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League welcomes five new teams as ORWBL reaches 14 teams
With Jet City, Galena Marsh, and Olive Township all folding, we will have 9 returning teams for the 2018 season. With wiffleball interest currently at an all time high, we had no issues finding expansion teams.
In addition to the 9 teams returning, the league is thrilled to announce the addition of 5 new franchises to the Old Republic Wiffleball League. Therefore, it is looking like we will be moving forward with an all time league high of 14 teams. Here is a preview of the 5 expansion franchises!
-Osceola Goats: Led by Manager Andrew Doran, the Billy Goats join the league with hopes of replicating what their friends over at the Granger Panthers have accomplished. The Goats will be heading to the National League and figure to be immediate contenders. In a small sample size, the Goats have had their success in tournaments and most notably took down Clutch Players in the FA Fall Classic. With some ex Panthers on the roster, this young team certainly will have a chip on their shoulder in their inaugural season.
-South Bend Muffs: After a year off, the South Bend Muffs are back as Wiffleball returns to South Bend. South Bend teams like the Sour Wowers, and Cult West have had championship success and the Muffs are hoping to bring an ORWBL Championship back to South Bend. After playing a huge role in helping the Maple City Magic win their 1st ORWBL Championship, Anthony Rieff returns as the Manager of the Muffs. Rieff announced the return of the Muffs on twitter while also announcing that they had signed reigning NL MVP Aidan Cotter. If that holds true, the Muffs may end up being Maple City's greatest test in the American League. The Muffs also announced the signing of Zone 3 Captain Mark Richards who figures to play a key role for South Bend.
-Saugany Lake Landsharks: After a year with the Hudson Lake Heat, Levi Miller has decided to create the Saugany Lake Landsharks. Miller will also bring along some of the Hudson Lake Heat reserves who will now have their opportunity to shine. The Landsharks will be heading to the National League but rumors are floating around that the Landsharks and Heat will be playing each other in an inter-league series in which old friends will become rivals.
-South Shore Silver Sluggers: Also joining the National League will be the South Shore Silver Sluggers. This team has been known as A Case of The Wiffles during tournament play. Adam Cseh has been announced as the team's Manager. The Silver Sluggers will head into the 2018 season as one of the bigger question marks as they are a relatively new wiffleball team. However, we learned in 2017 that any team can come into the league and have immediate success like the Granger Panthers did.
-Lake Michigan Mallards: The 5th and final expansion franchise for the upcoming 2018 season will be managed by Jeremy Ross. Ross who had tried creating Triple Crown in 2017 now gets his opportunity to run and manage a franchise. There is some uncertainty as to what the roster will look like, but the franchise is in good hands with Jeremy Ross who proved to be a valuable player in his rookie season with Great Lakes and Granger.
