For the first time since the 2011 season, the WSEM Championship will go to a team other than the Wicked Aces or El Diablos. The final two teams left standing, Red Cox and See Yas, both were formed in the 2015 season. The classmates first took the field each built around a Stephen whom had made a name for themself in 2014. Captain of the Cox Stephen Werner was known for his clutch home run hitting in big game situations in his rookie campaign with King Friday. Stephen Farkas, the number-one draft pick of the See Yas, is a man that needs no introduction in wiffleball circles. The 2015 campaigns shaped up very differently, though. The See Yas finished their rookie campaign in last place with a record of 9-18-1. The Red Cox finished the regular season 17-11-0, and made it to the WSEM Championship Series in their first effort, where they took the series to five games against the Aces before falling short.
This year, the Red Cox and See Yas finished the regular season with identical 15-12-1 records. They went 2-2 heads-up, as well. The Cox played near-.500 ball week in and week out. Their longest winning streak was 2 games; their longest losing streak was 3 games. They were 7-7 through 14 games, and 11-10 after 21. They're 4-2-1 record to close out the season over their last 7 games was their biggest surge of the season. The Yas season came with more ups and downs. They opened the season with a record of 5-2, before going 1-6 in their next 7 games for a 6-8 record at the halfway point. They then played up, posting a record of 9-4-1 in the second half to finish the season strong. Their longest winning streak matched their longest losing streak at 4 games.
Both teams also bought big on the trade market. The Red Cox acquired RJ Fisher to bolster their pitching rotation; putting Fisher together with Kujawa creates a 1-2 punch with by far the best OBA (opponents batting average) in the league. The See Yas went the other way just minutes before the trade deadline, bringing in the Brannan brothers' bats to add punch to the lineup. The 55 combined HR for the new lineup was second only to the Aces, and 14 more than the next closest team, while the 364 TB were the most by any team. Mark Brannan further made known the impact of his presence when he hit not only the game-winning home run in the Play-In Game, but also the series-winning home run against Austin Bischoff in the 1st Round. And while Fisher was absent last week for the Cox, the pitching staff of Kujawa and Castle still managed to impressively shut out a potent El Diablos lineup in the sweep of their 1st Round series.
There are two weeks and at least three games left to tell the 2016 stories. The Red Cox are trying to reach the one goal they fell short of last season. The See Yas are trying to fulfill a Cinderella, worst-to-first turnaround season.
