World Baseball Classic 54 (IC thread)

by **StrayaRoos** » Fri Apr 01, 2022 5:44 pm

StrayaRoos EMUS
Record:16-18
Previous WBC Apperances:53 (Group Stage)
Manager:Ter,44 (0-0 [senior],2-4 [U18])
Retired Numbers:2(Ter,IBSXV-WBC53)

Starting 9
1:Yuaj Kuy,22,Pitcher, Panem University Phoenix Baseball (National University Athletic Association)
14:Zane Vqa,19,Catcher,Pale Phillies (StrayaRoos Pro League)
3:Greg Qta,15,1st Base,Pale Phillies Youth (StrayaRoosYouthBaseball)
4:Qee,25,2nd Base,Ghosts Baseball (StrayaRoos Pro League)
5:Tyu Red,36,3rd Base,Pale Phillies (StrayaRoos Pro League)
6:AJ Iop,32,Short-Stop,Panem City Baseball (StrayaRoos Pro League)
7:Luy,17,Left Field,Panem University Phoenix Baseball (National University Athletic Association)
8:Terry Rea,25,Center Field,Panem University Phoenix Baseball (National University Athletic Association
9:Alan Kiev,18,Right Field,Duomji Wanderers (Empire League)
Pinch Hitter
10:Kij,23,Pinch Hitter,Pale University (National University Athletic Association)
Bench
11:Yuqa,25,Pinch Runner,Pale Phillies (StrayaRoos Pro League)
12:Farek,15,Pitcher,Panem City Baseball (StrayaRoosYouthBaseball)
13:Qayr,34,Pitcher,Adot Amateur Baseball (National Amateur League)
15:Liam Yut,17,pinch Hitter,Panem City High Schools Combined (National Amateur League)
16:Loki Bitea,17,
17:Yual Qua,23,Pinch Hitter,Pale United (Pro League W)
18:Lucilla Treay,23,Pitcher,Panem Revolution (Pro League W)
19:Paul Kingao,33,3rd Base,Coal Coast Baseball Club (StrayaRoosProLeague.2)
20:Junisk,22,Richmond Fire (Pro League W)
21:Harry Loi,19,Pale Phillies (StrayaRoos Pro League)
22:Jamie Werat,21,Panem Revolution (Pro League W)

Batting Order
1:Catcher
2:1st Base
3:3rd Base
4:Short Stop
5:2nd Base
6:Left Field
7:Centre Field
8:Right Field
9:Pinch Hitter/Pitcher

Venue
Circunses Intl. Ballpark (150,000)
the Giant arena is the biggest arena in StrayaRoos and will host all 5 Roosian Home games

RP Permissions
Choose my run-scorers: Y
Choose my lineup: Y
Follow my Pitching Rotation: N/A
Godmod scoring events: Y
RP injuries to my players:Y
Godmod injuries to my players: N
Eject my players: Y
DH used at home: Y
Godmod other events: Y

by **South Americanastan** » Fri Apr 01, 2022 11:22 pm

East of Matamba, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Operation Buzzkill
Stick Polybius, "C" Company
Specialist Frank Monteforte

Frank nervously peered out the open side of the ZB-98 Transport Helicopter, down onto the jungle below. He held his TRR-A1 Assault Rifle by the barrel, it's butt firmly planted against the floor of the helo. His knee sat farther away from the edge, while the toes of his other foot barely hung over the edge of the helicopter. He turned his head backwards, towards the rest of Fireteam Polybius.

"So, what's the target looking like?"

An older man sitting near the back of the helicopter, gruff and looking to be somewhere in his mid 30s, chuckles, before speaking up.

"This must be your first op, huh?"

"Yeah, how can you tell?"

"Anyone who's done this before knows you only figure out once you get there."

"Alright, then. So what do we do?"

The man had to keep himself from laughing

"You follow your intuition" he said, tapping at his head.

The helicopter began approaching a clearing near the Lulua River, circling above the clearing much to the excitement of the men inside. Across the clearing Frank could see 3 more helicopters similarly circling the clearing. The sounds of men racking the bolts back on their rifles and picking up their gear was audible behind him as the craft descended downwards, behind the treeline to mask their exit from any hostiles inside the clearing. The pilot turned back towards the stick.

"GO! GO! GO!"

Frank jumped out of the side of the helicopter, falling three feet before his boots hit the ground with a thud. Putting his shoulder down and trudging forward akin to a football player, he moved to form a perimeter around the LZ. An old AM radio attached to the hip of a nearby soldiers blared old '70s rock while the stick began to form a stick sweep. A voice called through the radio.

"Three-Nine, Pepper Pot"

The stick began moving slowly through the clearing, switching from prone to sprinting seemingly randomly as they moved toward the center of the clearing. The dead silence in the air sent shivers down Frank's spine, it almost felt unnatural to have no communication between stick members. A open palm shot up from the position of the stick leader, and the men stopped and waited. A phosphorus grenade flew from the leader before a calm voice spoke over the radio.

"Send Fireball"

Suddenly, a Lightning Mk 12 Strike Fighter streaked through the air above, firing off munitions towards the place where the grenade lay. A plume of smoke, dust, and dirt rose upwards as the screams of the victims could be heard. Suddenly, AK fire began bursting from the center of the clearing, firing wildly into the brush in an attempt to hit one of the four sticks. Frank raised his TRR-A1 and waited for the figures of the hostiles to become apparent, racking back the bolt of his rifle to make sure a bullet was in the chamber.

A dark figure emerged, holding a rifle and firing it off wildly over Frank's head. Frank sighted the rifle and squeezed the trigger three times.

Krak. Krak Krak.

The figure crumpled to the ground, falling down into a limp mass as the dust from the airstrike cleared. The stick began advancing inwards, the stick lead coordinating the advances with those of the other three sticks, tightening around the group of insurgents like a python tightens around its prey. Careful, precise shots rang out from the sticks in contrast to the unorganized and wild AK fire from the insurgents. Frank continued moving towards the group with the rest of his stick, shifting from prone to a dead sprint in an attempt to avoid fire. He sighted his rifle on a man wearing a beret and firing a pistol, setting the ironsights over his head.

krak krak.

The man nearly immediately fell to the ground, and the remaining insurgents followed shortly after. The men stood up, and began sweeping the area.

"Hey, Frank, you got the motherfucker!" a voice called out.

"What?"

"You got Domingos!"

"You're shitting me, right?"

"Nope, come here!"

Frank walked over to the voice, but as he walked, the cellphone in his pocket began buzzing. He checked it.

Calling...
MICHEAL KELLY

Accept (-)
Decline (-)

by **Liventia** » Sat Apr 02, 2022 1:35 am

Due to the ongoing Winter Olympics, for which Baseball Liventia executives have ~~volunteered to help for some extra pocket money~~ been seconded to help with the organisation, and the current domestic baseball season still ongoing, Liventia will send the same roster as went to WBC53.

Permissions:

Style mod +3

Home stadium
Port Cartfort Park, capacity 24,100; DH used
Home ground of The Saboteurs Baseball Club Port Cartfort (CBL), average home attendance 22,100
Dimensions:
Left foul pole 317 ft; left field 349 ft; left-centre 397 ft; centre field 429 ft; right-centre 402 ft; right field 366 ft; right foul pole 322 ft; wall height 7 ft in left/left-centre; 13 ft in centre; 15 ft in right/right-centre
Right-handed hitters have far more joy at PCP than left-handed hitters. There are also a high number of triples and thanks to the dimensions, inside-the-park home runs are not uncommon at PCP.

The team is colloquially known as the Red-and-Gold, after the colours of the Liventian flag (and their uniforms).

Starting Pitchers

			Age  B/T  Team			G/GS   W–L–SV   ERA   WHIP   K/9   BB/9   FIP-   WAR   PA   H–AB   .AVG/.OBP/.SLG   Notes
#23 Noah Rippin		28   L/R  Dover Bills		28/28  13–4     1.67* 0.61*  14.5* 1.0*   39*    8.2*                               Led league in Ks (286)
  Awards: CBL Pitcher of the Year, All-Star
  Throws: Four-seamer 99-101 mph, cutter, curveball, slider, changeup
#44 Everton Ing		23   L/L  Neverend Gunslngers	30/30* 17*–6	2.22  0.90   10.5  1.6    51     7.9
  Awards: All-Star
  Throws: Four-seamer 98-100 mph, curveball, slider, changeup
#39 Daryl Holden	27   L/R  Dover Bills		29/29  17*–6	2.48  0.99   10.0  1.9    54     7.3				    First WBC selection
  Awards: All-Star
  Throws: Curveball, changeup, four-seamer 93–95 mph, sinker
#4 Ashley Lutley	28   R/R  Wakeford Capitols	29/29  13–5	2.71  1.09   9.3*  2.3    71*    5.5*  73   18–64  .281/.281/.359   Led NBL in Ks (199)
  Awards: NBL Pitcher of the Year, All-Star
  Throws: Four-seamer 99-101 mph, splitter, forkball, slider, curveball, changeup
#79 Marcus Teale	27   R/R  Neverend Gunslingers	27/27  15–6	2.17  0.97   9.8   1.6    59     6.1
  Throws: Two-seamer 98-100 mph, curveball, changeup, forkball
#66 Tom Parry		28   L/L  Cittin Bashers        29/29  9–8      2.35  1.10   8.4   2.0    63     6.2                                Spot starter, first WBC selection
  Throws: Two-seamer 94–96 mph, slider, changeup, four-seamer

Relief and closing pitchers

			Age  B/T  Team			G/GS   W–L–SV   HLD   SV%    ERA   WHIP   K/9   BB/9   FIP-   WAR   Role/Usage			Notes
#20 Doug Rawsthorne	28   L/L  Talbott Hilltops	41/0   3–3–4    15    1.000  1.19  0.79   12.4  2.5    32     2.6   Long/middle relief  
  Awards: All-Star
  Throws: Four-seamer 99-101 mph, two-seamer, slider, changeup
#1 Jonathan Embrey	32   L/L  Talbott Hilltops	58/2   8–2–18   8     .947   1.56  1.07   8.8   1.2    43     3.4   Long/mop-up/stopper
  Awards: 2026 NBL Bullpen Arm of the Year, All-Star
  Throws: Sinker 93-95 mph, curveball, two-seamer
#86 Robin Hambleton	26   L/L  Dover Bills		59/0   9–5–35   0     .946   1.36  0.67   12.7  1.2    46     2.8   LOOGY/middle relief 	First WBC selection
  Throws: Four-seamer 99–101 mph, cutter, changeup
#74 Mitch Henshaw	22   R/R  Schimpol Redbirds     50/0   4–6–27   0     .844   2.49  0.99   14.7  2.6    36     3.3   Middle relief
  Throws: Four-seam 99-101 mph, slider, changeup
#47 Howard Sandercock	22   R/R  Cittin Bashers        56/0   3–4–35   0     .946   1.26  0.87   16.8  3.9    37     4.0   Set-up/occ. closer		
  Awards: All-Star
  Throws: Curveball, sinker 99-101 mph
#31 Kyle Sheffield	26   R/R  Dover Buzzards	60/0   5–3–36   0     .900   1.10  0.89   15.4  2.2    21     4.3   Set-up/Closer
  Awards: LBC Champion, All-Star
  Throws: Curveball, sinker 98-100 mph, changeup
#6 Jake Dominey		36   R/R  Jesner Spin Doctors	54/0   5–2–42*  0     .977   0.75  0.61   17.0  0.9    0      5.3   Closer			FIP of 0 two years running
  Awards: CBL Bullpen Arm of the Year, All-Star
  Throws: Four-seamer 95-97 mph, sinker, curveball

Catchers

			Age  B/T  Team			.AVG/.OBP/.SLG   HR   RBI   BB/SO   OPS+  WAR   IC     PO   A   E   PB   Notes
#9 Harold Welford	27   R/R  City Centre Keys      .307/.411/.623   37   107   77/75   188   7.7   966.2  737  98  12   6   TEAM CAPTAIN
  Awards: All-Star
#8 Nicky Minty		28   R/R  Orean Hawkeyes	.369*/.389/.803* 52*  129*  16/58   224   9.3*  913.2  698  66  10  11   Led league in OPS (1.192), will DH
  Awards: NBL Player of the Year, NBL Swing Batter Swing Award (C), All-Star
#26 Harry Millen	28   R/R  Talbott Sting Rays	.243/.329/.442   21   72    50/56   115   4.4   959.1  836  78  10   5   First WBC selection, backup catcher
  Awards: NBL Outstanding Defence Award (C)

Infielders

			Age  B/T  Pos  Team			.AVG/.OBP/.SLG   HR   RBI   BB/SO   SB/CS  SB%    OPS+  WAR   Notes/other positions
#27 Euan Malloch	27   S/R  1B   Orean Oysters		.322/.437/.664   43   121   86/88   1/4    20.0   208   7.8
  Awards: NBL Swing Batter Swing Award (1B), All-Star
#10 Edward Mull		28   L/L  1B   Jesner Spin Doctors      .315/.365/.659   52*  98    43/81   1/0    100.0  177   6.0
  Awards: CBL Player of the Year, CBL Swing Batter Swing Award (1B), All-Star, CBL Division Series playoff MVP, CBL League Championship playoff MVP
#40 Josh Gwynne		27   R/R  2B   Olympton Raiders         .244/.370/.566   36   74    69/119  28/6   82.4   161   5.7
  Awards: CBL Swing Batter Swing Award (2B)
#31 Corey Martyn        23   R/R  2B   Talbott Sting Rays       .299/.383/.444   8    54    72/101  99/21  82.5   132   5.7   First WBC selection, led NBL in R (119), plays SS
  Awards: NBL Swing Batter Swing Award (2B), All-Star, NBL Challenge Round playoff MVP
#29 Reece Raymont	26   R/R  3B   Pardbo Bisons		.312/.357/.665*  45   103   33/119  26/9   74.3   183   6.9   First season back from major injury
  Awards: CBL Swing Batter Swing Award (3B), All-Star
#22 Francis Stubbins	23   L/R  3B   Weston Misfits		.323/.386/.539   25   67    44/74   44/30  59.5   157   5.9   First WBC selection, plays SS

Outfielders

			Age  B/T  Pos  Team			.AVG/.OBP/.SLG   HR   RBI   BB/SO   SB/CS  SB%    OPS+  WAR   Notes/other positions
#14 Danny Hugill	27   S/L  LF   City Centre Keys		.311/.431/.484   20   68    98/50   67/11  85.9   160   6.4   Plays RF
  Awards: NBL Swing Batter Swing Award (LF), All-Star
#42 Pat Pallant		26   R/L  CF   Jesner Spin Doctors	.315/.333/.631   35   87    12/121  36/9   80.0   160   7.3
  Awards: CBL Swing Batter Swing Award (CF), All-Star
#3 Bradley Appleyard	28   R/R  RF   Jesner Spin Doctors	.295/.360/.568   35   81    40/109  42/10  80.8   153   4.4   Plays LF
  Awards: CBL Swing Batter Swing Award (RF)
#34 Jude Angrove	28   R/R  RF   Talbott Sting Rays	.318/.418/.625   22   56    47/16   7/0    100.0  189   4.1   Injury-hit season, plays 1B/LF/CF

