The 20th 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.
10:30am- Introductions begin (done by Al Etter & Jake Lambert)
- Player intros, Alumni recognition, Hall of Fame announcement, First pitch, anthem.
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 - Goodfellas v. Flapacamingos
- As per tradition, the champions get to kick the day off on Field 1, and in this one they'll take on the only other squad that has 5 titles. It's a battle of the two most successful teams. One, returns basically the same team, while the other underwent significant changes this offseason. These teams are facing off for the 19th time, the most frequently played matchup in tournament history. The Flapacs lead the all-time series 10-8, but the Goodfellas have the edge in the postseason, 3-2. This is anticipated to be a matchup of 2x Cy Young winners, Justin Geri v. Ryan Ricci, as the pitching matchup.
11:00am - Field 2 - Bert Brigade v. Ironballs
- The last time these two squared off was in the semi-finals last year and also in the final window immediately before that. What we saw in that matchup, was one team peaking and another running out of gas. The semifinal saw a tournament record, as Bert put up 38 (!!) runs, in a 38-15 victory that more closely resembled a high scoring NFL game than a wiffleball matchup. And with Bert winning the game in the final window before that, 15-4, that set up the rematch which clearly Ironballs did not have the ability to contend with at that point. A record 53 runs scored in two games is also a tournament best. Putting this game in the first window gives not only a semifinal rematch, but Ironballs a chance at revenge right out of the gate. Pitching matchup is expected to be Ken McCormick for Bert v. Allen Cruz for Ironballs.
1:00pm - Field 2 - Goondingos v. PA Pork Missiles
- Usually this can be tabbed for the biggest shitshow of the day. The annual "No walks" game, these two squads typically are set for a good bit of fun. But given the Porkers re-tool and the expanded strike zone and set schedule, both teams may end up viewing this as a "must-win". It'll be interesting to see how these two feral animals coexist when there could be perceived that something is actually on the line. On paper, the Porkers may have a better roster, but the G'Dangs lead the all-time series 3-1. On the plus side if both teams view it as important, we could get a Dan Volpe v. Jeff Ronchetti pitching matchup. Otherwise, it's likely we'd see Ryan Hutchings or Patrick Hennessy against Justin Baeringer or Ballbag Weber on the hill.
1:40pm - Field 2 - Flapacamingos v. Ironballs
- Two years in a row, this was the matchup that decided a playoff spot. The Flapacs, coming off of a title in '23, threw vet Al Etter in game 1 in '24. That didn't go well. He never got an out and left down 5-0. The Ironballs made it 8-0 before the Flapacs ever got to hit. Ironballs struggles throwing strikes emerged and let the Flapacs back in the game, but ultimately they fell short. Last year, the Ironballs surged against ace Ryan Ricci, once again taking a lead before ultimately surrendering it this time, only to win on a walk off walk in one of the tournament's crazier games. This game is a rivalry, as much as some involved insist it's not. These two teams feel that they are the most important game on each other's schedule, as it usually means the winner goes to the playoffs and the loser probably will not. Expected pitching matchup for this could just be kitchen sink vs. kitchen sink. We'll have to see what pitching is left for each team by then. In reality, I would think it'll be Allen Cruz for Ironballs and probably, with redemption in mind, Ryan Ricci for the Flapacs with the Berkowitz brothers in quick relief.
2:20 - Field 2 - Bert Brigade v. Goodfellas
- A rematch of last year's title game (and 3 others). This is one of the classic all-time rivalries, and given that this is in the last window of the day, this one could mean anything. Both teams are in opposite divisions, so there's no direct title or playoff spot necessarily on the line. But given the strength of this year's overall field, it's possible that this game decides not just playoff seeding, which it likely will, but might just be for a playoff spot on the whole. Bert, as we've said before, might be down an arm. It is unclear who will step up for them. Will they use McCormick against other competition earlier to get to that much coveted two-win mark. Two wins usually are enough to get in to the playoffs. Or will they try to get those 2 without using all of his innings and use him here, to try and earn a top overall seed. How will the Goodfellas line up their arms? Are they going to prioritize this game, or will they try to hold back for a possible postseason re-match? With this game in the last window, it's impossible to tell. All we know, is regardless of when and where this is played, this is always a matchup to watch.
What to watch for:
- In the 20th overall tournament, there are only 2 men who will have participated in all 20. Flapacs captain Jake Lambert, and Goodfellas captain Rocco Lombardo, will reach that milestone in the first game of this year's event, together.
- There are 19 players who have played in at least 10-tournaments. Ironically, there are no current active players set to reach that mark this year, as the only player who at this moment has played in exactly 9 tournaments, is '26 Hall of Fame inductee, Kris Lapsley
- There are potentially, up to 5 players who could reach the 80-games played mark this year. Al Etter (78), Mike Tedesco (78), Brian Stanzione (77), Ryan Ricci (75) & Jeff Ronchetti (74) could all get there, based on lineups and team success.
- Goondingos IF/P Jeff Ronchetti needs 8 hits to be the 4th player to reach 100-career hits. He could also become the third player to 20 career pitching wins (18) and more impressively, become the first pticher to reach 300 career strikeouts (292).
- Bert's RHP Tony Donato, if he participates, is also within reach of 20 career pitching wins (17)
- Goodfellas P/IF Justin Geri needs 6 HR to reach 40-career HR and 4 RBI to reach 100-career RBI. Geri also is within reach of 20 career pitching wins, which would make him anywhere from 3rd to 5th to reach that milestone, depending on what others do.
- Goondingos IF/P Ryan Hutchings needs 5 HR to become the 4th player to reach 40-career HR. He also could reach 10 career pitching wins, with two more.
- Bert's LHP Ken McCormick, could reach 10 career pitching wins with one on Saturday.
- Flapacs RHP Ryan Ricci, with 4 innings, would reach 200 for his career.
- Goodfellas pitching duo Mike Tedesco (195) & Justin Geri (189), could both reach 200 career strikeouts
- Pork Missiles RHP Dan Volpe could reach 100 career strikeouts, with 18 on Saturday.
- The all-time saves record is still two (2). Nick Smaniotto (hasn't participated since WP3) and Matt Creamer (absent since WP10) still are tied for it. There are now 17 others with exactly one. Does any one want to take this very getable record??
- Should the Flapacs or Goodfellas win, they would become the first team to reach 6 titles. It is a race that has been almost 20 years in the making, as the Flapacs have lead or been tied for the lead in overall titles since the tournament's inception. If it is one of these two, they would account for 55% of the overall championships in tournament history. There have only been 8 different franchises to win this thing in history.
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