ISC Top 10 Teams – How they did at the 2014 WT

Below is a recap of the ISC’s Top 10 teams and how they did in the tournament, including our thoughts on whether they met, exceeded or fell short of expectations. All in all, I would have to say the ranking committee was pretty close to being on the money. Of course, the seeding from the rankings sometimes contributes to the higher finish, but at the end of the day, the finish is decided on the field, as it should be.

Fastpitch West’s UNofficial Order of Finish *

* FastpitchWest’s Unofficial order of finish is based on how far into the bracket a team was eliminated. Ties mean that the teams were eliminated at the same level of the bracket, which we think gives a better idea of how the teams finished rather than “chronological time of elimination” which favors a team playing later in the day. This OOF is not part of the ISC’s official records, but rather ours for discussion.

1. Hill United Chiefs
2. Kitchener Hallman Twins
3 PA Power
4. NY Gremlins
T5. Cal A’s
T5. Scarborough
T7 NY Swashbucklers
T7 Kegel Black Knights
T9 Gators
T9 Randy’s A’s
T9 Circle Tap
T9 Bloomington Stix

If you see an error or have comments, we invite you to post them in the comments section below. The first number below was the team’s pre-tournament ranking, while the number in [brackets] is the FastpitchWest Unofficial Order of Finish.*

1 [1] Six Nations, ON Hill United Chiefs: (unbeaten) ISC World Champions.
Rankers had it right, Chiefs win second consecutive ISC WT; Met expectations. I guess that’s a high bar, but when you are defending champions with the best pitcher in the world on your roster, that’s how it goes.

2 [4] Clifton Park, NY New York Gremlins. (lost to 5th place Cal A’s and runner-up Kitchener Twins). Lower finish than expected, but still pretty fair accomplishment considering the entire pitching staff injured or ill (Holoien and Whitten injured, Kirkpatrick fighting pneumonia); Shut down on 4 hitter by Cal A’s Derek Mason, fell to loser’s bracket sooner than expected, nixing return trip to championship game. Not what the perennial championship contender and rankers expected. So close to winnning it in 2013 and hoping to win it this year, Gremlins fell short of expectations.

3 [2] Kitchener, ON Hallman Twins. (lost 3-2 in championship game to Hill United, and to #14 Bloomington Stix). Finished 2nd, with six wins in a row, including two the final day, to get to the championship game. The Twins didn’t make it easy on themselves, losing their second game to # 14 ranked Bloomington Stix, but came within a whisker of winning it all. The host team was built to win, but all things considered, we’d still say they exceeded expectations. Certainly, they gave the hometown crowd plenty to cheer about.

4 [T9] Toronto, ON Gators. (lost to 5th place finisher Scarborough and runner-up Kitchener Hallman Twins) . Not quite what Jack Fireman’s squad hoped for, but more than worthy opponents in their two losses for this largely new roster of players. They went out with a bang, scoring 10 runs against runner-up Kitchener, leaving their fans confident for 2015. Nonethless, the Gators expected to be around on the final day, so they fell short of expectations.

5 [T5] Scarborough, ON Force. Rankers on the money. (lost to champions Hill United and eliminated by 4th place NY Gremlins.) Gave Hill United a scare for 5 innings, but run-ruled in final loss. Surrendered too many runs in their final games to contend. Met expectations.

6 [3] Harrisburg, PA Pennsylvania Power, finished 3rd. (lost to champions Hill United in winner’s bracket final, eliminated by a red hot Kitchener Hallman Twins team. Exceeded their ranking, perhaps in part due to their draw. Beat the teams they were supposed to and lost to those with higher rankings. South American pitching staff of Jones and Gervasutti performed well, got them to final day. Exceeded expectations.

7 [T5] Bakersfield, CA California A’s. (lost to 4th place PA Power and eliminated by runner-up Kitchener Hallman Twins). Upset # 2 ranked/ 4th place finisher NY Gremlins for the biggest win in franchise history and the game the A’s will remember most from this tournament. Offense shut down in their next two games, but finally showed ability to beat a big team in the WT, especially impressive for a team in rebuilding year. Exceeded expectations.

8 [T9] Denmark, WI Circle Tap Dukes. (lost to champions Hill United, eliminated by NY Swashbucklers). Had misfortune to draw the Chiefs early, then couldn’t get rolling. Rankers had it about right, but the Dukes likely expected more. Short of expectations.

9 [T7[ Fargo, ND Kegel Black Knights. (lost to T9 Circle Tap, eliminated by 4th place NY Gremlins). Did win a couple games after falling to loser’s bracket. Met expectations.

10 [out of Top 10) Sooke, BC Loggers (lost to #22 ranked Kitchener Outlaws, eliminated by runner-up Kitchener Hall Twins. After being upset in their opener, the Loggers had the misfortune to face eventual runner-up KH Twins, coming off an upset loss of their own. Neither of the teams expected to see the Twins playing at that point of the bracket. Opening round losses can have big consequences, as was the case for the Sooke Loggers in 2014. Short of expectations.

11 [T7] NY Swashbucklers (lost to T5 Cal A’s, eliminated by runner-up KH Twins.) Won three games after falling into the loser’s bracket including win over #8 ranked/T9 finisher Circle Tap. Gave KH Twins one of their tougher battles, falling 7-4 in elimination game. Exceeded expectations.

13 [T9] Randy’s A’s, BC (lost to T9 Toronto Gators, eliminated by #2 ranked/4th place NY Gremlins) Won a couple games after falling into the loser’s bracket including win over #17 ranked Kitchener Cubs. Rankers pretty close on the A’s. Exceeded expectations.

14 [T9] Bloomington Stix (lost to 3rd place PA Power and eliminated by T9 Kegel) Will remember this tournament most for their David-over-Goliath upset win over the host and eventual runner-up, KH Twins. Exceeded expectations.

Agree or disagree? Tell us what you think in the comments section below. Are there other teams that should be included as Honorable Mentions for exceeding expectations or a big win in this year’s tournament?

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