Written by Commissioner Gallaway - Posted 2012-06-23 12:39 in News
Commissioner Gallaway has announced the roster for the first ever National Wiffle League Association National Tournament.
The tournament, which is being co-hosted by the PWL will be the first time that fast pitch leagues recognized by the NWLA have come together under common rules to compete in a tournament.
The tournament will be held in Columbus, Ohio, July 14-15, and will begin with pool play Saturday night, then seed a double elimination tournament Sunday morning.
The PWL All Star team will be playing under the name Nationals, with the primary uniform matching the “other” Nationals home Curly W style uniforms and the alternate uniform as the red Curly W jersey.
The team will be wearing the red and blue official cap for all their games.
Four of the players competing for the Nationals will also be participating in the London tournament. Two pitchers, Joe Thaman and Matt Gagnon will be exclusively playing in the NWLA tournament. Three of the six members of the roster played in the Spring 2012 World Series.
Eight other leagues have officially confirmed their participation in the tournament. Teams from Michigan, Indiana, New York, Missouri, and Florida will join the Nationals in Columbus.
Commissioner Gallaway will manage the team.
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Nicholas DiCrosta is the rare combination of both a top tier pitcher and hitter for the Nationals.
DiCrosta won the MVP Award in Spring 2010, and with five Player of the Week Award wins is tied for second on the all time list. He won a World Championship as a one season free agent pickup in Summer 2009. He is also the all time career leader in doubles.
He has participated in one London Wiffleball Tournament as a National.
The years are catching up with this crafty veteran, but he still has some game left. When he's not pitching he'll be subbing into the outfield or extra hitting. His favorite book: Sears Catalogue.
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| Season | GP | IP | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | R | RBI | AVG | SLG | OPS | SO |
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| 2008 SU | 8 | 48 | 40 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 10 | .400 | .850 | 1.250 | 1 |
| 2009 SP | 12 | 68 | 71 | 32 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 18 | .451 | .648 | 1.099 | 4 |
| 2009 SU | 13 | 73 | 49 | 23 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 19 | .469 | .980 | 1.449 | 3 |
| 2010 SP | 13 | 88 | 60 | 30 | 10 | 0 | 9 | 19 | 14 | .500 | 1.117 | 1.617 | 12 |
| 2010 SU | 11 | 62 | 47 | 22 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 15 | 10 | .468 | 1.000 | 1.468 | 13 |
| 2011 SP | 13 | 86 | 63 | 27 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 12 | .429 | .825 | 1.254 | 12 |
| 2011 SU | 13 | 82 | 69 | 33 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 19 | 27 | .478 | .899 | 1.377 | 5 |
| 2012 SP | 12 | 75 | 67 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 14 | 17 | .448 | .925 | 1.373 | 14 |
| Career | 95 | 582 | 466 | 213 | 58 | 3 | 47 | 124 | 127 | .457 | .897 | 1.354 | 64 |
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Matt Gagnon is the only rookie selected for the Nationals. While he has struggled to deliver as a hitter Gagnon rounds out a strong starting rotation as one of the best pitcher's in the league.
In his rookie season he led his team to a #3 overall finish in a tough PWL Spring Season. His aggressive style of play hasn't won him any fans so he won't be taking home any hardware in the form of postseason awards, but he did claim a Player of the Week keychain after he tossed his first perfect game.
Gagnon is a recent newlywed and hopefully all the scars from wiffleball were covered up for the pictures. His diving plays will come in handy as a utility fielder when he's not on the bump. His favorite honeymoon activity: tweeting.
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| Season | GP | IP | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | R | RBI | AVG | SLG | OPS | SO |
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| 2012 SP | 14 | 88 | 56 | 19 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | .339 | .571 | .911 | 22 |
| Career | 14 | 88 | 56 | 19 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | .339 | .571 | .911 | 22 |
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Kevin Higman is one of those very good players who probably shouldn't be on the below average teams they're on. His sophomore season was strong, earning him a Player of the Week Award and three nominations.
In addition to his bat, Higman likes to flash the leather. He's one of the strongest fielders in the league and routinely takes away base hits as well as home runs from unsuspecting batters.
Higman hasn't seen playoff games or the high pressure situations he'll face in Columbus yet, expect him to be primarily patrolling the outfield. His dream date: Kerby Valladares.
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| Season | GP | IP | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | R | RBI | AVG | SLG | OPS | SO |
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| 2011 SU | 7 | 41 | 35 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | .371 | .543 | .914 | 5 |
| 2012 SP | 13 | 77 | 59 | 31 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 13 | .525 | 1.102 | 1.627 | 9 |
| Career | 20 | 118 | 94 | 44 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 19 | 15 | .468 | .894 | 1.362 | 14 |
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The other Shannon twin, Jim, is a must needed bat in the Nationals lineup and is an above average fielder.
