THE RIPPLE EFFECTS OF EAST COAST ELITE’S BREAKUP

Last offseason, ERL’s surprise shake up led to the formation of two new clubs - East Coast Elite and Voodoo - and drove a good deal of the offseason activity. This winter it is the breakup of East Coast Elite – after just one season – that thus far is driving much of the offseason player movement around MAW.

Voodoo looks to be sticking around for 2022, although with a different-look roster than what they ran out in 2021. Sources from a rival club tell us that the two principal members of East Coast Elite, Devin Torres and Kenny Stengel, have agreed to join Voodoo for the 2022 season. Those same sources indicate that former NY Meat Vin Lea will also be joining Voodoo next season, with team captain Jordan Robles, David Wood, and Jeff Lopes figuring to be holdovers. Voodoo finished third at the Mid Atlantic Championship last fall and this rumored roster would – at least on paper – make them a a more regular fixture throughout the season and perhaps just as much (if not more) of a post-season threat.

The breakup of East Coast Elite also sent Gino Joseph in search of a new team. That search has led him back to his old team, the Stompers. Gino will be returning to the team he spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons with. The Stompers will return their 2021 core of captain Brice Clark, Sean Ryan, Nate Cruz, and Wyatt Zuspan. In addition to Joseph, the team looks to be adding veteran Kris Morse. Clark and Joseph should form a solid 1-2 punch atop the rotation, Morse & Zuspan have the ability to pitch one quality game per tournament, and Cruz & Ryan will be looked at to spark the offense as they did in 2021.

REIMAGINING THE RIDLEY PARK TEAMS

The rosters of the three MAW squads from the Ridley Park Wiffle®Ball League have never been static. There was substantial shuffling of the RPWL tournament team rosters in the off seasons before the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Going into 2020, the Blueballs dissolved as Cam Farro headed to the Longballs and Zane Johnston, Dennis Donegan, and Austin Bleacher joined the Blueballs. To make room on the Shortballs, Jack Liberio and Vinny Albanese were let go, which lead to the formation of their new team, the Dirtballs. Last offseason Liberio formed the Aces, pulling Farro from the Longballs and Johnston, Donegan, and Teddy Drecher from the Shortballs. The Shortballs added Pat Farrell and Tyler Nachbar to make up for those departures.

If the first official 2022 RPWL team announcement is any indication, this offseason will see the most substantial movement among Ridley Park rosters over the past few years.

In mid-December RPWL announced that the returning members of the Ridley Park team that debuted at last year’s United Wiffle®Ball National Championship – Sean Bingnear, Teddy Drecher, Cam Farro, and Noah Silverman – will team this year in MAW. This new squad takes one member from each of the three 2021 RPWL clubs while Silverman (a RPWL rookie in 2021) switches over from the York Yaks. The team will likely have a 5th player who has yet-to-be-determined.

This news figures to have a significant downhill impact on the other RPWL teams and could perhaps lead to a complete re-imagining of those teams.

The other two Ridley Park teams – and it is important to note that RPWL has not said whether there will be exactly three RPWL teams again in 2022 – could simply build off their remaining cores from the 2021 season.

In that scenario, the Longballs would be returning Dylan Harshaw, Colin Pollag, and Brendan Boas. That team could use one or two additional pitchers. Frankie Campanile recently indicated on social media that Tyler Nachbar has left the Shortballs for 2022 and if Nachbar plans on playing in MAW next season, the Longballs would be a likely landing spot for him. They could also go with their 2021 United Wiffle®Ball team by adding Nate Smith, Dennis Donegan, and potentially Greg Myers. Meanwhile, the Shortballs would start with a core of Frankie Campanile, Smith, Pat Farrell, and Vinny Albanese, assuming Nachbar is already out that door. The Shortballs could also use another pitcher – even if Smith stays put – and Zane Johnston would seemingly fil well in that role.

But what if RPWL chooses this opportunity to remake the other two teams without worrying about prior affiliations? If they went that route, would they try to make the other two teams as balanced as possible or go with clear second and third string teams? With all the talent that the league possess, there are nearly an endless array of ways in which the other players and team(s) could ultimately shake out.

HERE & THERE

Just moments after winning their first National Championship this past October, the Juggernauts announced the signing of the Lemonheads’ Ray Lutick for the 2022 MAW season. The reigning Mid Atlantic champions might not be done adding, however. The champs appear to be at least exploring the possibility of adding a 6th player to their roster as they eye a 2nd straight Mid Atlantic title . . . As of last word, the return of the Great Lakes Legion in 2022 is up in the air. Team captain Grant Miller hopes to put together a team for the entire tournament season, but if not, Miller and teammate Mike Hogan are also fielding offers to join existing teams . . . MAW is partnering with the Wiff is Life League to return to the Pittsburgh area for the first time since 2018. The final details are still be sorted out, but the plan is for a major mid-season tournament that can potentially bring together Mid Atlantic regulars, Midwest squads, and several western/central Pennsylvania teams/leagues who have expressed interest in competing in MAW . . . Although they have not yet made it official yet, ERL is expected to add Rob Longiaru for the upcoming season, bringing their roster to six players total. Longiaru likely ends up as a part-time player for the two-time Mid Atlantic champs, with two to three tournaments and the post-season as a likely schedule . . . The Dragons have been relatively quiet this offseason, but they will be a regular fixture at 2022 MAW tournaments. As usual, the Dragons will be powered by their two-man core of Nick Lea and Mike Bucci . . . John Polanco and Pete Slater could return to the Dragons in 2022 but that is not necessarily locked in, at least as of earlier in the offseason . . . It is highly likely that there will be both a York Yaks and Way Too Beautiful-esque team in MAW this year, similar to the Yaks/Y2B situation from last year . . . Another player effected by the East Coast Elite breakup is Mike Weiner. The experienced right-hander is good for 1-2 quality starts in 2-3 tournaments and would be a good add for most teams . . . In addition to Weiner, there are several interesting free agents – both part time and fulltime options – who have made their availability known, all of whom could provide a potential boost to many teams . . . The Bombers out of the New Jersey – who made their competitive debut last August at Wiffle®Bash and competed at the United Wiffle®Ball NCT – are expected back for at least a couple of tournaments this summer.