Kettering Royals

The MVABL released the full 2012 schedule this week.  All teams will be tested off the hill as the season is filled with 7 and 9-inning double headers.  The Royals have 10 double-headers on the schedule.  The toughest will be week 3 of the season where they will play at 12pm against the Ohio Mariners at Kettering field, and then following the game drive over to Howell field to face the Springfield Indians who also play a game at 12pm.  It will be a test for both teams as they'll play 18 innings so early in the season.  Check the Schedules page now to plan out your summer so you don't miss any of the great baseball action that is about to begin.

In just a few short days the MVABL will kick off the 2012 season.  The first pitch of the season will be thrown at 1:00 PM around the Miami Valley.  Three games kick-off at 1:00pm, @ Xenia High School the Rangers/Redlegs, @ Fairborn High School A's/Indians, and @ AIA a rematch of the 2011 MVABL Finals the Shockers/Mariners.

The Boys in Blue finish off the day as the play the nightcap at Athletes in Action.  Game time is 7:00 PM and they will face the new Fairborn Fury.  The Royals are looking to bounce back from there early exit in the 2011 play-offs, and after a strong preseason are excited to throw that first pitch, or in this case belt that first hit as they are the visitors in the game.  Jason Holmberg gets the nod for the Opening Day start for the 3rd straight year.  Jason is 1-1 in his Opening Day starts.  Holmberg is looking to rebound from his 2011 Opening Day start as he had a great start, but fighting the A's & the wind, the longball got the best of Holmberg and the Royals as they fell 17-10.  The Royals are retuning the majority of their 2011 roster and they are all looking to get off on the right foot starting this Sunday Night.

Again, game time is 7:00 PM, show up early to get a good seat and help cheer on your Boys in Blue as they begin the 2012 season.

The Royals got some great news this month, current Skipper and catcher Mark Franklin was voted into the 2012 MVABL Hall of Fame.  This is a great honor for the Royals coach.  He entered the league in 1996 as the number 1 selection for the expansion Mets.  The Mets were unable to hold together and were disbanded after their first season.  Franklin was able to join up with the Expos, where he caught 2 seasons behind the dish for such All-Stars as Matt Klaus.  In 1999, the new Expos Coach traded Franklin to the expansion Devil Rays who needed a solid backstop to anchor their defensive lineup.  That sesason the Devil Rays were able to win their first Championship.  However, in 2000 much of the Championship team was released around the league as their Management looked to pickup new players, and again Franklin was on the move.  So in 2000, then current Royals coach, Neil Lynch, picked Franklin up off the waiver wire to fill the defensive whole behind the plate they had on their roster.  Franklin, along with current Royal Eric Jameson, struggled through some hard years that saw the Royals always on the bottom, and in 2005, Lynch left the team for personal issues, and Franklin stepped in to help the team survive.  Over his first 2 seasons as Royals Skipper he continually built on the talent the team had, adding key pieces to the puzzle from friends of friends to great talent affected by teams folding, and in 2007 the Royals finally joined the MVABL elite after years of climbing that hill and won their first Championship.  In 2008 the Royals joined other elite teams, the Astros and Woodpeckers, as the only teams able to win back-to-back Championships.  After a tough loss in the 2009 semi-finals the Royals rebounded to win their 3rd title in 4 years in 2010 under Franklin's management.  Since taking over as the Royals Skipper he has helped lead the team to 107 victories and ranked in the top 1-2 teams in their division each season.  Since joining the Royals in 2000, Franklin has also been a very dependable hitter.  He has a career batting average of .339, recorded 282 total regular and post-season hits, plating 154 RBIs, and only striking out every once every 8.9 at-bats out of 823 in his 11 years with the club.

To be selected into the MVABL Hall of Fame is a great honor, and to be the first Royal, out of what he hopes to be many, is a great accomplishment.  When asked how he felt about the selection, he replied "I'm over joyed!!  I couldn't have gotten here without the many great players that I've played with, or against, over the years that helped push me to be the best I could be.  It may be an individual recognition, but it is definitely a team game."

As the rain soaks into the ground during this crazy Ohio Winter, the Boys in Blue got back to business this past weekend. The Royals held their first practice to prepare for the upcoming 2012 season. The Royals are very excited for the season to begin. For the first time they have their entire 2011 roster returning. They've also added some new talent to help add some more speed and power to the lineup. Jake Wilson is joining the Royals from the Cheese Cake Factory player developement center. Jake joins fellow current Cheese Cakers Tim Peffley and Frank Burgos, and Factory alumni Shawn Rudegeair in the great line of players produced by the Cheese Cake Factory to wear the Powder Blues. Wilson played his first season in the MVABL with the Miami Cardinals, where he belted a game tying triple off the fence in the great night matchup at Kettering Field. Wilson will help add infield depth as veterans Brian Duffy and DJ Swearingen focus on their Bar Exams. Also new to the Boys in Blue is former Wittenberg player Brad "Koop" Koopman. Brad played with current Royals Jason Holmberg, Santel Grant, and Shawn Rudegeair. Koop will also get some work around the field as well as hopefully some work off the mound, and will hopefully bring some more beef to the Royals lineup of hitters.

With the new additions, the Royals hope to rebound from their tough loss to Rangers and get back on the winning track once the first pitch is thrown.

After a long break the Boys in Blue were back in action against the Dayton Rangers for their first playoff series.  However it wasn't meant to be their year.  After a key injury, and some miscues, the Royals weren't able to produce enough runs to keep pace with the Rangers as they were swept out of the playoffs in their first series.  The Royals played decent, but a key injury to their closer really put a strain on the bench when bodies were needed most.  You can't change the outcome, only learn from it, fix what needs to be corrected, and move forward to begin preparations for the 2012 season.