Meet new manager George Scienski

Persistence has paid off for the newest manager to join the I-75 Strat League.

George Scienski of East Brunswick, N.J., has been trying to get into our league since 2018. As a kid growing up in New Jersey, Scienski played the cards-and-dice version of Strat-O-Matic baseball. More than 40 years later he got the itch to try the computer version and join a netplay league. He first reached out to us in November of 2018 by leaving a comment on our About page, inquiring about a league opening.

Four years and dozens of email exchanges later, Scienski will be skippering the Carpe Diem Cardinals in 2023 as we embark on the 44th season of the I-75 League. Scienski takes over the franchise formerly known as the Destin Beach Bums, following Mark Gergel’s decision to step down after 10 seasons.

When he first contacted us, we did not have a managerial opening. While waiting on the sidelines, Scienski joined other leagues and got up to speed on the computer game and netplay. He was a candidate to join the league when we had our last opening early in 2021 but the timing wasn’t great from a work standpoint, and he also wanted to gain more computer game experience before signing on to compete against The Foremost Strat-O-Matic Brains in the Country. But every few months he continued to reach out by email to see if an opening had occurred or expansion was under consideration. This time, the timing was right for both parties.

Having lived most of his life in New Jersey, Scienski is a Mets and Yankees fan. One of his most treasured baseball memories includes being able to say “I was there” at the “Aaron Bleeping Boone” Game 7 in 2003 when the Yankees beat the Red Sox to advance to the World Series. He remembers watching Willie Mays play center field for the Mets at Shea Stadium in 1973, and attending the 1976 World Series between the Reds and Yankees.

Scienski, 59, is an engineer by trade. He is a senior manager for EPC Services, overseeing construction projects for a company that builds solar substations and transmission lines on the East Coast.

His studies included the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, where he earned a marine engineer degree in 1984. He sailed around the world while serving as a Merchant Marine cadet in 1982. He tacked on additional degrees in 1995 (bachelor of science in electrical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology) and 2010 (MBA from Rutgers).

Scienski is devoted to exercising and plans to run the New York City Marathon next year. He is married with one adult son, one adult daughter and an 8-year-old grandson. He enjoys coaching youth sports such as Little League, as well as the soccer and wrestling teams his grandson competes on. He spent 28 years in the Naval Reserve, retiring in 2013, and is a former volunteer fireman.

Scienski takes over a club that is one year removed from winning the World Series and just last year posted 93 wins, which tied for the league’s second-best record. A potent offense, led by Ronald Acuna Jr., Carlos Correa and Austin Riley, returns, but the pitching staff has some holes following some subpar years and injuries.

Describing himself as dedicated and goal-oriented, Scienski is looking forward to getting to know other managers better and is very much hoping to be able to attend our 2023 convention.

Welcome aboard George!

3…2…1… Blast off! Titans rocket to WS title

By dispatching the third seed, the second seed and the top seed in succession, the Superior Titans have become the first team in I-75 League history to capture the World Series from the sixth and last postseason seed position.

In defeating the favored No. 1 seed Bushwood Gophers in six games, Superior Manager Mike Renbarger added to his league-record World Series crown total, now standing at eight, while foiling brother Dave’s effort to tie him at seven.

It’s Superior’s second title in three years, and Bushwood’s second consecutive loss in the finals, having gone down to defeat to Destin a year ago.

The series was tied 2-2 when Superior exploded for four homers in four innings against Bushwood starter Trevor Bauer in Game Five, paving the way for an easy 11-3 victory. The Titans then quickly put the Gophers on the ropes in Game Six with six runs in the first two innings, and even though Bushwood battled back to narrow the gap to 6-4, the Titans added a pair of insurance runs in the ninth to record the clinching 8-4 victory.

Superior outscored Bushwood 40-34 in the series but the Gophers were their own worst enemy, allowing 12 unearned runs thanks to nine errors, three by Yoan Moncada at third base. Fernando Tatis Jr. tried to match that all by himself for Superior, kicking seven grounders, but Superior only allowed three unearned runs.

Superior was superior in the power department with 13 homers in six games, three each by MVP Austin Meadows, Kyle Schwarber and Anthony Rizzo. Bushwood had seven homers and was led offensively and defensively by catcher Buster Posey, who hit .417 with two homers and five RBI and also threw out 6 of 12 would-be Superior basestealers. Adalberto Mondesi stole four bases for Superior, including home in the seventh inning of Game One to give the Titans a lead they would hold for the victory.

No starting pitcher recorded a win in the series; each win went to a relief pitcher.

The Titans entered postseason play after tying Applegate with 89 regular-season wins, then knocked out third-seeded Savannah and second-seeded Dyersville in five and six games respectively.