2016 Tigers Cap Undefeated Season to Capture Houston MSBL 55+ Division
Houston MSBL 55+ Division
Tigers 14, Stars 4
‘Tigers Roar through Perfect Season in Lone Star State’
Submitted by Neil Miles, Tigers Co Manager
The Tigers dominated the Houston MSBL 55+ division with a perfect 10-0 record and roared through the playoffs to claim the fall championship title. Tiger’s ace pitchers Joe Ainsworth, Al Wall and Lonnie Guest carried the load as the Tigers hitters ran the table with ease by outscoring their opponents 126-47for the season.
Al Wall went 4-4 in the championship game and pitched three strong innings in relief as the
Tigers defeated the Stars 14-4. Team MVP Joe Ainsworth threw six innings and struck out ten batters in the semifinal game to pick up a 12-4 win against the Hombres. Tiger All-Star’s Joe Milcoun, Les Guest, Geoff Giacco and Neil Miles combined to ensure the team’s dominance throughout. It was a total team effort by all our players to go undefeated and play at such a high level consistently. Everyone contributed with teamwork, both on and off the field. Give credit to Houston MSBL President Joe Banasik and head coach James Janczak of Katy Morton Ranch High School for the opportunity to play competitively on a quality field every Sunday. It’s a fraternity of baseball brothers and we look forward to playing each and every game.
It was the Tiger’s third championship and the first undefeated season by any team in the Houston area.
The team came together three years ago when coach Steve Carter felt he had a little gas left in the tank. Steve had hung it up a few years earlier but the itch always lingered. He called a few of his old teammates and attended a tryout but he and his buddies were told by one of the other teams that their services weren’t needed. This only inspired us to put our own team together. We recruited some friends out of retirement and the league sent us some players that nobody wanted. We turned this ‘bad news bears’ bunch into the ‘bad news for the rest of the league’. Coaching this team has been as simple as opening the cage and unleashing a hungry Tiger.