2023 Wahoos Cop ‘Golden Sombrero’ Winning Four Straight Rings in 25+ Division of Tucson MSBL
Tucson MSBL, 25+ Division
Tucson Wahoos 9, Tucson Cerveceros 2
Submitted by Ben Granger, manager
This is the fifth year for the Tucson Wahoos of the Tucson MSBL. In our first year, we came up short in the playoffs. We won our first 25+ championship the next year, and we have not lost a playoff game since.
In 2020 we beat the Tucson Cerveceros, in 2021 we beat the Tucson Indians, and in 2022 we beat the Tucson Bulls. This year we came back around and beat the Tucson Cerveceros to give the Wahoos the “Golden Sombrero” title four years running.
The core of the team has been together for close to 10 years. Even though we play in the 25+ division, our average team age is around 38.
Jake Fussell has been the team’s ace since the Wahoo’s inception. He has been among the league’s top pitchers in all stat categories. He has also been the winning pitcher for the first three years of our championship run, as well as the starting pitcher for this year’s championship game.
This year’s standouts included Jared Booth with a slugging percentage of 1.26, which led not only the 25+ division but was 200 points higher than any other age group. He batted .630 and crushed seven home runs on the year, one of which put us into the championship this year.
Austin Bryan led the league with 70 strikeouts in only 37 innings while pitching on the bump. He was the most dominant pitcher I have ever seen in this league. He once stuck out the first 11 batters in a row to start a game. Incredible.
Defensively, Ramon “Rocky” Gamez deserves recognition. The plays he makes at shortstop are nothing less than mind-blowing. He has the smoothest hands of anyone in the league, and he does this at the age of 48.
As for this year’s championship game, it saw the #1 Seed Wahoos facing the #2 Seed Cerveceros. The Wahoos came out in the first inning swinging. Rocky Gamez led off with a single and was driven in by Jake Fussell to put the Wahoos up, 1-0.
Jake Fussell started the game for the Wahoos, throwing three innings and striking out five, giving up only one run.
In the fourth inning, the Wahoos broke it open and never looked back, scoring three runs on RBI singles from Ben Granger (yours truly) and Rolondo Raygoza.
Austin Bryan pitched the remainder of the game for the Wahoos, throwing six innings and striking out 11, while only allowing one run. The final score was 9-2, Wahoos.
Other notable players in the championship game were Rocky Gamez, going 2 for 4 with two runs scored and an RBI, Juan Raygoza going 1 for 3 and scoring two runs with an RBI, and Timmy Escobedo pinch-hitting with a big RBI single.
This is a great group of guys, and I am very proud to coach them!