The Founding: 1990s-2007

1996
Along with the new Olive Elementary School, the New Prairie Little League complex received substantial upgrades.  Among the improvements, a 
new tee ball field was constructed at the corner of Meridian and Ada Streets in New Carlisle.
Late 90s-Mid 00s
Wiffleball doubleheaders at the tee ball field were an everyday activity in the summer for a group of local kids.  Games were 9 innings long and 
featured heavily taped balls and bats.
June 2000
The New Carlisle Wiffleball League was established.  However, the league failed to last longer than a day.
June 2002
With permission of the New Carlisle Police, a huge night game was organized at the Olive parking lot.  After a blown save, the game went into extra 
innings, with the final score of 23-22.
February 2005
Jason Maitland and Koby Keck pitched the idea of a wiffleball tournament to the newly formed Hometown Days committee.
July 30, 2005
The inaugural Hometown Days Wiffleball Championship was held, attracting 16 teams from 3 states.  Crafty veterans Matt Flagg and Jared Colanese led the Late Arrivers to victory in the double-elimination tournament.
Summer 2006
Migley Field was constructed in New Carlisle.  The park's name originated from Garrett Curless, who once called the tee ball field Migley 
(mini-Wrigley).  Pickup games were played often throughout the summer.  In a last minute decision, the Finals of The Wiffleball Championship 
are moved to Migley.
January 2007
With interest in wiffleball growing, Jared Emmons and Koby Keck decided to start the Old Republic Wiffle Ball League during a conversation on AIM.  
Emmons posted the declaration on his profile, and the league was born.
Spring 2007
Chatter about the league reached incredible levels.  A frustrated Mark Peterson, New Prairie's baseball coach, has to shut down wiffleball talk 
during baseball practice.

 

Wiffleball's Golden Age: 2007-2008

June 3, 2007
The Newts hosted the Lil' Saints at Migley Field in the first ORWBL series.  The Saints took game one, but the Newts won the next two.
June 2007
Teams completed games sporadically, as the league's original schedule allowed five-day windows for teams to play a series.
June 12, 2007
The first night game in ORWBL history was played at Migley Field, as the Newts swept Cornhole.  Night games became more common in 2008, 
when the LaPorte Sox played home games at The Cell, the only field in league history with permanent lights.
June 22, 2007
The league hosted its first All-Star Game at Migley Field.  The National League won, but the American League talked them into playing a best of 
three series.  The AL won the next two games and gained homefield advantage for the first ORWBL World Series.
July 2007
As scheduled games continued to go un-played, the league held an emergency meeting.  The owners decided to cancel the rest of the season and 
start the postseason immediately.  When some postseason series were not completed, the league failed to recognize any of the postseason.
 

Early 2008
AL Manager of the Year Marc Lindsey shocked the wiffleball world by leaving the Banana Slugs for a $3.24, three-year contract with the Newts.
May 2008
The ORWBL standardized the playing style for the American and National Leagues, with five players, including a catcher, playing the field.
August 3, 2008
After an undefeated regular season, the LaPorte Sox win the first ORWBL World Series.  The Sox won nine games on the field and 15 by forfeit.

 

Expansion Era: 2009-2010

Spring 2009
The league expanded into South Bend, as the Bajer Beerfarts (known as Speedy's Chickenheads in The Wiffleball Championship) entered the league.  
After their first season, the team changed their name to the Sour Wowers and went on to win consecutive championships in 2010-2011.
May 2009
Upon their arrival to the league, Emery's Army released a flurry of YouTube videos.  The attack promos were primarily directed at their division rivals 
Newts and Marmosets.
June 28, 2009
With NCFD dropping out of the league mid-season, the league moved the Lil' Saints into the ORWBL West Division.  The move put the Saints, who 
were in third place in the Central at the time, in position to compete for the division title.
 

March 20, 2010
The Old Republic Wiffle Ball League became a member of the National Wiffle League Association.
June 27, 2010
LaPorte Sox ace Keith Ludwig tossed the first perfect game in league history against the LaPorte Bombers.  The Sox swept the crosstown Bombers 
in a six-game doubleheader ORWBL set.
July 28, 2010
After years of forfeits and unpaid league fees, Phat Dong was officially contracted.  A ceremonial flag burning was held at Migley Field after Emery's 
Army eliminated the Newts from the NLDS.

 

Legitimacy: 2011-2015

Spring 2011
In order to be eligible for NWLA awards and recognition, the league officially made keeping statistics a requirement for all teams.
June 12, 2011
After the Minutemen failed to show up for its first three series, Alex Friedman purchased the franchise and fielded a team within a 24-hour span.  
Now known as the Maple City Magic, the franchise has completely turned around.  The league's forfeit problem also faded away.
 

2012
Nick Arndt of the Federalists belted 110 home runs, destroying the previous record of 59 homers in a season.  Offensive numbers across the 
league were insane in the second season of stat-keeping.
August 1, 2012
The Sour Wowers dropped two of three to the Gangster Slugs and were eliminated from the postseason.  The losses were the only two in the 
postseason for the franchise, which racked up an incredible 17-2 postseason record.  The franchise folded a few days later.
August 11, 2012
The Cult West Warriors won the ORWBL World Series in five games over the Gangster Slugs.
 

June 30, 2013
Scott Soos of the Warriors threw the second perfect game in league history in a 1-0 victory over Emery's Army.
August 18, 2013
In front of a sell-out crowd of 41 at Migley Field, the New Carlisle Newts broke the Curse of Chief Wahoo, defeating the Maple City Magic, 18-12, in 
Game 6 of the ORWBL World Series to clinch their first championship.
 

