2026 Season Schedule

I have posted the 2026 Schedule, Please put in all your known signouts early so we can get a better idea of attendance for the season.
 

Storm washed away by Storm

Chip Merriweather here to report that the not so merry weather has washed away another Storm game. 

Stormwatch will resume soon.

2024 Scheduled has been updated

 The 2024 Schedule has been updated!

STORM'S FIRST GAME IS SUNDAY MAY 5TH @ 5PM

You can now sign out for any games you know you'll miss. Sign Out Page

You can also download the schedule in PDF form if you please.

You can also download the Storm Schedule in iCal

Storm second for second year in a row

It was another great season for Storm. It’s amazing how consistently good this team has been over the years. The .813 winning percentage is the fifth highest winning percentage they have posted. Unfortunately, it was still only good enough for second place in the league. Storm watchers were left saying, “Bueller…. Bueller… Bueller, anyone?” on the final day of the season as the Buellers defaulted and gave the A’s first place. 

Still, second is nothing to sneeze at and it leaves Storm a good draw in the playoffs.

It was an interesting year for Storm with some new players (one of whom actually showed up to games), and some old players who had a lot of other commitments that led to Storm frequently playing with 10 and sometimes even nine players. It will be interesting to see what attendance is like for the playoffs. Al also came out of retirement to post the second highest batting average of his career. So I guess he wasn’t quite done yet.

Team Leaders

OPS: Rene - 2.191, Duran - 2.170, Joey - 2.108

OBP: Joey - .752, Rene - .750, Duran - .747

AVG: Rene - .779, Joey - .756, Duran - .752

HR: Joey - 14, Duran - 12, Lance - 11 

RBI: Joey - 84, Lance - 73, Duran - 63

Runs: Duran - 92, Joey - 74, Mills - 56

Triples: Duran - 12, Mills - 10, Joey 5

Doubles: Duran - 32, Joey - 29, Bob - 24

Individual Season Records

Rene: AVG. - .779,  runs - 49, SLG- 1.441, OPS - 2.191

Joey - Doubles - 29

Jeff - Doubles - 22

Storm hopes to carry their late season momentum (winning their last eight games) into the playoffs. Can they win five more in a row? Find out this weekend

 

Ferris takes another night off!!!

 Thanks to Ferris taking another night off, the A's are gifted the league championship on Monday night and the $300 that goes with it. Oh what could have been if the A's actually had to play all 32 games and not handed 5 victories due to forfeits. But it is, what it is and we'll take second place and move on to the playoff's which start on Friday, but for Storm they start on Saturday Sept 17th at 10:30am vs the Expos followed by a 1:30pm game against Coulas. After those games the elimination games start and depending on the outcomes we could play at 3pm or 4:30pm if we lose one or both games. But hopefully our next game will be Sunday Sept 18th at 10am. and if we win then 1pm and finally if we win that the championship game will be at 2:30pm.

We do have a few sign-outs for Saturday's games and Ken will most likely miss all the playoff's as he has commitments with his kids teams. Surprisingly Adam says that he can make the Saturday morning game and all of Sunday's games, I wonder if he remembers how to play... I guess we'll find out. lol!

Playoff Schedule

New Recruit for the 2047 Edition of the Storm

Congratulation's are in order!!

Duran and his wife Heather, welcomed Magnus Spray, a 7 pound, 11 ounce baby boy on Tuesday May 17th 2022.

Both Mother and Son are doing well, not so sure about the new Dad. lol

Storm is now looking good for another fast, power hitter in about 25 years.

 

2022 Season a week away

A new season is about to commence, a few old faces will not be returning this year, but luckily Al our longest tenured player has decided to come back for at least one more season. We also have three new additions this year. Ken has over 30 years of experience playing slo-pitch and will be a nice addition to the team and the beer circle, Stephen joins our team and brings an abundance of speed to the Storm something we can always use, and Adam also joined the Storm this year after being away from the game for a few years. We look forward to getting to know all our new teammates.

We are starting this season three weeks later than normal, but so far with the weather we have had this spring that's a good thing, I'm so looking forward to some nice consistent warm day's/night's ahead.

I have updated the Storm website to include our sign-out page and our calendar page. Please sign out of all games that you know you will be missing this summer.

