2025 Cleveland MSBL Midwest Thunder Silver ‘Repeat’ Champion

Cleveland MSBL, Silver Division

Midwest Thunder 10, Yaks 4

The Midwest Thunder made history this past September, capturing their second consecutive MSBL Silver Division Championship — the first team in division history to win back-to-back titles.

The Thunder’s playoff run was nothing short of dominant, going undefeated through the postseason. After dropping the opening game of the championship series 5–3 to the Yaks, the Thunder roared back to take Game Two 10–4, clinching the trophy and cementing their place in league history.

The team finished the 2025 campaign with a 14–5 record (improving on last year’s 12–4 mark) and were powered by their two aces, Andrew Kenney and Brandon Alvarado. Kenney logged 45 innings with 46 strikeouts, only 6 walks, and a 2.96 ERA, while Alvarado was equally dominant with 41 innings, 41 strikeouts, and a 1.98 ERA.

On the offensive side, the Thunder showed balanced production across the lineup. Doug Cowell led the team with 28 hits, followed by Kenney (24 hits), Josh Hall (20 hits), and Jimmy Kopec (18 hits, 9 extra-base hits, 21 RBIs). Power came from Wesley Reyes, who delivered 2 home runs, 4 doubles, and 16 RBIs, while Brandon Garnet anchored the lineup with a .432 batting average.

Defensively, the Thunder were outstanding — particularly in the outfield, where Scott Lilly, Josh Hall, and newcomer Josh Stobinski shined. Stobinski, who stepped into the leadoff and outfield role after Matt Pleshinger’s unfortunate season-ending ankle injury (Pleshinger was off to a blazing 13-for-21 start), added 18 hits of his own and strong defensive play.

Behind the plate, Bryan Cioffoletti continued to be the team’s workhorse, catching every inning last season and all but two this year, including all 18 innings of the doubleheader championship series, while contributing 15 hits and 15 runs.

Utility man John Eber delivered clutch hits when called upon, and veteran player and local weatherman Scott Sabol turned in another solid campaign. At first base, Devan White provided steady defense all season, while Josh Lark and manager Dom DePompei added key contributions when available — DePompei making the most of his limited at-bats with timely hitting.