Now that the spring season has come to an end and all of the stats have been accumulated, I would like to take the time to thank each player of this last VBC Softball team. I really appreciated the effort and commitment that everyone put into the team in the last fifteen games. Certainly, because of everyone’s great attitudes and spirit, playing softball with you all is one of the highlights of my week every week. The energy and fun that we produce certainly outweighs any sense of winning or losing, which is why I look forward to returning season after season with you all. Now, without any further ado, to show my appreciation, I would like to award every core player with two superlatives each:
(in alphabetical order)
Ryan Cahill (LF):
Most Valuable Player (MVP)
This was practically a no-brainer. Ryan slugged a monstrous 1.258 and kept his average at .548 with 31 at-bats. Almost every third hit he got was a home run, and then the second third was full of his other extra-base hits. Whoa! That explains his 16 RBIs. Did I mention he also arguably has the best glove and arm on the team? If you can count on anyone to make a play at the plate happen, whether he's in outfield or not, it's this guy.
Like I said, practically a no-brainer. Congratulations for an awesome season, Ryan.
Most Likely to Hit a Pinata
Ryan will do anything for a home run—including swinging at things way above his head. But, hey, it’s worked out for him so far!
The Black Knight
Alaina didn’t get to play very much this season, and as a result, she tried to convince me a week after she severed her toe that she could play in the next game. Riiiight.
The Black Widow
Not exhausting the number of superlatives that she can get with the adjective “black,” Alaina came back from the DL only to head straight into the ribs of Romeo to put him in place of her.
Elisabeth Edge (3B):
Female MVP
First thing’s first: Elisabeth is the only person that I remember hearing say that HAD to get on top. She saw the stat sheets and was determined: she WOULD beat Rianna and stay on top to steal the female MVP award. Well, through that fighting spirit, she earned it. She topped the females with her .483 AVG and .516 OBP, and her .483 SLG came just behind Rianna and Alaina. Furthermore, whenever she gets in charge of a grounder at third, the runner had better count his or her blessings, as Elisabeth is known to make fast, clean throws to first time after time.
Most Likely to be Debilitated
If there has been a season that Elisabeth has been unable to come to a game once because of being hung over and another because she had a super cold (or was more severely hung over), then I haven’t been present. Oh, and the same conditions apply if after missing a game for one of those reasons she doesn’t come the next week to play with continuing ailments of said problems.
Mary Hasan (RF/C):
That’s What She Said
Guess who batted a .667 against That’s What She Said? Not Ryan (.500), not Bobby (.250), and not me (.600). Yes, there were a couple others who batted well against them, but no one quite as well as Mary, who also batted in three runs during games with them. Check your stats because unless you’re Matt, you didn’t come anywhere close. Mary ended up tying Rianna with the most RBIs for the ladies this season.
Most Determined to Get Around the Bases
We were all cheering that night against That’s What She Said when Mary finally met her goal of getting to third base. The only thing more exciting was seeing her cross home.
Joanna Niles (CF):
Most Excited
Whenever Joanna catches a fly ball she looks so amazed that she did it and proceeds to start jumping around.
Most Likely to Forget to Throw the Ball if Excited
Whenever Joanna catches a fly ball she looks so amazed that she did it and proceeds to start jumping around, making her completely forget that someone else is still running around the bases.
Matt Portner (CF/P):
Golden Glove
Though Matt’s bat suffered a bit this season, he made many clutch outs in LC. With Matt there and Ryan to his right, no fly ball escaped being impaled for an out.
“Michael Cuddyer” Award
A few nights ago, the Twins were losing so horribly that Michael Cuddyer, a position player who hadn’t pitched since high school, came in to close out the game. During the inning, he loaded the bases and then got the final two outs for the Twins to lose 20 to something (it doesn’t matter what). That situation is highly reminiscent of Matt coming in to take over for Rianna after she struggled in our third bout against the Boneshakers. I figure that loading the bases as a pro equates to giving up 24 runs on 24 hits. The best part was, though, that those numbers and his 6 walks, one of the lowest walk totals of the season, came at having not pitched since the days of the Yetis.
Prucha (2B):
Most Likely to Earn an RBI Single
Prucha clenched top spot for batting average for most of the season and finished second with a huge .591. The best thing about it, though, was that he raked in 10 RBIs—and only had two extra-base hits. In contrast, Bobby had 12 extra-base hits at the top of the order and pushed in the same amount. Either Prucha had some great runners on base every time or he really knew how to place the ball—and signs lean toward the latter. Also... Ichiro... Prucha... coincidence? Maybe I should adopt a one-name name.
Most Unlikely to “Turn Two” with Greg
Elisabeth heckled me every time I told Prucha to turn two on the next play, and rightfully so. Not once did we turn two. Not once was Prucha even given the opportunity to turn two.
(stay tuned for the other half of the team in a few days!)
(stay tuned for the other half of the team in a few days!)
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