Nate Morris selected two power bats, Rob Licht and Mike Sullivan, to his lineup for Opening Day. Licht and Morris were one and two in the average ranks in the 2019 WILL.
Nate Morris had arguably his best year in the league in 2019 with the 100 Thieves. He ended as one of only two players to hit over .600, Licht being the other one. The final mark was .625 for Morris, which he coupled with 11 home runs. He was also the only player in the entire league not to strike out at all. Morris did not see any time on the rubber last season, but has formerly been one of the go-to guys on his teams. In 2018 on the Step Dads, Morris tossed 86+ of the team's 91 innings. During that 2019 campaign he held a solid 3.17 ERA and 1.57 WHIP.
Rob Licht is the reigning back-to-back MVP of the WILL. With the league best average in 2019, he made it three consecutive seasons to be at the top of that list. In 2017, he topped it with a .745 average, then .694 in 2018, and most recently a .663 mark last year. He led all players with 29 home runs last season, as well. In the fast pitch scene his output doesn’t drop at all. Licht hit .355 and collected 11 hits at the 2019 NWLA National Tournament, which put him at a tie for the third most hits in the entire tournament. He struck 2 home runs and was the lone Waves player to have at least one of each hit, a single, double, triple, and home run, at the NWLA’s. He could also be a viable option from the rubber for Morris, last season he tossed nine innings and had a 3.89 ERA.
Mike Sullivan will be a rookie to WILL play this Sunday. However, he has dabbled in some tournaments last fall, and has even played with the Waves, the WILL’s travel team. In mid-October Sullivan took a crack at the MAW Fall Wiffs Tournament. Then, a couple weeks later he joined Licht and Jake Davey on a trek to Albany, NY for the AWAA Black Bat Bash. He was a very solid hitter at the tournament and helped guide the squad to the championship game. He is a left handed hitter, and right handed thrower. With some fast pitch experience through the MAW tournament, he may get the nod from Morris for some innings this Sunday.
The offensive firepower is there, with three hitters who have experience facing both fast pitch and medium pitch. The pitching will likely be what determines the Vandals fate on Opening Day.
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Visit Lovie's Frosty Twist on South Main Street in Houston for ice cream this summer, tell 'em the WILL sent you!
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