World Baseball Classic 61 | IC thread

by **The Kytler Peninsulae** » Fri Aug 22, 2025 3:10 pm

Welcome to the 61st edition of the World Baseball Classic

PARTICIPATING TEAMS

South Newlandia (1)
Drawkland (2)
Quebec and Shingoryeo (3)
Banija (4)
Milchama (5)
Zwangzug (6)
Eshialand (7)
The Kytler Peninsulae (8)
Ko-oren (9)
Tikariot (10)
Kamijiro (11)
TJUN-ia (14)
Cardenao (16)
Ranoria (17)
United States of Nova Calania (18)
Liventia (20)
Loyo (22)
Dhemixia (23)
Natkr (30)
Visayas Islands (35)
Sarzonia (38)
Delaclava (50)
Hapilopper (62)
Kronbia (77)
Andso Mangis (UR)
Chromatika (UR)
Katzeburg (UR)
Kwrpania (UR)
Oriental of Rio de La Plata (UR)
Paradystopia (UR)
Riandera (UR)
Terefuxe (UR)
The Batavia (UR)
The Martian Independent Republic (UR)
Valentine Z (UR)
Zenic (UR)

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
All scorination windows open at 2230 UTC on the listed date.
From Central Europe eastward, this is early the next day.
All dates are subject to change if RL or forum interference demands it.
Asterisked playoff games* take place only if necessary.

LEAGUE PHASE
2 September: Series 1
4 September: Series 2
6 September: Series 3
8 September: Series 4
10 September: Series 5
12 September: Series 6
14 September: Series 7
16 September: Series 8
18 September: Series 9
20 September: Series 10
22 September: Series 11
25 September: Series 12

PLAYOFFS
27 September: Repechage Series
28 September: Octofinal Series Games 1/2
29 September: Octofinal Series Games 3/4*
30 September: Octofinal Series Game 5
2 October: Quarterfinal Series Games 1/2
3 October: Quarterfinal Series Games 3/4*
4 October: Quarterfinal Series Game 5*
6 October: Semifinal Series Games 1/2
7 October: Semifinal Series Games 3/4*
8 October: Semifinal Series Game 5*
9 October: Championship Series Game 1; Bronze Series Games 1/2
10 October: Championship Series Game 2; Bronze Series Games 3/4*
11 October: Championship Series Game 3; Bronze Series Game 5*
12 October: Championship Series Game 4
13 October: Championship Series Game 5*
14 October: Championship Series Game 6*
15 October: Championship Series Game 7*

Welcome to a new-look World Baseball Classic. Instead of the traditional initial group stage to determine who gets to fill the playoff bracket, this tournament uses a league phase in which all 36 participants are ranked against each other and anyone can play anyone else at any time.

Each team will play 12 three-game series in the league phase - 36 games in total - against 12 different opponents. The teams have been sorted into six six-team pots based on their current world ranking going into this tournament, and will play one team from each pot at home and a second away. This includes their own pot - meaning that there will be clashes of the titans from the very start. Here's the full list of who plays whom, when:

SERIES 1 South Newlandia @ TJUN-ia Milchama @ Ko-oren Drawkland @ Eshialand The Kytler Peninsulae @ Terefuxe Tikariot @ The Batavia Kamijiro @ Chromatika Cardenao @ Liventia United States of Nova Calania @ Loyo Dhemixia @ Ranoria Delaclava @ Sarzonia Natkr @ Visayas Islands Kronbia @ Hapilopper Zenic @ Banija Oriental of Rio de La Plata @ Quebec and Shingoryeo Valentine Z @ Zwangzug Katzeburg @ Paradystopia Andso Mangis @ The Martian Independent Republic Riandera @ Kwrpania	SERIES 2 Zwangzug @ Andso Mangis Banija @ Riandera Quebec and Shingoryeo @ Katzeburg Eshialand @ Tikariot TJUN-ia @ Kamijiro Ko-oren @ The Kytler Peninsulae Liventia @ South Newlandia Loyo @ Milchama Ranoria @ Drawkland Sarzonia @ Valentine Z Visayas Islands @ Zenic Hapilopper @ Oriental of Rio de La Plata Terefuxe @ Cardenao The Batavia @ United States of Nova Calania Chromatika @ Dhemixia Paradystopia @ Natkr The Martian Independent Republic @ Kronbia Kwrpania @ Delaclava	SERIES 3 The Kytler Peninsulae @ Ranoria Eshialand @ Cardenao Tikariot @ Liventia TJUN-ia @ United States of Nova Calania Kamijiro @ Loyo Ko-oren @ Dhemixia Zenic @ Delaclava Terefuxe @ Sarzonia Oriental of Rio de La Plata @ Natkr The Batavia @ Visayas Islands Valentine Z @ Kronbia Chromatika @ Hapilopper Katzeburg @ Drawkland Paradystopia @ Quebec and Shingoryeo Andso Mangis @ South Newlandia The Martian Independent Republic @ Zwangzug Riandera @ Milchama Kwrpania @ Banija	SERIES 4 South Newlandia @ Zwangzug Milchama @ Banija Drawkland @ Quebec and Shingoryeo Cardenao @ Sarzonia Liventia @ Natkr United States of Nova Calania @ Visayas Islands Loyo @ Kronbia Dhemixia @ Hapilopper Ranoria @ Delaclava Zenic @ Terefuxe Oriental of Rio de La Plata @ The Batavia Valentine Z @ Chromatika Katzeburg @ Ko-oren Paradystopia @ The Kytler Peninsulae Andso Mangis @ Eshialand The Martian Independent Republic @ Tikariot Riandera @ TJUN-ia Kwrpania @ Kamijiro
SERIES 5 South Newlandia @ Hapilopper Zwangzug @ Delaclava Milchama @ Sarzonia Banija @ Natkr Drawkland @ Visayas Islands Quebec and Shingoryeo @ Kronbia Zenic @ Kamijiro Terefuxe @ Ko-oren Oriental of Rio de La Plata @ The Kytler Peninsulae The Batavia @ Eshialand Valentine Z @ Tikariot Chromatika @ TJUN-ia Katzeburg @ Cardenao Paradystopia @ Liventia Andso Mangis @ United States of Nova Calania The Martian Independent Republic @ Loyo Riandera @ Dhemixia Kwrpania @ Ranoria	SERIES 6 The Kytler Peninsulae @ Drawkland Eshialand @ Quebec and Shingoryeo Tikariot @ South Newlandia TJUN-ia @ Zwangzug Kamijiro @ Milchama Ko-oren @ Banija Cardenao @ The Batavia Liventia @ Valentine Z United States of Nova Calania @ Chromatika Loyo @ Zenic Dhemixia @ Terefuxe Ranoria @ Oriental of Rio de La Plata Delaclava @ Riandera Sarzonia @ Kwrpania Natkr @ Katzeburg Visayas Islands @ Paradystopia Kronbia @ Andso Mangis Hapilopper @ The Martian Independent Republic	SERIES 7 South Newlandia @ Zenic Zwangzug @ Terefuxe Milchama @ Oriental of Rio de La Plata Banija @ The Batavia Drawkland @ Valentine Z Quebec and Shingoryeo @ Chromatika The Kytler Peninsulae @ Andso Mangis Eshialand @ The Martian Independent Republic Tikariot @ Riandera TJUN-ia @ Kwrpania Kamijiro @ Katzeburg Ko-oren @ Paradystopia Delaclava @ United States of Nova Calania Sarzonia @ Loyo Natkr @ Dhemixia Visayas Islands @ Ranoria Kronbia @ Cardenao Hapilopper @ Liventia	SERIES 8 Cardenao @ The Kytler Peninsulae Liventia @ Eshialand United States of Nova Calania @ Tikariot Loyo @ TJUN-ia Dhemixia @ Kamijiro Ranoria @ Ko-oren Delaclava @ South Newlandia Sarzonia @ Zwangzug Natkr @ Milchama Visayas Islands @ Banija Kronbia @ Drawkland Hapilopper @ Quebec and Shingoryeo Zenic @ Paradystopia Terefuxe @ Andso Mangis Oriental of Rio de La Plata @ The Martian Independent Republic The Batavia @ Riandera Valentine Z @ Kwrpania Chromatika @ Katzeburg
SERIES 9 Zwangzug @ Milchama Banija @ Drawkland Quebec and Shingoryeo @ South Newlandia The Kytler Peninsulae @ Delaclava Eshialand @ Sarzonia Tikariot @ Natkr TJUN-ia @ Visayas Islands Kamijiro @ Kronbia Ko-oren @ Hapilopper Cardenao @ Riandera Liventia @ Kwrpania United States of Nova Calania @ Katzeburg Loyo @ Paradystopia Dhemixia @ Andso Mangis Ranoria @ The Martian Independent Republic Terefuxe @ Oriental of Rio de La Plata The Batavia @ Valentine Z Chromatika @ Zenic	SERIES 10 South Newlandia @ Dhemixia Zwangzug @ Ranoria Milchama @ Cardenao Banija @ Liventia Drawkland @ United States of Nova Calania Quebec and Shingoryeo @ Loyo Delaclava @ Eshialand Sarzonia @ Tikariot Natkr @ TJUN-ia Visayas Islands @ Kamijiro Kronbia @ Ko-oren Hapilopper @ The Kytler Peninsulae Katzeburg @ Oriental of Rio de La Plata Paradystopia @ The Batavia Andso Mangis @ Valentine Z The Martian Independent Republic @ Chromatika Riandera @ Zenic Kwrpania @ Terefuxe	SERIES 11 South Newlandia @ Paradystopia Milchama @ The Martian Independent Republic Drawkland @ Kwrpania The Kytler Peninsulae @ Eshialand Tikariot @ TJUN-ia Kamijiro @ Ko-oren Cardenao @ Quebec and Shingoryeo United States of Nova Calania @ Zwangzug Dhemixia @ Banija Delaclava @ The Batavia Natkr @ Chromatika Kronbia @ Terefuxe Zenic @ Ranoria Oriental of Rio de La Plata @ Liventia Valentine Z @ Loyo Katzeburg @ Sarzonia Andso Mangis @ Visayas Islands Riandera @ Hapilopper	SERIES 12 Zwangzug @ Kamijiro Banija @ The Kytler Peninsulae Quebec and Shingoryeo @ Tikariot Eshialand @ Oriental of Rio de La Plata TJUN-ia @ Valentine Z Ko-oren @ Zenic Liventia @ United States of Nova Calania Loyo @ Dhemixia Ranoria @ Cardenao Sarzonia @ Natkr Visayas Islands @ Kronbia Hapilopper @ Delaclava Terefuxe @ Drawkland The Batavia @ South Newlandia Chromatika @ Milchama Paradystopia @ Andso Mangis The Martian Independent Republic @ Riandera Kwrpania @ Katzeburg

Tiebreakers are head-to-head record (if available, which they may not be), then Pythagorean win ratio. Any ties after that (which almost certainly can only happen with literally identical records) would be sorted ICly by coinflip, and OOCly by a scorinated game using only RP bonus as the rank.

24 teams will get to travel to the West Pavola subregion in Rushmore, to compete in playoff series across six cities in The Kytler Peninsulae and two in Tikariot; teams ranked 9-24 will compete against each other in best-of-three Repechage Series battles to advance to face one of the top eight in the best-of-five Octofinal Series. From there, two more best-of-five battles await in the Quarterfinal and Semifinal Series before only two remain to take on the ultimate test and compete for the title in the best-of-seven Championship Series. Will we get as much drama as Banija's home triumph in Game 7 last time out?!?

This thread is the place to put your roster - and you are required to do so to have any non-zero rank at all.
That roster post is a good place to place your RP permissions, that determine what you are OK with allowing your opponent to do if they RP ahead of you. These are yes/no questions, but can be caveated (e.g. you may set "Choose my lineup" to "no" but allow your opponents to decide on pinch-hitters or other replacements):

Code: Select all: [u]RP Permissions[/u] [b]Choose my runscorers:[/b] [b]Choose my lineup:[/b] [b]Choose my scoring events:[/b] [b]Follow my pitching rotation:[/b] [b]Use DH at home:[/b] [b]Eject my players:[/b] [b]Godmod scoring events:[/b] [b]RP injuries to my players:[/b] [b]Godmod Injuries to my players:[/b] [b]Godmod other events:[/b] [b]Godmod other events:[/b]

MACHINE-GENERATED CONTENT POLICY
AI-generated images or other non-text content are okay if clearly attributed. Using AI to translate text into English is also okay, as long as the original text is provided. Any AI-generated text must be very clearly indicated and be accompanied with an explanation of how it was generated. Roleplays with significant AI-generated text that is meant to substitute for human-generated text will receive no bonus. Violations of the policy may result in anything from no bonus being given to that window, to the user’s scorination rank being zeroed out, to disqualification from the remainder of the competition.

The signup/OOC thread (linked at the top of this post) will be the place for host announcements, so make sure you're watching out there. That's also a good place for OOC queries (it's literally in the name), but I can also be reached directly via Discord (or TG, but this is less preferable).

LET THE FUN BEGIN!

by **The Kytler Peninsulae** » Fri Aug 22, 2025 3:11 pm

Host information
Welcome to West Pavola!

Wait, I don't see a nation called West Pavola...
Good spot! The nations of The Kytler Peninsulae and Tikariot - along with Kwrpania and Græntfjall-if-that's-still-a-thing - occupy the western part of Rushmore's eastern continent Pavola, and hence have collectively been referred to as West Pavola. The Kytlerians have taken the organisational lead in this tournament, but even with a recent wave of new construction (some of it with this tournament in mind) they still don't have the same ballpark infrastructure as their larger (in population and area alike) eastern neighbours, who have duly chipped in with a couple of theirs.

Got it. What do I need to know about these two nations?
While the specifics of the two vary, both are broadly liberal democracies with regulated market economies. Tikariot specifically forbids hard drugs, weapons of all kinds, and endangered animals (dead or alive); additionally, alcohol and tobacco can only be brought into the country in limited quantities. The Kytler Peninsulae has broadly similar restrictions, with a particular emphasis on drug control given the country's historic status as a drug-smuggling hub and the more recent moral panic around "Recognised Performance Drugs" that led directly to a decades-long period where the federal government refused to sanction Kytlerian international sporting teams, known simply as "The Isolation."

As mentioned, Tikariot is the larger of the two, with almost 50 million people; its 15 provinces cover an awful lot of climate zones (and the nation is proud of its efforts protecting those hugely diverse ecosystems), but the bit you'll be in if you go there is the hot and humid border province of Acrassia, known for its exotic dishes and street food culture.

The Kytler Peninsulae has around 24 million people, whose geographic distribution makes a mockery of the nation name; millions of them live along the eastern Kytler Bay shoreline, either in or between the capital Zube and the former capital Kytler Bay City - the original definition of an area known as the Eastern Corridor - and millions more live closer to the Græntfjall border in land the nation expanded to only upon the collapse of Albundania, the so-called Eastern Corridor Expansion. The northern peninsula (the only one that really fits that name to begin with) is cricket country, and this WBC isn't going there; the southern one, which aside from one oddly bone-shaped chonk in the far west is really just "the bit of the country south of Kytler Bay," is the historic baseball stronghold. In the Eastern Corridor/Expansion areas - which, again, is where most Kytlerians actually live, nation name be damned - baseball is the 1A to cricket's 1B as summer sports go, and plenty of kids play both. While Kytlerian territory is a bit cooler than Acrassia, summers - and you'll be there in summer - are still very warm to hot, with 30C/86F not an uncommon temperature in any of the host cities and Alaer in particular regularly above that. It's hot enough that the purpose-built capital Zube was planned from the off to mitigate the urban heat island effect with pale road and roof surfaces along with quite a few city parks, gaining the nickname "Snowflake City" from the resultant aerial appearance...

The primary Kytlerian aviation hub is Zube International Airport; Santa Mordana and Alaer also have their own airports, the former being the larger and better-connected due to the city's historic trading links to western Rushmore. Alcassar International Airport is the big Acrassian gateway, though many will enter Tikariot from further east and specifically from Port Rhovanyon International Airport, the primary hub of national airline Tikariot Owlways. Regardless of where you enter the region, strong rail links connect the major cities within it, including all the WBC host cities, though there are still short-haul flights - particularly from Zube and Santa Mordana to key cities in Tikariot.

This is a sport where every venue is different. How do these ones look?
Oh boy they do indeed look different. Here's a guide to all of them, complete with park maps showing the dimensions and wall heights for their... variously-shaped outfields. Note that there isn't a consistent angle used for park measurements, so there's no specific like-for-like "X to left/right-centre" but instead dimensions are taken at differing points, such as angles in the wall. There are, however, consistent dimensions at straightaway CF as well as the foul poles.

Newly built in the park overlooking the Xandrian Sea on the west side of the Kytlerian southern capital of Alaer (al-eye-AIR), this has been built as the de facto national ballpark of the country and will host the Championship Series. It's an appropriate location considering the Kytlerian Isolation ended thanks to the city's favourite son, the soccer manager turned politician Clituleng Giisost, after whom the home of FC Alaer - the club he once managed to multiple domestic trophies at a time when that was all Kytlerian sportspeople played for - was named upon being built ahead of WC98. The long-term plan was always to build a major ballpark next door, and this is it.

It's essentially a bandbox on stilts; designed to minimise how much of the (city) park is given over to the (ball) park, it also helps create a great atmosphere as the towering "angel's wings" walls (10m high at the poles and still 5m high at the lowest point in straightaway centre) bounce plenty of noise back out onto the field. The sense of the short dimensions being misleading is extended by the park being open (ish) to the Xandrian Sea, meaning the prevailing southwesterly sea breeze blows in from the outfield catching some of the balls hit high enough to clear those chonky walls. In short, this is only modestly friendly to power hitters with high launch angles, and might even be mildly pitcher-friendly against anyone else (certainly the outfielders have less grass to cover, though also lots of wall-boops to watch for and no chance of a HR robbery).

Offsetting park factors: +doubles, +high fly ball HRs, --line drive HRs
Unhinged RL comp: A hypermodern Fenway with a second Green Monster in right

Alcassar Plains Stadium is known as one of the most daunting ballparks in the Tikariot region, notorious for its scorching heat and suffocating humidity. Located in Alcassar, capital of the westernmost Tikariotian province of Acrassia and closest to The Kytler Peninsulae, the stadium offers little relief from Acrassia’s extreme climate, adding an element of physical and mental toughness to every game. Home to the Alcassar Eagles of the Tikariot Baseball League, it’s a place where the elements can turn even the most skilled players into mere mortals. Fans and players alike must contend with the at times oppressive weather conditions, making every victory earned at this ballpark feel all the more significant.

The stadium itself is built to accommodate 44,000 spectators, with its steep stands creating an intimidating atmosphere when packed to capacity. With a left-field distance of 330 feet, a centrefield stretch of 400 feet, and a right-field corner at just 300 feet, the slightly lopsided layout makes it a challenge for hitters and outfielders alike. Despite the discomfort of the climate, or maybe because of it, Alcassar Plains Stadium has become an iconic venue in Tikariotian baseball.

Offsetting park factors: nothing dramatic
Unhinged RL comp: the only thing unhinged about this place is the fact you're expected to play outdoors here

The largest city in the Expansion remains best-known for being that place with a theme park and a soccer stadium next to it - especially now said soccer stadium is literally the home of the Kytlerian champions! - but just a few kilometres away along the Perimeter Line of Carroll Lewiston's light rail system, a sporting venue with a decidedly quieter surrounding environment exists.

Named after the trees that form the outfield backdrop, Juniper Park was briefly a cricket ground before being earmarked as the home of the Carroll Lewiston Thrillers, which may be why it is deep basically everywhere. But with a warning track replaced by an outfield slope varying in gradient from 8° in the corners to 15° in centre - the product of deliberately leveling the natural slope of the field, left entirely untouched in its cricket era, only as far as the warning not-a-track - this is a tough place for outfielders to do their thing even above and beyond the challenge of the extra ground they have to cover.

While the walls are low throughout (at least above and beyond - no pun intended - the slope), this is still not a home run park. Instead, it's where speedy smallballers thrive and slowpoke sluggers have to simply survive. Do you hate a three-true-outcomes meta and prefer it when there's traffic on the bases and fielding is a big part of the game? You'll love this place.

Offsetting park factors: ++triples, +doubles; --HRs
Unhinged RL comp: Kauffman Stadium x Crosley Field, the cross-era crossover literally nobody asked for

Despite being the largest city in this sports-obsessed country, Kytler Bay City - or simply "Bay City" to locals - had surprisingly shonky sporting infrastructure. When Bay City United moved out of their creaking old stadium and into shiny new Carva Dock Arena, work began to renovate the vacated site in a historically industrial southern suburb into a new baseball venue befitting of the largest city in a nation that regularly makes the WBC playoffs.

Only one of the four stands of the old ground survived remotely intact - formerly behind one goal, it now runs down the third base line - and behind home plate lies an unapologetically metallic new stand attached to the old one without any attempt to hide the transition between the two. This new stand also sweeps around along the first base line but rapidly shrinks as it does, while the bleachers are essentially formed from salvaged offcuts of the old soccer stands, assembled behind angular outfield walls.

The resultant dimensions look extremely hitter-friendly until you account for a location being exposed to Kytler Bay and the prevailing offshore westerly winds into which players are hitting (because the park is oriented to provide bay views now some of the old surrounding industrial sites have also gone in recent years), and sheltered from alternate wind directions by both hills and residential tower blocks of varying levels of modernity. Balls do still fly over those walls with some frequency, but the wind induces a ton of lazy fly balls and it's also relatively easy to play the outfield here, at least compared to some of the other Kytlerian ballparks.

Offsetting park factors: +HRs, -doubles
Unhinged RL comp: Oracle Park location, Great American Ball Park dimensions

Situated within the Tikariotian Navy sports complex in Pyathora, Dockyard Park is a blend of modern amenities and old-school charm. The stadium offers an impressive view of the Xandrian Sea, though the sightlines can sometimes be obstructed by battleships and other marinery of the Navy. As one of the older venues in the Tikariot Baseball League, Dockyard Park, home to the Pyathora Sailors, has an unmistakable character with a gruff and weathered exterior and quirky features making it feel like a place where tradition meets innovation. Despite its age, the stadium has seen some beautiful upgrades to seating and facilities, making it a fan favourite.

The 35,766-seat stadium features a unique addition in the form of a cannon positioned behind the batter's eye, which is fired off after every home run, adding a touch of spectacle to the game. Its dimensions of 328 feet down the left and right field lines and 400 feet to centerfield are a rare case of actual symmetry among baseball stadiums, but the sea breeze can sometimes play tricks on fly balls and the "ocean wave" outfield wall adds another wrinkle. Just be ready for the cannon. No, seriously, it's loud!

Offsetting park factors: nothing dramatic
Unhinged RL comp: Alternate universe where the Padres get a Navy Yard stadium site instead of a downtown one and don't let you forget it

As a major hub of the thriving Kytlerian music scene, it's not a coincidence that the city's new ballpark has been built with more than one eye on being a concert venue outside baseball season. That (and, to be fair, protection from the regular rain in this oceanside city) is why it's a fixed-roof dome, though that fixed roof being ETFE lets natural light in and allows a hybrid natural grass field. But, more distinctively, it's why the fence in CF is a 35m straight section between the alleys, and hence a little shorter in straightaway centre than either side of it; behind it lies a stage that can accommodate the large string and woodwind sections often seen in Kytlerian pop, the back wall of which is a video wall in concert mode that is turned off to be the batter's eye in baseball mode. If cricket grounds can have video-board sightscreens that turn off when being faced by the batter and become advertising space when being faced by the bowler...

Back on the dimension side of things, this park is deep to the corners but with low walls there and indeed across the whole park (so as to maximise the ocean views through the ETFE beyond), so there's a decent number of homers to be had (and a few to potentially be robbed) given the climate-controlled conditions. There's quite a bit of foul ground though - the product of angling baseline seats to provide clear views of concerts as well as ballgames - so it's not as inviting a place to hit for average as it otherwise would be.

Offsetting park factors: nothing dramatic
Unhinged RL comp: Imagine if the Trop got a smaller same-site replacement post-Hurricane Milton and it was built to host an annual Josh Groban Christmas residency

There was a time, especially in the north, where horse racing was a popular Kytlerian spectator sport. Public opinion turned on it, a number of states banned it on animal welfare grounds, and eventually a federal ban was implemented - but even before that, some of the courses found other uses both legally and otherwise, occasionally for speedway, more often for running and/or cycling races which soon became almost as popular as the horses ever were.

One of those courses, a dirt track in the northern Expansion city of Starnwood (also the home of Kytlerian oval motor racing with its Margaret Raceway tri-oval that has recently been used for second-tier NSSCRA races), had a ballpark for the aptly-named Starnwood Racers built into the final corner. That means the warning track is a literal track, 20m wide, and a large number of the seats are beyond it - because they were literally already there, and with a padded "air fence" wall designed for protection from motorbike crashes to boot. (The necessary gap between this low wall and the stands happily creates a natural bullpen location.) The dimensions aren't odd at all, a symmetrical curve with relatively deep alleys the closest it has to a quirk; the irregularity here is just how much of the outfield is dirt not turf.

Offsetting park factors: +doubles, -HRs
Unhinged RL comp: Gen Alpha cancels horse racing and the Louisville Cardinals get a ballpark built right into the Churchill Downs infield

Capacity note: No single capacity is listed because the nature of this venue means there isn't one. Starnwood Racecourse has an official venue capacity of 82,000; The Ballpark has a listed capacity of 19,686 that counts only the seats along each base line and the section of grandstand between the foul poles, and does not count an additional 3,140 seats further along the grandstand that still have home plate views. For WBC playoff games, 49,734 discounted tickets will be sold for most of the rest of the grandstand to view the game on the 60x20m screen between the Ballpark and finish line, taking the total capacity for the whole Racecourse venue to 69,420.

