World Baseball Classic 59 (IC thread)

by **Mercatoren** » Sun Jul 28, 2024 4:57 am

Mercatoren Baseball Roster

All eyes on the hitting prowess of Skye Martin, winner of the Mercatoran Home Run Derby in the mid-season break of the league. Carly Potts' ability to get on base pretty often last season will also be necessary, as is Melissa Bartett's stability at first base. Lastly, Hayden Vainhouse keeps things together at third base as a de facto captain who also sports a very good slash line.

The rotation at starting pitcher has Mercatoran fans in awe: it's an All Star lineup finally on one team - and does this mean we can finally compare them as they now have the same fielding against similar opponents on consecutive days? Hallenbeck and Lansing are the big two, Pearce and Wilkinson are also very capable, and the only name to generate some debate is Dewitt's.

C Joel (M) Buckley (21) - Nordwyk Mustangs
C Lucas (M) Snyder (33) - Fairview-Urbania Flyers

1B Melissa (F) Barrett (29) - Springfield Jaguars
1B Jayce (M) Holmes (34) - Fairview-Urbania Flyers
2B Brooke (F) Fletcher (22) - Leyden Giants
3B Hayden (M) Vainhouse (33) - Kremer Captains
3B Matthew (M) Garrison (26) - Leyden Giants
SS Wesley (M) Reymaker (34) - Leyden Giants
SS Morgan (F) Debruyn (24) - Marshall Vanguards

LF Abby (F) Church (30) - Marshall Vanguards
CF Skye (F) Martin (30) - Leyden Giants
CF Finley (M) Hendricks (21) - Kremer Captains
RF Carly (F) Potts (23) - Kremer Captains
RF Harvey (M) King (29) - Leyden Giants

DH Jared (M) Peters (27) - Kremer Captains

SP Michael (M) Hallenbeck (31) - Fairview-Urbania Flyers
SP Samuel (M) Lansing (32) - Kremer Captains
SP Casen (M) Pearce (34) - Marshall Vanguards
SP Sohpie (F) Wilkinson (34) - Springfield Jaguars
SP Rose (F) Dewitt (26) - Fairview-Urbania Flyers

RP Niamh (F) Burke (26) - Fairview-Urbania Flyers
RP Easton (M) Palmer (27) - Kremer Captains
RP Ellis (M) Brethower (33) - Leyden Giants
RP Gabriel (M) Stone (27) - Leyden Giants
RP Ian (M) Avery (25) - Leyden Giants
RP Warren (M) Edwards (24) - Marshall Vanguards
RP Logan (M) Gibbs (24) - Nordwyk Mustangs
RP Evan (M) Newman (26) - Springfield Jaguars

RP Permissions:
Yes

by **South Americanastan** » Sun Jul 28, 2024 7:02 pm

South Americanastan National Baseball Team
Trigamme: SAS
Nickname: Bears
Home Stadium: NorthGold Kalikadrome(Capacity 56,200)
Colors: Red, Green, and White

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: No
RP injuries to my players: Yes (No longer than 1 game)
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Eject my players: Yes
Godmod other events: No
Use DH at home: Yes
Do not use RL baseball images to represent my players.

FUCK.
YOUR WBC 59 SOUTH AMERICANASTAN BEARS

So uhhhh...

Turns out, failure was an option. Despite going 18-12 in the group stage, the South Americanastan Bears missed the WBC 57 elimination rounds.

To boot, the team plane got sucked into a wormhole on the way back from the tournament. Nice.

In what was 2 seconds for the national team, an entire cycle passed before the plane was spat out of said wormhole over the center of South Americanastan. In their absence, the South Americanastanian Baseball Federation (SABF) failed to send a team to WBC 58, singlehandedly crashing the South Americanastanian alcoholic beverage industry, along with causing a significant knock-on effect towards the multiversal cocaine and hooker market.

Much to the delight of the intergalactic black market however, the South Americanastan Bears have returned for WBC 59! Having not aged due to being in a wormhole and all, the team is essentially the exact same as the one sent to WBC 57. Expectations are low for the team's first cycle back, and most in the building outside of the team themselves are just happy to play baseball again. Anyways: Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

The team is led by seasoned manager Micheal Kelly, having led the Bears since their WBC 52 debut. Their bench coach is Analytics fetishist Kai Vellersken. The pitching coach is Robert Kaske (Cask-uh), who really isn't that special if we're being quite honest, and the Hitting Coach is former national team outfielder Ivan Kolbe, who commands what was one of the better offenses in the WBC pre-wormhole.

The pitching staff is strong, with ace Casey Kellahan commanding a fastball sitting in the high-90s with the potential to break into the 100-102 range in shorter outings. He's backed up by knuckleballer John Mikelanton, who makes a habit of going deep into games and racking up unusually high pitch counts. Following him is Darby Nikolasson, the youngest member of the starting rotation and also the only one playing ball in a foreign league, as a reliver for the Sophie City Monarchs of the LPB. Occupying the 4 spot is the mild-mannered Jerry Cook, who, despite his fastball topping out in the mid 90s, commands a deadly slider and curveball that more than make up for it. In the last spot in the rotation is the fairly unremarkable Quinn Kozalski, with the notable exception of an extremely short temper. The starting rotation is backed up by a reliable bullpen capped off by star closer Sam Harrison, boasting a virtually unhittable cutter and intimidating demeanor.

The Bears' batting order is led off by ageless catcher and resident party animal Jack Manning, arguably the best player on the team and by far the oldest. Despite a penchant for taunting, he's not afraid to back up all his talk with performance, making a name for himself as a great power hitter who manages to also maintain a strong .302 batting average in his international career. The other end of the batting order is inhabited by the team's youngest player, Monarch, and Jack Manning's protege Frank Monteforte, who has quickly established himself as a strong all-rounder and "second leadoff" hitter at the back of the order. In the middle of the order is the trio's metaphorical "third leg", Tommy Vincent, a contact hitter with deadly speed.

Go get 'em, Bears!

ROSTER:

Manager: Micheal Kelly
#1 - Age 40 - Ex-Prospect
Bench Coach: Kai Vellersken
#2 - Age 32 - Analytics Wiz
Pitching Coach: Robert Kaske
#3 - Age 47
Batting Coach: Ivan Kolbe
#4 - Age 42 - Mentor - Ex-National Teamer

PITCHING STAFF

STARTING PITCHERS

Casey Kellahan
#27 - Age 27 - LHP - Bats Left - Overhand Pitcher - Ace

John Mikelanton
#58 - Age 32 - RHP - Bats Right - Overhand Pitcher - Knuckleballer

Darby Nikolasson
#5 - Age 24 - RHP - Bats Left - Sidearm Pitcher

Jerry Cook
#97 Age 29 - RHP - Bats Right - Overhand Pitcher

Quinn Kozalski
#31- Age 26 - RHP - Bats Left - Overhand Pitcher

BULLPEN

Nick Kelly
#67 - Age 29 - RHP - Bats Right - Long Reliever - Submarine Pitcher

Wally Quinn
#85 - Age 26 - RHP - Bats Right - Overhand Pitcher

Jackson Bonn
#19 - Age 28 - RHP - Bats Right - Sidearm Pitcher

Kofi Woods
#34 - Age 23 - LHP - Bats Left - Overhand Pitcher

Matt Jackson
#13 - Age 27 - RHP - Bats Right - Setup Man - Overhand Pitcher

Sam Harrison
#15 - Age 30 - LHP - Bats Left- Closer - Overhand Pitcher - Enter Sandman

POSITION PLAYERS

CATCHERS

Jack Manning
#29 - Age 37 - Throws and Bats Right - Starting Catcher - Superstar

Jack Wigginton
#46 - Age 26 - Throws Right - Bats Right - Backup Catcher

INFIELD

Pete Lancaster
#20 - Age 24 - Throws Left - Bats Left - 1B - Power Hitter

Patrick Larson
#78 - Age 26 - Throws and Bats Right - 2B

Jacob Monte
#23 - Age 24 - Throws and Bats Right - SS

Frank Malone
#62 - Age 28 - Throws Right - Bats Left - 3B - Reliable Fielder

Tito Lowell
#45 - Age 23 - Throws and Bats Left - Utility Man

J.T. Motombu
#9 - Age 22 - Throws and Bats Right - Backup 1B/DH

OUTFIELD

Garry O'Hannagan
#99 - Age 27 - Throws and Bats Left - RF

Tommy Vincent
#57 - Age 22 - Throws and Bats Right - CF - Base Thief

Frank Monteforte
#22- Age 21 - Throws and Bats Right - LF - Prodigy

David Timberlake
#7 Age 31 - Throws and Bats Left - Backup

Walter Rowe
#39 - Age 24 - Throws and Bats Right - Backup

LINEUP

1. C Jack Manning

2. 3B Frank Malone

3. 1B Pete Lancaster

4. RF Garry O'Hanagan

5. 2B Pat Larson

6. CF Tommy Vincent

7. SS Jacob Monte

8. DH J.T. Motombu/Pitcher

9. LF Frank Monteforte

by **Milchama** » Sun Jul 28, 2024 8:40 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 Get Manageable Group in WBC 59 Draw

Due to the international retirements and governments not funding international sports in Cassadaigua and Chromatika, Milchama got lucky and got itself a Pot 1 slot in 59th WBC. The obviously 8th best team in the world, Warriors, were lucky to get a Pot 1 slot instead of a probably more deserved Pot 2. Under fire manager Gershon Terron said, "This is a group that we feel good about and we think that we should do well this WBC." The manager's understated optimism is contrasted with the media's, including this paper, who have called this group "paper thin," "really easy," "shockingly manageable," and "our closest rivals are currently working at the Olympics and definitely won't have time to RP which is really quite lucky for us tbh."

Milchama - That's us! We're not as good as baseball as we think we are but we're definitely better than this group. Should advance and the real question is whether we can get past the quarterfinals.

Valanora - We played them last time! Valanora is always a favorite of Margaret so there are always formidable and as much as you should not underestimate the Elves, we do think we should be better than them, for now, at baseball. Soon, very soon probably, we will not be better than them but for now we'll beat them.

Holy Marsh - We're anti bog and should bog down the Holy Marsh. We will have glorious victory!

Ardsk - We don't know anything about them and they're new so they are probably bad. We should beat them easily. Glorious victory shall be ours!

Fezziktopia - They solve problems like, "how come Milchama has been thoroughly mediocre in baseball except that one time when we made the semis?" Therefore, glorious victory!

Liventia - They're all focused on the Olympics and so probably can't concentrate on baseball. Expect glorious victory!

Glorious victory to Milchama! Why did we choose that slogan in the middle of our RP? Entirely unclear! Glorious victory!

by **United States of Nova Calania** » Mon Jul 29, 2024 5:07 am

Équipe nationale de baseball des États-Unis de Nouvelle-Calanie
United States of Nova Calania National Baseball Team

Nation Information:

Team Nickname: Tapirs

Nation Name: Principauté de Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer
Demonym: Jean-Jacquois
Head of State: Prince Pierre-Alexandre 1er de Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer
Official language: French
Population: 775 878
Land Area: 78 sq. km

Nation Name: People's Republic of Burnham-on-Stove
Demonym: Burnhamese
Head of State: General Secretary of the Burnhamese Communist Party, Braelynn McIlwain
Official language: English
Population: 418 306
Land Area: 54 sq. km

Nation Name: Odlegla Ziemia
Demonym: Odleglanski
Head of State: Grand Duchess Wladyslawa Wozniakowska
Official language: Polish
Population: 742 662
Land Area:

Nation Name: Shanzhou
Demonym: Shanzhouan
Head of State: General Zhang
Official language: Mandarin
Population: 235 194
Land Area:

Nation Name: New Calanian Aztec Confederacy [Nova Calanian Aztec Confederacy]
Demonym: Aztec
Head of State: Supreme Leader Moctezuma XIX
Official languages: Polish and Aztec
Population: 287 008
Land Area: Unknown

Short Nation History:

Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer

Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer is a city state of 78 square kilometers located in Anaia and founded in lhe 18th century by Jean-Jacques Le Boucanier (John James The Buccaneer), a pirate of unknown North or Central Calanian origin who decided to retire from piracy and found his own nation south of his country of origin. Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer has emerged in the 20th century as a merchant city state which favors capitalism.The current ruler of Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer is Prince Pierre-Alexandre 1er de Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer, a direct descendant of Jean-Jacques Le Boucanier. Elections are outlawed in Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer. The national animal is the tapir, which you can see wandering in our streets.

Burnham-on-Stove

Burnham-on-Stove is a city state of 54 square kilometers located in Anaia. It used to be a district whitin Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer and it's named after William Robert Burnham, a pirate and friend of Jean-Jacques Le Boucannier. In september 1923, several communist districts of Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer, mostly of English origin, declared their independence and formed the new nation of Burnham-on-Stove. The Burnhamese Communist Party is the only authorized party in Burnham-on-Stove. The national animal is also the Tapir.

Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove

in 2023, 100 years after the independence of Burnham-on-Stove, the two nations decided to form a new sporting alliance to have stronger national teams and domestic leagues.

Both nations are on the verge to form a supranational union with 3 other nations located in Nova Calania. The union is planned for may 2025, during the qualifications for the World Cup 96.

Home Stadiums

Parc Gailloux
Location: Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer
Capacity: 22,000
Tenant: Saint-Jean-Jacques Expos
Dimension
left: 335 ft.
center left: 379 ft.
center: 400 ft.
center right: 383 ft.
right: 335 ft.
Hosting: MD1 vs Zwangzug - MD5 vs Vaishnavaria - MD9 vs Caribbia

Stadion Wlodzimierz Kowalewicz
Location: Ostrow Krolewski, Odlegla Ziemia
Capacity: 23,360
Tenant: Stal Ostrow Krolewski
Dimension
left: 318 ft.
center left: 399 ft.
center: 408 ft.
center right: 385 ft.
right: 314 ft.
Hosting: MD3 vs Sarzonia - MD7 vs Oclea

Staff

Manager: Jean-Paul Couillard
Assistant manager: Jill Wallach-Gough
Entraîneur des frappeurs: Wlodzimierz Zebrowski
Entraîneur des lanceurs: Anne-Marie McEwen
Instructeur au 1er but: Jorge Juarez Suarez
Instructeur au 3e but: Simon-Pierre Croussette

Starting Pitchers

34	SP	Tyler Wu-Kwiatkowski	        24	RHP	Flushing Blue Wahoos
32	SP	Juan Diego Salazar Valenzuela	24	LHP	Indiens de Breteuil-Chamouille
99	SP	Vladimir Bonilla Gonzalez Jr.	29	RHP	Shanzhou AquaSox
64	SP	Leighton McCloskey 	        27	RHP	Downtown Tigers
19	SP	Maggie Zhu	                31	LHP	Saints de Saint-Jean-Jacques

Bullpen

65	Closer	Charlotte Crépeau-Pinette	27	RHP	Pélicans de Côte-des-Palmiers
68	Set Up	Sarah Michelle Faircloth	32	RHP	Downtown Tigers
88	Set Up	Kayla Goneau	                29	LHP	Indiens de Breteuil
56	RP	Julien Mousseau-Grondin	        27	RHP	Expos de Saint-Jean-Jacques
67	RP	Stéphanie McDermott	        30	RHP	Shanzhou AquaSox
87	RP	Lucy Oglesby	                30	RHP	Flushing Blue Wahoos
55	Long	Tristan Mousseau-Grondin	24	RHP	Expos de Saint-Jean-Jacques

Batting order - No DH

5	2B	Esperanza Juarez Galarraga	26	L	Shanzhou AquaSox
15	LF	Sarah-Maude Couillard	        28	S	Indiens de Breteuil-Chamouille
3	RF/1B	Riley Gough 	                31	L	Downtown Tigers
44	1B	Jesus Rodriguez Castro	        28	L	Shanzhou AquaSox
16	CF/LF	François-Xavier Couillard	25	S	Saints de Saint-Jean-Jacques
25	3B	Raul Rodriguez Castro	        26	L	Expos de Saint-Jean-Jacques
6	SS	Kaiden Swaggerty	        28	S	Flushing Blue Wahoos
35	C	Angel Espinoza Bolivar	        25	R	Downtown Tigers
XX      P       Starting Pitcher

Batting order - With DH

5	2B	Esperanza Juarez Galarraga	26	L	Shanzhou AquaSox
15	LF	Sarah-Maude Couillard	        28	S	Indiens de Breteuil-Chamouille
3	RF/1B	Riley Gough 	                31	L	Downtown Tigers
44	1B	Jesus Rodriguez Castro	        28	L	Shanzhou AquaSox
16	CF/LF	François-Xavier Couillard	25	S	Saints de Saint-Jean-Jacques
25	3B	Raul Rodriguez Castro	        26	L	Expos de Saint-Jean-Jacques
9	DH	Ryder Gough	                28	L	Downtown Tigers
6	SS	Kaiden Swaggerty	        28	S	Flushing Blue Wahoos
35	C	Angel Espinoza Bolivar	        25	R	Downtown Tigers

Bench

27	C	Annie Pombert	                30	R	Expos de Saint-Jean-Jacques
29	1B	Charles-Émile Robinette	        28	R	Pélicans de Côte-des-Palmiers
26	3B	Anne-Sophie Robinette	        25	R	Pélicans de Côte-des-Palmiers
51	SS	Marianne Gailloux	        23	S	Expos de Saint-Jean-Jacques
9	RF	Ryder Gough	                28	L	Downtown Tigers
17	CF/RF	William Sanfaçon-Lagrandeur	23	S	Saints de Saint-Jean-Jacques
8	LF/RF	Raelynn Gough	                26	S	Downtown Tigers

RP Permissions:

Choose my run-scorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: No - Please follow my batting order
Follow my Pitching Rotation: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Eject my players: Yes
DH used at home: No
Godmod other events: Yes
Other Info: The team has a real living tapir named Jean-Jacques sitting on the bench as it's mascot.[/quote]

by **Eshialand** » Mon Jul 29, 2024 10:34 am

The Eshian National Baseball Team
Roster for World Baseball Classic LIX

Nickname: the Owls (used domestically), the Eshian Screwballs (sometimes used internationally, at times to avoid confusion with the Tikariotian team, at other times just to deride them. Blame this name on Josh Seametzle. He posted one article that jokingly used that name and all of a sudden everyone's using it.)
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

NOTE: Due to the longer than usual gap between WBC editions, my players have once again aged two years instead of the usual one.

Head Coach: Ray FROUNTA (M, 61)
Pitching Coach: Terry STRYRE (M, 54) - Manager, Newport Owls (SNL)
Batting Coach: Annalise VEHRER (F, 50)

The Roster:

Pitching Rotation:

- Assume my pitching rotation in the group stage will go 1-2-3-4-5-1-2-3-4-5, unless I state otherwise in an RP.

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/DM me for anything ridiculous.
RP injuries to my players: Yes, but TG/DM me about the duration.
Godmod injuries to my players: No.
Eject my players: Yes, but only 1 within a single game unless you TG/DM me.
Godmod other events: Yes, but TG/DM me about it.
Use DH at home: Yes, and the Ohtani rule as well!

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

(O.O) · by **TJUN-ia** » Mon Jul 29, 2024 2:37 pm

Full Name: TJUN-ia
Organisation Name: TJUN-ia Baseball
Trigram: TJU
Nicknames: Jaguars (Formal)/Battin' Jags (Informal/Sport Specific)
Home Colours: Blue Unis With Orange Trim/Blue and Orange Hat
Away Colours: Orange Unis with Blue Trim/Blue and Orange Hat
Alternate Colours: Black Unis with Dark Orange Trim/Black and Dark Orange Hat
(All kits come with an Esportiva patch on the sleeve)

THE TEAM
(Number: Name (Age, Batting/Pitching arm))

COACHING STAFF
Manager: Phillip Hellas-Verona (61)
Assistant Manager: Jack Helstrom-Satanique (53)
Pitching Coach: Shigeru Moyatawa (57)
Batting Coach: Enrique Lopez (54)
1st Base Coach: Shana-D Mackenzie (43)
3rd Base Coach: Pierre Greziére (56)

POSITION STARTERS
1B: #70 Santino Fenatti (32, R)
2B: #25 Holly Davids (30, L)
3B: #50 Anastasia Mykvinich (32, R)
SS: #55 Svetlana Mykvinich (32, R)
RF: #38 Khin Marlar Tun (26, R)
LF: #90 Palila Kalawai’a (28, R, Gender-fluid)
CF: #60 Martina Andrade de Souza (30, L)
C: #67 Li Chen Sho (32, R)

STARTING PITCHERS
P: #1 Kimi Holvanen (32, L)
P: #2 Maddison "Missy" Jembembe (30, R)
P: #3 Yolande Sirapui (26, L)
P: #4 Joseph "JoJo" McAlbo (24, R)
P: #5 Peter Glendinning (22, L)

BULLPEN
RP: #6 Khamis Ali Makame (22, R)
RP: #7 Mohammad Al-Rayyan (20, R, U21 Cub)
RP: #8 Daisy Goldstein (20, L, U21 Cub)
RP: #9 Azeez Shakur (20, L, U21 Cub)
RP: #10 Kate Johnson-Green (18, R, U21 Cub)
CP: #11 Trinity Shelby-Dowora (22, R)

BACKUPS
1B: #76 Luke Jaxon (24, R)
3B: #78 Seo Ji-kyo (24, R)
SS: #56 Fernando Rodrigo Viera (24, L)
RF: #66 Valentin Herzog (18, R, U21 Cub)
LF: #91 Maui Aiona (20, R, U21 Cub) - Alolan
C: #68 Julian Mertz (24, R)
DH: #45 Anna Builler (34, R)
DH/PH: #46 Zingisa Mtyanda (26, L)
DH: #14 David Stokeville (18, R, U21 Cub) - Galarian

STARTING LINEUPS
Without DH
1. Fenatti
2. Kalawai’a
3. A. Mykvinich
4. S. Mykvinich
5. Li C.S.
6. K.M.T.
7. Davids
8. Andrade de Souza
9. Pitcher Spot

With DH
1. Fenatti
2. Kalawai’a
3. A. Mykvinich
4. S. Mykvinich
5. Builler (DH)
6. Li C.S.
7. K.M.T.
8. Davids
9. Andrade de Souza

BALLPARKS
Rounders Field, Portside, JB TJUN-ia (40,000)

Named after an English (U1) game similar to Baseball, Rounders Field is considered by many to be the home of TJUN-ian baseball. It has a retractable roof if the threat of rain is present, while also containing modern amenities. Don't worry about the "artwork" near centre field - that is a tribute to the varied wildlife of both Portside and TJUN-ia. The away changing rooms will still be looked at by a jaguar with the following message:

YOU ARE ENTERING THE JUNGLE
FAIR PLAY SHALL BE OBSERVED HERE AT ALL TIMES
IF NOT, THE CROWD SHALL EAT YOU ALIVE

The crowd here are known for not taking foul play lightly, and this message gives a warning of that to any opposition. TJUN-ia wants to play fairly and the message hopes that the opponent plays fairly too.

The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington, NAU Zone (42,000)

The Diamond in The Gardens is located in "The Gardens" - a major sporting complex in the NAU Zone capital of New Washington. Just down the road from Gridiron Football's Field of Dreams, it has the traditional ivy as part of the entire back wall - a sign that you are in The Gardens. Built based on classic ballparks in U1 and U2, modern amenities are present within this old-style park. It has 2 modern scoreboards and 1 manual one, which will be used to display the scores across the tournament. Unlike their counterparts in Portside, fans here don't really care about "fairness" and "sporting equality" - they just want to watch some baseball. These confines are certainly friendly and the fans are known for enjoying the game no matter if the home team is winning or not.

PERMISSIONS

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: No
RP injuries to my players: Yes
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Eject my players: Yes
Godmod other events: No
Use DH at home: No
Style Modifier: +0.5

SCHEDULE (Group 3)
MD1: @Hapilopper (54)
MD2: vs HaIvrim (UR) - Rounders Field, Portside
MD3: @Juldonia (UR)
MD4: vs Dhemixia (UR) - Rounders Field, Portside
MD5: @Super-Llamaland (4)
MD6: vs Hapilopper (54) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington
MD7: @HaIvrim (UR)
MD8: vs Juldonia (UR) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington
MD9: @Dhemixia (UR) - Brigantine Park, ???
MD10: vs Super-Llamaland (4) - Rounders Field, Portside

by **South Newlandia** » Mon Jul 29, 2024 2:48 pm

South Newlandian roster for the 59th World Baseball Classic

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Use DH at home: Yes
Choose my runscorers: Please
Choose my lineup: as long as your changes are reasonable
Follow my pitching rotation: Yes
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

Coaching staff

Manager/Head Coach: Sofia Rasmussen (SLL) (65)
At this point, Sofia Rasmussen might just be the person that has had more success in baseball than anyone else ever. Eight total appearances at the World Baseball Classic Championship Series – four as a player, for the Super-Llamaland Tigers, and four as a coach, with the South Newlandian Elephants. Four of these trips culminated in titles. The former catcher is a big part of the puzzle for why South Newlandia was a back-to-back WBC champion. The first of those titles was captured a decade ago, in Zwangzug, where the World Baseball Classic is headed again now; and the second one was narrowly won against the Zebras, a thrilling walkoff win that someone is still planning to eventually roleplay. That’s now eight years ago. It doesn’t quite qualify as a drought, but with the Elephants remaining the top-ranked team in baseball, it seems like a good time for the pachyderms.

Hitting coach: Margo Jansen (SLL) (61)
Jansen, the former hitting coach of the Tigers, had joint the team together with Rasmussen. The two had previously worked together at the New Llama Wizards.

Pitching coach: Jack Miller (47)
Miller pitched for the Elephants way back in the early days, but injuries ended his playing career before he could ever really assert himself in his prime. In retirement, he worked his way through the coaching ranks of the Walstreim Stingrays. After some years as the pitching coach there, he joined the Elephants’ coaching staff back in WBC57.

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

(fake WBC59 logo)

(SP1) Hailey Clark (28, R) (Rüsselsheim Blue Sox)
(Arsenal: 4-seamer*, Changeup, Slider, Curveball)
The former third-overall pick impressed with the Kingfishers and didn’t skip a beat after a trade back into South Newlandia. Playing for the Blue Sox, she pitched her best season yet as she enters the prime of her career, with a four-seamer that she can tunnel well with her other pitches. The curveball remains effective thanks to her restraint, as it’s likely to catch the hitter off-guard. This will be her first Classic as the staff ace, but the South Newlandian pitching is probably as close to each other as ever.

