A couple of things are new. A couple of things have not changed. And there are still plenty of questions that may be answered throughout the course of the season.
Two weeks in, here is what we know.
Wiffle House: Still the Team to Beat
If you watched Liam McFeely's Wiffle House dismantle Caught Cooking in back-to-back games last Sunday — by a combined score of 31-4, with the second game ending at 27-2 — you already have your answer. But ask anyone in that dugout and they will tell you every game, every run, every pitch has to be earned. That is the mentality that has kept them at the top.
Sam Thomas, your 2025 MVP, is firmly in the driver's seat at the plate. Phillip Thomas is holding down the second spot in the rotation, and doing it quietly well. But the biggest storyline surrounding Wiffle House this season is the expected mid-summer return of 2024 MVP Quinn Thomas, who missed all of 2025 nursing an injury.
The question everybody in this league is sitting with: when Quinn walks back onto that field, is he the same pitcher? Does the dominant riser come back? Does the command of the zone come back? Or is that version of him in the past? Because if it is not — if this lineup gets to run at full strength for a full season — it is going to be a rough experience for just about everyone else.
Swingdome: Loaded, With an Asterisk
Jimmy Froio and the Swingdome picked up right where they left off. Half their lineup is already dotting the home run leaderboard, and they are clearly capable of another deep run. The offensive ceiling on this team is not a question.
Something worth noting: Froio went out and blanked Chicken n Wiffles in his season opener. He is a crafty, proven front-mound arm — and that performance was a reminder of what this team looks like when everything is clicking. But can he put up those same numbers against the more offensively weighted teams in the league? That is the honest question, and it is one worth watching.
Alex Hatch remains the engine that makes the Swingdome go. One of the better two-way players in the league, full stop. If he stays available this season, he is absolutely in the conversation for hardware come awards time. He hits. He pitches. He makes this roster what it is.
But championships are not won by one player. To make it all the way, you need a reliable two-man rotation — and that brings us to the availability question around Nick Ludwig, one of the stronger left-handed back-mound arms in the league. Can he contribute consistently enough to complement Hatch from start to finish? That is the thread to pull on.
Caught Cooking: The Ceiling Keeps Rising
Caught Cooking is the most interesting team in the league right now, and it is not particularly close.
Like Chicken n Wiffles, they picked up their first win of 2026 in Week 2 with a split. But the more compelling story is what captain Will Hippe has been doing on the back-mound. He has put in serious off-season work, and it shows. The walk totals are still there — he gave up a high number against Chicken n Wiffles in game two — but every elite back-mound arm in this league's history has started exactly that way. It takes at least a season to find the zone consistently.
And the ceiling on this guy is real. In the Cooking opener against Wiffle House, Hippe held them to four runs. That has not been done since game three of the 2024 World Series — holding Wiffle House to four runs. If he can keep the ball anywhere near the zone with his stuff, he might be looking at joining some very elite company.
Cooking did lose 2025 Rookie of the Year Sam Matterazzo in the off-season, which is not nothing. But they brought in Brian Penserini and Dan Hanower — a pair of solid athletes who add the kind of depth that changes the texture of a roster. If Hippe keeps developing, the defense tightens up, and they can string some games together, there is no reason this team is not in the playoff picture come August.
Chicken n Wiffles: Reinvigorated and Rebuilding the Rotation
Chicken n Wiffles enter their 12th season with what feels like reinvigorated herbs and spices. Historically, this has been a team that depends on offense to create competitive games — and they have always embraced that identity. This year, there are signs they are evolving.
The big development: Noah Purcell is stepping into a hybrid role alongside the short-mound rotation. He has looked competitive in his appearances so far, throwing a pair of quality games. That matters. The two-game series format does not let any team lean on a single arm indefinitely — CNW will need more than one answer at the front mound as the season rolls on. The early returns from Purcell give them a reason to believe they have it.
The Five Teams Yet to Play
Five teams have not taken the field in 2026 yet. Here is where things stand heading into their debuts.
Berserkers
Like Caught Cooking, the Berserkers are quietly one of the more interesting teams heading into this year. They have been putting in work over the off-season, and there is a new look — Greg Markles has been promoted to skipper. Matt Bennett, the reigning Sportsman of the Year, is still swinging a bat that can swing a game in an instant. Pitching, as always, is the question for any team with playoff ambitions. But from what we saw in spring training, they may have some answers: Trey Gagnier looked sharp and could contribute meaningfully this summer. What Markles and company have up their sleeves, we are about to find out.
Sheryl Crows
Grant Bronsdon and John Trupin take over as co-captains of the murder, inheriting the seat from SWL legend Eric Sanford. And in a move that may quietly be the biggest of the entire off-season: Jeff Hanschmann joins the flock. The Crows have always been known for their consistency — tight defense, contact-heavy lineup. The one thing they have needed to take the next step is another reliable back-mound arm. Hanschmann might be exactly that. If he delivers, the ceiling on this team changes.
100% Real Juice
Another year, another Juice. Captain Gabe Showalter will be sidelined for most of the year, but this team has never needed to be told what to do. Hall of Famers Epo Olivares and Aaron Hunter anchor the staff, Adam Brickett is out of the bullpen, and they quietly added Zak Kosher — who played for the American Dreams in 2024 and 2025 — a nice vibe fit that brings some new blood to one of the most stable rosters in league history. The sands of time are a cruel mistress in this sport. The real question surrounding this team: is the Juice truly still at 100%?
West Coast Washout
West Coast has had a couple of hard seasons, but that is what rebuild mode looks like — and rebuilds exist for a reason. Andrew Winter's team is anchored by one of the most electric players in the league right now: Michael Laudick, your 2024 Rookie of the Year and 2025 Home Run Derby champion. The man can hit. There is nothing left to prove there.
But the bigger story surrounding West Coast this year is who is coming with him. Laudick apparently has some talented friends joining the roster, and that is the part nobody has fully seen yet. Who are these people? Are they as good as he is? If the answer is yes even in part, this rebuild might be ahead of schedule in a big way. That is the mystery worth watching.
Bilabial Stops
Noah Purcell moving to Chicken n Wiffles was a notable departure from the Stops camp. But a team like the Bilabial Stops tends to attract exactly the kind of players they need. And the blockbuster move of this entire off-season — maybe across the whole league — belongs to them: 2025 Rookie of the Year Sam Matterazzo took his talents to the Stops. A great offensive talent with real potential on the mound, joining an already hungry, strategic, battle-tested team. Co-captained by Greg Nyssen and Eddie Brown, this roster is built for one thing. Some teams want a solid season, a name on the leaderboard, maybe a playoff run with some luck. That is not what the Stops want. It is championship or bust — and they have the pieces to make that attempt seriously.
Week 3: Sunday, May 17
Two games on the board this Sunday, and both are worth showing up for.
12:30 PM — Berserkers vs Chicken n Wiffles
The Berserkers make their 2026 debut against a CNW team fresh off their first win. First look at the Markles era. First real test of whether the new hybrid rotation has legs.
3:00 PM — 100% Real Juice vs Bilabial Stops
The game of the day. Two championship-caliber teams. The Juice debut without Showalter. The Stops debut with Matterazzo. Somebody goes home 0-1 in a matchup nobody expected to see this early.
Week 3 is Sunday, May 17 at Cowen Park. First pitch at 12:30 PM.