The Kytlerian capital of Zube (ZOO-buh) has the original big baseball stadium in the country and long-time sole home of Kytlerian International games before Angel of Liberation Park was built. The Diamond forms part of what officially became the Zube Olympic Park when the city co-hosted the Games of the IX Olympiad with neighbouring Kytler Bay City.

Built to host rectangular-field sports as well as baseball - it was the main home of Kytlerian lacrosse back when that meant something - the distinctive asymmetrical dimensions that stemmed from this became the defining character of the park and has been retained even as more baseball-specific renovations have occurred in recent years. With the symbolic dimensions of 109.3m to left and 98.4m to right - and now a wall height of 10.93' throughout, just in case you need your symbolism in Vibe Units rather than metric ones - the park naturally suppresses right-handed power, but offsets this with being good for doubles and triples. Especially because this is no place to hide a slowpoke slugger in left field...

Offsetting park factors: +RHB doubles, +LHB HRs, --RHB HRs
Unhinged RL comp: Uno Reverse cookie-cutter stadium; a baseball park built to also host rectangular-field sports, rather than the other way round

by **The Batavia** » Sat Aug 23, 2025 1:00 pm

The Democratic Republic of Batavia's National Baseball Team

Trigramme: BAT
Nickname: Dragons
Colors: Orange, Red, Black and Yellow
Homerun Theme: No Limit
Win Theme: De Vogeltjesdans

Introduction:
After the end of the Second World War, Batavia was introduced to Baseball thanks to the American troops who were stationed in the country during the Marshall Plan. Since then, multiple professional teams were formed and a baseball league was established, called the Nationale Honkbal Verbond (National Baseball League) or NHV which was established in 1958. As of the 2030's the NHV is one of the biggest professional baseball leagues in Europe, with the league being home to some of the best hitters outside of the MLB. This, of course, translates over to a rather succesful national team in Batavia's own universe, although they have yet to prove themselves at the level of teams competiting across the multiverse.

Roster:

Manager: #35 Max Kuypers

Batting Order:
1. Left Fielder - #30 Bas Verbeek (B: Right T: Right)
2. Designated Hitter - #1 Roos Jager (B: Switch T: Right)
3. Shortstop - #38 Felix Braun (B: Left T: Right)
4. Center Fielder - #3 Robin Bergman (B: Left T: Left)
5. Right Fielder - #8 Erika van der Meer (B: Left T: Left)
6. 3rd Baseman - #23 Thomas Hartman (B: Right T: Right)
7. 2nd Baseman - #72 Mehmet Çelik (B: Switch T: Right)
8. Catcher - #88 Mario Vos (B: Right T: Right)
9. 1st Baseman - #6 Lisa Lambert (B: Left T: Left)

(Batting Order without DH pushes Pitcher to the 9 hole, pushing everyone below 1 up by one)

Bench:
#66 Manuel Rojer (Catcher) (B: Switch T: Right)
#47 Emma Martin (Infielder) (B: Right T: Right)
#91 Joost Verhoeven (Infielder) (B: Right T: Right)
#53 Arthur Willems (Outfielder) (B: Right T: Right)
#29 Rick Cicilla (Outfielder) (B: Left T: Left)

Starting Rotation:
#1 Roos Jager (P: Right)
#13 Leon de Boer (P: Left)
#36 Jeroen Hendriks (P: Left)
#2 Sami Achmed (P: Right)
#7 Luigi Peeters (P: Right)

Bullpen:
#69 Jacob Maduro (P: Right)
#9 Alex Robert (P: Left)
#34 Martin Roland (P: Left)
#51 Elise Edmond (P: Right)
#67 Sander Hoekstra (P: Right)
#96 Joost Witman (P: Right)
#5 Sjoerd Valentijn (P: Left)
#77 David Werkman (P: Right)

Home Stadium:
Duinpark Stadion (Capacity: 53.000)

Located in Scheveningen in the capital The Hague, it is the home stadium of the Den Haag Phoenixes. Duinpark is located near the pier of Schevening, nicely along the beach, meaning that out of the park homerun balls will end up on the sand. Both left and right field are a bit beyond 350 feet and center field at about 410 feet. The walls are only about 10 feet tall, so homeruns shouldn't be too hard for sluggers if they hit the ball right.

RP Permissions
Choose my runscorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: Yes, standard lineup is noted above
Choose my scoring events: Yes
Follow my pitching rotation: Yes
Use DH at home: Yes, but the Ohtani Rule may be invoked
Eject my players: No
Godmod scoring events: Only if the other player allows godmodding too
RP injuries to my players: No
Godmod Injuries to my players: No
Godmod other events: Telegram me or ping me in the NSS Discord server beforehand
Godmod other events: Refer to above

by **Kronbia** » Sat Aug 23, 2025 1:54 pm

Kronbia National Baseball Team
Red Falcons

Introduction

Baseball is the second most popular sport in Kronbia and the oldest. The game appeared in Kronbia in the late 1920s through students returning from UAS and American sailors. The game emerged among a group of amateurs in Costa de Palmeras until a group of players decided to establish two teams, the Leones de Kronbia and the Halcones de la Costa. They were the first two teams to be established in Kronbia in 1929, and the first real match was held at that time. After that, groups of enthusiasts of the game set out to establish new teams, and the Caballeros de San Remo and the Conquistadores from Ciudad de Halcon appeared. After that, the four teams began to establish the first baseball championship in Kronborg in 1932, called the Trofeo de beisbol Kronbia. The championship continued to change and merge until it became the current championship, the Liga Nacional de Beisbol de Kronbia-LNBK (Kronbia National Baseball League), It is a professional league, from 1977 until now. Kronbia is trying to achieve international achievements and participated for the first time in the World Baseball Classic 59. The journey continues.

National Stadium

Estadio Libertadores de Kronbia, Costa de Palmeras
Capacity: 34,000

Management

Manager: Abraham Salvador

Players

Pitchers
No  Player Name                   Club
22  Heriberto Artemio             Atletico San Rimo
57  Alvaro Justino                Halcones de la Costa
21  Jose Roldan                   Zorros Negro
55  Tiburcio Eustaquio            Fantasmas de Santa Rosana
98  Oliverio Domingo              Deportivo de Montana Verde
53  Duilio Quirino                Zorros Negro
92  Abundio Custodio              Deportivo de Halcon
89  Renato Eutimio                Atletico San Rimo
47  Abel Erik                     Beisbol Alfa
30  Adrian Pio                    Deportivo de Montana Verde
29  Diogenes Mauro                Halcones de la Costa
45  Fidel Heriberto               Beisbol Alfa
83  Eloy Martin                   Zorros Negro
58  Jose Miguel Geronimo          Atletico San Rimo

Catchers
No  Player Name                   Club
40  Facundo Laureano              Deportivo de Montana Verde
12  Joaquin Mauro  (C)            Atletico San Rimo
16  Argentino Julian              Zorros Negro

Infielders
No  Player Name                   Club
71  Hermogenes Anastasio          Beisbol Alfa
44  Mauricio Milton               Halcones de la Costa
27  Eusebio Odalis                Deportivo de Halcon
77  Andres Adolfo                 Atletico San Rimo
 8  Jose Angel Quirino            Castillo Viejo
10  Jose Luis Abraham             Atletico San Rimo
 5  Carmelo Hilario               Fantasmas de Santa Rosana

Outfielders
No  Player Name                   Club
52  Blas Emilio                   Atletico San Rimo
54  Eladio Severo                 Halcones de la Costa
33  Carlos Galo                   Atletico San Rimo
 7  Fabio Tadeo                   Castillo Viejo
88  Teofilo Abelardo              Deportivo de Halcon
 1  Edmundo Alvaro                Halcones de la Costa

Kits

Home / Away

Sponsored by Estrella sportswear

RP Permissions
Choose my runscorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: Yes
Choose my scoring events: Yes
Follow my pitching rotation: Yes
Use DH at home: Yes
Eject my players: No
Godmod scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: No
Godmod Injuries to my players: No
Godmod other events: No

OOC:

I apologize for not being able to add more details to the roster. I am not a baseball fan and have never watched a real game in my life. I learned some information from movies and old video games. Baseball should be part of my nation RP, which is similar to one of the Caribbean islands. I will try to be more accurate in the future.

by **Drawkland** » Sat Aug 23, 2025 2:46 pm

Introduction
A roster is the most vital part of roleplaying in NationStates Sports. For all the fun and interesting storylines we pull from the numbers, at its core, we're pitting teams against each other on the fictional field of play. If those teams don't have players behind them, then what's the point?

Posting a roster is the first step to really participating in a tournament for NS Sports. Whether you're an expert in a particular sport or just a beginner, it can be difficult to decide exactly what to include. Yes, everybody knows that basic positions and names are a must, but a bare-bones roster isn't going to get you a lot of RP bonus. More importantly, it can make it more difficult for your opponent to roleplay with. Posting a good roster isn't just helpful for your own RP and bonus in the scorinator, it's also a courtesy to the opponents you play against who want to RP their games against you. As a longtime host, the main thing I consider when I'm grading a roster post is how useful the roster would be to RP with as an opponent.

I've decided to make this rather detailed guide to help any new or experienced users looking for help in starting or improving their roster for baseball competitions, like the World Baseball Classic. I've been around baseball for many years, and while I wouldn't consider myself an expert, I think the knowledge I have could be helpful. This is for both newcomers needing to craft their first WBC roster and experienced users who want to take their baseball roster to the "next level." There's also plenty of info about baseball tactics in strategy which may make it easier to RP baseball match reports or storylines.

This guide will be split into several sections, and each section goes into additional detail. Don't feel like you have to include every single thing I talk about. In fact, I wouldn't recommend doing everything here, especially if you're a newcomer. Do whatever you feel comfortable with. Once you're satisfied with your roster, then post it! You can always change or improve things in a later cycle.

Also, this guide will be focusing on the content side of a baseball roster. I won't really talk about formatting specifics. There's a hundred different ways to format a roster. If you need help, try looking at other rosters posted for the tournament for inspiration. Try not to directly rip somebody else's format without asking, though, that's a bit rude.

I know there's a lot of information contained here, and it gets denser as we continue. I sorta went into iceberg dissection mode on this. If you want the cliff notes version of this guide, I'll be making a "Too Long Didn't Read" summary at the end. That will also includes a basic roster template to use, though I'd highly recommend switching it up a bit and adding your own personal flair. It is YOUR roster, after all.

Finally, if you have any questions, feel free to telegram me (Drawkland) or message me on Discord. I'm happy to answer questions or receive feedback.

(1) The Basics
Maybe you're running low on time. Maybe you don't have a computer and have to rely on phone browser RPing. Maybe you just sign up for every tournament, even for sports you don't know much about. Maybe you forgot you signed up for the tournament or the first cutoff snuck up on you. Maybe you just want to start barebones and work your way up. Whatever the case may be, this section will cover the most basic elements that any baseball roster should have.

First of all, if you don't know the basics of the sport, I'd recommend reading the Wikipedia article on baseball. Reading the entire thing may be overkill unless you've got a lot of time on your hands, but the introduction, Rules and Gameplay, and Personnel sections are must-read if you don't know much about baseball. Some of the information in that article may be repeated in this guide as it relates to building a roster, but it's good to cover your bases. Haha.

1.1 Starting Positions
A baseball roster is split up into two types of players: pitchers and position players. A starting lineup in baseball has 9 players, 8 of which are position players. This doesn't mean your roster should only have 9 names on it, and it doesn't mean you only need 1 pitcher. Pitching is very taxing on a person's arm, especially at a high level. No regular person could pitch every single inning of a team's schedule in the modern game, so half of a team's roster is made up of pitchers. The other half are position players, those who play out in the field and do a majority of the batting.

For a very basic roster, I recommend 9 pitchers and 9 position players. Be sure to note where each position player starts. There's eight fielding positions (in order: catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, left field, center field, right field), plus many rosters include a designated hitter. There is more info about the designated hitter (DH) in section 1.3 regarding RP permissions.

Examplestan Roster
C:
1B:
2B:
3B:
SS:
LF:
CF:
RF:
DH:

Pitchers:
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

Note that I do not recommend using this simple of a roster, but if you're following along and building the roster as you read, this is a good place to start.

1.2 Lineup and Pitchers

Now that you've got the basic names for your team, it's time to arrange them into a batting order and pitching rotation / bullpen. These are basic elements to a baseball roster, because they describe the order in which players appear. Without this information, you or your opponent RPing about your team essentially has to pick names at random to describe game events, which is hardly better than not having a roster at all. Adding these bits of detail turns your roster from barely adequate to nicely acceptable very quickly.

The batting order describes the order in which your position players come to bat. The eight position players plus the pitcher (or designated hitter, see section 1.3) make up the batting order. This order is strictly followed; once the last player in the order bats, the lineup "turns over" and the first batter comes back up. The batting order can change from game to game, but once a lineup is locked in for a given game, players bat in that order unless a substitution occurs. There's several reasons which I cover in section 2 regarding why you'd want to change the batting order, but that isn't necessary for a basic roster.

For the purposes of your roster, you'll want to include your "average" or "full-strength" lineup. Generally speaking, the players at the top of the order will receive more at-bats, while the ones at the bottom will receive fewer. Because of this, the better hitters are placed in the beginning of the lineup, and the worse hitters are placed at the end of the lineup. By writing a specific batting order rather than just listing players by their position, you provide a lot of information to anybody else that reads your roster. It's a little extra effort for a big benefit!

Examplestan Starting Lineup
Listed by batting order
1. Name (position)
2. Name (position)
3. Name (position)
4. Name (position)
5. Name (position)
6. Name (position)
7. Name (position)
8. Name (position)
9. Name (position)

There's plenty of additional nuance that goes into a batting order, which I cover in section 3.1 and a little bit in 2.2. For the purposes of a basic roster though, this is plenty enough. Again, this order includes the 8 starting position players, plus either the pitcher or designated hitter. See section 1.3 for an explanation about the pitcher/DH situation.

The pitching rotation refers specifically to the starting pitchers on a team roster, and the bullpen refers to the relief pitchers. Unlike some sports where your starters can be expected to play most if not all of a game, baseball pitchers rarely pitch for the entire game in the modern era. Thus, it's important to clarify which pitchers are "starters" and which ones are "relievers." For the purposes of this section, we'll go with a 9-pitcher roster like we defined in section 1.1.

In modern baseball, starting pitchers are expected to pitch anywhere from 4 to 6 innings on a given day. Because of the strenuous nature of professional pitching, it's difficult for all but the most elite pitchers to throw more than that in one game. Starting pitchers also need to rest for a few days to avoid injuring their arms, so baseball teams have a group of starting pitchers that rotate to ensure each one gets adequate rest between games. This is known as the starting rotation or pitching rotation.

The first pitcher listed would pitch game 1, the next game 2, and so on. A manager can change the rotation and swap pitchers as necessary, since it's on a day-by-day basis. Similar to a batting order, though, the players earlier in the rotation generally play more games than the ones later in the rotation, so you want your best pitchers listed first.

Since starters aren't typically expected to pitch the full game, the later innings are covered by the relief pitchers. Relievers are collectively referred to as the bullpen, named for the area of the field where the relief pitchers stay during the game. When the current pitcher gets tired or the opposing lineup is finding it easy to hit against him, the manager will call in a new relief pitcher to replace them. Most relievers are expected to only throw an inning, maybe two. A lot of games feature the starting pitcher going for 4-6 innings, and about 2-4 relievers coming in, one after the other, to finish the game.

Unlike the batting order or starting rotation, there isn't a specific order that relief pitchers have to appear in. They're called in as the manager sees fit. There's a lot of additional strategy about relief pitcher usage, but I'll cover that later. By typical convention, most NSS users list their relief pitchers in order of how early they're likely to appear. The first few relievers listed are more likely to come in early in the game if the starter is having a bad time. The later relievers are more likely to come in for the 7th, 8th, or 9th innings. Some players instead list them by approximate skill level, which is also perfectly fine. One thing to note: most teams have a designated "closing pitcher," a special reliever who almost exclusively comes in for the ninth inning when their team is protecting a slim lead (4 runs or fewer). It's helpful to note who that is in your roster as well.

Examplestan Pitching Staff
Starting Rotation
SP1:
SP2:
SP3:
SP4:

Bullpen
RP:
RP:
RP:
RP:
CP:

Of course, the average pitching staff has more pitchers, and the starting batting lineup is supplemented with a few bench players when needed. This section is just for the basics, though. Section 2.1 will have more information about expanding your roster.

1.3 RP Permissions Box

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

EVERY roster in NS Sports should include roleplay permissions. The most common form of this is known as the RP Permissions Box. If you don't know what that is, I recommend you read or reread the Guide to Sports Roleplaying. That said, the baseball RP perms box looks slightly different from the "standard," so I'll go into a bit of detail about each item. You can copy and paste the code on the right into your roster to make things easier, just make sure to edit the "Yes/No" to your actual preference.

In NS Sports roleplaying, the first player to roleplay the events of a match after it's scorinated is considered the "canon" version. This means that sometimes your opponent will take the information on your roster and make decisions about how your players performed in the game. The RP Permissions Box exists to tell your opponent what you're comfortable with them doing. If you're very particular about how your team operates, or protective of anything weird/unrealistic happening to your players, it's important to say so with your RP permissions. This rarely happens, but if an opponent does violate these permissions, they can receive penalties for it in scorination bonus reduction or otherwise.

Choose my runscorers: This the most basic of all RP permissions. This permits your opponent to decide who on your team scored runs, and (within the bounds of realism) how those runs were scored. This permission should almost ALWAYS be "Yes." If your opponent isn't allowed to decide who scored runs for your team, then that severely limits their ability to RP the match at all. If they can't mention your players by name when involving scoring plays, then your roster is just as useless as not posting a roster at all.

Choose my lineup: If you don't care to define a specific lineup/batting order for your team, then this permission should be set to "Yes," otherwise it's difficult for your opponent to mention your players specifically (similar to setting "choose my scorers" to "no"). However, if you already have a predefined batting order in your roster, then you can set this one to "No," since you've already given a lineup for your opponent to use. A lot of players will say "No, use the lineup(s) I've already provided," or "Yes, but use the provided lineup as a base with limited changes." Providing additional clarification beyond a yes/no in the permissions box is perfectly fine.

Follow my pitching rotation: This one is a little odd because it's worded differently than your typical RP permission. If you've defined a specific starting pitcher rotation in your roster, this permission gives your opponent the ability to count through the rotation and assume who your starter is for a particular game. For example, if you played in the 7th game of the group stage and you have 4 starting pitchers on your roster, your opponent can rightfully assume that starting pitcher #3 is the one that started that game. Because of this, it's best to set the permission to "Yes." If you're very particular about your rotation, plan to change it during the group stage/playoffs, or otherwise want your opponent to check with you first before RPing a particular pitcher, set this to "No."

Godmod scoring events: RPers are required to respect the final score and outcome of a scorinated result, so godmodding doesn't apply to the score or result itself. While the "choose my runscorers" permission gives your opponent the ability to choose who scored and how (within reason), this permission gives your opponent the ability to have scoring events that are "unrealistic." This can range from completely outlandish events (like a stray dog running onto the field to steal the ball, allowing runners to score), or things that have happened in real life but are exceedingly rare (like four straight home runs in a game, or birds on the field obstructing the ball and causing a winning run to score). Plenty of players set this to "No" as they prefer more realism, but saying "Yes" isn't out of the ordinary. There's a fair number of users who will say "Ask me first," not as a full denial, but making sure whatever happens is within their preferred level of realism.

RP injuries to my players: This one is pretty obvious. Injuries are a common part of sports, and sometimes it can provide an interesting wrinkle in the events of a game. This allows your opponent to cause your players to be injured by normal means. In baseball, this could be due to strains caused by running or throwing, being hit by a pitch while batting, even colliding with the stadium walls or other people. The Godmod injuries permission is the same but including the more unrealistic outcomes, like a player getting blinded by bird poop or struck by a freak bolt of lightning. It's more common to see the injury permissions set to "No" or "Yes, but only for minor injuries." If you don't care about your players, feel free to set it to "Yes." Injuries are RP'd on NSS way less frequently than they occur in real life anyway.

Eject my players: Similar to a red card in soccer, baseball players AND managers can be ejected from a ballgame at the discretion of an umpire. This happens when a player or manager is being abusive, unsportsmanlike, or breaking a rule. Most often it comes when a player or manager argues with the home plate umpire about a ball/strike or safe/out call. Unlike a red card, the player must be substituted with a backup to ensure the team still has a full 9 players. In the event of a manager being ejected, usually the "bench manager" or second-in-command will take over to finish managing the game. It is rare for an ejection to become a multi-game suspension, but it does happen. This permission allows your opponent to throw out one of your players/managers, which doesn't come up often but is a part of the game. This is another one where "Ask me first" is just as common as a simple "Yes" or "No."

Godmod other events: Just like the scoring events and injuries version of this, the "Godmod other events" permission is basically a blanket for other out-of-the-ordinary events to occur. In baseball this can mean statistical improbabilities, like a pitcher throwing a no-hitter or game delays caused by the stadium collapsing, or something like that. Of all the permissions, this is the most likely one to see "No" selected. Again, this is entirely up to your personal preference.

Use DH at home: This is less of a permission and more of an indicator for your team's strategy. DH refers to "designated hitter," a player who bats in the lineup but does not play in the field. They bat in place of the pitcher in the batting order. When baseball first started, all 9 players on the field, including whoever was pitching, were expected to hit. However, pitching is very specialized, so pitchers focus a vast majority of their practice time to improving and maintaining their pitching skills, leaving hitting to the wayside. The pitchers were the worst hitters on nearly every team, just because they never had time to get better at hitting. This led to a vast majority of pitchers being almost "automatic outs" when they came up to hit, stifling a team's offense and often forcing managers to make difficult substitution decisions.

In 1973, the American League half of MLB decided to introduce the Designated Hitter, a player whose only purpose was to hit in the lineup instead of the pitcher. This allowed pitchers to fully focus on pitching without risking injury or wasting plate appearances on offense. This was a somewhat controversial decision. Even though most baseball leagues (including all of MLB as of 2022) utilize the designated hitter, there's still plenty of people who don't like it.

Back when the DH wasn't universal across MLB, if a DH-using team and non-DH team faced each other, whichever team was the home team determined whether or not the DH would be used in that game. This precedent is still used in our NS WBC, since we don't have a universal DH rule. This permission tells your opponent whether or not your team uses a DH. Simple, right? Just remember that the home team always determines whether the DH is used. This permission merely tells your opponent what you preference is. Nearly everybody uses "Yes" (use the DH) or "No" (pitchers hit for themselves), though I have seen a few rosters that say "whatever my opponent's preference is."

Whether or not you plan to use the DH at home, you should still include a designated hitter on your roster, in case you're a visiting team playing against a home team using the DH. That's why I've included it in the basic roster templates above. Some players use "we always make our pitchers hit even when playing away against a DH team," which is a bit of a copout but perfectly acceptable to note in this permission. Note that even when National League teams in MLB didn't use the DH at home, they still used a DH when playing on the road against American League teams, so there's not really a real-life precedent for that. Again though, if you're a staunch designated hitter hater, then you're perfectly in your rights to do this. Just make sure to make a note of it in your RP permissions and/or your batting order so your opponents will understand.

by **Milchama** » Sun Aug 24, 2025 4:38 am

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

Not a Replacement but a Refresh

We knew this was coming but it was still a shock to the system to hear that long time stalwarts and international stars Tali Mironer and Batya Jones were both retiring from international play. However, considering both were on short leashes last WBC and many new players clamoring for the team it was unsurprising to see them step aside for new players. The big thing for Jones and Mironer is that they represented the older generation. Since the end of the Isolation there have been something like 2 generations of Milchamian baseballers. The first generation were those who happened to be there when we ended our Isolation and moved forward, the second, and the more important generation, were those who followed. The ones who were in MLB (Milchamian League of Baseball) and those, if they were good enough, to get snatched up by the LPB.

While professional baseball, in so far as professional anything exists in Milchama, has been part of the Milchamian baseball landscape forever the intense parochialism and lack of international reporting did little to keep the status of the league in tact. Of course that changed very recently with the adoption and promotion of the MBL. Now, suddenly, Milchama had a real international league and while many still say that the LPB is the better baseball league in the world, it is much closer than it was even at the time of the last WBC. Milchamian players are basically now MBL players and despite a few in the LBP, nobody really jumps anymore. People grow up to dream of being in the MBL and since there is no financial incentive to play abroad, nobody seemingly really wants to move abroad. That may change but for now it looks like the MBL has taken all the best talent in Milchama.

Therefore, the retirements of Mironer and Jones hit differently, they were part of the previous generation, the pre-MBL generation. The Milchama team is now firmly in the MBL era and even with that it's been a good era. The Warriors were excellent last time out, finishing 3rd place, our best performance since the end of the Isolation and except for the fact that we really can't beat South Newlandia at all, looked great against all our competition. So now Milchama gets to play at the big boy's table, we're ranked 5th in the world, a true Pot 1 team, and now we have to take that momentum and move forward. The goal again is at least semis or bust but many are expecting more. We shall see!

Manager: Evan Warstickle - The former manager of the New Sparta Phoenix. Warstickle led them to MBL glory in the first season of the MBL and was promoted, well at least he wanted the job, of being the national team manager so here he is. Finally took Milchama to the vaunted semifinal spot and is now getting pseudo national hero status. He knows what will cement legendary status.

