Wombats

The Wombats logo, as it appeared in Season 3

Tier 2 Champions

NL Wild Card

3 seed in Backyard League

## Overview

The Wombats are a custom team name that is available in Backyard Baseball 2001 and 2003. In the BBL, they have been chosen every season since season 3 and have achieved moderate success.

## Season 3

The Wombats were chosen for the first time in Season 3. Coach crazyei8hts named them the Crazy Wombats and made their colors pink so he could drafted super-boosted Maria Luna. The Wombats were constructed with a Bomberball mentality; they were designed to hit as many home runs as possible. They became the first team in BBL history to hit triple-digit home runs, hitting exactly 100 bombs on the season (a record that has since been broken by another crazyei8hts' team). Chico Pappas hit 26 of those home runs, a record that stood until Season 7. But overall, home runs were about the only thing this team did well, as they finished with a 6-8 record.

Chico Pappas finished 2nd in MVP voting.

## Season 4

The Mighty Wombats were selected by coach Nick Foles is my dad for Season 4. The team played decently in the regular season, finishing with a 7-7 record. However, they turned it on in the Tier 2 playoffs, beating the Padres, Giants, and Melonheads on their way to a Tier 2 championship. It was really the sneak preview of the NF-coached team that won Season 5.

## Season 5

### Lulu League

In the Lulu League, the Super-Duper Wombats were selected by newcoming coach Wizard. The Wombats got into their groove as the season went along, finishing with a 9-5 record and capturing an NL Wild Card berth. The real highlight of their season came when they upset the 13-1 top-seeded Giants two games to one in the NLDS. However, they lost to the Red Sox in the NLCS.

### Paste League

The Mighty Wombats were chosen by coach GreenDayEagles in the Season 5 Paste League. However, they were anything but mighty, finishing the abridged regular season at 2-10.

Stats are incomplete for the team.

## Season 6

The Super-Duper Wombats were re-claimed by Wizard for Season 6. They started off in a slump, heading into the All-Star Break at just 1-6. However, they had a nice turnaround in the second half and finished the season at 6-8. Even though they were in a weak division, they finished one game short of the division lead and missed the playoffs.

In the BBL Consolation Tournament, the Wombats beat the Giants, lost to the eventual champion Cardinals, beat the Tigers, but then decided to forfeit out of the tournament, thus ending their season.

## Season 7

For Season 7, Wizard returned to the helm of the Wombats for the third consecutive season. The Wombats were placed in the Backyard League, a division for the most experienced BBL veterans. Having lamented his "defense-first" draft strategy of Season 6, Wizard intentionally drafted an all-offense team with little to no defense. And offense there certainly was. The Wombats scored at least 20 runs in 8 of their first 9 games. However, they started to slump a little bit before the playoffs. Nevertheless, the Wombats earned the #3 seed in the Backyard League after tallying a 9-5 record.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Wombats squared off against the Rangers. Here, the lack of defense worked against them, as the Rangers were able to reach the 50-run safety net in one game. Ultimately, the Wombats lost the series two games to one, ending their championship aspirations.

Despite the overall poor defense, Star Moonbeam was voted the Goldie Glove winner for best defense. Playing first base and having incredible speed, Star was able to run off the base to catch errant throws and still return to the base in time. The extra frustration caused by her speed in the field won her the award.

## Season 8

In Season 8, the Wombats were chosen by coach Marco. Marco is an Australian, so he chose the Wombats, a native of Australia, and made their colors green and yellow in honor of the Australian national team. The Wombats gave Marco his best BBL season yet, but they just barely missed out on the NL Wild Card by one game, with a record of 9-5.

Ken Griffey Jr. led the league in doubles with 14, and Christina Beattie led the league with 106 strikeouts pitched.

## Season 9

Marco returned to coach the Wombats in Season 9. They played in the NL East, on the 2003 version of the game, and had a home field of Steele Stadium. The Wombats had a much different result than Season 8, finishing 3-11 and missing the playoffs.

Notably, the Wombats' three wins each came against teams that finished the season at 0.500 or better: the Cardinals, Yankees, and Giants.

## Season 10

### 2003

The Wombats were once again taken by Marco in Season 10. They played in the Backyard League West at their home field of Cement Gardens. The Wombats bounced back after their rough Season 9, finishing with a record of 8-6. But in heartbreaking fashion, they lost out on the second wild card spot since the Pirates owned the head-to-head tiebreaker.