We will not be doing a drink schedule this year, so everyone is responsible for there own post game beverages, We have had a few practices, with one more scheduled this week. Team BBQ's, or possibly a Pool Party! will be determined later this spring.

So feel free to reach out if you have any questions, or you need to sign-out of a game or 10.

Here's to a great season ahead, for the most experienced team in the league!

A Covid-19 shortened Year in Review

 Season Writeup

The league had a different format this year which led to less variety and more consistently challenging competition. The rust was apparent early in the season, and Storm definitely had trouble with the doubleheader format as they rarely won game 2 of the doubleheader. We’ll see how that plays out in the playoffs when it will take three consecutive wins to win the tournament on a day with four games. 

Storm had its lowest winning percentage since 2011 when, gasp, Storm had a losing percentage. But most players were just glad to be out at the park playing ball and drinking beer with other people again. 

It was still a good year for Storm, finishing second in the division and leading the league in runs scored. The major difference is that Storm was third last in runs against, which is strange for the team, and will have to be fixed if they expect to go on an extended playoff run.

Team Leaders

AVG. : Duran - .824, Rene - .775, Lance - .694

HR: Duran - 19, Craig - 18, Joey - 11

RBI: Duran - 65, Craig - 58, Joey - 53

Runs: Duran - 62, Joey - 59, Craig - 57

2B: Rene - 20, Bob and Joey - 16

3B: Duran - 6; Bob, Joey, and Jeff - 2

Hits: Duran - 70, Craig - 68, Joey - 62

SLG: Duran - 1.812, Craig - 1.366, Rene - 1.254

OPS: Duran - 2.643, Rene - 2.051, Craig - 2.045

Single Season Records

Percentage based records are easier to maintain in a shortened season, so these records come with an asterisk. But Duran had an incredible season smacking extra base hits almost every time he came up, and broke the single season records for OPS (2.643) and SLG (1.812).

MVP Race

The same player won the Storm team MVP all but three years from 2006-2019. And usually it was pretty much default. But this year there is not a clear winner. Storm MVP candidates will be listed below in alphabetical order to avoid perception of bias.

Craig - Criag had a dominant offensive start to the season. Then someone told him we keep track of statistics, after which he struggled a little. But he still had an excellent offensive season finishing third in the league in home runs and in the top three on Storm in home runs, RBI, runs, hits, slugging percentage, and on base plus slugging. In addition to his excellent offensive season, Craig was arguably Storm’s best defensive player. Not only did he catch nearly anything in the air in his direction, he also made some excellent throws from the outfield, hitting his cutoff throws with precision. If you’re taking both sides of the ball into consideration, Craig has a very strong case for MVP.

Duran - Slo-pitch is primarily an offensive game, so if it’s offense you’re looking for, Duran led the team in eight different categories including every percentage based category and every power based category except doubles. And Duran also has the sentimental  vote going for him. He started the year on the IL after suffering from a heart attack. Disappointed with how the team was playing without him, he started by playing the minimum innings and worked his way up to full games. And he got married this year.

Joey - The team’s perennial MVP had a down year for him, but still had a year that most players would dream about. While he had a rough start and didn’t finish at the top of any percentage based statistic, he finished in the top 3 on the team in home runs, RBI, runs, hits, doubles, and triples. He also plays shortstop, a very demanding position. In his one game in the outfield he demonstrated just how strong his arm is with hard and accurate throws from the outfield to home plate. 

Rene - Rene hit 20 doubles in 19 games, and finished in the top 3 in every percentage based statistic. He led the team in walks. He also played solid defense after sustaining an injury on his first play of the season. 

Most Sportsmanlike Race

Unlike the MVP, Storm has had a different MSP almost every year. And every year the vote is so spread out, that occasionally two votes can get you the trophy. And again, this year there are many players who deserve the award. But is the award limited to players? Or could Scoops Jockovitch, supply sports reporter be eligible? And if he is eligible, is he deserving of votes? Always good for a laugh, even if you might have no idea what happened in the game (or even if a game was played) after reading his writeups. But he’s a good guy. Wears a fedora like nobody’s business and is never short on Cubans (either the cigars or the sandwiches). We have learned far too much about his wedding night, his interest in dominatrixes, and his fetish for monkeys with cymbals. But he’s certainly good for a laugh. Vote Scoops Jockovitch.*

*This message was paid for by Scoops Jockovitch. 