Starting lineups

    v LHP starter, with DH                v RHP starter, with DH                v LHP starter, no DH                v RHP starter, no DH
1.  LF Danny Hugill (S)			  LF Danny Hugill (S)			LF Danny Hugill (S)		    LF Danny Hugill (S)
2.  SS Corey Martyn (R)			  2B Corey Martyn (R)			SS Corey Martyn (R)		    2B Corey Martyn (R)
3.  3B Reece Raymont (R)		  1B Edward Mull (L)			1B Euan Malloch (S)		    1B Edward Mull (L)
4.  1B Euan Malloch (S)			  DH Nicky Minty (R)			3B Reece Raymont (R)		    3B Reece Raymont (R)
5.  DH Nicky Minty (R)			  3B Reece Raymont (R)			C Harold Welford (R)		    CF Pat Pallant (R)
6.  C Harold Welford (R)		  RF Bradley Appleyard (R)		CF Pat Pallant (R)		    RF Bradley Appleyard (R)
7.  RF Bradley Appleyard (R)		  C Harold Welford (R)			RF Bradley Appleyard (R)	    C Harold Welford (R)
8.  CF Pat Pallant (R)			  CF Pat Pallant (R)			2B Josh Gwynne (R)		    SS Francis Stubbins (L)
9.  2B Josh Gwynne (R)			  SS Francis Stubbins (L)		Pitcher's spot			    Pitcher's spot

by **Eshialand** » Sat Apr 02, 2022 7:12 am

The Eshian National Baseball Team
Roster for World Baseball Classic LIV

Nickname: the Owls
Style (if used): +2
Trigram: ESH (common use), ESL (for recordkeeping when ESH won't work)
Team colors: Eshian Blue, Gold, and Purple
Home stadium: Yeshley Field (capacity 47,853), Eshialand City

Head Coach: Ray FROUNTA (M, 54)
Pitching Coach: Terry STRYRE (M, 47)
Batting Coach: Annalise VEHRER (F, 43)

The Roster:

Pitching Rotation:

Bullpen:

Starting Lineup with DH:

(If no DH is used, Brentwood plays at second base and the pitcher bats 9th)

Backups:

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my runscorers: Yes.
Choose my lineup: Yes.
Follow my pitching rotation: Yes.
Godmod scoring events: Yes, but TG me for anything ridiculous.
RP injuries to my players: Yes, but TG me about the duration.
Godmod injuries to my players: No.
Eject my players: Yes, but only 1 within a single game unless you TG me.
Godmod other events: Yes, but TG me about it.

Please don't use images and say they represent my players. They probably don't. Lastly, feel free to TG me about anything! I always appreciate collaboration.

by **Eshialand** » Sat Apr 02, 2022 8:09 am

Today's Dreams, Tomorrow's Memories
Part I: Missing Home is Harder than it Looks

Somewhere in Canada, March 14^th, 2017

"Hello and welcome to Channel 3 News, I'm your host Randall Devestre. The Great Lakes Rebellion, as it has come to be known, rages on today with even more ground being lost to the rebels in northern Ontario. The Prime Minister has been looking into..."

What makes the world what it is today? The world as we know it is a sum of all the past events that have affected it, that much is known. But what makes these events happen? What is the spark that lights the match that turns the world upside-down?

For 17-year-old Lucas Heddermaier, this spark will never be known. A high school senior living in Ontario, just to the north of the rebel occupation line, the origin of those rebels and their blue, white, and yellow flag will never quite be certain. All he knows is that there's a war raging on not far from his home, and that things were unlikely to be the same ever again.

Ring! Ring!

Lucas checked the caller ID on his phone, and the worry on his face turned into a smile. It was his girlfriend Bianca, the one person on the entire planet who could distract him from anything no matter how serious. He muted the TV, picked up the phone, and started catching up with his sweetheart.

"LUCAS!!! ETHAN!! PACK YOUR BAGS, WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!!!"

What the heck? Why was Lucas' mother asking him to pack his bags?

"Mom--"
"Lucas, honey, we don't have much time. I never thought those rebels would get here, but... we have to get out. We have to get to safety somehow."
"I thought we weren't leaving!"
"I said that because I thought we'd be safe, I thought the rebels would never make it past Westlayville... but we have to get out of here."
"O--- okay. Fine, I guess."

But all was not fine for Lucas. His town, the town of Vaynorth, was his home. Everything he had ever known was there... Bianca was there. How could he say his last goodbyes to the place... to the one... that he loved?

Five hours later...

Regretful thoughts fill Lucas' head as his family drives farther and farther away from home. Assuming that the rebels draw the border at the Ontario-Manitoba border, it would be a long while before the Heddermaier family would be anywhere near safe. The only good news to be had was that the rebels would likely be crushed; they wouldn't draw their borders, they wouldn't take their land, and the Heddermaiers could return home... but if the rebels won? No, that could never happen, their "leader" was a 13-year-old who never even asked for war. No way they win.

No way in the multiverse.

by **Gortolekua** » Sat Apr 02, 2022 8:37 am

Baseball Gortolekua
presents
The Gortoleki National Baseball Team

The sport that manages to captivate over half of the country while confusing the other less than 50% of it(damn you, Gortolans), Baseball Gortolekua is proud to announce its first ever national baseball squad.

Ballparks
To celebrate and attempt to popularize the sport nationwide, Baseball Gortolekua will be holding its five home matches at three different ballparks—all members of the Top Baseball League of Gortolekua (TBL). Please note any specific rules that apply for each ballpark.

Kyynel Lane
Nicknames: Kovakuometsä
Location Suurihyökkäys, Näytteet Province
Dimensions: LF Line: 327 ft; LF: 363 ft;
LCF: 387 ft; CF: 406 ft; RCF: 394 ft;
RF: 357 ft; RF Line: 345 ft
Capacity: 39,410
DH: Yes
Hosting: United Adiakes, MD1
Known for its many trees surrounding the ballpark, Kyynel Lane is the home of TBL powerhouse Kyynel PK—the first sporting division within the Kyynel PK sporting club. Without a doubt, this is a pitcher’s ballpark. You’ve got long ways and reaches for any ball to get out, and it’s a wee-bit more challenging for left-handed batters. The low elevation really makes the good fielding stand out here.

Salmia Supernova
Nicknames: The Observatory
Location Salmia District, Seinät Capital City
Dimensions: LF Line: 358 ft; LF: 361 ft;
LCF: 368 ft; CF: 406 ft; RCF: 407 ft;
RF: 364 ft; RF Line: 339 ft
Capacity: 36,678
DH: No
Hosting: Nova Anglicana, MD2; Milchama; MD10
Neighboring Astraalitaso’s football grounds, the Seinät Cosmos’ home park is also on the National Observatory’s former land. A higher elevation here, given the need for a land’s original purpose, makes this place a bonafide hitters’ park. And naturally, there’s a starburst pattern on the field because this is, after all, the Salmia Supernova. Fielding dimensions make it better for lefties to hit it out of the park, but honestly your grandmother could hit it out of the park.

Mustamaa Park
Nicknames: The Marbled Room
Location Aurinkolasit, Mustamaa
Dimensions: LF Line: 323 ft; LF: 323 ft;
LCF: 348 ft; CF: 401 ft; RCF: 394 ft;
RF: 355 ft; RF Line: 327 ft
Capacity: 44,290
DH: Yes
Hosting: Second Peenadian, MD4; Bardney, MD8
An entire stadium built of marble, Mustamaa Park is the country’s only sporting venue to be listed as a National Heritage and Historical Site for its architectural beauty and design. While in practice, it is a “domed stadium,” this ballpark’s roof is leveled off, albeit built extremely high to account for any pop-ups (if a ball hits the roof, it’s a dead ball). Playing wise, this is probably the most controlled of the Gortoleki ballparks. Very even playing field all around.

[/u]Rosters[/u]
[i]Name - Position - Batting/Fielding - Age
Catchers
Adrian Bautista - C - R/R - 29 y/o
Hamish Beck - C/1B - R/R - 34 y/o
Benigna Lusk - C - R/R - 20 y/o
Infielders
Joakim Villalobos - 1B/C - L/R - 24 y/o
Sylvester Svensson - 2B - R/R - 29 y/o
Grizel Lund - SS - R/R - 18 y/o
Elin Lozano - 3B - S/L - 23y/o
Kjell Ríos - 3B - R/R - 20 y/o
Halldóra Toledano - 1B - R/R - 25 y/o
Che McEachern - SS - L/L - 21 y/o
Veronika Santiago - SS - R/R - 30 y/o
Eulàlia Buchanan - 2B - L/L - 32 y/o
Outfield
Amanda Stefansson - LF - R/R - 25 y/o
Alba McCallum - CF - R/R - 31 y/o
Gil Menéndez - RF - L/L - 24 y/o
Frej Peura - CF - R/R - 27 y/o
Gunvor Ready - LF - S/R - 22 y/o
Clemens McKinney - RF - 25 y/o
Ovidia Steffensen - S/L - CF/RF - 30 y/o
Armando Pilkvist - R/R - LF/CF - 28 y/o

Pitchers
Starting Rotation - In Preferred Order
Anxo Lindbeck - RHP/RHB - 29 y/o
Tomás Johansen - LHP/LHB - 30 y/o
Jerónimo McWilliam - RHP/RHB - 25 y/o
Joakim Hansen - RHP/RHB - 31 y/o
Natalie Bello - LHP/RHB - 32 y/o
Bullpen
Dagmar Gordon - LHP/LHB - 19 y/o
Philip Olson - RHP/RHB - 31 y/o
Guðni Nieto - RHP/SHB - 23 y/o
Quirino Haraldsson - LHP/LHB - 30 y/o
Pacífica Orellana - RHP/RHB - 36 y/o

Starting Lineup without DH
1. Toledano
2. McCallum
3. McKinney
4. Bautista
5. Ríos
6. Svensson
7. Ready
8. Santiago
9. Pitcher’s Spot

Starting Lineup with DH
1. Toledano
2. McCallum
3. McKinney
4. Bautista
5. Lund
6. Ríos
7. Svensson
8. Ready
9. Santiago

RP Permissions, if you RP first
Choose my starting lineup: TG First
Choose my starting pitcher: TG first
Choose how I scored: Y
Godmod baseball events: Y
RP injuries to my players: No more than two players per game, three game injuries split between two (e.g. one is out for two games, the other is out for one; alternatively, you can injure one for three games — TG first for this one)
Godmod injuries to my players: N
Eject my players: TG me first
Godmod other events: Can your opponent RP events not related to sports? As long as nobody dies and it’s funny, I’m down. TG first
Use DH at home: Refer to stadium info!

by **Banija** » Sat Apr 02, 2022 10:15 am

Banija National Baseball Team

Coaching Staff
The current manager, Isaac Oladipo, is in his first year as the manager for the Banijan national team. He was a member of the Banijan coaching staff for WBCs 46-50, which includes the WBC 47 title winning team. For good performances, he was hired as the manager for the Super-Llamaland national team. After clashes involving data-driven analytics v. more traditional uses of player evaluation and strategies coincided with performances below expectations in the baseball blue blood, he was fired after WBC 53. But this coincided perfectly with his former boss's retirement, as Ousman Kakay orchestrated his hiring in Banija.

Like his predecessor, he is an old school manager, less into analytics and more into traditional baseball thinking. He believes in the strength of this team, which are his starting pitchers- he is much more likely to leave a starting pitcher in too long rather than pull them out too quickly. He also strongly rejects the idea of a "bullpen game."

With a new manager, he decided to make his mark on the staff and hire a brand new staff entirely.

Manager- Isaac Oladipo. 63 years old.
Bench Coach- Addo Jassey. 44 years old. 1st year with the national team. Came from the pro ranks.
Hitting Coach- Fanding Soley. 57 years old. 1st year with the national team. Came from the college ranks.
Pitching Coach- Essa Ngom. 53 years old. 1st year with the national team. Came from the pro ranks.
1st base Coach- Idirissa Condé. 49 years old. 1st year with the national team. Came from the pro ranks.
3rd base Coach- Suntukung Savaneh. 64 years old. 1st year with the national team. Came from the pro ranks.

WBBL = Western Banijan Baseball League, Banija's top-flight professional baseball leauge.
If they have never played in a WBC and this is their first cycle, they are italicized.

Batting Order with DH
1 SS Mesuli Calata. 30 years old. Right-handed. Aggressive on basepaths, extremely fast, decent defensive player. Very aggressive in terms of decisions to steal and what not. Plays for the Sun City Flames in the LPB.
2 3B Moses Oneko. #17. 26 years old. Right-handed. Alumnus of Kizza I College. Makes a lot of contact, does not hit for much power.
3 1B Malik Soley. #30. 33 years old. Switch-hitter. Straight up superstar, face of the team. Can also play right field, and has a big arm, although he does not have much range. Throws with right hand. Hits for both power and average, easily the team's most dangerous hitter.
4 DH Luxolo Mbeki. 31 years old. Left-handed. Strong hitter, also plays first base and catcher. Hits for power but a decent average as well. Plays for the South Falls Athletics in the LPB.
5 LF Nyaniso Hani. 32 years old. Right-handed. Hits for average but not much power. Has a strong arm and a lot of range, regarding as an elite defensive player.
6 RF Ugonna Akachi. 19 years old. Right-Handed. Hits for a lot of power, but very little average. Big arm, but very little, if any, range in the outfield. Plays for Northern Moravica University.
7 2B Cedron Aloo. #4. 26 years old. Right-handed. Alumnus of Hangaza Tech, WBBL Player.
8 C Anathi Zimema. #57. 27 years old. Right-handed. Plays at Bunyoro A&M.
9 CF Joanna Adoyo. #22. 22 years old. Female. Right-handed. Known as a speedy, defensive specialist. Plays at Lake Alexandre State, WBBL player. Was on WBC 53 as a bench player, first classic as a starter.

Bench with a Designated Hitter
OF Joya Komani. 23 years old. Left-Handed. Alumnus of the Kabaka's Military College(Army).
1B/C Efulida Chazaso. 25 years old. Female. Right-Handed. Alumnus of Wild Valley University.
2B/SS Ipe Chafukwa. 21 years old. Female. Right-Handed. Plays at Bunyoro A&M University.
3B/LF Ebrahima Sillah. #88. 27 years old. Right-Handed. Alumnus of the University of Moravica. WBBL Player.
C Ambala Odero. #99. 28 years old. Right-Handed. Female. Alumnus of Bunyoro A&M. WBBL Player.
OF Sarjo Corr. #15. 33 years old. Alumnus of Bunyoro A&M. Left-Handed. Alumnus of Lake Alexandre State. WBBL Player.

