The 19th Wiffleball Championship of the World kicks off Saturday as is tradition, and it should be full of the same excitement and great competition as always. Below we line out for you some of the more interesting stories and give you the overall layout and timeline for the day.
Day's schedule:
8:00am - Fields open for optional bp/practice (DO NOT use dirt areas)
10:15am- Players are asked to arrive by 10:15 in order to settle entry fee's, get intro information correct and meet with their teams.
- The earlier you arrive, the easier parking will be. There is limited street parking on the east end of Old Farm Drive. Teams and players are encouraged to carpool where available. Additional parking is available on the west end of Old Farm Drive and some other limited space on Brewster Road. Both of those however are longer walks. Drop off zones in the cul-de-sac of the east end of Old Farm Drive can be used to unload tents, coolers, spectators, etc.
10:40am- Introductions begin (done by Al Etter, Jake Lambert & Mike Tedesco)
11:00am- First set of games begin
3:10pm- Playoffs begin
4:20pm - Championship begins
Approx 5:30pm - Swanberg Cup is awarded and the tournament is complete.
Schedule Highlights:
11:00am - Field 1 - Bert Brigade v. Goondingos
- As per tradition, the champions get to kick the day off on Field 1, and in this one they'll take on the squad that usually isn't asked to participate in this window, but you'll get (maybe?) their best effort in the first game. This is anticipated to be 3x Cy-Young Winner Tony Donato v. former Cy-Young and Goondingo ace, Jeff Ronchetti as the pitching matchup.
11:40am - Field 1 - PA Pork Missiles v. Goodfellas
- A rematch of one of last year's semifinals sees the Pork Missiles and G'fellas face off again. Last year, Cy-Young winner Dan Volpe tossed one of his 3 no-hitters in this matchup, sending Pork to the title game for the 2nd time in 3 years.
1:00pm - Field 1 - Bert Brigade v. PA Pork Missiles
- A title game rematch pits these two against each other once again. Last year's championship (a 15-5 win for Bert) was marked with some controversy, as for the 2nd time in history, the fence rule came into play in the title game. The first time it was Bert, back in 2018, as Sawyer Brown fell into the fence giving Goodfellas a 5-run boost, that ultimately led to them winning WP12 by a score of 7-3. Last year didn't see the penalty end as a deciding factor, but it certainly changed the course of the game, as Pork led at the time of the penalty, 4-3. They will get another shot at Bert this year, in this game.
1:00pm - Field 2 - Flapacamingos v. Goodfellas
- The oldest active-running rivalry is renewed, as the 5x champion Flapacs take on the 4x champion Goodfellas. These two will face for the 18th time, as the Flapacs hold the all-time rivalry 10-7 but the G'fellas hold the edge in the playoffs, 3 games to 2. It's possible the pitching matchup here will be a battle of all-time legends as well, as Ryan Ricci could be making his 11th career start against G'fellas, while Mike Tedesco & Justin Geri could be making their 7th & 6th starts respectively against the Flapacs.
2:20 - Field 2 - Bert Brigade v. Ironballs
- Our other semifinal rematch occurs in the final window of the day, as Bert and Ironballs face off for the first time since the narrow 7-5 victory that send Bert to the title game last year. This late in the day it's hard to predict what we'll get in this game, but while Bert have won 6 straight against IB (including 3x in the playoffs), these two teams always play each other close.
What to watch for:
- If the Goodfellas reach the title game, captain Rocco Lombardo could become the first player to particpate in 100 games in tournament history
- Flapacs C/1B Al Etter needs 5 runs scored to be the first to 100 in tournament history
- Flapacs P/IF Ryan Ricci needs 1 home run to reach the 40-HR club. He also needs 11 1/2 innings pitched to reach 200 career-innings.
- Goodfellas P/IF Justin Geri needs 6 home runs to reach the 40-HR club
- Goodfellas IF Brian Stanzione needs 5 RBI to reach the 100-RBI club, while teammate Justin Geri needs 7 RBI to reach the same feat.
- Goondingos RHP Jeff Ronchetti needs 2 wins to reach the 20-win club. He also will be the first pitcher to eclipse 200 career innings with just 3 innings pitched. He can also be the first ever pitcher to 300 career strikeouts, with 20 on Saturday.
- Bert Brigade RHP Tony Donato can reach 200 career strikeouts with 14 on Saturday
- Goodfellas RHP Mike Tedesco can also reach 200 career strikeouts with 20 on Saturday
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