Four Scariest Teams in the Eyes of a Wicked Ace

		View from the Top
		by Evan Bischoff

The Whiteford Wicked Aces have won the last two league championships (one championship and one “championship”), have the National Pitcher of the Year, and are ready to rumble again this year. However, as a member of the Wicked Aces, I can honestly say we are not as confident as our titles may indicate. With the loss of Evan Bortmas and losing the clutch Joel Crozier later in the year, we have plenty to be afraid of. I expect these teams to give us the biggest nightmares next year.

1

Undoubtedly, the scariest team in the league is the Westside Warriors. If the full team could make it to every game, I have no doubt they could go 25-3, or better. The Warriors have the scariest player in the league, Evan Bortmas. He can absolutely take over a game, even when he’s not pitching (Game 4 of the Championship Series). I had the privilege of playing with Bortmas last year, and he is simply a beast. The Warriors also have Sam Hatt, the other dominant ex-Punchout. He was one out away from beating us in the playoffs last year, but Joel Crozier saved the day. If Hatt is present in the playoffs, he and Bortmas alone can beat anybody. Not to mention the solid hitting behind the two studs, David Castle, Alex Shore, Greg Voutsos and Nick Woods. If the entire team is there in the playoffs, this team is a terrifying matchup.

2

The second scariest team in my eyes is the Holy Balls. Dennis Pearson from 2011 was the scariest monster the league has ever seen. His homerun hitting swing alone is enough to make any pitcher shake in their boots. If he can return to anything close to his unhittable self as a pitcher, this team will be really good. Behind him, the Holy Balls also have slugger Dylan Braden, Chris Paquin as a steady pitcher, Brandon Corbett as a very solid hitter, and a rookie, Anthony Mazurek. Dennis Pearson’s new-found motivation and the balance of the rest of the squad is plenty to make any team wary of playing the Holy Balls next year.

3

Coming in as the third scariest team is El Diablos. This team is the same team as last year with one less Nicco, who was their biggest home run threat and won the batting title. Yes, they do still have Skinner and Phillips, two very dominant pitchers. Yes, they have the reigning MVP, Kyle Tomlinson. But, there are few unknowns about this team. Other than three-first-named Devin Michael Tyra, you know exactly what to expect when you face them. Plus, the Bischoff bros went 5-0 against this team last year. They may be the preseason #1, but they have been beaten and lack the “scare effect” that the Warriors and Balls have.

4

The final team on the scariest teams list is the Islanders. Will Mundel has proven himself as an exceptional pitcher. In the final game of the season last year, he pitched scoreless into the eighth inning against us. With a little run support, Mundel can definitely steal some games against quality opponents. Also, it has been rumored that the Islanders are having open tryouts to bring in some fresh talent. Having won their offseason league, they may be significantly improved over last year’s team. Although the Islanders don’t have the talent the three other teams on this list do, they still give opponents plenty of reasons to be scared.