I’m  still waiting for my paycheque Bra… I mean, Scoops. 

We're Back!!!

 

With Covid-19 restrictions ready to lift, the WMSPL will finally be able to get the season under way July 7th..

The Website has been updated with the 2021 Storm Schedule.

If anyone needs their email forwarding changed please let me know. Or if you have any questions please reach out.

Anyway, lets go out and have a great year not staying at home. 

Whitby Men's Slo-Pitch League still going strong 40 years on

Columnist Taylor Retter provides brief history of league

Forty years ago, a loaf of bread cost 30 cents according to Statistics Canada, the Happy Meal made its debut, and the Whitby Men’s Slo-Pitch League (WMSPL) played its first game.

The league was formed in 1979 with four teams, which represented the subdivisions they supported. They were Otter Creek, Pringle Creek, College Downs, and West Lynde.

Now, there are 12 teams and more than 180 players who meet up 38 times a season to catch up and play ball.

The season features a league tournament and is capped off by playoffs and an awards banquet.

But for some players, this league is about more than just showing up to see who can run the fastest, or hit the most home runs.

George Clay, pitcher, is the longest-tenured player in the WMSPL, and has been dutifully playing for 33 years.

He first gave it a shot after hearing from some friends about a league that was close to home and well-organized — but stayed for the quality of play and the connections he made.

“I’ve made a number of friends in the league. It doesn’t matter what team I play against; I have friends on every team in the league at this point,” Clay said.

And those connections span beyond just casual post-game conversations or friendly chirps across the field.

“One of the great pleasures I get is that both of my boys play on the team with me,” Clay said. “A number of the players on the team I’ve coached in their minor careers, and it’s a family. That’s what we say about these teams, they’re family.” 

And while he says he only signs one-year contracts, Clay is waiting for his body to tell him to retire and plans to continue to play as long as he can with his friends and family … much to the chagrin of every team they have to play against.

He has nothing but praise for the league and wishes it success in the next 40 years.

“I hope it continues to grow the way it has, that it continues to be a fun place for people to enjoy the game. They just have to follow the pattern of what they’ve been doing for the last 40 years, and I have no doubt the success will continue.”

And how has the league changed since his first game?

“It’s gotten a lot younger, a lot more competitive. Everyone plays to win, but if you don’t win you can come back and play the next night and it’s all good,” he said.

And the players have been coming back, as evidenced by the fact the average player in the league has 8.6 years of WMSPL experience, and the league average age is 43.8. The Storm takes the trophy for longest average tenure, with 13.9 years, which makes sense considering their average player age is 47.

This year's teams were supported by: Awakened Life Chiropractic and Wellness Centre, Swiss Chalet, Broadway, All Organic GreenThumb, Hanet Plastics, IG Wealth, RE/MAX Crossroads Realty, Creative Harbour, Mantis Investigation Agency, CMD Electric Ltd. and Sidewalk360.

This year everyone received custom hoodies and the annual year-end banquet was elevated by a live band, “Two for the Show,” as players celebrated the 40th anniversary of the league.

Are you looking to be a part of the next 40 years of Whitby slo-pitch history? Head to www.wmspl.com for more information or to join a team for the 2020 season. Who knows, you might just become part of the next playoff championship team.

Written by: Taylor Retter who is a Carleton University journalism graduate and daughter of a player in the Whitby Men’s Slo-Pitch League. Written for Durhamregion.com

New Season, brings new hopes!

Welcome back for another exciting year of Storm Slo-pitch Softball!

We have a few changes this year with two players officially leaving the storm and two new faces joining the team. Al's son-in-law Craig Procknow is joining the team this year, and Rene Magotiaux is our pick-a-friend player.

We have a new Storm Jersey for the 2019 season, and I want to give a shout out to Brad and Duran for contributing in order to make that happen with support from their companies Creative Harbour and Mantis Investigations.

The schedule is posted in the google calendar, and the sign-out page and the 2019 Drink schedule are posted for those partaking this season.

