Keeping their eyes on the prize
This is the time of the year the village of Midlothian would normally be sprucing up as it prepared for the World Wiffle Ball Championship.
The 41st running of the event, and third time it has been played in Midlothian, has been rescheduled from mid-July to mid-September because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Since the championship tournament came to this area in 2018, south suburban teams have come aboard but have not enjoyed a ton of success.
The hometown team, the Midlothian Marauders, plans on changing that come September 19-20 at Memorial Park.
Longtime Midlothian resident Ed Novick named the team after the historic youth baseball organization in which various members of the Novick family have played, coached or even had scorekeeping duties.
The Marauders Wiffle ball team made an unspectacular debut in 2018, going 0-4 and failing to score a run.
But last year, the team of Novick, his son Canyon Novick, David Leonhardt Jr., Mike Cline (who grew up across the street from Memorial Park) and Nolan Dreher, enjoyed the thrill of victory.
“That first year was extremely frustrating,” Ed Novick said. “But last year, we had three goals. One was to score a run. The second was to win a game. The third goal was to get to the playoffs. We met all three of those goals.”
The team finished 2-2 in pool play last year and won a play-in round game before digging into the Round of 32 action, where it faced top-seeded Cult West Warriors and lost 17-1. The Warriors went on to win their fourth straight championship.
The South Bend, Indiana powerhouse impressed Novick.
“They are just exceptional players,” he said. “They know how to hit the ball and how to hit home runs. Every guy on their team can hit a home run. It was like, boom home run, boom home run.”
Because the tournament has been moved to September, some of the college-aged players on the Marauders from last year will be replaced. Novick, Cline and Cline’s son Charlie are on the five-man roster so far and the team is looking for two more players.
This will be the third straight year a father-and-son combination will play. In 2018, it was David Leonhardt Sr. and Jr. Last year, it was Ed and Canyon Novick. This year, Bremen head coach Cline and son Charlie will continue the tradition.
“It’s a thrill to be able to play in a tournament like this with your son,” Novick said.
Midlothian is scheduled to host the tournament through 2023. Organizers hope the September dates will allow the tournament to be run.
“We hope to provide everyone who plays with a fun, safe environment to get back in touch with their inner child, have some laughs and maybe get those competitive juices flowing,” said Mike Baniak, the commissioner of the championship tournament.
Teams from the Midwest make up a huge chunk of the field, but squads from California, Kansas, Pennsylvania and Florida have made the trek to the south suburbs to play.
Locally, teams from Orland Park, Joliet, New Lenox, Lockport, Oak Lawn, Oak Forest, Mokena and Palos Heights have participated.
Mokena’s Jager Bombers is ranked 16th in the Super 20 Wiffle Ball Team on the Planet Earth.
There are all kinds of nicknames in the field including the Knuckleheads, Funky Plastic Offspring, the Billy Goats, the Newts, Chicken and Wiffles, the Belly Itchers, Click Clack Patty Whack, Grumpy Old Men, Calm Your Kibbles and Should Be Golfing.
“They run a really nice tournament,” Novick said. “It’s wholesome. There are no umpires. But that’s never been a problem. It’s the honor system. Guys don’t argue whether someone was out or safe. The guys are good sports. The league is run well by guys who are passionate about the game.
“People from our hometown watch us play and they get excited. It’s a fantasy dream come true.”