Spring 2012 All Peninsula 1st Team

Well, it's the moment you've been waiting for. Out of 291 players who suited up every Wednesday, these are the 11 players that stood out among the pack. 78 players voted and these individuals were deemed to be the best of the best this season. Without further ado, I present to you, the 1st Team All Peninsula selections!

Kickball is truly a team sport, with 11 players in the field and often times more in the lineup. Very rarely will you come across a player with the ability to take over a game and impose their will on an opponent. JC Cashwell is one of those rare gifted players. He logged multiple innings this season for JFK at charger, first base, and pitcher all at an elite level. Whatever, the Freeds needed, he provided. On top of world class defense, JC is an offensive weapon. Underneath his old, holey, lucky, grey sweatpants is one of the most powerful left legs in all of kickball. Mr. Cashwell has given many right fielders nightmares this spring.

The only thing louder than Scott Duncan's mouth is the sound of a kickball exploding off of his powerful right foot. If it's true that "chicks dig the long ball", than Duncan is a magnet. If the league kept reliable stats, than there would be little doubt that Scott Duncan would lead the Peninsula in home runs, with at least 3 this spring. And while Scott is best known for his ability to kick bombs (well, that and his weekly weather report), the area that he's grown the most is in his defense. In the past his form was not always consistent and his strong right arm would be a little wild. But working with SnB's wiley old veteran, Anthony Williams, he was able to improve dramatically. This season, Scott was a deadly assassin at the charger position. With accurate and crisp throws, he terminated bunters with extreme prejudice all season long. 

Patrick Jones is a perennial member of the All Peninsula 1st Team, and it's with good reason. No first baseman in the league can match his unique talent for scooping up balls in the dirt and doing his patented stretch dive to give his defense an extra half second. It's that extra 1/2 second that robs many speedy kickers of base hits. At least once a game, PJ will pull some crazy play out of his butt to create an out where one would not have been had. At the plate, what he lacks in speed, he makes up for with placement and power. He consistently paints the 3rd base line with his bunts, and possesses one of the best 'punch' line drives in the sport. All around, he's still the best first baseman in VA Peninsula and the gap has yet to close.

JFK's fiery on the field leader, Nikki LeBlanc, is one of the best all around ladies in kickball. She's a pure athlete who covers lots of ground at 3rd base and the outfield. Great instincts and solid hands takes away an entire side of the field from opposing kickers. Not many teams have that luxury. LeBlanc also is a fantastic bunter with great speed. But she's not a one dimensional player either. Nikki's got a little pop in her leg and can catch some outfielders if they're napping.

"LITLE UP!", is the battle cry of the Jagernauts. The cheer, inspired by their outfielder, Katie Litle, was used to fire up the 'Nauts and lead them to victory (ok, so not really too many victories for the Jagers this year, but still. Go with it). No lady kickballer is as well respected as Litle is. In fact, 76 out of 78 ballots included votes for Katie. By far the most out of any player on the ballot. My only question is, 'who were the two people that left her off their list?!" Seriously, Litle is a beast. Bunting. Kicking. Defense. Leadership. She's the total package. If only she could learn how to bake a good rice crispy treat with some Snickers® up in them, she'd really have it all. 

A first time member of the All Peninsula team and it's very deserving. Nicole "Pure" Plesha is a beast. She's a multi-talented player, and there isn't much that she can't do. Bunting? Paints the lines. Kicking? Sprays hard line drives all across the field. Defense? Covers her position well, has excellent hands, and displays excellent awareness. Perhaps there was no better example of this than in week 3, when the Ballsacks played their rivals, Free Ballin'. Plesha made the final out of the game to secure the tie, when she blasted JP Wilkinson in the face. Clutch? Yep. 

JFK's flame throwing righty, Daniel "The Condor" Shaw is the first team All Peninsula pitcher. The gentle giant hurls death from above when he's out on the mound. The 6'7'' Shaw uses his ginormous wingspan as a pendulum to put plenty of speed and torque on his pitches. The result is kickers who are constantly off balance and out of their rhythm. In the Fall, Daniel was voted to the 2nd team, but what has vaulted him to the top spot this past season was the addition of some power at the plate. Once a liability, D-Shaw, is now a dangerous weapon. Don't believe me? Ask the Jagernauts. In their first round matchup, he cranked a huge 3 run home run to break open a close game and propel JFK to the next round. 

Joining her husband and JFK teammate, Daniel Shaw, on the first team is Jillian Simms. Simms has been a true warrior this season and has worked very hard in practice to improve her game. The hardwork has paid off. She's one of the most athletic ladies in the league (and I don't just mean that as a code word for 'black', Wellbrock) and uses her speed and foot skills to lay down sweet bunts and reach base consistently. Where she has improved the most though is in her kicking away. Once a one dimensional player, Jill is now a threat to drop a ball into the outfield in any situation. Head coach Bryan Freed was so impressed with Simms new found pop that he utilized her in the heart of the lineup towards the end of the season. Defensively, Jill is as reliable as they come, always alert and in position, and smart when she has the ball. Perhaps there was no better example of this than when she teamed up with her hubby to gun out a would be scoring Bird early in the season! 

"Dominque Smith is the consummate teammate," KA's Nathaniel Johnson gushed, "He has an incredible skill set which allows him to play anywhere on the field at an extremely high level." And it's true. While he's earning this All-Peninsula nod for his roaming of the outfield, it turns out Smith is a multifaceted player who contributed at some of the key infield positions, notably charger. He's a fast guy with great range and a strong arm. On offense, he's equally comfortable laying a nice bunt down or rocking it deep. All in all, Smith is a great contributor in every regard and well deserving of his first All-Peninsula honor.
"It is a pleasure to play beside Dom because of his indefatigable spirit and winning positive winning attitude." Jorts concluded.

Hustle. Intensity. Aggression. Focus. All words that perfectly describe Eric "The Pirate" Stevens when he's out on the kickball field. No man busts his ass as hard as Stevens does, and the efforts pay off. Of course JFK is loaded with talented players (5 first teamers alone), but perhaps no man is more important to their success than their energetic catcher. Stevens specialty is exploding out of the box and gobbling up bunts and making diving catches on pop ups. Many kickers have been left frustrated after one of his patented spin throw lasers beats them out to first base.

Another staple of the All-Peninsula first team is the 5 O'Clockers Josh Waldrop, and it's for good reason. He's all you could want from an outfielder. The speed and instincts to cover a lot of real estate. Reliable hands to make even the most difficult of catches look routine. A good arm and veteran experience. Most importantly, he's an elite offensive weapon that can bunt with precision or kick with power and accuracy. Many times this championship season, Waldrop came through when it mattered most with game winning hits. Most notably a 5th inning sacrifice to plate the game winning run in an early season 1-0 showdown with the Jagernauts. If there is such a thing as a 5 tool player, it's Waldrop. That's why it's not too surprising when he was the only outfielder picked in the first round of the VA Patriot Summer League draft.

There you have it! Please join me in congratulating the members of the Spring 2012 All-Peninsula team!

In case you missed it:
Spring 2012 All-Peninsula 2nd Team
Spring 2012 All-Peninsula 3rd Team