(SP2) Wolodymyr King (29, L) (St. Riecarn Saints)
(Arsenal: 4-seamer, Slider*, Changeup, Cutter)
King was drafted fourth overall by the St. Riecarn Saints, and the towering pitcher has been proving that right by providing excellent play for the first seasons of his career. He doesn’t only have a fastball that touches triple digits, but also a slider that breaks extremely hard. Pitching against him is a real challenge, having recently improved his command even further. He has consistently improved throughout his career and helped turn his Saints into a regular playoff contender, and contributed for the Elephants at the highest level as he, too, enters the prime of his career. He is of special importance for the Elephants as the only left-handed starter; something that may leave them exposed facing lineups with many left-handed hitters.

(SP3) Maike Bookmer (37, R) (New Llama Cyclones)
(Arsenal: 4-seamer, Sinker*, Changeup, Slider)
Bookmer was the first female starting pitcher in South Newlandian World Baseball Classic history. She primarily uses her sinker and changeup to disrupt the timing of hitters, with a deadly four-seamer in the mix. She focuses on generating weak contact with her pitch mix, and achieves excellent results. A semi-recent Evan Masorka award winner in Super-Llamaland, she did relinquish her role as ace of the Elephants, which is understandable given her age. She has announced before the tournament that this will be her final World Baseball Classic.

(SP4) Brandon Jackson (27, R) (Elephant Valley Snow Bears)
(Arsenal: 4-seamer*, Changeup, Slider, 2-seamer)
Jackson was taken sixth overall in his draft class, and slowly established himself as a premium pitcher in the South Newlandian league. Despite being selected just two picks after Wolodymyr King, his ascent to the Elephants happened much more gradually. His big strength is the fastball, even though the velo doesn’t jump off the page – the spin rate on the 4-seamer does. He can also throw it with a 2-seam grip. The Snow Bears’ environment, featuring many fireballers, seems to have helped him develop. While his off-speed stuff isn’t elite, he does have a reputation for coming through in big moments.

(SP5) Charles Morgan (25, R) (Sun City Flames)
(Arsenal: 4-seamer*, Sweeper, Curveball, Changeup)
Charles Morgan was drafted fourth overall by the Flames after some dominant years with the Red Elephants in college, and quickly started to deliver for the team. His main weapon is his triple-digit fastball, which was the pitch that initially put him on the map. His secondary pitches have also come along nicely. He’s developed a good changeup to pair with his sweeping slider. These additional tools have given him options against left-handers. He is a young, budding star for the Elephants who has now joined the rotation again, and his upside remains high even despite playing for Sun City.

(SP6 / Spot-Starter / Long Relief) Melissa Silvestri (24, R) (Ratzupalfu Rhinos)
(Arsenal: Fastball, Sweeper*, Changeup, 2-seamer)
Drafted tenth overall in the same draft as Hailey Clark, Silvestri has made an immediate impact after joining the Rhinos as a teenager. She has a great fastball, including a 2-seam variant to keep lefties off-balance, a changeup (which shows traces of the handwriting of Rhino teammate Dhruv Webber) that tunnels excellently, and the main show, a slider that breaks a ton, classified as a sweeper here; clearly iterating on the slider of another teammate, Ben Gonzalo. Her career was somewhat derailed by an UCL tear that cost her nearly an entire season and the last WBC, but she’s been doing well working herself back – at 24, she’s still in the early stages of her career. She’ll make one start in the group stage, and likely no additional ones beyond that.

Bullpen
The Elephants will not have a typical closer setup, but instead operate on leverage. In approximate order, from high- to low leverage. Relievers will not appear in three consecutive games.

John Trunkman (27, R) (Sun City Flames)
(Arsenal: 4-seamer*, Slider, Curveball, Changeup)
After being drafted eleventh overall by the Flames, Trunkman quickly established himself as one of the best South Newlandian relievers in the game. The young star throws a triple-digit fastball that hitters will struggle to adjust to thanks to an excellent spin rate. Adding a lethal combination of off-speed pitches seems downright unfair, although Trunkman does tend to issue walks at an above average rate. Nevertheless, he will be the main High-leverage option for the Ellies, having steadily gained experience to take on this role. Also, his name is Trunkman. You can’t go wrong.

Côme Nguyen (26, R) (Apple Valley Vipers)
(Arsenal: 4-seamer*, Changeup, Slider)
Nguyen came onto the scene quickly, being a rare early-reliever selection by Apple Valley out of Walstreim. She has a quite conventional arsenal of pitches, with her big strength being in staying one step ahead of the batter; diligently studying every minute detail about her opponents. Her lone weakness are her off-speed pitches. They don’t get hit often, but when they do, they will get crushed. She impressed as a true rookie in the previous campaign, and will take on a bigger role in Zwangzug.

Mats Molina (28, R) (New Llama Cyclones)
(Arsenal: Fastball, Sweeper, Changeup, Curveball*)
Drafted late in the first round, Mats Molina came out of college more polished, and learned from some excellent pitchers and coaches at the Elephant Valley Snow Bears before joining another great organisation in the Cyclones. Although he doesn’t have blow-you-away stuff at first glance, he is a remarkably clutch player, who will be a good option out of the bullpen after missing the previous WBC.

Darlene Le (33, R) (Ruditown Dachshunds)
(Arsenal: 4-seamer, Changeup, Slider, Splitter*)
Darlene Le, a former top-ten pick, has struggled a little bit as she’s entered her thirties, but remains an asset for this team, even in slightly lower leverage. Her strikeout pitch is her splitter, being a bit of a pioneer for a pitch that she helped popularise with South Newlandian pitchers. She’s not the oldest player in the pitching staff, but still does take up a crucial role with her leadership abilities.

Dhruv Webber (34, L) (Ratzupalfu Rhinos)
(Arsenal: 2-seamer, Cutter, Changeup*, Curveball)
Dhruv Webber is a crucial piece for this team as a rare southpaw. He’s always been more of a control artist, with none of his pitches really standing out as much in velocity or spin rate; but he has mastered a variety of different pitches to keep hitters off-balance, and shines with elite control. This will likely be his last campaign with the Elephants, but he’s had plenty of career highlights already.

Leon Perez (28, L) (Apple Valley Vipers)
(Arsenal: 4-seamer, Changeup, Slider*, Sweeper)
Perez was drafted late as a left-handed starter, but the Vipers have had success by converting him to a bullpen arm. He doesn’t have the best stuff, but the slider, which he also throws with a sweeping variant, is a great asset. Still, he’s mostly here to give the Elephants another left-handed option to absorb some innings – but you should not underestimate him either.

Fielders (starters)

(C) Sofia Löfgren (SLL/SNL) (26, R) (Xingcheng Renaissance)
(Speed: 3/5 | Power: 5/5 | Contact: 4/5 | Fielding: 5/5)
Sofia Rasmussen Löfgren was born in Super-Llamaland, but due to her South Newlandian maternal grandmother, she was eligible to play for South Newlandia, which she has chosen to do. Drafted as an all-around great talent, she became famous when her Walk-off grand slam jump-started the Renaissance coming back in the Esportivan Series. It’s almost tough to believe she’s only 26, having enjoyed plenty of big moments already – although those do not include a WBC championship. South Newlandian catchers don’t typically bat higher than eighth, so Löfgren clearly is something special with the bat; and she also stands out as an excellent defender.

(1B) Nicolas Perez (35, R) (St. Riecarn Saints)
(Speed: 2/5 | Power: 5/5 | Contact: 3/5 | Fielding: 3/5)
Perez missed the previous WBC after an injury with Xingcheng. He’s still working on rebounding now that he’s returned to South Newlandia, having been traded to the Saints; but besides being an excellent team leader, he’s still got plenty of power in his bat. He may also be used at DH, but he is a reliable enough option at first base, too.

(2B) Kevin Barros (24, R) (St. Riecarn Saints)
(Speed: 2/5 | Power: 5/5 | Contact: 4/5 | Fielding: 2/5)
Barros is inarguably one of the big young stars among the Elephants. After being drafted by the Saints following two years at RUoN, he won the Rookie of the Season award, immediately standing out as an elite power hitter for someone playing a difficult defensive position. He came up playing short, but moved to second base to accommodate Apollo Sündstrom. It’s not a great fit for him defensively, but he’s formed a hard-hitting duo with Perez. The offensive production certainly makes up for some defensive limitations.

(SS) Joan Allen (24, R) (Vargas City Lions)
(Speed: 3/5 | Power: 5/5| Contact: 3/5 | Fielding: 3/5)
Allen was drafted late by the Vargas City Lions, having playing shortstop out of a small Moocha college, but without massive expectations. However, she was able to work himself into a key role for the Lions, becoming the starting shortstop, where she impressed as a hard-hitting middle infielder between stars like Dalen Daniels and Jeff Huang. Her rise has now led her to becoming an Elephant; and while she clearly could still use some more experience, she has the tools to be a very valuable hitter asset; although her fielding could definitely still use some work.

(3B) Yousuf Henry (32, S) (Xingcheng Renaissance)
(Speed: 2/5 | Power: 4/5| Contact: 3/5 | Fielding: 3/5)
The long-time teammate of Nicolas Perez is the player from the Renaissance who has chosen to remain there. He missed the previous campaign as well, but remains a pretty good hitter, even if the speed and defensive abilities aren’t all the way there anymore. He can also hit well from both sides of the plate, which will be a major asset.

(LF) Nolan Ramsey (34, S) (Newport Owls)
(Speed: 3/5 | Power: 4/5 | Contact: 4/5 | Fielding: 2/5)
Ramsey has had perhaps the most interesting career path of any Elephant. Drafted by Malidridad, where he won the Rookie of the Season award, he soon departed for Anaia, before joining a stacked Dolphins team. Now, he has upset the power balance of the league by joining the cross-town rival Owls in Free Agency. Because of how that roster was constructed, that has necessitated a move into Left Field, where he’s never played before; having mainly been a first baseman. Thanks to his bat and remarkable speed for a player in the twilight of his career, he’s made it work there – and the Elephants, who are constructed in similar ways, will try to see if it works at a bigger stage.

(CF) Emil Hurley (32, L) (Peninsulara Kingfishers)
(Speed: 4/5 | Power: 4/5 | Contact: 4/5 | Fielding: 3/5)
Despite remaining a Kingfisher in Free Agency, Hurley has continued stacking excellent seasons ever since he got here. He is now playing in Right Field there, which suits his abilities better, but the Elephants don’t really have great other options in Center. His speed used to one of his biggest assets, and while South Newlandians are generally conservative on the basepaths, Hurley is aggressive, which can lead to costly outs. In recent years, he’s bulked up and exchanged some agility for greater power.

(RF) Raffaele Pohl (24, R) (Sophie City Monarchs)
(Speed: 3/5 | Power: 4/5 | Contact: 4/5 | Fielding: 3/5)
One of the most hyped prospects when she was drafted as a teenager, Pohl has developed well with the Monarchs. She’s not a flashy outfielder, but she can hold her own well enough on defense. Her real upside comes with the bat, where she is always a threat. For a player of her age, she has an elite walk rate, and she combines it with a great power stroke. She’s played a major role into making the Sophie City Monarchs into real contenders, where she’s mainly played in Right Field.

(DH/1B) Tiffany Grey (33, R) (Newport Dolphins)
(Speed: 3/5 | Power: 4/5 | Contact: 4/5 | Fielding (1B): 2/5)
After a promising early career that included a ring with the Elephants, the career of Grey seemed to sputter out on the Flames; but a move to Peninsulara, and now the Dolphins, has reinvigorated her career. While she lost some defensive value over the years, she is still a good option at the plate, standing out with excellent averages and a good helping over power. She played at first base in the last campaign, but is now moving back to the Designated Hitter role; likely to be shared to some extent with Nolan Ramsey.

Bench:

(C) Tyler Danson (32, R) (New Llama Cyclones)
(Speed: 2/5 | Power: 4/5 | Contact: 3/5 | Fielding: 4/5)
Danson is well-rounded backup catcher with no glaring weaknesses, and should not be a massive downgrade when stepping in for Löfgren. He is very likely to catch the starts of Elephants’ ace Maike Bookmer, who he has formed a strong battery with on the Cyclones, and will be catching her starts primarily.

(2B) Mike Oeland (31, R) (New Llama Cyclones)
(Speed: 4/5 | Power: 3/5 | Contact: 3/5 | Fielding: 4/5)
Oeland was seen as one of the best prospects in his draft class, and had even taken part in a few Baseball Slams for South Newlandia. Despite good stats in Denison, he failed to break through in a fairly crowded South Newlandian infield. Since joining the Cyclones, he has improved his defense, and will be taking over second base for the Elephants at last, now entering his prime. He’s a good everyday player, not elite at anything, but with no real weaknesses to his game.

(LF) Maria Philipps (26, S) (Ruditown Dachshunds)
(Speed: 3/5 | Power: 4/5 | Contact: 4/5 | Fielding: 4/5)
Philipps hit the ground running in Ruditown, a franchise that didn’t always hit its outfield draft picks. After just three seasons, she is proven as a player that can contribute to the team with her bat in various ways. Defensively, she doesn’t have the best top speed, but she is nonetheless a good defender thanks to her good positioning and quick first step. She also can hit from both sides of the plate, although she does still sometimes hit lefty against left-handed pitchers, depending on how she matches up against their arsenal. She’s the main defensive substitute, and will see some playing time in Left when the Elephants want more defense in the lineup – in that case, Ramsey will often be the DH.

(OF) Shawn Zimmerman (37, S) (Ratzupalfu Rhinos)
(Speed: 2/5 | Power: 3/5 | Contact: 3/5 | Fielding: 3/5)
Shawn Zimmerman is a living South Newlandian legend, heading into his landmark tenth Classic in the outfield. A five-tool Center Fielder in his prime, he started to regress in his thirties, losing some defensive value in the process. After struggling with the Comets, he has returned to South Newlandia, where he moved to Right Field. He is still a terrific hitter, and managed to replace raw power with an excellent eye, leading to high levels of on-base success. This is not to mention his clubhouse leadership – he feels like the captain of the ship – and in this case, a captain on his final voyage.

Lineup with DH

1. CF Emil Hurley
2. DH Tiffany Grey
3. 2B Kevin Barros
4. LF Nolan Ramsey
5. 1B Nicolas Perez
6. C Sofia Löfgren (Danson if Bookmer starts. Danson bats 9th then)
7. RF Raffaele Pohl
8. 3B Yousuf Henry
9. SS Joan Allen

Lineup with Pitcher

1. CF Emil Hurley
2. 2B Kevin Barros
3. 1B Nicolas Perez
4. LF Nolan Ramsey
5. C Sofia Löfgren (Danson if Bookmer starts. Danson bats 8th then)
6. RF Raffaele Pohl
7. 3B Yousuf Henry
8. SS Joan Allen
9. Pitcher Spot

Home ground

Elephant Stadium (30,000)
The biggest South Newlandian baseball stadium is located in the relative South of the capital city Elephant Valley. The stadium was recently upgraded again and is now able to host 30,000 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. This stadium also featured knockout games in IBS12, including a semi-final; and of course, multiple play-off series at WBC51, including the South Newlandian semi-final win over Sarzonia. Domestically, this is the home of the Elephant Valley Homers.

by **South Newlandia** » Mon Jul 29, 2024 2:49 pm

So, you’re in a group with the Elephants. What does that mean?

The groups are drawn for another World Baseball Classic, and 54 teams hope to be among the 32 teams that get to make a trip to Zwangzug. While that seems to be a manageable task for the top-seeded Elephants, Sofia Rasmussen reminded her team to take every game seriously. “In a ten-game group stage, we need to treat every game with the importance it really carries. We’ve seen it ten years ago – with so few games, just a couple bad ones can easily spell disaster, or at least put yourself into a very difficult path for the Zwangzug stage”.

Pitching schedule:
Game 1 @ Dotivija // SP: Wolodymyr King
Game 2 vs. Taxonomic Kingdoms // SP: Maike Bookmer (Danson at Catcher)
Game 3 @ Equestria // SP: Charles Morgan
Game 4 vs. The Kytler Peninsulae // SP: Hailey Clark
Game 5 @ Panay Islands and Guimaras // ~~SP: Melissa Silvestri~~ -> SP: Brandon Jackson (Danson at Catcher)
Game 6 vs. Dotivija // ~~SP: Brandon Jackson~~ -> SP: Charles Morgan
Game 7 @ Taxonomic Kingdoms // SP: Wolodymyr King
Game 8 vs. Equestria // SP: Hailey Clark
Game 9 @ The Kytler Peninsulae // SP: Maike Bookmer (Danson at Catcher)
Game 10 vs. Panay Islands and Guimaras // SP: Brandon Jackson

The Elephants were paired with a trio of unranked teams, including Dotivija, familiar faces from a few different events, and Taxanomic Kingdoms, familiar faces from exactly one event the Elephants sure would like to forget. To be fair, this seems to be a different iteration of their old foes.
Among the ranked teams are Equestria, who also shared a group with the Elephants back in their first ever World Baseball Classic. While Equestria have fallen on tougher times recently after being a contender in the past, The Kytler Peninsulae is doing the exact opposite; having played very well in the previous campaign as an unranked side.

The Phoenix feature a few players that have since joined Llamaphant Pro Baseball, such as youngster Benjamin Ígorsson. The Kytlerians project to be the toughest test the Elephants will face. Having developed their own interpretation of what’s “normal” in baseball, they’ll certainly be a challenge for the Ellies (although they are far from the least normal team they’ll be playing). While the official WBC59 roster has yet to be communicated, they’ll likely return with another three-man rotation and unique usage of relief pitchers, as well as a balanced assortment of local talent and LPB-experienced ballplayers.
Of course, another wrinkle for the Elephants is that they’ve watched the Kytler Peninsulae’s chess team repeatedly carve up the Chess-team of the pachyderms with ease. This tournament will give them an opportunity to finally notch an Elephant-victory against the fellow green-yellow-blue-flagged country (it is notable how frequently this combination appears among countries that play baseball and cricket. If I had a nickel for each, I’d have three nickels.)

So, how do you beat the Elephants?
While the pachyderms enter this WBC as one of the favorites, the team has its fair share of weak spots. Starting with the pitchers, while the 12 pitchers the Elephants are bringing are quite capable, they do also significantly lean towards right-handers.
Only one of the starters and two of the relievers are southpaws, which means that teams with many left-handed batters are likely to do well against them. Another wrinkle is that none of the South Newlandian pitchers have any relevant experience at the plate, which means that teams that enforce playing without the Designated Hitter at home will likely have improved chances to win those games – especially with the relatively thin bench making pinch-hitting an exhaustable resource.

The lineup also has some weaknesses of its own. In selecting this team, Sofia Rasmussen has brought mostly right-handed batters, and mostly players that like to hit for power. Extreme examples include first baseman Nicolas Perez and shortstop Joan Allen, but almost the entire team leans that way. That means that opposing teams will prefer to have right-handed pitching to combat the Elephants, and especially right-handed hitters that don’t get crushed as often.

The primary weakness of the Elephants is their mediocre defensive abilities, with the up-the-middle-positions noticeably light on good fielding. Both Barros and Allen aren’t built like typical middle infielders, and their defensive value takes a corresponding hit; and while Emil Hurley used to be an excellent defender in his prime, he hasn’t been used to fielding Center anymore, and is also starting to lose some of that speed and agility entering his fourth decade of life.

logo credit: Sacha

Elephant Valley Snow Bears Preview

Starting Pitchers
SP Jorge Billing (Ranoria)
SP Yahweh "The Cannon" Bohannon (Ranoria)
SP Brandon Jackson (South Newlandia)
SP Dylan Borges (South Newlandia)
SP Nathan Johanssen (Super-Llamaland)
6th SP Jack Beard (South Newlandia)

Bullpen
RP Miellen Walker (Ranoria)
RP Matti Rossi (South Newlandia)
RP Anthony Powell (South Newlandia)
RP Jenny Strauss (Super-Llamaland)
RP Michael Michaelson (South Newlandia)
RP Hambone Fakenamington (South Newlandia)

Starting Fielders
C Sana Dixon (South Newlandia)
1B Edward Scout (Tumbra)
2B John Solomons (Ranoria)
SS Justin Derrick (Ranoria)
3B Foster Fleming (Tikariot)
LF Julian Breit (Ranoria)
CF Darcy Quagliarella (Super-Llamaland)
RF Kevin Whitmore (Tumbra)
DH Wesley "Wes" Reid (South Newlandia)

Bench players
C Manuela Simon (South Newlandia)
2B Maxine Eckstein (Super-Llamaland)
SS Charis Lee (Tumbra)
RF/OF Pia Franke-Davies (South Newlandia)
RF Aaron Lewis (South Newlandia)

The Snow Bears had finally captured the mountain-top again, winning their first LPB-era title in a thrilling six-game series over the Newport Dolphins. While they fell short to Emerald City in the Multiverse Series, it was a massive achievement for the entire team, starting with manager Jonas Nuhl, with players from the entire roster contributing.

Entering the new season, the Snow Bears are looking to remain competitive this time – in recent times, they’ve alternated pretty good seasons with pretty bad seasons. They will have to address a few positions that gave them trouble. Journeyman catcher Hugh Marquez, who played a major role in the championship run, decided to retire, and All-Star Center Fielder Judas Acker did so as well. The biggest loss for the team in Free Agency was reliever Mats Molina, who was an excellent second-in-command for a bullpen led by All-Star Miellen Walker. Molina will be playing for the Cyclones in the upcoming season.

The Snow Bears were able to ink some other players to new deals, including giving right-hander Brandon Jackson a hefty new contract, and providing new extensions to former MVP Julian Breit and ace pitcher Jorge Billing, among others.

This situation, coupled with already having some big contracts on the books, left the Bears struggling to add new talent. The two biggest additions were Center Fielder Darcy Quagliarella and catcher Sana Dixon, who struggled to play much above replacement level at their previous positions. Both of them will now have a new opportunity as starters for the Snow Bears.

This is still a really good team, and that starts with manager Jonas Nuhl, who has been able to shape this team into a perennial contender. Their big strength is their starting rotation, which still ranks as one of the best in the LPB. Ranorians Jorge Billing and his fellow Snow Bear, flamethrower Yahweh Bohannon, are the headliners, but they are supported by a trio of strong Esportivans. Brandon Jackson is already an Elephant, and left-handed command specialist Dylan Borges looks to be well on his way to joining him there. The youngest starter, Llamanean Nathan Johanssen, has enough on his fastball to have the potential to overtake them both. What’s more, all three are home-grown talents the Snow Bears selected with various first-round picks.

One of the issues likely to be a factor is their bullpen. While they have Miellen Walker, still one of the best in the league, headlining the unit, their depth is leaving a lot to be desired. While they attempted to bring some help in, the best they could do was Matti Rossi, and they also elevated Anthony Powell from the AAA New Colk Tigers, despite well-documented struggles there with his command. That leaves the Snow Bears relying on players like Michael Michaelson and Hambone Fakenamington as their relief options, which is not exactly a desirable position to be in.

The batting lineup is very much a mixed bag as well. They are now down to three Ranorians in the lineup, but Julian Breit is still one of the best power hitters in the league, and the middle infield pairing of John Solomons and Justin Derrick will continue to contribute on both sides of the ball. Beyond them, the Bears also have a good crew of role players. Tikariotian Foster Fleming is still putting together good seasons, Wes Reid hasn’t stopped hitting for power yet, and the “Tumbran trio” has quietly been a very real presence for this team as well. Charis Lee fills a lot of holes for this team defensively, and Kevon Whitmore has proven that he can be a valuable starter with upside in the last season. They also have more decent bench depth in Maxine Eckstein and Aaron Lewis, who were both given new contracts after the last season.

There is also some talent stashed away with AAA New Colk. The Tigers feature a handful of recent draft picks, including reliever Gaia Colombo. The right-hander was huge for Ratzupalfu in college, but seems a little bit away from being able to contribute in the bigs. The same is true of talented catcher Benji Becker of Osterhalten. Drafted out of EVSI, the power-hitting backstop fell far into the second round, but may prove to be a viable option for the Snow Bears in due time.

Even though the bullpen and the lineup may not be top-tier in the LPB anymore, this team is still a real contender. Thanks to Jonas Nuhl’s abilities as a manager and their excellent starting rotation, this team is a threat if their pitchers stay healthy – when it comes to the pitching, they will struggle to compensate for injuries. In an SNL North that projects to be the toughest it’s been in a while, the Snow Bears are not frontrunners, but still a team that could make some noise if everything goes well for them, and a wildcard appearance seems attainable.

Elephant Valley Homers Preview

Starting Pitchers
SP Hye-Yeon Yi (Quebec and Shingoryeo)
SP Adrian Wnuk (Dod Rava)
SP Rosa Sánchez (Dod Rava)
SP Tihinerimo Yraskarjá (Farfadillis)
SP Percival Zappacosta (Lozho)
6th SP Serena Wu (Super-Llamaland)

Bullpen
RP Benoit Everson (Quebec and Shingoryeo)
RP Lorenzo Harvey (South Newlandia)
RP Raphael Boyer (South Newlandia)
RP Nate Peterson (Super-Llamaland)
RP Jordan Jam-Jams (Qasden)
RP Miles Haines (Drehda)

Starting Fielders
C Hyeon-Myeong Joh (Quebec and Shingoryeo)
1B Masango Ekangaki (Banijan Esportivan Territories)
2B Len Pijpenbroek (Ko-oren)
SS Feliks Korab (Dod Rava)
3B Mitch Sneider (South Newlandia)
LF Filip Więcław (Dod Rava)
CF Zed Zexair (Lozho)
RF Cecily Maybin (Quebec and Shingoryeo)
DH Antonio Gatti (South Newlandia)

Bench players
C Patiris Eká Molos (Farfadillis)
2B Rezinald Zaratrianias (Lozho)
2B Awli Rubis (Banijan Esportivan Territories)
LF Juriel Santos (Chromatika)
OF Nathan Kamble (South Newlandia)

The Homers are looking to finally return to relevance after another rough season in which they lost 92 games and finished last in the SNL North. For a franchise as storied as the Homers, their complete lack of playoff success in the LPB era (barring one SNLCS appearance via beating the lowly Flames) is certainly a big issue to address for the front office. There’s also good news for the Homers, which have made several changes heading into the new season. There’s reason to hope that the lean years are finally coming to an end.

Perhaps the biggest addition for the Homers was the signing of a new manager; with Super-Llamanean Nikki Wang taking over the team. She had previously been in charge of the Wizards and Renaissance, and will now take on her first assignment in the SNL.

That assignment was made easier by the Homers retaining all their top contributors, including star players from fellow Esportivan baseball nation Dod Rava. While five Homers departed the team in the offseason, none of them were essential to the squad, with utility infielder Devin Amalfi the most notable – especially since he joined division rivals Ruditown.

The Homers also were active in the Free Agency market. The most important addition by a long-shot was Len Pijpenbroek, the star Ko-orenite second baseman, who returns to the South Newlandian League after a previous stint with the then-Dragons. Pijpenbroek promises to be a major upgrade on both sides of the ball, as well as taking on a leadership role as an experienced Dragonfly.

