The All-Peninsula team is simply put, the best kickballers in VA Peninsula. These are the players who have had the best seasons all around and are recognized for their outstanding play. There are only 33 players honored for standing out at their positions, so to earn a spot on one of the three teams is quite an accomplishment.
WAKA VA Peninsula Kickball had 16 teams and 290 players playing. From top to bottom, we had the most competitive season to date, with close games on the schedule every week. In seasons past, I've always decided the All-Peninsula Team based on my observations, scouting, and feedback from players. This season though, there were so many players that had great seasons, that I decided to open it up for the entire to league to cast their votes. 76 ballots were cast online in just over 3 days. Let's take a look at the results, starting with the 3rd team...
The Chubby Gangsters did not win a lot of games this Fall, but that's not for a lack of production from their standout charger, Steve Midlik. Many kickers who have placed perfect bunts down the line have had been thrown out by this gunslinger. Midlik's got one of the most powerful legs in the league, in addition to his strong arm. When he's up to kick, opposing defensive coordinators wish they could play 12 or 13 players in the field, because 11 just doesn't seem like it's fair. Back your outfielders up, and the skilled soccer player will slap a line drive in front of them. Push them up, and Midlik will blast one over their heads. Or in the words of CG teammate Keith Morehart, "He can put that shit wherever he wants to."
Major Kevin Gitkos is the glue that holds the Jagernaut defense together, as their vocal leader out in the field. He explodes out of the box, scoops up bunts, and uses his strong arm to nail runners going to first. Offensively, he is a skilled bunter, quick to first, and can kick away with power. Kicking in the heart of the order, Gitkos produced a lot of RKIs that directly resulted in wins for the 'Nauts.
Lick It's Lorraine Adkins kicked in the 3 spot all season for an offense that averaged 5.55 runs per game. As a woman kickballer, Adkins had an average higher than most guys in the league, kicking 0.667. Pretty impressive considering the last couple of weeks of the season, she played with an injured ankle that severely limited her ability to run. As if getting on base 2/3rds of the season wasn't impressive enough, Lorraine's biggest contribution to the team was her ability to lay down the perfect sacrifice bunt. Her 7 sacs were no doubt among the league leaders and kept the LIBYKI runners in scoring position.
Jen Epps, as the leadoff kicker for NKotB, was a terror on the basepaths. She can lay down some sweet bunts and uses her speed to get on. Once on base, she relies on her extensive softball experience to aggressively, but smartly, advance. Epps talent and performance has definitely earned the respect of the league. Despite not a single one of the 76 ballots being cast by a member of the Kickheads (which means she didn't get to benefit from any homer votes), she easily landed a spot in the top 12 girls in the league.
The Shake N Bake offense was a well oiled machine for most of the season, scoring 72 runs (2nd in the league). A huge driver of this success was the production of Kim Koricich near the top of the lineup. She got on base 15 times this season and came around to score on 8 of those trips, which was 3rd highest on SnB. Lightening fast and skilled with her feet, she didn't just score runs, but she drove them in to. Koricich kicked in 5 runs this season... Defensively, Kim has great instincts and has on more than one occasion made highlight worthy running catches in the outfield. Kim Koricich is the total package and definitely a deserving member once again of an All-Peninsula nod.
Prior to this season, Mary Katherine Evans broke off from Battlestar Ballsacktica and founded the expansion team Free Ballin'. She took with her a handful of Battlestar teammates with her to the new team, but perhaps none more important than Lisa Rock. Rock is a, uh, rock for the Ballers. The impact player can lay down the perfect bunt or can punch line drives all around the field. Her talent is undeniable.
The Juice was on the loose all season long. Thomas Welch kicked an astonishing 0.905 (19 for 21) for the entire season. Seriously. 19 for 21. Welch only made 2 damn outs all year. He lead the the team with 10 runs scored from the lead off position and played great defense roaming the outfield... And if all of that doesn't impress you, than consider the fact that he did it while receiving treatment for cancer. Yes, the fucking cancer. Just prior to the season starting, Welch went to see his doctor about a nagging shoulder pain. While the doc was reviewing the x-ray, he noticed a lump in Juice's throat and wanted to run additional tests. It turns out that Welch had a cancerous tumor on his lymph-node, which required him to have them removed completely. Thankfully, the growth was detected early enough. Juice had a successful surgery in September that resulted a wicked scar extending across his entire throat and left him voiceless for weeks... And that tough son of a bitch only missed one game! Getting on base 90% of the time. Scoring double digit runs. Playing world class defense. Kicking cancer's ass. I don't know if a season can get any more impressive than that.
Speaking of cancer, now would be a great time to plug our
WAKA Kicks Cancer Relay for Life Team. As a league, we're committed to participating in this fundraising event in the spring to benefit the American Cancer Society. If you'd like to join the team or if you'd like to donate, please go
here. Your support is greatly appreciated!
In addition to being the league's best
George Michael impersonator,
Phil Nadolski is also one of the best outfielders. He's an all around player who has 5 tools. He can lay down solid bunts, kick deep line drives, has good speed, covers a lot of ground in the outfield, and has a great arm (
on occasion, JFK will even have Nadolski pitch a few innings). In what is rumored to be his last season playing WAKA on the Peninsula (
Phil has recently said that he is planning on moving back home to Michigan), he went out with a bang and earned the respect of the All-Peninsula voters.
Despite missing 1/2 the season, JC Cashwell still got enough votes to earn a spot on an All-Peninsula team. This is a testament to the dominance that is JC. Perhaps the best kickball player I've ever seen, this hard throwing lefty can completely take over a game. Whether it's on the mound or playing charger or at first, JC is an impact player... Offensively, underneath his trademark grey sweatpants (seriously, it doesn't matter if it's 100 degrees out or 50 degrees out, he always rocks them), is a powerful left leg that booms balls deep to right field. That's if he's not laying down nice bunts and using his speed to get on... JFK had an awesome season, leading the league in runs scored (75) and runs allowed (13). It's scary to think about what those numbers would have been if this Kickball Beast would have been able to make it out to more games.
Never judge a book by it's cover. It's easy to look at Matt Barcus and write him off as just a goofball. The mullet. The mustache. The outfits. The loud outburts. The milk gallon jug full of orange juice and vodka... You wouldn't think he'd be a good kickballer just based on outward appearances, but you'd be wrong. When "The Experience" is on the field, he's a baller. He's sure handed at first and can stretch to make difficult catches. Don't think about going first to third on him either. He's got an A+ arm and makes even the fastest runners pay if they try to test it... Offensively, Barcus has the ability to bunt, although he usually prefers to kick away. And who can blame him? If I could kick as far as he could, I'd be tempted to let it rip every time too.
HOLY SHIT!!!!!!1!!! This is the greatest moment of my life to be named to one of the All-Peninsula teams! Time to go update my resume! (Seriously, there are a lot of great pitchers in this league. I am very honored to be considered one of the best by the people who voted).
Going out of town this weekend to see the Jets play the Skins up north, so I don't know when the 2nd and 3rd teams will be posted (sorry). Look for it by Monday though. In the meantime, please comment on the blog or on Facebook with your thoughts on the 3rd Team selections!
I know you play for CT, and you're the captain (I think female captains rock, just 