Batting Order without DH
1 SS Mesuli Calata. 30 years old. Right-handed. Aggressive on basepaths, extremely fast, decent defensive player. Very aggressive in terms of decisions to steal and what not. Plays for the Sun City Flames in the LPB.
2 3B Moses Oneko. #17. 26 years old. Right-handed. Alumnus of Kizza I College. Makes a lot of contact, does not hit for much power.
3 RF Malik Soley. #30. 33 years old. Switch-hitter. Straight up superstar, face of the team. Can also play right field, and has a big arm, although he does not have much range. Throws with right hand. Hits for both power and average, easily the team's most dangerous hitter.
4 1B Luxolo Mbeki. 31 years old. Left-handed. Strong hitter, also plays first base and catcher. Hits for power but a decent average as well. Plays for the South Falls Athletics in the LPB.
5 LF Nyaniso Hani. 32 years old. Right-handed. Hits for average but not much power. Has a strong arm and a lot of range, regarding as an elite defensive player.
6 2B Cedron Aloo. #4. 26 years old. Right-handed. Alumnus of Hangaza Tech, WBBL Player.
7 C Anathi Zimema. #57. 27 years old. Right-handed. Plays at Bunyoro A&M.
8 CF Joanna Adoyo. #22. 22 years old. Female. Right-handed. Known as a speedy, defensive specialist. Plays at Lake Alexandre State, WBBL player. Was on WBC 53 as a bench player, first classic as a starter.
9 PITCHER

Bench without a Designated Hitter
OF Joya Komani. 23 years old. Left-Handed. Alumnus of the Kabaka's Military College(Army).
1B/C Efulida Chazaso. 25 years old. Female. Right-Handed. Alumnus of Wild Valley University.
2B/SS Ipe Chafukwa. 21 years old. Female. Right-Handed. Plays at Bunyoro A&M University.
3B/LF Ebrahima Sillah. #88. 27 years old. Right-Handed. Alumnus of the University of Moravica. WBBL Player.
C Ambala Odero. #99. 28 years old. Right-Handed. Female. Alumnus of Bunyoro A&M. WBBL Player.
OF Sarjo Corr. #15. 33 years old. Alumnus of Bunyoro A&M. Left-Handed. Alumnus of Lake Alexandre State. WBBL Player.
RF/LF Ugonna Akachi. 19 years old. Right-Handed. Hits for a lot of power, but very little average. Big arm, but very little, if any, range in the outfield. Plays for Northern Moravica University.

Starting Pitcher Rotation
All of our starters are tall pitchers who like to throw the ball hard. With the short group stage, the team is opting for a four man rotation, in order to ensure that their best pitchers get to pitch three times during the short group stage, as opposed to a worse pitcher pitching twice.
1 Ramata Kabba. #35. 36 years old. Left-handed. Female. Alumnus of Loyola-Istria. #5 starter during WBC 49, #4 starter during WBC 50 & 51. Her second cycle as the staff's ace. Throws a four seam fastball(up to 96), a curveball, a sinker, and a slider.
2 Faraba Conateh. #44. 33 years old. Right-Handed. Male. WBBL player, alumnus of Hangaza Tech. Throws a four seam fastball(up to 97), a sinker, a slider, and a cutter(up to 90). #5 starter in WBC 50 & 51, dropped to bullpen for the playoffs of both tournaments. Plays for the Sun City Flames in the LPB.
3 Xolile Gola. #77. 29 years old. Left-Handed. Female. Throws a four seam fastball(up to 94), a slider, a sinker, and a curveball.
4 Ava Odoyo. #70. 30 years old. Right-Handed. Female. Throws a four seam fastball(up to 97), a sinker, a slider, and a circle-change.

Bullpen
LRP Zamekile Mbizo. #79. 25 years old. Right-handed. Male. Throws a four seam fastball(up to 96), a curveball, a slider, and a changeup.
LRP Duka Kondana. #74. 25 years old. Right-Handed. Alumnus of Loyola-Jinja. WBBL Player.
MRP Naiser Ibeamaka. #17. 20 years old. Right-Handed. Plays at Sankt Adelheid University.
MRP Mizpah Askari. #45. 31 years old. Female. Left-Handed. Alumnus of Ankole College for Creative Studies. WBBL Player.
MRP Ismaela Ndour. 28 years old.RIght-Handed. Plays for Northern Moravica University.
MRP Arad Akech. 28 years old. Right-Handed. Alumnus of Kabakono University.
MRP Lwazi Fassie. #29. 33 years old. Left-Handed. Alumnus of the Kabaka's Military College(Army).
SU Oyella Lagum. #13. 27 years old. Right-handed. Alumnus of University of Kitara.
CL Yoro Coulibaly. #41. 37 years old. Right-Handed. Alumnus of Istria City College. WBBL Player. Long-time middle reliever, promoted to closer at WBC 53.

Group Stage Pitching and Stadium Schedule
Opening Day: Eshialand(16) @ Banija(6). Starting Pitcher- Ramata Kabba. Stadium: Istria City Baseball Diamond(cap. 41,000) in Istria, Moravica.
Matchday 2: The 189(30) @ Banija(6). Starting Pitcher- Faraba Conateh. Stadium: Istria City Baseball Diamond(cap. 41,000) in Istria, Moravica.
Matchday 3: Banija(6) @ Nueva Orinoquia(UR). Starting Pitcher- Xolile Gola.
Matchday 4: Huron League(UR) @ Banija(6). Starting Pitcher- Ava Odoyo. Stadium: Capitol Proving Grounds(cap 29,000) in Busukuma, National Capitol Region.
Matchday 5: Banija(6) @ Norrhem(53). Starting Pitcher- Ramata Kabba.
Matchday 6: Banija(6) @ Eshialand(16). Starting Pitcher- Faraba Conateh.
Matchday 7: Banija(6) @ The 189(30). Starting Pitcher- Xolile Gola.
Matchday 8: Nueva Orinoquia(UR) @ Banija(6). Starting Pitcher- Ava Odoyo. Stadium: Warrior Field(cap. 33,000) in Mynda, Aksum.
Matchday 9: Banija(6) @ Huron League(UR). Starting Pitcher- Ramata Kabba.
Matchday 10: Norrhem(53) @ Banija(6). Starting Pitcher- Faraba Conateh. Stadium: Osumba Ball Park(cap. 36,800) in Herzegovina City, Moravica.

Knockout Stage Pitching Schedule
On the Banijan calendar, for a five game series- Games 1 and 2 are Monday and Tuesday, Games 3 and 4 are Thursday and Friday, Game 5 is on Sunday. Game 1 of the following series is the day after Game 5 was scheduled to take place. On the Banijan calendar, there is a 7 day break between the end of group play and the start of the knockout stages. Banija also uses a 5 man rotation for the group stages, and a 4 man rotation for the knockout stages.

Round of 32 v. Murderbum
Game 1: Ramata Kabba
Game 2: Faraba Conateh
Game 3: Xolile Gola
Game 4: Ava Odoyo

Round of 16 v. Kohnhead
Game 1: Ramata Kabba
Game 2: Faraba Conateh
Game 3: Xolile Gola

Quarterfinals v. Quintessence of Dust
Game 1: Ramata Kabba
Game 2: Faraba Conateh
Game 3: Xolile Gola
Game 4: Ava Odoyo

Semifinals v. Quebec & Shingoyreo
Game 1: Ramata Kabba
Game 2: Faraba Conateh
Game 3: Xolile Gola
Game 4: Ava Odoyo

On the Banijan calendar, for a seven game series- Games 1, 2, and 3 are Monday-through Wednesday. There is an off day on Thursday, and then Games 4-6 are Friday-Sunday, there is an off day Monday, and then Game 7 is on Tuesday.

Championship Series v. South Newlandia
Game 1: Ramata Kabba. 8:00 PM first pitch.
Game 2: Faraba Conateh. 8:00 PM first pitch.
Game 3: Xolile Gola. 8:00 PM first pitch.
Game 4: Ava Odoyo. 7:30 PM first pitch.
Game 5: Ramata Kabba. 4:30 PM first pitch.
Game 6: Faraba Conateh. 6:50 PM first pitch.
Game 7(if necessary): Xolile Gola. 8:00 PM first pitch.

All-Time Records(W-L, Win %):
All-Time AO Baseball Series Record: 11-3, 66.67%
All-Time Olympic Record: 10-10, 50.00%
All-Time LCI Record: 9-1, 90.00%
All-Time WBC Group Stage Record: 265-170, 60.92%
All-Time WBC Knockout Stage Record: 70-47, 59.83%
All-Time WBC Record: 335-217, 60.69%
All-Time Record(All competitions): 365-231, 61.33%

Accomplishments
Champions of World Baseball Classic 47
Champions of World Baseball Classic 51
Champions of AO Baseball Series II
Champions of the Inaugural Londinium Challenge Invitational
Champions of the 4th Londinium Challenge Invitational
2nd place at AO Baseball Series I
3rd place at XI Olympiad in Aeropag, Commerce Heights.
3rd place at 46th World Baseball Classic.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my runscorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: No(I have it all spelled out for you above! You can make in game substitutions for pinch runners/hitters or defensive subs as you see fit, but please follow the lineup as given above).
Follow my pitching rotation: Yes (I have it labeled game by game to prevent any confusion, so please follow! Make pitching changes of course during games as you please, but please do not have other starters coming into a game in relief)
Eject my players:Yes(My manager is a hothead, you can eject him too)
Godmod scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: Yes (Please specify both the injury and the # of games that they will miss)
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes (Please specify both the injury and the # of games that they will miss)
Godmod other events: Yes (Whatever's fair game, but don't godmod scoring events, don't kill anyone w/o my permission, and no COVID/pandemics to effect Banija/any Banijans. Otherwise, have at it!)
Use DH at home: Yes
Other: When we are pitching, they induce a lot of ground balls. The strike out rates aren't terribly high for Banijan pitchers, but they play solid, fundamental defense, and they have strong arms all over the diamond. However, while Banija's rotation is one of the strongest in the multiverse, the bullpen leaves much to be desired, especially the middle relievers, who are well known to be the team's weakest link. For the knockout stages, we'll have one starter in the 4 man rotation available every game for an inning or two out of the bullpen. That is listed in the rotation. If those guys are brought in, it is for an absolute maximum of 35 pitches, however many outs that takes.

by **Tikariot** » Sat Apr 02, 2022 1:08 pm

Tikariot Roster
Trigramme: TKT
Nickname: The Owls

COACH
Manager: Jonathan Villiers, 46 - Taking over from Graham McCrory in an attempt to break the Round of 16 curse, Villiers is a former national team first baseman, who has made a name for himself for thinking outside the box and sometimes refusing to acknowledge the existence of a box.

ROSTER
Starters
LF #12 Anderson Bourget, 22, R - Valghis White Eagles
After the retirement of Michael Romanov, Anderson Bourget is one of the biggest hopefuls within the TBL in the outfield. He has an extremely strong arm that has proven a great asset for the White Eagles, who for a long time had been one of the grey mice of the TBL and are slowly rising with in the ranks of the league. He also has a very powerful swing, but still has to work on the precision as he still produces too many fly-outs, but the raw talent is there.

RF #31 Emilia Chamberlain, 25, L - Thorncliff Venom
Twin sister of Vedonia Chamberlain, she might not be as much of a breakthrough star, but still has seen a remarkable rise to fame within the league. What she lacks in power on the plate, she makes up for with her ability to hit the ball to any side of the ball park, making her a nightmare to defend against. She also throws with extreme precision, which has gotten the Venom several outs that can be attributed to that.

3B #26 Foster Fleming, 25, L - Avanaroch Nightwatch
Foster Fleming has been one of the budding stars of the TBL, but he surpassed even the most optimistic expectations. He promises to grow into an all-rounder, who can contribute both offensively and defensively. Blessed with a strong arm he can cross the diamond with ease and precision also is always good for a home run, unfortunately he is not the most disciplined player and tends to get distracted more than he should. Despite his young age he is, however, the league leader in stolen bases.

C #22 William Carruthers, 34, R - Tikariot Thunderforge
One of the biggest enigmas of the Tikariotian team, Carruthers personifies genius and insanity like no other. He calls the game with the best of them, being one of the TBL's base stealers' nightmares, if it was not for some inexplicable easy errors that some attribute to a few too many stray balls hitting him where they shouldn't. Same goes for his offensive game, which can either be magnificent or go horribly wrong.

CF #67 JJ Bernardetti, 30, R - Port Rhovanyon Paladins
Has a cannon of an arm being able to reach any of the bases from almost anywhere on the outfield, but still has some issues with the precision of his aim. Spotty hitter, often either scoring the homer or going for the strike out.

1B #88 Bronson Ghirardello, 31, R - Elephant Valley United (South Newlandia)
Possesses incredible reflexes, which serve him very well on first base, however his arm is his biggest weakness. He will get the ball where it has to go, but lacks the power to go for the quick throws. His reflexes also help him at the plate being able to adjust to the opposing pitcher very well.

2B #42 Vedonia Chamberlain, 25, R - Thorncliff Venom
Twin sister of Emilia Chamberlain, Vedonia had been a diamond in the rough for a few seasons before finally seeing her breakthrough in the TBL. Blessed with speed, her biggest asset is agility, though. She is able to catch balls and translate them into throws very quickly and accurately, having given her team a remarkable double-play ratio. Combined with Ghirardello's great reflexes to catch balls that might be a little off the beaten path coming his way on first base, these two have formed a formidable team.

SS #2 Carlton Baines, 32, L - Elephant Valley United (South Newlandia)
If there is something Baines excels in, it is speed. He reads the game extremely well and manages to to reach balls (and sometimes bases) that he rationally should not be able to. On the plate he is sketchy at best, adopting an all or nothing attitude that so far has not been to his advantage. When he does make it to a base, though, he uses his speed to steal them very efficiently.

Reserves
RF #33 Yevani Fernandez, 32, L - Alcassar Eagles
Also called the Iceman, Fernandez is one player that will not crack under pressure, even if he is one strike away from the team losing the game. His composure has unnerved opposing pitchers many times and while he is not the most powerful of hitters, his aim is uncanny and he can spot holes in the opponent's defense easily. He rose to prominence with his incredible catch in the third game of the semis of the International Baseball Slam XI, where he stole a surefire homerun and sealed his team's road to the finals. Injury problems have sidelined him for parts of the last season, making him the designated hitter more often than not.

OF #20 Steven Marangoudakis, 33, R - Baraldhur Behemoths
Marangoudakis is the designated hitter of the Tikariot Thunderforge, but has excelled offensively as one of the biggest surprises in the team. With a good eye for the ball and a powerful swing, he can hit with the best of them. The defensive side is his biggest weakness so far, where is average speed has gotten the better of him more than once, but he has been running extra shifts with the fitness coaches to improve in this sector.

OF #52 Kieran Fletcher, 26, L - Kyrinson Cosmos (Super-Llamaland)
Fletcher is somewhat the opposite of Marangoudakis, being blessed with speed and amazing catching skills, however his offensive play is sketchy and has so far kept him out of regular first team action.

OF #33 Søren Christensen, 29, R - Morannon Militia
Christensen is a solid outfield allrounder who, while not known for any particularly outstanding skills, will get the job done wherever the coaches stick him, making him a very dependable squad player, something that might be worth gold in an event as big and long as the WBC.

