By: Spencer Bogad
The SWBL Cardinals have been competing in the NWLA Tournament since it's beginning. Over the years, the Saint Louis wifflers have competed against some of the finest competition that this special game has to offer.
We wondered: "Who are the best pitchers that WE have hit against in a NWLA Tournament game over the years?"
This article takes a dive into that very question, ranking each pitcher we faced over the last five NWLA Tournaments (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020). The ranking will only look at the stats of the pitcher from the year we faced, said pitcher. For example, this article will not mention Tyler Flakne from 2020, because we did not face him in 2020, we faced him in 2017. Get the idea? Also, not every pitcher we have ever faced is in this article, only the ones that we graded as "Great Pitchers".
18.) 2020 - Chandler Phillips (WSEM) Game: 4 IP, 6 SO, 2 ER; Tournament: 11 IP, 24 SO, 5.45 ERA
17.) 2017 - David Ayers (KWL) Game: 5 IP, 6 SO, 4 ER; Tournament: 10 IP, 17 SO, 3.60 ERA
16.) 2018 - Kyle Von Schleusingen (AWAA) 6 IP, 14 SO, 5 ER; Tournament: 19 IP, 42 SO 3.47 ERA
15.) 2020 - Chris Sarnowski (MAW) Game: 4 IP, 11 SO, 4 ER; Tournament: 4 IP, 11 SO, 4.00 ERA
14.) 2020 - Ryan Bush (OCWA) Game: 6 IP, 16 SO, 2 ER; Tournament: 12 IP, 29 SO, 2.50 ERA
13.) 2017 - Matt Butrym (HFWL) Game: 3 IP, 9 SO, 3 ER; Tournament: 10 IP, 26 SO, 3.60 ERA
12.) 2016 - Ryan Bush (OCWA) Game: 6 IP, 14 SO, 1 ER; Tournament: 12 IP, 27 SO, 1.50 ERA
11.) 2020 - Alec Buchman (CCW) Game: 6 IP, 14 SO, 1 ER; Tournament: 11 IP, 25 SO, 0.55 ERA
10.) 2016 - Chris Roeder (OCWA) Game: 6 IP, 12 SO, 1 ER; Tournament: 12 IP, 22 SO, 1.00 ERA
9.) 2016 - Brett Detmar (LWA) Game: 4 IP, 10 SO, 0 ER; Tournament: 10 IP, 20 SO, 0.60 ERA
8.) 2020 - Mike Hogan (KWL) Game: 7 IP, 10 SO, 3 ER; Tournament: 16 IP, 27 SO, 1.12 ERA
7.) 2016 - Stephen farkas (WSEM) Game: 6 IP, 13 SO, 2 ER; Tournament: 14 IP, 31 SO, 1.29 ERA
6.) 2019 - Mike Speek jr (CCW) Game: 15 IP, 29 SO, 1 ER; Tournament: 20 IP, 42 SO, 0.30 ERA
5.) 2019 - Ryan Bush (OCWA) Game: 6 IP, 16 SO, 1 ER; Tournament: 20 IP, 54 SO, 0.30 ERA
4.) 2018 Ryan Bush (OCWA) Game: 6 IP, 15 SO, 0 ER (No Hitter); Tournament: 14 IP, 36 SO, 0.00 ERA
3.) 2017 - Stephen Farkas (2nd Time) (WSEM) Game: 6 IP, 14 SO, 0 ER; Tournament: 22 IP, 53 SO, 0.27 ERA
2.) 2017 - Stephen Farkas (1st Time) (WSEM) Game: 10 IP, 23 SO, 0 ER; Tournament: 22 IP, 53 SO, 0.27 ERA
1.) 2019 - Kyle Von Schleusingen (AWAA) Game: 6 IP, 17 SO, 0 ER (No Hitter); Tournament: 19 IP, 51 SO, 0.63 ERA
A few notes:
- Matt Butrym from 2017 was dominant. His 3 ER allowed were due to an injury in the 4th inning. He stayed in the game, walked 3, then pulled himself. The relief pitcher allowed the runners to score.
- The Cardinals lost a game in which they scored 5 runs on K Von in 2018. Yikes.
- 2019 K Von was unanimously the most dominant pitcher the cardinals have ever faced. The cardinals put 1 ball in play. He only walked 2 batters.
- Mike Speek Jr used the most “craftiness” the Cardinals have seen. Not the fastest pitcher, or the most movement on his pitches, but one of the highest pitcher IQ. He used off speed in a way we hadn’t seen before.
- Cardinals are a combined : 1 & 10 when facing K Von, Bush or Farkas.
Who are the best pitchers your team has ever faced?