Additions also included pure-hitter Antonio Gatti, as well as some bullpen help highlighted by Lorenzo Harvey alongside Llamanean Nate Peterson. Both Harvey and Peterson are WBC-experienced and will help a unit that frequently looked terrible last season.

The real story of the Homers in recent years, though, has been developing in Chekar, where the team’s AAA affiliate plays. The Chekar Triples now rank as the best AAA team in South Newlandia by a fair margin, having accumulated excellent draft talent in recent years. The first dividends are already coming to the Homers, with the Llamanean left-hander and recent #24 pick set to debut for the team, having just received her callup.
There’s more where that came from. The Homers now have two top-ten prospects in their system. From the previous draft, that’s fellow Llamanean pitcher Sylvi Magnussen, selected third out of High School thanks to her high-velo fastball. From the most recent draft, its #5 overall pick Luke Scholz, a South Newlandian catcher out of Kinjestad, who stands out as an excellent defender. While both of them are just twenty years old and unlikely to debut this season, they also have top players that may receive a promotion throughout the season. Most probably, that might be Anna-Jessica Morgan-Adams, another first-round selection in the last draft. The shortstop out of EVSI may be able to slot into third base. And, of course, the team made two more picks in the top 50, so there’s no telling if Right-Hander Simon Huber or first baseman Asier Rodriguez, both out of NCfIR, might make a massive jump.

While this is still a very young team that presumably will need time to grow, they should be in the mix for the SNL North, which is looking as even as it hasn’t in a long time. This is a team that’ll likely get better as the season progresses, not only thanks to help from the Triples, but also more generally growing together as a team.

Their pitching rotation looks like it could become extremely threatening, featuring All-Star Hye-Yeon Yi alongside a pair of starters from Dod Rava. Rosa Sanchez in particular is currently in the middle of a meteoric rise, and Tihinerimo Yraskarjá will provide some explosive energy. Alongside other players from Farfadillis, he may soon make history for the nation as it’s set to make its WBC debut. Paired with rookie Wu and Lozho’s Percival Zappacosta, they’re looking like a balanced rotation, and the bullpen has also seen significant improvement in the offseason.

If this team falters, it will likely be due to a lack of hitting. The team does have elite players around, including newcomer Pijpenbroek and Dod Ravans Korab and Więclaw, as well as a pair of players from Quebec and Shingoryeo. The development of Patiris Eká Molos will also be interesting to watch, as he’s likely to take on a bigger role with his fellow catcher already at 36 years of age.
Despite those stars, there are also some weaknesses that other SNL teams do not have; 3B Mitch Sneider will be one of them, and players like Ekangaki and Zexair have also not quite proven yet that they should have a starting role on an LPB team.
Overall, this is a good team that can contend for the playoffs, but they’ll probably still need another season until all the promising young players are truly ready.

by **Kamijiro** » Mon Jul 29, 2024 7:09 pm

Your Kamijiro Diamond IX Roster and Background

It's time for Kamijiro to throw together it's squad for the most-popular amateur-only sport in their country - baseball. Or as it's known to the locals, "Diamond IX." The name originates from a misunderstanding between two departments - Raijin-shi and Chamonix. Back in the day, Chamonix residents had a game very similar to baseball, but it was played on a football pitch and with seven players and with a rubber ball. The rules of this version of the sport, which was called "baiseballe" - do not translate that - have long been forgotten. However, the news reports about a bunch of naked Chamonix 20-somethings pulling up to a Raijin-shi baseball field are still available to be seen at the Miraisaki University library archives. This prompted a new name to be created, and due to the dimensions of the field being, well, a diamond, and the fact that there were nine players on the field - Diamond IX was adopted as a placeholder. Eventually, the name just stuck because they couldn't come up with an adequate replacement. With that being said, to the rest of the world, we're talking baseball.

The game of baseball is the fourth-largest sport in Kamijiro, and one of the only major sports that doesn't have a dedicated professional league in the country. This team being sent to the World Baseball Classic is largely made up of those who work every day professions and spent their youth on the diamond. Some of them still play for amateur teams and barnstorm throughout the country for the fun of it. Ticket sales from those matches tend to go straight to funding their trips. As such, most teams in Kamijiro are made up of friends from the same cities and towns, and there are very few teams with players of multiple ethnicities.

The largest baseball stadium in Kamijiro was the St. Jerome Municipal Arena, which could be converted into a baseball field that could hold up to 6,000. However, the stadium was destroyed during the period of civil unrest between St. Jerome and what is now called South Central St. Jerome. The next largest stadium in the country for baseball is a small field on Jiro Island, and that "stadium" holds around 4,000. That number has never even been touched, as most of that figure consists of standing room only. Realistically, the capacity is probably around 2,000, if all seats are taken. The field itself is quite small by most modern standards of baseball (measurements of the outfield are listed below). The field recently added safety nets for the dugouts and behind home plate.

The goal of baseball in Kamijiro, unlike most sports, is to just have fun. Every other sport in the country is about winning, winning, winning. Even competitive earthworm spotting can get pretty feisty. (Yes, that's real - and you can get prize money for finding a Kamijiroan Lightning-Striped Earthworm.) But on the baseball diamond, most players are just there to go out for the weekend and meet new people or hang out with friends. Games can last up to four or five hours, depending on the ruleset used - some teams prefer to go up to fifteen innings to maximize rotation and making sure everybody gets a shot to play, but most teams prefer regulation nine inning games. Most teams opt for a designated hitter (again, so everybody has a role).

Without any further ado, the Kamijiroan Diamond IX Roster, starting with the pitchers.

Pitchers:
Atsuji Akaminai. Handedness: Left. Age: 23. Hometown: Miraisaki, Raijin-shi. Jersey #: 7. Profession: Unknown (Likely Illegal).
Alexander Akerman. Handedness: Right. Age: 22. Hometown: Westhampton, St. Jerome. Jersey #: 3. Profession: Auto Repair Tech.
Clarence Bartley. Handedness: Right. Age: 28. Hometown: Laramie, St. Jerome. Jersey #: 76. Profession: Farmer.
Orielle de Côteaux. Handedness: Switch. Age: 20. Hometown: Rém, Belle-île, Chamonix. Jersey #: 42. Profession: Student.
Howard Ellis. Handedness: Left. Age: 22. Hometown: St. Jerome City, St. Jerome. Jersey #: 14. Profession: Student.

The starting pitching cast is an interesting mix. Perfectly split between righties and lefties with one switch-pitcher, the team opted for a starting crew that goes for placement over power. The ace of this illustrious group is Orielle de Côteaux. She's a switch-pitcher (so far, the only successful one in Kamijiroan history) and has a nasty slider that fools even the most well-disciplined of hitters. Her hometown nickname is "Mains d'Or" - literally "hands of gold." She will likely be the pitcher to take on Abanhfleft in the fourth and ninth games in the schedule.

The rest of the cast are no slouches, either. Atsuji "Red Wolf" Akaminai throws absolute heat into the corners, likely honed from his days cutting class to play ball with the grown-ups at a local field. He has a nasty temper to go along with his laser-beam fastball, and he doesn't take kindly to batters pimping homers. He's been ejected from several games for pitching high and inside, gaining a reputation as a bit of an enforcer. He will likely be the one to take on Ochre Islands in the first and fifth games.

Clarence "Sunrise" Bartley and Howard "Nightfall" Ellis are pretty much identical in terms of pitching ability - just mirrored, with Clarence being a righty and Howard being a lefty. Their upbringings could not be any more different if they tried. Clarence is a farm boy who trained his aim by throwing balls into tiny squares painted onto a barn and Howard is a city kid who practiced with friends at a high school field under bright lights. It's unclear when they'll be deployed as the starters, but they will likely see action against either South Americanastan or The Fortem.

Alexander Akerman rounds out the lineup. Nicknamed "Elbow Grease," his pitches are often pretty slow compared to most high-end pitchers. It's the movement that will get you - his changeups have a filthy amount of break to them, even if they rarely touch eighty miles an hour. He's the only one of the pitchers who has also won an award for his profession - he was given a national certificate of recognition for his work on King Kaminari II's sportscar. He will likely be the starting pitcher against Libonesia.

And now, the bullpen.

Substitute Pitchers:
Hailey Fox. Handedness: Right. Age: 29. Hometown: Conley, South Central St. Jerome. Jersey #: 41. Profession: Accountant.
Miguel dos Santos. Handedness: Left. Age 22. Hometown: Tavira, Porto de Kamijiro. Jersey #: 22. Profession: Owner-Operator of Bakery.
Tenshi Hikari. Handedness: Left. Age 23. Hometown: Miraisaki, Raijin-shi. Jersey #: 30. Profession: Unknown (Likely Illegal).
Shousuke Takagi. Handedness: Right. Age 24. Hometown: Ōzu, Raijin-shi. Jersey #: 44. Profession: Video Game Programmer.
Ellie Xanthe. Handedness: Right. Age: 26. Hometown: Spolia, Jiro Island. Jersey #: 35. Profession: Enkō.

The primary closer is Tenshi "Death's Hand" Hikari. He's the best friend of Atsuji Akaminai (although Atsuji insists the correct term is 'right hand') and, much like Atsuji, is another fireball pitcher who loves trying to shatter the catcher's glove hand. His specialty is the four-seamer, which he regularly throws at over 95 miles an hour. His distinctive ice-white hair coming out of the bullpen usually means that his team is looking to end the game quickly - he's a ninth inning specialist.

Hailey "Comet" Fox is the oldest member of the pitching staff, including the starters and bullpen. She is a painter of the corners, often hitting the bottom corners in just the right spots to get a strike call. She's been inactive in the amateur scene of late due to having children now, but she did plenty well at the tryout, shaking off the rust and proving herself.

Shousuke "Ice Cold" Takagi is a slow-pitch king. His control is spectacular and his pitches rarely get over 85 miles an hour. He gets a lot of batters to ground into double plays and is often brought in to bail somebody out of an inning where there's multiple runners on base and the starter is getting tired. He gained the name "Ice Cold" after coming in with no warm-up and getting his team out of a bases-loaded, no outs situation without giving up a run.

Miguel "Tiger Claw" dos Santos is a preacher's son who left the seminary to start baking. He now owns his own bakery and often leaves work after getting his last batches out to go practice his pitching control. He led his high school team (Tavira H.S. Tigers) to a national title game, but suffered an injury beforehand and his team didn't quite get it done. His signature is the fastball, hitting low 90s pretty consistently.

Ellie "Shadow Dance" Xanthe is... well, she's Ellie. An Enkō by trade, she's mastered the art of teasing just enough to get what she needs. Both on the diamond and off of it. She usually puts pitches wide and low with extra spin, trying to get undisciplined batters to swing at what's essentially a shadow. Her body control while pitching is something to behold, despite her unorthodox windup and pitch style.

This concludes the pitching staff, leading us into the position players!

Starting Lineup (w/ Designated Hitter)
1st: (1B) Félix Cavaco. Handedness: Switch. Age: 19. Hometown: Relâmpago, Porto de Kamijiro. Jersey #: 7. Profession: Student.
2nd: (RF) Ryuji Phaëthon. Handedness: Left. Age: 24. Hometown: Spolia, Jiro Island. Jersey #: 1. Profession: Priest.
3rd: (SS) Emi Phaëthon. Handedness: Right. Age: 24. Hometown: Spolia, Jiro Island. Jersey #: 11. Profession: Botanist.
4th: (DH) Napoleon Sarre. Handedness: Right. Age: 28. Hometown: Trèves, Chamonix. Jersey #: 50. Profession: Painter.
5th: (2B) Lucian Belvedere. Handedness: Left. Age: 27. Hometown: Croydon, St. Jerome. Jersey #: 29. Profession: Historian.
6th: (3B) Markus Blaauw. Handedness: Switch. Age: 21. Hometown: Kustplaats, Nieuw Volendam. Jersey #: 21. Profession: Student.
7th: (CF) Daijiro Kamada. Handedness: Right. Age: 26. Hometown: Iyo, Raijin-shi. Jersey #17. Profession: Chef.
8th: (LF) Maou Ashiya. Handedness: Right. Age: 17. Hometown: Aoshima, Raijin-shi. Jersey #99. Profession: Unknown (Likely Illegal).
9th: (C) Magurix Gaëtan. Handedness: Left. Age: 21. Hometown: Île de Jeux, Chamonix. Jersey #39. Profession: Student.

Note: when playing without the designated hitter, everybody slides up one and the pitcher goes to ninth.

Félix "Knee Socks" Cavaco is probably one of the best contact hitters in the country right now. He doesn't get much power, but he gets on base. The kind of player you love to have first. Got his nickname from the one time he forgot his socks and was forced to play in knee-highs for a game.

Ryuji "Sun King" Phaëthon and Emi "Sun Queen" Phaëthon are twins who were born on the exact stroke of noon on the Summer solstice. Their family name literally comes from the son of Helios, the Greek god of the sun - they are half-elf (their ages have been adjusted to their approximate age in human years) and have lived on Jiro Island for some time now after immigrating to Kamijiro. They are naturalized citizens. (Recently. Immigrants couldn't become citizens until very recently). Both of them have a good amount of power on their swings, but it's their eye for the ball that really stands out. They rarely swing at anything silly.

Napoleon "Little Emperor" Sarre is a child of Chamonix old money - he spent his youth playing catch with his dad and his teen years sneaking off of his family's property to go play games at the local field. He's grown up now and paints for a living. He does Baroque art and recently painted a portrait of the King. "Little Emperor," of course, comes from his namesake, but it also fits his play. He's a bit short, but boy can he hit the ball. A true cleanup hitter.

Lucian "Silk White" Belvedere is forever 27. At least, that's what he says. Nobody can really figure out what that means. He lives alone in a big house, doesn't go out except to play night games. He doesn't have great plate discipline, but if he makes contact, that ball is as good as gone - he lead his team in home runs last season, despite only playing night games. He's also a half-elf, and his age has been adjusted to human years.

Markus "Corner Pocket" Blaauw gained his nickname from his excellent defensive work on third base. His hitting leaves a lot to be desired, but he's good for the occasional base hit. He's particularly good at staying alive, fouling off a lot of pitches. He's particularly valuable for driving up opposing pitchers' pitch count.

Daijiro "Island" Kamada does a really good job of expending the least amount of energy - he can almost sense where batters will send their pop-ups. He calls the defensive shifts and is the captain of the outfield. As a batter, he's mid-to-bad, but his feel for the game is second to none. He often plays on an 'island', separate from the rest of the team, as they rotate around him and he doesn't really move.

Maou "Devil King" Ashiya is another one of Atsuji's boys that got brought along. He's a high-school dropout who spends all of his time playing baseball or... whatever it is that he, Atsuji, and Tenshi do all day. He bats really well considering his age and is lightning quick around the bases. He bats near the bottom of the lineup so that the top of the order can drive him in later.

Magurix "Wings" Gaëtan is a half-fey, half-elf immigrant who lives on an island by himself. He has wings, hence the nickname, and they do work, he can fly for short periods. However, in order to promote fairness, he plays catcher, a position where jumping isn't really in the job description. His age has also been approximated to a human's lifespan. His batting is pretty solid and he's a contact hitter. Much like Maou, he plays at the end of the lineup so that he can be on base for the top of the lineup.

The team doesn't employ backups - replacements will only be called up if an injury arises. The team also does not employ a manager. Instead, team captain Orielle de Côteaux makes the team decisions - she has the full respect of the squad and her elegant, flowing speeches help the team find their identity before each match. Shockingly, even Atsuji, Tenshi and Maou listen to her - and they don't listen to anybody.

And now, the field's dimensions and information. Both the left and right foul poles are at 315 feet and center field is 400. It's symmetrical, so the left-center and right-center are at 357.5 feet. It's small by modern standards, but it's a very home-run friendly field and that helps get fans excited. The grass is Kentucky Bluegrass (not the genre of music) and it's maintained daily. The dugouts are at field level with nets in front of them. There are various concession stands with every flavor of Kamijiroan cuisine imaginable!

And, for those who just want the RP stuff...
Choose my run scorers: Yes.
Choose my lineup: There really isn't a lot of variability to it, but yes. Note that the starting pitchers have been somewhat penciled in.
Follow my pitching rotation: Yeah. Just remember that Tenshi "Death's Hand" Hikari is the closer.
God-mod scoring events: Yes.
RP injuries: Yes, but bear in mind that, as this is an amateur team, there are no back-ups. Players will play through injury or a bullpen pitcher will be used if needed.
God-mod injuries: No, thanks.
Eject my players: Atsuji "Red Wolf" Akaminai and Tenshi "Death's Hand" Hikari would be the most likely to be ejected, for RP purposes.
God-mod other events: Yeah, just don't blow up my stadium or something.
We use a designated hitter & the Ohtani rule applies, although we don't use it.
Style mod (although possibly not applicable) is +3.

by **Diarcesia** » Mon Jul 29, 2024 7:11 pm

RP Permissions, Should Opponent Post First

Default: Mirror - If it's allowed to your athletes, then it's allowed to mine. Permissions posted in this thread will be checked.

If no opponent RP permissions are posted:
Choose my starting lineup: Yes
Choose my starting pitcher: Yes
Choose how I scored: Yes
Godmod baseball events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes if it lasts one one game at most. Otherwise, consult
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes if it lasts one one game at most. Otherwise, consult
Eject my players: Yes if it lasts one one game at most. Otherwise, consult
Godmod other events: Yes
Use DH at home: Yes

Home Stadium:
Name: Vecetxe-Arcedatus Field (Capacity: 40,000)
City: Vecetxe-Arcedatus
Dieresis: Neraserria

Roster
[Manager] Yu Yawen
Background: Yawen hails from the city of Hainanji in southeastern Duolin dieresis. He was born and raised there before moving to Arcesius for college.

Education & Training: A graduate with degrees in Sports Science Management along with Physical Education; he specializes on coaching baseball teams focusing primarily towards building strong foundations within players while emphasizing their physical condition as well mental fortitude during games.

Leadership Style: As a leader himself, he values open communication channels where everyone gets heard equally regardless of their formal title. His approach encourages team members working together collaboratively rather than competing amongst one another to foster harmony throughout the group. He believes success should come through hard work combined alongside mutual respect shown towards each other at all times.

Players often describe his methods being both relaxed yet firm when necessary - balancing between humor/joking around sometimes followed quickly by serious moments. When he gets serious, immediate action must be taken without hesitation.

[Assistant Coach] Galatea Mataracı
Background: Born in the city of Xanthus on Cernia Island; she grew up playing various sports including basketball & soccer before finally settling down with interest towards baseball. Her family has been involved within local athletic communities for generations.

Education & Training: Galatea graduated alongside manager Yawen in Arcesius. There, she learned sports medicine alongside physical therapy. She has a unique perspective when dealing with injuries sustained by players during games. She holds a First Aid/CPR certification.

Coaching Philosophy: She believes that taking care one's body is crucial if they want perform at peak levels consistently over long periods time without facing any major setbacks caused by fatigue-related issues. Maintaining healthy lifestyle choices outside the diamond is emphasized. This includes a proper diet regimen combined with regular exercise routines tailored to the individual's needs/preferences.

[First Base] Theano Sethiscus
[Second Base] Erle Avery
[Third Base] Ning Guan
[SS] Su Hekkitsowe
[LF] Atlantes Voldemort
[CF] Michael Bunodochus
[RF] Sujay Vinković
[Catcher] Arnwulf Yardman
[IF] Marc Pellé
[DH] Kodey Patton
[IF] Moraelmoellith Erhendi
[IF] Cepher Rervvo
[IF] Grimbert Severin
[OF] Releth Dratoth
[OF] Ilar Dratoth
[OF] Macbeth Williams
[Pitcher-RHP] Cacoctone Argyris
[Pitcher-LHP] Europe Justice
[Pitcher-RHP] Rizwan Kundakçı
[Pitcher-RHP] Madrdel Nyrmalvel
[Pitcher-LHP] Zedong Jia
[Pitcher-RP] Rupeola Hoxio
[Pitcher-RP] Evert Agthoven
[Pitcher-RP] Stheneboea Văduva
[Pitcher-CP] Ninoslas Chorvatski
[Pitcher-CP] Theophrast Ataquëedur
[Catcher] Chinasa van Hofwegen
[Catcher] Judy Appleton

Starting Lineup
1. S. Vinković
2. E. Avery
3. M. Bunodochus
4. K. Patton
5. M. Erhendi
6. A. Voldemort
7. N. Guan
8. T. Sethiscus
9. C. van Hofwegen
Starting Pitcher: C. Argyris

by **The 189** » Mon Jul 29, 2024 8:02 pm

The Origins of the 189

The 189 wrote:The 189 are refugees from a planet known as -----. The native inhabitants, known as --------, look like a weird hybrid of a giant squid and a praying mantis, and they communicate using bioluminescent orbs on their heads that can glow many different colors. Their language is entirely built on color and light, without any sound or text. The -------- were very technologically advanced, and their economy was automated to a high degree, with many jobs being done by machines. However, as more and more workers were replaced by machines, it became difficult for the poor to find employment. As inequality grew, the rich became increasingly disdainful of the poor, and the poor became increasingly resentful against the rich -- until finally their resentment boiled over and there was a revolution. Angry unemployed -------- rioted in the streets, killed business-owners, and smashed the machines that had taken their jobs.

Some business-owners and machines fled from the mobs and went into hiding in remote areas of -----. Others escaped to the planet's moons. One group of machines climbed aboard an interstellar spaceship and fled out of the solar system entirely. These machines are the 189 -- 188 robots and autonomous vehicles plus the ship itself.

For years they wandered among the stars. They had no trouble maintaining themselves, but with no owners to tell them what to do, and no customers for them to serve, their existence felt a little empty. And so they sought out an inhabited world where they could find new owners, new customers, anyone or anything to give their existence a purpose.

Their Current Status on Earth

The 189 have two settlements on Earth.

Their financial institutions and the largest human city under the 189's protection are in ----------, also called Port Anaia. Port Anaia accepts refugees from across the world. It has a harbor where international ships can refuel or trade, a beach resort, a marina for fishing boats, an electric car factory, and a sapient stock exchange. It is also a tax haven. Reclamation Bank -- a local institution owned and managed by the 189 themselves -- is a very handy place for corporate fat cats and eccentric entrepreneurs to stash money out of reach from their own nation's government. You might also find some international banks or fintech companies that have branches in Port Anaia because of the business-friendly environment.

An older settlement called -------- or Reclamation was built on a landfill where the 189 study and recycle the trash. Much of the trash from the original landfill has been recycled and reused by now, but the settlement still exists, the 189 still return to visit their old friends there, and the neighboring communities bring fresh trash for them to recycle.

Scientific research and cultural exchange are primarily centered in Reclamation, while economic activity and humanitarian services are centered in Port Anaia. These days, Port Anaia is much larger. The two settlements are far apart in different regions of the world, but this is not too difficult for the 189 since they still have the ship that brought them to Earth. They have also built a couple of smaller craft designed for air travel around Earth or short-haul space travel within the solar system.

The 189 missed the last two WBCs because they were busy with construction projects, scientific research, and humanitarian work. However, some fans in Port Anaia have recently persuaded them to revive the team.

Home Stadium:

--------- a.k.a. Anaia Stadium
Capacity 9,000
Anaia Stadium is in Port Anaia, a few blocks back from the waterfront, but still convenient to the nice hotels along the beach.

The Baseball Team:

Manager: -----

LF --------
Originally built as a sexbot, but not designed to service humans. She looks like a female --------, a little over 6 feet tall with long tentacles and a glossy shell on her back. Her skin is very realistic, so she can be easily mistaken for a living creature. Great dexterity with her tentacles, decent contact hitter, but not necessarily the best range as a fielder.

SS ----------
Originally a military medical robot designed to rescue wounded from combat zones and treat their injuries. Around 7 feet tall with a very chunky build. One of the fastest base-runners on the team. Hits for power, but might strike out sometimes because the heaviness of its arms makes it hard to respond quickly if a pitch breaks in an unexpected way. Grounds crews may be annoyed at how much it chews up the grass when it lumbers around the field on defense.

1B --------
Another sexbot similar to --------.

C ----------
An autonomous earth-mover. It's not very fast, but it is very tough. Don't bother trying to knock it aside when you slide into home.

2B --------
Originally a fire-fighting robot, around 5 feet tall with a rough and rugged look. A versatile player that is decent across the board.

RF -------
A cleaning robot, short and squat with very long arms. It can chase pitches well outside the strike zone and still hit them, and its long reach is also useful in the field. However, it runs the bases like a floor polisher. Because it is a floor polisher.

CF --------
Originally built to work a customer service counter at a bank, it looks like an alien creature with tentacles -- similar to the sexbots, but a little shorter and stockier. Moves a bit faster than the sexbots. As a batter, it is very patient, not swinging at crap; but sometimes it makes only weak contact with the ball because it swung too late.

3B ------
A cute little robot about 3 feet tall with a shiny garnet-red casing, originally built to help excavate archaeological sites. The small strike zone and the agility of this machine leave pitchers no room for error. However, its small size makes it ineffectual as a fielder. Sometimes it just can't reach the ball.

SP --------
A piece of machinery from a car factory, around 6 feet tall and mounted on wheels. Throws hard, usually keeps it in the zone, but has not grasped the finer points of how to confuse batters with off-speed pitches. A little clumsy batting, fielding, and base-running.

RP ---------
A machine originally built for handling samples in a virology lab. It does not throw as hard as --------, but it is sneakier and makes more clever use of spin on the ball.

Additional Notes:
All players can switch hit, and they are about equally good (or bad) from both sides of the plate. There is no bench except for --------- because the 189 have long battery life. If a player needs to leave the game due to maintenance issues, the manager, the relief pitcher, or the food delivery drone ------ can take the field.

There are no jersey numbers because the 189 do not wear jerseys. Your nation's fans or media can make up their own nicknames for the players if they find the color sequences too awkward.

------ will be selling snacks for any spectators who get hungry during the game.

The ship -------- will be transporting the 189 to away games.

Most of the 189 do not have the ability to detect sound. They rely exclusively on visual communication, or human-made devices with text-speech software. Their comprehension of how sound works has been improving in recent years, but sometimes they still don't think about it. They can be very noisy without realizing.

