Back to Back Champs! Darners Repeat in 1996
October 23, 1996 – The Darners that swept the fans of the Pacific Northwest in 1995, showed that last season was no fluke at all. The Darners limped to the playoffs in ’95, but took off without looking back in 1996. The Darners lead the CBU with 101 wins and the leagues streakiest line up became the league’s most solid line up throughout.
The Darners still struck out their fair share, but finished first or second in team totals in many hitting categories including leading the league in walks, runs scored and slugging percentage. Pitching was also really consistent fro the team. The Darners rotation had the league’s 2nd best ERA.
The Giamatti league sends their 3rd champion to the CBU Championship series to only watch their 3rd straight loss against Landis League teams. Tacoma topped Brainerd and Wisconsin in the Landis League playoffs in a pair of series sweeps. Nashville contested Tacoma in the CBU series, but only lasted five games before getting shut out in game five, 3-0.
The CBU saw a dip in revenue compared to last seasons, but that did not slow down the philanthropy shown by CBU owners. Baseball America rated both amateur draft classes for the MLB and CBU, and while the MLB’s class was better on the top end, they rated the CBU pool much deeper.