Our first game is Friday May 3rd @ 9:30pm on K1 vs.(The 2018 WMSPL Playoff Champions) Rebels

2018 Storm Season Recap

Storm had an incredibly exciting end to the season. After losing to the A’s in the second game of the season, they did not hold first place position until defeating the A’s in the last game of the season. There were some tense moments near the end, including the worst game Storm has played in years against Broadway, but for most of the season Storm was solid on defense and the entire lineup hit extremely well. Storm finished the regular season in first place for the fourth consecutive year, and they also led the league in runs scored and gave up the fewest runs against.

Team Leaders:

AVG: Joey - .747, Duran - .743, Bob - .723, Al - .716

HR: Joey – 30, Duran – 20, Bob – 13, Jeff – 8

RBI: Duran – 129, Joey – 118, Bob – 95, Al – 62

Runs : Duran – 112, Bob -100, Joey – 97, Jeff – 79

Hits: Duran – 124, Bob – 115, Joey – 115, Jeff – 101

Doubles: Duran – 33, Bob – 28, Joey – 23, Lance – 18

Triples : Duran – 19, Bob – 8, Joey – 5, Kenny and Brad – 4

Slugging Percentage: Joey – 1.545, Duran – 1.527, Bob 1.245, Jeff - .877

The whole team played well, but there were a few exceptional seasons:

Duran Spray - Duran had a season worthy of MVP consideration. He broke his own personal bests in virtually every category, but also set a number of Storm records.

Storm records:

Doubles – 33

Hits – 124

Runs – 112

Total Bases – 255

Triples – 19

He also set the record for consecutive games with an extra base hit at 39

Personal bests that aren’t Storm records:

AVG. - .743
HR – 20

RBI – 129

OBP - .736

SLG – 1.527

OPS. – 2.263

Jeffrey Thomas - While he didn’t have a record setting year  like Duran, Jeff put up arguably his best offensive season, at least in the power categories:

Personal Bests:

Hits – 101

Runs – 79

RBI – 59

Doubles – 16

Total bases – 143

SLG. - .877

OPS. – 1.485

Kenny Bodnar - Kenny seems to have spent some time at the gym (or lifting lots of crates of food at No Frills) as he also had his best offensive season, and displayed more power and ability to pull the ball than previous years.

Personal Bests:

AVG. - .698

RBI – 51

Runs – 57

Hits – 81

Doubles – 10

Triples – 4

BB – 12

OBP - .689

SLG - .853

OPS – 1.542

Other players with personal bests :

Greg Andrews: RBI – 30

Dave Hobbs: AVG. - .588, Runs – 41

Brad MacDougall: AVG. - .667, OBP - .686, Runs – 48

Bob Peppler: RBI – 95, Runs – 100, Doubles – 28

Al Stanfield: AVG - .716, Hits – 96, Triples – 2,

WMSPL Tournament Wrap-up

The mid-season tournament started and ended in the same way… with losses to Broadway. 

Storm would like to thank Doug and George from the A’s for filling in for some of the empty roster spots left by Storm players playing golf and watching dance recitals among other things.

Game 1 - Friday 9:30 vs Broadway

Broadway defeated Storm in the first game. This put Storm into must win baseball the rest of the tourney. And they made it a little harder than it needed to be. 

HR's: Duran, Joey

Boxscore
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
Broadway	0	4	6	3	6	1	x	20
Storm	2	0	3	1	6	0	0	12

_______________________________________________________________________

Game 2 - Saturday 9:00am vs Falcons

Storm defeated the Falcons, but a solo homerun negated a grand slam later in the game. 

HR's: Jeff, Duran, Bob

Boxscore
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
Falcons	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	11
Storm	0	2	10	0	1	2	9	24

_______________________________________________________________________

Game 3 - Saturday 12:00pm vs ReMax

Re/Max Crossroads played Storm tight, and Storm needed to go to its last at bats to take the lead, and then score a few more so they were the plus seven they could potentially have needed had it come down to run-differential.

HR's: Jeff, Duran, Bob (2)

Boxscore
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
Remax	1	0	5	2	?	?	?	10
Storm	2	0	4	2	2	0	7	17

_______________________________________________________________________

Final - Saturday 3:00pm vs Broadway

But Storm ran out of steam in the final game and Broadway was back to being Storm’s nemesis, as they defeated them for the 2^nd time in the tourney and the third time in the week.

HR's: Jeff (2)

Boxscore
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
Broadway	4	0	0	?	?	?	?	16
Storm	2	1	0	0	1	3	0	7