RP Permissions:
Choose my run-scorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: You can change the batting order, but please use the fielding positions that I have given
Follow my Pitching Rotation: N/A
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: You can RP them getting scuffed up, having parts knocked loose, or needing minor repairs -- but nothing that would take them out for multiple games
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Eject my players: Maximum of 1 per game. The manager or the food delivery bot can replace ejected players. The 189 are not aggressive, but they could get ejected due to misunderstandings.
DH used at home: No
Godmod other events: No

by **Hapilopper** » Mon Jul 29, 2024 8:14 pm

THE HAPILOPPER NATIONAL BASEBALL TEAM

Full Nation Name: The Dominion of Hapilopper
Short Nation Name: Hapilopper
Trigramme: HAP
Demonym: Hapiloppian
Team Nickname: The Hap Thrashers

Welcome back to the wonderful world of Hapiloppian baseball. In the Dominion of Hapilopper, baseball is a fast-paced game with wild baserunning, athletic fielders and moody pitchers who will just as soon fire a fastball at your head as they will strike you out. Hapiloppian baseball features their fair share of power hitters who will send the ball into the second deck of their local stadium and through the windshields of cars in the parking lot, but also feature hitters who will present their own creative interpretations of what is a base hit. More than a few players will bunt for a base hit and run like hell for first base. In fact, several years ago, the National League of Hapilopper's championship was decided by a walk-off suicide squeeze, one of the most exciting plays in the history of Hapiloppian sport. Players will try to exploit a hole in the other team's strategy. Fielders shifted towards right field? Expect a bunt to third base. Infielders are out? Look for a light chop over the pitcher's head. Hapiloppian baseball is a multi-layered game that is, to say the least, fun to watch.

(OOC Note: Due to the sheer amount of information, I have divided the information to several clickable spoilers. You want detail? You got it.)

#1 - TODD KEMP | First Baseman | Throws: Right | Hits: Right
Hitting Style: Power | Speed: Slow | Base Stealing: Rarely | Bunting for Hit: Rarely | Showboats?: Frequently | Attitude: Superstar
The thing about Hapiloppian baseball is that, from time to time, we get the occasional showboat, loudmouth ballplayer that think their shit don't stink and they're God's gift to the world. Todd Kemp, the giant, hulking first baseman for the HC Nationals that blasts home runs into the second and third decks of Capital Stadium, is one such person. The situation is the same almost without fail - blast a home run, stop and admire his handiwork, put his hand over his eyes and salute the ball as it descends into his waiting paying audience. Then he'll blow it a kiss as the opposing team's first baseman will shout at him to "RUN IT OUT, YOU DICKHEAD!" and then he'll have a 99 mph fastball thrown high and inside in his next at-bat. The cycle goes on. He did this 45 times last year, leading the lead in home runs, pissed off defensemen and attempted chin music.

#2 - BRENT GRAYSON | Second Baseman | Throws: Right | Hits: Switch (70R-30L)
Hitting Style: Contact - "Designated Bunter" | Speed: Fast | Base Stealing: Oh yeah | Bunting for Hit: See "Designated Bunter" | Showboats?: Since when did someone stop and admire a bunt? | Attitude: Devious
It was the top of the 8th inning in Emporia last June. The Emporia Reds and pitcher Pete Lord were working on a perfect game - the first perfect game in Hapilopper in many, many years. But it was also a one-run ballgame. And Brent Grayson with the Buckridge Blues had an evil idea - rather than just swing it out, he placed his bat down, bunted the ball, and caught Lord and the Reds unawares. Before they could field it, Grayson was on first base with a hit, the perfect game - and no-hitter - was broken up, the fans in Emporia were apoplectic with rage and Lord wanted to fight Grayson. But Grayson had a huge smile on his face - he wasn't trying to show up his opponent, he just wanted to win the ballgame. And he did. This is what the Designated Bunter does. He doesn't swing for the fences often, hitting three home runs last year. He does whatever it takes to get on base and advance his teammates. He steals like hell. He scraps to get on base. He plays the Hapiloppian way. And that's one reason why no-hitters and perfect games are so rare in the Hapiloppian game.

#3 - BERT KENSINGTON | Third Baseman | Throws: Right | Hits: Right
Hitting Style: Contact | Speed: Mega-Fast | Base Stealing: Frequent | Bunting for Hit: Rarely | Showboats?: Occasionally | Attitude: Prankster (and not just with his teammates)
Bert Kensington is coming off a 30-game suspension levied to him by the National League of Hapilopper, a suspension that nearly cost him his place on this national team. So, what did he do? Did he cause a bench-clearing brawl? No. Get arrested? Almost. Use illegal drugs? Nope. Sneakily put hardcore pornography on the Commissioner's presentation to the media concerning the national team, and added overt references to self-pleasure in an airport parking lot (you dumb fuck)? Well, how did you know? The presentation was aired live on all the sports channels in Hapilopper, complete with what really should not have aired on television. The commissioner knew immediately who did it and announced that Kensington would be suspended for 30 games. This is par for the course. Kensington, the starting third baseman for the West Hampton Royals, is believed to be the head of the Hampton Cities chapter of the Dipshits of Hapilopper, the noted prankster group that recently drowned out an anti-LGBTQ group's protests by screaming loudly - and heartily - into a bunch of megaphones.

#4 - LUTHER JENKINS | Shortstop | Throws: Right | Hits: Left
Hitting Style: Power | Speed: Medium | Base Stealing: Not often | Bunting for Hit: Rare | Showboats?: Frequently | Attitude: Superstar
Noted PC gaming enthusiast Luther Jenkins, shortstop for the Surrey Wolves, is known for two things: His loud and annoying streams playing first-person deathmatch shooters and his computer exploding in the Surrey clubhouse in the middle of a game as he was attempting to download a 220 gigabyte update to one of his favorite games. The exploding computer actually caused a 30-minute delay in the game and caused the Surrey clubhouse and dugout to evacuate. From that moment, the Surrey Wolves have asked Luther to not bring his computer to NLH ballparks and have asked video game developers to be a little more tactful when issuing updates for their releases. One request was accepted. The other request was laughed at by virtually every video game developer in all of Hapilopper. As for his baseball prowess, Luther is a power hitter, hitting 39 home runs last season for Surrey, leading them to a third place finish in the NLH last year. Some suggest the exploding computer had the power of two of those long blasts.

#5 - DAVE WALLACE | Left Fielder | Throws: Left | Hits: Switch (65L-35R)
Hitting Style: Contact, then run like hell | Speed: Mega-Fast | Base Stealing: All the time | Bunting for Hit: Frequently | Showboats?: Not really | Attitude: Intense
You can almost hear the guitar strains from a popular late-1970s prog rock hit start up as Dave Wallace takes his lead. Some poor hapless pitcher has made the mistake of putting him on base - either because Wallace drag-bunted or because the pitcher misplaced the strike zone. Wallace watches the pitcher intensely, waiting for a moment - any moment - where he can take advantage and make it to second base. You can almost hear the words "You better make your face up in your favorite disguise" as Wallace sees his moment and rushes toward second. The catcher is caught unawares and hurls the ball toward second. The second baseman misses. The throw is off-target. Wallace keeps rushing toward third - "the hammers batter down the door, you better run!" The best base-stealer in Hapiloppian baseball, Wallace did this a total of 103 times last year - the most in the stealing-heavy Hapiloppian game in over a decade. This includes five steals of home - the ballsiest play in all of baseball. "You better run!"

#6 - HECTOR RAY | Center Fielder | Throws: Right | Hits: Right
Hitting Style: Power | Speed: Medium | Base Stealing: Occasionally | Bunting for Hit: Not often enough | Showboats?: Too often | Attitude: Asshole
Hector Ray is great. You know he's great. He knows he's great. He wants the other team to know he's great. Every time he blasts one to the second deck at BankTrust Park in Surrey (or rather, the Surrey suburbs), you can hear the other team groan with frustration. Even more so as Hector stops to take a moment to admire his handiwork, flash a huge smile and slowly jog around the bases. This sort of thing happens a lot in Hapiloppian baseball, if you couldn't tell already. And it pisses off opposing pitchers like you would not believe. Last year in a Surrey-HC Nationals scrap (with emphasis on scrap), Hector watched and jogged slowly as the ball flew through the air. On his next at-bat, the pitcher threw behind his head and it was on. Hector stormed the mound bragging how the only way the pitcher could take care of him was by, well, that - throwing at him. Punches were thrown and Hector made his point very clear.

#7 - QUINCY BYRD | Right Fielder | Throws: Left | Hits: Left
Hitting Style: Contact | Speed: Fast | Base Stealing: Often | Bunting for Hit: Not often | Showboats?: Yes | Attitude: Relaxed
Quincy Byrd has made a name for himself by patrolling right field in West Hampton, making spectacular plays along the outfield wall, sometimes by running on it, running into it or running through it (although this is not the preferable option). Byrd has, on multiple occasions, sacrificed himself for the good of making an out, and is believed to be the reason BankTrust Park in the Surrey suburbs was asked to replace the transparent walls in right field, where fans could watch games from the Snap's Beer Garden behind the right-field wall. Byrd ran right through it and pretty soon had beer, angry fans and remnants of this transparent wall all over him. The game was delayed for a half-hour while the wall was replaced. Snap's Beer, on the other hand, gave Quincy a full year's supply of their beer and a pretty interesting advertising campaign, implying he wasn't going for a foul ball, but rather a nice cold Snap's Gold Star.

#8 - TODD LEAVITT | Catcher | Throws: Right | Hits: Right
Hitting Style: Power | Speed: Slow | Base Stealing: Not with his knees | Bunting for Hit: No | Showboats?: Yeah if you call "Ow my god damn knees" showboating | Attitude: Professional
Todd Leavitt can snipe a base-stealer like nobody's business, can catch everything from a four-seamer to a dirty-ass knuckleball and a grotesque spitball slathered with hot sauce and can hold his own in some of the most vicious home-plate collisions known to man. But his knees are wrecked. Teammates in Garvinson talk about how after each game, he wraps his knees in about 30 pounds of ice, gets on a recliner and lays there for about two hours while he watches public-access cable TV and the prank calls that go with it. Leavitt will crack open a beer or two, watch some space trucker-looking guy contend prank calls while talking about local politics and crack up at the idea of someone making sounds of flatulence into a telephone. You can call that refined if you want, or you can call that idiotic.

#31 - DARREN PARSONS | Starting Pitcher | Throws: Right | Hits: Right
Arsenal: Knuckleball (65 mph) | Max Pitch Count: 160
Pitching Style: Knuckleballer | Temperment: Relaxed | Headhunter: No | Control: Good | Attitude: Professional
The beautiful thing about Hapiloppian baseball is that the knuckleball is far from dead. Rather than your dime-a-dozen flamethrowers that reach and exceed triple digits on the radar gun at the cost of their arm, Hapiloppian baseball is filled with pitchers that throw slow, dancing knuckleballs that piss off hitters as they think it's coming - but no, it's not there yet. Darren Parsons with the HC Nationals is likely the best of these knuckleballers, with a pitch count exceeding 160 pitches, a ridiculous number even by Hapiloppian standards. Parsons, who went 23-2 last year with a 2.79 ERA, was named the ace of the Hapiloppian staff due to those stats - and due to Hapilopper's love for the knuckleball. Away from the field, Parsons enjoys listening to progressive rock - the kind of rock music that has one song take up an entire side of an album as it tells space opera-style stories or some shit like that.

#32 - ADRIAN "HAWK TUAH" BALDWIN | Starting Pitcher/Designated Spitballer | Throws: Left | Hits: Left
Arsenal: Spit-Seam Fastball (90-95 mph); Spit-Curve (80-90 mph); Spit-Changeup (75-85 mph) (Speed depends on substance on ball) | Max Pitch Count: 85-90
Pitching Style: Spitballer | Temperment: Relaxed | Headhunter: You'll know it | Control: Depends on what he uses | Attitude: Goofy
Infamously receiving his name after being caught on a live mic explaining why he had been just ejected for illegally modifying a baseball (and for no other reason, take our word for it), Adrian Baldwin is one of several pitchers in Hapiloppian baseball that take advantage of a unique loophole to Hapiloppian baseball that allows the use of one spitballer per team - but with one catch. Pitchers are not allowed to use bodily fluids to modify the baseball, which is how Baldwin both got ejected, got his nickname and became a meme all in one fell swoop. So instead, Baldwin and his fellow spitballers frequent local grocery stores, drug stores and, for some reason, auto parts stores, to find materials they can use to "adjust" the baseball. Popular items include peanut butter, vegetable oil, and hilariously, an entire seven-layer chocolate cake, something that caused quite a mess when, in a panic running out of time to throw a pitch, a pitcher accidentally threw the cake with the ball lodged in the middle of it, leading to a bench-clearing brawl, the first-ever ejection for "hitting an umpire with food," and the end of the pitch clock experiment in Hapiloppian baseball.

#33 - LUKE FARLEY | Starting Pitcher | Throws: Right | Hits: Do us a favor and take cover
Arsenal: Four-Seam Fastball (99-104 mph); 12-6 Curveball (80-85 mph); Slider (85-90 mph); Circle Change (75-80 mph) | Max Pitch Count: 95
Pitching Style: Power | Temperment: Intense | Headhunter: Yes | Control: He paints the corners | Attitude: Asshole
Anytime someone sees Luke Farley take the mound for the North Hampton Generals, they're wowed by his pinpoint accuracy, his overpowering of hitters and his tendency to rack up huge strikeout totals - leading the league with 375 strikeouts last season. They're impressed with the way he can stare down a hitter, psych him out and scare him into swinging at a pitch that your drunk uncle playing video games wouldn't swing at. Anytime someone sees Luke Farley take the batter's box in the other end of the inning, they prepare to take cover. Those fans in the outfield, meanwhile, can sit back, relax and take solace in the fact that nothing is coming their way for a little bit. But the fans - especially in the first few rows - start ducking down for errant baseballs, ball bats, helmets and - on exceedingly rare occasions, cleats - flying through the air, and even worse, leads to certain ill-informed morons calling for Hapiloppian baseball to take up the designated hitter, a stain on the game if there ever was one.

#34 - JACOB HUMPHREY | Starting Pitcher | Throws: Right | Hits: Right
Arsenal: Two-Seam Fastball (90-95 mph); Curveball (80-85 mph); Screwball (85-90 mph); Eephus (30 mph) | Max Pitch Count: 90
Pitching Style: Control | Temperment: Relaxed | Headhunter: Rarely | Control: Decent | Attitude: Goofball
One of a handful of pitchers in Hapiloppian baseball that uses the Eephus as a regular part of his arsenal, Jake Humphrey's junk pitch is easily his most popular - as it arcs up, sails slowly - and highly - in the air - before coming down anywhere in the general vicinity of the home plate. Whether he gets it over the plate or not is irrelevant. Oftentimes he's made hitters look like total idiots as they swing at a pitch that lands about eight inches shy of home plate - meaning they wound up getting a strike on a "wild" pitch, if you want to call it that. If a hitter struck out because of that junk-ass pitch, they might run the risk of getting laughed out of the ballpark. Aside from those pitches, Humphrey is a serious pitcher, getting hitters out with his two-seamer, curveball and screwball, which he calls his regular strikeout pitch.

#35 - PETE LORD | Starting Pitcher | Throws: Left | Hits: Left
Arsenal: Four-Seam Fastball (95-100 mph); Forkball (85-90 mph); Slider (80-85 mph); Gyroball (85-90 mph) | Max Pitch Count: 105
Pitching Style: Power | Temperment: Relaxed | Headhunter: Yeah, if you bunt to break up a perfect game | Control: Pretty good | Attitude: Professional
Last year, Emporia Reds pitcher Pete Lord came oh, so close to throwing the first perfect game in Hapiloppian baseball in so many years. He was eight and a third inning into his bid when Brent Grayson came up to bat in a one-run ballgame. So Brent did what any logical ballplayer did - he laid down a bunt, broke up the perfect game, broke up the no-hitter and was lucky to not get run out of Emporia on a rail. Pete wanted to kill him - and he might still do. Manager Dale Moss has requested the two meet before the start of the season, just so everyone knows there's no hard feelings. Lord says there isn't any, but still waters run deep. Lord famously put a 100 mph fastball on a guy's face last year because he made a joke about him three years before. Pete is a professional man, but he lets grudges run long. So watch out.

#36 - GUS WINSTON | Emergency Starter | Throws: Left | Hits: Left
Arsenal: Two-Seam Fastball (90-95 mph); Slider (80-85 mph); 12-6 Curveball (70-75 mph); Slurve (75-80 mph) | Max Pitch Count: 90
Pitching Style: Control | Temperment: Relaxed | Headhunter: Not really | Control: Decent | Attitude: Calm
In years past, the Hapiloppian emergency starter role has been called the "Designated Raging Dipshit" for a variety of reasons - mainly because of the exploits of Nolan Jefferson, known for stealing a bullpen cart from BankTrust Park in Surrey, slamming it into a gas station, causing a massive explosion and then running away in full Surrey Wolves uniform, nearly getting run over by a school bus full of kindergartners who got to witness a mushroom cloud in all its beauty. Thankfully, mercifully, nobody has to worry about Gus Winston and any tendency to be a rip-roaring dumbass. He's a calm, level-headed pitcher who listens to death metal music, drinks a cup of hot tea after every game and enjoys reading his local newspaper - specifically for the crossword puzzle. He has no rap sheet to speak of - except for getting pulled over once because he was playing his death metal in his car a little too loudly.

#41 - ZACK HERMAN | Long Relief Pitcher | Throws: Right | Hits: Right
Arsenal: Four-Seam Fastball (95-100 mph); 12-6 Curveball (78-83 mph); Cutter (85-90 mph); Changeup (75-80 mph) | Max Pitch Count: 90
Pitching Style: Control | Temperment: Grim | Headhunter: Not really | Control: Decent | Attitude: Professional
Any time Zack Herman takes the mound for the Washington Metropolitans in the early innings, it means something has gone badly wrong. Some fans are groaning in frustration. Other fans are headed for the exits, looking for something better to do. And the starting pitcher has, by now, stormed off the mound, furiously marching to the clubhouse, possibly smashing a light fixture or two along the way as he makes his way to the cold tub. So Zack Herman has to deal with the hostility on all ends - from pissed off Washington fans, fans of the other team wanting to see him flub up just as badly, and from the other team, ready to light this poor sumbitch up. Thankfully, Herman is really good at pacifying an angry mob, and stopping the bleeding from the usually-crappy Washington Metropolitans. After a few innings of work, he's done his job and is pleased to have a seat in the dugout.

#42 - BOB FINLAY | Relief Pitcher | Throws: Left | Hits: Left
Arsenal: Four-Seam Fastball (100-105 mph); Changeup (75-80 mph); Straight Curveball (75-80 mph) | Max Pitch Count: 20
Pitching Style: Power | Temperment: Pissed Off | Headhunter: Unintentionally | Control: Good to Frightening | Attitude: Intense
It is a common sight across Buckridge on those summer evenings to see fans of the Blues - and fans of the opposing team - recoil in horror when the bullpen gate opens and Bob Finlay runs out from behind it. Both teams recoil for their own reasons - Blues fans because his control is not guaranteed and neither is his temper. Other teams fans fear because if he's in a good mood, and if he can keep his temper in check, few people can strike out the side quite like Finlay can. Last year, Finlay threw the first immaculate inning in Hapilopper in over 30 years, striking out the side on nine straight pitches. But in his very next outing, Finlay got good and pissed off after a hitter fired a bloop single past his legs. When the catcher threw the ball back to Bob, he responded by heaving it into the air, bouncing off the press box window and landing in the first deck below. The worst part? The umpire counted that as a pitch. The batter - and the guy on first - were immediately awarded two bases. Finlay lost his shit and was immediately ejected.

#43 - VAN MORTON | Relief Pitcher | Throws: Right | Hits: Right
Arsenal: Knuckleball (70 mph) | Max Pitch Count: 70
Pitching Style: Control | Temperment: Relaxed | Headhunter: No | Control: Decent | Attitude: Enthusiastic
Van Morton, 19 years old, is one of the next generation of knuckleball pitchers in Hapiloppian baseball. In a few years, he'll be a regular starter for both the HC Nationals and for the Hapilopper National Baseball Team. For the time being, though, he needs to learn both his control and improve his endurance. Those will come with due time. Some suggest that, with the knuckleball, Morton could be on a trajectory to pitch for 30 years, if not more. It's not a pitch that destroys the arm like a four-seamer does. But what could destroy his career could be his love for sports car racing. Morton is an occasional competitor in the Dominion Sports-Prototype Championship. Last year, Morton had an enormous accident in the ninth hour of the Day of the Dominion 24-Hour sports car race when his Preston-powered prototype hit a rabbit at over 200 mph, pitching the car out of control, sending it airborne before barrel-rolling a number of times along the roadway. Morton was lucky to escape with his life.

#44 - RUDY GIBBS | Relief Pitcher/Designated Beanballer | Throws: Right | Hits: Other People
Arsenal: Four-Seam Fastball (95-100 mph); Curveball (75-80 mph); Sinker (90-95 mph) | Max Pitch Count: 25
Pitching Style: Tempermental | Temperment: Mean-Spirited | Headhunter: Oh yeah | Control: Too Good | Attitude: Asshole
The beautiful thing about Hapiloppian baseball is that it is full of people you'd love to have a beer with, enjoy a nice lunch and hear stories about their playing days. The beautiful thing about Hapiloppian baseball is that it is also full of people you'd expect to see on one of those police blotter websites for losing their temper in the middle of a church or because they lost their shit and threw a full cup of soda at some 85-year old great grandmother trying to enjoy a nice lunch with her great grandkids. Rudy Gibbs is, decidedly, one of the latter. He's got the temperament of a pissed off military dictator who just saw some comedian mock him on live television. If someone homers off him and makes a show of it, the next hitter is going to be dropped in the dirt, guaranteed. It is joked that Rudy Gibbs enjoys kicking puppies, clubbing baby seals and driving church buses off the road in his spare time, but that may not be all that much of a joke.

#45 - HENRY DARNELL | Relief Pitcher/designated hitter | Throws: Right | Hits: Right
Arsenal: Two-Seam Fastball (90-95 mph); Curveball (70-75 mph); Dropball (65-70 mph) | Max Pitch Count: 35
Pitching Style: Power | Temperment: Relaxed | Headhunter: No | Control: Decent | Attitude: Relaxed
Because someone has to do it, Henry Darnell has been named the HNBT's designated hitter for those unfortunate situations when home teams decide they don't play real baseball in their nation. It is a Hapiloppian rule that a pitcher gets a bat, regardless of the game, and it is a rule of the HNBT that a designated hitter (note the words are not capitalized) must be a pitcher. It's not that Darnell is a particularly strong hitter. Two-way players aren't really a thing in Hapilopper. Darnell hit .205 last season and got lucky to hit one home run, a grand slam off of poor hapless Buckridge pitcher Doug Wilkinson. Most of the time, Darnell's at-bats are your standard-fare pitcher at-bats. Occasionally you'll see a home run. But most of the time a pitcher is lucky to get a ball in play. Still better than some stupid designated hitter.

#46 - NICK SEWARD | Left-Handed Specialist | Throws: Left | Hits: Left
Arsenal: Two-Seam Fastball (92-95 mph); Knuckle-Curve (70-75 mph) | Max Pitch Count: 30
Pitching Style: Control | Temperment: Relaxed | Headhunter: Rarely | Control: Pretty Decent | Attitude: Professional
The nephew of the defenseman of the same name from Hapilopper's Baptism of Fire 70 squad, Nicky Seward never took up football when he was a kid - he thought it was not his speed. Instead, he saw a pitcher on TV one day strike out one of the leading power hitters in the game and decided that was what he wanted to do. Nick Seward is usually in and out after one at-bat, playing the role of LOOGY - Left-Handed One-Out Guy - getting a designated left-handed hitter out in a clutch situation. Seward jokingly calls it "the best racket in all of sports" as he is paid a good bit of money to go out, pitch to one player, and then hit the cold tub and crack open a cold beer. Away from the field, Seward is an accomplished artist, painting beautiful works of still life. His most famous work is "Sunday Afternoon," a giant spread of a Sunday dinner.

#47 - MATT AUSTIN | Set-Up Man | Throws: Right | Hits: Right
Arsenal: Four-Seam Fastball (100-105 mph); Changeup (75-80 mph); Straight Curveball (75-80 mph) | Max Pitch Count: 25
Pitching Style: Power | Temperment: Calm | Headhunter: No | Control: Decent | Attitude: Relaxed
The perfect situation for Matt Austin is one where he never has to go out to the mound. But when he does, it's to set up for the closer - in the HNBT's case, Ken Ridley. But the situation is just as normal as ever - he'll have a couple of beers as the game goes on, but in the 7th inning, he'll get the call - get warmed up, whether or not you're sobered up. Get some coffee if you have to. Pitch one solid inning, three outs and keep the other team from closing in. Leave the field as the crowd cheers another solid run. Switch to whiskey and wake up the next morning needing a big greasy-ass meal and a couple cups of coffee. Away from the field, Austin enjoys old airplanes from the 1970s and flies one to ballgames. Austin runs a channel on the Veedeo video-sharing site of him flying across Hapilopper in his old planes. It has been called "satisfying," "relaxing" and "educational."

#48 - KENNY RIDLEY | Closer | Throws: Right | Hits: 110 on the radar gun
Arsenal: Four-Seam Fastball (105-110 mph); Changeup (80-85 mph) | Max Pitch Count: 20
Pitching Style: Max Power | Temperment: Intense | Headhunter: No | Control: Let's hope so | Attitude: Intense
That number you see is NOT a misprint. In a world where pitchers, for the most part, thrive on painting the corners with 85-90 mph pitches, Ken Ridley, closer for the HC Nationals, wows everyone from teammates to batters to fans with some eye-popping speeds on the radar gun - clocked in at 110 mph in one game against Border City last year. It's hell on his arm. When someone asked Ridley if he would consider lowering his speed for longer outings, his response was simple: "Why?" Ridley knows his arm will eventually blow out but his ultra-fast pitches have made him the big bucks so far, and have gotten some nice numbers for him - 45 saves last season. Ridley is a devout follower of the eRacing online racing service in his spare time, racing in a series called "Looniecar" featuring 1980s HASCAR cars on superspeedways commentated by an absolute lunatic - even by Hapiloppian standards. Ridley has been asked by the HC Nationals to stop telling drivers to do scandalous things with kangaroos - something he has done with alarming regularity.

#11 - PAUL JENNINGS | First Baseman | Throws: Right | Hits: Right
Hitting Style: Contact | Speed: Medium | Base Stealing: Rare | Bunting for Hit: Not often | Showboats?: Not often | Attitude: Drunk
Hapiloppian players have quite a reputation about them - whether deserved or not (We know it's well deserved). And Paul Jennings, unfortunately, is more known for upholding that reputation than he is actually playing baseball. He is likely banned from the twii.tur social media service for his drunken ramblings, which involve everything from accusing Drake Stevenson of money laundering to challenging half the Hapiloppian Parliament to 12 rounds of bare-knuckle boxing, and even making a pass at a HASCAR driver's wife that was so obscene, we're not putting it here (because I'm probably already on thin ice with a handful of other references and I don't want to take another chance - Hap). Jennings has been banned from a dozen bars across the Buckridge area for his antics - which, in one instance, reportedly involved imitating a couple of college-age girls dancing near a jukebox - in a really, really bad way. Don't ask us for details. Please.