1. Elise Heffard SS Switch - New Babylon Pirates - Leading base stealer in the MBL last year, she also won a gold glove for the Milchamian side of the league. Moves up to leadoff hitter after Jones' retirement. Her speed will definitely lead to more steals in this WBC.
2. Khojin Mikanikei CF Switch - Karakorum Mongols - After a great MBL last year gets the call to replace Jones. Many are unsure with many other decent centerfielders running around. Will have to prove himself quickly.
3. Erez Goldman 1B LHB - New Babylon Pirates - New preeminent hitter in the MBL. After winning the slash triple crown, has moved to New Babylon in one of the first large transfer sagas in Milchama baseball history as moved from Tel Morlin to New Babylon. Worth it after again ripping it up for New Babylon in the MBL.
4. Eden Helfand LF LHB - Tel Chittor Forts - After leading Tel Chittor to two Magen Ikahakas as the best regular season team and one championship he gets his just desserts as the cleanup hitter.
5. Ro'ee Marquez RF RHB - New Sparta Phalanx - Good player, good guy. After leading New Sparta goes from hot prospect to locked in starter.
6. Kenny Kefauver 3B RHB - New Sparta Phalanx - Good player, solid third baseman who can bat a bit. Will stop 56 game hit streaks.
7. Sally Tannenbaum 2B RHB - Tel Chittor Forts - Generally plays on the left side of the infield but with Heffard locked in there she moves to second for the national team. Great defender and a decent hitter.
8. Max Krennick C Switch - Alexandria Commies - Took over from the legendary Shosh Hamat and definitely justifies his place here. He hits better than her but he's still a catcher. 93% caught stealing percentage. Run on him at your own risk.
9. [Pitcher]

Starting Rotation:
SP 1: Diego Numarkez RH - Alexandria Ships - Up and coming Mizrahi prospect. Was aggressively promoted to the ace of the staff but many are excited for him.
SP 2: Benjamin Miller LH - New Babylon Pirates - Known for his curve and screwball but his fastball might just be his best pitch. It's certainly underrated.
SP 3: Lev Garrick LH - Tel Chittor Forts - Curveball specialist and known for his off speed stuff. Has the most endurance of anybody on the staff.
SP 4: Daren Belshblatt LH - Tel Chittor Forts - After 2 years of dominance with Tel Chittor moves up to starter. A surprisingly good 4th starter.

Relief Pitchers:
RP 1: Norry Tookan LH - Alexandria Ships - He's not a bird, he's just a man with 102 mph fastball.
RP 2: Taylor Tailor RH - Akkad Libraries - Their father was a taylor. So was their grandfather. Sorry that there is nothing notable about them baseball wise.
RP 3: Barry Bruck LH - Alexandria Ships - In the olden days would have been a loogy but because that's now illegal he learned how to get righties out, had his best season ever last year.
RP 4: Itay Makalorn RH - Tel Chittor Forts - The Forts lockdown closer with 48 saves comes into the national team.
RP 5: Missy Turbons LH - Alexander Commies - Not much to say. Some might say 0.
RP 6: Pie Tobaldi RH - New Sparta Phoenix - The Phoenix lockdown closer with 48 saves comes into the national team.
RP 7: Vivian Vivan LH - Alexandria Commies - The Commies lockdown closer with 37 saves comes into the national team.

Bench Players:
David Gavry C RHB - New Babylon Pirates - He's the backup catcher!
Sydney Meyer IF RHB - Akkad Libraries - Great defender, can somewhat contribute on offense.
Eden Hazadly OF LHB - Alexandria Commies - The defensive outfield sub if necessary. Hazardly can hit but doesn't hit well enough to play on the national team.
Liam Hasalenger Util Switch - Karakorum Mongols - A super utility player in the Ben Zobrist mold. Hasalenger is known to play LF/RF/2B/3B above average while on basing around .380. Will generally be used as a defensive sub anywhere and looks likely to take over from somebody at some point if the Warriors falter.
Tal Ted 1B RHB - Tel Chittor Forts - One of the best hitters in the MBL last year. Is on the team to hit. Will be the first pinch hitter off the bench.
Diego McConstaff OF LHB - Tel Chittor Forts - Look you win 120 some games and managers are really into picking your starters for the national team. McConstaff is also really good. Look for him to play some centerfield.
Missy Shapiro IF RHB - Alexandria Commies - Gets rewarded for gold glove play in the infield. Also, gets here over several other shortstops because she can play some outfield as well.

RP Permissions:
Do whatever except obviously I do not use the DH at home (or on the road).

Milchamian Playing Style:
Imagine a more powerful and sabermetric friendly version of somewhere between 1960s and 1980s baseball, lots of stolen bases, hustle, taking the extra base etc. Starters attempt to go 9 and rarely go less than 7. That said, sabermetrics are a thing and on base percentage is the most important hitting stat, launch angle is a known concept, and generally statistical analysis is very similar to modern MLB.

A note on Milchamian pitchers:
Since cricket got increasingly popular in Milchama over the Isolation there has been a concurrent belief in increasing the ability of pitchers to hit. Therefore, Milchamian pitchers tend to hit like Greg Maddux or like pitchers in the 1920s. Not actually good hitters but will be able to get on base if you give them an easy pitch.

Relievers note:
Relievers are listed in order of leverage situation. RP 1 = reliever likely to come on during the highest leverage situation, RP 2 in the second most important etc. No traditional closer but you get the idea.

by **Sarzonia** » Sun Aug 24, 2025 7:25 am

Sarzonia Stars

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my run scorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: No
Follow my pitching rotation: Yes. If there are any changes I make, follow those.
Godmod scoring events: Yes, as long as they're realistic
RP injuries to my players: No
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Eject my players: Yes (limit of two per game)
Godmod other events: No
Use DH at home: Yes
Style Modifier: 0
Do not use RL baseball images and say they are my players.

Home field: Khalil Dennis Field, Woodstock (capacity 38,974), part of the Dave Wilson Athletic Complex. Park factor: 112

(Note: Stadium image generated using Google Gemini here

Dimensions:
Left: 330 feet
Left Centre power alley: 380 feet
Centre: 405 feet
Right Centre power alley: 358 feet
Right: 315 feet. A 23-foot high wall containing a hand-operated scoreboard sits out in right field.

Note: Kate Schmidt's No. 9 is retired and will not be issued to any other Stars player.

Manager: 23 Brad Jackson
Bench Coach: 34 Alvin Lang
First Base/outfield: 28 Akil Rogers
Third Base/Infield: 13 Austin Quimby
Hitting Coach: 49 Hank Everly
Pitching Coach: 36 Calen George
Bullpen Coach: 58 Kyle Lund

STARTING PLAYERS
C: 3 Harry Mills (calls a great game, not a great arm)
1B: 23 Wade Emerson (Average defensively, hits for power, but strikes out a lot)
2B: 12 Lysa Beaupre (Not a great throwing arm. There for speed with 38 steals in 96 games and average, hitting. 338 with five homers and 48 RBI)
SS: 18 Jaia Thornton (.295 average, 16 homers, 79 RBI), good defensive shortstop
3B: 32 Lee Worthy (.318 average, 21 homers, 90 RBI), best all-around player besides Brady.
LF: 19 Tyler Stewart (.258 average, 10 homers, better as a speed guy)
CF: 62 Elijah Hoskins (.299, 16 homers, 66 RBI)
RF: 2 Kendall Young (VERY strong arm in right. Above average offensively and sneaky fast on the basepaths)
DH: (also a pinch hitter/backup first baseman) 44 Yasi Gonzalez (Hit 30 home runs in 97 games, driving in 100 runs)

BENCH
C: 8 Scott Ranford
SS/3B: 13 Quinn Andrews
UT: 76 Vince Pastrano
OF: 59 Kenny Dillon
OF: 89 Pete Breech

STARTING ROTATION:
30 Mike Howe (RHP; Hard throwing, devastating curve, killer slider. Not great at changing speeds)
43 Marcus Greenberg (LHP, has to keep the ball down to be effective. Sinker-slider pitcher with a good change)
29 Casey Flanagan (RHP, deceptive with the ball. Typically throws off-speed and relies on control. He can occasionally throw it in the mid-90s when he has to.)
38 Russ Gerhart (LHP; high-90s fastball, great breaking stuff, but has control issues sometimes.)
53 Alton Long (LHP; Relies on keeping the ball down and having impeccable control. Like Greg Maddux in his prime, but as a lefty. Now the elder statesman in the rotation. )

BULLPEN
30 Matis Deutsch (RHP; long reliever, could be a "sixth starter" if that were needed. Can go three or four innings.)
43 Cal Yelchin (LHP; Extremely hard throwing, didn't work out as a starting pitcher, so hes in the bullpen now.)
47 Teryn Russell (RHP; he relies on control and keeping the ball down. Typically pitches in a middle relief role)
50 Eddie May (LHP; Fastball/slider/curve, often used to get one lefty hitter out)
15 Paul Long (LHP; fastball, curve, slider pitcher, often used as a setup pitcher. Can close if needed)
49 Dan King (RHP; fastball typically in the high 90s to low 100s; also throws a change up. He typically closes)

Starting lineup w/o the DH:
Stewart
Beaupre
Worthy
Thornton
Emerson
Hoskins
Young
Mills
Pitcher's spot

Lineup w/DH
Gonzalez hits cleanup. Everyone else moves down one.

by **Sarzonia** » Sun Aug 24, 2025 7:31 am

You might notice a couple of things different about the Sarzonian national baseball team.

For starters, their new home pitch, the newly-built Khalil Dennis Park, replaces Fleetwood Park as the home venue. It's a smaller, more intimate setting for Sarzonia to host matches. That is by design, according to technical director Jeff Parrish, the former ace of the staff under longtime manager Geoff Yancey who now sits on board meetings instead of being subjected to mound visits.

"We wanted to keep some of the charm of the old ballpark and bring the supporters a little bit closer to the action and give us a home-pitch advantage that way," Parrish said. "We love Fleetwood Park. It's served us well over the years, but it was starting to show its age."

That may be debatable; in fact, Woodstock Mayor Isaac Broughton signed an emergency executive order preventing Fleetwood Park from being demolished, submitting a request to have the venerable ballpark declared a National Historical Landmark. Broughton blasted the decision to move on from Fleetwood Park, saying the venue only needed "minor refurbishing" to reach its full lustre.

Be that as it may, the new ballpark was named in honour of Khalil Dennis, the manager of the World Baseball Classic 18 champion Stars. K.C. Yancey, Geoff Yancey's grandson, attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony the Incorporated Baseball Federation held to ceremonially open the new venue for business.

"I'm really excited," K.C., who was named Khalil Calen in honour of both Dennis and his husband Calen McSuthern. said of representing his grandfather, who is currently undergoing minor surgery. "It's a great place and a great way to commemorate Uncle Khalil."

As for the other changes to the team, Desmond St. John is no longer calling the shots for the Stars after a disastrous World Baseball Classic 60 appearance in which the Stars finished dead last in their qualifying group. Parrish said the IBF offered to give St. John another opportunity, but St. John said he wasn't ready, and that qualifying campaign proved it. St. John did not respond to several texts, emails or text messages seeking comment.

In his place steps previous bench coach Brad Jackson, now calling the shots. Besides hiring new bench coach Alvin Lang, he opted to keep everything else the same.

"I'm willing to bet that our lack of success was a one-time thing," Jackson said at his introductory press conference as manager "We just didn't play to our potential, and we were in a brutally tough group. I'd say we were in the Group of Death, and we needed to play better than we did to even have a chance. We just didn't do it." As for replacing St. John in the centre seat, he said, "look, I respect the hell out of Desi. I wouldn't have been here otherwise. I just don't think his heart was in it last time out."

As for the new ballpark, Jackson said he was looking forward to the first match and getting it out of the way.

"There's going to be a lot of pomp and circumstance that first match," he said. "The second match will feel like actually getting down to business."

by **Zenic** » Sun Aug 24, 2025 7:42 pm

The Empire of Zenic National Baseball Team

Nickname: The Diamond Survivors

Staff

Minister of Sports: Alaia Dimi (F) (61 years old)
Deputy Minister of Sports: Heung Soo-min (54 years old)
Manager: Siro Amando Alamilla (45 years old)
Bench Coach: Kuno Erdmann Schwenke (36 years old)
Hitting Coach: Heloísa Salomé Zamorano (F) (37 years old)
Pitching Coach: Ogawa Shinsuke (41 years old)
1st Base Coach: Claretta Vincenza Silvestri (F) (31 years old)
3rd Base Coach: Sérgio Jacinto Salcedo (48 years old)
Bullpen Coach: Colombo Dioli (56 years old)
Team Doctor: Dr. Yvonne Madicken Nurmi (F) (52 years old)

Catchers

C Lucas Moreno (Bats: R / Throws: R) 19 year old male from the University of Lord Coohen
Best fielding catcher on the squad. Bats well enough to earn starting honors over all others.

C Sabrina Eliana Mingo (Bats: L / Throws: R) 21 year old female from the Binar Maritime College
Jack of all trades but master of none. Will come in to replace Moreno instead of Évrard 9 out of 10 times.

C / DH Matis Marius Évrard (Bats: S / Throws: R) 19 year old male from the Empire College of Careers
Average catcher but top tier home run hitter. Finished top 5 in home runs in his first season.

Infielders

1B Berto Dinis Perfecto Ureña (Bats: L / Throws: L) 20 year old male from the Old Maiz A&M University
Talented fielder who’s lefthandedness allows him to keep an eye on runners at third and keep them honest unless they wish to be thrown out at home.

1B Kasper Halvorsen (Bats: R / Throws: R) 21 year old male from the Valverde College
Solid defender with a penchant for clutch home runs.

2B Daniela Salvación Capilla (Bats: L / Throws: R) 22 year old female from the Old Maiz A&M University
Ultimate contact hitter with the highest OPS on the team. Expected to keep back half of the lineup a threat for opponents.

2B Cayetano Villar (Bats: R / Throws: R) 21 year old male from the Valverde College
Utility Expert. Primarily plays 2B but can also play 3B and SS with no issue and a bit of RF in emergencies.

SS Iuri Marcio Quijano (Bats: R / Throws: R) 21 year old male from the University of Lord Coohen
Hands down best fielder amongst the infield players selected. Only 5 errors in his 3 years of collegiate play. Contact over power.

SS Érico Diosdado Tavares (Bats: R / Throws: L) 19 year old male from the University of Northern Waylord
Fastest baseball player in the Empire. Needs a lot of improvement in fielding and batting so used primarily as a pinch runner.

3B Mladenka Franić (Bats: R / Throws: R) 20 year old female from the University of Northern Waylord
Solid player all around. Starting thanks to experience.

3B Gonzalo Telmo Flores (Bats: L / Throws: R) 19 year old male from the New Citium University
Solid player all around. Expected to be used often whenever a strong right handed pitcher comes in during the middle of the game.

Outfielders

LF Okabe Shin'ya (Bats: L / Throws: L) 20 year old male from the Old Maiz A&M University
Second fastest baseball player in the Empire. Starting instead of Tavares as Okabe and Quijano are significantly better at batting and fielding. Contact over power.

LF Pascual Benício Ortiz (Bats: R / Throws: L) 21 year old male from the Binar Maritime College
Solid all around. Will most likely come into the game halfway through to deal with teams that have right-handed heavy bullpens.

CF José Messias Gonçalves (Bats: S / Throws: L) 20 year old male from the Empire College of Careers
Slightly inconsistent fielder but best batter on the team. Only player with multiple 20+ game hit streaks.

CF Coraline Alisson Courtemanche (F) (Bats: R / Throws: R) 22 year old female from the University of Northern Waylord
Best defensive fielder on the squad. Can also play LF and RF as needed.

RF Luis Ángel Joabe Tapia (Bats: R / Throws: R) 22 year old male from the New Citium University
Best overall outfielder on the squad. A “three true outcomes” kind of batter.

RF Hidaka Chizuru (Bats: S / Throws: R) 19 year old female from the Binar Maritime College
Slowest outfielder but strongest arm. A bit more consistency in the batter’s box and she could supplant Évrard as primary DH.

Lineups

With DH

1 - LF Okabe Shin'ya
2 - SS Iuri Marcio Quijano
3 - CF José Messias Gonçalves
4 - DH Matis Marius Évrard
5 - 1B Berto Dinis Perfecto Ureña
6 - 3B Mladenka Franić
7 - 2B Daniela Salvación Capilla
8 - C Lucas Moreno
9 - RF Luis Ángel Joabe Tapia

Without DH

1 - LF Okabe Shin'ya
2 - SS Iuri Marcio Quijano
3 - CF José Messias Gonçalves
4 - 1B Berto Dinis Perfecto Ureña
5 - 3B Mladenka Franić
6 - 2B Daniela Salvación Capilla
7 - C Lucas Moreno
8 - RF Luis Ángel Joabe Tapia
9 - P Active Pitcher

Starting Rotation

SP1 Goyo Vinícius Marín (Bats: R / Throws: R) 22 year old male from the New Citium University
Ace of the rotation. Good speed but prioritizes pitch location. Runs four pitches: 2-seam fastball, changeup, sinker, knuckleball.

SP2 Kuroki Tarō (Bats: R / Throws: R) 19 year old male from the University of Lord Coohen
Average speed but above average collection of pitches. Runs: 2-seam fastball, changeup, curveball, slider, sinker, forkball.

SP3 Karla Koppel (Bats: R / Throws: R) 19 year old female from the Empire College of Careers
Almost a carbon copy of Marín but with slightly higher speeds and less focus on location. Runs: 4-seam fastball, changeup, sinker, screwball.

SP4 Manoel Alvarado (Bats: R / Throws: R) 22 year old male from the San Valerie Institute of Technology
Poor control and only two pitches (4-seam fastball and slider) but can hit triple digits.

SP5 Felícia Brígida Castro (F) (Bats: L / Throws: L) 22 year old female from the Empire College of Careers
Lowest pitch speeds amongst the rotation but can place her three pitches (2-seam fastball, changeup and sinker) exactly where it’s needed.

Bullpen

MR Roxana Narcisa Ortega (Bats: R / Throws: R) 22 year old female from the Valverde College
Middle Relief with a cutter, changeup, and sinker.

MR Nicolau Amador (Bats: L / Throws: L) 19 year old male from the Valverde College
Middle Relief with a nice 4-seam fastball, slider, and curveball.

LR Im Duri (Bats: R / Throws: R) 19 year old male from the University of Northern Waylord
Former starter converted to long relief once he hit college. Almost acts as a “6th starter”. Can also be used as a Right Handed Specialist. Runs: 2-seam fastball, changeup, curveball, and slider.

LHS Ulises Ignacio Esteban (Bats: L / Throws: L) 21 year old male from the San Valerie Institute of Technology
Left Handed Specialist assigned to deal with any tough left handed batters late in the game. Runs: 4-seam fastball, and a changeup.

SU Mijo Slaven Grgić (Bats: R / Throws: R) 20 year old male from the Old Maiz A&M University
Setup Man able to pitch 7th & 8th if needed but would prefer only the 8th. Runs: 2-seam fastball, 4-seam fastball, sinker.

CL Juan Antonio Eutimio Wenceslao Castro (Bats: S / Throws: L) 20 year old male from the University of Northern Waylord
Most people call him “Wenceslao” for short. Holds the collegiate record for most saves in a single season at 48 (including postseason). Runs: cutter, 2-seam fastball, and a slider.

Home Stadium (Temporary)

Sabas Andréia Arriola Park
Location: Valverde College, city of Cote
Capacity: 20,000

RP Permissions
Choose my runscorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: No
Choose my scoring events: Yes
Follow my pitching rotation: Yes
Use DH at home: No, only on the road as needed.
Eject my players: Within reason.
Godmod scoring events: Within reason.
RP injuries to my players: Within reason.
Godmod Injuries to my players: TG or Discord in advance, please.
Godmod other events: TG or Discord in advance, please.
Godmod other events: TG or Discord in advance, please.

by **Ko-oren** » Mon Aug 25, 2025 8:29 am

Ko-orenite National Baseball Team
野球コ・オレン代表 - Jakyuu Ko-oren Daijhou - Selesson Co-orenensa de Beisbol

Batting order/打順/Orden de Bateadores

2B Len Pijpenbroek (34, M) // Elephant Valley Homers, SNL // R
3B Eikichi Matsuoka (25, M) // Nitoya Silvers // R
CF Arinobu Shiina (28, M) // Rhoni Rhonin CMT // R
SS Letha Newich (24, F) // Desierto Challengers // L
C Woutre Bardemaker (31, M) // Nikcoro Suns SLL // R
DH
1B Katsuyoshi Kenguzhen (22, M) // Furune Bees // L
RF Shichirō Aiso (23, M) // Aviansola Admirals // L
LF Azusa Ekuni (25, F) // Katashi Generals // R
P

Pijpenbroek to Bardemaker is the team's backbone. Those five should make things very difficult for opposing pitchers if three of the five pan out to be the next three up at the start of a new inning. Pijpenbroek is the contact one, Matsuoka the fast one, Shiina the all-round best hitter on the team, Newich - a phenomenal fielder - does what's necessary to bring in teammates. Her stats are a bit of an enigma: she's never the biggest homerun hitter or RBI hitter, nor the one with the best OBP, and definitely not the Barrel% or launch angle authority, but she's consistently a positive force on the lineup. Bardemaker - also a defensive position first and foremost - has mostly the same stats, but with a much bigger 'big hit' potential. These five names are also pretty well known if you've followed the team before. Newich has been a star for years, Shiina has been the RBI guy for years, and Pijpenbroek has been somewhere towards the top of the lineup for a full decade.

Then come the new guys. A sudden wave of inspiration has hit Ko-oren: could it be the higher temperatures in the southern half of the country that pushes kids towards baseball and cricket instead of more wintery and active sports? and the first results are here, and we're getting some talent through. That's also to fill up the huge canyons left behind by previous legends. What we're trying to say is this: if it weren't for a really talented wave of 18 to 23-year olds, we'd be royally screwed because we're not keeping this ship afloat with just the late 20-somethings. Kenguzhen is the first one of them, but Aiso and, to an extent, Ekuni, are similar players. We don't know yet if Kenguzhen should bat higher, for Aiso and Ekuni we know they shouldn't, and that's a shame, because they are outfielders that you usually rely on for homers. But hey - if they find their groove, and they're still one of Ko-oren's finest - we could have a pretty deep lineup going.

As for backups: Fralin (CF) might well be slotted in for the RF or LF for an immediate upgrade. Mortier is very close to Bardemaker's level - but you tend to run the hot hand hence the proven commodity - and Tunazen and Iio are good as well. We're pretty stacked in the infield. Not the outfield.

Infielders/内野手/Interiores:
1B Katsuyoshi Kenguzhen (22, M) // Furune Bees // L
1B Pafa Jidazen (20, M) // Aviansola Admirals // L
2B Len Pijpenbroek (34, M) // Elephant Valley Homers, SNL // R
2B Sanji Tunazen (22, M) // Nitoya Silvers // R
2B Arata Iio (25, M) // Teragaseki Originals // R
3B Eikichi Matsuoka (25, M) // Nitoya Silvers // R
3B Kiyokazu Ōbari (24, M) // Arakura Knights // R
IF Tjounjei Ngajisein (19, F) // // R
SS Letha Newich (24, F) // Desierto Challengers // L
SS Njarin Tsahesen (22, F) // Katashi Generals // R

Outfielders/外野手/Exteriores:
RF Shichirō Aiso (23, M) // Aviansola Admirals // L
RF Denis Caamano (35, M) // Chromia Diamonds CMT // L
RF Robbrecht Visser (21, M) // Teragaseki Originals // L
CF Arinobu Shiina (28, M) // Rhoni Rhonin CMT // R
CF Édouard Fralin (22, M) // Amandine Wanderers // R
CF Katsumasa Katsunuma (22, M) // Arakura Knights // L
LF Azusa Ekuni (25, F) // Katashi Generals // R
LF Hiroharu Akiba (36, M) // Arakura Knights // R
DH Tadanari Amachi (26, M) // Aviansola Admirals // L

Catchers/捕手/Receptores:
C Woutre Bardemaker (31, M) // Nikcoro Suns SLL // R
C Joseph Mortier (22, M) // Amandine Wanderers // R

Pitchers/投手/Lanzadores
Rotation
SP Bieito Vasquez (26, M) // Desierto Challengers // R
SP Yurika Ōhashi (25, F) // Arakura Knights // R
SP Takenao Tone (29, M) // Ferrovente Whales // L
SP Goio Padron (26, M) // Santa Teresa Stars // R
SP Jocelyn Chastain (33, F) // Shantarr Scorpions CMT // R

Backups
SP Toishak Peinoinin (21, M) // Desierto Challengers // L
SP Pieternella Schemering (21, F) // Teragaseki Originals // L
SP Yatarō Namioka (24, M) // Katashi Giants // R
SP Xesus Basquez (27, M) // Desierto Challengers // R

Bullpen/リリーフ/Secundarios
MP Ventura de Castro (32, M) // Nitoya Silvers // L
MP Lyōvei Nusazen (20, M) // Katashi Generals // L
MP Tashiro Ishibashi (29, M) // Alnio Redhawks CMT // R
MP Bento Chan (28, M) // Ferrovente Whales // R
MP Eduvixe Pazos (28, F) // Lanar Rangers CMT // R
MP Kazushi Watase (34, M) // Echizen Dragons // R
MP Yukimasa Yonezawa (23, M) // Teragaseki Originals // R
MP Jean-Charles Andry (26, M) // Amandine Wanderers // R
MP Takeyuki Kanzaki (27, M) // Rhoni Rhonin CMT // L
MP Febel Soishetin (22, M) // Santa Teresa Stars // L
MP Martiño Siqueiros (31, M) // Teragaseki Originals // R
CP Cecia Saudhuinin (21, F) // Desierto Challengers // R
CP Yumeko Furushima (25, F) // Nitoya Silvers // R

The starting rotation is more or less set in stone, barring injuries or complete breakdowns. Vasquez has grown out to be the first name on the list, and Basquez, often compared to one another, has been reduced to a backup role, unlikely to see the mound. Ohashi is of a similar caliber to Vasquez, meaning high speeds, high accuracy, decently large arsenal of pitches. Tone has always been the trickier one, now with the confidence to back it up. Chastain and Padron are closest to losing their spot, but with their age, experience, and recent performance, they deserve the shot. Peinoinin and Schemering are the main threats.