2B #7 Vincent Pelmore, 30, L - Oriannor Mountaineers
A rock solid player both offensively and defensively. He will get the job done very unspectacularly and rarely will excite the crowd, but he is as dependable as they come.

IF #6 Corey Allen, 32, L - Paladon Citadels
Allen is small, but quick, making up for his lack in size with speed. Given his stature he has had problems with high balls in the past, but if any ground balls come his way, he's your man. Offensively he has a strong swing, just lacks a bit of precision.

IF #16 Stuart Hernandez, 30, R - Newport Dolphins (South Newlandia)
Dependable allrounder with a strong arm and precise throw. He is known to mar excellent performances with sometimes very avoidable errors, but if he is on par, he can double play with the best of them. A solid hitter he is not known for many home runs, but his precise swing has him high in the double statistics in the league.

IF #26 Faitalia Letutusa, 28, R - Alcassar Eagles
Letutusa is the only professional player from the Cardannon Archipelago to date. He is not great in his defensive play outside of his speed, but there are very few players in the nation with a harder swing than Letutusa. With him it is either homerun or at least extra base hit or nothing.

C #27 Rutger Heidenfeld, 34, L - Soharr Scimitars
Heidenfeld is the almost polar opposite to William Carruthers. Where Carruthers is quirky and unique, Heidenfeld is the grey mouse that nobody hardly notices. He is not known for any flamboyant plays, but while he does not show the flashes of brilliance the starting catcher is capable of, he does not have any of the defensive liabilities either.

Starting pitchers
RHP #37 Patrick Lundgren, 29 - Tikariot Thunderforge
Lundgren has the hardest pitch on the team, but while his fastballs should require a gun licence, he is prone to wild pitches that have spelled trouble for his catcher more than the coaches would like to admit, but has been working successfully to reduce these over the course of the last few months. He has been improving his curveball over the last season and is also quite capable with his slider.

LHP #72 Graham Pettersson, 36 - Avanaroch Nightwatch
While not excelling in any of his pitches, Pettersson is a wylie veteran that is very unpredictable with which kind of throw he'll come up with next. He works extremely well with Carruthers in calling the game and this unpredictability is his biggest asset.

LHP #18 Garrett Yarbrough, 33 - Baraldhur Behemoths
Yarbrough had the potential to become the team's top pitcher with a very strong fastball and excellent ball control with both slider and curveball, with the occasional sinker, but his biggest weakness are his nerves. Whereas Pettersson is unpredictable for opponents, Yarbrough can become unpredictable for his own team once things begin to go sideways.

RHP #9 Jayson Carfield, 28 - Xanark Sluggers
Originally a long reliever, Carfield has been promoted to starting pitcher after Anthony Garcia had shown major inconsistencies in his play. A versatile pitcher he has a strong curveball and slider and passable palmball. Despite his age he has has a very calm demeanor, which has helped him during high pressure situations.

RHP #3 Jean-Francois Beauregard, 29 - Paladon Citadels
The successor to De'Andre Stevens both in the Tikariotian league as well as the national team has been making some waves nationally with a wicked fastball with exceptional spin, a tricky slider and what is almost more important, incredible stamina, which means that he can throw further into the game as most other starters.

Bullpen
Long reliever: RHP #11 Tuva Wikberg, 26 - Fastball, curveball. - Ceramadhion Vipers
Long reliever: LHP #1 Santiago Mantillo, 32 - Cutter, screwball. - Emerald Coast Phantoms
Left-handed specialist: LHP #17 Randall McCarthy, 32 - Splitter, slider, palmball. Tikariot Thunderforge
Middle reliever: RHP #41 Devon Cargill, 27 - Sinker, curveball, changeup. - Paladon Citadels
Set up reliever: RHP #13 Flint Carmona, 29 - Knuckle curveball, sinker, changeup. Tovaca Tigers
Closer: LHP #32 Nicholas Canterbury, 31 - Fastball, sinker-slider. Very precise. - Silicon Valley Wizards

Starting lineup (with DH)
1. LF Anderson Bourget (R)
2. 1B Bronson Ghirardello (R)
3. RF Emilia Chamberlain (L)
4. 3B Foster Fleming (L)
5. 2B Vedonia Chamberlain (R)
6. SS Carlton Baines (L)
7. DH Yevani Fernandez (L)
8. CF JJ Bernardetti (R)
9. C William Carruthers (R)

Starting lineup (without DH)
1. LF Anderson Bourget (R)
2. 1B Bronson Ghirardello (R)
3. RF Emilia Chamberlain (L)
4. 3B Foster Fleming (L)
5. 2B Vedonia Chamberlain (R)
6. SS Carlton Baines (L)
7. CF JJ Bernardetti (R)
8. C William Carruthers (R)
9. Pitcher

Stadium:
Oceanview Park is part of Port Rhovanyon's Sports City, a large area close to the ocean front, where several sports facilities are centrally located. The proximity of the 36,000 seater stadium to the ocean front has proven to be a challenge for both pitchers and hitters with a tendency for unpredictable wind currents to interfere with play, leading to a Park Factor of 125.

RP Permissions
My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my runscorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: Yes, within reason
Follow my pitching rotation: Yes
Godmod scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: Yes, within reason
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Eject my players: TG for approval
Godmod other events: TG for approval
Use DH at home: Yes

by **Chromatika** » Sat Apr 02, 2022 2:01 pm

Eye on the Outliers - Five Players to Watch
As the Outliers return to World Baseball Classic play, let us look at the five players that will be under the fans' and experts' microscopes.

5. RHP Hilary Angelou
Getting a bit older with age, Angelou has made the news for her team in the LPB not doing so well - though a trade might be on the horizon. She's ceded the first pitcher spot to Clara Ayonara, nine years her junior, but Angelou was such a huge part of the Outliers' emergence onto the World Baseball stage that she is not an afterthought. If she plays well, it gives the Outliers that formidable one-two punch even before you get to Oscar de Witt, Jerome Delapier, and Miles Savey. Angelou has had history of having bad starts in Group Stages; with only ten games being in the group stage, she must start strong.

4. 3B Edith Ponce
Now getting paid the big bucks at the Vargas City Lions of Super-Llamaland of the LPB (Ayonara's team), Ponce hits at the fourth position for the Outliers, and is the team's big bat. If she is getting RBIS and Home Runs, they'll be in a good spot; if she struggles, it will be more difficult for the squad to get enough run support. How likely is she to pop off? History says pretty likely - though the twenty-four year old is still young.

3. RHP Hine Salle
Though she's been battered from time to time, Hine Salle is still the best closer from Chromatika, and she's even made a name for herself in the LPB as a part of the Walstreim Stingrays. Salle still has the mental edge that sets her apart, but now that she is over thirty, the team needs to manage her pitch count and make sure that she is staying sharp throughout the entire match.

2. 1B Mattieu Gammond
As Gammond ages, his bat is getting weaker - but his defensive prowess and ability to field is becoming more and more prominent. Just how much can Chromatika get away with the lack of production off his bat? That is the question, as other 1B are waiting their time - Gregory Simons and Marea Homaly to name a few. This is still Gammond's job for now - he hasn't done anything to outright lose it yet.

1. 2B Raitis Ranta
After winning the MVP with the Pilots, Ranta was picked up by the Rüsselsheim Blue Sox. She is the clutch hitter for this team, being behind both Ponce and big bat Laure Valle in the lineup. She'll be one of the last to cash in on whatever the first four put down, and she has the chops to do it. With Ponce, she is the youngest player in the lineup - and the future of the Outliers.

Frenei Chromatik Baseball League Season 6 Preview
Predicted Order of Finish:
16. Z'ai'ai Loggers
15. Myana Merfolk
14. Larhai Legends
13. Alnio Reds
12. Sanar Vipers
11. Lanar Rangers
10. Urrheddiao Knights
09. Chromia Diamonds
08. Umbar Corsairs
07. Eyrods Pilots
06. Rhoni Rhonin
05. Hanai Heroes
04. Shantarr Scorpions
03. Felswyr Fire
02. Knetyohai Dynamo
01. Chromia Comets

by **Milchama** » Sat Apr 02, 2022 2:13 pm

Karakorum Forum-Democracy-Times-Tribune-Sun-Stars-Gods-Men-Tribute-Fightin'-Picayune-Post-Gazette-Chronicle-Eclipsor-Ellipsor-Report-Spin-Connector-Deflector-News-Today-Yesterday-And-Tomorrow

Sports Section

Milchama Favored in New WBC

For the first time in 35 editions of the World Baseball Classic Milchama will walk on the field as favorites. While the Warriors have participated in the last 2 Classics, they were an unseeded U21 team in WBC 52 and were a middling 39 seed in WBC 53. While coming into WBC 53 with the A Team did make Milchama potentially feared it was still hard to say how well they would do against teams like TJUN-ia and Liventia who were both seeded higher and had more recent international baseball experience. The answer was really really well as Milchama went to the semifinals and finished in 4th place catapulting the Warriors up the ranks and making us a Pot 1 top seeded team. With that though comes expectations and those expectations are sky high anything less than a repeat of our last performance would be a colossal disappointment. Of course, the problem for us is that the format changed for this WBC, as the three game series has been replaced by a series of one off games and since baseball is inherently random that means anything can happen. But, you know what, we're going to make narratives out of it all the same so we need those narratives in order to work properly.

So that leads us into the real question: Who are the Milchama Warriors playing? That's a great question and one that has already been answered because the draw was like a week ago and we didn't notice because we were too busy with other things. So the Warriors have been diligently preparing and waiting to go win some baseball games. Here's our opponents (and us):

Group 5:
Second Peenadian - The first Peenadian was really bad. Apparently, they tasted terrible because they got burned by the chef. This Second Peenadian has a chance to be better but frankly it's not going to matter because the Warriors are just better than them. So that's two wins.

Milchama - That's us! We're good now and not just in the egotistical way that we're always good but in the actual way of winning a lot of baseball games. I'd expect that to continue against this sorry lot.

United Adaikes - Divided the Adaikes were always too weak to play baseball well but United! They also still aren't very good but at least are more interesting. They might play well as a team but they are not really ready to beat a Top 10 team in the world. Expect a quick and very boring pair of Milchamian victories. Two more for the book!

Gortolekua - Newbies. They don't know what they're doing and they're bad at it because they don't know what they are doing. I mean, they probably know how to play baseball and all that but clearly a team with the vast experience of Milchama is going to steamroll them with new techniques, tactics, and moves that they haven't seen before in the TPBL. I'm excited for the two more victories that we get against the Gortos.

Bardney - Oldies. They play an older version base ball that explicitly follows 1887 rules, which is 3 years later than Old Hoss Radbourn's best year. So, even then, they're missing out on the best talent. The biggest problem we have right now is that we've agreed to play them in 1887 rules for both games as a good will gesture. Probably not the best decision but it will be fun. Also, our cricket team has been helping us with defense and we trust them. Anyway, I think we'll split with these guys, so that's one loss.

Nova Anglicana - Good team, solid history, not as good as us but still a nation to be worried about and they could turn out pretty good. Also, it's cool for them that they got a puppet in the group which is nice. We could actually lose to these guys. I mean we will lose to these guys at least once but maybe twice. Let's be optimistic and say a split is in the cards. I like a split, definitely better than the alternative.

So if we put that altogether that's either a 7-3 or 8-2 record. That's pretty good and should easily put us in the elimination rounds where we should make some noise. Come on You Warriors! Let's Go Milchama!

by **Milchama** » Sat Apr 02, 2022 2:19 pm

"So what did you think of that preview?"

"Too late and not interesting enough"

"Should we really make this a different post though? Remember last time it worked out better when it was one post"

"Yeah but we need to experiment and it's weird to have what's an IC conversation in a newspaper"

"Ok fair but we could drop the newspaper bit and have it be multiple parts of the same RP"

"Yes that's a distinct possibility but that was not the path chosen"

"Why not?"

"Basically to get the post count up and also because I felt like doing it this way"

"Ok fair"

"How do you feel right now?"

"About the WBC pretty good, about my life pretty bad"

"We should talk about that some time but not right now because I want to talk about the WBC"

"That seems insensitive"

"True but only one of those things will be published to a worldwide audience and we can do your personal problems quietly"

"Ah that makes sense, thank you for that discretion"

"I got you"

"Thanks"

"So then, the WBC?"

"Well we're in a pretty easy group, only Nova Anglicana and Bardney will provide real competition"

"I don't trust anything labeled second, it always means there was a first and it was probably better"

"Yes but probably not at baseball"

"Fair"

"Anywhoo, do you want to pray to Marget now?"

"Yeah let's do it"

"Woo! Then say as I say and do as I do"

''Ringa pakia!''
''Uma tiraha!''
''Turi whatia!''
''Hope whai ake!''
''Waewae takahia kia kino!''
''Ka mate, ka mate''
''Ka ora, ka ora''
''Ka mate, ka mate''
''Ka ora, ka ora''
''Tēnei te tangata pūhuruhuru''
''Nāna nei i tiki mai whakawhiti te rā''
''Ā upane, ka upane''
''Whiti te rā, hī!''

"Now repeat after me!"

"Forini! Forini!"
"Finidi! Finidi!"
"George! George!"
"Oh Brother! Oh brother!"

*They strip and run around for 6 minutes*

"We pray the Margaret of SnubNose 38 and Random Number God that you may deliver us victory over all our group members and any other infidels that we face in international play"

"Sacrifice the Rubber Chicken!"

*Swoosh of an axe and the chicken is dead*

"Margaret we pray that you take this sacrifice of a rubber chicken in good faith and that by your deliverance Milchama does well in all international competitions"

"Come on You Warriors!"

"Let's Go Milchama!"

by **South Newlandia** » Sat Apr 02, 2022 2:36 pm

Nolan Ramsey had just celebrated his twenty-third birthday days ago. He had been born in Elephant Valley, the biggest city in South Newlandia, and grew up playing baseball from a young age. When he was twelve, he watched the Elephants first play in the World Baseball Classic. When the second series, where South Newlandia would host Northwest Kalactin, came to Elephant Stadium, Nolan and his father were there. Nolan watched a then-19 year old Adam King power the Elephants to a 3-2 win thanks to a 2-run home run in game one, his destiny was certain. He was going to become a first baseman, just like his idol, King, and he wanted to play for the Elephants too.

On the playground, he tried his best to emulate the swing of his idol; and it worked rather often. Nolan Ramsey became a star player in his high school. Just like him, the Elephants became stars, too. When Nolan was eighteen, the knockout stages of the WBC came to South Newlandia, and when the Elephants took down Sarzonia in the Elephant Stadium, Nolan was there to watch the series go the distance. Just months later, Ramsey accepted a scholarship at his local Elephant Valley University; which, in recent years, has made some noise with their gridiron program; but Nolan was there to play baseball. He became the starting first baseman in his freshman year, and he made himself known as an elite speedster who can easily hit got average. He was never the best slugger or walking all that much, but he was a great lead-off bat for the Red Elephants who could easily come through in the clutch. He and his team ended up winning two national championships in his four years with the Red Elephants.

