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Charlottesville, VA -- Atop breakout performances by pitcher Blake Ware and first baseman Mike Silverman, We Kicked That Ball (WKTB) opened the Winter 2014 indoor kickball season with a 4-1 win playing away at conference rivals Here 4 Beer. The team is thrilled with their victory and looking forward to their next game against out-of-conference foe C'Ville Brunch Ballers, this Sunday at 12:00 PM. WKTB moves to an undefeated 1-0 on the season with a 100% win rate and no losses, and notches a crucial victory in conference play.
WKTB opened the game with three runs in the first inning, quickly quieting the 5-person crowd, and never looked back. Their defense was dominant throughout, allowing just one run and handing Here 4 Beer a smattering of quick three-out innings. Infield defense had an especially standout performance, with the front three of pitcher Blake Ware, first baseman Mike Silverman, and third baseman Woody Zantzinger III frequently denying shorter kicks and creating foul ball situations.
This is WKTB's first official season in the Charlottesville-based kickball league, yet they showed no signs of rookie sluggishness. It is the rookie season for nearly the entire team, with just three players returning from last year: Derek Brameyer, Trung Tran, and Emily Parker, yet the team's performance leaves one wondering just how many of their players have played professional or semi-professional indoor kickball in their lives.
WKTB's traditions are a bit unorthodox, but they seem to be taking the league by storm. The team uniforms for the game were a mesmerizing tie dye, a veritable smorgasbord of color. Eschewing traditional solid colored jerseys was a team decision, according to left fielder/catcher Kathryn Ware: "It's nice to have a team sponsor that provides you with cutting-edge jerseys. The hype in the locker room when they were unveiled was amazing!" Others in the league, however, were not so impressed. Jesse Prehodick, Here 4 Beer third baseman, voiced his opinion: "They look fancy, but it's just a lot of flash. I'm focused on the game for now." You may remember Prehodick's name from the offseason, when he controversially signed with Here 4 Beer instead of his hometown team WKTB.
Offensively, WKTB has a lot of weapons at their disposal. The hype around pre-season All-Charlottesville pick Nate Vogt is real. Though held scoreless during the game, it was apparent that it was mostly early-season jitters. By the end of the game his kicks were looking like the Nate Vogt we have all become enamored with. Coach/team captain/third baseman Derek Brameyer agreed: "It's a different environment than practice, but by that third kick he was definitely dialing it in. I'm really looking forward to next week."
Right fielder/catcher Kayla Leavesley should now be squarely on every fantasy indoor kickball owner's radar, after a stellar performance both kicking and running. She looks to be a superb runner that can make a play regardless of which base she's on. Fantasy experts agree that Leavesley is a must-add waiver wire pickup in both 12-team leagues and 10-team point-per-base leagues, and should be strongly considered in all other formats.
Beyond Leavesley and Vogt, one needs only look at Zantzinger to see that WKTB has some major talent. A mid-game kick was so explosive that the ball burst on first contact with a wall. Zantzinger, known for his power, will need to work on his accuracy, but second baseman/kicking coach Trung Tran is confident: "He's a third, so naturally everyone is watching him to see if he can live up to his legacy. From what I've seen from the game and in practice, this is just the tip of the iceberg."
This week's matchup against C'Ville Brunch Ballers (CBB) will see the return of WKTB rookie talents Emily Parker and Tom Chen. Held out for the first game due to contract negotiations, they are now ready to see the field and make an immediate impact. The CBB squad fell last week in an 8-3 loss to Where My Pitches At (2 runs of those 8 were due to lack of players). Composed of UVa grad students and friends, CBB is hoping to recover this week, with many students returning from the winter break offseason.
Sunday should bring an exciting game, but WKTB will be without the talents of pitcher Blake Ware, who will be recovering and resting his arm. Cassie Sharpe, right fielder, isn't worried by the prospect of playing without Ware: "There's an incredible amount of pitching talent on this team. Everyone has to rest eventually, and we feel good about this weekend. Practice this week has been really good."