August 17, 2014
The Newts went on the road and held off the Warriors, 8-7, in Game 6 of the ORWBL World Series to win back-to-back championships.

 

May 2015

ORWBL expanded north of the border for the first time, as the Bertrand Bombers joined the league.

July 26, 2015

Three ORWBL teams advanced to the Hometown Cup Finals at The Wiffleball Championship. The Cult West Warriors defeated the Maple City Magic in the semifinals and the New Carlisle Newts in the championship game to clinch their third consecutive title.

August 16, 2015

In a Hometown Cup rematch, the Warriors defeated the Newts to claim the 2015 ORWBL Championship. It was the first ORWBL World Series to ever go the complete seven games. Cult West announced their franchise's retirement following the seven-game epic.

 

Reconstruction: 2016-2018

January 1, 2016
Alex Friedman took office as the second ORWBL Commissioner in league history. Consequently, ORWBL expands to 12 teams.

February 2016

The "Cult West Core" of Scott Soos, Matt Soos, Jay Ryans, and Danny Hernandez announced their signing with the New Carlisle Newts after both franchises' struggles with league roster consistency.

July 2016

The National League defeated the American League for the 5th consecutive time and earned the rights for Home Field Advantage in the World Series. Jet City's Zach Feldmeier and Galena Marsh's Steve Pravecek snuck into the mid-summer classic after the league's first attempt at a "Last Man In" vote via Twitter.

August 2016

The New Carlisle Newts' big off-season paid off as they swept the Maple City Magic (4-0) in a rematch of the 2013 World Series.  New Carlisle won its then-record third ORWBL championship.

January 2017

ORWBL added two weeks to the schedule and operated under the now-customary 30-game regular season - the most games since 2012.

May 2017

The newly-added Granger Panthers swept the Lynn Street Leprechauns (3-0) in their first ORWBL series, honoring their late teammate and friend Cam Snead.

June 3rd, 2017

Second-year franchise the Olive Township Mechanics shock the New Carlisle Newts in a night series at Migley thanks in no small part to a copious amount of booze consumed by the defending champs.

June 2017

Maple City's Wes Ellis tossed two perfect games in the same afternoon against the Lynn Street Leprechauns.

July 2017

With the All-Star Game no longer deciding World Series home field advantage, the event re-adopted the best-of-3 series.  The American League snapped a five-year losing streak, winning (2-1). 

August 2017

For the 2nd straight season and 3rd time in 5 years, the New Carlisle Newts and Maple City Magic met in the ORWBL championship. Maple City claimed their 1st World Series title by taking down the Newts in five games.

 

January 2018

The league expanded again - adding two franchises and growing to 14 total.

May 2018

South Bend Muffs manager Anthony Rieff thanks Maple City for his championship ring on opening day by taking two of three against his former team. 

July 2018

For the first time in The Championship's history, four ORWBL teams populated the Hometown Cup Finals. The Granger Panthers, Maple City Magic, New Carlisle Newts, and Twin Branch Billy Goats represented the league well. The hometown Newts won their third cup with a 13-10 win over Granger in the final.

August 2018

The off-season returns of Drew Luther and Shane Anderson powered the Maple City Magic to their second consecutive World Series championship. The Magic swept through the entire playoffs, capped off with a 4-0 series sweep of the Granger Panthers. 

October 2018 

Mechanics manager Aidan Cotter became the league's first Deputy Commissioner.

December 2018

Drew Luther spearheaded an "ORWBL Cares" initiative and the league raised over $1,000 in donations for a local family who lost their home to a house fire. 

2018

Alex Friedman won the NWLA's National Commissioner of the year. The Maple City Magic finished the season as the #3 overall ranked team in the country... the best finish for an ORWBL team in NWLA history.

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ORWBL's Gilded Age: 2019-2022

January 2019

The league expanded again, this time to 16 teams. The league now stretched from Union Mills to Elkhart, nearly 60 miles.

February 2019

League managers passed the "Mookie Clause" allowing the use of a Designated Hitter. A maximum of seven players could now participate in a game simultaneously.

July 2019

ORWBL dominated the Hometown Cup again. In a finals rematch, the Granger Panthers out-slugged the New Carlisle Newts 32-26 to win their first championship.

August 2019

The Maple City Magic and New Carlisle Newts met in the World Series for the fourth time. Maple City became the first franchise to win three consecutive World Series titles - downing the Newts 4-2.

 

January 2020

Granger Panthers manager Griffin Smith joined the league office as the new Deputy Commissioner.

May 2020

Opening Day was postponed to Memorial Day weekend due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Flatrock Cyclones debut The Barnyard - setting the standard for future ORWBL home fields.

July 2020

Prior to the Hometown Cup Championship game, an inaugural class of 15 players were inducted into the New Carlisle Wiffleball Hall of Fame.

July 2020

The Maple City Magic became the fourth team to win an ORWBL World Series and a Hometown Cup title. In one of the most dominant runs to date, the Magic defeat Grandmother's Quilt 20-2 to win their first title.

August 2020

Maple City cemented their place in the record books by winning their fourth consecutive World Series. The Magic become the league's all-time leader in titles with their (4-2) series win over the Elkhart BFAM. The BFAM disband shortly after.

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January 2021

Wiffleball News released the first episode of Slow Talk - the league's longest-running podcast. 

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