Now, months after he graduated, he sat in the LPB draft room. It was not going to be a usual draft; for the first time in LPB history, Llamaphant Pro Baseball had made a unique agreement with the Chromatik Baseball League. This would allow LPB Teams to select established Chromatik talents for their draft picks, including the reigning CBL MVP, Raitis Ranta; but there were also two Chromatik first baseman in this draft, which had Ramsey a bit worried. Aside from him and the two Chromatiks, there was only Celina Campazzo to be reasonably debated in the first round; Campazzo, meanwhile, was two years younger than Nolan, a power-bat with lacklustre defense that graded out with a C-grade from the established draft analysts, when Nolan had received an A.

Nolan had wondered for months when he might be selected. From his perspective, there were eight other guys with an A-ranking, seven of them position players like him. Nolan knew that he could be better than any of them, aside maybe from his teammate, Mike Oeland. The two infielders had played together for three seasons in Elephant Valley. Nolan was sure that he was going to go in the top ten, top five if scouts properly evaluated his talents.

Where would he land, was another question. Of course, there were about even odds that he would land somewhere in Super-Llamaland, one of the most accomplished countries in the history of baseball. His favourite landing spot would be the Elephant Valley Homers, his home-town team, but Nolan knew that was never going to happen. The Homers controlled the 18th pick. By that time, Nolan would be long off the board; and the Homers were highly unlikely to trade up for him. They already had a great first baseman in Adam King, after all, and he was only thirty.

The Elephant Valley Sports Mail had arranged to follow him and some of his fellow players on draft day; the four South Newlandians with A-grades, to be exact. Next to him and Oeland, that were going to be third baseman Leo Jiminez and catcher Tyler Danson. Danson and Oeland were well-known to the public, having appeared on the International Baseball Slam in Hannasea.

From the first five picks, Nolan’s favourite landing spot would be South Falls. The Athletics had a promising team, and were gearing up to contend, and despite the fact that they just traded for Banijan All-Star first baseman Luxulo Mbeki, maybe they had a role as DH for Nolan. Other exciting teams with early picks included the Saints at 6, who had just traded Mbeki, and, of course, the Rüsselsheim Blue Sox, who were in possession of the first overall pick. They had traded for the pick before the last season had started, in a move that the Peninsulara Kingfishers surely regret now. Nolan didn’t expect the Sox to choose him, but he thought it was possible. After all, the Blue Sox had Tom Abbott, a Sanfordian, pencilled in at first; Nolan thought he would be an upgrade there.

It was an exciting day for the young South Newlandian, possibly the most exciting day in his life. This decision would shape the largest part of his life as an athlete. All day, he had wondered where he might land; Nolan had mostly accepted that it was out of his hands. He just hoped he would not somehoe be a Kingfisher after all. Nolan, his former teammate Mike, Leo, and Tyler sat around a table, getting ready to get drafted. The first pick was in. The Rüsselsheim Blue Sox had made their decision.
“With the first pick of this Llamaphant Pro Baseball Draft, the Rüsselsheim Blue Sox select: Raitis Ranta, Second Base, Chromatika!”
That checked out to Nolan. The Blue Sox were contending in the SNL Central, it made sense for them to pick the reigning CBL MVP to a position they were weak at.

The Chariots were next up. They didn’t have a great first baseman, either, so maybe that was it?
“With the second pick, the South Bryant Chariots select: Will Gutierrez, Catcher, Super-Llamaland!”
Fair enough. The Chariots needed a catcher, too, and that’s an extremely important position.

The Cosmos and the Athletics were next up. Neither of them picked any of the South Newlandian 4, including Nolan. It made sense; the A’s had an elite first baseman, and they both picked great Llamanean talents.

“With the fifth pick, the Denison Dynamo select: Mike Oeland, Second Base, South Newlandia!”
Mike stood up, ready to go to the podium. “Congrats, bro”, Nolan was happy that his friend and teammate had gotten his talents recognised, but he couldn’t deny that he had hoped to be the first South Newlandian coming off the board. Oh well, there was plenty of time. Surely, someone was going to pick him up eventually. Picks 6 and 7 were the Saints and Mariners; neither of them were the most exciting landing spots, but neither currently employed a strong first baseman. Maybe it would be one of those?

It would not be one of those. The Saints and Mariners both passed up on the remaining trio, before the Monarchs scooped up Leo Jiminez at 8, and Danson went to the Greens at 9. All of a sudden, Nolan found himself all alone at the table, all the cameras still pointed on him. When the Flames, who had drafted a great first baseman in Tiffany Grey the previous season, passed on Nolan, he had officially dropped out of the top ten.

Nolan was getting quite anxious. For weeks and months, he had thought of himself as a possible top-3 pick. Had he been wrong all along? Or were the scouts wrong, somehow? There was only one other player on the board with an A-grade, a Llamanean named Jeff Huang, third base. Huang went to the Renaissance at 11. As Nolan he got smaller and smaller in his chair, he watched team after team pass on him. Twelve, Fourteen, Sixteen, when suddenly, he noticed that the Elephant Valley Homers were up, at pick number 18. He had never even thought about falling all the way to his home-town team naturally. Nolan knew they had King – but maybe his hometown team was going to come to his rescue anyway?
“With the 18th pick, the Elephant Valley Homers select: Niles Pandolt, Pitcher, Chromatika!”
They would not.

Nolan had almost entirely stopped listening now. He really just wanted to be somewhere else, he wished it was all over. Why him? Why did this have to happen? He just wanted to have a good day.
“Nolan Ramsey, First Base, South Newlandia”
Nolan was flashed back awake by hearing his name. He looked up to see what pick it was. The Malidridad Mariners had just selected him 22nd overall. The Mariners, seriously? Oh well.

by **Tikariot** » Sat Apr 02, 2022 4:13 pm

Drawkland, somewhere in the bowels of a baseball stadium. An older man dressed in a very old-fashioned, somewhat crumpled corduroy coat and hat walks up to a young female official.

"Excuse me, young lady, but I would like to go to second base."

She frowns at him with a very disgusted look on her face. "Look, I know that I'm young and just entry level here, but I'd never let you get to second base!"

As she walks off, the older man's gaze follows her with utter bewilderment. "But I have a cameraman waiting!"

She turns around, "If you don't stop, I swear, I'll call security and they don't like old geezers harrassing women!"

The befuddled look on his face does not ease up at these words, quite the contrary. At this point a security guard steps up next to the older man, easily a foot and a half taller than him. As he looks up higher and higher, the guard looks down with a very serious look. "Sir, is there a problem here?"

"Yes, yes there is! I asked the young lady how to get to second base, I have a cameraman waiting there!"

"Can I see your pass please?"

As the older man holds up the laminated press pass, the deep sonorous voice of the guard startles him again. "Mr. Bismuth, I can lead you to the infield, but please in the future show your pass first and then be a little more specific in your request to avoid any potential problems, ok? You know what 'going to second base' means, right?"

Walter briefly nods: "Of course! It is walking or running up to the second base in a baseball game."

The security guard closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "Yes, it can mean that, too, but it also--you know what, never mind, just follow me, ok?"

He barely waits for Walter Bismuth's acknowledgement before navigating the pathways towards the infield of the stadium, where it is pouring rain. "Here you go, I believe that is your cameraman waiting for you right over there."

Walter briefly raises his hat in thanks before stepping out into the downpour, marching towards the cameraman, who has built a quite elaborate shelter for his equipment to protect it from the onslaught of the Drawkian weather. He briefly looks up at the old journalist with a look that could wither a cactus. "Finally! I've been sitting here for the last half hour! Remind me again why we couldn't do this somewhere, you know, dry?"

"Those few drops haven't killed anybody!"

"You know how much this equipment is worth, right? No, don't even answer that, let's just get this done, ok?"

The picture switches to the camera, showing Walter Bismuth in all his sodden, dripping glory, ready for the introduction to the World Baseball Classic 54.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Tikariot Sports+' coverage of the WBC54 that will be held in ForcedTrain--"

The cameraman tries to whisper, "Zwangzug."

"--we are here in Dorkland--"

The cameraman's lets out a groan. "Drawkland."

"--where Tikariot will be facing, well, the hosts, for their first match in the qualifying campaign before meeting the other nations in their group, Big D Nation, St Saratoga, Petunia--"

"TJUN-ia."

--and Pachyderm--"

"Mylderm."

Walter looks up at the cameraman with a mix of outrage and confusion. "Why do you keep interrupting me? How am I supposed to focus and keep all of these names correct? Can you imagine, if I would get any of these wrong? How bad this would make me and the station look? I will report you to your superior, you know that, right?"

The screen goes black for a moment as the cameraman turns off his camera. "Look, you've been butchering these names from the beginning and I'm just trying to save the day here!"

"I have not been butchering anything or anybody here! You take that back right now!"

"Pfft, the only thing I'm taking back right now is myself to somewhere dry."

As he walks off, Walter follows him, wildly gesticulating. "How am I supposed to do my job here, if I'm surrounded by amateurs? You come back here right now, Mister! Hey, I'm talking to you! You come back-- Hello?"

As to be expected, the cameraman does not even look back as he jogs into the catacombs, protecting his camera as good as he can, leaving Mr. Bismuth dripping and as outraged as he is confused...

by **South Newlandia** » Sat Apr 02, 2022 4:42 pm

South Newlandian roster for the 54th World Baseball Classic

After six postseason trips in six Classics, the Elephants embark on their seventh voyage as the top-ranked team in baseball, following an earth-shattering 27-3 group stage record that the Elephants turned into their second appearance in a World baseball Classix Final Series. However, just like the first time, they were bested in six games. With the bulk of the core returning, and Dale Hartford-Phelps proving that South Newlandian teams can win titles, can this be the year Sofia Rasmussen proves that the baseball team can do the same?

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my runscorers: Please
Choose my lineup: as long as your changes are reasonable
Follow my pitching rotation: I’m going to state one. Please use that. Relievers, you’re way more free there.
Godmod scoring events: Yes!
RP injuries to my players: Yes
Godmod injuries to my players: TG or Discord in advance, please.
Eject my players: TG or Discord in advance, please; South Newlandians don’t get ejected a lot.
Godmod other events: TG or Discord in advance, please, but most likely yes
Use DH at home: Yes

Coaching staff

Sofia Rasmussen led the team to winning their WBC52 group, but was out of luck in a tough game 5 against Quintessence of Dust. After being fired just one season in with the Tigers, Rasmussen had an easy time proving that she can be a fantastic coach if a national team gives her a second attempt to work with; although those Quodites remain her Kryptonite.

Manager/Head Coach: Sofia Rasmussen (SLL) (55)
Sofia Rasmussen. Many had suspected that she might be willing to take over the #3 ranked Elephants, and she was clearly the most decorated likely options. The Super-Llamanean has spent her playing days with the Svenssonfjord Dynamo and the New Llama Wizards, appeared in eight World Baseball Classics and won two of them. She later began a career in coaching, again with the Wizards and the Super-Llamanean team in World Baseball Classic 49. She managed to bring the unranked team all the way to the Round of 16. After that, she spent multiple seasons in the South Newlandian Baseball League, coaching the Masmow Dragons, and ultimately winning a championship with them. Rasmussen’s appointment falls in line with the South Newlandian and Super-Llamanean baseball organizations working closer together than ever, culminating in the LPB.

Hitting coach: Margo Jansen (SLL) (51)
In a rare move, Anthony Smith-Miller, former hitting coach of the Elephants, has joined the Tigers, while Jansen, former hitting coach of the Tigers, has joint Rasmussen. The two had previously worked together at the New Llama Wizards.

Pitching coach: Amanda Sjoberg (SLL) (68)
Sjoberg is another coach Rasmussen has worked together with before, namely at the 49th World Baseball Classic. Sjoberg will try her best to keep the South Newlandian pitching, which was the backbone of the success of the recent years, in shape.

Bench Coach: Bastian Scheller (46)
Scheller, long time bench coach of the Elephant Valley Homers, is going to replace Damian Bolton as Bench Coach. Scheller also has family in Super-Llamaland, and is known for his attention to detail.

Bullpen coach: Mohamed Felix (48)
In the very beginning of South Newlandian baseball, bullpens were a foreign concept. Over the years, the Elephants have adapted to playing actual baseball with relievers, at least for the most part. Felix is responsible for the relief pitchers, a crucial weak spot for South Newlandia in pretty much every tournament, so his squad will be important once more. Felix is also the only returning member of the WBC51 coaching squad.

1st Base Coach: Victor Matis (43)
Matis has previously been with the Kinjestad Peacocks.

3rd Base Coach: Karen Ahrmann (45)
Ahrmann had been the third base coach of the Sophie City Monarchs for years. She’s noted as being cautious on the base-paths; cautious, but save, and efficient. Outs by aggressive base-running are rare when Ahrmann’s signs are being listened too.

Starting pitchers [* denotes best (not necessarily most likely) pitch]

(SP1) Ryan Hunter (30, L) (Newport Dolphins)
(Arsenal: 4-seamer, Circle Changeup*, Cutter)
Starts: MD1 v Sevendia, MD7 v Araznan
Hunter is perhaps most well-known for an incident with Midnight, the bear that used to play for Hampton Island. Since the bear charged the mound there, giving him a good scare before Midnight was shot with a tranquilizer gun. He hasn’t given out a single intentional walk since. He doesn’t really need to, either, having earned his spot as #1 on the South Newlandian team with good fastballs and an excellent changeup that just vanishes, seemingly. He’s also the best hitter among the pitchers, for when the team has to play without designated hitter; which, hopefully, rarely happens. After getting traded to the Dolphins, Hunter has been great in the LPB, including an All-Star appearance.

(SP2) Ben Gonzalo (26, R) (Newport Dolphins)
(Arsenal: 4-seamer*, Slider, Curveball)
Starts: MD2 @ Araznan, MD6 @ Sevendia
Gonzalo is going into his fourth Classic, and it's well earned. His combination complements itself well; throwing the 4-seamer most of the time with a phenomenal curveball that completely disappears from where it was initially going. If he has to bat, he swings for the fences every single ball thrown to him, which isn’t the ideal strategy, but could go well if he ends up hitting one. Excellent play last Classic earned him the second spot in the rotation; he profits from playing with his Dolphins teammate Moore at backstop, just like Hunter does.

(SP3) Jay Kramer (28, R) (Masmow Dragons)
(Arsenal: 2-seamer, Changeup, Slider*)
Starts: MD3 v Ethane, MD10 @ Liventia
Kramer, ace of the Masmow Dragons, is heading into his fifth World Baseball Classic. His career features multiple important run-ins with Super-Llamaland, some good, some bad – but he has played admirably in multiple seasons with Rasmussen coaching. Kramer, as one of the Dragons on the roster, surely has some extra trust from Rasmussen. Kramer usually tries to generate weak contact for the infield with a 2-seamer and a changeup that are similar, although not quite the same in velocity, and a slider that can be borderline unhittable. He’s had some troubles in high leverage early in his career, but has been working on that.

