After twelve seasons and a later majority of those summers finishing second - the Grays finally captured its first regular-season Division Title. It wasn’t easy in the wild west knocking off Rockford who has won the last four division titles or dodging late runs from Red West or Crystal. Mix in a couple of heart attacks with late-inning heroics and walk-off wins and the Wolves got their banner.
Let’s take a quick look at how the west was won.
DEPTH
In years past a late-season injury to a key player or an unwise vacation usually spelled doom for the pups. But coming into the season with a twenty-man roster at first looked gluttonous to the short-sighted, proved to be genius to the patient and far-sighted - especially with pitching. In years past a typical Grays starter would chuck anywhere between 50-70 innings a summer and burn out during the playoffs. This season with the addition of Billy Diaz, Alex Gonzalez, Jack Nelson moving to a starter role and Fritz Coyro with a year under his belt the Grays pitching staff had a record-breaking season without breaking an arm. Four pitchers each gave 20 innings of effective work and still have juice for a playoff and State run. More on the pitching in a bit.
Big injuries this season; for example like Mark Von Rudens hammy would have decimated past Grays lineups. This season? Next man up. Tom Stephney, Michael Crane holding down Centerfield while Devin Kubik, Joey Olson, and Crane all took turns leading off and producing helped the pack continue on while Mark got his rest for the postseason.
Depth also played a part on the offensive side of things with Mike Dougherty and Tom Stephney producing huge games from the bottom of the lineup. Both players earned Player of the Week honors from the ten-hole. Yikes. Good luck opposing pitchers. Also with depth also comes flexibility - guys on the team like Joe Nadolney can fill in at every position and not lose a step and helps fill out a nine-man much easier when things arise.
NEXT MAN UP
What do you expect when your total lineup bats .418 - a new single-season Grays record - as guys one through twelve can drive in that winning run. Eight guys had double-digit RBIs, Michael Crane led with 19. Nine guys with double-digit runs, Jack Nelson led with 21. Three different walk-off heroes in Steve Cupryna, Matt Carter, and Nelson. The attitude of this lineup has been amazing with guys up and down the box putting up solid numbers including batting around seven different times this season. Even though the bats stubbled at some points - overall it was another great offensive output from the Wolves.
THROW STRIKES
Talk about pitching depth, six different hurlers won at least a game - Jack Nelson led the way with five. Fritz Coyro led in innings with 23, followed closely by Billy Diaz with 22.1 and Alex Gonzalez with 22, and Nelson with 21. Mark Von Ruden, Michael Shanor, and Mike Dougherty rounded out the staff. Gonzalez joined the staff mid-way through the season and is another ex-Blaine Fusion player to join Minnoka, after building up his stamina he was starting and winning big games by the end of the season. Gonzalez led the team in strikeouts fanning 29 in 22 innings. Nelson in his first full season as a starter also came up big, including a no-hitter vs Metro that was shared with Gonzalez. Nelson reached his personal goal of throwing five innings three different times and hopes to build on that going forward. Diaz a longtime Park National League veteran came over and impressed right away winning four games and fanning 23 in 22 pitched. Coyro in his second year with the club, the crafty vet improved in most major pitching categories; wins, complete games, shutouts, WHIP and ERA. The best part of this staff though is that they kept the Wolves in all the games, never getting blown out and giving the offense a chance to take over or walk it off. Amazing season from the staff so far.
OVERALL
A little magic also helped, a ball bouncing one way, a dying duck over the second baseman's head, a diving catch. But more than that, it was the twice a week off-season workout, the personal goals set by many on the team, people investing in themselves, the infield hustle hits, the called third strike walking back to the dugout, the inning saving double play, atlas like play from all depths of the roster - every little bit of hard work, skill, and some magic helped Minnoka earn the first divisional title in twelve years.
No matter what happens next week, this season has been one for the ages. The 13 game winning streak, the walk-off win celebrations, the parking lot recaps, welcoming new pups to the den, and watching this unbelievable season pay off after a winter of hard work - this summer has been a success. Hopefully, it can continue next week into a visit to Delano.
