Take Me Out To The (Virtual) Ballgame
5/28/2020 11:00:00 AM | Baseball, My GW: Celebrating our Stories
Baseball stays sharp with Play The Game Right League
With the game on the line, Steve DiTomaso stepped to the plate.
"Here we go," GW baseball head coach Gregg Ritchie declared. "DiTomaso, time to come up with a big hit, man."
Earlier this spring, DiTomaso got his first taste of collegiate baseball, starting 11 of the Buff and Blue's 16 games and compiling a .333 batting average (14-for-42) before his rookie season was canceled due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
This time, DiTomaso was at home in New Jersey in front of his computer and staring down this multiple-choice question in a high-stakes spot.
With 30 seconds on the clock, DiTomaso quickly came to a conclusion: "I'm thinking about D, but I'm going to stick with B," he said.
With the panache expected of a gameshow host, director of operations Tim Dold asked if he was sure.
DiTomaso conferred with his teammates on the Blue squad, but this was a relatively easy one by the standards of the Play The Game Right League.
"B – Final answer," DiTomaso confirmed, offering a fist pump for good measure.
That's how DiTomaso delivered Blue to a 7-6 walk-off win over the Buff side last Thursday in the latest installment of the program's competitive test of baseball acumen.
The Play The Game Right League is an invention of Ritchie and his staff during an unprecedented spring. The coaches put together three pages of rules to devise a game that was equal parts beneficial and engaging to help one of the youngest clubs in the Atlantic 10 continue to grow.
Twice weekly, the Colonials gather via video conference call to match wits for nine "innings" of trivia covering game situations, NCAA baseball regulations, team culture, athletic department values and more.
Each matchup at The Virtual Tuck starts with the national anthem and finishes with the GW Fight Song. There's a seventh-inning stretch, too.
"I didn't want the competition to die down," Ritchie said. "This is what our student-athletes are all about. They love the competition. They love their game. I thought we could hopefully bring some light to this dark situation."
Ten games in, the Play The Game Right League has delivered on that goal, offering a fun and interesting way to connect teammates spread across the country during a difficult time.
"It's enjoyable, definitely," redshirt sophomore Derek Ripp said. "It's obviously not the same, but it's enjoyable to get together and see everybody's face and just talk baseball.
"We can't play it right now. We can't watch it on TV. Nothing's going on in the world of baseball. It's just nice to talk ball."
For Ritchie, it's the latest evolution of an important piece of the game.
As a San Francisco Giants farmhand in the 1980s, Ritchie was handed a thick booklet full of foldout pages detailing defensive alignments. During spring training, the young players would be quizzed on the material, challenged to explain their assignment in a given situation to the group using an overhead projector.
Over 17 seasons as a pro coach, baseball IQ was a constant topic of conversation. With the Pittsburgh Pirates, he was part of devising a written test to help evaluate players and figure out how to help them better understand the nuances of the game.
Leading GW, Ritchie is a stickler for the fundamentals. The veteran coach stresses daily that the tiny details make the difference. This game provides a way to keep his Colonials sweating the small stuff, even if they're not out on the diamond.
Once the season ended abruptly, the goal was to maximize the time they did have together virtually this spring to make sure the development continued while apart.
"The season's what brings you together as a group," said Ritchie, who earned his 200th career win on Feb. 25 vs. UMBC. "You can train all you want, but until you play the game and get into those situations as a team, it's not the same. That's what this simulates for me: It's playing the mental side of the game."
In organizing the league, Ritchie split the roster into two teams, attempting an equal mix of veterans and newcomers across each position group. Games last roughly an hour and feature nine questions per team in regulation.
Everything about the operation is carefully choreographed, down to the days of play. On Thursdays, the Colonials would be making final preparation for a weekend series, while Sundays are always of the utmost importance. ("Sunday is the day of champions," Ritchie said. "You've got to win on Sundays.")
By now, Ritchie and his staff have combined to produce hundreds of questions, covering all aspects of the game. Pitching coach Rick Oliveri has taken particular pride in stumping the hurlers, and assistants Chad Marshall and Ryan Smoot have challenged the position players' knowledge of hitting, defense and running the bases.
"It's actually really good for our coaches," said Ritchie, who serves as commissioner. "It becomes hard not to repeat yourself and to find different ways to explain some questions."