As for the bullpen, it's De Castro, Nusazen, Ishibashi, Chan, and Pazos who'll get the brunt of the action, with Siqueiros a late relief option, and Saudhuinin the one to close out.

Home venues
As with most of this sport, there is some competition between Finisterre and Yoshima. This extends to the home venues as well. Series of three matches are usually scheduled per region (ranked by how often they're used):
1) Katashi: the city of Katashi has several ready venues, including the Katashi Dome (the largest venue in Ko-oren) and Maesaki Park (smaller, but often used by domestic teams). Sometimes even the Heisaka Grounds are used (which is one third the size of Katashi Dome, to give you an idea). Katashi is hot and humid, though the sea breeze makes it nicer than it sounds. The Dragonflies are .778 here.
2) Finisterre: the entire region has several big stadiums and they're almost always sold out if the Dragonflies come to visit. The Citadel (Santa Teresa), Ventovente (Ferrovente). Finisterre has a dry heat that persists for most of the year. The Dragonflies are .737 here.
3) Rest of Leleia: the regions west and east of Katashi don't have the same population as city of Katashi itself, but has a lot of scattered towns with a proud baseball tradition. Twin Field (Nitoya), Obsidian Park (Suvira). These share the hot and humid conditions of Katashi but without the relief blowing in from the coast. The Dragonflies are .667 here.
4) Rest of Ko-oren: not everyone plays baseball all the time, yet there are a few diamonds here and there. Le Losange (Aminey), Honrothru-din (Senoren), Vamada Océanique (Étouille), Naminaka Park (Schemerdrecht). The climates here are friendly and mellow year-round. The Dragonflies are .786 here.
5) Alara and Etena islands: the northernmost islands of Yoshima are baseball-crazy as well, fans come from all over the island just to see a match. Uvesaki Field (Echizen), Vidari Stadium (Teragaseki), Vusodalo Stadium (Teraoka). These have all the humidity of Leleia and the friendly temperatures of the mainland. The Dragonflies are .667 here.
6) Selesi island: the second-largest island of Yoshima has only a few venues, being the least densely populated part of Yoshima, but the few places they do have are popular. Ginofruit Field (Arakura). Like Leleia, it's hot and humid, with a decent chance of extreme weather. The Dragonflies are .818 here.

Coaching Staff/首脳陣/Entrenadores
Head coach: Kenichi Honda
Hitting coach: Rodolfo Melendrez
Pitching coach: Joshiko Vajabusa (f)
First base coach: Andreia Acevedo (f)
Third base coach: Carlos Aldana
Bullpen coach: Shinzaburo Sakai
Fielding coach: Julie Lefeuvre (f)

RP Permissions
Choose my runscorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: Yes
Follow my pitching rotation: Not necessarily
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 (if used): -2
Trigramme: KOR
Nicknames: Dragonflies (all players), Macaws (Yoshimans), Cactuses (Finisterrans)

by **Ranoria** » Tue Aug 26, 2025 8:56 am

Hey there!: If you just need the batting order or pitchers, scroll to the bottom! Thanks! :lol:

The Federation of Ranorian Baseball Is Proud To Present:
The Ranorian Krauts,
the international arm of the Federation of Ranorian Baseball.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my run scorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: Do whatever!
Follow my pitching rotation: Do what you want with it! Have fun
Godmod scoring events: Yep
RP injuries to my players: Yep, shoot me a DM or TG please!
Godmod injuries to my players: Yep, shoot me a DM or TG please!
Eject my players: Yep!
Godmod other events: Get in touch with me first, including for no hitters/perfect games, etc, thanks!
Use DH at home: Nope
Special Note: No Covid stuff. There is no COVID in Ranoria, just like there is no war in Ba Sing Se

Records:

WBC 44: 12-18; Team MVP: Leonardo Harrison
WBC 49: 15-15; Team MVP: Leonardo Harrison
WBC 50: 19-11; Team MVP: Leonardo Harrison
-Playoffs: 3-5-
WBC 51: 14-16; Team MVP: Nicholas Lux     
WBC 52: 13-17; Team MVP: Leonardo Harrison
WBC 53: 18-12; Team MVP: Nicholas Lux     
WBC 54:   9-1; Team MVP: Nicholas Lux     
-Playoffs: 8-3-
WBC 55:  13-7; Team MVP: Julian Breit     
-Playoffs: 11-8-
WBC 56: 18-12: Team MVP: Jesse Griffith   
-Playoffs: 7-4-
WBC 57: 22-18: Team MVP: Jesse Griffith   
-Playoffs: 13-6 Champions-
WBC 60: 12-8: Team MVP: Julian Breit
-Playoffs: 4-5
Group Stage: 165-125
Playoffs: 46-31
Overall: 211-156

Background

The Ranorian Krauts are a privately funded team, supported by the joint funds of the middling Federation of Ranorian Baseball. Their first attempt, in the 44th edition, was a disaster. None of our biggest stars agreed to sign up with the exception of Leonardo Harrison, though overall the team consisted of our upper-end talent. Predictably, the team finished a paltry 12-18 record, with Harrison being the only bright spot, 19 at the time. However, five years later, they fielded a stronger squad, with star players from home along with Ranorians playing abroad. As such, the team gave us a better showing with a somewhat successful 15-15 campaign in the World Baseball Classic 49, garnering some momentum going into WBC 50 and some interest from Ranoria as a whole.

World Baseball Classic 50 was something else entirely. Our Krauts went on a 10-1 tear on the back of Leonardo Harrison to end the group stage and even win a knockout series - despite starting a tradition of Ranorian teams being steamrolled any time they had the audacity to look at a TJUN-ian squad earlier in the campaign. With a ton of buzz surrounding the team going into WBC 51 though, they suffered three straight seasons of playoffless baseball. Just when fans began to give up hope though, the Krauts came in hot in WBC 55, reaching the quarterfinals as the third seed in the playoffs before being eliminated in 5, and then giving the reigning back-to-back champion Elephants all they wanted in the semifinals. And then in 56, we again came oh-so-close to the summit before Banija knocked us off in four en route to a championship. Of course -we got another crack at our biggest rivals in World Baseball Classic 57, taking on the Lions in Concord Heights en route to our Ranoria's first non-football international championship!

The Krauts have been coerced into coming back for two editions in a row now because if the elephant asks us nicely we tend to say yes. Team administration is concerned that the ellies have discovered this vulnerability is easy exploit. :lol:

Coaching Staff:

Manager/HC/Batting: Leonardo Harrison, 44 years old
Team Mascot/Snak Cleaner Upper/Director of Sniffs: Ol' Red
Bench Coach, Assistant Manager: Jonas Nuhl, 53 years old
First Base: Brandon Bolan, 41 years old
Third Base: Justin Cruz, 42 years old
Pitching: Alfred Arnoldi, 56 years old
Bullpen: Hugo Fromm, 51 years old

Team Doctor: Melina Fulches, 75 years old
Head Trainer: Marty Zane, 43 years old
Trainer: Frank Schottenheimer, 40 years old
Trainer: Eddie Walker, 38 years old

Position    Number     Name            Ht.     Wt.   Age Hand           Team                       Batting
Catcher      28    Lukas Valentine      6      200    28  R       Kyrinson Cosmos (SLL)            Contact
1st Base     12    Vincent Veltrone    5-11    195    36  R       New Llama Wizards (SLL)          Contact
2nd Base     10    John Solomons       5-9     165    28  R       Elephant Valley United (SNL)     Contact
Shortstop    20    Clark Weaver        6-1     190    30  L       Denison Dynamos (SLL)            Contact
3rd Base     99    Jesse Griffith      6-5     215    34  R       Jaffro Drawks (DRK)              Slugger
L. Field     23    Julian Breit        6-3     235    36  L       Elephant Valley United (SNL)     Slugger
C. Field      1    Rylan Rodgers Jr    6-1     225    29  R       Busukuma Lions                   Slugger
R. Field     87    RJ Hall             6-2     195    29  R       Nikcoro Suns (SLL)               Slugger
DH           44    Grant Faulkner      6-4     230    33  R       Jaffro Drawks (DRK)              Slugger

Italics indicate a debutant
Starter Notes:

Jesse Griffith: Do you believe in taking chances? That's what the Krauts did with this signing. Griffith is the youngest man (er, boy?) to ever play professional Ranorian baseball, at just 15 years old. Griffith was streaky in his first pair of seasons on the team, but he's really come into his own as one of - if not the - the best players in Ranorian baseball. He had an illustrious career in Ranoria, capping his time there off with one of the most dominant campaigns in Federation history with a ring and an MVP in his resume, but contract talks stalled with his Cincinnati Warbirds after seven years with the team. Played for a few years in Quebec and Shingoryeo, as it would allow he and his then fiancé Astrid Verona to each pursue their respective sports at a high level, but he and Astrid eventually moved to Drawkland, with her playing at Cove Port - basically because Griffith's Jaffro Drawks of the LPB were allegedly footing part of her salary to keep Griffith on the team. Astrid's retired now, and Jesse's entering the twilight years of his career.

Vincent Veltrone: Veltrone is a solid youngster who took his talents to Llamaphant Pro Baseball to get the publicity and money he is worth before coming back to participate with the Krauts. Fluid athlete and current LPB All-Star for the New Llama Wizards. Along with Julian Breit, the Krauts are pinning their hopes on these two young guns - and the ascension of Jesse Griffith - to help propel this crew to the next level.

Julian Breit:Breit was in the same high school class as Veltrone, and plays in South Newlandia, where he's the best player in the South Newlandian portion of the LPB - if eating hot dogs counts in any measure. Breit's a big slugger - a former South Newlandian League MVP and champion, perennial all star and silver slugger. With Nicholas Lux and Leonardo Harrison tapping out, he and Jesse Griffith took the reins as the best position players on the Krauts. He's one of the best in the world, or was. Might be a bit long in the tooth, but he's got a bat.

Lukas Valentine: Now in his prime, Valentine's been a solid addition to the team ever since Nicholas Lux's retirement. He's a solid bat. Big arm to catch prospective base stealers, and an almost obnoxious tendency to frame horrendously bad pitches as strikes.

John Solomons:

An undersized veteran, Solomons is a key player as one of the team's best contact hitters. The Elephant Valley Snow Bear is used to the spotlight, having played for a long time in the best league in domestic baseball, expect a seamless transition.

RJ Hall: A former wide receiver for the NSCF’s Elephant Valley University Red Elephants, RJ Hall was always a better baseball man, and is an elite athlete in the outfield. Exciting and at the tail end of his prime, the former WBC Champion was the first Ranorian to be drafted into the LPB.

Rylan Rodgers Jr: How much information do you need? An NSCF, World Bowl, Winter Bowl, and World Baseball Classic Champion, Rylan's somehow made time to come back to the WBC after his electric campaign led Ranoria to her fourth World Bowl. A slugger with game breaking speed, RRJ is this team's x factor. But he's been playing in Ranoria's Federation - and dominating - but after one last dominant season in Ranoria, he's heading to Busukuma.

Back-breaking speed and if he can make solid contact, he's got jaw-dropping power.

Position    Number     Name            Ht.     Wt.   Age  Hand          Team
Infield      14   Justin Derrick       6-1    190    34   R     Elephant Valley Snow Bears (SNL)
Infield      7    Fred Graham          6-1    190    26   L     Nashville Maestros
Infield      19   Teddy Flinstone      6-6    255    27   L     Ranoria City Sluggers 
Infield      22   David Dietrich       5-9    165    22   R     Ranoria City Sluggers 
Outfield     30   Stephen Reichenbach  5-10   185    41   R     Nashville Maestros
Outfield     59   Jerry Rubble         6-1    165    22   R     Cincinnati Warbirds
Outfield     13   Barney Jetson        6-2    170    26   L     El Paso Pilots

Italics indicate a debutant

Reserve Notes:

Starters

Role       Number        Name            Ht.     Wt.   Age  Hand        Team
Rotation     90      Yahweh Bohannon    6-1      190    29   R     Elephant Valley Snow Bears (SNL)
Rotation     86       Jorge Billing     6-1      215    34   L     Elephant Valley Snow Bears (SNL)
Rotation      3     Jacklyn Flowers     6-2      175    27   R     Nikcoro Suns (SLL)
Rotation     62      Brady Behringer    6-2      190    39   R     New Llama Wizards (SLL)
Rotation     71       Gary Thomas       6-4      225    23   R     Southport College (Alumni)

Bullpen

Role       Number        Name            Ht.      Wt.   Age  Hand        Team
Closer      68      Miellen Walker       6-3      215    33   L     Elephant Valley United (SNL)
Reliever    73      Miles Rickson        6-4      220    29?  R     Free Agent
Reliever    49      Igor Mattison        6-2      215    22   L     Vricksinburg Blaze
Reliever    61      Ricky Mouser         6-1      190    30   R     Second Recreational Softball League of Balafre South
Reliever    53      Drew Applemore       6-4      235    24   L     Vricksinburg Blaze
Reserve

Role       Number        Name            Ht.      Wt.   Age  Hand        Team
Reserve     64      Corey Nielman       6-3      195    39    L    Vricksinburg Blaze
Reserve     72      Bonnie Oliviera     6-2      190    31    R    Ranoria City Sluggers
Reserve     24      Katla Gardner       6-3      190    19    R    Richardson University Governors

Italics indicate a debutant
Pitching Notes

Normal Starting Lineup

DH Starting Lineup

Vincent Veltrone
John Solomons
Julian Breit
Jesse Griffith
Grant Faulkner
Lukas Valentine
Clark Weaver
RJ Hall
Judas Acker Rylan Rodgers Jr.

Vincent Veltrone
John Solomons57
Julian Breit
Jesse Griffith
Lukas Valentine
Clark Weaver
RJ Hall
Judas Acker Rylan Rodgers Jr.
Pitcher

by **Kronbia** » Wed Aug 27, 2025 2:34 pm

The 23rd edition of the Kronbia International Film Festival opens today, The Kronbia International Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Ciudad de Halcon, Kronbia, which previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around the world. Founded in 2004, The films participating in the festival will be screened in the coming days, The jury will vote to choose the best film at the end of the festival.

---

The Red Death

In a fictional country, a village is subjected to experiments by the army on the orders of the dictator ruling the country. The experiments were for a biological weapon, where pesticides containing a virus are sprayed on plants, causing changes to the crop and damage to part of it. A disaster occurs when farmers start to eat from the crop, and a strange disease begins. When it appears and ends with the patient bleeding to death, a group of foreign doctors are requested from the state to help eliminate the epidemic spreading in the village before it worsens and spreads in the country. When the foreign doctors arrive and discover what happened to one of the farmers, the army eliminates the doctors, but one doctor escapes, suffering The man is in the desert and hides with some Bedouins and disguises himself so that he can cross the borders. At the end of the film, three years have passed. The doctor comes to present his testimony and a sample of the virus to the IOU Court of Justice, which arrested the dictator after a revolution in his country and is trying to try him for crimes against humanity committed Against his people.

Directed by: Teofilo Donato
Written by: Edmundo Jose Victorino
Starring: David Renato, Claudia Aurora
Production companie(s): Artistas Unidos, Kronbia
Release dates: 2027
Language: Spanish

OOC: If you liked the stories, you can participate in choosing the best film by sending me TG or via discord.

by **United States of Nova Calania** » Thu Aug 28, 2025 8:23 am

Équipe nationale de baseball du Saint-Empire Calanien des États-Unis de Nouvelle-Calanie
Holy Calanian Empire of United States of Nova Calania National Baseball Team

Nation Information:

Full Nation Name: The Holy Calanian Empire of United States of Nova Calania
Demonym: Nova Calanian
Heads of State: Co-Consul Wlodzimierz Pruszkowski and Co-Consul Sophie-Charlotte Gingues
Official languages: French, Polish and English
Population: 2 459 048
Team Nickname: Tapirs
National Colors: Red and Yellow

Uniform:

Home: Red cap with a yellow castle; Red shirt with yellow names and numbers, Yellow pants, Red socks
Away: Red cap with a yellow castle; Grey shirt with red names and numbers, Grey pants, Yellow socks
Alt: Yellow cap with a red castle; Yellow shirt with red names and numbers, Yellow pants, Yellow socks (All yellow)

Home Stadiums:

3 home stadiums will be used.

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: MD2 vs The Batavia, MD7 vs Delaclava, MD12 vs Liventia

Tiger-Dolphin Stadium
Location: Downtown, Burnham-on-Stove
Capacity: 26,100
Tenants: Burnham Tigers (Baseball) and Burnham Dolphins (Gridiron)
Dimension
left: 340 ft.
center left: 365 ft.
center: 440 ft.
center right: 370 ft.
right: 325 ft.
Hosting: MD3 vs TJUN-ia, MD5 vs Andso Mangis
Note: For the match vs TJUN-ia, gridiron lines and endzones will still be visible on the field because the staff forgot to remove them.

Parc Galipeau
Location: Breteuil district, Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer
Capacity: 17,410
Tenant: Indiens de Breteuil-Chamouille
Dimension
left: 325 ft.
center left: 370 ft.
center: 410 ft.
center right: 375 ft.
right: 325 ft.
Hosting: MD10 vs Drawkland
Note: Demonstrations held by people advocating for the Indiens to change their name to Gardiens will be disrupting the match. The Indiens already stated they won't change their name.

Pitching schedule:
Series 1 @ Loyo : Tyler Wu-Kwiatkowski - Juan Diego Salazar Valenzuela - Vladimir Bonilla Gonzalez Jr.
Series 2 vs The Batavia : Leighton McCloskey - Tyler Wu-Kwiatkowski - Juan Diego Salazar Valenzuela
Series 3 vs TJUN-ia : Vladimir Bonilla Gonzalez Jr. - Leighton McCloskey - Tyler Wu-Kwiatkowski
Series 4 @ Visayas Islands : Juan Diego Salazar Valenzuela - Vladimir Bonilla Gonzalez Jr. - Leighton McCloskey
Series 5 vs Andso Mangis : Tyler Wu-Kwiatkowski - Juan Diego Salazar Valenzuela - Vladimir Bonilla Gonzalez Jr.
Series 6 @ Chromatika : Leighton McCloskey - Tyler Wu-Kwiatkowski - Juan Diego Salazar Valenzuela
Series 7 vs Delaclava : Vladimir Bonilla Gonzalez Jr. - Leighton McCloskey - Tyler Wu-Kwiatkowski
Series 8 @ Tikariot : Juan Diego Salazar Valenzuela - Vladimir Bonilla Gonzalez Jr. - Leighton McCloskey
Series 9 @ Katzeburg : Tyler Wu-Kwiatkowski - Juan Diego Salazar Valenzuela - Vladimir Bonilla Gonzalez Jr.
Series 10 vs Drawkland : Leighton McCloskey - Tyler Wu-Kwiatkowski - Juan Diego Salazar Valenzuela
Series 11 @ Zwangzug : Vladimir Bonilla Gonzalez Jr. - Leighton McCloskey - Tyler Wu-Kwiatkowski
Series 12 vs Liventia : Juan Diego Salazar Valenzuela - Vladimir Bonilla Gonzalez Jr. - Leighton McCloskey

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	        27	RHP	Flushing Blue Wahoos
32	SP	Juan Diego Salazar Valenzuela	27	LHP	Indiens de Breteuil-Chamouille
99	SP	Vladimir Bonilla Gonzalez Jr.	32	RHP	Shanzhou AquaSox
64	SP	Leighton McCloskey 	        30	RHP	Downtown Tigers

Bullpen

65	Closer	Charlotte Crépeau-Pinette	30	RHP	Pélicans de Côte-des-Palmiers
61	Closer	Jackson McCloskey	        25	RHP	Downtown Tigers
88	Set Up	Kayla Goneau	                32	LHP	Indiens de Breteuil-Chamouille
56	Set Up	Julien Mousseau-Grondin	        30	RHP	Expos de Saint-Jean-Jacques
54	Set Up	Philippe Bourbonnais	        25	RHP	Saints de Saint-Jean-Jacques
68	RP	Sarah Michelle Faircloth	35	RHP	Shanzhou Sea Wolves
67	RP	Stéphanie McDermott	        33	RHP	Flushing Blue Wahoos
23	LR	Madison Wu-Kwiatkowski	        24	RHP	Flushing Blue Wahoos

Batting order - No DH

5	2B	Esperanza Juarez Galarraga	29	L	Shanzhou AquaSox
4	CF/LF	Katherine Zebrowski	        24	S	Krzyszczynka Blue Crabs
8	RF/CF	Léo-Paul Couillard	        25	L	Indiens de Breteuil-Chamouille
44	1B	Jesus Rodriguez Castro	        31	L	Shanzhou AquaSox
22	3B/1B	Ximena Rodriguez Castro	        26	S	Wloszakowice Pirates
15	SS	Marianne Gailloux	        26	S	Expos de Saint-Jean-Jacques
16	LF/CF	François-Xavier Couillard	28	S	Saints de Saint-Jean-Jacques
35	C	Angel Espinoza Bolivar	        28	R	Downtown Tigers
XX      P       Starting Pitcher

Batting order - With DH

5	2B	Esperanza Juarez Galarraga	29	L	Shanzhou AquaSox
4	CF/LF	Katherine Zebrowski	        24	S	Krzyszczynka Blue Crabs
8	RF/CF	Léo-Paul Couillard	        25	L	Indiens de Breteuil-Chamouille
44	DH	Jesus Rodriguez Castro	        31	L	Shanzhou AquaSox
3	1B/RF	Riley Gough 	                34	L	Downtown Tigers
22	3B/1B	Ximena Rodriguez Castro	        26	S	Wloszakowice Pirates
15	SS	Marianne Gailloux	        26	S	Expos de Saint-Jean-Jacques
16	LF/CF	François-Xavier Couillard	28	S	Saints de Saint-Jean-Jacques
35	C	Angel Espinoza Bolivar	        28	R	Downtown Tigers

Bench

90	C	Jennifer Kleinberger	        25	S	Pélicans de Côte-des-Palmiers
3	1B/RF	Riley Gough 	                34	L	Downtown Tigers
25	3B	Raul Rodriguez Castro	        29	L	Expos de Saint-Jean-Jacques
6	SS/2B	Kaiden Swaggerty	        31	S	Flushing Blue Wahoos
9	RF	Ryder Gough	                31	L	Downtown Tigers
17	CF/RF	William Sanfaçon-Lagrandeur	26	S	Saints de Saint-Jean-Jacques
76	LF/RF/CF Rowan Gough 	                26	S	Krzyszczynka Blue Crabs

RP Permissions:

Choose my run-scorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: 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
Bench clearing brawls: Yes
DH used at home: No
Godmod other events: Yes
Other Info: The team has a real living tapir named Babe sitting on the bench as it's mascot.

by **Zenic** » Thu Aug 28, 2025 4:49 pm

"Dear lord, this is brutal."

"We always knew the schedule would be brutal. All we need to do is have a good showing. Do that and we can prove to the Ministry of Sports, and citizens across the Empire, that Zenic has potential to be a baseball nation." Siro Amando Alamilla was sat in the home team's dugout, talking with 3rd base coach Sérgio Jacinto Salcedo. They were holding practice at Sabas Andréia Arriola Park in Cote as it was the largest and mostly newest baseball field in the Empire, which is how it was chosen to be the official home field for the 61st World Baseball Classic despite being the stadium for Valverde College. Just then, the current player having batting practice knocked a ball to the warning track.

And since there was no pro league in the Empire, the collegiate path was the only way to go. Of the 28 current and recently graduated players selected, only 4 of them played for Valverde College and have intimate knowledge of the field. The others would need to get as familiar as possible soon if they wanted to even approach a .500 record in the group stage. "4th, 35th, 50th, and fellow unranked: our first 4 official matches and we have 3 nations in the top 50," Salcedo said, expanding on his previous point. "Ooo, that was a nice one," Alamilla responded as a different player hit a home run that cleared the wall easily.

"Anyways, it's our first four since our comeback," clarified Alamilla. "Remember that we participated back in the 30th World Baseball Classic. We had a decent record: 3 wins and 5 losses with a +2 run differential. Wasn't too bad but just wrong timing. Now, we've got the perfect time to revitalize interest in the sport and maybe even build a professional league. Even if it doesn't lead to a pro league, it could bolster the EACA college baseball scene enough to the point where it basically as big as other pro leagues across the world."

"That sounds like a pipe dream." Alamilla chuckled. "It is. But it never hurts to dream a little." He stood up before climbing to the top of the dugout stairs, stopping right before the field. "Okay, everyone. Time to move on from batting practice. I want infielders working on groundballs and outfielders on catching flyballs in the sunlight. Catchers and Pitchers can continue working in the bullpen and foul areas." The coaches and players on the field nodded and began to move unneeded equipment off the field to make way for fielding drills.

"Think of it this way. All we need to do is get a .500 record or close to it to achieve our goal. The best way we can do that is to win every series against our fellow unranked participants and get at least one win in every series against our ranked opponents. Do that, we might even get a little cheeky and sneak in as one of the last two in the 24 that get to go north to West Pavola for the tournament proper. Wouldn't that be exciting?" Salcedo rolled his eyes. " You're dreaming big while we are most likely gonna get crushed despite all this training."

