National League Back On Top as Kade Stone, Daivyn Davis Put On a Show

The 2023 ORWBL All Star festivities took place on Friday, June 23rd as the league's brightest stars all gathered at Migley Field. The ORWBL Home Run Derby kicked off festivities before the best of 3 series between the American and National League. Before we dive into the action, let's take a look at the 2023 ORWBL All Star rosters that were voted on by the Managers.

American League All Star Roster

Walter Griffin III (Truffle Butter)

Andy Sieradzki (Godfathers)

Brandon Terry (Truffle Butter)

Austin Traxler (Bombers)

Aiden Traxler (Bombers)

Ethan Bumgardner (Wildcards)

Zach Christy (Pink Pandas)

Jared Jonkman (Magic)

DJ Hill (Wildcards)

Owen Satoski (Cyclones)

Alex Friedman (Magic)

Ian Garavalia (Truffle Butter)

Will McCarty (Beers)

Nick Fritz (Godfathers)

Jeremy Ross (Magic)

Tony Koch (Magic) *Won Last Man In Vote*

Ryan Galiher (Truffle Butter) *OUT*

Andrew Karsten (Pink Pandas) *OUT)

David Ooms (OTF) *OUT*

Drew Luther (Magic) *OUT*

Cadin McCarty (Beers) *OUT

National League All Star Roster

Griffin Smith (Panthers)

Lucas Oletti (Billy Goats)

Adin Newman (Knights)

Sam Bull (Knights)

Kade Stone (Skeeters)

Ben McDonald (Heat)

Andrew Doran (Billy Goats)

Levi Miller (Leprechauns)

Garrett Curless (Newts)

Daivyn Davis (Panthers)

Chris Davis (Warpigs)

Jordan Peck (Leprechauns)

Kadin Abegg (Billy Goats)

Doug Benner (Heat)

Austin Rieff (Meatspins)

Bailey Rhed (Heat) *Won Last Man In Vote*

Ryan Warmoth (Measpins) *OUT*

Alex Zarazee (Panthers) *OUT*

Nolan Crail (Skeeters) *OUT*

The 2023 ORWBL Home Run Derby kicked off All Star festivities as the wind was howling in at Migley. On the left side of the bracket, Daivyn Davis was the lowest seed to win his 1st round matchup as that was a sign of things to come later in the evening.

On the right side of the bracket, Willow Creek's Chris Davis took down Ian Garavalia to become the youngest ORWBL player to win a Home Run Derby matchup. His run came to an end against Aiden Traxler who then took down the 3x Home Run Derby Champion, Jared Jonkman.

Wildcards Rookie Ethan Bumgardner picked up a first round win over Jake Lawrence before running into the red hot Kade Stone. Three of the top four seeds reached the semifinals while the 8th seeded Nick Fritz pulled off the upset over top seeded Sam Bull to round out the Final Four.

Former BFAM teammates Walter Griffin III and Nick Fritz met up with a trip to the finals on the line as Griffin III got the best of Fritz. In the other semifinal matchup, Kade Stone came out firing as he smashed 11 Home Runs. Not even Lakeport's Aiden Traxler could match that as he fell shy with 8.

The championship round did not disappoint as Walter Griffin III went first and finished with an impressive total of 8. Stone came out flat as it was looking like Griffin III might pull it out. Glen Lee's star Kade Stone then got red hot at the perfect time as he had to hit 6-7 Home Runs in a row with the clock winding down to win it.

With the clock getting close to zero, Stone belted a ball into the Migley bleachers that sent the National League side into a frenzy. All in all, Stone and Griffin III put on one of the more entertaining Home Run Derby championship matchups that we have ever seen.

After the conclusion of the Derby, the All Star Game got underway as Granger's Griffin Smith was opposed by South Bend's Walter Griffin III. The American League won the opener by the score of 4-1 as Aiden Traxler, Walter Griffin III, and Brandon Terry all went yard.

The National League made some great adjustments as they were in control of Game 2 from start to finish. Daivyn Davis was a man on a mission as he hit a pair of HR while also making some stellar plays on the defensive end. New Carlisle's Garrett Curless also homered in the win while Twin Branch's Andrew Doran picked up the win on the mound. In a losing effort, Mill Pond's Zach Christy struck out two while Maple City's Jeremy Ross hit a HR.

That set up the rubber match as Hudson Lake's Doug Benner took the mound against Maple City's Jared Jonkman. Lynn Street's Levi Miller hit a key 2 run Home Run early before Daivyn Davis added another to his total later on. Walter Griffin III got the American League on the board with a late Home Run.

Wildcards Rookie Ethan Bumgardner did what he could to provide the American League with some late life as he hit a 6th inning Home Run to make it a 6-3 ballgame. Unfortunately for the American League it was not enough as the National League held on to win the series by winning the rubber match, 6-3.

When it was all said and done there were not too many questions marks around who the All Star Game MVP would go to. Granger's Daivyn Davis took home All Star Game MVP honors after hitting 3 HR in the series on top of making some memorable plays on the defensive side of things. The 2023 ORWBL All Star game provided us with some great memories as this event has turned into a big one over the past few years. We had all 18 teams represented and got a chance to see Green Stem's Matador Smith lead the American League into battle.