All-Stars win back-to-back championships

Monday night, the Mike Standerski All-Stars wrapped up their second consecutive undefeated season by defeating the Pi Kappas 30-15 in the intramural whiffleball championship. The win makes 15 in a row for the All-Stars, bringing their three-year record to 21-2. \n"It's amazing," said junior Justin Ross. "We were upset when we didn't win our freshman year, but this has been unbelievable. It's fun to say you're back-to-back champions at a university like this. You don't get that opportunity every day, no matter what the sport is." \nThe All-Stars defeated the Whiffleballs Deep with ease last Thursday to earn a spot in the championship game Monday evening.\nThe All-Stars appeared to be on their way to another easy victory in the championship, not allowing a base hit until the third inning and preventing the Deep from making it past first base until the fifth inning. In the middle of their defensive stand, which included a diving catch by junior A.J. Amspaugh and a leaping catch by junior captain Rob Greenberg, the All-Stars built a 15-0 lead.\nHowever, the Whiffleballs Deep mounted a charge in the fifth and sixth innings, scratching together 14 hits and 11 runs to climb to within four of the All-Stars. \n"I think when we got out to a big lead it was a combination of us getting relaxed and them hitting the ball real well, finding holes in the defense," Greenberg said. "We started to take our foot off the gas pedal and sensed we were going to coast to a victory." \nThe All-Stars responded to the Deep run with five runs in the seventh, including three home runs, and they sealed the deal in the eighth with 10 runs, the maximum amount of runs a team can score in a single inning. \n"We always seem to feel like we have it in the bag, and we let them back in it," Amspaugh said. "That thought kind of crossed my mind tonight a little bit. But this team has had experience; it's our second year winning."\nThe All-Stars credit their tremendous three-year run to team chemistry and a combination of defense and powerful offense. \n"When you have five teammates that are good friends, really like each other and have fun playing together, you have good team chemistry," Greenberg said. "It doesn't matter what the score is, it's going to be fun no matter what."\nRoss also said the team's offense and defensive capabilities played a major part as well. \n"We have a lot of confidence in all five of us," Ross said. "We know that we play amazing defense, and that's what we live by, and we know we're going to score." \nAlthough the All-Stars have dominated the whiffleball intramurals for the past three years, Greenberg would love to see the league's membership expand. \n"I would love to see an increase in the number of teams, and I would love to see an increase in, frankly, the talent of teams we play," he said. "I challenge anybody to come out here next year and put a team together and see how you compare against us because we'll be there in the playoffs."\nAnyone wanting to answer the challenge can contact Rec Sports for more information online at www.recsports.indiana.edu.