Sea Kittens Summer 2017 Preview

A year after posting the most spectacular offensive numbers in Harmony Sea Kittens history and a solid 7-3 summer season and following with a 5-1 fall campaign and league co-championship, the slate is blank and the 2017 team is ready to go. Eleven of 13 players return from the 2016 squad, among the best return rates in team history.  Gone are outfielder Andy “Mercury” Stevens and 1B/OF Slaminn’ Ellen Hamann, whose steady bats & gloves were integral to last year’s success.  Stevens is now posted in Ashland, while Hamann’s field summer field work will take her away from the field where she belongs. To fill the roster voids, Los Gatitos del Mar welcome back Man-Aaron Jossart and Katherine Goat-roper Curtis, both veterans whose familial duties pulled them off the diamond for the past two seasons.  As their family nearly amounts a legal softball roster, the pair will be well-suited to return to the fold and their skills may translate to being steady unflappable presences in the chaos that can occasionally erupt within the Kitten defense.  “Whatever- seven, eight people running around like madmen, throwing things, and seemingly working at cross purposes?  Been there, done that.  I call it ‘morning,’” said Curtis. “And we can get it under control.  Sometimes,” added Jossart.  Field marshals, indeed! One rookie joins the squad this season Josh namejustbeggingforanickname Dilley, a many-moons-ago outfielder for the McFarland Spartans who was picked up as a free agent on Lake Point Drive. A fan of Pedro Martinez and by extension the Boston Red Sox, Dilley will bring the kind of dazed energy that only the parent of a 1 year-old (or younger) can bring.  Jazzy Leda Nath is a fall 2016 roster holdover and rejoins Sea Kittens ittens for the full summer season. Looking to create more roster flexibility and looking ahead to a June 28 match with Steal Your Base that regular pitchers David Zen Master Rowe and Joe Hennessy are scheduled to miss, the Cats will be working several new pitchers into the mix this season, including Jossart, Sweet Thing Harkins, and Mags Magyera.  Scouts also observed Jess Schultz working out at first base during the offseason, where her fancy volleyball footwork and leaping skills may prove handy.  Schultz will spell Hamann’s role in sharing first base with Erin Mama Cat O’Brien and risking life and shin handling infield throws, along with playing outfield and other infield positions. Despite the team’s 2016 success, the loss of Stevens and Hamann, an influx of west-side teams to east-side leagues, and expansion of league sizes from 6 to 8 teams for 2017 has led MSCR to relegate Sea Kittens to the Wednesday night “C-” LaCrosse League- the lowest available. The move costs the Kittens its matchups with Southside Badgers and Rattlesnake Masters, who remained in the “B” league, but the long-standing rivalry with Infield Flies remains intact.  Steal Your Base will be another familiar foe, and it’s unknown if that squad has retooled after a disappointing 2016 campaign.  Otherwise, the Cats’ other 5 opponents are relative unknowns, although there have been some recent games against Affordable Quality HVAC and We Got the Runs.  The opening night match with the Flies- the battle for the CAN O’CORN- will be a big test for Sea Kittens.