds, Wave breathe sigh of relief
The Luminere Reds did not sweep any series all season long – except the one that mattered the most. With their backs against the relegation wall, the Reds mustered an incredible sweep of the Bulls to stay in the Premier League for another season. The Reds will have to figure out the offense if they want to stay up after next season; Luminere had the lowest batting average and highest strikeout totals in the league this season. But, they have the chance to figure that all out and stay in the top league next year.
The Queenstown Wave are also thanking their lucky stars after the league’s final Sunday. They managed to win just one of their last four against the C-bucs, but that one was good enough to keep them out of the relegation zone.

Vipers heading to Challenger as well
There was less drama in the final relegation spot, as the Landson Vipers have held it for most of the season. Finishing last in almost every major statistical category, the Vipers will have work to do down in the Challenger League to even get back into the Premier League picture.

Complete Premier League standings through week 22 of 22

Sidenote 2 – Is there anyway to be able to skip the mandatory playoff game OOTP is forcing to break the tie? Since the two teams are the playoff teams anyway, it seems pointless to me to have a game that is literally just to determine home field. But, if it has to, that game will happen. Lots of ties this season. Hope that isn’t a trend.

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Challenger League Playoff Results!

Riders pull the upset
The Dust Valley Riders will play in the Premier League last season, thanks to their two game sweep of the heavily favored Pailyn Panthers. The Riders are the epitome of getting hot at the right time, winning 4 consecutive games to get into the tiebreaker, then winning the tiebreaker game, and now taking two in a row from what is arguably the league’s best team to earn a promotion. This result will sadden many colonial nostalgists, as the storied rivalry between the Pailyn Panthers and the Caprica City Buccaneers will have to wait at least one more year to pick up again.

Riders right hander John Covey was named the series MVP for his game 1 performance. Covey through 8 innings of shut out ball, allowing 5 hits while striking out 6 and walking none. The Rider offense didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard, but Covey did enough to keep his team in the game and eventually allow them to prevail in the pitcher’s duel.

Game 1

Game 2 was a higher scoring affair, with big innings on both sides. The Panthers struck first, getting to Dust Valley Starter Greg Greening and putting up 4 in the second. Greening was chased after allowing five runs in just three innings. Fortunately for the Riders, they found their own big inning in the 5th, matching the Panthers by putting 4 on the board and chasing their starter. Jerry Chute led off the 6th with a double, and then Stephen Miternowski drove him in the tie the game.

We remained deadlocked all the way to the 11th inning, when a leadoff walk was followed by Paul Maxwell hitting a two run homer to walk off the series for Dust Valley.

Game 2

Silverstars sweep Pirates
The two playoff series had an oddly familiar ring to them. They were almost mirrors of each other. Both were kind to the lower seeds, as the Argentum Silverstars also managed to pull off a two game sweep of the higher seeded Promethea Pirates, and both required the final run to be scored by a walk off in extra innings. Silverstar catcher Evan Clemmons earned the series MVP honors, going 5 for 9 and homering in each of the two games.

Game 1 started off looking like a pitcher’s duel, but the Silverstars found their offense in the middle innings, putting 7 on the board by the end of the 6th. The Pirates managed two in the 7th, which chased starter Ethan Wanlace, but it wasn’t enough to mount a comeback. Wanlace was fantastic for the Silverstars, allowing just two runs while striking out 8 in 7 and 2/3rds.

Game 1

Much like the other series, Game 2 took a comeback from the home team to secure the series, but the Silverstars managed to pull it off. Once again, pitching ruled for Argentum, with starter Bryan Lange going 7 strong innings, allowing only two runs. With 2 on and just 1 out in the bottom of the 12th, the Pirates made the risky decision to intentionally walk Brian Stevenson (hitting .359 with 13 home runs this season), to load the bases for Tim Jensen (.292 this season). Jensen delivered a bloop single to left field to win the series for the Silverstars.

Game 2

Congratulations to the Argentum Silverstars and Dust Valley Riders for earning promotion to the Colonial Premier League!