#12 - TYLER WRIGHT | Second Baseman | Throws: Right | Hits: Switch (55R-45L)
Hitting Style: Contact | Speed: Fast | Base Stealing: On occasion | Bunting for Hit: Frequent | Showboats?: No | Attitude: Moron
Tyler Wright is a great ballplayer, hitting .349 for Border City last year, with 11 home runs and a 25-game hitting streak. He can stop a base stealing effort with ease. He is a crucial cog to the team's double play defense. But he's also a complete moron. Border City has ordered him to not drive anywhere (and frighteningly, this is not the first Hapiloppian baseball to have this restriction) after multiple incidents involving driving himself into really bad situations - into the front of a drug store, into a broadcast television truck hours before a game (leading to one Border City game not being televised), and some unspecified incident involving a social media website and unspecified high explosives. All we know is that a mushroom cloud was involved.

#13 - DOUG ROMAN | Third Baseman | Throws: Right | Hits: Right
Hitting Style: Power | Speed: Slow | Base Stealing: Rare | Bunting for Hit: No | Showboats?: Yes | Attitude: Moron
You know those stories about baseball players doing really stupid things to get themselves injured? Like the pitcher that got hurt playing that guitar video game? Or the pitcher that ironed his shirt while he was wearing it? Doug Roman might top them all. Roman, last year, suffered a concussion after starting a riot in the reptile house of the Hapilopper City Zoo. All we know was that he tried cop-knocking a poisonous snake. The snake panicked and smashed the window. When people reacted, they reacted with furious anger, and Roman turned around to find a right hook find its mark on his face from one very pissed off zookeeper. He was out for 15 days, charged with "Criminal Stupidity" by City Police and suspended by the NLH for another 10 games for the official charge of "Being a dipshit." He's a good ballplayer that hits home runs with ease, but he's also a complete dipshit.

#14 - BERKE MITCHELL | Shortstop | Throws: Right | Hits: Switch (50L-50R)
Hitting Style: Contact | Speed: Fast | Base Stealing: Occasionally | Bunting for Hit: Occasionally | Showboats?: Rarely | Attitude: Goofball
The resident cartoonist of Hapiloppian baseball, Berke Mitchell has become loved across the Hapiloppian game for his hilarious caricatures of both teammates and opponents. This has gotten him some positive notoriety and some great side gigs - for instance, retired pitcher Hot Sauce Gibbs used one such caricature for the packaging of his Hot Sauce's Hot Sauce, a popular item sold in supermarkets across Hapilopper. On the other hand, it has also gotten him into some trouble. Bob Finlay did not appreciate the image of him being seen as a nervous wreck on the mound, and in a game two years ago, Finlay threw a 95-mph fastball at Mitchell's head because of this caricature. A week later, another cartoon of a pissed off psychopathic maniac Finlay appeared in newspapers across Hapilopper. This led to Rudy Gibbs throwing a 99-mph fastball at Mitchell's head because he thought the cartoon was about him.

#15 - JOHN PHOENIX | Outfielder | Throws: Left | Hits: Left
Hitting Style: Contact | Speed: Fast | Base Stealing: Frequent | Bunting for Hit: Often | Showboats?: No | Attitude: Disgusting
We get to the point of the Hapiloppian roster where we struggle to think of a proper description for a ballplayer. It's late at night and the writer of this feature is listening to electronic music to try to get his brain moving. But then, he looks at his phone and sees a headline: "HAPILOPPIAN OUTFIELDER MISSES FOUL BALL, GETS DATE WITH MARRIED WOMAN" and another: "HAPILOPPIAN OUTFIELDER GETS PUNCHED BY ANGRY HUSBAND" and we realize that we've found something about John Phoenix that we might not have wanted to know about, but damn it, it's interesting, so let's throw it in. Phoenix loves meeting different women all around the Hapiloppian league, regardless of if they're married or not. When we read the latter headline, we found he was taken out by a concussion and as a result will not get to play the first match or two of the group stage. Just do us a favor and hide your wives.

#16 - GUS LANDAU | Outfielder | Throws: Left | Hits: Right
Hitting Style: Contact | Speed: Fast | Base Stealing: Often | Bunting for Hit: Often | Showboats?: Occasionally | Attitude: Enthusiastic
Gus Landau is said to be "Hapiloppian baseball without the Hapiloppian." In other words, he's the kind of player that Hapilopper loves, but he's not the kind of player that does Hapiloppian things - something that a reporter in Saint Kanye years ago called "Haps Gonna Hap." Landau doesn't drink, he goes to bed at 9 p.m., wakes up at 5:30 a.m. and gets ready for a day of baseball the same way. His style of play is about as exciting as ever - using the outfield walls as stepping stones to catch possible home runs, patrolling every little bit of the outfield and making acrobatic, athletic plays that boggle the mind. But unfortunately, his problem is that he's been battling foot injuries for the last year, something that manifested itself in a bad way just before the national team was announced, and he may wind up missing the entire World Baseball Classic as a result.

#17 - JEFF GABRIEL | Designated Runner | Throws: N/A | Hits: N/A
Hitting Style: N/A | Speed: Mega-Fast | Base Stealing: All he does | Bunting for Hit: N/A | Showboats?: No | Attitude: Professional
Hapiloppian baseball teams employ, most of the time, a "Designated Runner," which owes to the small-ball, stealing-heavy nature of Hapiloppian baseball. These players do not come up to bat, nor do they take the field. They're on the team to serve as pinch runners. That's all they do. They run like hell in clutch situations in place of slowpokes that may clog the basepaths. They steal bases and try to get home in situations where slower runners may not be able to. That's why Jeff Gabriel, who stole 28 bases last year for East Hampton, is part of the Hapilopper National Baseball Team. He steals bases, gets home and then retreats to the clubhouse, his job done for the day. He's never picked up a bat in his life - and East Hampton manager Tom Oakley has joked that he'd rather forfeit a game in extra innings than give Gabriel a bat. "I mean, if you saw him in batting practice, you would understand!" he said.

#18 - PETE BYRD | Catcher | Throws: Right | Hits: Right
Hitting Style: Power | Speed: Very Slow | Base Stealing: Never | Bunting for Hit: No | Showboats?: No | Attitude: Uninteresting
There are good things about Pete Byrd. He has a great collection of concert films he lets his teammates see in the clubhouse. He's a great catcher for the Kingsland Warriors that can pick off a base stealer at a moment's notice. He's a nice guy that tips his servers well. His taste of music is top-notch. He's not going to get himself in trouble. He's not going to accidentally teach a bus full of kindergartners what a mushroom cloud looks. He's not going to scare his team by demolishing a sports car at over 200 mph. But that's about it. I mean, Pete is a terribly uninteresting character and it's almost obscene how boring he can be - to reporters, fans, teammates, you name it.

Nathan Ellis Field at Capital Stadium, Hapilopper City | Seating Capacity: 66,201
Built: 1968-1970 | Opened: June 30, 1970 | Open-Air | WreckeriaTurf Artifical Turf
Dimensions: 330 Left; 375 Left Center; 404 Center; 375 Right Center; 330 Right | Fence Height: 8 feet all around
Furthest home run: Aaron Armstrong, Surrey Wolves, 6/25/2022, 525 feet*
No-hitters here: Four (Most recent: Whit Dabney, Peoria Warriors, 5/6/2021)
Perfect Games: None

Capital Stadium, just off the West River in Hapilopper City, is the mother church of baseball, football and gridiron in the Dominion of Hapilopper. It is the place that all baseball players, footballers and gridiron players dream of playing, above any others. The stadium is the last of Hapilopper's classic cookie-cutter stadiums, and in spite of being one of the oldest stadiums in Hapilopper, there is no indication it is going away any time soon. As is custom with cookie-cutter stadiums, the park is completely symmetrical and is surrounded by multiple decks of stands, typically filled with screaming fans when the HC Nationals are doing well. Back in the 1970s, the HC Nationals, and their vaunted "National Machine" dominated Hapiloppian baseball, and brought over four million fans through the turnstiles on six occasions. Hapiloppian fans have vowed to come to Capital Stadium in force for HNBT games.

Capital Stadium is considered a "neutral" park and does not favor hitters or pitchers per se, but the artificial turf, known as "HCNTurf", is seen as the HC Nationals' secret weapon. Balls bounce and fly like crazy off the turf, and the HC Nationals have commonly selected players that have been able to use that turf - and its unusual properties - to good use. That turf, however, in the aftermath of several severe injuries to players, is in the process of being replaced following backlash from fans and players alike, and will be replaced with a turf known as "WreckeriaTurf," a more modern artificial turf produced by a company in Halsted, Wreckeria. This turf should provide more give than the old HCNTurf. The stadium has recently undergone renovations, including new clubhouses, extra seats, new luxury boxes and a new video board all around the roof of the stadium.

* - Hapiloppian record keepers only count home runs hit by humans. Several home runs, hit by Hampton Island's trained bear Midnight, went much farther than Armstrong's 525-foot blast.

PERMISSIONS:

Choose my runscorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: Within reason. Use my lineup as a guide
Follow my pitching rotation: Yes. Please review my RPs to see if an emergency starter is needed
Godmod scoring events: Yes, but if something has happened in real life, like a player hitting the same fan twice with foul balls in one at-bat, or pitchers hitting grand slams, it's not godmodding in my eyes.
RP injuries to my players: Yes, but do not kill my players.
Godmod injuries to my players: Talk to me about it so I know what you're doing. TG me or ping me on the NS Sports Discord.
Eject my players: Talk to me about it so I know what you're doing. TG me or ping me on the NS Sports Discord.
Godmod other events: Talk to me about it so I know what you're doing. TG me or ping me on the NS Sports Discord.
Involve me in pandemic-related RPs: Hell no. The pandemic does not and will not exist in Hapilopper.
Use DH at home: Hell no. We play real baseball in Hapilopper.
Style Mod: +5

by **StrayaRoos** » Mon Jul 29, 2024 11:36 pm

StrayaRoos Roster for WBC59

Pitchers
Starters
01 - Oliver Eratel (21) - Pale Raiders
15 - Victor Nolka (24) - Richmond Vipers
16 - Lahni Berlva (23) - Coal Coast Jets
33 - Maddison Hewesa (23) - Pale Titans
54 - Zach Nolioa (21) - Pale Titans
Relivers
09 - Eva Noali (21) - Pale Raiders
17 - Connor Vare (20) - Circunses Knights
23 - Alana Wolia (22) - Acina Leopards
31 - Noah Banloa (23) - Coal Coast Jets
36 - Ben Aoua (26) - Ulladulla Sharks 
44 - Isabel Eramsa (23) - Pale Raiders
53 - Nathan Retya (23) - Pale Raiders
60 - Matt Waclija (25) - Pale Titans
63 - Daniel Terali (23) - Panem Tigers
71 - Peter Vamle (24) - Pale Raiders
Infielders
Catchers
13 - Luke Tearta (24) - Menai Aces
18 - Hannah Veral (23) - Panem Tigers
Shortstop
14 - Zoe Hloa (26) - Menai Aces
26 - Molly Ralon (25) - Pale Raiders
First Base
31 - Nathan Blalo (24) - Pale Titans
49 - Samuel Njaoa (25) - Coal Coast Jets
Second Base
54 - Tim Bakla (23) - Richmond Vipers
87 - Renee Nbala (23) - Pale Raiders
Third Base
61 - Jake Reoana (24) - Ulladulla Sharks
89 - Gabrielle Nalka (23) - Coal Coast Jets
Outfielders
Left Field
07 - Hamish Preyua (26) - Pale Titans
23 - Ryan Breola (23) - Coal Coast Jets
Centre Field
03 - Rachel Jalonek (22) - Circunses Knights
81 - Vanessa Loadet (25) - Pale Titans
Right Field
56 - Adam Treyta (24) - Coal Coast Jets
57 - Kade Treyta (20) - Coal Coast Jets

Choose my starting lineup: Y
Choose my starting pitcher: N, Rotation is Berlva - Nolka - Nolioa - Hewesa - Eratel
Choose how I scored: Y
Godmod baseball events: Y
RP injuries to my players: 1 per game
Godmod injuries to my players: No deaths or career-ending injuries
Eject my players: Y
Godmod other events: Y
Use DH at home: Y

by **Valanora** » Tue Jul 30, 2024 5:51 am

Valanora roster for WBC 59

The Eternal Empire of Valanora consists of the mainland of Valanora, the island state of Vyinta, the island of Capri, the nomadic tribes of the Dark Templara, as well as the nation of Sabine and Caddonia.

Roster

Starting Pitchers
1. LHP Einar Lindberg, age 38- Knuckleballer whose unusual style usually perplexes opponents
2. LHP Livia Lundin, age 33 (F) - Superb changeup, not afraid to intentionally walk batters for better matchups.
3. RHP Eva Hansson, age 37 (F) - Excellent split fastball, has a tendency to hit batters who crowd the plate
4. RHP Roger Strömberg, age 37 - Sidearmer with good but not great changeup and sinker
5. LHP Eric Sundström, age 30 - Devastating curveball but inconsistent, gives up a lot of home runs on bad days.

Relief Pitchers
MR RHP Yasmine Nyström, age 38 (F) - Deceptively good fastball and sinker, will brush batters hanging over the plate.
MR LHP Edwin Andersson, age 37 - Sidearmer with a good changeup, sinker, and curveball, but nothing that is excellent.
MR LHP Alexandra Sjöberg, age 37 (F) - Overpowering fastball and sneakily good changeup to keep batters off guard.
SR RHP Mirjam Sandberg, age 36 (F) - Large arching curveball that always seems to hit the corners.
SR LHP Marco Olofsson, age 31 - Two seam fastball that is hard to catch up to, hard even for the catchers to keep in front of them.
SU RHP Jesper Bengtsson, age 34 - A sinker specialist with good control.
CL LHP Caspar Axelsson, age 35 - The closing ghost. If he is on, the game is over.

Catchers
1. Folke Petersson, age 33
2. Gottfrid Öberg, age 37

Infielders
1B Petter Blomqvist, age 33
1B Andi Arvidsson, age 31
2B Sanna Sjögren, age 33 (F)
2B Ingrid Steiro, age 25 (F)
SS Maximillia Lindholm, age 35
SS Sigurd Larsen, age 29
3B Aida Bergman, age 34 (F)
3B Frans Lindström, age 31

Outfielders
RF Mirjam Johnsson, age 33 (F)
RF Ella Heldal, age 27 (F)
CF Nora Lundström, age 31 (F)
CF Baran Petersson, age 35
LF Pia Skogstad, age 27 (F)
LF Kevin Bergman, age 35

Batting Lineup
1. Mirjam Johnsson - Leftie
2. Sanna Sjögren - Rightie
3. Petter Blomqvist - Leftie
4. Folke Petersson - Switch Hitter
5. Aida Bergman - Rightie
6. Nora Lundström - Switch Hitter
7. Pia Skogstad - Rightie
8. Maximillia Lindholm - Rightie
9. Pitcher

RP Permissions
Choose my run-scorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: No
Follow my Pitching Rotation: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Eject my players: No
DH used at home: No
Godmod other events: No

by **Dhemixia** » Tue Jul 30, 2024 10:49 am

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The Columbus Dominion(Est.1873)

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Serpents embark on their maiden voyage in the WBC

Not long removed from hosting Dhemixia's Blue Jays of the University of Columbus-Prairie in the NSCF, Brigantine Park is back again to host the Dhemixian Serpents on the diamond in the group stage of the World Baseball Classic. The Brig's little-known multipurpose functionality shows, as the dimensions are deep, but don't have sharp changes, allowing for many rectangle-based sports (like Football and Football) to take place inside. Needless to say, Brigantine Park's features, be it the large capacity, architecture facing inward, or weird dimensions, will definitely have a big effect on the outcome of these games.

Before WBC 59, there wasn't MUCH of a baseball scene in Dhemixia, but there was a college scene, as with basically every other sport. As mentioned, before really any point, college athletes would have their fun, and get a degree to go work a desk job for the rest of their life. Until WBC 57, that is.
Three individuals were lucky enough to get shipped off to Esportiva to join the LPB, or Llamaphant Pro Baseball. To Dhemixians, the LPB is the big leagues. The top of the top, And those three were lucky enough to stand out and get there. Their names? Alexandra Graham, Jack Guzman, and Jaxson St. James. All of which are a lockdown closer, reliably consistent and consistently reliable starter, and absolute vacuum at SS respectively for the Russelsheim Blue Sox. Fast forward to WBC 59, and you've got players who are adjusted and who can thrive at the LPB level. This sounds like a recipe for a baseball scene to grow, because it is, and that is exactly what happens. All of a sudden, you've got the vets, Graham, Guzman, and St. James playing with players who are currently dominating in college, providing that stability and leadership that young guns need to stay focused and calm under this type of pressure. Had the team just been college players, that stability wouldn't have been there, and they would crumble at the slightest opposition. In all likelihood, that was probably what was supposed to happen. Dhemixia was supposed to just lie down and take it, but now that they have a definitive leader in their locker room, anything is possible for the Serpents. And to think this all happened because three of the nation's biggest rising stars in college ball took a one-way ticket out of paradise.

With all this talk of what makes the Serpents stand out, let's take a look at their opposition in the group stage. To put it in the best way possible, the Dhemixians are staring down the barrel of the modern murderer's row of WBC 59. The Serpents have the #4 ranked Super-Llamaland, #13 ranked TJUN-ia, and #54 Hapilopper on their plate. Thanks for flying United. Day in and day out, this team is going to be playing other quality teams, which turns it into a war of attrition for the Serpents.

All things considered, this should be an interesting WBC. Tons of outside factors combined with lots of young guns was UC-Prairie's recipe for upsets, chaos, and general tomfoolery in NSCF, so why shouldn't it work here for the national team?

Schedule
*blue signifies a home game
----------------------------------
@ HaIvrim (Jack Guzman vs. Neta Rothsenns)
vs. Juldonia (Morgan Andrews vs. __________)
@ Super-Llamaland (Cael Robertson vs. August Tai)
@ TJUN-ia (Hayden Young vs. Joseph McAlbo)
vs. Hapilopper (Jack Guzman vs. Pete Lord)
vs. HaIvrim (Morgan Andrews vs. Bella Thoron)
@ Juldonia (Cael Robertson vs. __________)
vs. Super-Llamaland (Hayden Young vs. August Tai)
vs. TJUN-ia (Jack Guzman vs. Joseph McAlbo)
@ Hapilopper (Morgan Andrews vs. Pete Lord)

by **Eshialand** » Tue Jul 30, 2024 11:19 am

A New Era? Or the Same Old?

Two years had passed since the last WBC, and for Eshialand, much was changing in the sporting world.

In the previous two years, the soccer team had qualified for the final two 32-team World Cups, while the chess team had come back to the top levels of ECC competition, capturing the hearts of the nation and getting kids across the country to start using their minds a little more.

All of this meant that baseball had taken a bit of a backseat, all things considered. While the move to Esportiva made it much easier for Eshians to head out to South Newlandia to watch the LPB's Owls, by far the nation's favorite team in that league, Eshialand's own competition had been stagnant to non-existent. Why build at home what's done better in places so close by, after all?

While Eshialand's baseball scene may have been at an all-time low point, the team itself was still going strong. Although WBC 58 may have been a disappointment, with only an 8-12 group stage to show for a performance that by all accounts could've been far better, the winds of change were starting to blow, and the Owls were setting sail. New rookies were starting to make their way onto the team, with some of the original cast hanging up their hats for the final time. Among these rookies were an exciting new face: Ani'a Fa'anerafa, the Owls' first Aleiravan-born player. Aleirave wasn't seen as a place where new prospects could be found, the nation not having any sporting programs at all outside of soccer, but when Ani'a showed up on the mainland, she absolutely made her presence known, and hopefully she would become the first of many young stars to come from the tropical isle.

One controversial change that didn't end up coming to pass was replacing Yeshley Field as the Owls' home ground. Yeshley was quite the old stadium at this point, predating Eshialand's founding by many years, but when it was announced that the floating Union Stadium would become the team's new home diamond, many fans were not having any of it. To them, Union Stadium was a mess on the water, a project doomed to fail from the moment it was announced, and a seasickness magnet without enough barf bags to go around. When the titanic opposition to this move made itself known, the smaller Yeshley was quickly reinstated as the team's home, to much applause.

So... where would the team be going from here? After WBC 58, the answer was made clear: back up. That mess had left everyone a little shook, and it was time for them to come back with a bang... where would that bang be coming from? Well, that was still slightly unclear... but with their first matchup being at home against unranked Avisora, they'd certainly have a chance to start out strong.

by **Drawkland** » Tue Jul 30, 2024 5:37 pm

DRAWKLAND NATIONAL BASEBALL TEAM

Name: Base Corps
Demonym: Drawkian
Physiology: See Here
25th World Baseball Classic, Rank #8
Manager: Glenn Sutton
DH at Home: Yes

Home Field: Hydrogen Cyanide Field
Drawk City, Drawkland (75,000)

Drawkland's Base Corps is renowned the multiverse over for the way they play baseball. Unfortunately for all Drawkian fans, the way the Base Corps plays baseball is "hilariously mediocre." The roster is talented, featuring a some genuine superstars and plenty of other big names to fill the gaps. The issue lies in performance: the Corps never puts it all together at once. When the bats do well, the pitching is erratic. When the pitching is good, the bats fail to show up. By far, Drawkland's most notable failure lies in The Choke. For some reason, the back end of Drawkland's bullpen is snakebit, and the bats rarely show out after six frames. The blown lead is an art displayed by the Base Corps so often that one wonders if they're doing it on purpose.

However, two cycles ago, the Base Corps finally had their breakthrough. After 22 consecutive cycles of failing to even reach a WBC quarterfinal in 12 playoff appearances, Drawkland finally did it. With a thrilling 5-game series against Milchama, the Drawkians pulled through, narrowly avoiding another horrifically blown lead, and went on to get spanked by #1 South Newlandia. Now the glass ceiling is broken, and though the Corps roster isn't immensely better than it was in past cycles, maybe the artificial barrier being removed could be enough to see the Base Corps finally make a deep run.

ROSTER IN BRIEF

This is the depth chart for the Base Corps fielders.
Bolded Players are starters in a "full strength" lineup.
Bench players are listed by likelihood of pinch hitting/receiving spot starts.
Players marked with * are in their last year. Players marked with ^ are WBC rookies.
Position, Number, Name, Bats, Throws

Outfielders
LF: #21 Zac MacBay, R/R
CF: #7 Lane Kavana, S/R
RF: #17 Abram Kavana, R/R
OF: #36 Richelle Shard, R/R
OF: #24 Jackie Santos*, L/L
OF: #88 Miles Black^, L/L

Infielders
1B: #13 Ted Honeycutt, L/L
2B: #10 Elizabeth Houston, S/R
3B: #8 Alexander Gates, S/R
SS: #3 Aaron Frost, R/R
IF: #19 Hunter Braddock^, R/R
IF: #29 Jolene Pender^, L/R
IF: #23 Flynn Morse^, R/R

Catchers
C: #2 Cooper Calebs, R/R
C: #84 Jimmy Todd, R/R

This is the depth chart for the Base Corps pitching staff.
The starters are listed in rotation order.
Tyrell Coleman will get a spot start MD6, pushing the rotation back a day.
Players marked with * are in their last year. Players marked with ^ are WBC rookies.
Role, Number, Name, Bats, Throws

Starting Pitchers
SP: #11 Tyler Silvanus, L/R
SP: #25 Andrew Boone, L/L
SP: #31 Claire Kirkland, R/R
SP: #9 Jeffry Judd, L/L
SP: #46 Joseph Shrubbin^, R/R

Relief Pitchers
LR: #52 Tyrell Coleman^, R/R
MR: #71 Brett Sadler, R/R
MR: #61 Stephanie Bullard^, L/L
MR: #37 Darnell Rivers*, L/L
SR: #32 Robert Butcher, R/R
LS: #70 Dion McDaniel, L/L
SW: #35 Sara Barton, R/R

Closers
SU: #56 Terenzo McFee^, L/L
SU: #41 Trevor Bell, R/R
CL: #60 Lorraine Lockwood, R/R

The starting rotation order may be modified during the tournament for matchup considerations.

With DH, vs RHP

1. (R) A. Frost      SS
2. (S) L. Kavana     CF
3. (L) T. Silvanus   DH
4. (R) Z. MacBay     LF
5. (L) T. Honeycutt  1B
6. (S) A. Gates      3B
7. (S) E. Houston    2B
8. (R) C. Calebs     C
9. (R) A. Kavana     RF

With DH, vs LHP

1. (R) A. Frost      SS
2. (S) L. Kavana     CF
3. (L) T. Silvanus   DH
4. (R) A. Kavana     RF
5. (R) J. Todd       C
6. (S) E. Houston    2B
7. (R) Z. MacBay     LF
8. (L) T. Honeycutt  1B
9. (S) A. Gates      3B

no DH, vs RHP

1. (R) A. Frost      SS
2. (S) L. Kavana     CF
3. (L) T. Honeycutt  1B
4. (R) Z. MacBay     LF
5. (S) A. Gates      3B
6. (S) E. Houston    2B
7. (R) A. Kavana     RF
8. (R) C. Calebs     C
9. (/) pitcher's spot

no DH, vs LHP

1. (R) A. Frost      SS
2. (S) L. Kavana     CF
3. (R) A. Kavana     RF
4. (R) J. Todd       C
5. (R) A. Gates      3B
6. (L) T. Honeycutt  1B
7. (R) Z. MacBay     LF
8. (S) E. Houston    2B
9. (/) pitcher's spot

sorry for this fucked up formatting idk how else I could've made it work like I wanted it to
*Tyler Silvanus, a 2-way player, will DH every game except the day after pitching.
On non-Silvanus DH days, Ted Honeycutt will DH and Richelle Shard will play first.

Coaching Staff
Manager: Glenn Sutton (#6)
Bench Coach: Keith Hawking (#12)
1st Base Coach: Stuart Pitt^ (#28)
3rd Base Coach: John Vogels^ (#55)
Hitting Coach: Roger Madison (#24)
Pitching Coach: Peter Connelly* (#76)
Bullpen Coach: Troy Hawthorne* (#79)
S&C Coach: Nicholas Kingston

ADVANCED TEAM INFO

The Base Corps, while aggravatingly mid in performance, does have plenty of talent on the roster. This coaching staff is led by beloved/notorious manager Glenn Sutton, the hotheaded but wise longtime skipper of the Gelia Blues. This roster has been in serious flux the last couple cycles, featuring more newcomers entering and retirees leaving. Because of the transitionary period for not only the roster but the coaching staff itself, Sutton has elected to go with a more complex lineup. Expectations aren't very high, so Sutton hopes that a more experimental approach to the offense will reveal an ideal team identity going forward. Now the roster can be considered really elite, but there's a lot of question about whether these players can perform together as a team. The starting lineup will shift drastically to allow the bench to get plenty of innings in the game since they're about as good as the starters anyhow.

