Season 2 Recap

[eljefe]

The George Jetsons completed their second season last week, finishing with a record of 1-7. The season was long, grueling, and disappointing, but now it’s time to rest for a few weeks and get ready for the next season, which begins in March.

Despite our record, I sincerely believe that this George Jetsons team was dramatically improved from the first-season team. We faced tougher competition this season and we just didn’t get the breaks in the close games that we needed to win. Notice in the schedule results below that we lost 3 games by 2 runs or less. That means that we could just as easily have been 4-4 instead of 1-7.

All the GJ players played hard until the end. I remember noticing at the end of our blowout losses to the Space Cowboys and the Whiskey Wranglers that our players were still diving after balls in the field and hustling on the base paths. That kind of dedication is definitely worthy of [color=red][b]BIG-ASS BEER[/b][/color]. So, I’d like to use our weekly game time this Wednesday to treat you all to a round of drinks at Sherlock’s! We’ll call this “Game 9,” much like we did last season. The game time will be 9pm. The season-long team awards (Offensive MVJ, Defensive MVJ, and Rookie of the Year) will be presented at this gathering, so I hope all of you can make it.

[b]SCHEDULE RESULTS[/b]
[code]# DATE OPPONENT RESULT AVG SLG OBP
0 Aug 22 at Isotopes W 14-5 .543 .743 .526
1 Oct 24 vs Trench Mongers W 14-13 .563 .781 .576
2 Nov 7 at Rastros L 12-11 .621 .828 .621
3 Nov 14 vs Baby Brains L 21-4 .526 .579 .545
4 Nov 14 at Baseline Bandits L 19-18 .694 .917 .675
5 Jan 9 at Titans L 22-2 .625 .625 .625
6 Jan 9 vs Team Hotel Bravo L 12-10 .553 .684 .538
7 Jan 16 vs Space Cowboys L 17-1 .263 .316 .300
8 Jan 16 at Whiskey Wranglers L 21-9 .591 .682 .667
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Some might recall that the George Jetsons’ second season originally began on August 22, with a game against the Isotopes. Having won the final game of the previous season, the team felt confident carrying their momentum into a new beginning. The game went well and the George Jetsons were victorious by a score of 14-5. Unfortunately, that would be the end of the season and the team would not play again for over 2 months.

The George Jetsons were scheduled to play a doubleheader including a game against the Whiskey Wranglers on August 29. The games were rained out and the September 5 game was rained out as well. On September 12, the team was scheduled to play a doubleheader against LOC and Space Cowboys. The weather was looking beautiful, but then September 11 happened. Along with the rest of the country, life at JSC ground to a halt while we had more important things to worry about. When we returned to work, security was increased significantly at the center, including access to the Gilruth. Many softball players could no longer make it to their games and some of the teams in our league disbanded. The Gilruth Center decided to scrap the softball season and start over in October. The win against the Isotopes did NOT count towards the standings in the new season, but the game has been recorded in George Jetsons history as Game #0 of the second season.

So, after 2 months off, the George Jetsons finally returned to action on October 24 playing against the Trench Mongers, a team that would eventually make the playoffs. The Trench Mongers got off to a fast start and lead the George Jetsons 13-6 heading into the bottom of the final inning. The Jetsons offense would not be denied as they batted around scoring run after run and finally clinching the 14-13 victory with a clutch 2-out, 2-run single by Travis Fitzgerald!

After the thrilling victory against the Trench Mongers, the George Jetsons carried a 3-game winning streak into the huge rivalry game against the Rastros. The Jetsons lead for most of the game, but allowed the Rastros to stay close enough to steal the game away in the final inning. The Rastros won by 1 run, 12-11. The next week, losses against the Baby Brains and the Baseline Bandits quickly turned a 3-game winning streak into a 3-game losing streak.

After a 2-month delay due to bad weather and the holidays, the George Jetsons returned to the field in January to end the season. The January weather was surprisingly nice for softball, but the Jetsons lost all 4 games, getting blown out in 3 of them. The team would have prefered to end the season with a victory to build on, but instead the Jetsons will regroup and try it again in March.

[b]FINAL STANDINGS[/b]

Congratulations to the Baby Brains, the Titans, the Trench Mongers, and the Space Cowboys, who are all heading to the playoffs. The George Jetsons finished in 10th and last place. Although our record was identical to the Baseline Bandits’ 1-7 record, the Bandits beat us in head-to-head play, so they claim sole possession of 9th place. Our friends the Whiskey Wranglers narrowly missed making the playoffs because they lost to the Space Cowboys in head-to-head play. The Space Cowboys claimed the final playoff spot.
[code]# TEAM W L PCT
1 Baby Brains 7 1 .875
2 Trench Mongers 6 2 .750
3 Titans 6 2 .750
4 Space Cowboys 5 3 .625
5 Whiskey Wranglers 5 3 .625
6 Team Hotel Bravo 4 4 .500
7 Marcus Welby 3 4 .375
8 Rastros 2 6 .250
9 Baseline Bandits 1 7 .125
10 George Jetsons 1 7 .125
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[b]STATISTICAL LEADERS[/b]

Here are the George Jetsons’ statistical leaders in the various offensive categories.

[u]BATTING AVERAGE (17-AB min)[/u]
1. Vicker .778
2. Kroeger .667
3. Hart .636

[u]SLUGGING PERCENTAGE (17-AB min)[/u]
1. Vicker 1.111
2. Kroeger .889
3. Hart .864

[u]ON-BASE PERCENTAGE (17-AB min)[/u]
1. Vicker .714
2. Kroeger .700
3. Hart .636

[u]RUNS SCORED[/u]
1. Kroeger 10
2. Vicker 9
3. Hart 8

[u]RUNS BATTED IN[/u]
1. Dub 10
2. Everist 8
2. Vicker 8

[u]DOUBLES[/u]
1. Peternell 4
2. Everist 3
2. Hart 3

[u]TRIPLES[/u]
1. Vicker 2
2. Hart 1
2. Kroeger 1
2. Sostaric 1

[u]TOTAL BASES[/u]
1. Vicker 20
2. Hart 19
3. Kroeger 16

[b]COMING UP[/b]
The free-agent signing season begins next week and goes through February 4. At that time, registration will begin for the next softball season. Hopefully, most of the George Jetsons players will return to play again. The GJ front office also has several recruits in mind to replace any players that may decide to leave the team. The first game of the George Jetsons third softball season should be during the first full week of March. Look forward until then.