(SP4) Maike Bookmer (28, R) (Sophie City Monarchs*)
(Arsenal: 4-seamer, Sinker*, Changeup, Slider)
Starts: MD4 @ SBI, MD8 @ Ethane

Bookmer was the first female starting pitcher in South Newlandian World Baseball Classic history. In WBC52, she pitched well enough to earn the nod again. She’s been the young ace for the Monarchs, primarily using her sinker and changeup to disrupt the timing of hitters, with a deadly four-seamer in the mix. She generates lots of weak contact, and thrives off of that, and has earned an All-Star appearance in the process.

(SP5) Jacob Conroy (32, R) (Elephant Valley United)
(Arsenal: 4-seamer*, Curveball, Changeup, Cutter)
Starts: MD5 v Liventia, MD9 v SBI

Conroy had been the South Newlandian ace for six years. After a frankly ugly couple of seasons with the Admirals, he’s down to the back of the rotation. Still, he has a fastball that can rival that of good relievers, and works a couple good pitches off of it. Like all South Newlandian pitchers, he isn’t held to any particular pitch count, but gets pulled whenever he doesn’t have his best stuff. Sometimes, that means he goes the entire game. Even though South Newlandia uses a DH, he occasionally has to hit here or there, and like all South Newlandian pitchers, he’s quite bad at it. Returning to Elephant Valley United has seen his play improve, but the #1 spot is gone for good as Conroy keeps aging; the 32-year-old will have only so many more chances.

Bullpen

(Closer) Barnaby Butt (31, L) (Masmow Dragons)
(Arsenal: 2-seamer*, Circle Changeup, Slider)
Real pitching habits only evolved slowly with the Elephants, but they will make another step towards a usual bullpen this Classic. With Butt, the best among the relievers, the team has found a capable left handed pitcher to close out games with. Watch out for that Slider.

(Setup) Dhruv Webber (24, L) (Malidridad Mariners)
(Arsenal: 2-seamer, Cutter, Changeup*, Curveball)
The young Mariner is a control artist – he doesn’t have blow-you-away stuff, but the location of those pitches is great. Webber's rise has been impressive - he's been great in the last two Slams and the last Classic, very impressive at his age.

(Primary1) Abby Conrad (26, R) (Sophie City Monarchs)
(Arsenal: 4-seamer*, Cutter, Curveball, Slider)
Conrad was the first female player in the bullpen a couple of Classics ago, and she made it worth it with excellent perfomances. She definitely deserves this role, featuring a strong fastball and a great Curveball/Slider combination. She's also been an All-Star last season.

(Primary2) Sally Rivera (25, R) (Sophie City Monarchs*)
(Arsenal: 4-seamer*, Slider, Changeup, Curveball)
Rivera has been great from the pen, having leant a lot from her teammate Emily Innis – just like Bookmer did, clearly – and earnt her spot with a fast 4-seamer and nice breaking pitches, to make for a nice pair of Monarchs in primary relief with some devastating heaters.

(Mop-up1) Darlene Le (26, R) (Vargas City Lions)
(Arsenal: 4-seamer, Changeup, Slider, Splitter*)
Le is making her second WBC Team; the young pitcher was drafted seventh overall after finishing out college, and has joined the Vargas City Lions, where she has been pretty good. Her strikeout pitch is her splitter, a rare pitch to throw in today's game, but Le makes it work for her.

(Mop-up2) Samuel Vaughn (21, R) (Ruditown Dachshunds)
(Arsenal: 4-seamer, Curveball, Slider*, Changeup)
Vaughn is making his WBC debut, having just been selected by the Dachshunds 14th overall. He’s got a devastating slider and enormous potential.

Fielders (starters) (fielding is based on the position here, while everything else is not)

(1B) Adam King (31, R) (Elephant Valley Homers)
(Speed: Average | Power: Very High | Contact: High | Fielding: Average)
King is definitely the biggest power threat on this team. He is definitely capable of hitting quite a few dingers without warning, but can approach a cold stretch just as quick. He can hit for contact too, if he has to, but is mostly mediocre at fielding or running fast.

(2B) Malika Bains (27, R) (Sophie City Monarchs)
(Speed: Very High | Power: Average | Contact: High | Fielding: Very Good)
Bains has previously appeared in the International Baseball Slam, and produced admirable results. She’s extremely fast, hits for average with ease, and on top of that, has won multiple fielding awards at second base. She’s the player that can replace Igor White, the player that has started here for 4 Classics, and she proved it last Classic and by being an all-star and gold glover last season.

(3B) Hugo Brock (25, R) (Malidridad Mariners)
(Speed: Average | Power: Low | Contact: High | Fielding: Good)
Brock is a pretty solid player at third, but nothing spectacular. He can field, he’s hitting decently, but overall, he’s not exactly the best player on this team. South Newlandia just doesn’t have many talents at third, but Brock is looking to gain the experience to become an elite player. Brock was an all-star last season, but at least partially only to ensure the Mariners representation.

(SS) David Drum (29, R) (Newport Dolphins)
(Speed: High | Power: High | Contact: Very High | Fielding: Good)
Drum has established himself as an elite shortstop, being both a scoring threat and an excellent fielder. He does have a tendency to produce trouble in the clubhouse, though, and isnt regarded as the best team player. Despite this, having basically no weaknesses makes him a valuable starter for the Elephants.

(LF) Daryl Dunlop (31, R) (Masmow Dragons)
(Speed: High | Power: Average | Contact: Very High | Fielding: Good)
Dunlop, another player from the Dragons, is the fastest guy on the team, and the only one to go for the steal often. He’s great at getting on base too, and his fielding skills are improving too. Going for steals of course leads to getting thrown out occasionally, too. He also was an All-Star last season.

(CF) Shawn Zimmerman (27, S) (Elephant Valley Homers)
(Speed: High | Power: Very High | Contact: Very High | Fielding: Very Good)
Zimmerman is one of the biggest talents playing for the Elephants. The five-tool player excels at everything, and started for this team at just 18 years old. Now, five years later, he is phenomenal at getting contact, and goes for the deep ball less often then he used too. Shawn’s still got that one, too, as he proved in the WBC51 final series, hitting a bomb to walk of a game against Banija. He’ll end up on base a lot, and has the speed to get more. That also allows him to cover lots of ground defensively, making him, coupled with a strong arm, one of the best South Newlandian players. He also won a silver slugger last season.

(RF) Fabio Ventura (33, L) (Elephant Valley Homers)
(Speed: Average | Power: High| Contact: High | Fielding: Bad)
Ventura has been the offensive star on this team since the beginning. Like most South Newlandian hitters, he goes for contact a lot, and is very good at it. He’s got speed, and although he’s not a great fielder, it’s hard to imagine he’ll ever get replaced on this team.

(C) Brad Moore (28, R) (Newport Dolphins)
(Speed: Low | Power: High | Contact: Average | Fielding: Very Good)
Moore has been with the Dolphins the last few years, allowing him to generate a great connection to his teammate Gonzalo. He’s a solid enough catcher, and he’s up to the task of catching for this team. He’s got a little power, but otherwise, he’s not a great offensive bat; he’s very good at throwing out base-stealers, though.

(DH (RF)) Mike Larsen (28, L) (Newport Dolphins)
(Speed: High | Power: Average | Contact: Very High | Fielding: Average)
Larsen, the Designated Hitter for the team, is another Contact hitter, usually not going for power. He’s decently fast, and has among the best plate discipline of the squad. Despite that, he rarely strikes out. He plays in Right Field for the Dolphins, and could be the player to eventually replace Ventura there. He also won a silver slugger the prior season.

Bench:

(C) Hugh Marquez (28, R) (New Llama Cyclones (SLL))
(Speed: Average | Power: Low | Contact: Average | Fielding: Very Good)
Marquez is a decent option to play catcher. The former Rhino has blossomed with the Cyclones after being selected 19th in the redraft.

(IF (1B)) Nicolas Perez (25, R) (Xingcheng Renaissance)
(Speed: High | Power: Very High | Contact: Very High | Fielding: Average)
Perez is one of the biggest talents for South Newlandia, a true five tool player, who’ll break into the roster sooner than later. He’s also the most likely pinch hitter.

(IF (SS)) Jack Goodson (24, R) (Malidridad Mariners)
(Speed: High | Power: Average | Contact: Very High | Fielding: Very Good)
Goodson, the first-overall pick from a few years ago, is finally braking into the WBC roster. Getting past Drum will be difficult, but he can be a defensive substitute.

(OF (RF)) Emil Hurley (23, L) (Peninsulara Kingfishers)
(Speed: Very High | Power: High | Contact: High | Fielding: Average)
Hurley is decently fast, and the most likely option to be pinch running. He's been an all-star and silver slugger for the Kingfishers.

(PH (1B)) Tiffany Grey (23, R) (Sun City Flames)
(Speed: High | Power: High | Contact: Very High | Fielding: Good)
After being selected 2nd by the Flames in the first LPB draft, Grey has blossomed into a great player, and will be a good option as a defensive substitute or pinch-hitter.

Lineups:

With DH:
1. Mike Larsen
2. Daryl Dunlop
3. Shawn Zimmerman
4. Adam King
5. David Drum
6. Malika Bains
7. Fabio Ventura
8. Hugo Brock
9. Brad Moore

Without DH:
1. Daryl Dunlop
2. Shawn Zimmerman
3. David Drum
4. Adam King
5. Malika Bains
6. Fabio Ventura
7. Hugo Brock
8. Brad Moore
9. Pitcher

Stadium

Elephant Stadium (15,000)
The biggest South Newlandian baseball stadium is located in the relative South of the capital city Elephant Valley. The stadium was upgraded after the 48th WBC, and is now able to host 15000 people. All fifteen home games of WBC48 were played here, and the unranked South Newlandia won twelve of them, including all of the first ten home games. The upgraded stadium also featured knockout games in IBS12, including a semi-final; and of course, multiple play-off series at WBC52, including the South Newlandian semi-final win over Sarzonia. Domestically, this is the home of the Elephant Valley Homers.

by **Drawkland** » Sat Apr 02, 2022 5:36 pm

DRAWKLAND NATIONAL BASEBALL TEAM

Name: Base Corps
Demonym: Drawkian
Physiology: Special
20TH World Baseball Classic, Rank #35
Stadium: Hydrogen Cyanide Field, Drawk City
Capacity: 75,000
Manager: Blanton Evergreen

BASE CORPS
STARTING ROSTER
P   ##  PLAYER              BATS   THROWS
C   1   Dan Peters          Right  Right
1B  4   Mark Fields         Right  Right
2B  17  Abram Kavana        Right  Right
3B  15  Sean Kavana         Right  Right
SS  24  Roger Madison       Left   Right
LF  10  Chan Ford           Left   Left
CF  7   Lane Kavana         Switch Right
RF  23  Taylor Smart        Left   Left
DH  99  Franky Jones        Right  Right

BASE CORPS
RESERVE ROSTER
P   ##  PLAYER              BATS   THROWS
C   12  Lucia Goddard       Left   Left
IF  9   Christy Rhodes      Right  Right
OF  2   Julia Douglas       Left   Right
OF  20  Victoria Irving     Right  Right
DH  25  Amancio Hayes       Switch Right

BASE CORPS
PITCHERS
P   ##  PLAYER              THROWS  NOTES
SP  22  Leo Roy             Right   Control pitcher, large arsenal
SP  44  Darien Rodriguez    Right   Brutal breaking pitches
SP  55  Mike Kavana         Left    Submariner with velo

RP  55  Jack West           Right   Primary relief
RP  57  Ralph Harris        Right   Secondary relief
RP  39  Matt Carter         Left    Lefty specialist
RP  66  Casey Redondo       Left    Pitch to contact
SP  69  Bruce Moore         Right   Knuckleballer
SP  45  Syd Masterson       Left    Sinker/changeup combo

CP  60  Lorraine Lockwood   Right   Setup/reserve closer
CP  51  Franklin Bell       Right   haha 10-3

With the shortened group stage, the starting rotation has been dropped to 3 pitchers.
Moore and Masterson, normally starters, will be moved to long relief or injury replacement roles.

BASE CORPS - STARTING
LINEUP WITH DH
1. KAVANA (A)
2. MADISON
3. SMART
4. KAVANA (L)
5. JONES
6. FORD
7. FIELDS
8. PETERS
9. KAVANA (S)

BASE CORPS - STARTING
LINEUP WITHOUT DH
1. KAVANA (A)
2. MADISON
3. SMART
4. KAVANA (L)
5. FORD
6. FIELDS
7. PETERS
8. KAVANA (S)
9. (pitcher)

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my runscorers: Yes.
Choose my lineup: My lineup is as specified above.
Follow my pitching rotation: Please do, same order as listed.
Godmod scoring events: Yes.
RP injuries to my players: Nothing career-ending. TG me if it's more than a couple games.
Godmod injuries to my players: As long as it follows the above rule.
Eject my players: Yes, only one per game and a duration of a game.
Godmod other events: As long as it doesn't destroy my nation or my organization, I'm fine with anything.
Use DH at home: Yes.

Style Mod: +3.5

As far as permissions go, as long as it doesn't totally wreck me, I don't mind. TG me if you do something major, but don't feel the need to alert beforehand.

by **Banija** » Sat Apr 02, 2022 5:57 pm

A new era for Banijan baseball beginning at WBC 54 as Isaac Oladipo takes the reigns for Ousman Kakay

A Banijan player mashes the baseball during WBC 53 on home soil

ISTRIA, MORAVICA- When that terrible, decisive, winner-take-all walkoff home run went against Banija, rather than in our favor at WBC 53, it was a painful way to end the World Baseball Classic. But yet, in a fitting way. Ousman Kakay was able to ride off into the sunset after a quarterfinal run, one that clearly showed how effective he was at raising the bar for this team. Think about where this team was when Ousman Kakay had taken over. We had just bombed out of the group stages. Our ceiling was a mix between just getting out of the group stages of the World Baseball Classic. Just one quarterfinal appearance. But then Ousman Kakay showed up, and immediately took the squad to new heights. 8 tournaments, and he reached the quarterfinals at seven of them. He won a pair of titles at WBCs 47 and 51, and he was able to do that rarest, yet ultimate, task of any national team coach- change the world's perception of Banijan baseball.

Before Ousman Kakay? The perception was that Banija were decent. On our best day, could be a tough out, of course, but not approaching championship contention level. But then he came in charge, immediately elevated the team, and put us into title contention. WBC 46, stunned the world by beating Sherpaland, in their country, in the quarterfinals. That was when we first announced we were here. But that wasn't just a cinderella run- in the very next WBC, we were second overall in the Casaran stage, and then went on a 13 game winning streak in the knockout stages to win the title. This included sweeps in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and Championship Series, as well as coming back from an 0-2 deficit in a best of 5 at WBC 47. No more Cinderella- we truly belonged. A trio of Quarterfinal eliminations later, we won another title at WBC 51.

We all remember WBCs 52 and 53. No need to re-hash. The point being, that Ousman Kakay not only put Banijan baseball on the map, but gave us championship level expectiations. That doesn't mean everybody expects to win a title all the time. But that does mean getting out of group play is the bare minimum, and the target has to be reaching the quarterfinals every single time- and going beyond there every so often. And who will be the man tasked with that? None other than former Ousman Kakay understudy, Isaac Oladipo. A relatively easy hire, considering Kakay's recommendation after his firing from Super-Llamaland. It is an interesting hire. He was seen widely to have underperformed with Super-Llamaland, although his allies back at home said that country's 'hyper-focus' on analytics caused friction between Oladipo and his superiors, which did not allow him to do his job.

