Will McDermott ‘22
Staff Editor
It took a lot of scheduling via GroupMe polls, but believe it or not, we actually did complete the fall softball playoffs this year. Without further ado, your champions:
Co-Rec Champion –The PArents
The proud PArents: Will Tucker ‘20, Jessica Joyce ‘20, Kevin Schunk ‘21, Samwise Pickett ‘21, Arjun Ogale ‘21, Will Hinton ‘21, Read Mills ‘20, Molly Cain ‘20, Katharine Janes ‘21, Kat Goebel ‘21, Phil Tonseth ‘22. Photo credit Molly Cain ‘20.
Defeated Sermon on the Mound, 32 – 22.
We expected a high-scoring game out of these two teams, and they delivered. Fifty-four runs, wow. That means the teams collectively ran about two and a half miles just lapping the bases. Hey, Sermon, on the bright side, at least you got some cardio during finals (and saw the sun). The PArents ultimately came out on top. We won’t mention the ex-D1 baseball player 1L who played but may or may not have actually been on their roster *cough cough* Phil Tonseth ’22. In any event, kudos to the PAs; way to take down the #2 seed.
Co-Rec Semi-Finalists: 1L Section G
Lost to Sermon on the Mound, 7 – 5.
The 1L underdogs wanted to find their way to the championship, but the seasoned Sermon team was too big of a match. The teams exchanged tense words, and they left it all on the field in this heated contest. I’m impressed that they held Sermon to only seven runs, the same team that put up twenty-two in the championship. Congrats to Section G on a terrific season—a solid showing for the 1L class.
Co-Rec Semi-Finalists: Lonestar Lawyers
Lost to The PArents, 22 – 5.
The Lawyers tried to fight off a strong PA team, but their efforts were to little avail. The PAs started with a strong lead and maintained it throughout the game, pulling further ahead each inning. Congrats on making it to the semis, Lonestar Lawyers; your prize is not having to pay state income tax.
Open Champion – Batmen
Defeated Sneaky Business, 27 – 21.
Sneaky Business is comprised entirely of Darden guys; thankfully, they didn’t win. Even with a strong defensive presence, these two powerhouse teams put up a combined forty-eight runs. The Batmen made several clutch plays that cut off the Darden boys’ momentum at critical times, which probably made the difference in this intense matchup. Congratulations to the Batmen—they were a talented team this season.
Open Semi-Finalists: Humongous Melonheads
Lost to Batmen 29– 28.
Three of Law Weekly’s finest (Nate Wunderli ’22, Tonseth, and I) took a hard loss in this battle. Us Melonheads fought a tight contest, playing with only seven men. Melonheads came out strong and held the lead for most of the game. In the top of the 7th inning, we were preparing for our walk-off, and the Batmen’s bats started heating up—they scored back ten runs (from 19 to 29 – 25). The Melonheads pushed in the bottom of the 7th, scored three but left two men on base, and came up short one run.
Open Semi-Finalists: MEAT
Lost to Sneaky Business 20 – 15.
Even though MEAT came to play, Sneaky’s defense was making all of the right plays. There was only so much each team could do to stop runs, but this matchup came down to the Darden boys ending each inning while MEAT had runners on base. Those runs would have likely put MEAT far ahead.
But hold on, they weren’t the only champions this season. The umps also handed out the “extremely prestigious” NGSL Awards:
Best Uniforms – Nettie Light
Only about half the teams actually had “uniforms,” so the other half was lucky if their players showed up wearing the same color shirt. So props for the creativity, but more importantly, the effort.
Most Likely to Yell at an Ump – The Gentlemen of the Class of 2022
Agreed, I know I personally deserve at least 1/170th of this award. 1L games get heated…someone gets called out on a pitch that hits the plate and the benches clear to calm the captains down, we’ve all been there…right?
Rookies of the Year – Section G
This is well deserved. Section G worked with what they had—they didn’t recruit from out of their section and made it to the semi-finals, where they held the #2 seed to seven runs. For the record, my section team (E) beat them in the regular season, but unfortunately, that means nothing. Their squad showed up to play when it mattered the most.
Most Likely to Ghost – VJILantes
No one likes ghosts. Scheduling games and reserving fields is a hassle, but it’s part of the game.
Team to Watch – Humongous Melonheads
We definitely are the team to watch next season. IMO, we should’ve won in the fall.
Most Likely to Not Have Enough Women – Fed Sox
Also part of the game, finding women who want to play the game. Fed Sox pulled it together and fielded a team for the playoffs, though.
Most Surprising Season – Habeas Porpoise
Winners of the 1L tournament last year, everyone expected this team to have a strong showing this fall. Or, at least, show up to play at all. The team ended up not participating in the playoffs––the Law Weekly isn’t sure if it’s because they couldn’t rally enough players or if they just wanted to quit while they’re ahead. Regardless, NGSL thanks them for the $60 in registration fees.
Always the Bridesmaid – Sermon on the Mound
The #2 seed to start and runner-up to finish. Seems to be a recurring theme with this group over the last few years. There’s always next season, Sermon. And the one after that. And after that.
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wjm7ym@virginia.edu