Diamondbacks (20-6) vs. Dukes (15-12)

Season Head to Head:
Diamondbacks won season series 2-0, Diamondbacks won 8-7 & 5-1

Playoff Leaders
Diamondbacks:
Alex Bishop .500 Avg, 1.071 Slug%, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 7 R
Nolan Handley .500 Avg, .750 Slug%, 8 H, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 8 R
JP Willner, .417 Avg, .750 Slug%, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 4 R, 2 SB

Dukes:
Evan Gerwing .556 Avg, 1.111 Slug%, 4 2B, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 6 R
Eric Buckley .611 Avg, .833 Slug%, 2 2B, 1 3B, 6 RBI, 5 R, 1 SB
Cal Tecklenburg 3-0, 13.2 IP, 8 H, 16 Ks, 1.06 ERA

Preview: The FMBA Championship! Congratulations to both the Diamondbacks and Dukes on a couple of great seasons, and on making it to the ‘ship.

These squads last met at the start of the regular season with the Diamondbacks taking both games. One of those went 9 innings and the other was a low scoring affair. They also met in last year’s semi-finals and that series went to a third and deciding game with the Diamondbacks prevailing. It was the lone Diamondbacks loss of those playoffs. 

The Diamondbacks are making their 6th FMBA Finals in the past 8 seasons. It is a testament to the depth, determination and talent of their team to continually show up when it matters. They enter the finals having beaten the Twins and Giants in four straight, and really seem to be firing on all cylinders. Can they complete the four-peat and get their name on the trophy for the sixth time?

The Dukes meanwhile are making their second FMBA Finals appearance. They eliminated the first place Canadians, as well as the White Sox and have been playing excellent baseball since late June. You could argue that they have been the hottest team in the league, inflating team ERA’s along the way. They have played the Diamondbacks well the past number of years, can they come through for their first championship?

These two teams mirror each other quite a bit, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see this go three games. If you like offense, both teams have it, but both also have several good arms and play generally good defense. Should be a good series to watch! Let’s hope for some good baseball to wrap up an exciting FMBA season!