2023 Angels Capture ‘Back to Back’ Titles in 40+ Homant Division of Detroit MSBL
Detroit MSBL, 40+ Homant Division
Angels 7, Mudville 1 (Game three in best-of-three championship series)
‘Angels Win Back-to-Back 40+ Homant Division Championships’
The Angels culminated a multiyear building process by winning the Detroit MSBL 2023 Homant Division championship in a best-of-three series against a pesky Mudville team. This caps a solid season in which they also took the regular season division championship.
The championship series went the distance with the Angels winning the opening contest, 4-2 before Mudville clawed back to even with a 20-1 rebound performance. The Angels were able to ride pitching, great defense, and some timely early hitting to win the final 9-inning contest 7-1. The defense that somehow left in game two returned and Andy Kamin was able to throw five innings on short rest and Dave Miller shut down the Mudville bats for the final four innings of the contest.
The offense was led by veteran Bob Vondell who went 3-3 and two RBI as well as rookie Ayinde Zuri who also drove in two runs. The key to the game, though, was defense. The team played virtually flawless defense allowing the pitchers to pitch to contact.
First-time managers Steve Webb and Brian Holmes took over for Pat Demers and Greg McClone, who were still part-time players on the team to ensure that their legacy was retained. In total, the team returned 16 core players from last year’s team. A few key players were added to bolster the lineup. Two of the guys brought in their brothers (Millers and Copenhavers) making it a family affair.
Perhaps more impressive than the on-the-field won/loss record is the closeness of the team. Win or lose, many of the team members hang out after the game with a few beverages. We celebrate the great plays people made, commiserate about the bad, and most importantly tease each other for the boneheaded ones. Manager Steve Webb has often stated, “We may not win the game, but we are going to win the parking lot.”
It was a great season in 2023. Winter is too long in Michigan. The HALOs can’t wait to get back on the field with the guys in 2024 for a 3-peat!