His sister, who somehow made the TV circuit within Banija, was scathing. "A bunch of MBAs who have never picked up a bat or put on a mitt in their life thought they knew how to run a baseball team, better than somebody who had been steeped in the game his whole life. They didn't give him space to manage the way he thought proper- and therefore, they underachieved." Isaac Oladipo refused to comment publicly on what his sister said, simply saying that he was 'grateful' for his time to be entrusted with the national team of a historic baseball power. Still, without pitches being thrown and bats being swung yet, there is certainly something simmering there that won't go away.

With our new manager, comes a new format. The marathon-esque, season-like format of 30 games is over. And in comes the short group stage. Just 10 games, with the top 3 teams in each group, plus a select few others, reaching the Round of 32. The knockout stages, of course, will retain their Best of 5 format. But Oladipo talked about the challenges of the new format. "It does change what you have to do." Oladipo said, while refusing to say whether he liked a longer or a shorter group stage better. "Look, what I like doesn't matter- the format is what the format is. We're going to have to adjust and ensure that our team is ready to go every single day, so that we are not left behind in the group stages."

The Banijans have made one major change in anticipation of that- changing the starting pitching rotation from a 5 man rotation, to a 4 man rotation. "With fewer games, more off-days are naturally built into the schedule for the team." Isaac Oladipo said. "It will still take a significantly shorter amount of time, but it will also allow us to switch to a 4 man rotation. An extra arm in the pen has never hurt anybody. But in particular, this ensures that our star pitchers, Ramata Kabba and Faraba Conateh, are pitching three games, instead of two. Getting our best players more starts is only something that I see as an advantage for team Banija. Kabba may be 36- but despite her age, she hasn't slowed down at all. She's a veteran ace who is both ready for, and relishes, the challenge that is being brought to her."

With a fast start more imperative than ever at this Classic, the Banijans lucked out with the schedule, opening with a pair of home games. "Look, Eshialand and The 189 are the two toughest opponents we have in this group." Said Ramata Kabba, the team's superstar ace, who will start against Eshialand on Opening Day. "That's why it's more important than ever that we get off to a strong start at this tournament. Digging ourselves in an 0-2 hole? Can be much tougher to climb out of. We have a history of slow starts to the group stage, and we are here to excise them. With the crowd at our back for our home opener, especially here in Istria, I think that we're in a good position to get off to a fast start, and go 1-0, so that other teams are chasing us- rather than us trying to chase down our group rivals."

The first pitch for Eshialand is at 2:30 PM local.

by **Zwangzug** » Sat Apr 02, 2022 6:12 pm

It's time to play ball! This is your first RP cutoff of WBC54.

---

In keeping with our "what do you get when you multiply six by nine" theme, each cutoff will feature RP prompts that are (very) loosely based on quotes from various science fiction series/fandoms. Feel free to use them for worldbuilding or ignore them entirely, using the prompts is not necessary to earn bonus.

"So you're a plant? No wonder you like the light so much. Photosynthesis!" ~Farscape

Plants. Many of us have grass on our fields, most of us have wood for bats, and some of us even have ivy on our walls. What sorts of flowers, trees, and other flora grow in your nation? Do you eat them, decorate with them, or destroy them? Are there invasive species from other parts of the world that have become a threat?

Group 1

Sevendia                     1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  3
South Newlandia              2 3 2 0 0 1 0 1 X  9

Ethane                       0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1  4
StrayaRoos Barrier Islands   0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  2

Liventia                     0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 4  7
Araznan                      0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0  2

* Group 1                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 South Newlandia               1    1   0     9    3   +6     1
2 Liventia                      1    1   0     7    2   +5     1
3 Ethane                        1    1   0     4    2   +2     1
4 StrayaRoos Barrier Islands    1    0   1     2    4   −2     0
5 Araznan                       1    0   1     2    7   −5     0
6 Sevendia                      1    0   1     3    9   −6     0

Group 2

The Sherpa Empire            1 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  5
Virginia Nova                1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0  3

Reorganized Portugal         0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0  3
Super-Llamaland              0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 X  4

Raspotochje                  0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0  3
Cassadaigua                  0 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 X  4

* Group 2                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 The Sherpa Empire             1    1   0     5    3   +2     1
2 Cassadaigua                   1    1   0     4    3   +1     1
  Super-Llamaland               1    1   0     4    3   +1     1
4 Raspotochje                   1    0   1     3    4   −1     0
  Reorganized Portugal          1    0   1     3    4   −1     0
6 Virginia Nova                 1    0   1     3    5   −2     0

Group 3

Quebec and Shingoryeo        0 0 0 0 0 0 5 3 0  8
Unpleasant                   0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1

Hapilopper                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Kohnhead                     0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 X  3

Odessa-Dneiper               2 1 0 0 0 0 2 3 1  9
Delaclava                    3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 2  8

* Group 3                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Quebec and Shingoryeo         1    1   0     8    1   +7     1
2 Kohnhead                      1    1   0     3    0   +3     1
3 Odessa-Dneiper                1    1   0     9    8   +1     1
4 Delaclava                     1    0   1     8    9   −1     0
5 Hapilopper                    1    0   1     0    3   −3     0
6 Unpleasant                    1    0   1     1    8   −7     0

Group 4

Big D Nation                 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0  2
Mylderm                      0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 X  4

St Saratoga                  0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1
TJUN-ia                      2 1 3 1 0 1 3 0 X 11

Tikariot                     0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  2
Drawkland                    0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 X  3

* Group 4                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 TJUN-ia                       1    1   0    11    1  +10     1
2 Mylderm                       1    1   0     4    2   +2     1
3 Drawkland                     1    1   0     3    2   +1     1
4 Tikariot                      1    0   1     2    3   −1     0
5 Big D Nation                  1    0   1     2    4   −2     0
6 St Saratoga                   1    0   1     1   11  −10     0

Group 5

Second Peenadian             0 4 0 0 0 0 3 0 0  7
Nova Anglicana               0 1 2 0 0 2 0 0 0  5

Milchama                     0 0 3 0 1 2 2 0 0  8
Bardney                      0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1

United Adaikes               0 0 0 0 2 3 2 0 0  7
Gortolekua                   0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1  4

* Group 5                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Milchama                      1    1   0     8    1   +7     1
2 United Adaikes                1    1   0     7    4   +3     1
3 Second Peenadian              1    1   0     7    5   +2     1
4 Nova Anglicana                1    0   1     5    7   −2     0
5 Gortolekua                    1    0   1     4    7   −3     0
6 Bardney                       1    0   1     1    8   −7     0

Group 6

Concordians                  0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  2
Quintessence of Dust         0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 X  4

Barnettsville                0 0 1 0 1 8 0 0 0 10
Murderbum                    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1

The Greater Nordics          2 0 3 1 1 0 0 0 0  7
Abanhfleft                   1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  3

* Group 6                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Barnettsville                 1    1   0    10    1   +9     1
2 The Greater Nordics           1    1   0     7    3   +4     1
3 Quintessence of Dust          1    1   0     4    2   +2     1
4 Concordians                   1    0   1     2    4   −2     0
5 Abanhfleft                    1    0   1     3    7   −4     0
6 Murderbum                     1    0   1     1   10   −9     0

Group 7

Huron League                 1 1 0 2 2 0 1 0 2  9
The 189                      1 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 0  6

Norrhem                      0 1 3 1 2 0 0 0 1  8
Nueva Orinoquia              0 0 2 1 0 0 0 2 2  7

Eshialand                    1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Banija                       0 0 0 4 0 1 0 1 X  6

* Group 7                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Banija                        1    1   0     6    1   +5     1
2 Huron League                  1    1   0     9    6   +3     1
3 Norrhem                       1    1   0     8    7   +1     1
4 Nueva Orinoquia               1    0   1     7    8   −1     0
5 The 189                       1    0   1     6    9   −3     0
6 Eshialand                     1    0   1     1    6   −5     0

Group 8
Brookstation 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2
Camcity 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1

HUElavia 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2
Krytenia 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 3

Ranoria 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 6
Zwangzug 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3

* Group 8                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Ranoria                       1    1   0     6    3   +3     1
2 Brookstation                  1    1   0     2    1   +1     1
  Krytenia                      1    1   0     3    2   +1     1
4 Camcity                       1    0   1     1    2   −1     0
  HUElavia                      1    0   1     2    3   −1     0
6 Zwangzug                      1    0   1     3    6   −3     0

Group 9

South Americanastan          3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3  6
Dotivija                     2 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0  5

StrayaRoos                   0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  3
Kriegiersien                 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0  2

Chromatika                   0 2 1 1 3 2 1 0 0 10
Bongo Johnson                0 2 2 0 3 0 0 0 0  7

* Group 9                     Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD   Pts 
1 Chromatika                    1    1   0    10    7   +3     1
2 South Americanastan           1    1   0     6    5   +1     1
  StrayaRoos                    1    1   0     3    2   +1     1
4 Dotivija                      1    0   1     5    6   −1     0
  Kriegiersien                  1    0   1     2    3   −1     0
6 Bongo Johnson                 1    0   1     7   10   −3     0

*Tables are automatically produced by xkoranate with overall run differential (not RD/9) as the last tiebreaker, after head-to-head results. If there's an anomaly where RD/9 matters, it will be manually calculated at the end of the group stage, but not before then.

by **Ranoria** » Sat Apr 02, 2022 7:23 pm

So picture this for a second. At just fifteen years old, you get drafted first overall by the Cincinnati Warbirds. You haven't even gotten through Algebra II, gotten that first kiss, or gone to a homecoming, yet suddenly you're a hotshot young talent with incredible upside, and sign your soul away for seven seasons of baseball without a high school diploma.

Now that first season was a bit of a struggle, but you fight your way onto the starting lineup of a mediocre national team.

With your help, suddenly that team that went 15-15 on their first try fought their way to a 19-11 record and won a playoff series in one of the most shocking upsets in Ranorian international sporting history. Outside of gridiron, it's certainly the most distinctive victory in our nation's history.

And frankly, things have only gotten better in your life. Aside from the national team that is - they posted a losing record in the following two Classics before an 18-12 mark in WBC 53 - but for Griffith, life's been good.

Starting at seventeen years old - you know, once he'd mostly gotten through puberty - he became a big fish in the small pond that is the Federation of Ranorian baseball. Six straight all-star nods and two championships in the last four seasons have made Griffith into an even bigger sensation now than an aging Leonardo Harrison, who for a long time has been the man of the hour for Ranorian baseball. And now that his seven year obligation to the Warbirds is complete, he's probably on the brink of signing a megadeal over in Quebec and Shingoryeo. Federation ball doesn't pay super well - for a player as talented as he is, it's tough not to take the better money overseas.

Now some of you might ask, why not go join the likes of Julian Breit and Vincent Veltrone in the LPB? Griffith has avoided the question in interviews largely, but has been insistent that the LPB isn't in his plans. For even avid fans its confusing, but those who frequent gossip magazines have a better idea of his reasons.

Griffith never got around to that Algebra II course or homecoming, but he did get his first kiss. The 22 year old starting first basemen for the Ranorian Krauts is reportedly dating Richardson University's junior quarterback, Astrid Verona. And South Newlandia - for all its cultural brilliance - doesn't have an equivalent league for gridiron football. If their relationship is serious enough for them to want to maintain any sort of proximity while playing professional ball, Quebecois leagues are the way to go.

That's What We Call a Statement:
Krauts Kick Off WBC 54 With a Win In The Worm Hole

Leonardo Harrison's getting older, but there's plenty of gas left in the tank for the Ranorian legend

Ranoria - somehow - managed to find themselves in the second pot when group draws came along. Jokes on whoever thought we were on the rise after an 18-12 campaign, because last time we posted a winning record we posted two straight losing campaigns. One team came in ranked above our beloved national team though, and that was Zwangzug. The Zebras (3^rd) and Krauts (20^th) were one of the more catchy matchups of opening day, and our squad knew it.

Most viewers probably knew better than to go in with high expectations for a squad with an inconsistent history, but when we jumped out to score two runs in the first inning, well, dads all over Ranoria had their afternoon plans thrown out the window.

RSSN got blue collar worker Julio Schmitty on for an interview.

Ya' know, I had settled down, propped four brooskies up by the couch, and expected to be dozin' by the time the third inning rolled around. Let the missus tend to the kids and all, it was a long week. But suddenly, that dang Leo Harrison knocked Nicholas Lux in. And then were up 2-1, and suddenly me eyes were glued to the screen. Now normally, I wake up around the 5th inning, I'm trained, that's when me wife gets annoyed that I'm sitting there like a brainless bum.

Well, instead, I'm watching and it's getting wild. So I grabbed one of the wee little ones and start bouncin' 'im on me knee, that way she gots a little less to worry 'bout. She was still fumin' by the end of the 9th when Alabaster Cappa threw that final pitch and Judas Acker reeled it in deep in the outfield to close things out, but we made up later. Wow, crazy game - our teams gots to start settin' expectations early though, cuz I gots to know how to plan my day out.

Reports like these are coming in from all over Ranoria as the Krauts stunned Zwangzug on opening day, setting themselves up now to have as clear a shot at making the playoffs as they've ever had, as next time they face the Zebras will be in RANPAC Stadium. A good deal of speculation has gone into this surprising win, and many pin it on more Ranorians playing abroad than ever before. Historically, the Krauts have started slow before making a run at the end of the group stage. Theory was that outside the upper-level players, most of the squad needed time to adjust to the faster speed of most opponents' game.

But with three batters playing abroad - former QBO MVP Jesse Griffith, power hitter Julian Breit, and contact man Vincent Veltrone - they've been playing high-level ball all season. There's no adjustment. And with Jesse Griffith and Leonardo Harrison at least, sheer talent alone can bridge the gap during that adjustment period. With two starting pitchers in Banija and Tommy Verona(1-0) still going strong for the QBO's California City Dodgers, this team has enough guys who can compete now to cover for the rest of a more mediocre but enthusiastic squad.

But for now - enjoy the win guys. We've got no clue if Ranoria can sustain this sort of play, but it's fun to be undefeated for now!

by **Virginia Nova** » Sat Apr 02, 2022 9:47 pm

Orlando Lee was coming up to bat in the 5th inning. If there was Orlando was known for it was speed. Orlando had a reputation as that of a fast player. He was an aggressive base runner and pigeon toed. So yeah if he could he would steal a base. Problem was, he didn't always do that. In the game versus Sherpa he hit a nice double. A nice double was good, but third base was looking like a juicy steak being offered up for free. So Lee did what he though he should do and go after it.

He tried, thats the best we can say.