In Spring 2012 Shannon won the 6th batting Triple Crown in league history, and became the first person to do it more than once.
More popular on the stats page than in the hearts of league players, Shannon has a Gold Glove award for fielding at catcher, but has not won the MVP award. He has been a member of three World Championship teams.
He has participated in three London Wiffleball Tournaments as a Senator, and as a member of the Nationally #1 Ranked Barnburners competed in the 2011 Battle of the Leagues between the Potomac Wiffleball League and the Kalamazoo Wiffle League.
Shannon is a Cubs fan, but we'll let him play outfield anyway. His favorite canned food: ravioli.
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| Season | GP | IP | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | R | RBI | AVG | SLG | OPS | SO |
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| 2009 SP | 9 | 50 | 45 | 21 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 11 | .467 | .911 | 1.378 | 4 |
| 2010 SP | 13 | 77 | 58 | 25 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 19 | 16 | .431 | 1.000 | 1.431 | 9 |
| 2010 SU | 2 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | .714 | 2.429 | 3.143 | 1 |
| 2011 SP | 13 | 77 | 62 | 36 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 21 | 25 | .581 | 1.290 | 1.871 | 9 |
| 2012 SP | 13 | 76 | 65 | 35 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 25 | 25 | .538 | 1.323 | 1.862 | 12 |
| Career | 50 | 290 | 237 | 122 | 10 | 3 | 48 | 80 | 83 | .515 | 1.190 | 1.705 | 35 |
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| # | POS | BATS | THROWS |
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| #39 | EH/OF | R | R | Jack Shannon and his twin brother Jim pack a powerful offensive punch for the Nationals lineup.
Shannon won the Rookie of the Year award in his debut season but has quietly gone about his work since then helping the Blandsford Barnburners win three World Championships in three seasons.
He has participated in three London Wiffleball Tournaments as a Senator and as a member of the Nationally #1 Ranked Barnburners competed in the 2011 Battle of the Leagues between the Potomac Wiffleball League and the Kalamazoo Wiffle League.
He's a little bitchy about playing the field and predominantly serves as an extra hitter and designated hitter. His favorite animal: kittens.
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| Season | GP | IP | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | R | RBI | AVG | SLG | OPS | SO |
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| 2009 SP | 13 | 67 | 68 | 34 | 7 | 1 | 11 | 26 | 27 | .500 | 1.118 | 1.618 | 3 |
| 2010 SP | 12 | 71 | 49 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 14 | .347 | .694 | 1.041 | 13 |
| 2010 SU | 2 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | .500 | 1.500 | 2.000 | 2 |
| 2011 SP | 13 | 77 | 60 | 30 | 11 | 0 | 8 | 19 | 14 | .500 | 1.083 | 1.583 | 4 |
| 2012 SP | 13 | 76 | 61 | 30 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 18 | 21 | .492 | 1.230 | 1.721 | 5 |
| Career | 53 | 301 | 244 | 114 | 27 | 2 | 38 | 78 | 78 | .467 | 1.061 | 1.529 | 27 |
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There are not yet any players inducted into the PWL Hall of Fame but when there are you can without question assume Joe Thaman will be among the honorees.
Thaman has two MVP Awards under his belt, three consecutive Cy Young Awards, and given another week you might be able to add one to each of those counts. This goes along with the two World Series trophies on display in his team's clubhouse.
Thaman may play for Superman's Wheelchair, but is in fact, not super human himself. Not only did he strike out for the last out of the game when his small college team was eliminated from the College World Series, he also skipped a playoff game for the birth of his human daughter...priorities. As the ace of the Nationals he'll primarily pitching and serving as an extra or pinch hitter in game situations. His favorite ice cream flavor: eucalyptus.
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| Season | GP | IP | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | R | RBI | AVG | SLG | OPS | SO |
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| 2010 SP | 13 | 75 | 71 | 36 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 20 | 14 | .507 | .901 | 1.408 | 11 |
| 2010 SU | 6 | 36 | 38 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 11 | .632 | 1.000 | 1.632 | 1 |
| 2011 SP | 14 | 105 | 74 | 33 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 19 | .446 | .784 | 1.230 | 9 |
| 2011 SU | 11 | 69 | 61 | 33 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 15 | 25 | .541 | 1.213 | 1.754 | 8 |
| 2012 SP | 14 | 92 | 68 | 32 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 17 | 15 | .471 | .971 | 1.441 | 11 |
| Career | 58 | 377 | 312 | 158 | 38 | 1 | 34 | 77 | 84 | .506 | .962 | 1.468 | 40 |
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