"But we're gonna make them fight for it. And that's half the fun."

by **Drawkland** » Thu Aug 28, 2025 8:28 pm

DRAWKLAND NATIONAL BASEBALL TEAM

Name: Base Corps
Demonym: Drawkian
Physiology: Older and Taller (See Here)
27th World Baseball Classic, Rank #2
Manager: Glenn Sutton
DH at Home: Yes

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

Drawkland's Base Corps was renowned the multiverse over for the way they play baseball. Unfortunately for all Drawkian fans, the way the Base Corps played 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 used to lie in performance: the Corps never put it all together at once. When the bats did well, the pitching was erratic. When the pitching was good, the bats failed to show up. By far, Drawkland's most notable failure lies in The Choke. For some reason, the back end of Drawkland's bullpen was snakebit, and the bats rarely showed out after six frames. The blown lead was an art displayed by the Base Corps so often that many wondered if they're doing it on purpose.

However, three 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 the team just keeps getting better. Against all odds, Drawkland broke even further in WBC 59. Once again the Base Corps fell short against top-ranked South Newlandia, but this time it was taking the Elephants to Game 6 in the championship series. Now the question remains: was this just a fluke, or a sign of things to come?

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: #36 Richelle Frost, R/R
CF: #21 Zac MacBay, R/R
RF: #7 Lane Kavana, S/R
OF: #12 Connor Avalon, L/L
OF: #5 Rodrigo Jagger, R/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: #9 Serena Walters^, 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.
Barton and Newkirk will get spot starts in the group stage to prevent repeat SP matchups.
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, S/R
SP: #46 Joseph Shrubbin, R/R
SP: #28 Stuart Ryland, L/L

Relief Pitchers
SW: #35 Sara Barton, R/R
LR: #66 Sam Newkirk^, R/R
MR: #71 Brett Sadler, R/R
MR: #61 Stephanie Bullard, L/L
MR: #45 Kirby McKinney, S/L
LS: #70 Dion McDaniel*, L/L
SR: #32 Robert Butcher, R/R

Closers
SU: #33 Eddy Keaton, 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. SEE THE SCHEDULE BELOW FOR DETAILS.

With DH, vs RHP

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

With DH, vs LHP

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

no DH, vs RHP

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

no DH, vs LHP

1. (S) E. Houston    2B
2. (R) Z. MacBay     CF
3. (S) A. Gates      3B
4. (L) T. Honeycutt  1B
5. (R) J. Todd        C
6. (R) F. Morse      SS
7. (S) L. Kavana     RF
8. (R) R. Frost      LF
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 day against lefty: Ted Honeycutt DH, Jimmy Todd 1B
On non-Silvanus DH day against righty: Ted Honeycutt DH, Lane Kavana 1B, Connor Avalon RF

Coaching Staff
Manager: Glenn Sutton (#6)
Bench Coach: Keith Hawking (#12)
1st Base Coach: Carl Bancroft^ (#15)
3rd Base Coach: John Vogels (#55)
Hitting Coach: Roger Madison (#24)
Pitching Coach: Zara Nicolson^ (#29)
Bullpen Coach: Franklin Bell^ (#51)
Athletic Trainer / S&C: Nicholas Kingston

ADVANCED TEAM INFO

The Base Corps, while aggravatingly mid in performance (last two cycles notwithstanding), 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. After making two consecutive semifinals, expectations are definitely mixed. Is this a roster that can compete, especially with some longtime veterans retiring? The roster can be considered nearly elite at this point, 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 is prone to letting starters who are pitching well to keep pitching until they're no longer effective. With a full rotation of five solid starters and solid spot starters/long relievers 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 (not that it's been a huge issue nowadays).

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

Glenn Sutton - #6
Manager
Age: 97 / Corps Cycles: 5 / 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
Age: 94 / Corps Cycles: 5 / 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.

Carl Bancroft - #15
1st Base Coach
Age: 76 / Corps Cycles: 0 / Team: Archfel Skippers [DRK]

With Al Krauss going into semi-retirement after the relocation of the Sun City Flames, it was time for the Base Corps to find another new base coach. Bancroft is a defensive guru who specializes in infield play. With the skilled infielders occupying this Corps lineup, it was only natural that Sutton find an expert to draw the best out of these players defensively. Bancroft will also serve as first base coach, though he's typically the third base coach for his domestic Skippers in Archifel.

John Vogels - #55
3rd Base Coach
Age: 67 / Corps Cycles: 2 / 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
Age: 71 / Corps Cycles: 5 (as coach) / Team: Drawk Corps

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 netted a first-ballot Hall of Fame induction. 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. A sentimental pick, maybe, but it's worked out pretty well the last couple cycles.

Zara Nicolson - #29
Pitching Coach
Age: 52 / Corps Cycles: 0 / Team: Intersak Lakers [DRK]

Peter Connelly was the pitching coach for the first few cycles of the Sutton era. Devin McClellan of the Chelstio Stars took his place. Both guys did a bang-up job of pulling great performances from their starting pitchers, though they cracked under late playoff pressure. Unfortunately neither could reprise their roles this cycle, so Sutton had to find another pitching coach willing to take on this task. This time he pulled Zara Nicolson out of the hat, a rather young hire that's made waves with the Intersak pitching staff (a new expansion team finally coming into its own). With a new bullpen coach also in the mix, it'll be interesting to see how the Corps pitching staff fares this time around.

Franklin Bell - #51
Bullpen Coach
Age: 66 / Corps Cycles: 0 (as coach)

Yes, it's that Franklin Bell. The one that famously blew that 10-3 ballgame in WBC 41. Longtime closer for the Base Corps, he finally retired following the breaking of the Round of 16 curse in WBC 57 (and even earning a save in the quarterfinal series). Since then he tried getting into managing, accidentally accepting the head coaching job for the Peninsulara Kingfishers of LPB in the process. The 'Fishers proceeded to have one of their best seasons on record, and though Bell resigned his post at the end of the season, he became a legend for his apparent wisdom of the game. He had trouble finding work in Drawkland though, and has bounced from job to job. He filled in as bullpen coach for the Base Corps during their slapped-together 8 Nations Shield run. The Corps won that minor title, in part thanks to their very solid bullpen. It was enough to convince Sutton to give Bell a call a year later for the actual WBC. Is having the guy famous for the worst "blown save" in history a good hire to instruct your bullpen? I guess we'll find out.

Nicholas Kingston
Athletic Trainer / Strength & Conditioning Coach
Age: he won't tell me but it's a lot / Corps Cycles: 5 (as staff, baseball) / Team: Elite Eleven (non-PBL)

Curiously enough, Nicholas Kingston is actually a member of the Elite Eleven, the (in)famous group of eleven immortal 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 trainer and 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. As the trainer/S&C coach, Kingston doesn't wear an official jersey, but he normally wears #8 with the Elite Eleven.

Connor Avalon - #12
Center Field, Right Field, Left Field
Bats: Left / Throws: Left / Age: 31 / Corps Cycles: 1 / Team: Krakon Generals [DRK]

With longtime Corps member Jackie Santos leaving a couple cycles ago, there was a need for a hard-hitting lefty in the outfield. Connor Avalon may not be the most fearsome lefty bat in the PBL, but he's definitely in the upper tier. He's also got the speed and defensive tools one would demand from a national team outfielder, but his bat just isn't good enough to be consistently starting (especially considering his lefty-lefty splits). He's absolutely a pull hitter, and gets a fair amount of power when he gets a pitch to drive. Expect him to get some starts in this group stage, and a few pinch hit opportunities when a left hander is needed.

Miles Black - #88
Center Field, Left Field, Right Field
Bats: Left / Throws: Left / Age: 31 / Corps Cycles: 2 / 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.

Richelle Frost - #36
Left Field, First Base, Right Field, Catcher
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Age: 39 / Corps Cycles: 5 / Team: Pittsennat Cadets [DRK]

Richelle Shard was a middling corner outfield and occasional catching prospect in the Pittsennat Cadets minor league system at the beginning of her career. 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. She's the main utility option, having the versatility to play corner outfield, first base, or even catcher, but this cycle she'll be getting a lot of starts in left field. Also, she's now known as Richelle Frost, as she married fellow national teamer Aaron Frost last cycle. Congrats to them!

Rodrigo Jagger - #5
Right Field, Left Field, First Base
Bats: Right / Throws: Left / Age: 30 / Corps Cycles: 1 / Team: Corinth City Blazers [DRK]

The rare righty-swinging lefty-throwing player, Rodrigo Jagger is quite agile in the outfield. He doesn't quite have the speed to play center, but he can defensively handle the corner outfield without trouble. If he wasn't totally unable to throw right-handed, he'd likely be a third baseman. Either way, he's a solid boom-or-bust power hitter with some swagger. With the solid talent in the outfield, he may not get many starts, but he'll be a nasty option to come off the bench against lefty pitching.

Lane Kavana - #7
Right Field, Center Field, Left Field
Bats: Switch / Throws: Right / Age: 49 / Corps Cycles: 14 / Team: Gelia Blues [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 contact-heavy role. With his slightly less impressive cycles lately and the rise of the "Core Four," he's now a fearsome single/double threat late in the order.

Zac MacBay - #21
Center Field, Left Field, Right Field
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Age: 33 / Corps Cycles: 3 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 well-acquainted in the PBL, MacBay is a perennial All-Star and former 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. Due no true center fielder left on the roster, MacBay is stepping into his secondary position for most of the games this cycle.

Hunter Braddock - #19
First Base, Third Base
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Age: 35 / Corps Cycles: 2 / 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 with a few spot starts sprinkled in. 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 / Age: 36 / Corps Cycles: 5 / Team: Jaffro Drawks [SNL/DRK]

Coming up with the Pittsennat Cadets at about the same time as Richelle Shard (now Richelle Frost), 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 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. Make sure you're alert with runners on base too: he's been known to drop a bunt down every now and then.

Alexander Gates - #8
Third Base, Shortstop, Left Field
Bats: Switch / Throws: Right / Age: 32 / Corps Cycles: 3 / 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 since then.

Serena Walters - #9
Second Base, Shortstop, Third Base
Bats: Left / Throws: Right / Age: 27 / Corps Cycles: 0 / Team: Hellenmack Athletics [DRK]

Serena Walters is one of the rare players that intentionally sought out a tryout with the Base Corps going into their training camp. A rookie last year in Hellenmack, Walters put together a nice campaign and even earned some ROTY votes, ultimately falling short of the award itself. Still, she was easily the most consistent bat in the Athletic lineup despite being moved around the infield defensively all season. Sutton recognized the drive in her game and brought Walters on to fill the utility position ... for now.

Ted Honeycutt - #13
First Base, Designated Hitter
Bats: Left / Throws: Left / Age: 33 / Corps Cycles: 3 / 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. He even won LPB MVP for the Jaffro Drawks in their SNL league pennant-winning season, and has been a consistent star in the league ever since.

Elizabeth Houston - #10
Second Base, Shortstop, Third Base
Bats: Switch / Throws: Right / Age: 33 / Corps Cycles: 3 / 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, and though she hasn't captured a league MVP, she has won All-Star Game and Drawkian Series MVP honors. She heats up at the right time and has a penchant for taking over series. If she starts cooking, look out!

Flynn Morse - #23
Shortstop, Third Base, Second Base
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Age: 28 / Corps Cycles: 2 / 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 with opportunities for occasional starts.

Tyler Silvanus - #11
Starting Pitcher, Designated Hitter
Bats: Left / Throws: Right / Age: 34 / Corps Cycles: 4 / 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 seasons (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 / Age: 35 / Corps Cycles: 4 / 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 / Age: 38 / Corps Cycles: 5 / 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.

Joseph Shrubbin - #46
Starter
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Age: 36 / Corps Cycles: 2 / 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 former Corps member Jeffry Judd, but pitching from the right side. Joe also has pretty good stamina, often pitching 6 or 7, but he's not prone to shutouts. Unsurprisingly, he was renowned for his quality starts last cycle. 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 hit 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. Assuming his sinker is sinking properly, Joe Shrub can deliver a win easy.

Stuart Ryland - #28
Starter
Bats: Left / Throws: Left / Age: 29 / Corps Cycles: 1 / Team: Waxton Jets [DRK]
4-seam fastball, slider changeup, sweeper

Stuart Ryland (often called Stu) is the latest lefty fireballing sensation in the PBL. A counterpart to Boone's softer, weak-contact inducing left arsenal, Stu is more of a power pitcher who can touch triple digits and embarrass lefties with his slider. He's also great against righties, using his changeup for a good change of speeds to get whiffs. He's been top three in pitcher of the year voting in the PBL with the Waxton Jets, and most fans assume he'll be capturing one sooner rather than later.

Sara Barton - #35
Swing Pitcher, Long Relief, Spot Starts
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Age: 37 / Corps Cycles: 3 / Team: Jaffro Drawks [SNL / DRK]
4-seam fastball, changeup, curveball, 2-seam fastball, sweeper

Sara Barton is normally a starter for the Jaffro Drawks, 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 in her younger years. With the move to a 30-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'll have a couple starts in the group stage and maybe some relief action in between. She's a flexible pitcher who can throw a lot of pitches on relatively short notice, and though none of her stuff is overpowering, her deceptive timing and solid command keeps hitters off guard.

Sam Newkirk - #66
Long Reliever, Spot starter
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Age: 31 / Corps Cycles: 0 / Team: Ducentu Brown Sox [DRK]
Knuckleball, 4-seam fastball, 12-6 curveball, sweeper

Sneaking onto the Corps roster for the Eight Nations Shield turned out to be the best move of young knuckleballer Sam Newkirk's career. Though he only pitched in two games (both dead rubbers where he gave up some runs), it was enough to get attention of a couple squads for spring training immediately afterward. As a free agent with little options, he pitched well enough for the Ducentu Brown Sox to sign him as a late rotation arm. Newkirk put together a pretty good year, earning an extension with Ducentu but still getting questions about his long-term viability. With no other pitchers to fill the role of departing Hugo Sharpe, Sutton called Newkirk and asked him if he wanted to play a long relief/spot starting role. Newkirk jumped at the chance, though whether his knuckleball-dependent arsenal can work at the national team level remains to be seen.

Brett Sadler - #71
Middle Reliever, Primary
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Age: 37 / Corps Cycles: 3 / Team: Bellator Cavaliers [DRK]
4-seam fastball, cutter, slider, changeup, 12-6 curve

Brett Sadler is a solid reliever for the Cavaliers, going 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 has seen his wicked fastball/cutter/slider combo be good for an inning or two every day or two, and hope he keeps that going. 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 / Age: 36 / Corps Cycles: 2 / 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. Of course, she's also nasty against lefties.

Kirby McKinney - #45
Middle Reliever, Lefty Specialist
Bats: Switch / Throws: Left / Age: 34 / Corps Cycles: 1 / Team: Archifel Skippers [DRK]
4-seam fastball, sweeper, curveball changeup, 2-seam fastball

Kirby McKinney is a solid lefty option, and has really blossomed in the last two seasons with the Archifel Skippers. His sudden ascent to the upper echelon of lefty relievers came at the right time. With the departure of Darnell Rivers, the Base Corps was in need of another solid lefty middle reliever, and McKinney was happy to answer the call. He doesn't have lights-out stuff, but his sweeper and curveball both have some pretty ridiculous break that can make even righties look foolish.

Robert Butcher - #32
Short Reliever, high leverage
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Age: 35 / Corps Cycles: 4 / 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 25 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 / Age: 42 / Corps Cycles: 5 / 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 from Drawkland, serving as a late-game option in Vargas City of Super-Llamaland. He primarily employs a high nineties 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. He's served as the resident lefty specialist of the Corps for a decade now, and with his velocity and spin waning, this is likely his last go-round.

Eddy Keaton - #33
Setup Reliever, Lefty Closer
Bats: Left / Throws: Left / Age: 32 / Corps Cycles: 1 / Team: Raikennax Eruptors [DRK]
4-seam fastball, slider,2-seam fastball changeup

Having a lights-out lefty closer isn't super common, but Eddy Keaton fits that bill. With his long hair and lanky form, he has a certain presence on the mound that opposing hitters fear. He's fearless against even the best lineups in baseball, but he has blown a couple saves in the playoffs for the Eruptors. Surely inviting him to the Corps won't backfire, right? He's so good 95% of the time thanks to his gaseous fastballs and disgusting slider, so Sutton felt it was safe enough to bring him on for a setup role against lineups with several lefties coming up, or with Bell out of commission. He's good enough against righties to warrant play against any lineup normally, so it should be fine.

Trevor Bell - #41
Setup Reliever, Backup Closer
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Age: 33 / Corps Cycles: 3 / 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's a fiery pitcher who loves to pitch in big spots and has yet to horrifically blow an important lead.

Lorraine Lockwood - #60
Closer
Bats: Right / Throws: Right / Age: 37 / Corps Cycles: 7 / 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 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. She's been the designated closer for the Corps since Franklin Bell's retirement, though she may get action earlier in the game if the situation calls for it, since she works well in high leverage.

MISCELLANEOUS INFO

The Base Corps' main home field has been designated as Hydrogen Cyanide Field, a ballpark housing a massive 75,000. It's nestled in the middle of Drawk City, near the Sports Quarter of the city around the Drawkland River. The field is regularly used by the Drawk City Scouts, but in the offseason it's used by the Base Corps and as a stage for events. Drawkian cities are huge (especially Drawk City) and full of sports fans, hence the larger capacity than your average ballpark.

The ballpark itself is an elaborate retro-classic jewelbox, with an intricate brick exterior and a tasteful metal interior. From the outside it resembles a scaled-up version of the Scouts' first real stadium back in the early days of the game. The entire stadium itself references the three previous venues the Scouts had called home. The outfield dimensions are split into thirds, with each third exactly matching the dimensions of one of the previous parks. Beyond the outfield there's several standing-room-only decks which help bring the stadium around to fully enclose the field, one of the stadium's most striking features. It plays as a hitter's park, occasionally to the benefit of the Base Corps.

Drawk City is a massive, sprawling city of many millions. Because of this, travel can get congested, but there are lots of options for travelers. For teams, buses can be used, and there are several charter/private bus companies who are welcoming visiting teams. Traveling by airship is the favorable option for those wanting to see a big slice of Drawkian culture, traveling in the city. Trains are commonly used for transportation within the city, and the light rail transit system has been perfected over the course of centuries.

Getting to the city also heralds several options. Drawk City has a space port for those from non-Sonnelian regions, and an airport for more "local" travels (say if a team went to a space port with cheaper rates and flew into Drawk City by plane). You can also travel sans-spaceflight by taking a normal airline flight through the portal in Stratosphere City, Isles of Avon (Rushmore) or Elephant Valley, South Newlandia (Esportiva). When in Drawkland, long distance trains or rental self-driving floating cars are excellent options to get between cities.

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.

This cycle will also see a couple other Drawkian venues used for home series. Here's the quick blurbs for each venue, copied from the WBC 55 host notes. See the pitching schedule at the bottom of this post for more information about when these venues will be used.

Bellator Batting Grounds (88,513)
- Classy, wooden look. Made of seven separate grandstands which were connected during a refurbishment project.
- Serves as a full-time venue for both baseball and cricket on the exact same pitch. Big dimensions.
- Bellator. One of Drawkland’s oldest and biggest cities. Large, historical western trading post.
- Cavaliers. Have had good success and several dynasties in their long history.

Craggold Field (77,749)
- Historic jewelbox park. Refurbished many times, but original dimensions are still intact.
- Located right next to a bare cliff face, resulting in short dimensions (tall wall) in right field.
- Sadeg. Birthplace of Drawkland’s leader Iarocav, one of the nation’s most famous cities.
- Knights. Historic franchise littered with legends throughout their tenure.

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 most things.
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 **Paradystopia** » Thu Aug 28, 2025 11:57 pm

There is a quick reference guide at bottom of this post for those not wishing to sift through all my nonsense to find relevant information. It's in a spoiler box labelled 'Short Form Roster and National Info' underneath my RP permissions.

"Proudly" sponsored by Burgunden Breueries

The Paradystopi Baseball logo which is absolutely not a five minute edit of the Paradystopi Cricket logo

The History of Baysball (sic) in Paradystopia.

From Antiquity to Immediately prior to the present:

Did not exist

From Immediately prior to the present to Present day:

An unknown cricket player, likely in a drunken stupor, made a passing comment to a cricketing board member (also likely rather drunk) with regards to the apparent similarity between cricket and baseball (Both sports require an individual to strike a ball with a bat, and then run), and things snowballed from there. The fact that we are here, competing upon the multi-verse's biggest stage in baseball is testament to the persistence and stubbornness of the average Paradystopi once they've had a drink or seven.

An Overview of Cricket (and by extension, ~~baysball~~ baseball) in Paradystopia.

Cricket barely qualifies as sport in Paradystopia, yet is still wildly popular.

This is because it is, for the most part, a glorified drinking game.

Paradystopi weather has never particularly lent itself to playing an entertaining contest of cricketing prowess. With frequent rain delays and abandoned matches, players and fan ended up spending a large amount of time in the pavillion, with the occasional beverage to while away the boredom. Over time, this became increasingly more prevalent and the hijinks that occurred in the clubhouse soon overtook what was happening out on the field as the main spectacle of interest. Players began claiming spurious injuries, fans would start 'rain dances' in the stands, groundskeepers would 'accidentally' leave hosepipes running overnight, and so on. Eventually, after an unusually dry summer, the cricket board decided to declare cricket 'a winter sport' and the cricket the Paradystopi know and love today was born; competitive drinking, with a slogfest of an over or two if you were unlucky.

In recent times, there has been somewhat of a push to return to 'actually' playing cricket but how successful this will prove to be, remains to be seen.

Where ~~Baseball~~ Baysball is played in Paradystopia

In short, on one small island a short boat ride from the capital of New Newetoun.

Before the decision was made to insert ourselves onto the multiversal baseball scene, all that existed there were patches of wild meadowland, roving wild geese and a small village named Gooston-by-the-Sea.

Now, knowing that we had an international community of baseball lovers to cater for, and with the baseball loving nation of South Newlandia only a short flight away, a team of South Newlandian architects and stadium designers were brought in to turn this rural wasteland into a prime sporting venue; an island dedicated to international sporting competition, something to put Gooston-by-the-Sea on the international map as a gem within the list of reknown Esportivan stadia. The pinnacle of ultimate arenas; 'The Nub'.

That's what we told them anyway.

They arrived with big ideas for a huge 50,000+ seater stadium, with state-of-the-art training facilities, impressively striking architecture, and all the necessary modern conveniences to make this one of the most exceptional arenas in existence. Truly, it would've been a sight to behold, a venue that players would dream of playing at, and fans would be willing to pay exorbitant sums of money just for five minutes sitting in the cheap seats and gazing upon the pristine grass far below.

If you were refer to the section 'An Overview of Cricket in Paradystopia', it would probably be apparent that this probably isn't the sort of thing we were actually looking for, and you'd be correct. Our first and foremost concern was 'Where are you putting the bar?', followed closely by 'How big is it?', and then, 'Shouldn't it be bigger than that?', or 'Can we fit another bar in?' By the time The Nub was constructed, it more closely resembled a massive food hall that specialises in the whole gamut of alcohol beverages with an adequate baseball field boasting acceptable facilities and 27,130 seats tagged on the side as somewhat of an afterthought.

Given the beyond-excessive number of included drinking establishments within The Nub, the relevant authorities struck up a sponsorship deal with Burgunden Breueries of Neu Engollen whom are now a major supplier to the facility, as well as sponsors for the baseball team themselves. (Sponsorship application can be found HERE)

Another suggestion put forward by the South Newlandians was to rehome the island's population of wild geese whose aggressive nature proved quite an issue during construction and whose continued presence was very likely to be most counterproductive to actually playing baseball. This was a very sensible recommendation but given that the native residents of Gooston-by-the-Sea considered the presence of the geese to be of cultural significance to the island itself, the bureaucracy surrounding the removal and rehoming of native species was more than any lawyer cared to sift or negotiate their way through, and frankly, no-one could be bothered.

Some Promotional Photos:

The Paradystopia ~~Cricket~~ Baseball Squad

Our kit, which are absolutely not some old greying cricket whites repurposed.

Quick Note:
For those unaware, Pterons are a race of otterfolk who resemble oversized sea otters. Stood on their back paws, they are around 4 feet tall and, should you find yourself facing one at bat, could prove a challenge for your pitcher given the placement of their strike-zone being markedly different to that of the average human.