Orlando stumbled, tripping over himself half way between second and third base. It was something that happened a lot in Virginia but now Orlando did it in front of people who didn't know this. Orlando looked up and immediately saw Lhakpa Das, the third base coach for the Sherpa Empire laughing. Mr. Das didn't know this was a common occurrence for Mr. Lee, and of course he didn't know that Mr. Lee would take this personally. But when Orlando saw him, he got the red mist in his eyes and went after Lhakpa Das. Soon a huge group of people amassed around third base, both parties coming out to see what the other would do. The Sherpan players were confused, while the VIrginian's looked like they a bit bemused.

Orlando was eventually thrown out as he should have been and play resumed, but damage had been done. Pitcher Pablo Duarte gave up five earned runs and Nova could only muster a total of three.

Meanwhile in the locker Orlando was sobbing.

"I Didn't wanna but he was mockin me!" Orlando sobbed

Jimmy Sanderson sat down next to him. Jimmy was a well like player in the Virginia system. A Catcher he could call with the best of them, and he has on extra side of charm to him. To many people he's the guy next door and the neighbor many VIrginians want. Of all the baseball players in Virginia he's the one the sponsors want, the one that has the family and kids that every blue blooded human wants to have.

Sanderson was basically there to play team dad. The team was full of misfits, and worse, a lot of the team had done coke.

This Virginia Nova team was in for a ride!

by **The Sherpa Empire** » Sat Apr 02, 2022 10:26 pm

Managing the Sherpa national baseball team was a prestigious job that came with high expectations and a lot of pressure. Pema Khan was in awe that he, of all people, had been trusted with such a great honor and responsibility. Even as he stood in the visitors' dugout in Virginia Nova and watched Kai Liao step up to the plate, it still didn't feel entirely real. With the condensed format of this year's WBC, he knew he would have to adapt to his new role quickly -- there wouldn't be much time to recover if he blundered!

So you can imagine his horror when his first game of international play devolved into a brawl. Orlando Lee, who started the whole thing, was ejected, and Khan was accidentally elbowed in the face by Ongchu Xiang when he grabbed the burly outfielder to stop him from joining the fray.

When he was asked about the brawl after the game, Khan said, "It is disappointing to see that. You know, this is not what the WBC is about. I guess it's a good thing we are only playing one game here."

by **Brookstation** » Sun Apr 03, 2022 4:31 am

Another Classic, another good start
by Ralph Smith

The World Baseball Classic is remembered as one of the best tournaments for Brookstation even if the team eventually didn't meet the expectations of the fans. Prior to the 53rd World Baseball Classic, Brookstation's only experience in baseball came in the International Baseball Slam where again, Brookstation displayed a shocking performance to work their way up a long way.

As everyone should be knowing by now, luck has never been our companion in any tournament and things just worsened when the group draw of the 53rd World Baseball Classic came into light. An unranked, first timer was drawn into a group with the reigning champion Chromatika and other popular names like The Sherpa Empire and Abanhfleft. None of us Brooks expected anything from our nation and considered the tournament to be an unavoidable doom. When Brookstation travelled to Chromatika for their first series, there were few if not a negligible number of fans who went along with them to cheer them. The outcome of the match was decided much before the match started. But, our captain Connor Harris who is not a tantalizing character had assured the nation that something big was going to come and indeed it did. Brookstation managed to win two of the three series in Chromatika and scripted history. This win was not looked upon by any media or news source and all of them claimed it to be a "miraculous win" although it was clear that our players worked hard in order to make that possible.

Coming back to the point, it is a new year now and everyone has grown a year older. That also means it is time for yet another World Baseball Classic and to greet us, we had Camcity, an unranked side. As far as records are concerned, Camcity have very little experience in the sport and on the other hand, we had ourselves, who had gone through all sorts of victories and upsets. The match was extremely boring and by the end of and only three runs were scored after an enormous period of eighteen innings. For Brookstation, the beginning showed some positivity. Although the players missed out on one or two runs owing to their terrible on field communication, Brookstation managed to get themselves their first run in their third innings when Cahill took a risk. After hitting a pretty weak shot, Cahill endeavoured to reach first base and managed to jump onto the first base and managed to get there just in time although there was no fault in the Camcity fielding. And this also provided the young and fast Ripeppi sufficient time to single and bring Brookstation their first run.It didn't take long for Brookstation to get their second run either. In the very next innings. Kollman drove a smooth shot towards left infield and singled while Malouf scored with Mitchell reaching the third base. But again, that was the end of Brookstation's scoring. For more than half of the innings, Brookstation tried to play in a defensive manner which didn't quite suit them and thus resulted in frequent strikes.

Even if the batting was not up to the mark, the Brook pitchers did a good job and successfully prevented Camcity from scoring. Keeping a team scoreless for more than half of their total innings is quite an achievement. The pitchers led by captain Connor Harris kept pitching wider balls and swingers, not to mention that the fielding was also upto the mark as well. The only instance when a Brook pitcher faltered was in the seventh innings and ironically enough it was Harris himself who got homered by the Camcity pitcher, but Brookstation's defensive play didn't go against them and eventually ended up winning their first match of the campaign.

However becoming lucky once, doesn't imply that a team can get lucky always and Brookstation will be up against HUElavia in their home for the next game. It will definitely be a match to watch for all baseball fans. Stay tuned for more news related to baseball.

by **Barnettsville** » Sun Apr 03, 2022 7:52 am

Who's on First?

ST. CATHERINE - The groupings were revealed last night, and Barnettsville could very well return to the playoffs.

From Rick Benson:

"There isn't really anyone notable in our group, other than that Dusty team. But the biggest noise they've made that I've seen is their griping about our association wanting to host. I think we can win the group, but I won't come right out and predict it."

Concordians
Barnettsville
The Greater Nordics
Abanhfleft
Murderbum
Quintessence of Dust

by **Cassadaigua** » Sun Apr 03, 2022 10:50 am

One game in the books,
by Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

You may be used to me talking about our games in groups of three, but with fewer games going on, there is more time between games, and that is something that is leaving some teams to go to shorter pitching rotations. Which is fine, as it least it should mean we don’t have a bunch of “openers”, this Classic. So, just one game to talk about, a 4-3 win over Raspotochje. That’s good, right? Well, if there was any doubt that things will be different under manager Meghan Conrad, this was the opening exchange of her very first post-game press conference.

“Congratulations, Meghan on the win.”

“What are you congratulating me for?”

“The win!”

“We played like absolute shit. If you think that kind of performance is going to get it done against Super-Llamaland and The Sherpa Empire, then you are not being true to yourself on the performance of this team tonight.”

“Well, it was still good to get that win.”

“We lose if not for a three homer in the fifth, don’t we?”

And so you have it. Eventually, the press conference normalized, but Meghan Conrad was clearly not going too excited over Allie Perry’s three run bomb in the bottom of the fifth in just her second career World Baseball Classic at bat. Conrad did eventually compliment Perry, but instead of talking about the home run too much, wanted to focus more on a couple defensive plays she made. She was a little more positive about the start of Jennifer Mandrick, who went 5 2/3 before being taken out of the game. There was a reporter who dared to question that, however:

“Previously, we would not have seen a starting pitcher be taken out so early. Jennifer had only given up one run by the time you had Stacie Harper in the bullpen, and only two went you made the hook? Why the early hook?”

“Why is Stacie Harper on the team?”

“That’s not my question.”

“Well that’s my answer.”

“Okay, so can we expect more of this going forward, taking out starting pitchers earlier, even when they have only thrown 72 pitches?”

“Yes, I have relievers on the team with the intention of using them to perform their jobs. That is correct.”

Harper did do her job, getting out of the jam in the sixth, and then pitching a scoreless seventh. Madison Mahoney gave up one in the eighth before Carlie Meyers locked it down. Will this kind of effort be good enough to beat Super-Llamaland and The Sherpa Empire? That remains to be seen, but first they need to take care of business against ~~Xanneria~~ ~~Appalachian Nation~~ ~~Southwest Eastnorth~~ ~~Qzvarkian Qaz~~ Virginia Nova.

by **TJUN-ia** » Sun Apr 03, 2022 11:15 am

After a hiatus of thinking, we re-emerge for the final time of this era of TJUN-ian Baseball with one goal in mind: to try and make it back to the Semis and maybe, just maybe, reach that 7-game series we've never made thus far. The Battin' Jags were getting old - everyone knew that for a fact - and so, maybe it was seen as a blessing that, instead of our usual WBC of 10 series of 30 total games, Zwangzug's WBC54 is as simple as you can get. 10 games, home and away, and that is it. Of course, Phillip Hellas-Verona will also know about the disadvantage of a WBC Group Stage this quickly...instead of 30 games to try and make the top 3 in the group, you get 1/3 of that - so every single game counts for a lot more here.

Up first for the #4 Jaguars was homecoming at Rounders Felid as #84 St Saratoga came to town. Chris Harris would start against his counterpart for the opening day, as it always has been from the very start, but when you consider that our opponents used 4, yes four, different pitchers in this game, then you can understand just how one-sided this game really was. The Jungle got to witness a baseball massacre and while our visitors managed to, at least, get a run for themselves in the 5th, the Jaguars showed no mercy as they managed 11 runs on the day.
The order was as follows:
1st: 2-run bomb by Ki Yung-son
2nd: 1 RBI via Rafael Llorente (Matoko Kagawa a.b.)
3rd: 3-run bomb by Bryce Calhoun
4th: Solo-homer by Joe Gregory
6th: 1 RBI via Rafael Llorente (Matoko Kagawa a.b.)
7th: 3-run bomb by Bryce Calhoun

So yeah...a good start to the season and getting 11 runs in your first game is certainly a great way to build confidence so early...confidence that will be needed almost immediately. TJUN-ia entered this WBC as a Pot 1 team, but we will be flying out to Port Rhovanyon to face the Pot 2 side in Tikariot. Jonathan Villiers's Owls have been a consistent playoff qualifier for a while now, but the inexperience of the new man up top (taking over from Graham McCrory) was seen in a 3-2 defeat in Drawkland. Both teams will want this early win...so expect a few fireworks when WBC54 arrives at Oceanview Park. GO JAGS!

SCHEDULE (Group G)
G1: vs St Saratoga (84) - Rounders Field, Portside W 11-1 (1st)
G2: @Tikariot (13) - Oceanview Park, Sports City, Port
G3: vs Drawkland (35) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington
G4: vs Mylderm (48) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington
G5: @Big D Nation (UR)
----------------BREAK TIME----------------
G6: @St Saratoga (84)
G7: vs Tikariot (13) - Rounders Field, Portside
G8: @Drawkland (35) - Hydrogen Cyanide Field, Drawk City
G9: @Mylderm (28)
G10: vs Big D Nation (UR) - Rounders Field, Portside

by **Banija** » Sun Apr 03, 2022 11:31 am

Banijan ace, Ramata Kabba, speaking to reporters after Game 1

Ramata Kabba was wiping her own face with a towel. She had just pitched Banija to an opening day home victory over the group's Pot 2 team, and familiar opponent from the last Classic, Eshialand. 1 earned run, in the first running, allowed over the course of 8 and a third strong innings, was an excellent pitching line that allowed her to reach win #1 of this Classic. She didn't get there without any help, however. The first inning was particularly disastrous, as she had allowed the bases to become loaded with two outs, and then sent home a run by issuing a bases-loaded walk. A diving catch in the gap by Joanna Adoyo ended the inning, rather than issuing a potential bases clearing double. But after that rough first inning, Kabba settled down and pitched like the ace she was.

As she got to the press room after the Eshialand players were done, she was ready for questions. As these go, a whole horde of people were yelling. She picked on the person directly in front of her.

"Ramata." The reporter said. "I'm from the All-Banija Sports Magazine. You had yet another trademark ace performance, showing exactly why you are one of the best players in this sport. Can you describe to us what happened today, why you struggled in the first inning, and how you were then able to settle down and mow your way through the Eshialand lineup?"

"Well, in the first inning, obviously I was having trouble with my command." She told reporters. "Two walks in the same inning is never good, especially issuing a bases loaded walk. I couldn't pin point my fastball, and when my command of my fastball is off, I'm not gonna be able to place anything. Full credit to Joanna Adoyo for chasing down the ball and laying out for, truly, a top 10 catch to lay out in the gap and ensure that Eshialand didn't get more runs. That's the thing about this sport- there is no sport with slimmer margins than baseball. If Adoyo is simply a little bit slower, or doesn't get as good of a jump on the ball, that's at least two runs. If Adoyo dives and misses, that's potentially three runs. That's why they call this a team sport, right? She made a great play, so that the game stayed tight. And then I was able to adjust a little bit between the first and second inning, calm the nerves of opening day, and then really get going after these guys. And now we're 1-0."

Kabba looked around after giving her answer, and picked on a woman in the back of the room.

"Hey Ramata!" The lady said. "I'm from the Busukuma Post. I just want to know- what do you think of those who are saying that you're slowing down because you are 36? Do you think that you are losing anything at all because of your age? Are you retiring at the end of the tournament?"

Ramata Kabba scowled before answering the questions. These damned journalists would say anything to get a quote. The question, in her mind, was utterly ridiculous- pitchers were pitching longer than ever, and why would she retire? She was here to get another ring. "Saying that I'm slowing down is absolutely ridiculous- you saw today's performance." Ramata, still pissed off, kept going. "Anyone who says that I'm slowing down, or that I'm losing anything, clearly has never watched a game of baseball in their lives. I've always wanted to have a long career, and I've made sure, even from my early 20s, to protect and take care of my body so that longevity can be part of my legacy. There's no way in hell I'm even thinking of retirement- I'm far too young for that. I intend to not only keep pitching for my club in Cassadaigua, but pitch for both club and country into my 40s. And I'll be at the top of the staff, as well."

A bold statement from Ramata. She'd be 39 at WBC 55, and 42 at WBC 56. Were her bold proclamations helpful? Maybe, maybe not. They'd probably give Isaac Oladipo a headache in a couple of years. But that wasn't now, right? And frankly, not Ramata's problem. She intended to continue being a clear-cut top 4 pitcher in Banija, simply impossible to be left off of the roster, and out of the rotation.

Lastly, she was asked about her next opponent, Norrhem. "Hey Ramata! I'm from the Sisonke Post. Our next game is an away trip to Norrhem. Are you ready to pitch against them?"

"Well, right now I gotta rest my arm." She said, to the chuckles of those in the press room. "But yes, I will be ready for our trip to Norrhem. They've got an interesting team, and they've certainly got bats. Putting up 8 runs in a road win to kick off the tournament is pretty damn good, no matter what way you slice it. The staff and the scouts are excellent in picking up what opposing hitters like to do. Tomorrow I'll focus on recovery, and then in two days, I'll start to get ready for Norrhem. I'll study batter tendencies, the ballpark, and the like, to try and get a feel for how I should approach their batters. I'm confident that I can thrive against them, and that we'll be picking up another win in this tournament."

After that question, the press conference ended. Ramata Kabba was thankful the Banijans weren't doing any traveling tonight- she would take an ice bath back at the hotel, and hopefully ensure she delivers another ace-like performance on Matchday 5.

World Baseball Classic 54 (IC thread)

StrayaRoos Emus-WBC54

base corps moment

Batter Up!: Game By Game, We Have To Fight

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