The final standings after week five determined which teams were going to the playoffs and which were staying home. In the more competitive men's Granite League, Sigma Phi Epsilon (5-0) is in the lead. They are followed closely by Theta Delta Chi (4-1), the Fighting Mullets (3-2) and the Owls (2-3). Alpha Delta (1-4) and Phi Delta Alpha (0-5) round out the league.
With their win yesterday, Sig Ep captured the regular season title and the top seed in the playoffs next week.
"I've had a lot of fun playing softball this summer with my Sig Ep friends," Eric Lauritsen '09 said, a solid all-around first basemen for Sig Ep. "We've played really well and have maintained what has become a tradition of winning, which is great."
However, once the playoffs start, the trophy is up for grabs. Next Monday, Sig Ep plays the Owls in one semifinal match-up while Theta Delt will play the Fighting Mullets in the other half of the bracket.
"I know we can get them," said Christian Kiely '09 of the Owls about his team's chances against Sig Ep in the first round of the playoffs.
Kiely proceeded to reminisce about his first career triple from the week before.
"I thought I was going to get home, but I slipped around third base," said Kiely. "When I got up, I was so tired, I asked a teammate if we had any oxygen."
The Owls, captained by Nat Smith '09, also have started a pre-game training regimen with running and batting practice.
"[The warm-up] really seems as though it never ends," said Nat Wells '09, backup catcher for the Owls. "Our pre-game jog is seven miles long. I can see people watching us from the fields wondering, 'Who are these guys?'"
Even the teams toward the bottom of the standings still come out and play their hearts out.
"I haven't been to many games," said Sean Milich '09, a member of Alpha Delta fraternity. "We haven't been doing so well because we have been hurting to field a full team. It's still a great way for everyone in the house to get out and have some fun during the summer."
The Granite League is not the only softball league around. There is the men's Moosilauke League as well. Leading this league is Alpha Chi Alpha (4-0). Captain Lucas Henderson '09 is proud of his team's success.
"I was under the impression that the Moosilauke division was going to be the stronger league but regardless, we're still having fun," Henderson said.
The Moosilauke League is not without controversy. Three teams -- the Real Geniuses, captained by Thayer student Jon Watts, Schrodinger's Bats, captained by graduate studentJeremy Ouellette, and the Thundercats, co-captained by graduate students Jennifer Sargent and Jack Scarcelli -- were disqualified from the post-season for forfeiting games.
Now, the undefeated AXA team will play the winless Sigma Alpha Epsilon Lions (0-4) in the League finals.
"This league is a travesty," Scarcelli said. "Due to a forfeiture in the first week, our team will not be making the playoffs despite our record. In addition to the humiliation of not making the playoffs, I'll also be charged a $25 fee for the forfeit."
However the season ends, many will be uttering the famous lines of old Brooklyn Dodgers fans: "Wait 'til next year." The luckier ones will have that special feeling that only October baseball (or August softball) can bring.