The Colonials take turns in the hot seat, though the "batter" can turn to his teammates for help. This discussion helps keep everyone locked in on each question, and anything that's missed is revisited at the end of the game for further explanation from the coaches.
The 30-second time limit is key because it forces everyone to quickly analyze the problem and think through the options.
"Each and every week, we hop on the call and everybody's ready to go at it," said sophomore Cade Fergus, who was named the league's First-Half MVP and leads the group in correct answers (14) and "saves" (eight). "Everybody's having fun. It's great to hear the guys come together to try to figure out the questions, to listen to the discussion that goes on. You can pick up bits and pieces from every conversation and overall it increases your knowledge of the game."
One wrinkle that adds real strategy: Each side has the ability to request a multi-part rally question worth two or three points once per game. The Buff team tripped up there in the most recent game, coming up empty in the top of the ninth on a question about how to return to a base on a pick-off attempt to set up DiTomaso's walk-off. (Answer: It depends whether you're sliding or standing up.)
"If you see yourself behind or you want to put them away, you've got to take a risk," Ritchie said. "You're taking a shot. You can't phone a friend here."
Led by All-Stars Noah Levin and Steve Barmakian, the Buff leads Blue, 7-3, in the standings, but every game has been competitive with three extra-inning affairs and two walk-offs. One contest came down to the sudden-death tie-breaker with Jaret Edwards winning it for the Buff in exhilarating fashion by being the first to identify Ritchie's middle name. (Answer: It's Allen.)
"I didn't know the answer," Ripp said with a laugh. "It took everybody a few seconds to figure it out. That was an interesting one to end it, for sure."
Along the way, Ritchie has been impressed with the group's growth. That was evident in the game that was made up entirely of questions previously missed. The Colonials combined to go 18-for-18 in regulation. They've taken it a step further this week with the student-athletes making up the questions to test the opposing team for Thursday's game.
Despite the challenges of video conferencing, the energy and team spirit have been palpable. The coach is eager to figure out how to incorporate the game in-person next season.
"I love how they've all banded together on this," Ritchie said. "Everybody's bought in. Everybody is saying 'Let's make sure we get this answer right.' That's a different mentality, something that is strong with good teams, and that gets me excited to see."
"Here we go," GW baseball head coach Gregg Ritchie declared. "DiTomaso, time to come up with a big hit, man."
Earlier this spring, DiTomaso got his first taste of collegiate baseball, starting 11 of the Buff and Blue's 16 games and compiling a .333 batting average (14-for-42) before his rookie season was canceled due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
This time, DiTomaso was at home in New Jersey in front of his computer and staring down this multiple-choice question in a high-stakes spot.
With 30 seconds on the clock, DiTomaso quickly came to a conclusion: "I'm thinking about D, but I'm going to stick with B," he said.
With the panache expected of a gameshow host, director of operations Tim Dold asked if he was sure.
DiTomaso conferred with his teammates on the Blue squad, but this was a relatively easy one by the standards of the Play The Game Right League.
"B – Final answer," DiTomaso confirmed, offering a fist pump for good measure.
That's how DiTomaso delivered Blue to a 7-6 walk-off win over the Buff side last Thursday in the latest installment of the program's competitive test of baseball acumen.
The Play The Game Right League is an invention of Ritchie and his staff during an unprecedented spring. The coaches put together three pages of rules to devise a game that was equal parts beneficial and engaging to help one of the youngest clubs in the Atlantic 10 continue to grow.
Twice weekly, the Colonials gather via video conference call to match wits for nine "innings" of trivia covering game situations, NCAA baseball regulations, team culture, athletic department values and more.
Each matchup at The Virtual Tuck starts with the national anthem and finishes with the GW Fight Song. There's a seventh-inning stretch, too.
"I didn't want the competition to die down," Ritchie said. "This is what our student-athletes are all about. They love the competition. They love their game. I thought we could hopefully bring some light to this dark situation."
Ten games in, the Play The Game Right League has delivered on that goal, offering a fun and interesting way to connect teammates spread across the country during a difficult time.
"It's enjoyable, definitely," redshirt sophomore Derek Ripp said. "It's obviously not the same, but it's enjoyable to get together and see everybody's face and just talk baseball.
