HISTORY 2005
The Rebels are coming off a shocking 2005 campaign that nobody saw coming, going 31-9 and losing in the second round in the playoffs. However, this was not the only highlight of the season. By reason of the Rebels introducing many more of their talented young athletes from their stacked farm system, players like Rookie of the Year winner Tim O’Connor and young talented infielders like Steve Turk, Nathan DeRohan, and Dallas Rixie were key parts to the Rebels success in 2005.
In the 2005 season, the Rebels also benefited from having other teams struggle within their division. E.S.P. Vending club (18-2) were the only team to beat out the Rebels (17-3) for the divisional title.The Locos Club (16-4) and Frank's Body (13-7), and with the exception of the Go Jo’s club, have improved their respective rosters and the Tuesday Nights will be a different monster for the Rebels to overcome in the near future.
The season started out full of promise, as Coach had his Squad on top of the Tuesday Night standings for most of the 2005 season, only to fall to the E.S.P. Vending club down the stretch. But Coach had all of his big names back, as well as the new kid who inspired "Willie World," Jeff Wilson.
Dallas Rixie got the Rebels off to a flying start, hitting the first pitch of the season down the left field line for a double. The Rebels had a fighting spirit, particularly at Belvidere Park, where they excited fans with 7 shutouts victories.
None was more dramatic than the night of June 23, when the Who Softball Club took a 9-7 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning. But the Rebels rallied with six runs in the last two inning of play, capped by Ralph Lozano's 3 Run HR. Rick Garza had the task of replacing outfielder Jason Palmer, and responded with 12 HRs, 76 RBIs and a .565 batting average.
Kevin Lowery, Ross Jensen, Steve Guarini, Nathan DeRohan and Jeff Wilson all made significant contributions as well by clinching a Thursday Night Playoff spot by defecting
the Black Sox club 22-12 on July 14th, but it was the quality and depth of the pitching staff that led the Rebels to their third straight playoff’s appearance in six years.
Jeff Wilson led the staff with 15 wins, including a No-Hitter in game two against Softball Guys club on July 19th. Chris Minor had 10 and Rick Garza 1. Even Jerry Vasquez fought off an elbow injury to finish with several games pitch. Chris Minor anchored the pitching staff with a 3.25 E.R.A.
The Rebels even make history when rookie outfielder Mike Sroka became the first ever Rebel player in team history to hit a home run from both sides of the plate against MedLine softball club on July 21st, Also on this date Rick Garza makes his pitching debut, going 2-inning, giving up 4 runs. The Rebels Men’s Softball Club clinch second place on Tuesday Night League by defecting Franks Body ‘n’ Paint Club 8-6 on August 2nd.
Off-Season Review:
The Rebels did not spend stupid amounts of time recruiting this off-season, but they did improve their squad. They brought back former All-Star third baseman Chris Minor and added outfielder Steve Guarini. Minor and Guarini are not the same players they once were, but both guys will give the Rebels a big boost in the lineup, as well as playing solid in the field.
Strengths:
The Rebels have the strength that every team in Lake County Softball desires: a strong farm system. They are filled with youth, ranking 7th in 2005 farm system rankings.
Rebels Softball slipped from their number one spot because of the debuts of many prospects in the 2005 season. But to still be ranked in the top ten for another year is very impressive.
With the young pitching and position prospects that have already arrived with the Rebels and the ones that are to come, the Braves young core is becoming one of the best in the game. Adding these players along with veterans like Ralph Lozano, Rick Garza, Jeff Wilson, Nestor Toro and Jon Schumacher is a major strength for the Rebels.
Areas to Improve:
The biggest area of improvement most Rebel fans can agree on is the bottom of the order. The Rebels bottom core of guys constantly got themselves in a jam last season by not handling those competitive moments enough, as they issued the most batted outs with runners in scoring position per seven innings. Whether the Rebels decide to explore the free agent or trade market for some more experience type ball players to help or allow the Coach to work with the younger guys to reduce the lackluster At-Bats, there is a definite need for improvement.
Back-to-Back?
The big question on all Rebel fans minds is whether or not this team can repeat their championship run.
