The 2008 season didn't turn out quite as successfully as we hoped at the start of the year. The team finished with an 8-16 record in the regular season. That record placed the team in a tie for 12th place in the 16 team league. A number of factors contributed to the team's down year. A number of the team's returning veterans had off years at the same time. Inexperience and rustiness were prevalent as 4 of our teens played for the first time and 2 of our team members played for the first time in quite a few years. Injuries played a role too as we lost 2 of our players for a very significant portion of the season. All of this added up to a team that often had trouble scoring runs and was somewhat inconsistent on defense. At times, we were our own worst enemy.

I wish I could adequately explain what happened to this team at the post-season, double-elimination tournament. A pet theory of mine is that the player's bodies were taken over by aliens in April, controlled by the aliens throughout the regular season, and then freed of the aliens between the last game of the season and the tournament. Whatever the reason, something incredible happened between the regular season and the tournament. The Saint Nicholas team that took the field during the tournament physically looked just like the team that was out there all year long. But, it played like a team that was contending for the league title all year. We finished the tournament with a 3-2 record which put us tied for 5th. But, the record doesn't say it all. It fails to capture just how well the team played. Along the way in the tournament, we beat the #5, #9, and #11 seeded teams, the last two by 10 runs. The #3 seeded team gave us our second loss to knock us out of the tournament. But, they had to come from 3 runs behind in the bottom of the 7th inning to do it. Our other loss was at the hands of the #4 seeded team, the team that wound up winning the tournament championship. And, they needed extra innings to beat us. For 5 games, the Saint Nicholas team went toe-to-toe with some of the best teams in the league and held its own (and then some!!). I am very proud of the team for their performance in the tournament.

Our tournament performance certainly built some optimism for the 2009 season. Another big reason for optimism is our 4 teens who played for the first time this year. Andrew Dangin, Nick Demme, Brett White, and Andrew Wood all improved by leaps and bounds during the year. It was a privilege for me to watch them develop their skills and get so much better in such a short period of time. Each one of them has a lot of potential that can be achieved in the future as they grow physically and gain more experience. I hope that all 4 of them will return to play in 2009.

Chris Calautti joined the team for the first time this year and Sean Demme returned to the team after not playing for a number of years. Both players shook off the rust of not playing for a while and contributed to the team as the year went along. Chris and Sean will be even better next year with a full season under their belts.

Other team members who played during the 2008 season and who had played in previous seasons are Bob Callis, Jack Carroll, Harris Cooper, Jim Felbinger, Dave Hickin, Devin Page, Cliff Price, Dylan Savage, Eric Trickle, Craig White, Keith Williams, Jonathan Wolf, and Jerry Wood. I am very happy that all of them contributed to the team this year. I want to make special mention of a few of them. Eric Trickle continues to improve each year. He especially made big strides with his hitting this year. Jim Felbinger also continues to improve each year, both at the bat and in the field. Bob Callis broke his wrist during the first doubleheader of the season. I was very happy that his wrist healed in time for him to play in July and in the tournament. Jonathan Wolf hurt his knee a few weeks into the season. Unfortunately, his knee did not heal fast enough for him to play any more this year. However, Jonathan continue to come to the games to lend his support and I thank him for that. Jonathan will be serving his 3rd year seminary internship next year and won't be able to play with Saint Nicholas. I will miss having him on the team next year. Except for Jonathan, I hope the rest of these players will return for the 2009 season.

Last, but certainly not least, THANK YOU to all of our fans who came out to support the team this summer. Throughout the tough year for the team, you fans never lost your enthusiasm and never stopped supporting us. That enthusiasm and support is appreciated very, very much. The only thing better would be to see more fans join you at the ballparks in 2009. We haven't reached the standing room only point in the stands yet, so we can definitely accommodate more fans!!

Looking ahead to future seasons, the team is always looking for more players to add to the roster. If you are interested in joining the team or just want to find out more information about the men's softball team, please contact Tom Blatt or any of the other players.

Visit our Softball History Page for historic stats, schedules, photos and more from our current and previous seasons.

2008 Participants Tom Blatt Chris Calautti Bob Callis Jack Carroll Ben Cooper Harris Cooper Andrew Dangin Nick Demme Sean Demme Jim Felbinger Dave Hickin Greg McKnight Devin Page Cliff Price Nick Reeves Dylan Savage Eric Trickle Brett White Craig White Keith Williams Jonathan Wolf Andrew Wood Jerry Wood

Information on the Current Season Please visit our main softball page for information and schedules for the current season.