Slow Pitch Finale Weekend Predictions

After a couple of weeks off of action - one due to rain and another due to Mother’s Day weekend (we love moms) - CCW is back this Sunday for its final slate of Slow Pitch season games. A crucial series for several teams will open the day, and the championship and consolation games will immediately follow.

By the end of the day Sunday, the Slow Pitch champions will have been crowned. First, let’s reset with our current standings:

1. Moonshots (6-1)
2. Stampede (5-3)
3. 8 Balls (5-3)
4. Hounds (4-4)
5. Yakkers (2-6)
6. Short Shorts (1-6)
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Final Regular Season Series Previews

Hounds (4-4) vs. Moonshots (6-1)

The Moonshots, after their addition of Thomas Hopkins, look as close to unstoppable as a team can look in this style of play. There are no breaks in their lineup, to the point that Will Smithey has been the 5th most productive player on the team. That isn’t a typo. 

But, the Hounds have a window into the championship if they can outslug the Shots on Sunday. It would also require some cooperation from the Stampede and 8 Balls, potentially, but 2 wins would do a lot for their aspirations. 

That said, I think the Moonshots are too powerful throughout the lineup right now, so I have a hard time seeing them drop a game.

Prediction: Moonshots sweep
Player of the Series: Will Smithey finally picks up some slack and powers the Moonshots to victory. 

8 Balls (5-3) vs. Stampede (5-3)

This will be the most impactful matchup this weekend - as the 8 Balls and Stampede face off with 2nd place on the line. The Stampede run differential - the tie breaker in the event of a split - is much better than the 8 Balls’, so it would likely take an 8 Balls sweep to propel them ahead of the Pede. 

2 of the Pede’s 3 losses look like flukes, dropping 2 games to the last-place Yakkers while missing several players, and starting a 10-year-old (who, fairly, held his own!) in their stead. They’ve also split with the first-place Moonshots. The Stampede are legit.

The 8 Balls, perhaps predictably, haven’t gotten elite production from any of the guys in their lineup, but instead steady production from just about everyone. They sit at .500, but have the ability to play at a higher level if more than 1 or 2 guys can hit at the same time. 

Prediction: series split
Player of the Series: Dalsen Murdock has his best series of the season and gets the Stampede into the finals. 

Short Shorts (1-6) vs. Yakkers (2-6)

The Shorts and Yakkers sit at the bottom of the standings this session - though they might be favorites in the fast pitch session to come - and will try to battle out of the last place spot this matchup. The Shorts’ recent addition of Connor Young could prove to be a meaningful one, if he is able to get to these games. They’ve lacked offense in a major way, producing only 32 runs prior to their makeup series earlier this week - they could double their run total and still be last in that category, behind the Hounds’ 65.

The Yakkers, on the other hand, have scored the 3rd most runs this season, but have allowed nearly 50 more runs to the opposition than the next worst team. If not for their two wins against the severely undermanned Stampede, they would be entering the final weekend winless.

Ultimately, I think the Yakkers come out on top this weekend, with the Shorts unable to keep up with the Yaks’ bats. 

Prediction: Yakkers sweep
Player of the Series: DLewwy catches fire in the midst of a pre-Indy 500 stupor and has a huge series. 

Playoff Predictions

Following these series, the top 2 teams will square off in a best-of-3 series to crown a champion. The 3rd and 4th place teams will battle for bronze, and the bottom 2 teams will try to Not Be The Worst - both in one game sudden-death series. 

Toilet Bowl Prediction - Yakkers over Short Shorts
3rd Place Game Prediction - 8 Balls over Hounds
Championship Series Prediction - Moonshots over Stampede in 3