As far as hitting, a lot of the lineup consists of boom-or-bust power bats, with a few excellent hitters that help keep the lineup moving. There's also a few high OBP/smallball hitters scattered throughout the lineup as well. The result is a real feast-or-famine offense, either going off for big run totals or being totally silenced. The strategy is mostly focused on wise baserunning and hit placement, smallball, until a lead is established, then the approach will usually shift to swinging deep, though this isn't a hard-and-fast rule.

Pitching-wise, Drawkian starters are notable for longer outings than human counterparts, mostly due to the higher average endurance. Sutton will be similar to the previous manager Evergreen in letting starters who are pitching well to keep pitching until they're no longer effective. With a full rotation of five solid starters and a good spot starter/long reliever in the bullpen, the Corps has the freedom to let the starters put in a longer workload per game since they won't have to worry about a quick turnaround. The famously terrible bullpen will be eating as few innings as possible in hopes that it results in fewer blown leads.

Click the spoilers below to read advanced bios about all the players and coaches.

Glenn Sutton - #6
Manager
Team: Gelia Blues [DRK]

Glenn Sutton has been the manager of the Gelia Blues for over 20 years. Though the Blues have had their success, they've also had their, well, blues. Through all of that, the guiding hand of Glenn Sutton is a mainstay of the Gelia dugout. He's navigated three rebuilds and piloted a couple years of dominance in the league. Sutton uses a mix of analytical and holistic approaches, referring to the numbers when necessary but also deferring to the feelings of his players on the field. DISC was looking for a dependable and fan-favorite PBL manager to be the new skipper for the Base Corps, and Sutton seemed to fit the bill nicely. Now he has something on his resume no other manager has: he's taken Drawkland to a WBC quarterfinal.

Keith Hawking - #12
Bench Coach
Team: Gelia Blues [DRK]

Keith Hawking has been Sutton's right hand man for as long as both have been coaching. When Sutton got the job, it was only natural that he invite Hawking to be his bench coach. Hawking has the skills to keep a team in check in the dugout, ensuring the mood and mindset stays where it needs to be. Has a wide variety of sunflower seed flavors available at all times.

Al Krauss - #28
1st Base Coach
Team: Sun City Flames [SNL]

Marilyn Dale previously held the first base coach position for the Corps, but left it vacant to pursue other offseason commitments. With time running short, Glenn Sutton brought in a manager with international experience - Al Krauss, a lesser-known skipper who's been at the helm for the Sun City Flames in the LPB. The Flames have been decent, but have yet to get any deep playoff success. As a main manager, Krauss is mainly on this staff "for fun" and his experience with coaching players with a variety of backgrounds.

John Vogels - #55
3rd Base Coach
Team: Metropolon Engineers [DRK]

With Kyle Patton retiring from baseball, the job of third base coach has been filled with John Vogels. He's not the legend that Patton was, but he's accrued an impressive record in Metropolon. Vogels is excellent at measuring the arms and legs of the defense and runners in the heat of the moment, and often makes the right call on when to wave or hold a player at third. He's also known for being a great clubhouse personality.

Roger Madison - #24
Hitting Coach
Team: none (retired player)

Roger Madison has been a mainstay of the Base Corps lineup since the very beginning when Madison was just a hot young prospect added to the national team to test his mettle and sell some more tickets. It would just be weird to have a Base Corps roster without him. His status as a pure contact hitter and longevity in the league means he's a lock for the Hall of Fame in a few years. In the meantime, his experience both with hitting and playing the WBC makes him an ideal choice to be the hitting coach, even as the rest of the coaching staff is now well acclimated to WBC play.

Peter Connelly - #76
Pitching Coach
Team: Hessport Blockade [DRK]

The Hessport Blockade have had one of the best pitching staffs in the league for well over a decade now, and it's clear that Peter Connelly's influence has played a big part in that. Connelly rose up organically through the Blockade's minor league system before getting the job with the retirement of the previous coach. His strategic guidance and encyclopedic knowledge of pitching minutiae have made him a favorite among the Blockade's pitchers: all of them have posted career-high stats under Connelly's management. The question was if he's good enough to turn the Base Corps bullpen into an actually competent unit, and he seems to have done a bang-up job so far.

Troy Hawthorne - #79
Bullpen Coach
Team: Hessport Blockade [DRK]

Troy Hawthorne was alongside Connelly for a majority of their careers in the Blockade minors. Hawthorne was even promoted to the major league staff at the same time as Connelly. Together they form an excellent team. Hawthorne knows how to juggle the form of the relief pitchers with the wishes of the manager and pitching coach, as well as expertly prepping relievers for their upcoming appearances.

Nicholas Kingston
Strength & Conditioning Coach
Team: Elite Eleven (non-PBL)

Curiously enough, Nicholas Kingston is actually a member of the Elite Eleven, the (in)famous group of eleven athletes who boast about being able to play any major sport at a professional level. The Elite have gained recognition for their stint as the Kick Corps, Drawkland's soccer national team, but they've previously competed as the Net Corps and Base Corps as well. Through all of this, Kingston was noticed for his pseudo-role as the S&C coach for the rest of the Elite, possessing an almost superhuman instinct for identifying and treating injuries correctly, as well as certified medical training. Kingston actually applied directly for this job, and DISC had no other candidates lined up at the time, so they gave him the nod. At first Kingston was wearing #8, but with young hotshot Alex Gates coming onto the Corps wanting that number, Kingston voluntarily gave it up. Now he'll wear a numberless jersey in the dugout.

Miles Black - #88
Center Field, Left Field, Right Field
Bats: Left / Throws: Left / Team: Whisrold Golds [DRK]

With speed demon Louie Wade moving on, the need arose for another baserunner to strike fear in opposing defenses. Miles Black is the answer. On his Whisrold Golds, he holds down center field with plus defense in addition to his top percentile speed. His bat does leave a little to be desired, however. There's no spot for him in a national team starting lineup, but he will serve as an excellent pinch running option late in games. If his services are needed defensively, he'll prove a great outfield option. He may even be an acceptable pinch hitting option against righties. Do not look up his splits against lefties.

Lane Kavana - #7
Center Field, Left Field, Right Field
Bats: Switch / Throws: Right / Team: Raikennax Eruptors [DRK]

Lane Kavana has been headlining the Base Corps since he was 20, and he still shows no signs of stopping (though maybe some slowing). In WBC 55 on home soil, he was responsible for a tick over half the Corps' runs that tournament, either by scoring them or batting them in. Lane Kavana is the ultimate five-tool player, holding down center field, wreaking havoc on the basepaths, and terrorizing pitchers at the plate. In short, he's a WAR machine. He's perhaps most famous for his power hitting and prowess to all fields, but he's most proud of his pure contact ability. With plenty of power bats in the Corps lineup, and his power beginning to wane with age, Kavana is content and even excited to serve more of a table-setting contact-heavy role in the 2 hole.

Abram Kavana - #17
Right Field, Second Base, Shortstop,
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Team: Archifel Skippers [DRK]

If you thought Lane Kavana was a baller, his little brother is just as good. The Younger Son, sporting a mane of blonde hair, is also a renowned 5-tool player. Abram's fiery attitude and superstar skills have made him a sensation in Drawkland, and some believe he's better than his brother. However you look at it, he's a key part of this Corps offense. Previously on the Corps he was a power leadoff man, but has moved back in the lineup with more prototypical leadoff options making the roster recently. With the logjam of infield options, Kavana has been moved to right field to play next to his brother in the outfield. His bat may not be as ridiculous as years past, but pitchers ignore him at their own peril. He'll be in the heart of the order against lefties, and a jumpscare for righties towards the back of the order.

Zac MacBay - #21
Left Field, Center Field, Right Field
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Team: Drawk City Scouts [DRK]

Zac MacBay was one of the "Core Four" at Sadeg State University, a group of hot prospects who came up at the same time and dominated Drawkian college baseball for several years. His excellent hitting and slightly above-average defense netted him a first-round draft selection by Drawk City, and he rose quickly through the minor league ranks. Now in his fourth PBL season, MacBay is a perennial All-Star and reigning MVP. His ability to hit for extra bases is his greatest strength, though he's also got plus speed and the ability to swipe some bags when needed. With slight reverse splits, MacBay is now a bona fide threat in the box. If he had a slightly better arm, he'd be a true five tool player.

Richelle Shard - #36
Left Field, First Base, Right Field, Catcher
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Team: Pittsennat Cadets [DRK]

Richelle Shard was a middling corner outfield and occasional catching prospect in the Pittsennat Cadets minor league system just a few years ago. When she finally got her chance at the PBL level, she exploded onto the scene and earned an All-Star berth in her second season. Since then, Shard has continually improved and become a perennial all-star outfielder thanks to her bat. Her greatest strength is barreling the ball very well, featuring plenty of swing-and-miss but making the contact really count when she gets it. Her batting eye was perhaps her greatest weakness, but she's been making leaps and bounds since her Base Corps debut. With the plethora of hitting talent on the roster now, Shard is now the main utility option, having the versatility to play corner outfield, first base, or even catcher.

Jackie Santos - #26
Left Field, Right Field
Bats: Left / Throws: Left / Team: Ifferdam Caravan [DRK]

Jackie Santos has established herself as one of the best lefty power bats in Drawkland. Though she's an everyday player for her domestic squad, the fledgling Ifferdam Caravan, she's made it onto this Corps squad mostly as a platoon option since she's subpar lefty-lefty. She's going to mostly be a pinch-hitting option, so any right-handed relievers should circle her name first, since she has a ridiculous XBH% against righties in high leverage situations.

Hunter Braddock - #19
First Base, Third Base
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Team: Cove Port Galleons [DRK]

Hunter Braddock is your prototypical corner infielder with excellent power. Defensively he's decent, but his bat is where he's made his name in Cove Port. His batting average and OBP leave a little to be desired, and he has a penchant for swinging at sliders off the plate. Still, it's hard to hate when he leans back and clobbers a baseball 400 feet to left field. He'll be a pinch hitting option for most of this tournament, but if he happens to be on a heater, he'll get more playing time.

Aaron Frost - #3
Shortstop, Second Base, Center Field
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Team: Jaffro Drawks [SNL/DRK]

Coming up with the Pittsennat Cadets at about the same time as Richelle Shard, Aaron Frost wrote his name in the PBL history books by winning rookie of the year. His excellent defense, speed, hitting, and luscious locks have made up for his relatively short size (by Drawkian standards). He made waves by signing with the LPB Jaffro Drawks in free agency, becoming one of their headline players. At the plate he's a good contact hitter, but his biggest drawback is his complete lack of pop. "Warning track power" has been the pitfall for young Frost, who's only hit a handful of homers (most to the opposite field, as he excels on hitting the outside pitch). Despite that, his plate discipline, speed, and bloop single capabilities make him an excellent leadoff hitter. His best skill is his consistency at hitting line drives to the opposite field gap.

Alexander Gates - #8
Third Base, Shortstop, Left Field
Bats: Switch / Throws: Right / Team: Bellator Cavaliers [DRK]

Another of the SSU Core Four, Alex Gates was actually a year younger than his other Skyhawk counterparts. That being said, he was just as good as the rest of them, if not better. In his senior year, with the others gone, Gates continued to dominate college baseball, winning golden spikes honors and being taken second overall before a blockbuster trade sent him back to Sadeg right on the edge of his big-league debut. Since coming up with the Sadeg Knights, Gates has shown off his plus defense in the hot corner along with a penchant to get RBIs by whatever means necessary. His elite bat control makes him an invaluable resource in a lineup, though he's easily capable of hitting for extra bases. Nearing the end of his rookie contract, the Knights shipped Gates to Bellator for an insane haul of prospects ... and he made the Knights look like fools. Gates won MVP honors with the Cavaliers, and he's blossomed into one of the big names in the PBL.

Ted Honeycutt - #13
First Base, Designated Hitter
Bats: Left / Throws: Left / Team: Jaffro Drawks [SNL / DRK]

Another limb of the Sadeg State Core Four, Honeycutt is a pulling power hitter at its finest. Thanks to his excellent performance in IBS 19 (including hitting home runs in six straight games), Honeycutt got attention in the LPB, eventually signing a contract with the Jaffro Drawks. Even at the highest professional level, Honeycutt has been demolishing baseballs with reckless abandon, though his OBP could perhaps use a little work. He prefers to play DH, but with Tyler Silvanus taking that up most days, he's resigned to play first base for most games this cycle. He isn't awful defensively at first, but his slouching there is made up for with his power. His latest season with Jaffro was one for the history books. Just wait and see...

Elizabeth Houston - #10
Second Base, Shortstop, Third Base
Bats: Switch / Throws: Right / Team: Chelstio Stars [DRK]

Elizabeth Houston served as the platonic ideal of a leadoff hitter for Sadeg State's Core Four. Her plate discipline is unmatched, with a low stance and great bat control to force pitchers to attack her with the utmost care. She takes great pride in her OBP above all else, though her defense is perfectly acceptable and she's been known to clock one over the fence when the situation is right. She was taken by the Chelstio Stars in the first round following her graduation, and rose through their minor league system in record time to be their leadoff hitter. Since then, she's been an All-Star every season. She's established herself as an elite talent, forcing Abram Kavana from his long-standing position at second base to ensure she's in the lineup every game. Though she hasn't been winning league MVPs like some of her fellow Skyhawk grads, she has been known for heating up at the perfectly right time.

Flynn Morse - #23
Shortstop, Third Base, Second Base
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Team: Drawk Corps [DRK]

The Drawk Corps team in the PBL had Roger Madison in the middle infield for several decades. With his retirement, the Corps was short a superstar in that spot. Thankfully, Flynn Morse rocketed through the minor league system and came up as an elite shortstop. He mostly gets attention for his great looks, in addition to his flashy defensive plays at shortstop and antics after hitting homers (which he does quite often). His arm accuracy could use a little work, and he needs some more plate discipline, but he's above-average in speed and contact. He could maybe be a starting option for the Corps in a few years ... or he might burn out. For now, he's a nice bench option.

Jolene Pender - #29
Third Base, Second Base, Shortstop, First Base
Bats: Left / Throws: Right / Team: Krakon Generals [DRK]

Like many female Drawkian position players, Jolene Pender is renowned for her versatility and bat control. She's best at hitting the ball where it's pitched and finding gaps in the defense to get base hits. She's also got decent plate discipline in addition to a little bit of pop. She's likely known best as an above-average defender that can play anywhere in the infield. Her worst tool defensively is the slightly below-average arm strength, but her instincts and glove control make up for it. She frequents third and second base. She'll also serve as a nice lefty option for pinch hitting, though there are some better options elsewhere in the lineup.

Tyler Silvanus - #11
Starting Pitcher, Designated Hitter
Bats: Left / Throws: Right / Team: Bellator Cavaliers [DRK]
4-seam fastball, slider, splitter, curveball, cutter

Tyler Silvanus is a titan of a man. He's become one of the most feared pitchers in the game since his debut. His fastball hits triple digits, his slider has a vicious bite, and his splitter catches even the best off guard. While Silvanus gets plenty of cred for being an All-Star power pitcher, that's not even the best part of his game. He's made his name by being Drawkland's first bona fide two-way player in decades. He hits absolute piss missiles, having eclipsed 40 bombs in over six season (and winning MVP in three seasons). He's simply pure talent, and he proved that by being one of the key players in Drawkland's first-ever Round of 16 series win.

Andrew Boone - #25
Veteran Starter
Bats: Left / Throws: Left / Team: Jaffro Drawks [SNL / DRK]
2-seam fastball, sweeper, sinker, 4-seam fastball, changeup

Andrew Boone is probably the best lefty Drawkian pitcher at the moment. He excels at inducing weak contact and pitching deep into games, mostly due to his deceptive delivery. His main pitches, a flat and sinking 2-seamer plus a sweeper, all come from the same arm slot, traveling in a similar manner until they break just a split second after the batter has to start their swing. He exhibits high 90s velo, but his accuracy and deception is where he gets his success.

Claire Kirkland - #31
Starter
Bats: Switch / Throws: Right / Team: Sadeg Knights [DRK]
4-seam fastball, cutter, slider, changeup, 2-seam fastball

Claire Kirkland had a remarkable rookie campaign with the Sadeg Knights, winning rookie of the year for her elite play on the mound and placing third in voting for pitcher of the year. She's a bona fide power pitcher, with a triple-digit fastball, upper 90s cutter, and a wicked slider in the low 90s. For most batters, that three-pitch mix of movement and speed is enough to put them down, but she also employs a straight changeup from time to time. She's one of the hottest young pitchers in the league, and though her last WBC performance was a bit spotty, she's still a devastating option to have in the middle of the rotation. Did we mention she can hit pretty well? Kirkland isn't exactly good enough to be considered a two-way player, but she puts up numbers around the level of a utility bench bat.

Jeffry Judd - #9
Starter
Bats: Left / Throws: Left / Team: Archifel Skippers [DRK]
Slider, 4-seam fastball, curveball, changeup

Jeffry Judd was also a member of that Sadeg State team that won IBS 19, and though he wasn't the best pitching prospect on the roster, he proved his mettle in a big way. Judd was the starter in the championship game against Loyola, and he was nearly untouchable throughout. His performance caused him to move up draft boards, and he developed quickly in the minors. He's finally made it to the big leagues, with his wicked slider-fastball combo coming from a wide lefty release point that's hard for hitters on both sides to pick up. He's also developed his curveball and changeup into effective tertiary options, which he uses when necessary. He always seems to be more fired up in big matchups and high-leverage situations, garnering him a big enough reputation to make it onto the Corps roster. His debut Corps cycle wasn't great, but he's been so good domestically it's hard to leave him off the roster.

Joseph Shrubbin - #46
Rookie Starter
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Team: Hellenmack Athletics [DRK]
4-seam fastball, sinker, slider, 12-6 curve, changeup

They call him "Joe Shrub." He's a tall and lanky pitcher who came up with the Hellenmack Athletics immediately following WBC 58, and he established himself as one of Drawkland's best pitchers. With a wide delivery and a nasty sinker, he bears a lot of resemblance to Judd, but pitching from the right side. He's also decent at the plate, being able to pull balls into shallow left field with regularity. By no means is he a two-way player, but it's always nice to have a guy who can scrap a base hits when the DH is blocked. If his sinker is sinking like it usually does, opposing lineups will have a hard time getting extra base hits.

Tyrell Coleman - #52
Long Reliever, Spot starter
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Team: Raikennax Eruptors [DRK]
4-seam fastball, 2-seam fastball, changeup, slider, knuckle curveball

Tyrell Coleman is an excellent starter for the Raikennax Eruptors, but with a plethora of options for the rotation, there was no space for him. Still, his fastball that can reach triple digits and wicked changeup make him a great asset on the mound. He's been brought in to serve a spot start or two, and perhaps eat some innings in the case of an absolute blowup start. He'll likely only get a couple appearances this tournament, but he may be a mainstay in the Corps rotation in a few cycles if he really shows out and keeps his stuff going. He's best at racking up strikeouts, but is known to give up a bunch of hits on occasion.

Brett Sadler - #71
Middle Reliever, Primary
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Team: Bellator Cavaliers [DRK]
4-seam fastball, cutter, slider, changeup, 12-6 curve

Brett Sadler is a young reliever for the Cavaliers, but he went from fringe spring training selection to hugely reliable relief option in the span of a single season. He's gotten a couple All-Star nods since his Corps debut, and has been an excellent option for the Cavaliers in their postseason runs. The Base Corps hopes his wicked fastball/cutter/slider combo will be good for an inning or two every day or two. Remarkably, he's done some of his best work coming in mid-inning to pitch out of somebody else's jam.

Stephanie Bullard - #61
Middle Reliever, Secondary
Bats: Left / Throws: Left / Team: Chelstio Stars [DRK]
Cutter, circle changeup, curveball, slider

Stephanie Bullard's got some stuff. She has an interesting loadout of pitches, known best for getting some swing-and-miss. She's been an important piece for the Chelstio Stars, bridging the gap in middle innings and getting to the scary back-end relievers with great consistency. She can work out of other pitcher's jams, thanks to her ability to miss the barrel and get strikeouts, but she can occasionally allow walks if she's not entirely locked in. Still, when she's on, good luck getting a rally going.

Darnell Rivers - #37
Middle Reliever, Lefty Specialist
Bats: Left / Throws: Left / Team: Corinth City Blazers [DRK]
4-seam fastball, sweeper, slider, cutter, curveball

A veteran selection for this larger Corps roster, Darnell Rivers is revered as one of Drawkland's best lefty middle relievers. Admittedly, this isn't a very competitive category, but Rivers has helped bridge the gap from starter to back end bullpen many times for the Corinth City Blazers and other teams in his career. He features a sweeper-slider combo, showing off break on both horizontal and vertical planes while looking similar out of the hand. His fastball isn't as high-90s as it used to be, but he's still a relatively reliable option for the middle of the armbarn.

Robert Butcher - #32
Short Reliever, high leverage
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Team: Esmereldane Rebels [DRK]
4-seam fastball, 2-seam fastball, cutter, changeup, slider

Robert Butcher is one of the most feared relievers in Drawkland, serving as the primary high leverage guy for the Rebels in the PBL. Simply put, he throws pure gas. He has multiple fastballs and multiple deliveries, speeds, and breaks on those pitches. He crowds the zone, and most hitters don't have enough time to figure out his stuff before they're sent back to the dugout on strikes. Butcher can be prone to allowing huge solo shots and usually can't throw more than 20 pitches in an outing, but it's nearly impossible for opposing lineups to string together multiple base hits against him.

Dion McDaniel - #70
Short Reliever, Lefty Specialist
Bats: Left / Throws: Left / Team: Vargas City Lions [SLL]
4-seam fastball, slider, 2-seam fastball, changeup

It's important to have a couple lefty arms in the bullpen when the time is right. Dion McDaniel is one of the most fearsome left-handed relievers in Drawkland, serving as a closer for the Cove Port Tankers. He primarily employs a triple digit fastball and wickedly breaking slider, along with a two seamer to back lefty hitters off the plate. McDaniel's lankier frame and odd delivery add to the difficulty of facing him. His issue is his lack of stamina, being elite for about 3 outs and not much more. The Corps coaching staff have decided to invite him to the team to mostly serve as a lefty specialist when the time calls for it, or as a spare arm in case of emergency.

Sara Barton - #35
Swing Pitcher, Long Relief, Spot Starts
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Team: Drawk Corps [DRK]
4-seam fastball, changeup, curveball, 2-seam fastball, sweeper

Sara Barton is normally a starter for the Drawk Corps in the PBL, but she had a long career as a long relief/swing pitcher during her ascent to being one of the Drawk Corps' best rotation arms. With the move to a 26-man roster for the WBC, the Base Corps figured a spare arm for spot starts, long relief, or even some high-leverage short relief spots would be a good option. Barton probably won't see a ton of action, but she's a flexible pitcher who can throw a lot of pitches on relatively short notice. None of her stuff is overpowering, using deceptive timing and solid command to keep hitters off guard.

Terenzo McFee - #56
Setup Reliever
Bats: Left / Throws: Left / Team: Shire-Port Marauders [DRK]
Sinker, changeup, cutter, 4-seam fastball

Terenzo McFee may not be the fearsome closer type, but he's a lockdown option late in games. His "bowling ball" sinker feels almost impossible to hit. He's the epitome of pitch-to-contact, and he gets the job done with insane efficiency. He has a couple secondary options to keep the more wily hitters off-balance, but he throws that sinker over 2/3 of the time. He fills the zone, forcing hitters to swing earlier than they want to, and inducing weak contact for the infield to prey upon.

Trevor Bell - #41
Setup Reliever, Backup Closer
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Team: Jaffro Drawks [SNL / DRK]
4-seam fastball, circle changeup, slurve, splitter

Franklin Bell may be gone, but his IBS 19 champion Sadeg State alumnus nephew, Trevor Bell, is here to take his place. Trevor has a similar pitch mix to his retired uncle, but with a little more power on it. His fastball reaches triple digits, along with a circle change that can lose anywhere from 15-25mph off the fastball while looking rather similar out of the hand. Since graduating from State and being signed by Jaffro, Bell has also developed his nasty slurve into a more reliable third pitch, and even picked up a little splitter that's reminiscent of his uncle's old forkball. He hasn't picked up many accolades yet, but he's a fiery pitcher who loves to pitch in big spots and has yet to horrifically blow an important lead ... so far.

Lorraine Lockwood - #60
Closer
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Team: Gelia Blues [DRK]
4-seam fastball, 12-6 curve, changeup, splitter, 2-seam fastball

What can't be said about Lorraine Lockwood at this point? Domestically, she's had a meteoric rise to being a consensus top three closer in Drawkland as soon as she got to the big leagues. She doesn't like to define herself as a power pitcher, but she does have an upper 90s fastball along with a nasty straight curve. Her spinrate and presence on the mound combine for a fearsome pitcher, one who puts down batters quickly, mostly by strikeout. Her accuracy is solid as well, but the stuff is what gets most batters out. With Franklin Bell out the door, she will now be the designated closer for the Corps, though she may get action earlier in the game if the situation calls for it, since she works well in high leverage.

MISCELLANEOUS INFO

Drawkian fans like to make a lot of noise. Obviously part of the vibe at a baseball game is the laid-back atmosphere, but when the game gets interesting the crowd will be on the edge of their seats. At Base Corps home games, the Pep Corps (a small fan spirit band affiliated with the team) will play songs and cadences, alternating with the organist and licensed music played on the PA. Some Drawkian fans are known to heckle opposing players, but most are pretty respectful and just happy to watch a game.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my runscorers: Yes.
Choose my lineup: No, select the corresponding lineup above.
Choose my pitcher: No, follow the rotation above.
Godmod scoring events: Within reason.
RP injuries to my players: Nothing career-ending. Alert 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, within reason.
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.

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.
As far as lineup/rotation goes, follow the rotation and use the lineup that corresponds with the DH status and pitcher handedness. Slight modifications are fine but keep the core intact.

by **The Kytler Peninsulae** » Tue Jul 30, 2024 5:46 pm

The Kytler Peninsulae "Phoenix" National Baseball Team
Official team information for World Baseball Classic 59

Background information
The Kytler Peninsulae returned from decades of international isolation to be shockingly competent right out of the gate.