"We can't play it right now. We can't watch it on TV. Nothing's going on in the world of baseball. It's just nice to talk ball."
For Ritchie, it's the latest evolution of an important piece of the game.
As a San Francisco Giants farmhand in the 1980s, Ritchie was handed a thick booklet full of foldout pages detailing defensive alignments. During spring training, the young players would be quizzed on the material, challenged to explain their assignment in a given situation to the group using an overhead projector.
Over 17 seasons as a pro coach, baseball IQ was a constant topic of conversation. With the Pittsburgh Pirates, he was part of devising a written test to help evaluate players and figure out how to help them better understand the nuances of the game.
Leading GW, Ritchie is a stickler for the fundamentals. The veteran coach stresses daily that the tiny details make the difference. This game provides a way to keep his Colonials sweating the small stuff, even if they're not out on the diamond.
Once the season ended abruptly, the goal was to maximize the time they did have together virtually this spring to make sure the development continued while apart.
"The season's what brings you together as a group," said Ritchie, who earned his 200th career win on Feb. 25 vs. UMBC. "You can train all you want, but until you play the game and get into those situations as a team, it's not the same. That's what this simulates for me: It's playing the mental side of the game."
In organizing the league, Ritchie split the roster into two teams, attempting an equal mix of veterans and newcomers across each position group. Games last roughly an hour and feature nine questions per team in regulation.
Everything about the operation is carefully choreographed, down to the days of play. On Thursdays, the Colonials would be making final preparation for a weekend series, while Sundays are always of the utmost importance. ("Sunday is the day of champions," Ritchie said. "You've got to win on Sundays.")
By now, Ritchie and his staff have combined to produce hundreds of questions, covering all aspects of the game. Pitching coach Rick Oliveri has taken particular pride in stumping the hurlers, and assistants Chad Marshall and Ryan Smoot have challenged the position players' knowledge of hitting, defense and running the bases.
"It's actually really good for our coaches," said Ritchie, who serves as commissioner. "It becomes hard not to repeat yourself and to find different ways to explain some questions."
The Colonials take turns in the hot seat, though the "batter" can turn to his teammates for help. This discussion helps keep everyone locked in on each question, and anything that's missed is revisited at the end of the game for further explanation from the coaches.
The 30-second time limit is key because it forces everyone to quickly analyze the problem and think through the options.
"Each and every week, we hop on the call and everybody's ready to go at it," said sophomore Cade Fergus, who was named the league's First-Half MVP and leads the group in correct answers (14) and "saves" (eight). "Everybody's having fun. It's great to hear the guys come together to try to figure out the questions, to listen to the discussion that goes on. You can pick up bits and pieces from every conversation and overall it increases your knowledge of the game."
One wrinkle that adds real strategy: Each side has the ability to request a multi-part rally question worth two or three points once per game. The Buff team tripped up there in the most recent game, coming up empty in the top of the ninth on a question about how to return to a base on a pick-off attempt to set up DiTomaso's walk-off. (Answer: It depends whether you're sliding or standing up.)
"If you see yourself behind or you want to put them away, you've got to take a risk," Ritchie said. "You're taking a shot. You can't phone a friend here."
Led by All-Stars Noah Levin and Steve Barmakian, the Buff leads Blue, 7-3, in the standings, but every game has been competitive with three extra-inning affairs and two walk-offs. One contest came down to the sudden-death tie-breaker with Jaret Edwards winning it for the Buff in exhilarating fashion by being the first to identify Ritchie's middle name. (Answer: It's Allen.)
"I didn't know the answer," Ripp said with a laugh. "It took everybody a few seconds to figure it out. That was an interesting one to end it, for sure."
Along the way, Ritchie has been impressed with the group's growth. That was evident in the game that was made up entirely of questions previously missed. The Colonials combined to go 18-for-18 in regulation. They've taken it a step further this week with the student-athletes making up the questions to test the opposing team for Thursday's game.
Despite the challenges of video conferencing, the energy and team spirit have been palpable. The coach is eager to figure out how to incorporate the game in-person next season.
"I love how they've all banded together on this," Ritchie said. "Everybody's bought in. Everybody is saying 'Let's make sure we get this answer right.' That's a different mentality, something that is strong with good teams, and that gets me excited to see."
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