Those who can, or who may Pitch
Starters
The starters are primarily pitchers
1. Preener Crackanurchin (M/7/Pteron) RH
Preener is Paradystopia's most adept spin-bowler, and has managed to cater his ability to get ludicrous movement from a cricket ball surprisingly well to baseball pitching. Apparently it's due in part to having small dextrous paws that can apply a whole arsenal of different spins on a ball whilst keeping the pitching action itself remarkably uniform. He can't really get a great deal of pace on the ball, but when you see the things he can do with his off-pace deliveries, you'll be wishing for a fastball. Expect a few crazy eephus pitches as well.
In the batting order, he's as good as an automatic out. On a very lucky day, he might hit something with all the power of a gentle bunt.
2. Spencer Merriweather (a.k.a. 'Spence') (M/25/Human) RH
Whereas Preener is a master of the slow delivery, Spencer is all about the fastball and strives to beat his opponent with pace (though the accuracy could do with a little work). He can mix things up with the occasional cutter, sinker or forkball but generally will only resort to these if his speed isn't working for him.
At bat, he's confident, but inept. Will swing hard, and could get lucky.
3. Gwendolyn Wylde (a.k.a. 'Gwendo', 'Wendo') (F/29/Human) LH
Gwendolyn has practiced her splitter to the point that it's pretty damn effective. Sadly, this cannot be said of her other deliveries which are average at best, though she could catch a few people out with her changeup when it 1.) Comes at the batter unexpectedly that bit slower, and 2.) Doesn't dip wildly around the plate.
Surprisingly capable with the bat, for a pitcher that is.
4. Stupid Musselmunch (a.k.a. 'Stoo', 'Stew-pot') (M/4/Pteron) LH
Despite Preener's attempts to coach Stupid in the art of lutrine spin, young Stu sadly lives up to his name. However, though he may not have the range of spinning deliveries of his tutor, his training sessions brought about something rather serendipitous. He is actually pretty good at throwing knuckleballs. Now, it's by no means a precise art, some days work better than others for him, and it's not like he has anything else at his disposal but on his day, he'll be a nightmare to hit.
Not terrible with the bat, but will probably require some luck to get on base.
5. Portia Benedict (a.k.a. 'Dickie') (F/19/Human) LH
Portia's skill at pitching lies in her curveballs which she does get a fair bit of movement out of. Can spice things up with a slurve, or even a screwball on occasion. Though she's good at getting movement in the air, her accuracy tends to let her down.
Has little hope of achieving anything with the bat.
Relief/Finishers
The relief/finishing pitchers are all somewhat two-way players
Numbers 6, 7, and 8 are pitchers who can bat. Numbers 13, 17, and 18 are batters who can pitch (By Paradystopi standards anyway ...)
6. Tomislav Savić (a.k.a. 'Tommo', 'Savage') (M/26/Human) RH
Tomislav as a pitcher, like Spencer, focuses mostly upon speed being his primary weapon. Usually alternates between the 4-seam and the 2-seam varieties but unlike Spencer, he has a decent change-up. Has been known to attempt a knuckleball with variable results.
At bat, he's a bit of a liability. A powerful hitter when he makes contact. If he makes contact. Could be brought in later on as a pitcher who can (potentially) pinch hit.
7. Skwee Darter (a.k.a. 'Squeaky') (F/7/Pteron) RH
Skwee is markedly similar to Preener, though not quite as adept with her spin. That said, she can get a little more pace on the ball than her Pteron brethren, mixing up the tricksy looping slow balls with something with a little more 'spice'.
She's the strongest batter amongst the otters and capable of making decent contact. Don't expect huge amounts of power behind her hits though.
8. Dorothy Springfield (a.k.a. 'Butcher') (F/28/Human) RH
Dorothy is the team's wild card pitcher, and given that the squad is mostly made up of wild cards with no proven experience, that's saying something. She can get a bit of curve on her deliveries, but she's liable to give anything a go if she finds herself on the mound. She might even try submarine pitching. Who knows?
At bat, she's nothing to write home about, but she's also certainly far from the worst player when at the plate.
13. Priscilla Gideon-Sterling (a.k.a. 'Giddy') (F/21/Human) LH
see 'Infielders'
17. Genevieve Burton-Hawley (a.k.a. 'GBH') (F/24/Human) RH
see 'Outfielders'
18. Quinn Bartholomew (NB/24/Human) RH
see 'Outfielders'

Those who can be found in the field
Catchers
9. Tarquin Buckley-Greaves (a.k.a. 'Tarka') (M/32/Human) LH
A solid wicket-keeper by trade, Tarquin's adapted fairly well to catching duty. Still getting the hang of being aware of runners stealing bases though.
Batting-wise, he's pretty reliable with his contact. He has the power to hit homers, but is more likely to err on the side of a well placed hit than trying to smack balls out of the park.
10. Colton Turney (M/25/Human) RH
The reason that Colton is playing back-up catcher is not down to any sort of ability or natural fit. It's that he considers it the position in the field that requires the least amount of movement. This should tell you everything you need to know about why he's very much a last-resort sort of player.
Actually not that bad with the bat, but hardly the most enthusiastic player when it comes to base-running.
Infielders
11. Horatio Blackewood (a.k.a. 'Woody') (M/26/Human) LH
Horatio is primarily a batter, and a pretty strong one at that. Has good contact, pretty damn capable in the power department when he wants, and able to pick his deliveries well. In fact, from a technical standpoint, he's probably our best batter though perhaps somewhat unfairly overshadowed by the various slog-meisters in the squad.
He's a decent fielder, though liable to forget when he's meant to be marshalling a base and not at, say, deep mid-on.
12. President Pisshead (a.k.a. 'The Prez', 'El Presidente') (M/27/Human) RH
You're probably questioning this guy's name, right? Is it his real name? Yes, and no. His birth name was August Humphrey, and after a rather cruel drunken prank which involved a deed poll application, he now has the official name of President Pisshead. Sadly for him, Paradystopi law dictates an individual, upon changing their name via deed poll, must wait at least twelve months before they can legally change it again so he's got at least another 8 months or so of being Mr. P. Pisshead.
Somewhat of a fielding captain within cricket, so naturally demands the important role of first base (which is another reason for how he got the name 'President'). At bat, he'll be trying to smack it which will likely yield good results, if he makes contact.
13. Priscilla Gideon-Sterling (a.k.a. 'Giddy') (F/21/Human) LH
A bit of a jack-of-all-trades, Priscilla is adequate in most roles required. She can throw an acceptable fastball, can hit a baseball well on a good day, and more-or-less knows what she's doing as a fielder.
14. Percival Fitzbarrington (a.k.a. 'Bazza') (M/28/Human) RH
Percival is a nutter, and quite the liability to have on the field. Annoyingly, not only is he pretty good at hitting things with bats, but he's fields with the relentless energy of a rabid weasel in a rabbit pen. Granted, he's just as likely to start a fight with a team-mate, as with an opponent, or even umpire if something goes against him, but having his unhinged passion at Short-stop is actually quite beneficial to the team.
15. Evelyn Murray-Spotsworthy (a.k.a. 'Spotty') (F/22/Human) RH
The role that Evelyn takes within the team is that of an emergency infielder should the team require it. Batting-wise, she's not exactly brilliant but might get a lucky contact.
7. Skwee Darter (a.k.a. 'Squeaky') (F/7/Pteron) RH
see 'Relief/Finishers'
Outfielders
16. Ogden Locke (a.k.a. 'Oggy') (M/22/Human) RH
As far as batsmen who fit Paradystopia's unusual style of cricket, Ogden is near enough perfect. An absolute brute with a loud and obnoxious persona who is not only a fearless, powerful and capable slugger, but who can drink just about anyone under the table any day of the week. All we can add to that is that we're very glad he's on our side.
In the field, Ogden has a cannon arm and great reach. He's certainly not the quickest on his feet though.
17. Genevieve Burton-Hawley (a.k.a. 'GBH') (F/24/Human) RH
It does need stating that Genevieve's nickname is purely ironic as she one of the most mild-mannered members of the team. She has strived to adapt her game and with some positive indications. Don't let her calm temperament fool you, she's good with her contact and can get more power behind her hits than her small frame would have you believe.
Should she end up on the mound, she's the closest thing Paradystopia have to a closer being able to get decent pace and a fair bit of movement from the ball.
18. Quinn Bartholomew (NB/24/Human) RH
One of the more reliable contact hitters in the squad, Quinn is also probably the most astute base-runner of anyone on the team. They have a rapid turn of pace and decent positional awareness which also allows them to cover a large amount of space out in the deep field.
Pitching, they are an adequate medium-pace sort-of pitcher with decent variances in speed and a bit of movement. Given that they're pretty good with their awareness, they're the most likely pitcher to catch out those trying to steal bases. Whether those on base will realise what's going on and make the play should the situation arise is another matter.
19. Zachary Wallis (a.k.a. 'Wally') (M/26/Human) LH
Having the ability to smash hits incredible distances, Zachary will take the role of designated hitter should it ever be called for. Why don't we have such a powerful hitter in the line-up all the time, you might ask? Because he's pretty much useless at anything that isn't hitting things with a lump of wood. Could get called in for pinch hitting duties providing that the coach remembers that that is a thing.
6. Tomislav Savić (a.k.a. 'Tommo', 'Savage') (M/26/Human) RH
see 'Relief/Finishers'
8. Dorothy Springfield (a.k.a. 'Butcher') (F/28/Human) RH
see 'Relief/Finishers'

Those who supposedly coach
Head Coach
Wilfred Barnabus (M/71/Human)
A member of the Paradystopi Cricket Board, Wilfred once saw a game of baseball, or it might have been softball, at some point in his youth. This probably makes him the most qualified Paradystopi person to coach the team, so here he is. The fact he has had this responsibility thrust upon him is a source of constant annoyance and he'd really rather be anywhere else. That said, he's likely to be the first to get in an umpire's face if he feels his team have been wronged by a bad decision. Known as 'The Walrus' behind his back by the squad, which gives a surprisingly accurate description of the man.

The Paradystopia ~~Cricket~~ Baysball Line-Ups

The most likely batting order, and fielding positions are

1. 3B Horatio Blackewood
2. RF Quinn Bartholomew
3. LF Ogden Locke
4. C. Tarquin Buckley-Greaves
5. 1B President Pisshead (August Humphrey)
6. CF Genevieve Rowley-Burton
7. SS Percival Fitzbarrington
8. 2B Priscilla Gideon-Sterling
9. P. Active Pitcher

If we're allowed a DH, Zachary Wallis will slot in at number 3 with everyone else dropping down a position.

The team are fairly fluid though, and people are welcome to RP my players being in different positions, changing positions mid-game, bizarre substitutions occurring, etc.

Paradystopi ~~Baysball~~ Baseball Tactics

You really think we have any sort of discernable tactical outlook or strategies? We barely know how to play this damn game.

*sigh*

If you really want the insider knowledge into our mindset going into each game, it is this ...

Offense
1.) Hit ball
2.) Run
3.) Don't get out
Defense
1.) Get them out
2.) Don't concede runs
Other
1.) Try not to get too drunk

That's our plan, and we're sticking to it.

RP Thingymajigs

RP Permissions
Choose my runscorers: By all means
Choose my lineup: If you wish
Choose my scoring events: Go for it
Follow my pitching rotation: If you want
Use DH at home: N'ah. Let's go old school.
Eject my players: Certainly, please do
Godmod scoring events: Yup
RP injuries to my players: No problem, as long as you don't kill/maim them
Godmod Injuries to my players: Fine by me, though see above
RP injuries to my native wildfowl: Don't you dare
Godmod other events: I welcome it

I would also like to clarify that 1. Preener Crackanurchin, 4. Skwee Darter, and 17. Genevieve Burton-Hawley are the most professional of my players and the ones who would not be drinking during a game.
Of the others (coach included), you are welcome to have them become progressively more tipsy during a game and that affecting their abilities, though I do ask that they save getting drunk to a level of incapacitation until after the match. They are, after all, seasoned drinkers and very capable of pacing themselves accordingly.

TL:DR Roster Stuff

History of Paradystopi Baseball:

There isn't one. Drunken cricketers decided to try their hand at something new.

Stadium Info:

The Nub - 27,130 seat stadium attached to a food hall that's full of all manner of bars and drinking establishments. Also, lots of aggressive geese who may or may not cause problems for you whilst trying to play here.

Starting pitchers

1. Preener Crackanurchin - RH - Full arsenal of dangerous slow deliveries
2. Spencer Merriweather - RH - Fastballs, and more fastballs
3. Gwendolyn Wylde - LH - Very good splitter, anything else average at best
4. Stupid Musselmunch - RH - Knuckleballs. Just knuckleballs
5. Portia Benedict - LH - Curveballs. Good movement, but not very accurate

Other pitchers

6. Tomislav Savić - RH - Speedster, but with decent speed variance
7. Skwee Darter - RH - Like Preener, bit less movement, bit more velocity
8. Dorothy Springfield - RH - You name it, she'll try it, and with wildly varying results
13. Priscilla Gideon-Sterling - LH - Average fastball, but nothing special
17. Genevieve Burton-Hawley - RH - Decent fastball, and good movement
18. Quinn Bartholomew - RH - Good at catching out base stealers, fairly average otherwise

A Potential Batting Order

.                                    Hand   Contact         Power
1. 3B Horatio Blackewood             LH     V.Good          V.Good
2. RF Quinn Bartholomew              RH     V.Good          Good
3. LF Ogden Locke                    RH     Average         Outstanding
4. C. Tarquin Buckley-Greaves        LH     V.Good          Good
5. 1B President Pisshead             RH     Average         Excellent
6. CF Genevieve Rowley-Burton        RH     Good            Good
7. SS Percival Fitzbarrington        RH     Below Average   Excellent
8. 2B Priscilla Gideon-Sterling      LH     Good            Average
9. P. Active Pitcher                        Likely Poor     Likely Poor
3. DH Zachary Wallis                 LH     V.Good          Outstanding

If allowed a DH, they will bat at 3 with everyone else dropping down a position.

Most likely to ...

Hit a Home Run - Ogden Locke, Horatio Blackewood, Zachary Wallis (if he's in the order)
Get Ejected - Percival Fitzbarrington, Ogden Locke, Wilfred Barnabus
Pinch Hit - Zachary Wallis, Tomislav Savić, Colton Turney

by **Katzeburg** » Fri Aug 29, 2025 8:19 am

Baseball in Katzeburg is something with a deeply rich history which can be succinctly summed up as 'it's a thing which exists'. The nation is entering the World Baseball Classic for the first time ever in the competition's 61st cycle, having previously entered an amateur team at the 4th Esportivan Sporting Festival - where the side would promptly charge to a 1-4 finish and last place in their group. That team, like all good Katzeburgian national teams, was pulled up from random players who were willing to go get dunked on overseas for the benefit of having a free trip, and while the team entering the WBC is almost the exact same as that squad which did dangerously horrible in the Esportivan Sporting Festival, they at least have enough funding behind them to have their own jerseys and a fool who was willing to take on the manager role of the team.

The players have been pulled from local amateur teams in the country's east - where interest in the sport is the highest, where locals commonly say things like "the hell is a baseball?" and "how did you get into my house?". Rather contrastingly to the many top tier sides the country will face in the WBC, Katzeburg will play their home games in the city of Fischbucht on the country's south-east coast at Southfields Park, a small baseball ground with a rough capacity of just under 2,500 - meaning any sell outs would smash any record turnout at the ground (the previous record is 39, although even this is disputed as six of those in attendance were sheep let loose from a nearby paddock).

Quick Facts
Team Nickname - Kittens
DH at Home - Yes
Debut - 4th Esportivan Sporting Festival
All-Time Record - 1-4
Stadium - Southfields Park, Fischbucht (2,500)

Manager

David Muller
Managerial Debut - WBC 61 / Overall Record - 0-0 / Age - 57
Given the role of manager because he took a wrong turn into the national team's WBC preparation meeting, Muller is someone who has never played an innings of baseball in his entire life, but has read enough about the sport to have some idea of what do to. With groundbreaking strategies like 'hit the ball hard' and 'don't miss the ball', he's hoping that he will have enough experience to guide the team to at least a better showing than their Esportivan Sporting Festival performance - or at the very least, one which is record-breakingly worse.

Batting Roster

+--------+---------------------+-----+-------------------+----------------------+--------------+----+---+---+-----+----+----+----+---------+
| Number | Player              | Age | Position          | Team                 | Games Played | AB | R | H | RBI | HR | BB | SO | Average |
+--------+---------------------+-----+-------------------+----------------------+--------------+----+---+---+-----+----+----+----+---------+
| 1      | Antonia Lyall       | 23  | Catcher           | Mausport Mice        | 3            | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2   | 0  | 0  | 3  | 0.200   |
| 17     | Louie Wallis        | 19  | Catcher           | Braunburg Spiders    | 2            | 7  | 0 | 1 | 1   | 0  | 0  | 3  | 0.143   |
| 2      | Collin Neely        | 18  | First Base        | Fischbucht Fisherman | 3            | 11 | 1 | 3 | 2   | 1  | 0  | 2  | 0.273   |
| 16     | Savannah Bennet     | 40  | First Base        | Allester Peppers     | 2            | 7  | 1 | 2 | 2   | 0  | 1  | 2  | 0.286   |
| 3      | Teal Egger          | 32  | Second Base       | Nordock Sailors      | 3            | 9  | 0 | 1 | 0   | 0  | 0  | 3  | 0.111   |
| 15     | Ruth Gartner        | 32  | Second Base       | Braunburg Spiders    | 2            | 7  | 1 | 1 | 0   | 0  | 0  | 2  | 0.143   |
| 4      | Fortune Willard     | 21  | Third Base        | Hundsend Terriers    | 3            | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0   | 0  | 0  | 4  | 0.200   |
| 14     | Diane Flowers       | 39  | Third Base        | Mausport Mice        | 2            | 7  | 0 | 1 | 1   | 0  | 0  | 2  | 0.143   |
| 5      | Jaiden Rice         | 31  | Shortstop         | Braunburg Spiders    | 3            | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0   | 0  | 0  | 3  | 0.083   |
| 13     | Clayton Blythe      | 23  | Shortstop         | Nordock Sailors      | 2            | 7  | 1 | 1 | 0   | 0  | 0  | 2  | 0.143   |
| 6      | Briggs Walther      | 19  | Left Field        | Hundsend Terriers    | 3            | 9  | 1 | 0 | 0   | 0  | 2  | 4  | 0.000   |
| 12     | Roddy Garland       | 36  | Left Field        | Allester Peppers     | 2            | 6  | 0 | 1 | 1   | 0  | 1  | 2  | 0.167   |
| 7      | Luanna Nye          | 32  | Center Field      | Fischbucht Fisherman | 3            | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0   | 0  | 0  | 3  | 0.167   |
| 11     | Ann Alan            | 36  | Center Field      | Nordock Sailors      | 2            | 8  | 1 | 3 | 1   | 0  | 0  | 2  | 0.375   |
| 8      | Crispian Anthonyson | 39  | Right Field       | Braunburg Spiders    | 5            | 19 | 2 | 5 | 1   | 0  | 0  | 5  | 0.263   |
| 10     | Genesis Tobias      | 30  | Right Field       | Hundsend Terriers    | 5            | 19 | 1 | 3 | 1   | 0  | 0  | 6  | 0.158   |
| 9      | Eddie Smith         | 24  | Designated Hitter | Mausport Mice        | 0            | 0  | 0 | 0 | 0   | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0.000   |
+--------+---------------------+-----+-------------------+----------------------+--------------+----+---+---+-----+----+----+----+---------+

OOC: All stats have been partly generated using AI (Asking stats to be generated based off individual scorelines).

Batting Order

With DH
1 - (R) Anthonyson (RF)
2 - (R) Neely (1B)
3 - (L) Nye (CF)
4 - (S) Lyall (C)
5 - (L) Egger (2B)
6 - (S) Smith (DH)
7 - (R) Walther (LF)
8 - (R) Willard (3B)
9 - (L) Rice (SS)

Without DH
1 - (R) Anthonyson (RF)
2 - (R) Neely (1B)
3 - (L) Nye (CF)
4 - (S) Lyall (C)
5 - (L) Egger (2B)
6 - (R) Walther (LF)
7 - (R) Willard (3B)
8 - (L) Rice (SS)
9 - (/) Pitcher

Pitching Roster

+--------+------------------+-----+------------------+----------------------+--------------+----+---+---+----+----+----+
| Number | Player           | Age | Position         | Team                 | Games Played | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
+--------+------------------+-----+------------------+----------------------+--------------+----+---+---+----+----+----+
| 18     | Lettice Werner   | 21  | Starting Pitcher | Braunburg Spiders    | 1            | 6  | 7 | 4 | 4  | 2  | 7  |
| 19     | Maxton Sangster  | 38  | Starting Pitcher | Allester Peppers     | 1            | 6  | 7 | 5 | 5  | 2  | 6  |
| 20     | Pace Unkle       | 24  | Starting Pitcher | Nordock Sailors      | 1            | 6  | 7 | 4 | 4  | 1  | 6  |
| 21     | Tianna McLain    | 34  | Starting Pitcher | Hundsend Terriers    | 1            | 8  | 5 | 2 | 2  | 1  | 9  |
| 22     | Toni Kurzmann    | 29  | Starting Pitcher | Mausport Mice        | 1            | 9  | 6 | 2 | 2  | 1  | 10 |
| 23     | Naomi Courtney   | 19  | Relief Pitcher   | Fischbucht Fisherman | 1            | 2  | 1 | 1 | 1  | 0  | 1  |
| 24     | Hatty Holmwood   | 34  | Relief Pitcher   | Braunburg Spiders    | 1            | 2  | 2 | 1 | 1  | 0  | 1  |
| 25     | Leanora Beringer | 30  | Relief Pitcher   | Nordock Sailors      | 1            | 2  | 0 | 0 | 0  | 0  | 2  |
| 26     | Britney Glazier  | 41  | Relief Pitcher   | Hundsend Terriers    | 1            | 1  | 0 | 0 | 0  | 0  | 1  |
| 27     | Spirit Wendell   | 28  | Closing Pitcher  | Allester Peppers     | 0            | 0  | 0 | 0 | 0  | 0  | 0  |
+--------+------------------+-----+------------------+----------------------+--------------+----+---+---+----+----+----+

OOC: All stats have been partly generated using AI (Asking stats to be generated based off individual scorelines).

Pitching Rotation Order

Starters
1 - Werner
2 - Sangster
3 - Unkle
4 - McLain
5 - Kurzmann

Bullpen
RP1 - Courtney
RP2 - Holmwood
RP3 - Beringer
RP4 - Glazier
CP - Wendell

Schedule

S1 - vs Paradystopia @ The Nub, Paradystopia
S2 - vs Quebec and Shingoryeo @ Southfields Park, Katzeburg
S3 - vs Drawkland @ Hydrogen Cyanide Field, Drawkland
S4 - vs Ko-oren @ TBA, Ko-oren
S5 - vs Cardenao @ TBA, Cardenao
S6 - vs Natkr @ Southfields Park, Katzeburg
S7 - vs Kamijiro @ Southfields Park, Katzeburg
S8 - vs Chromatika @ Southfields Park, Katzeburg
S9 - vs United States of Nova Calania @ Southfields Park, Katzeburg
S10 - vs Oriental of Rio de La Plata @ TBA, Oriental of Rio de La Plata
S11 - vs Sarzonia @ Khalil Dennis Field, Sarzonia
S12 - vs Kwrpania @ Southfields Park, Katzeburg

RP Permissions
Choose my runscorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: Yes
Choose my scoring events: Yes
Follow my pitching rotation: Yes
Use DH at home: Yes
Eject my players: Yes, but please get in touch first!
Godmod scoring events: Yes, but please get in touch first!
RP injuries to my players: Yes, but please get in touch first!
Godmod Injuries to my players: Yes, but please get in touch first!
Godmod other events: Yes

by **Dhemixia** » Fri Aug 29, 2025 4:08 pm

Your WBC61 Dhemixian National Team

Stadium: Brigantine Park, Columbus (also known as "The Brig"), capacity: 54,387
Dimensions:
Walls are 12ft (4m) tall in Left and Left-Center, and 8ft (3m) tall in Center, Right-Center, and Right.
Left Field: 343 ft (105 m)
Left-Center Field: 364 ft (111 m)
Center Field: 403 ft (123 m)
Right-Center Field: 370 ft (113 m)
Right Field: 343 ft (105 m)

Coaching Staff:

Manager: Neil McCarthy
Assistant Coach: Theo Porter
Hitting Coach: Emmanuel Cooke
Pitching Coach: Amari Browning
Bench Coach: Erik Hardrada
Clubhouse Snek/Sabermetrics Analyst (will throw hands if he faces Drawkland despite the fact that he doesn't have hands):

Roster
For Hitters: (Batting Handedness/Throwing Handedness)
For Pitchers: (Pitching Handedness/Hitting Handedness)

Most likely to...
Go yard (Hit a home run)? Terry Hjalmarsson, Kassandra Dawson, William Roach
Get Ejected? Wade Carlisle, Terry Hjalmarsson, Natalie Walker
Start a brawl? Terry Hjalmarsson, Wade Carlisle
Steal a base? Jaxson St. James, Easton Marsh, Natalie Walker
Earn a Golden Sombrero (4 strikeouts)? Jakob Price-Williams, Jaxson St. James, Kassandra Dawson

Throw a Complete Game? Cael Robertson, Morgan Andrews
Exit the game with the bases loaded? Jack Guzman, Harrison Cook, Jameson Hicks
Get a save opportunity? Alexandra Graham, Gustavo Benson
Throw a Wild Pitch? Travis Sellers, Hayden Young, Harper Avila
Have to flee the country after blowing a save in their domestic league's playoffs? Alexandra Graham

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Play all five games regardless of outcome: Yes
Choose my runscorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: Yes
Follow my pitching rotation: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes, but tg/dm beforehand
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Eject my players: Yes, but tg/dm beforehand
Godmod other events: Yes
Use DH at home: Yes
Style modifier (if used): +2
Trigram: DHE
Nickname: Serpents

by **Ranoria** » Fri Aug 29, 2025 4:24 pm

@FormerHalfDeadbeatMom My kids are GROWN. No more worrying about how close they are to starvation while I ignore them to watch #Krauts baseball!

A Coping Ranoria Fan's Guide To The 61^st World Baseball Classic

Ol' Red the golden retriever practicing prior to the World Baseball Classic

By Zack Mills

Let’s rip the band aid off - ring culture has absolutely ruined sports culture. Something that's meant to be fun and enjoyable, to brought people together has turned into a toxic hobby. One where people who have never accomplished anything themselves gloat over others because a team they happen to bandwagon won a thing. Instead, we should all just be focused on having fun. Enjoying letting our competitive spirit out in a healthy, non-violent manner where everyone can be built up after a constructive interaction.