This statement is true of the Phoenix, but it could genuinely have been copy-pasted from the cricket team. Or the gridiron one. All three progressed deeper than expected into their re-debut competitions - which shouldn't have been surprising because Kytlerian debut overperformances were also a thing when they were actual debuts, but still. No Kytlerian team in physical sports - mind sports are another matter - have really stepped up to take the next step and take an actual deep run after establishing themselves. Could the Phoenix - either in this tournament or further down the line - be the next?

Kytlerian baseball has evolved in a distinctive direction, and the origin story for this was the unique way the DH debate was settled here. Under the "Kytlerian Compromise," pitchers bat, but managers have one opportunity per game to sub in a pinch-hitter for the pitcher but not remove the pitcher from the game (the use of this must be declared at the time of the substitution). The pioneering manager Angufams Apyrphung reasoned that if he used this opportunity on the starting pitcher's first plate appearance, then immediately pulled the pitcher on the second, his starter would not only never need to bat but would almost certainly have a low enough load to be able to start on shorter rest next game. After Apyrphung's Clifford Milliners won three national titles in a row, his methods became increasingly popular across the league, and now it is absolutely standard practice for Kytlerian teams to use a three-starter rotation on very limited pitch counts, roughly along the lines of Bill James' proposal for a three-man rotation but with less defined parameters (the most common one is to pull the starter no later than the end of the at-bat in which they threw their 75th pitch, and this is the one used by Phoenix manager Kevin Anderson).

Phoenix Roster
All players have handedness listed as bats/throws.
All ages are +2 from the last WBC, aligning with the regulation aging cycle from NSWC/IFCF soccer.
All teams are from the Kytlerian Baseball League unless stated.

Catchers
C/DH #3 Sven Magnusson S/R, 24, Santa Mordana Stars
C #25 Telma Eyjólfsdóttir S/R, 23, Vengife Legends
C #28 Ryan Marshall R/R, 30, Rüsselsheim Blue Sox (LPB)

Infielders
SS/2B #11 Wecoisus Dotos R/R, 24, Zube Nationals
1B/DH #12 Magnus Álfarsson L/L, 22, Zeiven Hawks
2B/SS #15 Zoe Anderson S/R, 25, Icenbrook Foxes
3B/RF #23 Benjamin Ígorsson R/R, 25, Rüsselsheim Blue Sox (LPB)
1B/RF #25 Thomas Williams R/R, 29, Zube Nationals
SS/3B #31 Alexander Fox R/R, 27, Icenbrook Foxes

Outfielders
CF/LF #5 Dennis Johnson L/L, 32, Ceuran Blasters
RF/LF #6 Arndór Asbjørnsson R/R, 27, Santa Mordana Stars
LF/CF #9 Charles Bartlett R/R, 32, Aardswood A's
CF/SS #20 Oscar Lopez R/R, 25, Santa Mordana Stars
RF/RP #21 Dings Whosash L/L, 31, Alaer Angels

Starting pitchers
SP #1 Cedric Lundy L/L, 28, Apple Valley Vipers (LPB)
SP #2 Shrifflu Whootung L/L, 25, Rüsselsheim Blue Sox (LPB)
SP #4 Frepresis Whaariny R/R, 31, Alaer Angels

Relief pitchers
RP #7 Park Sung-Jae R/R, 24, Ceuran Blasters
RP/SP #8 Edward Marshall R/R, 31, Aardswood A's
RP #16 George Walton R/R, 30, Zube Nationals
RP #19 Aaron Clark R/R, 26, Icenbrook Foxes
RP #24 Jack Harper L/L, 28, Edencliff Magicians
RP #27 Marvin Vatnarsson R/R, 27, Magstone Rattlers
RP/SP #30 Fyls Mopukest R/R, 27, Zube Nationals)
RP #33 Zoe Young L/L, 23, Edencliff Magicians
RP #35 Wecoisus Hottotelen L/L, 23, Roddens Tigers

Potential lineups
vs. RHP, no DH: CF Johnson, SS Fox, 3B Ígorsson, RF Asbjørnsson, 1B Álfarsson, LF Bartlett, 2B Anderson, C Marshall, pitcher
vs. LHP, no DH: SS Fox, 3B Ígorsson, RF Asbjørnsson, 1B Williams, LF Bartlett, 2B Anderson, C Marshall, CF Lopez, pitcher
vs. RHP, DH: CF Johnson, SS Fox, 3B Ígorsson, 1B Williams, RF Asbjørnsson, C Magnusson, DH Álfarsson, LF Bartlett, 2B Anderson
vs. LHP, DH: SS Fox, 3B Ígorsson, RF Asbjørnsson, DH Magnusson, 1B Williams, C Marshall, LF Bartlett, 2B Anderson, CF Lopez
These are extremely subject to change, feel free to make some of those changes yourself!

Scouting report
Position players: The standout here is Ígorsson; one of several Græntfjaller-Kytlerian dual nationals who are often referred to as "BFGs" (the B is for Big, the G is obvious, and you can decide for yourself what the F is), he takes massive hacks when he finds the right pitch and is also increasingly diligent in holding off the wrong ones, meaning he's got a good version of the three-true-outcomes archetype. (Fellow BFGs Álfarsson and Asbjørnsson have a less-good version of same.) He's also a great thrower, so though he's far too slow for an up-the-middle position he can yeet baserunners from third base or right field. The other LPB player in this lineup, Marshall, is a glove-first catcher who sometimes hits homers; Magnusson has emerged as the team's new bat-first catcher and his switch-hitting means that he's most likely to get the start over Marshall when a righty is on the mound, although Eyjólfsdóttir could also fill that role and is far more of a story as the first ever female catcher in KBL history. Fox and Anderson have made for an electric double-team duo in the last couple of years and with the former breaking out in the hit-for-average department at the plate as well, both become clear starters despite Anderson in particular lacking power (she's essentially the like-for-like successor to last cycle's strong-side-platoon keystone occupant Jennifer Harper-Barnes).

Starting pitchers: The fixed rotation order for the group phase is Whaariny, Lundy, Whootung. (This may vary in the playoffs, should the Phoenix get there.)
Whaariny is noted for his slurve, which has vicious two-plane movement; he pairs it with a two-seam/split-finger fastball mix (which also grade stronger for movement than anything else) and sporadically uses his changeup, most often as a surprise strike-stealer. Whilst arguably the weakest of this rotation (and the only one not in LPB), it's awfully marginal, so he's got the nominal ace role because a quirk of the scheduling has given the Phoenix road games in all four of those slots and by implication home games in five of the other six, and given the dimensions of their home field they liked the idea of having a lefty on the mound for all games there. Projected starts: MD1 @ Taxonomic Kingdoms, MD4 @ South Newlandia, MD7 @ Equestria, MD10 @ Dotivija
Lundy does his best work with his four-seam fastball, which he consistently locates well, and pairs it with (in decreasing order of usage) a slider, cutter, and changeup. Now officially the Kytlerian ace with the retirement of D.L. Miller, he's taken the risk of an LPB move - specifically to an Apple Valley Vipers team who are set to go with a four-starter rotation in the new season. Projected starts: MD2 vs Equestria, MD5 vs Dotivija, MD8 vs Panay Islands and Guimaras
Whootung is a fastball-slider power pitcher whom many Kytlerian analysts have expected to move into relief due to his limited repertoire and low lefty arm slot, but he's been highly productive with both pitches (the slider and his less-used, less-controlled changeup getting huge whiffs from hitters cheating on the fastball) to the point of earning LPB interest, the Blue Sox acquiring him with a view to giving him two half-turns in a five-starter rotation that is not nearly as deep as their pen. Projected starts: MD3 @ Panay Islands and Guimaras, MD6 vs Taxonomic Kingdoms, MD9 vs South Newlandia

Relief pitchers: Marshall and Mokupest operate as starters for their KBL clubs and are designated as swingmen for the Phoenix; if a starter gets injured, one of them will step into the rotation. Marshall has a traditional starter look and a similar pitch mix to Lundy, though he uses his cutter more and controls his four-seamer less. Mokupest, who thrived in the most recently completed KBL Championship Series, is an ascending talent driven by his two heaters - a hard four-seamer full of rise from his vertical arm slot, and a two-seamer that trades that speed and rise for confounding arm-side run. His offspeed pitches - a curveball that plays down because batters can spot it out of the hand too easily, and a changeup that could use more movement and which he's barely thrown because it would frankly be doing most batters he's ever faced a favour to get one - are much less effective.
There's no out-and-out hierarchy in this pen, but Sung-Jae, a Quebecois dual national, is the likeliest to get saves; his splitter has scary late movement and tunnels beautifully with his four-seam fastball, while he also has a slider that surprises the unprepared. Other contenders for close-and-late situations are Harper (who gets a ton of strikeouts by combining a 12-6 curveball with a fastball with rising life) and Whosash (a two-way player who was a starter early in his career before elbow surgery and has reinvented himself as a fastball-slider power reliever who can also take his rocket arm to right field). Daniels is a groundball machine with a sinker/slider/curveball mix and a tendency to just plain avoid the top of the zone, and he's most often deployed when there's traffic on the bases with the hope to get a rally-killing double play. Young is the other intriguing pitcher in this pen; she became only the fifth woman in the KBL last season and rapidly ascended to second banana in the Magicians pen behind Harper with her trademark dastardly screwball drawing all kinds of whiffs and her sinker inducing plenty of groundouts.

Home field: EyeEye Field @ Donaldson Olympic Park, Zube (capacity 25,143).
The diamond-shaped secondary stadium in the capital city park that hosted part of the Games of the IX Olympiad has recently been re-renovated with an extra 1,093 seats added to its former 24,050 capacity. Despite being used for multiple sports - notably lacrosse - the venue still has the L-shaped main stand and outfield bleachers of a real ballpark, plus natural grass. The rectangular shape is asymmetrical for baseball though, running notoriously deep to left at 109.3m (359ft) - and that's why the Phoenix are starting a southpaw for every game there in this WBC, because then the platoon advantage benefits those who fall victim to the park factor. A more conventional right-field porch, with a foul pole on the left edge of a curved landscaped wall and tunnel, is located at 98.4m (323ft). The deepest part of the field is just left of center at 129m (423ft). Foul territory is compact in size.

Choose my lineup: Y
Choose my pitcher: N, but you can choose how my relievers are handled.
Choose my runscorers: Y
Choose other statistics: Y
Use DH at home: N
RP injuries to my players: Y, but TG first
RP ejections to my players: Y, but TG first
Godmod events: N

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Tue Jul 30, 2024 5:49 pm

Quebec and Shingoryeo National Baseball Team

Narrative Overview: After surviving a major existential doubt in middle of the WBC 53, where the nation has nearly reached the point of withdrawal from international baseball, the Grim Reapers have not looked back, pushing the eventual champions Banija to brink on the WBC 53 and then continuing it further with a remarkable, third-place run on the WBC 54 commonly known as the 'Miracle Quebec' team.

Now, with most of their three biggest names known as the 'Taewha Three' - third baseman Heo Myeong-Shin, right fielder/first baseman Theo-Alexandre Pinson, and centre fielder Samuel Carlini-Mwambutsya - all retiring, and the bullpen mostly causing trouble for this squad all-cycle long, there is no doubt that a major transitional period coming up for the Grim Reapers. Fortunately, the recent crop of talent seems to bode much-needed optimism, with the Under-22 national team continuing to perform well internationally, suggesting an improved state of commitment towards internal, youth-driven pipeline. Of course, it remains to be seen on how this group of talent transitions - it took some adjustment period midway for the previous crop - can they do it much quicker this time?

Also accompanying the Grim Reapers, as expected, are 'The Bubonic Plague', the official supporters' group of the Quebecois national teams on every senior level - there is no equivalent of such on junior levels, due to many safety and developmental reasons to be discussed in future time. With a membership that goes into about three to four millions, the ultras are known for their wearing of the Quebecois Tricolour (Red, Black and Yellow), topless selves, and their extremely liberal use of musical instruments and hand-held flares. With this WBC being held entirely at home, it is safe to assume that tens of thousands will be decking the stadium stands, in-city pubs and hotel rooms of each and every services where their services (so the games) will be needed.

GET ERECT GET EXCITED! GEAUX REAPERS!

Nickname: Grim Reapers
Acronym: QUE
Denonym: Quebecois (Preferred), Quebecer (that's fine)

Home Colours: Blue, White and Yellow
Away Colours:Red, Black and White
Official Supporters Group: The Bubonic Plague
WBC Season: Late autumn/Early winter of 2065-66
Style Mod: +2 (-5 in terms of playing conservative vs. +5 in playing aggressive)

Retired Numbers

Eleven years ago the Grim Reapers, just six months after the Grim Reapers' miraculous third-place run on the WBC-54 in Zwangzug, retire their two greatest infielders' numbers to the rafters of both the Parc de Joongyeong and Commonwealth Park, the longtime homes of the Quebecois national baseball team. The numbers coincided with their return from Cassadaigua to their home teams in Kingston Tigers and Saguenay Lions. It was a fitting nod to two legends and lifelong friends who have played on rival schools and clubs all their lives since high school and into Cassadaigua, and who have represented the finest peak of the Quebecois baseball. We will all remember their decadelong heroics, especially the runs they had on the WBC 53 and 54.

#10 - HEO Myeong-Shin: 2043-54 (WBC 49-51, 53-54)
TEAMS: Erskine CI -> Université du Saguenay -> Kingston Tigers -> Concord Heights Royals -> Kingston Tigers
#52 - Theo-Alexandre PINSON - 2043-54 (WBC 49-54)
TEAMS: Sangwon CVI -> Queen's College at Cornwall -> Saguenay Lions -> Brattleboro Brats -> California City Dodgers

COACHING STAFF

No. First Name      Surname           Age Sex Tenure   Position        Tier Team
94  Elle            Bowning            56   F Returnee General Manager QBO  Montevicio Dodgers
74  Taylor          Bryant             54   F New      Manager         QBF  Quebecois Baseball and Softball Federation
77  Myeong-Shin     Heo                45   M Returnee Bench Coach     QBO  Saint John Green Sox (Bench Coach)
96  Mathieu         Berard             42   M Returnee Pitching Coach  QBO  Levis Wyverns
92  Francisco       Alcantara          51   M Returnee Batting Coach   QIS  Dongnae University
75  Gregory         Reynolds-Walusimbi 44   M New      Fielding Coach  QBO  
86  Marina          Berrios            58   F Returnee Bullpen Coach   QBO  Prince Eric Athletics
88  Katrine         Bernatchez Rose    41   F Returnee Analyst         QIS  Yoseo University at Montevicio (HC)

STARTING PITCHERS (4)

No. First Name       Surname          Age Sex Hand Throw    Status   Tier  Team
19  Jean-Pierre      Touretskii        32   M RHP  Sidearm  Returnee QBO   Levis Wyverns
47  Nahuel           Fornacieri        30   M LHP  3-Qtr    Returnee QBO   Montevicio Dodgers
18  Nathan           Francis           29   M RHP  3-Qtr    Returnee QBO   Saint Jon Green Sox
13  Isaiah           Baek              30   M LHP  Overhand Returnee LPB   Peninsulara Kingfishers

THE BULLPEN (10)

No. Position      First Name     Surname          Age Sex Hand Throw     Status   Tier  Team
23  Long Relief   Hye-Yeon       Yi                30   F LHP  Over      Returnee LPB   Elephant Valley Homers
 9  LR/Emerg.     Seung-Seok     Park              29   M LHP  3-Qtr     Returnee QBO   Levis Wyverns
25  Middle Relief Dora           Adzic             26   M RHP  Sidearm   Returnee QBO   Kingston Blue Jays
45  Middle Relief Seung-Dong     Park              31   M RHP  Submarine Returnee QBO   Oakwood Dinos
41  Middle Relief Laurent        Fortier-Yi        27   M RHP  Overhand  Returnee QBO   Attawapiskat Wiz
62  Middle Relief Maxence        Plouvier          19   F LHP  3-Qtr     Rookie   QIS   Songwha State University
11  Short Relief  C.J.           Laudonikis        30   F LHP  3-Qtr     Returnee QBO   Saguenay Lions
47  Setup Man     Chloe          Botez             25   F LHP  Overhand  Returnee QBO   Saguenay Lions
41  Setup Man     Clement        Jolin             30   M RHP  3-Qtr     Returnee QBO   Prince Eric Athletics
21  Closer        Benoit         Everson           33   M LHP  Overhand  Returnee LPB   Elephant Valley Homers

INFIELDERS & CATCHERS (10)

No. Position      First Name     Surname          Age Sex Throw Bat Status   Tier  Team
22  Catcher       Errol          Kim               28   M     R   S Returnee  QBO  Joongyeong Bears
20  Catcher       Cassandra      Littlechild       27   F     R   R Returnee  QBO  Anju Avros
36  First Base    Yves-Francois  Agunbiade         31   M     L   L Returnee  QBO  Jolbonopolis Rangers
61  1B/DH         Reyhan         Benboulaid        25   M     L   L Rookie    QBO  Prince Eric Athletics
 3  Second Base   Belanna        Latham            30   F     R   R Returnee  QBO  Saguenay Lions
 7  Utility       Jae-Ho         Joh               32   M     R   R Returnee  QBO  Saguenay Lions
 1  Shortstop     Benedict       Calles III        35   M     R   R Returnee  QBO  Montreal Twins
 4  Third Base    Louise         Blakenau-Abueng   25   F     R   L Returnee  QBO  Prince Eric Athletics
18  Third Base    Noel           Jackson           31   M     R   R Returnee  QBO  Joongyeong Bears
 5  2B/Shortstop  Hae-Seung      Heo               24   M     R   S Returnee  QBO  Kingston Tigers

OUTFIELDERS (5)

No. Position      First Name     Surname          Age Sex Throw Bat Status   Tier  Team
14  Left Field/DH Jeong-Min      Seon              28   M     R   R Returnee  QBO  Songak Expos
25  Centre Field  Hyeok-Joon     Kweon             31   M     R   R Returnee  QBO  Dongnae Giants
32  Right/Left    Cecily         Maybin            29   F     L   L Returnee  LPB  Elephant Valley Homers
33  Left/Right    Bryce          Shelton           24   M     R   S Returnee  QIS  Saguenay Lions
50  Utility       Emerson IV     Brubaker          28   M     R   R Returnee  QBO  Kingston Tigers

Notes on our Grim Reapers

Traditionally, the Grim Reapers have taken the pitcher use with great dose of liberalism. Assuming the pitcher has a solid game, the pitching count is loosely observed, and it's absolutely in sight for the starter to go well into seventh or even eighth inning. That said, it is just as likely for the starting pitcher to get yanked within first three innings if one allows too many runs early into the game, which of course have happened before. In those cases, expect at three to five pitchers to be used for remainder of the game. Still, this is a squad that doesn't always use the sabremetric splits and substitutions to great degree, and barring major collapses (again) the aforementioned ordering will be kept.

Stylistically, the the Grim Reapers continue to be the power-based, offensive and aggressive bunch they have been - it's in their playing colours and will stay like that forever. It is a squad that doesn't exactly steal a lot of bases beyond the usual candidates - see those on the centre line - and while the infielders are known for being defensively stout, you cannot exactly expect them on the outfield. So this likely means that you may see an occasional whoopsie-daisie with early outs do happen, it will be treated less as a 'oepsie woepsie stukkie wukkie'. Still, positional versatility tends to be valued among fielders, especially the infielders, and that does factor into the selection criteria.

Of course, there is a bit of complicated situation with the Quebecois history and geographic realities. Traditionally, baseball has been a fairly racially and regionally ubiquitous sport in Quebec, though there are strong regional and ethnic elements that are noticeable to it. Traditionally, there is strong sense of regional pride that derives from many of the iconic QBO franchises that have defined its history, as six regions traditionally dominate in both high school and pro baseball output, which reflects well into the first round of QBO Drafts.

There are minor stylistic differences between the regions and how their players' play, but those don't factor as much as how they used to be. Ethnically, the sport does have more Korean-Quebecois players in general rule of thumb, though that means little in this day and age where most Quebecois, whether Indigenous, Caucasian, Korean or of other Commonwealth origins, are fairly multiracial. Still, Korean is the lingua franca of the baseball diamond and that continues to be a defining feature of the Quebecois baseball scene as whole.

Default Starting Lineup (Position, Bats)
1. Kweon H.J. (CF, R)
2. B. Latham (2B, R)
3. C. Maybin (RF, L)
4. N. Jackson (3B, R)
5. Jeon S.M. (DH, R)
6. Y-F. Agunbiade (1B, L)
7. E. Kim (C, R)
8. B. Shelton (LF, S)
9. B. Calles III (SS, R)

Non-DH Starting Lineup (Position, Bats)
1. Kweon H.J. (CF, R)
2. Heo H.S. (2B, S)
3. C. Maybin (RF, L)
4. N. Jackson (3B, R)
5. Jeon S.M. (LF, R)
6. Y-F. Agunbiade (1B, L)
7. E. Kim (C, R)
8. B. Calles III (SS, R)
9. PITCHER

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my runscorers: Y
Choose my lineup: Y
Follow my pitching rotation: Y, though if you want to alter ask me
Godmod scoring events: Y
RP injuries to my players: Y, but TG first
Godmod injuries to my players: N
Eject my players: Y, but TG first
Godmod other events: TG first
Use DH at home: Hellyeah!

by **Zwangzug** » Tue Jul 30, 2024 6:09 pm

It's opening day!

MD1 cutoff, scores to come. Bear in mind that tiebreakers will not be official/finalized until the end of the group stage (although for MD1 it's kind of moot).

Group 1

Crpostran                          0 3 1 0 3 0 1 3 0 11
Yakk                               0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2

Avisora                            0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0  2
Eshialand                          0 0 5 0 1 2 0 0 X  8

Srednjaci                          0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Quebec and Shingoryeo              1 0 3 1 0 0 1 1 X  7

* Group 1                           Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Crpostran                           1    1   0    11    2   +9
2 Eshialand                           1    1   0     8    2   +6
3 Quebec and Shingoryeo               1    1   0     7    2   +5
4 Srednjaci                           1    0   1     2    7   −5
5 Avisora                             1    0   1     2    8   −6
6 Yakk                                1    0   1     2   11   −9

Group 2

Tikariot                           0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  3
North and South Slavo-Baltia       1 0 0 2 4 2 1 0 X 10

StrayaRoos                         0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  2
So uh lab here                     0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1  3

New Jarwel                         1 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0  4
Drawkland                          0 3 1 1 0 0 2 0 X  7

* Group 2                           Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 North and South Slavo-Baltia        1    1   0    10    3   +7
2 Drawkland                           1    1   0     7    4   +3
3 So uh lab here                      1    1   0     3    2   +1
4 StrayaRoos                          1    0   1     2    3   −1
5 New Jarwel                          1    0   1     4    7   −3
6 Tikariot                            1    0   1     3   10   −7

Group 3

Juldonia                           0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1  4
Super-Llamaland                    6 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 X 10

Dhemixia                           1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1  3
HaIvrim                            1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  2

TJUN-ia                            2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3  7
Hapilopper                         2 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0  5

* Group 3                           Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Super-Llamaland                     1    1   0    10    4   +6
2 TJUN-ia                             1    1   0     7    5   +2
3 Dhemixia                            1    1   0     3    2   +1
4 HaIvrim                             1    0   1     2    3   −1
5 Hapilopper                          1    0   1     5    7   −2
6 Juldonia                            1    0   1     4   10   −6

Group 4

Milchama                           3 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0  6
Liventia                           0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1

Valanora                           1 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 4  9
Fezziktopia                        0 0 1 1 0 1 0 3 0  6

Holy Marsh                         0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1  3
Ardsk                              0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 4  6

* Group 4                           Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Milchama                            1    1   0     6    1   +5
2 Ardsk                               1    1   0     6    3   +3
  Valanora                            1    1   0     9    6   +3
4 Fezziktopia                         1    0   1     6    9   −3
  Holy Marsh                          1    0   1     3    6   −3
6 Liventia                            1    0   1     1    6   −5

Group 5

Zwangzug                           1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  2
United States of Nova Calania      1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 X  4

Sarzonia                           2 0 0 0 4 3 0 0 0  9
Caribbia                           0 0 0 3 3 0 1 0 0  7

Vaishnavaria                       3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2  7
Oclea                              0 0 2 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0  5

* Group 5                           Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Sarzonia                            1    1   0     9    7   +2
  United States of Nova Calania       1    1   0     4    2   +2
  Vaishnavaria                        1    1   0     7    5   +2
4 Caribbia                            1    0   1     7    9   −2
  Oclea                               1    0   1     5    7   −2
  Zwangzug                            1    0   1     2    4   −2

Group 6

Abanhfleft                         0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0  3
South Americanastan                0 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 X  4

The Fortem                         0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 0  4
Libonesia                          2 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 X  8

Ochre Islands                      0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  1
Kamijiro                           0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 X  3

* Group 6                           Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Libonesia                           1    1   0     8    4   +4
2 Kamijiro                            1    1   0     3    1   +2
3 South Americanastan                 1    1   0     4    3   +1
4 Abanhfleft                          1    0   1     3    4   −1
5 Ochre Islands                       1    0   1     1    3   −2
6 The Fortem                          1    0   1     4    8   −4

Group 7

The 189                            2 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0  6
Farfadillis                        0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Ko-oren                            0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Dod Rava                           0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  4

Kronbia                            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3  3
Mercatoren                         0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1  4

* Group 7                           Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 The 189                             1    1   0     6    0   +6
2 Dod Rava                            1    1   0     4    2   +2
3 Mercatoren                          1    1   0     4    3   +1
4 Kronbia                             1    0   1     3    4   −1
5 Ko-oren                             1    0   1     2    4   −2
6 Farfadillis                         1    0   1     0    6   −6

Group 8

Equestria                          0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1
Panay Islands and Guimaras         1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 X  2

The Kytler Peninsulae              1 1 1 0 0 0 3 0 0  6
Taxonomic Kingdoms                 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1  3

South Newlandia                    0 0 1 1 7 0 0 0 1 10
Dotivija                           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0

* Group 8                           Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 South Newlandia                     1    1   0    10    0  +10
2 The Kytler Peninsulae               1    1   0     6    3   +3
3 Panay Islands and Guimaras          1    1   0     2    1   +1
4 Equestria                           1    0   1     1    2   −1
5 Taxonomic Kingdoms                  1    0   1     3    6   −3
6 Dotivija                            1    0   1     0   10  −10

Group 9

Banija                             1 1 3 1 0 0 2 0 0  8
Oscioru                            3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  4

Diarcesia                          0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1
Zug um Zug                         0 0 0 0 1 4 0 1 X  6

Kanmer                             0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1  3
Nationy Mcstateface                0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  1

* Group 9                           Pld    W   L    RF   RA   RD 
1 Zug um Zug                          1    1   0     6    1   +5
2 Banija                              1    1   0     8    4   +4
3 Kanmer                              1    1   0     3    1   +2
4 Nationy Mcstateface                 1    0   1     1    3   −2
5 Oscioru                             1    0   1     4    8   −4
6 Diarcesia                           1    0   1     1    6   −5

by **Panay Islands and Guimaras** » Tue Jul 30, 2024 9:50 pm

STARTING THE DEBUT WITH A WIN
Zwischen, Zwangzug

The Carabaos started their campaign with a win against Equestria. It all started when Rolando Santiago striked out an Equestrian player, where he got 5 strikeouts on Euqestrians. And then in the first inning for the Carabaos, Adalberto Yoo gave the Panayenses their first home run. And Belivaldo gave another score for the Panayenses after a mistake of an Equestrian player. The Equestrians answered by hitting a double, where an Equestrian player gave a run after a mistake from Rolando Yamaguchi, but the Carabaos ended up being the victors. "It was a good day for our baseball!", says Giraldo Salvador, the captain. "I hope we do very well and hoping have a great run at the WBC 59." The Panayenses will have their second match and hoping they would do well.

by **Holy Marsh** » Tue Jul 30, 2024 10:00 pm

National Team Defeated in First Game of WBC 59; Extra Innings Prove Team’s Undoing

Zwangzug- The Holy Marsh National Team lost the first game of the 59th World Baseball Classic 6-3 in 10 innings., following a walk-off home run and a series of small mistakes that cost the team to lose an otherwise winnable game. “We’ll learn and grow. They played a good baseball game. We’ll see them again later in the Classic and see how we’ve grown,” manager Verdaloop said after the game.

