Picture the scene: Freshly-mown grass. A twelve-pack on the ground. Yellow bats strewn everywhere. A few picnickers beyond those classic blue fences, snickering about the pool noodle foul poles that have become a hallmark every Sunday.

See, every Sunday, from 10am to 7pm, you'll see the greatest tradition known to Cowen Park, dating back to before spikeball was even a thing. Whether it's a 69 MPH fastball or a 46 MPH cutter, you know that when you visit Ravenna from May through August, that crack of the bat means that Seattle Wiffleball is back in session.

We persevere through the rainy months and dark evenings for this. We hit the cage in December and live in the weight room in January for this. Hell, we stay up late watching YouTube videos on “cool wiffleball pitches curveball win games.” We do whatever it takes, even though, in the end, we know that Paul "Field Jesus" Rogers will end up mowing us down once more.

As the 2025 season gets underway, there are a number of things for ESPNW (ESPN Wiffleball) to track. You have a new team all the way from the University District, Caught Cooking, hoping to make a splash, even though the Scheduling Gods did them no favors by putting them up against the Bilabial Stops in week one. Rule changes include bringing in the fences, raising the speed limits, and implementing a standard radar gun.

The usual contenders remain dangerous as ever. The twin powers of the league &endash; the aforementioned Stops and the 24/7 dangerous Wiffle House &endash; have already started their seasons with dominant wins; Rogers and Downtown Eddie Brown posted shutouts, while our brand new Scammissioner, Phil Thomas, put up 8 RBI in his season debut.

But if you know anything about Seattle Wiffleball, and if you’ve paid attention over the last decade, you know that Swingdome and American Dreams ain't going anywhere. There’s no way that captains Jimmy Froio and Jeremy Salvo, respectively, would let that happen.

Even going down last year's standings, there's clear danger and new firepower. Rumor has it that Eric Sanford’s Sheryl Crows (the coolest team in the league, if I do say so myself) have developed a couple more pitchers with a couple new devastating sliders. 100% Real Juice may allow a few too many walks, but it's not the worst thing when you balance it out with major velo, and those sweet, sweet jerseys. OG team West Coast Washout remains a pesky doubleheader for any (and every) of its opponents.

Rounding out the league, you've got the Berserkers helmed by 2022 Manager of the Year Wallace Tillman; the most beloved team in the league (Chicken n' Wiffles); and the brand-new Caught Cooking presumably wearing purple and gold.

Let's take a step back for a second. We may take it seriously, but wiffleball isn't exactly the most put-together sport. I'd guess that more than a few of us have said that we "have a baseball game this Sunday." Yet this isn’t about being a big league sport. This is about cornering the Ravenna market. It’s about fun and drinks, Cowen Park, every Sunday.

We'll see you then.

Matchup 1: Caught Cooking vs Bilabial Stops The league’s newest squad enters with intensity, urgency, and a loaded roster ready to serve. But you can’t have too many cooks in the kitchen when it comes to facing the Stops. Rogers and company return hungrier than ever, ready to eat that chip on their shoulder. 🧑‍🍳

Matchup 2: Chicken ’n’ Wiffles vs Swingdome That sounds like one tasty matchup! Batter up baby! 🍗

Matchup 3: Wiffle House vs West Coast Washout The reigning champs begin their title defense against West Coast. With their new faces showing promise last year, WCW might be the ones raining on Wiffle House’s championship parade. 🌧️

Strikeouts, hit totals, and a few prop bets! Is it legal? We didn’t talk to a lawyer about it, so we wouldn’t know. The league does not condone any form of gambling… but if we did, we suggest taking the over on total beers for Liam McFeely! 🍻