Instead of rings, we should give everybody a participation trophy, including the "winners." Quote on quote there - because really, everybody is a winner here. Everyone on that diamond is getting paid to play a children's game, and they all love it. Everyone in the stands, everyone watching at home is getting to enjoy watching that children's game being played at an incredibly high level. We all - fans, journalists, and players alike - get to participate in a great exercise to promote friendship between nations. Congratulate the winner and hold your commiserations - congratulate the loser too! Everybody's having fun here!

So we're going in here - with Red the red golden retriever in tow - to promote being friends with everybody and to promote the lessening of ring culture. Sure, you might aspire to win, but isn't it more important to make friends?

For example, Ranoria's opening slate in this Classic is with a lot of other nations that have prior sporting relationships with us. Dhemixia is a nation that's played Ranoria three times on the gridiron. Drawkland? Too many to count, and we played in the last Classic as well! The Kytler Peninsulae and Delaclava? More football! And for the latter, MMA as well! And the two came together with Kaiser Belfort, Renown Combat International's former heavyweight champion and two time World Bowl champion linebacker! If his high profile marriage with Claudia - a retired ring girl for the Delaclava-based MMA promotion Hybrid - isn't a shining example of how sports can create bonds between people, then what is?

After that? Plenty of new friends to be made! Kwrpania, Rio de La Plata, and plenty more nations that Ranoria as a whole doesn't have a ton of knowledge about, and that's really thanks to this extended group stage!

We'll bump into Ko-oren again, a nation with as much storied history on the gridiron as our own, as well as our zebra friends Zwangzug and we'll wrap things up with a match in Cardenao, a nation whose rise in influence has come hand in hand with becoming a crucial ally for Ranoria. And that's what really matters here - forging relationships, establishing and maintain ties between nations, and having fun! Just look what former World Baseball Classic champion Jesse Griffith had to say about it!

"I'm here to win the whole damn thing, we've done it before, we proved who we-"

Maybe best not to give him the mic. Anyway, I'm sure Ol' Red agrees! It's all about making friends and having fun! Why would you really want to support a championship contender when all that does is contribute to ring culture? Your team's record and results should not dictate your enjoyment! It's sports! It's international! This months-long celebration of how far society has come! Not an opportunity to add to a trophy cabinet forged from pure vanity! To gloat over those who didn’t happen to wave the flag of a less fortunate team.

by **Liventia** » Sat Aug 30, 2025 9:25 am

Liventia roster for WBC 61

Permissions:
Choose my run-scorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: Yes, feel free to choose my lineup, but be smart about R/L handedness in the batting order and the handedness of the pitcher being faced
Choose my Pitching Rotation: No – the starters are listed in a set order
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes – not more than two games
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes
Eject my players: Yes
DH used at home: Yes as per home stadium below
Godmod other events: Yes

Style mod, if used: +2.5

Home stadiums
Port Cartfort Park, capacity 24,100; DH used
Home ground of Port Cartfort Saboteurs (CBL), average home attendance 22,100
Dimensions:
Left foul pole 317 ft; left field 349 ft; left-centre 397 ft; centre field 429 ft; right-centre 402 ft; right field 366 ft; right foul pole 322 ft; wall height 7 ft in left/left-centre; 13 ft in centre; 15 ft in right/right-centre
Right-handed hitters have far more joy at PCP than left-handed hitters. There are also a high number of triples and thanks to the dimensions, inside-the-park home runs are not uncommon at PCP.
Will host series against Cardenao (S1), Paradystopia (S5), and Oriental of Rio de la Plata (S11)

Orean Capital Grounds, regular capacity 22,000 (international capacity 38,000); DH not used
Home ground of the Capital Tiger-Cats (NBL), average home attendance 21,560
Dimensions:
Left foul pole 321 ft; left field 352 ft; left-centre 376 ft; centre field 416 ft; right-centre 378 ft; right field 340 ft; right foul pole 319 ft; wall height 9 ft constant
Favours left-handed and right-handed hitters equally.
Will host series against Tikariot (S3), Hapilopper (S7), Banija (S10)

A 'typical' field with no weird configurations in outfield, the Capital Grounds is the oldest ground in Orean and has been known by many names through its existence. It fell into disuse when the old Liventian league folded, although it was used for casual amateur games. The new club bought the ground from the city council and reduced the stadium capacity, although there is space for 16,000 additional temporary seats for international games.

*An asterisk denotes the player led his league (NBL/CBL) in that stat this past season.

Pitchers

+====+=================+=============+=====+=====+===============+========+==================+=========+========+=====+=====+====+======+======+=====+=========================+
| #  |      Name       |    Team     | B/T | Age |     Role      |  G/GS  |   ERA/FIP/WHIP   | W–L–SV  |   IP   | HRA |  K  | BB | K/9  | BB/9 | WAR | Pitches (aside from FB) |
+====+=================+=============+=====+=====+===============+========+==================+=========+========+=====+=====+====+======+======+=====+=========================+
| 39 |  Daryl Holdom   |    Bills    | L/R | 31  |      SP1      | 30/30* |  3.18/2.38/1.07  |  18*–7  | 206.2* |  7  | 198 | 40 | 8.6  | 1.7  | 6.6 |       CB, CH, SNK       |
| 14 |   Everton Ing   |  Sounders   | L/L | 27  |      SP2      | 29/29  |  1.77*/2.53/0.79*|  16–6   | 198.1  | 11  | 188 | 34 | 8.5  | 1.5  | 5.7 |       CB, SL, CH        |
| 19 | Simon Gilliatt  |  Buzzards   | R/R | 29  |      SP3      | 29/29  |  2.51/2.36/1.01  |  14–10  | 204.1* |  6  | 192 | 41 | 8.5  | 1.8  | 6.1 |       SL, CB, CH        |
| 46 | Kieran Brigham  |   Snipers   | R/R | 27  |      SP4      | 29/29  |  2.92/2.45/1.07  |  12–11  | 179.0  |  8  | 166 | 35 | 8.3  | 1.8  | 5.5 |       SL, CH, SPL       |
| 23 |   Luca Hankin   |  Hawkeyes   | L/L | 24  |      SP5      | 26/26  |  1.57/2.81/0.98* |  15*–2  | 160.2  |  6  | 97  | 25 | 5.4  | 1.4  | 4.1 |       CB, SNK, CH       |
| 3  |   Elton Golby ↔ |   Snipers   | L/L | 31  |  Spot SP/LRP  | 19/17  |  3.17/3.92/1.31  |   4–6   |  93.2  | 10  | 62  | 23 | 6.0  | 2.2  | 0.9 |       SL, CH, CUT       |
| 6  |  Lewis Higgins  |   Oysters   | L/L | 30  |      LRP      | 29/29  |  1.52*/2.92/1.01 |  14–2   | 166.0  |  3  | 141 | 67 | 7.6  | 3.6  | 3.7 |      CUT, CB, SPL       |
| 34 | Alistair Geech  |  Capitols   | S/R | 31  |      MRP      |  70/0  |  3.62/2.08/1.26  |  6–2–1  |  69.2  |  1  | 73  | 22 | 9.4  | 2.8  | 2.0 |        SL, KNCV         |
| 48 |  Daryl Stares   | Tiger-Cats  | L/L | 26  | Low lev/Mopup | 80*/0  |  3.49/2.61/1.29  |  5–3–0  |  95.1  |  3  | 96  | 30 | 9.1  | 2.8  | 1.9 |         SL, SNK         |
| 10 | Kyle Sheffield  |   Talons    | R/R | 30  |   High lev    |  52/0  |  1.92/2.12/0.92  | 1–4–28  |  56.1  |  3  | 66  | 14 | 10.5 | 2.2  | 1.9 |         CB, SNK         |
| 41 | Jonathan Embrey |   Rapiers   | L/L | 36  |     Setup     |  51/0  |  2.09/2.79/1.18  | 6–1–16  |  60.1  |  3  | 51  | 18 | 7.6  | 2.7  | 1.2 |         CB, SNK         |
| 15 | Stuart Brearton |  Buzzards   | R/R | 31  |     Setup     |  57/0  |  1.24/2.38/0.92  | 0–2–39* |  65.1  |  1  | 55  | 20 | 7.6  | 2.8  | 2.0 |         CB, SNK         |
| 31 | Morgan Garside  |   Bisons    | R/R | 26  |      CP1      |  46/0  |  1.23/1.60/0.97  | 2–2–33  |  51.1  |  0  | 65  | 19 | 11.4 | 3.3  | 2.6 |      SL, FRK, CUT       |
| 33 |   Mark Staite   | Red Raiders | R/R | 31  |      CP2      |  57/0  |  2.89/2.24/1.22  | 6–7–30  |  65.1  |  2  | 66  | 19 | 9.1  | 2.6  | 2.4 |         CB, SNK         |
+----+-----------------+-------------+-----+-----+---------------+--------+------------------+---------+--------+-----+-----+----+------+------+-----+-------------------------+

Position players

+====+====================+=============+=====+=====+=========+==================+==================+======+=====+=====+=====+=====+=======+======+======+
| #  |        Name        |    Team     | B/T | Age | Primary |    Secondary     |   AVG/OBP/SLG    |  H   | RBI | HR  | SO  | BB  | SC|CS | wRC+ | WAR  |
+====+====================+=============+=====+=====+=========+==================+==================+======+=====+=====+=====+=====+=======+======+======+
| 4  |   Harold Welford   |  Saboteurs  | R/R | 31  |    C    |   Team captain   |  .287/.375/.520  | 125  | 78  | 18  | 79  | 54  |  0|0  | 164  | 6.8* |
| 11 |   Paul Brightman   | Sting Rays  | R/R | 28  |    C    |                  |  .257/.302/.481  | 117  | 90  | 24  | 99  | 27  |  1|2  | 132  | 4.2  |
| 29 |   Reece Raymont    |   Bisons    | R/R | 30  |   1B    |        3B        |  .309/.366/.576* | 173* | 86  | 31* | 121 | 50  | 17|3  | 174  | 6.6  |
| 47 | Joshua Benjafield  | Gunslingers | R/R | 31  |   1B    |                  |  .295/.391/.514  | 144  | 61  | 20  | 83  | 78  | 15|15 | 170  | 4.7  |
| 5  | Charles Dethwright |   Bisons    | L/R | 28  |   2B    |   3B, SS, (LF)   |  .261/.339/.387  | 134  | 53  |  9  | 94  | 51  | 12|8  | 122  | 4.2  |
| 8  |    Kane Merrell    |   Rapiers   | R/R | 31  |   SS    |                  |  .285/.357/.451  | 124  | 50  | 10  | 67  | 48  | 25|9  | 142  | 3.9  |
| 49 |  Francis Stubbins  |  Hawkeyes   | R/R | 27  |   3B    |      1B, SS      |  .281/.344/.548  |  99  | 62  | 21  | 70  | 33  |  5|1  | 162  | 4.9  |
| 19 |     Tim North      |  Capitols   | L/R | 23  |   3B    |        SS        |  .274/.323/.437  | 153  | 62  | 15  | 81  | 40  | 18|5  | 121  | 5.0  |
| 28 |    Leon Dutton     |  Hilltops   | R/L | 32  |   CF    |     RF, (LF)     |  .318*/.376/.524*| 173* | 81  | 17  | 84  | 52  | 15|4  | 164  | 6.4  |
| 18 |   Declan Digges    |   Oysters   | L/L | 23  |   CF    |        RF        |  .288/.332/.435  | 161  | 59  | 12  | 52  | 21  | 30|6  | 128  | 6.0  |
| 35 |   Andrew Batkin    |    Bills    | R/R | 33  |   RF    | 3B, LF, CF, (1B) |  .281/.398/.458  | 137  | 77  | 17  | 81  | 80  | 12|7  | 152  | 6.0  |
| 18 |    Scott Chown     |  Hawkeyes   | L/R | 28  |   LF    |     RF, (CF)     |  .287/.388*/.427 | 150  | 65  | 12  | 73  | 78* | 11|4  | 144  | 5.9  |
| 3  |    Elton Golby ↔   |   Snipers   | L/L | 31  |   LF    |   RF, P, (CF)    |  .309/.373/.486  | 167  | 79  | 13  | 69  | 53  | 12|4  | 151  | 5.8  |
+----+--------------------+-------------+-----+-----+---------+------------------+------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-------+------+------+

In games with the DH, one of the non-starting outfielders will DH.

Additionally, please note that none of these players will travel for Series 6 away in Valentine Z. Liventia shall be represented by an Under-18 squad for that series as below:

*Starting pitchers will go to a pitch count limit of 90, regardless of score. Each designated reliever, if used, will see out the game, regardless of score.

3B Brett Compton, 17, RHB
SS Peter Parry, 18, SHB
RF Geoff Barker, 18, LHB
DH Evan Aiken, 17, SHB
1B Rhion Asquith, 18, RHB
CF Finlay Danvers, 16, RHB
LF Devin Fletcher, 17, LHB
C Heath Stark, 18, RHB
2B Kian Pratt, 18, LHB
SP Game 1 Tom Cook, 18, LHP
RP Game 1 Phil Cook, 18, RHP
SP Game 2 Zack Ashley, 17, RHP
RP Game 2 Selwyn Saunders, 18, RHP
SP Game 3 Jack Beaufoy, 18, RHP
RP Game 3 Richard Beaufort, 18, LHP

by **Sarzonia** » Sat Aug 30, 2025 1:24 pm

Brad Jackson saw the email with the 36-match schedule he would face as manager of the Sarzonian national baseball team and felt his right lip slowly creep upward. The opening series for Sarzonia at their brand spanking new Klahli Dennis Field had the perfect opening opponent.

Delaclava.

"I guess Margaret has a sense of humour," he said out loud, quietly. Not loud enough for his secretary Traci to hear him, but if she'd walked into the room with scouting reports, she would likely have asked what in dickens he was on about.

"Traci!"

"Yes?"

"Get the scouting report for the Delaclav national team ready for me."

"Will do, boss."

Jackson reviewed the rest of the schedule and sent his managerial staff initial notes and scouting reports for the other 11 teams on the schedule. But first thing was first, he had a text message from technical director and former Stars ace Jeff Parrish with information about the logistics behind Opening Day, for which the first pitch would come off the right hand of Mike Howe at 2:05 p.m. on 2nd September, the day after Labour Day. Tickets were already sold out of the new stadium; in fact, Jackson was aware of chatter suggesting the opener be moved to Fleetwood Park just to accommodate the demand for tickets. However, Fleetwood Park was now retired and was being reburnished as a baseball history museum.

As Jackson was awaiting his opportunity to review the information about the Delaclav team, he heard a knock on the door.

"Yeah," he said, and instead of seeing Traci walk in with a scouting report, he saw a vaguely familiar face.

"K.C.?"

"Yes, sir!"

Jackson smiled and quickly rose and extended his right arm with his hand out. K.C. Yancey, grandson of the former Stars hitting coach, bench coach and manager Geoff Yancey, shook vigourously and leaned in for a bro-hug.

"Good to see you, K.C.! What brings you here?"

"had to check out your new digs," Yancey said with a smirk. "Fancy giving Gramps a tour of the new place?" Jackson nodded. He knew K.C. was Khalil Cadlen Yancey was there with his grandfather, who walked into Jackosn's office with a smirk.

"Brad! Good to see you!" Geoff Yancey said, offering Jackson a warm handshake.

"I s'pose you two want to be in the opening ceremony for the new ballyard," Jackson said, temporarily affecting a grim expression. "You're already part of it, don't worry," he said, quickly smiling. "Have you heard from Khalil or Calen?"

Geoff Yancey's smile faded slowly.

"I haven't talked to either of them since I got fired," he said. "I got a text from Khalil and had a video chat with he and Calen the day of and then, nothing."

Jackson's smile also faded and his eyes glanced down toward the floor.

"I'm sorry if that's a sore subject," he said. Geoff Yancey nodded and put his right hand in front of him. "I was just asking about inviting them to be part of the ceremony since we named the ballpark after Khalil.

"Don't worry. It's fine," Geoff Yancey said. "I'm sure we can both fake being best friends still if needed," he said as his voice trailed off. "I'll be on my best behaviour, Brad. You don't have to worry there."

"I'm not, Geoff," Jackson said. Sensing the seriousness of the conversation, K.C. interjected with, "I've gotta make a quick phone call. I'll be waiting in the car, Grampy. Love you."

"Love you too, K.C.," Geoff said.

As soon as K.C. left the office, he began his walk toward the car. When he arrived and got inside, he looked and saw BLOCKED NUMBER on his mobile phone. He tapped a button and rolled his eyes. He then heard his mobile ring from a number he didn't recognise. Against his own usual policy and better judgment, he answered with a tentative "hello?"

"You don't ever talk to your Grammy," the voice on the other end said.

"I told you, Karen," K.C. seethed, "never contact me again. I've already notified the Woodstock Police and the SFBI. I'm turning in the phone logs as evidence and filing suit against you. He then hung up and suddenly wished it were an old school phone he could angrily slam down, but instead was an expensive phone he'd gotten as a birthday present from Grampy. Karen, of course, was Geoff's ex-wife and the mother of K.C.'s father and uncle, but ever since Karen forbade Geoff from going to Khalil Dennis's and Calen McSuthern's wedding because she was anti-gay, she was essentially persona non grata in the Yancey family. She'd had two failed marriages in the years since Geoff and Karen divorced. Geoff, meanwhile, was married to the game and initially helping with K.C. as a child.

After another 20 minutes, Geoff returned to the car.

"Is everything OK," he asked, seeing the distress on his grandson's face.

"No. Grammy called me, most likely from a burner phone." Yancey grimaced. He'd filed a restraining order against her, and his sons did the same, though he had no way of knowing his grandson also did.

"How were you ever married to that bitch?" K.C. asked.

"Beats the hell out of me," Geoff said.

SARZONIA STARS SCHEDULE (home series in CAPS, ranks in parentheses)

2 Sept. DELACLAVA (50)
4 Sept. @ Valentine Z (UR)
6 Sept. TEREFUXE (UR)
8 Sept. CARDENAO (16)
10 Sept. MILCHAMA (5)
12 Sept. @ Kwrpania (UR)
14 Sept. @ Loyo (22)
16 Sept. @Zwangzug (6)
18 Sept. ESHIALAND (7)
20 Sept. @Tikariot (10)
22 Sept. KATZEBURG (UR)
24 Sept. @Natkr (30)

(O.O) · by **TJUN-ia** » Sat Aug 30, 2025 2:25 pm

Name: TJUN-ia
Trigram: TJU
Organisation Name: TJUN-ia Baseball
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: Vojtěch Heyrovský (40)
Assistant Manager: Josef Heyrovský (36)
Pitching Coach: Shigeru Moyatawa (61)
Batting Coach: Bryce Calhoun (46, former player)
1st Base Coach: Shana-D Mackenzie (47)
3rd Base Coach: Pierre Greziére (60)

POSITION STARTERS
1B: #70 Luke Jaxon (28, R)
2B: #25 Holly Davids (34, L)
3B: #50 Seo Ji-kyo (28, R)
SS: #55 Fernando Rodrigo Viera (28, L)
RF: #38 Khin Marlar Tun (30, R)
LF: #90 Palila Kalawai’a (32, R, Gender-fluid)
CF: #60 Martina Andrade de Souza (34, L)
C: #67 Julian Mertz (28, R)

STARTING PITCHERS
P: #1 Maddison "Missy" Jembembe (34, R)
P: #2 Yolande Sirapui (30, L)
P: #3 Joseph "JoJo" McAlbo (28, R)
P: #4 Peter Glendinning (26, L)
P: #5 Khamis Ali Makame (26, R)

BULLPEN
RP: #6 Mohammad Al-Rayyan (24, R)
RP: #7 Daisy Goldstein (24, L)
RP: #8 Azeez Shakur (24, L)
RP: #9 Kate Johnson-Green (22, R)
RP: #10 Jackson Jeeves (18, R)
CP: #11 Trinity Shelby-Dowora (26, R)

BACKUPS
RF: #66 Valentin Herzog (21, R, U21 Cub)
LF: #91 Maui Aiona (24, R) - Alolan
DH: #46 Zingisa Mtyanda (30, L)
DH/PH: #14 David Stokeville (22, R, U21 Cub) - Galarian

STARTING LINEUPS
Without DH
1. Seo
2. Kalawai’a
3. F.R.V.
4. Mertz
5. K.M.T.
6. Davids
7. Andrade de Souza
8. Jaxon
9. Pitcher Spot

With DH
1. Seo
2. Kalawai’a
3. F.R.V.
4. Mertz
5. K.M.T.
6. Davids
7. Mtyanda (DH)
8. Andrade de Souza
9. Jaxon

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
S1: vs South Newlandia (1) - Rounders Field, Portside
S2: @Kamijiro (11)
S3: @United States of Nova Calania (18)
S4: vs Riandera (UR) - Rounders Field, Portside
S5: vs Chromatika (UR) - Rounders Field, Portside
S6: @Zwangzug (6)
S7: @Kwrpania (UR)
S8: vs Loyo (22) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington
S9: @Visayas Islands (35)
S10: vs Natkr (30) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington
S11: vs Tikariot (10) - The Diamond in The Gardens, New Washington
S12: @Valentine Z (UR)

by **Hapilopper** » Sat Aug 30, 2025 2:31 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 **South Newlandia** » Sun Aug 31, 2025 10:05 am

South Newlandian Roster for World Baseball Classic 61

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
Happy to answer any questions!

Manager/Head Coach: Sofia Rasmussen (SLL) (69)
At this point, Sofia Rasmussen might just be the person that has had more success in baseball than anyone else ever. Ten total appearances at the World Baseball Classic Championship Series – four as a player, for the Super-Llamaland Tigers, and six as a coach, with the South Newlandian Elephants. Five of these trips culminated in titles. Rasmussen remains key to the Elephants, and continues being in the conversation for the best manager in baseball. After a dominant WBC59, the Ellies fell short in seven games at the most recent Classic – many believe that Ramussen, heading into her eighth decade of life, might not want to continue in this role for too much longer.

Hitting coach: Margo Jansen (SLL) (65)
Jansen, the former hitting coach of the Tigers, had joined the team together with Rasmussen. The two had previously worked together at the New Llama Wizards.

Pitching coach: Jack Miller (51)
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.

Quick Access Roster
Starters
RHP Hailey Clark (Rüsselsheim Blue Sox, 32)
LHP Wolodymyr King (St. Riecarn Saints, 33)
RHP Charles Morgan (Busukuma Triceratops, 29)
LHP Dylan Borges (Vargas City Lions, 28)
RHP Brandon Jackson (Vargas City Lions, 31)
LHP Shivay Sahu (Peninsulara Kingfishers, 25)

Relievers (approximately from the players used with the most leverage to the players used with the lowest leverage)
RHP John Trunkman (Busukuma Triceratops, 31)
RHP Côme Nguyen (Apple Valley Vipers, 30)
LHP Roger Weiß (New Llama Cyclones, 30)
RHP Maria Thompson (Emerald City Greens, 25)
LHP Gaia Colombo (Elephant Valley Snow Bears, 25)
RHP Avi Aguilar (Ruditown Dachshunds, 24)
RHP Ibrahim Fuentes (Nikcoro Suns, 24)

Most likely starting lineup WITH DH
2B Kevin Barros (St. Riecarn Saints, 28)
DH Emil Hurley (Rüsselsheim Blue Sox, 36)
C Sofia Löfgren (SNL/SLL, Walstreim Stingrays, 30)
1B Toni Schäfer (Denison Dynamo, 33)
RF Teresa Mills (Busukuma Triceratops, 28)
SS Joan Allen (Vargas City Lions, 28)
LF Maria Philipps (Rüsselsheim Blue Sox, 30)
3B Kathryn King (Denison Dynamo, 26)
CF Theo Möller (Nikcoro Suns, 26)

Bench (with DH in play)
C Luke Scholz (Elephant Valley Homers, 24)
SS Lio Fischer (South Falls Athletics, 24)
MIF David Wagner (New Llama Cyclones, 24)
CoOF Raffaele Pohl (Jaffro Drawks, 28)

Most likely starting lineup WITHOUT DH
2B Kevin Barros (St. Riecarn Saints, 28)
RF Teresa Mills (Busukuma Triceratops, 28)
C Sofia Löfgren (SNL/SLL, Walstreim Stingrays, 30)
1B Toni Schäfer (Denison Dynamo, 35)
SS Joan Allen (Vargas City Lions, 28)
LF Maria Philipps (Rüsselsheim Blue Sox, 30)
3B Kathryn King (Denison Dynamo, 26)
CF Theo Möller (Nikcoro Suns, 26)
Pitcher (will be pinch-hit for more common than average)

Bench (without DH in play)
C Luke Scholz (Elephant Valley Homers, 24)
SS Lio Fischer (South Falls Athletics, 24)
MIF David Wagner (New Llama Cyclones, 24)
CoOF Raffaele Pohl (Jaffro Drawks, 28)
RF Emil Hurley (Rüsselsheim Blue Sox, 36)

Notes on strategy:

The Elephants under Rasmussen have always been careful to not overtax their players, which is why they’ll employ a six-man rotation for the League Stage. Clark, King and Morgan will get the starts at TJUN-ia, against Andso Mangis, at Hapilopper, at Zenic, against Quebec, and at Paradystopia; while Borges, Jackson and Sahu will start against Liventia, at Zwangzug, against Tikariot, against Delaclava, at Dhemixia and against The Batavia.