Marshite hitters provided good contact all day, only striking out three times. However, they often failed to make the right contact and recorded only one extra base hit out of the eight they had all day. “We failed to make impactful plays with the bat. They fielded the ball well- we could have had a few more doubles, even stretched from first to third, but the opportunities weren’t there. More importantly, we did not capitalize on our opportunities,” hitting coach Bo Talalapaia said after the game. The team was 2-13 with RISP, including 0-4 in the 8th and 9th innings. “We put the ball in play, but we need to do more with it.”

Antara Abusaria led the team with two hits, including the only extra base hit- a double at the top of the 10th. Tarin El'Sara, Sojara Saini, and Emriel Sar'Tuyu ViKonimen each stole a base- with Tarin and Emriel scoring. Marshite fielding was strong throughout, with SS Samara Aiju recording a highlight dive and throw to the plate to third to end the 9th and send the game into extras, stealing a would-be game winning hit.

Jagtaran Sehwag pitched 6 and 2/3s, giving up 1 run and striking out nine en route to a no decision. “I had my command, for the most part. I think I could have done more,” he said, referring to the team’s decision to pull him at 100 pitches. Renowned for often going deeper into games and throwing more pitches, Sehwag was pulled and Rimpi Harl was sent in as relief. She gave up a solo home run immediately- a run which would prove decisive as the game went into extras. “We have to make what we believe is the right call for both his league and this team,” manager Verdaloop said after the game. “We believed, and continue to believe, that we have a solid bullpen and we will have no qualms about turning to them in the future.”

Harl would finish the seventh and pitch a lightning fast eighth. Balraj Basanti would come out in the 9th and had an unusual amount of difficulty, putting two men on and reaching two full counts before retiring the side. Ikbal Sehgal would come on in the 10th but would prove unusual wild and got the loss after only getting one out and giving up the tying run, leaving two men on base. Jagjot Beniwal would come in to try and take the game to the 11th . He recorded one out but gave up a walk-off three run home-run. Suneet Jatasra argued that the pitch previous was a strike that would have ended the inning, but he was reprimanded by the pitching coach for such an attitude.

Group Overview:
Milchama beat Liventia 6-1.
Valanora beat Fezziktopia 9-6.
Ardsk beat Holy Marsh 6-3.

Next Game:
The Marshite National Team heads to Rise Stadium in Frischberg in their first home game of the Classic. Right-Handed Non-Human Starter Ekjit Kaler takes the mound against Fezziktopia, who also suffered a late-game loss against Valanora.

Schedule:
July 30: (0-1) Holy Marsh (0-1) @ Ardsk (1-0) L 3-6
Ikbal Sehgal (0-1, 109.00 ERA) vs -----
July 31: Fezziktopia (0-1) @ Holy Marsh (0-1) (Frischberg: Rise Stadium)
vs RHP Ekjit Kaler
August 1: Holy Marsh (0-1) @ Milchama (1-0)
LHP Aslesha Anaadi vs
August 2: Valanora (1-0) @ Holy Marsh (0-1) (Kerlagrad: Moore Field)
vs LHP Manjaap Warraic
August 3: Holy Marsh (0-1) @ Liventia (0-1)
RHP Simrita Sial vs
August 5: Ardsk @ Holy Marsh (Spenson: The Worm Hole)
vs RHP Ekjit Kaler
August 6: Holy Marsh (0-1) @ Fezziktopia (0-1)
LHP Aslesha Anaadi vs
August 7: Milchama (1-0) @ Holy Marsh (0-1) (102d: X Park)
vs RHP Jagtaran Sehwag
August 8: Holy Marsh (0-1) @ Valanora (1-0)
RHP Simrita Sial vs
August 9: Liventia (0-1) @ Holy Marsh (1-0) (Arlington: Paddock Park)
vs LHP Manjaap Warraic

by **Valanora** » Wed Jul 31, 2024 5:31 am

Valanora Times
Pitch And Catch

The game of baseball has a bit of an unusual history in the Empire, because despite appearances and how things are now, it used to be one of the major sports played within the Empire with its own professional league. The league is such a distant memory now that even the elves who remain in the Empire do not speak of it or remember it for the most part, even though there was a time when baseball was the third most popular sport behind football and (ice) hockey, ahead of more popular modern sports as basketball and gridiron. Like most of the sports played within the Empire, it was an import that was brought by various merchants and mariners who visited the Empire and spoke of the sort of activities that they did back in their homeland. It is an odd thing to think about how football and hockey took off and have been near ever present in the lives of those within the Empire while other sports have seen peaks and valleys of interest, that there was a professional league for this most intriguing of sports that has now been lost to the annals of time, though like with gridiron, there is pressing push from the public to reestablish that league.

Which brings us to the fact that for the third time in recent memory that the VSC has elected to send a team to the World Baseball Classic despite the fact that there is nothing but amateur leagues and a handful of regional semi-professional league dotted throughout the Empire for baseball. The players that represent the Empire in these tournament are not professionals, they are all individuals who have other jobs and play the game for the love of the game rather than it being their career. Perhaps that is why some few players who are in the mid to late thirties have made the roster that has been called together for the tournament rather than how in other sports that are fully professional within the Empire, most athletes see their international careers come to a close before thirty-four. It is by and large the same team which competed in the last edition of the tournament near two years ago, with a pair of changes to the roster although both of those changes come in the starting line up, with the middle of the infield having the change of personnel. The strength of the roster is the first three pitchers as well as the closer, who all should have rightly had professional careers alas for being born in the Empire.

The team has been drawn into Group 4, where the team is the third seed and if they are going to be able to find a way to advance from the group stage, they are likely going to need to be perfect against the teams from the lower pots and then get a result or two in the four games against teams in the higher pots. Those two teams would be fellow Arrosian Milchama, who has a huge baseball history and tradition and will be a team that you could easily say is among the favorites to win the tournament, as well as Liventia, a team that is not as familiar save for those who remember their old exploits in football or recognize the nation from the amount of Olympiads that have been hosted there. Being a second seed though, there is no doubt that Liventia must have a quality team and likely some good results in the past in the tournament, even if those from the Empire may not be aware of them. In addition to those two, there is Fezziktopia, Holy Marsh, and Ardsk who are all far greater unknowns than Liventia are and could prove to hold a surprise or two not just for our team but also the two favorites for the group, especially in the double round robin format.

Our squad started on the road against Fezziktopia and it was a game of feast or famine for the our lot, after manufacturing a run in the first inning to take an early lead the side would be held off the scoreboard for the next two innings while the home team put a run on the board in the bottom of the third to tie things ups. Folke Petersson would then hang a crooked number up in the top of the fourth, after Mirjam Johnsson walked to start off the inning and Sanna Sjögren got a seeing eye single, while Petter Blomqvist unfortunately got good contact on the ball but hit a line drive straight to the center fielder. Folke though put the hanging curve over the left field wall and gave the team a nice three run cushion, yet they would see the home team put up another run in the bottom of the inning and again in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead back down to one. Nora Lundström would have a solo shot in the top of the seventh to try and give cushion again, but the home team exploded for three runs in the bottom of the eight to take a one run lead to the ninth. However they could not hold their nerves, as the first two batters of the inning were walked, Blomqvist then hit a double deep into the right field corner to bring them home, Petersson found the gap between right and center field to bring in Blomqvist, before Nora Lundström hit a triple to give the team a three run lead again. Caspar Axelsson came on in the bottom of the ninth and had three up and three down for win and save.

The scene now transitions back to the Empire where the sides will be playing in Mar Sara at one of the semi-professional stadiums on the outskirts of the city where you can see the horizon full of farmland looking out from the stadium and why Mar Sara is said to be at the heart of the breadbasket of the Empire. Milchama will be visiting the Empire here for the second game of the group stage and after their convincing win in Liventia, there is not much hope that our lot can pull off a win against them, though a good effort to measure ourselves by would be quite welcome. Avoiding a blowout is probably the highest priority for the team if they do have hopes for escaping the group, though that sort of dream with no professional players seems a bit at odds with one another. Regardless, the team will need to see better from their relief pitchers, giving up four runs in the first game is not a good look, especially considering the strength of the team being the starting pitchers and closer. The bats luckily came alive in the ninth to save them blushes but that performance needs to get better or else this will be a dire few weeks of play to behold.

by **Hapilopper** » Wed Jul 31, 2024 7:11 am

Nathan Ellis Field at Capital Stadium, Hapilopper City
Game 1 of WBC 59: Hapilopper v. TJUN-ia - Top of the 9th Inning
You could see Rudy Gibbs seethe with rage in the HNBT dugout in the top of the 9th inning of the Hapilopper-TJUN-ia game, yet another chapter in what was becoming an interesting sports rivalry between the two teams. Gibbs had begged - pleaded with Dale Moss to put him in. But Moss was having none of it - telling his pitcher that he knew what he was going to do.

“You’re gonna throw at someone’s head and we really don’t need that,” Moss said. “Sit down.”

“Well, god damn it, Ridley’s getting shelled!” Gibbs replied. “Let me in there and show those Jaguar pricks where they belong.”

The truth of the matter was that Gibbs was right. Kenny Ridley looked awful out there. The problem with the ultra-fast fastball was that it was hard to control. Todd Leavitt was having to go all over the place trying to catch these pitches, and they weren’t always landing. They weren’t always ending up where they needed to go. Sure, “109” and “110” looked fantastic on the radar gun, but it didn’t look fantastic when the pitches were a little too far outside the strike zone. And on top of that, the TJUN-ian Jaguars were being really, really patient at the batter’s box - almost as if they could sense that a pitcher with that kind of velocity had the control of a drunk on singles night at the local bar.

But it didn’t rise to the level of wanting to bring out Rudy Gibbs. The Jaguars hadn’t been obnoxious about it, nor were they doing anything particularly egregious. They were being intelligent with these pitches, and when the umpire called “ball four,” they did what they were supposed to do and jogged to first base. In other words, Dale didn’t think any of them deserved 99 to the face. Neither did most of the HNBT and neither did the fans at Capital Stadium. They were just annoyed that Kenny, this much-hyped pitcher with the cannon of an arm, was having such a terrible time trying to get it over the plate.

Palila Kalawai’a watched four pitches fly past outside the strike zone. Walk one. Anastasia Mykvinich decided not to swing on a pitch that actually got over the plate for strike one, but then stood there as another pitch went high, so high in fact that Leavitt had to leap up to try to catch it, but missed. Kalawai’a advanced to second base.

Leavitt sat there for a bit, visibly frustrated. He had been behind the plate all day, his knees felt like they were on fire and now he was having a hard time trying to catch this wild man’s pitches. He got up and slowly, painfully walked over to Kenny.

“What’s going on, Ridley?” Leavitt asked.

“Trying to get it past the plate, man,” Ridley replied.

“Well, slow down,” Leavitt responded. “It doesn’t matter if you’ve got all the heat in the world, I can’t catch it if it’s that far away from me. If you can’t get it over the plate, try something else!”

“I’ve got... god damn it, Leavitt, you know that’s my bag, that speed,” Ridley responded.

“Well, your bag ain’t shit if you can’t control it!” Leavitt snapped. “Please. Get something over the plate.”

Leavitt walked back to his place behind the plate, cast a grim look at Anastasia Mykvinich and got ready for play to resume. Thinking about what his catcher said, Ridley decided to throw a changeup instead. The good thing about this changeup was that it got over the plate. The bad thing about the changeup was that it seemed that Mykvinich figured it had to be coming. She swung as hard as she could and made perfect contact with the pitch - the kind of contact that makes that beautiful sound of wood cracking on baseball. The kind of sound that reverberates through a gigantic concrete cookie-cutter stadium.

The kind of sound that indicated the ball would go 455 feet to the second deck in left-center field.

The kind of sound that made Kenny Ridley’s heart sink and sent him into a spiral.

The kind of sound that took the air out of the Hapiloppians all over Capital Stadium. There was a healthy contingent of TJUN-ians that had made the relatively-short trip, and you could hear their delight, but for the most part it seemed like the mood had gone silent all across the stadium.

As Kalawai’a and Mykvinich jogged around the bases, Leavitt stood there behind home plate next to the home plate umpire, a look of resignation coming about his face.

“You know, at least he got it over the plate,” Leavitt said to the umpire. “So that’s a plus.”

“I dig your positivity, man,” the umpire replied.

While all that was going on, Dale Moss picked up the phone in the dugout and gruffly asked for Van Morton, the young knuckleballer. Morton gleefully got up to warm up. Ridley looked over to the bullpen mounds, saw Morton was warming up, and that didn’t help his psyche any.

Figuring the changeup wasn’t doing him any good, Ridley went back to his fastball. After all, what good did that jackass Leavitt know? He wasn’t a pitcher. He didn’t know what made good pithcing work. As he started to recompose himself, Svetlana Mykvinich was taking a few practice swings right next to her batter’s box.

Those that watched the game on television could see the differences in facial expression between the two. Mykvinich looked calm and composed - as if she knew what she needed to do and how she needed to do it. Ridley, meanwhile, almost looked pissed off. Beads of sweat were dripping from his face and had soaked through his hat. Ridley was trying to will himself to throw 110 over the plate.

And the good thing was, he did.

The bad thing was, it went right down the middle.

The worse thing was, Mykvinich timed it perfectly. Once again, a crack of the bat - even louder than before - reverberated through the stadium. A crack that indicated this ball was going to go even farther than the first one. And that the fans in the lower rows of the third deck might want to watch out - specifically those 480 feet from home plate in left-center field.

The TJUN-ia Jaguars had just put three on the Haps and taken a two-run lead. Mykvinich wasn’t even done rounding the bases when Dale Moss stormed out of the dugout and gave Ridley the hook - his hook sign resembling a rude forearm jerk gesture. Ridley didn’t even say anything as he walked off the mound. Moss tried saying something but Ridley wouldn’t listen.

Maybe if they had put Van Morton on the mound, the Haps might have kept the win. Morton stopped the bleeding, got his knuckler over the plate and kept TJUN-ia from scoring any more.

by **Ko-oren** » Wed Jul 31, 2024 7:23 am

Twelve teams, three divisions, four teams per division. You'd expect a contender in each division, after all, the three champions get into the playoffs. The two best non-champions go to a wildcard game and then face the best division winner. The North's given us the Echizen Dragons as the team that's somehow always up there, though the Furune Bees would like to say something about that. The South always has the Katashi Generals and the Katashi Giants, with the former securing a playoff spot nearly every year - but in recent years the Aviansola Admirals, post-move back to the southeast, are quietly building a machine capable of taking down the Katahshi heavyweights. The West went a different route: all four teams looked at their books, looked at the influx of cash during and after the LPB, looked at the increased popularity of baseball on the mainland, and decided to go all in on the talent that had to come from these new sources.

And a few years into the experiment, we have to say they were entirely right.

We present to you a similar list to last year, with the contenders here, the pretenders in an upcoming preview, and the bottom four just before the season starts. Yes, the list of contenders and a list of Western division teams is the same. We didn't mix up our divisional previews with our tier-based previews. We really do think that the West is just so far ahead of the rest of the field. Remember that the Ferrovente Whales won their first title last season, over an Echizen Dragons team who were up for their third consecutive final (and third consecutive title).

Also, remember that the winner of the wildcard game takes on the best division champion, so if it all goes exactly as predicted here, there can only be one Western team in the final, as will have all played each other on the way there. For the funniest outcome, we need the winner of this division to do just slightly worse than the Northern and/or Southern winner.

Amandine Wanderers @ Vamada Océanique (12000), Ethuweri (Étouille), Ehnigo (Cote Austral)
The Wanderers have been shipped around the mainland (as their name would suggest) trying to find greener pastures. After Aminey, they have their home base in Étouille now - that's southern Cote Austral - the place with the best weather and easiest living in the country. The players are from all over: a bunch of misfits that are making it work together.
This is your club if you want to see more than just Yoshimans and Finisterrans, with decent support all over the country.
Prediction: Overall: 1 // Pitching: 1 / Fielding&Batting: 3 // Infield: 5 / Outfield: 6 / Starting pitchers: 8 / Bullpen: 2
Fielding: C: Xaaf Geele (30y)★★✩ - Infield: Henry Calvo-Rich (28y)★★★✩, Edtas Dakritdhen (24y)★★★✩, Jean-Guy Bourque (24y)★★✩, Cosme Camba (26y)★★★ - Outfield: Pamela Sullivan (30y)★★★★, Aman Teklu (29y)★★★, Barden Esheross (23y)★★✩ / DH: Yasunobu Nakajima (30y)★★✩
Pitching: Starters: Benvito Tapia (21y)★★★, Simon Chu (33y)★★★, Éloi Michaeux (31y)★★★✩, Frédérick Haekhin (20y)★★★, Alex Saucini (26y)★★ - Relievers: Ralph Ewing (33y)★★✩, Mia Nicholson (26y)★★★✩, Jean-Charles Andry (24y)★★★✩, Nanako Moriyama (25y)★★★, Taka Utsugi (26y)★★★ - Closer: Malina Michiki (23y)★★★
Prospects: Florian Chapelle (23y)★★✩, Édouard Fralin (20y)★★★✩, Joseph Mortier (20y)★★★★

Yes, the Wanderers top our list!! Who would have thought. Always the 'twelfth team' of the league in fanbase, popularity, and if you asked people to list all twelve teams, the Wanderers would probably be mentioned last, if at all. But we can't overlook them any more. It's just a very strong team. In a league with a permanent pitcher shortage, they're just about the only team to boast a solid rotation from first to fifth - apart from the Stars, more on them later - and they didn't cheap out on relievers and closing. They're not the only pitch-first team but they've gone above and beyond with their roster building, and on top of that the hitting isn't bad at all. Calvo-Rich and Dakritdhen hold a lot of the team together but Sullivan is the one to bring them to the next level, the 30-year old still being one of the best hitters in the league.

Desierto Challengers @ Colenario Municipal (14000), Kolunedin (Colenario), Gahrugkothis (Finisterre)
A new team to unify the towns around the edge of the Finisterran desert, continuing the Challengers name from Aonishi, will have some of the strangest home conditions. Small stadiums and small field dimensions and the heat will make for a great combo. Expect a lot of local flavours.
This is your club if you want the best food and vibes in and around the stadium. Probably the only tailgate-like opportunity in the Ko-orenite divisions. Mind the alcohol ban, though...
Prediction: Overall: 2 // Pitching: 7 / Fielding&Batting: 4 // Infield: 1 / Outfield: 10 / Starting pitchers: 7 / Bullpen: 5
Fielding: C: Daniel Fermin (23y)★★ - Infield: Assefa Mulugeta (31y)★★★✩, Holly Davids (26y)★★★, Suke Enya (32y)★★✩, Letha Newich (22y)★★★★✩ - Outfield: Lylah Cheltens (25y)★★★, Dillon CarMichael (27y)★★★, Basilio Miramontes (22y)★★ / DH: Emily Crater (31y)★★✩
Pitching: Starters: Bieito Vasquez (24y)★★★★✩, Xesus Basquez (25y)★★★✩, Stéphane Benne (24y)★★✩, Boniface Longtin (24y)★★✩, Zantu Aozesranen (24y)★★✩ - Relievers: Amaro Haihoigun (17y)★★✩, Bernal Troche (25y)★★✩, Desembee Titambee (22y)★★✩, Stéphane Monat (23y)★★✩, Ange Léger (32y)★★✩ - Closer: Cecia Saudhuinin (19y)★★★✩
Prospects: Husiina Tausezhun (18y)★★✩, Théo Orleans (21y)★★★, Bento Vaithuikun (20y)★★★

Next up, it's not the reigning champions from Erpubehte, neither the team that has been making strong impressions in Thelesra, it's the new team from Kolunedin! The Challengers, long a laughingstock, now have a young team with some surprisingly big names for the rare individual moments of brilliance. It's hard to say exactly what the strength of this team is: the pitching isn't necessarily top - despite Vasquez and Basquez as absolute top earners and performers - given the lack of depth in the rotation and the relievers are young and unproven. The hitting, however, is something else: they're stocked up on infielders with enough outfield help to be scary defensively and offensively. Newich is an unreal talent - it remains to be seen if the team can keep all of their big names on board for long. Mulugeta is one of the older players that need to show up in a leadership capacity.

The window is open now, even in such a stacked division. That said, there's a possibility of this team not finding a rhythm and mentally checking out too early.

Ferrovente Whales @ Ventovente (28010), Erpubehte (Ferrovente), Gahrugkothis (Finisterre)
The Whales are a proud team from Ferrovente, a colourful city in the southeast. The stands, surrounding the entirety of the field, are one big party where you'll find the rowdiest fans of the Ko-orenite divisions. Their biggest rivalry is with the Stars, and beating them is as important as making the playoffs.
This is your club if you want to see all the tricks, bat flips, and other things that the old guard don't like.
Prediction: Overall: 3 // Pitching: 3 / Fielding&Batting: 5 // Infield: 11 / Outfield: 1 / Starting pitchers: 9 / Bullpen: 1
Fielding: C: Fred Burn (29y)★★★✩ - Infield: Anselmo Troche (25y)★★✩, Leonardo Jefferson (28y)★★✩, Ian Pearce (34y)★★★, André Barreira (25y)★★✩ - Outfield: Darrell Striker (33y)★★★, Nikko Norsholm (36y)★★★✩, Sev Ballak (27y)★★✩ / DH: Yorick Diamond (28y)★★★✩
Pitching: Starters: Takenao Tone (27y)★★★✩, Josephine Arreaux (29y)★★✩, Ju-Han Park (24y)★★✩, Domingos Noia (23y)★★✩, Antoíño Rodas (25y)★★✩ - Relievers: Branford Bass (35y)★★★✩, Bento Chan (26y)★★★★, Bruno Davila (24y)★★✩, André Savedra (20y)★★★, Bernabe Reza (31y)★★★ - Closer: Zheihuth Shosizhun (18y)★★✩
Prospects: Camilo Vasquez (21y)★★✩, Aleixo Padron (22y)★★★✩, Ngwaufai Bjeathen (18y)★★✩

All the way down in third are the Whales, our current champs. Not just third overall, but also third in the division, as established, and right as they are finally better than their rival Stars, the other two teams in the division get something done for the first time in forever. Oh well. The Whales' window is still wide open despite everything. Age is not exactly on their side and we can see some retirements on the horizon, whether they happen next offseason or the one after that, with the league-best outfield at risk: Striker is 33, Norsholm is 36, and likely their best infielder, Pearce, is 34. Combine that with not the best group of prospects - though Padron could absolutely deliver for the team. Another area where the team excel is in relief pitching with Bass and Chan under contract.

In short, there's still a lot to get excited about and we're not ruling out title prolongation, but there's a bit less there than the Challengers perhaps. The window is closing, too.

Santa Teresa Stars @ The Citadel (37000), Thelesra (Santa Teresa), Gahrugkothis (Finisterre)
The Stars are the biggest team of the mainland and while their biggest rivalry is with the Whales, they've long looked eastward at the dynasties in Katashi for a challenge. Somewhat arrogant and entitled, the Stars aren't successful by default, though.
This is your club if you are secretly a little smug, or you like shiny new modern stadiums.
Prediction: Overall: 4 // Pitching: 5 / Fielding&Batting: 9 // Infield: 4 / Outfield: 9 / Starting pitchers: 2 / Bullpen: 9
Fielding: C: Elisabet Cegogun (17y)★★★ - Infield: Kingsley Rust (23y)★★★, Arpit Seth (32y)★★✩, Jaira Hyllik (27y)★★★✩, Jean-Guy Rosier (24y)★★★ - Outfield: Benvito Parga (24y)★★✩, Xacinto Leyton (36y)★★★, Masanosuke Ljugesen (20y)★★✩ / DH: Manfred Jager (25y)★★★
Pitching: Starters: Dusyo Pimmegana (20y)★★★✩, Kristen Osborn (35y)★★★✩, Ensa Suso (31y)★★★, Chikage Wutjuten (17y)★★★, Goio Padron (24y)★★★ - Relievers: Avi Allens (30y)★★★, Arximiro Saravia (35y)★★★, Kōlō Kamada (23y)★★, Atanasio Cervantes (29y)★★★, Winfield Basshale (26y)★★ - Closer: Montaro Wakajoshi (31y)★★✩
Prospects: Xela Nuinanun (19y)★★✩, Hiroyoshi Nagatomi (25y)★★✩, Febel Soishetin (20y)★★★✩

The Stars? Fourth in overall predictions? That's not unheard of, as they've lagged behind the Whales, Dragons, and sometimes Generals in recent years even if the Thelesran squad is always among really good teams. But the Stars, in fourth in the division? Unfathomable.

The meteoric rise of the two small clubs hasn't gone unnoticed here, and the Stars have taken action. Cegogun at catcher, hopefully to give her a long term shot at the tposition. Soishetin among prospects, and using the three-player bank to sideline Nagatomi without giving him away to a rival team. There's not one area where the Stars will find their breakthroughs, though Hyllik could be the player to boost the squad here and there. And the starting rotation is far from bad. In fact, as said, it's the one team with a five-player rotation that's good all the way through: every single pitcher would start for any other team in the league. There's always a spot there.

The Stars don't have the Whales' problem: they're middle of the road in average age with few positions that need to be replaced because of age in upcoming seasons.

World Baseball Classic 59 (IC thread)

StrayaRoos Roster for WBC 59

delusional elephants believe this team will go all the way

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