Building Up the Championship Series: Wicked Aces

The Whiteford Wicked Aces have finally reached the stage they've had their eyes on all summer: the WSEM Championship Series. The team had more to prove than your typical defending champions after being granted their trophy via the forfeit of the red-hot Manchester Punchouts in the 2012 championship series, and they made sure the league knew it was a statement year for the second-year franchise. After overhauling their home field and unveiling a new Air Force-themed logo set, the Aces went 25-3 over the regular season and have not lost a game that their #1(Austin Bischoff), #2 (RJ Fisher), or #2a (Evan Bischoff) pitcher has started. They dominated the league's pitching stats by a wide margin, and all five players on the playoff roster can pitch effectively. In a five-game series, this depth may be crucial with pitchers like Bischoff and Skinner that can toss scoreless inning after scoreless inning.

Fisher is by far the most suprising pitcher in the bunch, coming out of nowhere to steal the #2 spot in the rotation. An injury to Fisher's pitching hand, however, prevented him from pitching in the first round of the playoffs and threatens to weaken the Aces' rotation. While Fisher is cleared to throw, it is unsure if he will be at 100%; a shaky RJ could cause problems for Whiteford. However, Evan Bischoff turned in two shining performances against the Diablos and the Warriors in his last two starts, helping to relieve these concerns. Amazingly, major off-season signing Evan Bortmas comes into the championship series as the #4 pitcher on the roster, but he has made his presence known at the plate and in the field and has been a rock for the team all year. Joel Crozier has seen some action in the relief role he held in 2012, getting RJ out of a tough jam against the Islanders in Whiteford's last series, eventually earning the win and avoiding disaster in extras.

The Aces have hit the ball fairly well this year, but will need to step it up against Skinner, who they had little success against in their regular season games. They were delivered from the jaws of a Game 1 loss to the Warriors by a Crozier walk-off two-run homer, but would obviously prefer to score earlier and more frequently. Bortmas has been consistent most of the year, but Crozier, RJ, and the Bischoffs have went through mini-slumps that they must avoid. They will also need to be sharp defensively against the offensive threat posed by Diablos playes such as Nicco, Dakota, and Kyle. Finally, Joel Crozier will not be available for games 3-5, making games 1-2 that much more important for the boys in blue. Bischoff must come out on top of the much anticipated duel with Skinner, and either RJ or Evan will have to step up in Game 2 against a hot Chandler Phillips. If Whiteford can take those games, they have confidence that Austin will win one of his next two and deliver them the trophy- in a much more dramatic form than last year.