In general, the Elephants think of themselves as a forward-thinking, sabermetric organization, who will make whatever decision gives them the best chances of winning. That means they’ll likely use relievers earlier than most teams, especially in close games, knowing that there’s a good bullpen behind, rather than facing all too much of the third-time-through-the-order penalty. When the DH is not in play, they’ll frequently pinch-hit for the pitcher earlier than most teams would (South Newlandian pitchers never bat outside the WBC – expect a lot of bunt attempts and strikeouts), and will often be utilising the platoon advantage whenever possible. South Newlandians will also basically never intentionally throw at players, knowing this surrenders a free base – but they will be sticking up for each other if the other team attempts shenanigans. Lastly, the Elephants do not care about the save statistic, and will often use their best relievers in important spots that are not save situations.

When batting, the Elephants emphasise not giving away free outs on the basepaths, with either poorly thought-out steal attempts or overly aggressive baserunning – if you see an Elephant making an optimistic turn, it is probably with two outs and to home. They’re also more patient at the plate than most. They’re more likely to pinch-hit and pinch-run late in close games. When it comes to lineup cards, they’ll also make sure all their players receive some adequate rest, with backup catcher Luke Scholz likely to get 8 or 9 starts and especially the up-the-middle defenders getting rested at least two or three times during the campaign. That’ll likely come in conjunction with favourable matchups.

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

(SP1) Hailey Clark (32, 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. She’s technically the staff ace, and impressed with a no-hitter at the most recent Classic, but the Elephants’ pitching is relatively close to each other. She got roughed up a little bit in the Eight Nations Shield, but is eager to bounce back, and hasn’t lost the confidence of the coaching staff.

(SP2) Wolodymyr King (33, 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 late stage of prime of his career as the Elephants’ key left-handed star.

(SP3) Charles Morgan (29, R) (Busukuma Triceratops)
(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 – now that the Flames have become the Triceratops, he’ll also have an opportunity to contend.

(SP4) Dylan Borges (28, L) (Vargas City Lions)
(Arsenal: 4-seamer, Splitter*, Changeup, Slider, Sweeper)
Dylan Borges has finally broken into the South Newlandian National team roster with a strong recent season. After becoming a star with the Newport Politics Institute, the southpaw was drafted 10th overall by the Elephant Valley Snow Bears, who won the pennant in Borges’ rookie season. Since then, the lefty has missed some extensive time in recent seasons with injuries (thumb, shoulder), but appears to be perfectly healthy and in form at this point since a move to the Lions. He’s never blown opponents away with velocity, but he’s pin-point accurate and has a very dangerous pitch mix to boot.

(SP5) Brandon Jackson (31, R) (Vargas City Lions)
(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 – they have since traded him to Vargas City. While his off-speed stuff isn’t elite, he does have a reputation for coming through in big moments.

(SP6) Shivay Sahu (25, L) (Peninsulara Kingfishers)
(Arsenal: 4-seamer*, Changeup, Curveball, Slider)
Despite never actually overlapping with Clark, Sahu’s game is quite similar to the Elephants’ staff ace. After three seasons with New Colk Tech (Sahu also holds a Grearish passport) and two with Peninsulara, Sahu has impressed enough to get a chance to earn his way to the Elephants. Picked 4th overall, his velo and composure always stood out, and he’s been the ace for the Kingfishers in their post-relevance era. Sahu still hasn’t quite reached lofty expectations placed upon him, and his fielding has always been a weakness, but the Elephants believe he can put it together – this will be his first appearance in the World Baseball Classic after impressing at the Eight Nations Shield (even though the Elephants ended up losing both of his starts

Relief Pitchers

The Elephants will not have a typical closer setup, but instead operate on leverage. In approximate order, from high- to low leverage. Relievers will never appear in three consecutive games.

John Trunkman (31, R) (Busukuma Triceratops)
(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 (30, 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’s been very impressive for the Elephants so far, and will be an excellent second high leverage option.

Roger Weiß (30, L) (New Llama Cyclones)
(Arsenal: Cutter*, Changeup, Curveball)
Weiß is making his debut for the Elephants, and he fits nicely into a pattern of South Newlandian relief arms that get the job done without elite velo. Weiß isn’t the most accurate, either, but he’s shown that his pitch mix absolutely devastates right-handed batters, but he tends to struggle against left-handed bats. His cutter is his best pitch, but he’s also been getting excellent results on the change that has clearly taken inspiration from his former teammate, Trunkman. Weiß actually grew up in Rüsselsheim, played there in High School and college before being drafted by the Sox 14th overall. After just a season and a half, they traded him to the Flames, where he helped the team nearly make the postseason, and he’s moved to the Cyclones since. Anglicised Weiss.

Maria Thompson (25, R) (Emerald City Greens)
(Arsenal: 4-seamer, Changeup, Sweeper*)
Yet another young reliever, Thompson was picked by Emerald City out of Walstreim after three seasons in the Big 14. She’s always been a fairly wild pitcher, lacking the accuracy of some others on the roster, but she’s been great in big moments. Her pitch mix has made her a very dangerous weapon for the Greens, despite the team around her struggling. Her Sweeper especially eats right-handed batting.

Gaia Colombo (25, L) (Elephant Valley Snow Bears)
(Arsenal: 4-seamer, Slider*, Changeup, Splitter)
Colombo’s greatness was quickly apparent. The reliever dominated with the Egrets in college before being drafted by the Snow Bears with the 18th pick, which is quite early for a reliever – but it can be worth it if you get an elite closer for the foreseeable future. Colombo spent the entire last season with the AAA New Colk Tigers, where she dominated the competition to the tune of a sub 1.40 ERA in about fifty innings. The only reason she wasn’t called up by the Snow Bears even earlier was their uncompetitive big league team, but she’s been elevated to the bigs since. While she’s clearly a very talented lefty and likely future Elephants closer, she does still lack high-level experience – this event is a great opportunity to gain some.

Avi Aguilar (24, R) (Ruditown Dachshunds)
(Arsenal: 4-seamer, Curveball*, Changeup, Sinker)
Aguilar is still extremely raw as a pitcher. Drafted in the first round out of Ruditown Biologics, Aguilar quickly worked through the AAA level, but he still only has about two dozen pro appearances under his belt. This limited exposure looked great – Aguilar has made a name for himself as pin-point accurate, even though his pitches don’t jump off the page at first glance. The Dachshunds are still hoping to convert him to a starter again, but he’s been a very solid reliever as well – case in point, he made it to his first World Baseball Classic with a couple of solid outings when many doubted he’d make it here.

Ibrahim Fuentes (24, R) (Nikcoro Suns)
(Arsenal: Cutter, Curveball*, Sinker)
No one expected Fuentes, selected out of non-Big 14 action from a small school in Newport outside the first two rounds, to become a big deal. However, he was picked up by the Suns, and despite only playing one season so far, he’s impressed with excellent off-speed stuff that clearly just needed a little bit of tweaking to be highly effective. He’s clearly talented, but also needs more time to develop. Rasmussen clearly liked what see saw at the Eight Nations, though, and will be giving the youngster his first crack at WBC action – a truly meteoric rise through the last three years for Fuentes.

Fielders (Starters)

(2B) Kevin Barros (28, R) (St. Riecarn Saints)
(Speed: 3/5 | 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 perfect fit for him defensively, but he’s formed a hard-hitting duo with Perez. The offensive production certainly makes up for some defensive limitations.

(DH) Emil Hurley (36, L) (Rüsselsheim Blue Sox)
(Speed: 3/5 | Power: 3/5 | Contact: 3/5 | Fielding (RF): 2/5)
Hurley has continued stacking excellent seasons for a while in Peninsulara, where he has started playing more right and less center field, and the Elephants have followed suit with their long-time star aging – at this point, he might not see the field at all this season. 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. He’s recently been traded to Rüsselsheim, returning to the club of his youth after a long time away, and has started to play more center again – but the Elephants veteran will likely not see the field much anymore with the Pachyderms. He remains a valuable clubhouse leader, as the longest-tenured Elephant, having made his debut as a teenager during WBC52.

(C) Sofia Löfgren (SLL/SNL) (30, R) (Walstreim Stingrays)
(Speed: 3/5 | Power: 5/5 | Contact: 4/5 | Fielding: 4/5)
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 30, having enjoyed plenty of big moments already – including being key for the last WBC championship the Ellies won four years ago. 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) Toni Schäfer (33, S) (Denison Dynamo)
(Speed: 2/5 | Power: 5/5 | Contact 4/5 | Fielding: 3/5)
Schäfer was drafted first overall by the Dynamo some time ago, but despite her best efforts, she didn’t turn into the franchise-altering player Denison were hoping for. She’s been a very consistent and very good hitter, especially recently, but she hasn’t led Denison into the playoffs and hasn’t really broken into the national team consistently. Now, in her late prime and with other players retired from the Elephants, she’s taken over the position.

(RF) Teresa Mills (28, L) (Busukuma Triceratops)
(Speed: 3/5 | Contact: 4/5 | Power: 3/5 | Fielding: 3/5)
Mills was a largely overlooked player out of Walstreim, scooped up by the Flames in the second round, but she’s consistently improved all aspects of her game throughout her three seasons in the big leagues. Always a contact hitter at heart, she’s improved her power swing and, most importantly, her plate discipline – doubling her walk rate compared to her rookie year. She managed to snag a spot on the roster for the first time after impressing at the Eight Nations from both sides of the plate, and with the Elephants otherwise short on Left-Handed Hitting, she’ll be getting the start for as long as she can be effective out there.

(SS) Joan Allen (28, R) (Vargas City Lions)
(Speed: 3/5 | Power: 4/5| Contact: 5/5 | Fielding: 3/5)
Allen was drafted late by the Vargas City Lions, having played shortstop at a small Moocha college, 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 has proven that she has the tools to be a very valuable asset; although her fielding isn’t great – the Elephants have some defensive shortcomings across the middle.

(LF) Maria Philipps (30, S) (Rüsselsheim Blue Sox)
(Speed: 3/5 | Power: 3/5 | Contact: 4/5 | Fielding: 4/5)
Philipps was drafted by Ruditown in the top ten, but was eventually traded to the Blue Sox as they attempted to make a playoff push. The EVSI graduate shines defensively as a sure-handed glove with a quick first step, and she’s been a consistently good hitter at all levels. She’ll get the start in Left largely thanks to her skills against right-handed hitting, but will be sitting more often against lefties.

(3B) Kathryn King (26, R) (Denison Dynamo)
(Speed: 2/5 | Power: 4/5 | Contact: 4/5 | Fielding: 3/5)
King was drafted right out of High School by the Dynamo as a late first rounder, and after some time taken to establish herself, outdid expectations with the Llamanean team. She’s been hitting for average and power, and continues to improve. She’s on track to get her first chance as Elephants starter, and will have to prove she can hold down the hot corner long term – she was a little hot and cold during the Eight Nations Shield, but did enough that the Elephants clearly believe she can get it done. No relation to Wolodymyr King.

(CF) Theo Möller (26, R) (Nikcoro Suns)
(Speed: 4/5 | Power: 4/5 | Contact: 3/5 | Fielding: 4/5)
Möller is another young player still finding his way. The Nikcoro Suns drafted him 9th overall to pair with his former EVU teammate and budding superstar, RJ Hall, and he’s played well for Nikcoro. He’s standing out with his power ability and solid defense up the middle, but he’ll want to up his contact rate if he wants to become a true star – his first campaign with the Elephants last season was solid, but relatively unremarkable.

Bench

(C) Luke Scholz (24, R) (Elephant Valley Homers)
(Speed: 2/5 | Power: 3/5 | Contact: 3/5 | Fielding: 5/5)
Even back when he was playing in college in Kinjestad, many expected Scholz to eventually succeed Löfgren as the Ellies’ primary backstop. After a strong career with the Otters, he was drafted fifth overall by the Homers, and after a strong AAA campaign, was elevated to the big leagues. He’s still only learning the ropes at the top level, but stands out as an excellent defender, both framing and throwing out runners, and as a rock-solid hitter. This will be the first Classic for Scholz, and likely not his last.

(SS) Lio Fischer (24, S) (South Falls Athletics)
(Speed: 4/5 | Power: 5/5 | Contact: 4/5 | Fielding: 4/5)
After four successful years in the Bees in Newport, Fischer was made the number one overall pick by the Athletics. He doesn’t have a true weakness, and could develop into a true 5-tool player at the highest level – with on-base skills from both sides of the plate, power, and excellent fielding to boot. He’s still young – he’s only played one season, although that was one that earned Rookie of the Season honours. Rumours suggest the hyper-competitive youngster often clashes with teammates, but Sofia Rasmussen has the experience to deal with that.

(MIF) David Wagner (24, R) (New Llama Cyclones)
(Speed: 5/5 | Power: 2/5 | Contact: 2/5 | Fielding: 4/5)
Taken in the same class as Fischer, Wagner commanded a lot less attention. Taken by the Cyclones in the second round out of Rüsselsheim, he stands out as a solid defender and speedy baserunner, but has never hit in a way that suggests he should be an Elephant. It seems clear the Ellies want him as a defensive swiss-army knife and pinch runner – he’ll most likely see the fewest at-bats of the batters on the roster, but the Elephants still consider him a valuable part of their roster.

(CoOF) Raffaele Pohl (28, R) (Jaffro Drawks)
(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 for the Monarchs, who have recently traded her to Jaffro. Pohl has proven she can play both corner outfield spots well, and will likely be moved around a fair bit. She’ll likely get the start, either in Left Field or Right Field, when the Elephants face Left-handed Starting Pitchers.

Home ground and Uniform

Elephant Stadium, Elephant Valley (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 – cementing thus stadium as the forever home of this national team. That mythos has gotten a few chinks after a very underwhelming Eight Nations Shield that saw the Ellies lose 10 of their 15 games, including a devastating super-sweep against Dhemixia. Domestically, this is the home of the Elephant Valley Homers.

South Newlandia usually play in yellow jersey with a green diagonal stripe across, as well as green batting helmets and green basecaps with an elephant on them. They have blue alternates if these colours clash.

by **Chromatika** » Sun Aug 31, 2025 8:59 pm

Chromatika National Baseball Team - The Outliers - WBC 52 Champions
World Baseball Classic 61 Team

Management Staff
Manager: Alisen Mayamoto (39)
The most prolific baseball player in Chromatik history, Mayamoto was who brought baseball to the forefront of Chromatika, and a mainstay on the team for many a season. After baseball was scrapped in Chromatika due to lack of funding and some unfortunate circumstances regarding the practices of many Chromatik clubs, she worked tirelessly to bring the sport back to the international stage, and has finally succeeded. Her playing days are over, but her mindset and game knowledge remains as sharp as ever, and there is nobody better suited to lead Chromatika in their first tournament back.

Assistant Manager: Sierra Eden-Geraldine (59)
Sierra Eden-Geraldine, once the Vice President of Baseball Operations for the Chromatik Sporting Council and the Vice Chairwoman of the Chromatik Association of Llamaphant Pro Baseball, has spent the last five years picking up the pieces of what befell Chromatik baseball. Working tirelessly to reinstate the sport both legally and in the minds of Chromatiks, she's finally succeeded in earning that second chance. It's time to see what they do about it.

Starting Lineup
1B Marea HOMALY (R/R/32) Chromia Marks (Chromatka)
A solid option for any at-bat, Homaly is now one of the veterans on this roster. When she had the opportunity to quit after the downfall of the Chromatik portion of the LPB, she chose not to; instead, she went to the newly formed Marks and toned her skills to be the best first baseman in Chromatika. Her fielding has improved tremendously, and the power she has with her bat is as good as ever. Fielding: 7 Batting: 10 Running: 6 Aggressiveness: 8
2B Alena EGOROVA (R/R/29) Z'ai'ai Originals (Chromatika)
Once on the bench for the Outliers, Egorova has overcome her jack of all trades, master of none status to be a serviceable player at this level. Not the flashiest, but doesn't have any big holes in her game. Has an even head and knows when to take risks smartly. Fielding: 8 Batting: 8 Running: 7 Aggressiveness: 6
3B Miles STURDEVANTT (R/R/22) Z'ai'ai Originals (Chromatika)
The best young prospect to come out of Chromatika, Sturdevantt chose to forego playing at the university level even with the sport being at a bit of a disadvantageous position in the country at the moment. He can hit the ball all over the park, has a decent arm, and loves big moments in matches. He'll be batting fourth in this lineup, and be counted on to generate most of the runs. Fielding: 6 Batting: 10 Running: 6 Aggressiveness: 8
SS PARK Hye-Bin (R/R/25) Walstreim Stingrays (South Newlandia)
Akin to Alisen Mayamoto, Park Hye-Bin is a fielding-first shortstop with a decent enough bat to complement. She loves playing mind games with runners, prides herself in learning the tendencies of the other fielders around her to make sure that they are on the same page, and is a model teammate while being someone that can lighten the mood. Fielding: 10 Batting: 6 Running: 9 Aggressiveness: 6
LF Juriel SANTOS (R/R/35) Elephant Valley Homers (South Newlandia)
In his age, Juriel Santos is now more of a batter than anything else, but he still does that relatively well enough to maintain his position in the LPB. Loves big moments and uses his length to make tough catches - just can't be counted on to close in on long balls if they happen. Fielding: 5 Batting: 9 Running: 6 Aggressiveness: 8
CF Dario CROOKSHANKS (R/R/34) Jaffro Drawks (Drawkland)
Never highly touted in his youth, Crookshanks' capability to just hang in there and tough it out through a long, storied career has finally led him here. Has a decent arm, throws well, and runs consistently; his best asset is an intangible one - he gets along with everyone else on the team and knows how to keep everyone on the same page. Fielding: 7 Batting: 9 Running: 7 Aggressiveness: 7
RF Sasha BELOVA (R/S/33) St. Riecarn Saints (South Newlandia)
A rare switch-hitter on this team who can hit the ball to either side with power, Belova's more known for her fielding ability, widely known as one of the best fielders that Chromatika has. Strikes out a bit too much and is a liability there, but when you're rebuilding a team, there's some corners that you need to cut. Fielding: 10 Batting: 5 Running: 7 Aggressiveness: 10
C Béa ARCIERGE (L/L/25) Walstreim Stingrays (South Newlandia)
A catcher who prides herself in throwing more than batting, Béa is always in total command of what the pitcher is doing on the mound. Has worked on her batting, but could still use some work. The way in which she commands respect with the pitching staff helps a lot, though. Fielding: 10 Batting: 6 Running: 6 Aggressiveness: 6

Batting Order: 1. Homaly 2. Belova 3. Arcierge 4. Sturdevantt 5. Crookshanks 6. Santos 7. Pitcher 8. Park 9. Egorova

Bench/Reserves
1B Jackson MYDOL (R/R/22) University of the Islands (Chromatika)
Has command of the game and has a solid base. Fielding: 7 Batting: 6 Running: 6 Aggressiveness: 8
2B Jacqueline "Jackie" PARISAN (R/R/20) University of Myana (Chromatika)
Loves to wait for the right ball and then hit it as hard as she can. Not the best method to have a long career, but she's working on that. Fielding: 5 Batting: 10 Running: 7 Aggressiveness: 5
3B Roslyn FREIDAN (R/R/21) Chromia Central College University (Chromatika)
Bit overshadowed by Sturdevantt, but still a good prospect, Roslyn's flair is what sets her apart from her competition. Fielding: 6 Batting: 7 Running: 10 Aggressiveness: 6
SS Mark EVERARD (R/R/23) Chromia Marks (Chromatika)
A more aggressive player than Park, with a bigger bat to boot. Not as good throwing the ball. Still growing. Fielding: 5 Batting: 9 Running: 7 Aggressiveness: 8
LF Rowan STATT (L/L/20) Mountain District University (Chromatika)
Picks when he wants to commit, but commits wholeheartedly when it's time to make that move. Confuses pitchers with how he can lock in on some situations unexpectedly. Fielding: 7 Batting: 7 Running: 5 Aggressiveness: 4
CF Wilson DODDARD (R/R/19) Z'ai'ai Institute of Technology (Chromatika)
Youngest player on this roster with a lot of potential. His clutch factor is off the charts; the rest of everything is still forming. Fielding: 7 Batting: 6 Running: 9 Aggressiveness: 5
RF Han JIKARI (L/L/33) Chromia Marks (Chromatika)
Jikari is a well-rounded player who can also pinch-run as needed due to his speed. Despite his age, he can still steal a base when needed, and is often used as a pinch runner. Fielding: 7 Batting: 6 Running: 9 Aggressiveness: 6
C Stuart MARKS (R/L/21) Chromia Central College University (Chromatika)
A much better batter of a catcher who sometimes comes in when the team just needs someone who can hit better consistently. Works well with Béa to prepare for matches. Fielding: 6 Batting: 9 Running: 7 Aggressiveness: 8

Pitching Staff
1. LHP Eddard FRIEND (31) Walstreim Stingrays (South Newlandia)
Fastball pitcher with a decent off-speed pitch, Friend is an even-keeled pitcher with the ability to go deep into games. The mental game is what he excels at.
2. RHP Ashleigh WITTERS (31) St. Riecarn Saints (South Newlandia)
A contact pitcher whose calling card is getting batters to hit into easy balls for her fielders, Witters has never had the fastest ball but annoys her opposition into submission. Will that work at this level?
3. RHP Marceaux JUSTINIAN (25) Walstreim Stingrays (South Newlandia)
Complicated game plans. Analysis of the opposing batters. Being on the same page as the catcher. These are all things that Marceaux specializes in, and it's the only way he knows how to pitch. If he gets sidetracked, it's over for him - the staff is working on that.
4. RHP LING Xe (32) Denison Dynamo (Super-Llamaland)
The pitcher in this lineup to utilize the slider the most, Ling also has a serviceable fastball to sidetrack the batters. Rather streaky, needs to get a head start on the batters to be used to her best potential.
5. LHP Carmen BYNUM-JACKSON (23) Chromia Marks (Chromatika)
The best pitcher that's playing in Chromatika at the moment, Carmen usually tries to throw past batters, but has learned that won't always work. She's working on mastering those kinds of situations, and how far Chromatika goes will depend on her growth.

Bullpen
RHP CHENG Tingguang (31) Sanar Siren (Chromatika) - Long-Term Reliever
A speed demon, Cheng takes no prisoners, often throwing the fastest of fastballs. Likes to get locked in.
LHP Doris MILDRED (23) Chromia Marks (Chromatika) - Long-Term Reliever
A change-up specialist who loves to play mind games with the opposition, Mildred is okay with losing those same games sometimes if it means winning most of them.
RHP Harima KATAWA (32) Z'ai'ai Originals (Chromatika) - Long-Term Reliever
Having command of four different pitches, Katawa is a jack of all trades that can step into any situation and get the job done for whatever is needed at the time.
RHP Marie VOXX (25) Sanar Siren (Chromatika) - Reliever
Specializing in high-intensity situations, Voxx is aware that more often than she would like, she will be the villain. When she succeeds, though, it will be something to remember.
LHP Cade OSTETT (25) Lanar Locks (Chromatika) - Reliever
An off-speed pitch specialist who prefers to confuse the opposition. Most of the hits he gives up are home runs, though.
LHP Vera MANE (28) Chromia Marks (Chromatika) - Reliever
A fastballer who throws her weight into every single pitch. Not as fast as Cheng, but provides the left-handed support.
LHP Ava KYLER (23) Urrheddiao Chance (Chromatika) - Left-Handed Specialist
Someone needs to be in this position, and it might as well be Kyler. Throws three different kinds of pitches, doesn't mind taking risks.
LHP Evan HILL(28) Lanar Locks (Chromatika) - Setup Man
Very good at getting that one inning needed to set up the save, Hill's ability to get into the batter's heads is something else.
RHP Katerina PAVLOVA (29) Lanar Locks (Chromatika) - Closer
Gaining more and more experience, Pavlova is utterly fearless and loves big matches. Has a trademark celebration where she points three fingers into the sky after a successful save.

Playstyle: Pitch well. Field even better. Bat when you can. Hopefully, that's enough.

Home Stadium: National Stadium, Cap. 44,320 Chromia, Capital District, Chromatika

RP Permissions: Nothing out of the ordinary. COVID doesn't exist.
Choose my runscorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: No
Follow my pitching rotation: Yes
Godmod scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: Yes, within reason
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Eject my players: Yes, within reason
Godmod other events: No
Use DH at home: No

League Phase Schedule
Series 01: vs. (11) Kamijiro; Starters: Friend, Witters, Justinian
Series 02: @ (23) Dhemixia; Starters: Ling, Bynum-Jackson, Friend
Series 03: @ (62) Hapilopper; Starters: Witters, Justinian, Ling
Series 04: vs. (UR) Valentine Z; Starters: Bynum-Jackson, Friend, Witters
Series 05: @ (14) TJUN-ia; Starters: Justinian, Ling, Bynum-Jackson
Series 06: vs. (18) United States of Nova Calania; Starters: Friend, Witters, Justinian
Series 07: vs. (3) Quebec and Shingoryeo; Starters: Ling, Bynum-Jackson, Friend
Series 08: @ (UR) Katzeburg; Starters: Witters, Justinian, Ling
Series 09: @ (UR) Zenic; Starters: Bynum-Jackson, Friend, Witters
Series 10: vs. (UR) The Martian Independent Republic; Starters: Justinian, Ling, Bynum-Jackson
Series 11: vs. (30) Natkr; Starters: Friend, Witters, Justinian
Series 12: @ (5) Milchama; Starters: Ling, Bynum-Jackson, Friend

World Baseball Classic 61 | IC thread

World Baseball Classic 61 | IC thread

how to build a baseball roster (1)

The Red Death

Eight Nations Shield Champions btw

at least we swept the Ellies in the 8NS SFs

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