Dees Guys Are Good

CROWN POINT, IND. (August 18, 2024)

After a runner-up finish in 2022 and having the 1-seed heading into Sunday in 2023, Wiffle Dees captured the 45th World Wiffle® Ball Championship with a 26-11 Championship Game win over The M.O.B.

Dees’ addition of now three-time World Champion, Anthony Rieff, immediately paid dividends, evidenced by a lead-off HR in the Championship Game that got the train rolling. With the wind howling out and the party deck outside right field in rare form, Dees put up 14 runs in the third inning to break the game open.

Captain, Kadin Abegg, kept the dangerous M.O.B. bats at bay, as the 37 total runs fell well short of the pre-game total of 45.5 thanks to his efforts on the mound.

Dees won an extra-inning thriller in the Elite Eight after the Glen Lee Skeeters tied the game 2-2 with some small ball in the sixth inning. In the top of the seventh, J.P. Kehoe immediately got the lead back for Dees with a two-run laser that just cleared the right-center field fence into a difficult wind. The “Cityless, IN” squad made up of ORWBL standouts then took down the defending champions, Clutch Players, in the Final Four.

Professional wiffle hitter, Tyler Shupert, and speedster, Garrett Ruiz, rounded out a complete team performance with several home runs each in the Championship Game.

NOTES

Thanks to our teams, shirt sales, and the HR Derby participants, $2,500 will be donated to the South Suburban Humane Society from the 45th WWBC. Wifflers have raised over $16,000 since 2018 to help the great work SSHS does for animals.

On Saturday morning, three players took their place as the 43rd, 44th, and 45th members of the World Wiffle® Ball Hall of Fame: Joe Schuster (Funky Plastic Offspring), Nick Thoman (Club Ripped) and Jeff Montgomery (Monon Yankers).

On Saturday afternoon, amongst several weather delays, Ethan Bumgardner of the Maple City Magic won his second consecutive HR Derby title to remain The Plastic King of Swing.