2023 NBBA World Series Recap: Indy Edge Goes 7-0 to Repeat in Norman

The 2023 NBBA Beep Baseball World Series brought 19 teams to Norman, Oklahoma, for a tournament that featured a defending champion going undefeated, two one-run battles for the top of the bracket and one of the highest-scoring World Series tournaments of the modern statistical era.

The World Series was held July 30 through August 5, with tournament games played at Gillis-Rother Soccer Complex.

Indy Edge entered Norman ranked No. 1.

San Antonio Jets were second.

Indy Thunder entered third, followed by BSO Philly Fire at No. 4.

When the tournament ended, those same four teams occupied the first four positions in exactly the same order.

Getting there was not nearly as simple.

Edge went 7-0 to defend its World Series championship, but its final two victories came against San Antonio by a combined two runs.

Across 75 games, the tournament produced 2,101 runs.

Eight games were decided by a single run, including several that directly shaped the championship race.

Indy Edge Goes Undefeated and Repeats as Champion

Indy Edge arrived in Norman as the defending World Series champion and the No. 1 ranked team.

They never gave anyone the opportunity to take that position away.

Edge opened with a 20-9 victory over Tyler Tigers.

New Jersey Titans fell 27-8.

Minnesota Millers lost 15-4.

Boston Renegades became the fourth Edge opponent and fell 25-8.

Four games into the tournament, Edge was 4-0 and had outscored its opponents 87-29.

The competition became much tighter from there.

Fourth-ranked BSO Philly Fire had also started the tournament undefeated when the two teams met.

Edge won 20-17.

That put the defending champions in a matchup with second-ranked San Antonio Jets, another team that had yet to lose.

It became one of the defining games of the week.

Edge scored 25.

San Antonio scored 24.

The one-run victory kept Indy undefeated and forced the Jets to fight their way back for another opportunity.

San Antonio did exactly that.

The Jets defeated Indy Thunder 21-14 to earn a rematch with Edge in the World Series championship.

The second meeting was somehow even tighter.

Indy Edge won 16-15.

For the second time in the tournament, one run separated the top two teams.

Edge finished 7-0, scoring 148 runs while allowing 85.

Their plus-63 run differential was the best in the tournament, edging San Antonio's plus-62.

The No. 1 seed had survived every challenge and captured a second consecutive World Series championship.

San Antonio Comes Within One Run Twice

San Antonio Jets entered the tournament ranked second and spent nearly the entire week looking like a championship team.

The Jets opened with six consecutive victories.

St. Louis Sirens fell 13-1.

Houston Hurricanes lost 14-6.

Boston Renegades fell 22-8.

San Antonio then defeated Atlanta Chaos 16-3 and New Jersey Titans 20-11.

Their sixth victory came against third-ranked Indy Thunder.

The Jets survived 20-19.

That sent San Antonio into its first meeting with undefeated Indy Edge.

Edge escaped 25-24.

San Antonio responded by beating Thunder again, this time 21-14, to earn another shot at the championship.

The final ended 16-15.

San Antonio finished 7-2.

Both losses came to the World Series champion.

Both were by one run.

The Jets scored 165 runs while allowing 103 and finished with a plus-62 run differential, just one run behind Edge for the best mark in the tournament.

San Antonio also produced the best team-defense percentage in Norman.

The Jets recorded a .500 Spotter Score to earn the World Series Field Spotter Award.

David Smith finished second in the offensive rankings with a .809 batting average, while Zach Arambula placed second defensively with 44 putouts in nine games, an average of 4.889 per game.

San Antonio also received the World Series Sportsmanship Award.

The final standings showed the Jets in second place.

Two one-run losses showed just how close they came to first.

Thunder Produces the Tournament's Biggest Offense

Indy Thunder entered ranked third and finished third, but no team scored more runs.

Thunder scored 208 times in nine games.

That was 18 more than second-place Bayou City Heat and 40 more than BSO Philly Fire.

Indy also finished with a tournament-best 92.0 percent contact rate.

Thunder started 5-0.

Braille Bandits fell 18-4.

Cleveland Scrappers lost 19-13.

Chicago Comets nearly ended the streak, but Thunder survived 20-19.

Indy then defeated Oklahoma Lookouts 37-20 before another one-run game against Gateway Archers.

Thunder won 18-17.

San Antonio finally handed Indy its first loss, 20-19.

Thunder responded with a 30-19 victory over Boston Renegades and a 33-29 win over BSO Philly Fire.

That sent Indy into another matchup with San Antonio.

The Jets won 21-14 and sent Thunder to third place.

Indy's individual numbers were even more impressive.

Cody Jeffares scored 34 runs in 39 at-bats for a .872 batting average and earned Offensive MVP.

He also did not record a strikeout in 39 at-bats.

Gerald Dycus scored 33 times in 42 at-bats and finished fourth overall with a .786 average.

Jared Woodard and catcher Darnell Booker earned the World Series Pitcher/Catcher Award after Woodard struck out 25 of 312 batters faced for an 8.0 percent strikeout rate.

Thunder did not leave Norman with the championship, but it produced some of the strongest offensive and pitching numbers of the tournament.

Philly Starts 5-0 and Holds the No. 4 Position

BSO Philly Fire entered ranked fourth and started the World Series with five consecutive victories.

SGV Panthers fell 13-5.

Oklahoma Lookouts lost 15-5.

Philly defeated Austin Blackhawks 21-9 and Cleveland Scrappers 16-7.

A 15-3 victory over Houston Hurricanes moved the Fire to 5-0.

Then came undefeated Indy Edge.

Edge won 20-17.

Philly responded with the highest-scoring game of the entire World Series.

The Fire defeated Bayou City Heat 42-34.

The 76 combined runs were the most scored in any game during the week, and Philly's 42 runs were the highest single-team total.

Indy Thunder ended Philly's tournament with a 33-29 victory.

The Fire finished 6-2, scoring 168 runs and allowing 116 for a plus-52 differential.

Casey Krouse was one of the tournament's best two-way performers.

Krouse scored 28 runs in 36 at-bats for a .778 batting average, good for fifth in the offensive rankings.

He also recorded 35 defensive putouts in eight games, an average of 4.375, to finish third in the defensive rankings.

Justin Rhines added another All-Tournament offensive performance, batting .757.

Philly entered Norman fourth.

After an undefeated start and two losses to teams that finished first and third, the Fire left Norman in the same position.

Boston Makes the Biggest Move Into the Top Five

Boston Renegades entered the World Series ranked ninth.

They finished fifth.

The four-position jump tied for the largest improvement by any team in the tournament.

Boston opened with victories over Houston Hurricanes and St. Louis Sirens before San Antonio handed the Renegades their first loss.

Boston responded by beating Chicago Comets 15-8.

Their second loss came against eventual champion Indy Edge.

The Renegades then defeated Austin 17-5 and Houston 17-4 before running into Indy Thunder.

Thunder won 30-19.

Boston closed its tournament with a 25-22 victory over Bayou City Heat to secure fifth place.

The Renegades finished 6-3, scoring 143 runs while allowing 125.

Their three losses came against the teams that finished first, second and third.

Boston entered Norman outside the top eight.

By the end of the week, the Renegades had climbed into the top five.

Houston and New Jersey Also Climb

Houston Hurricanes matched Boston's four-position improvement.

Houston entered ranked 12th and finished eighth.

The Hurricanes started with losses to Boston and San Antonio before defeating St. Louis 12-0.

Then came one of Houston's biggest wins of the week.

The Hurricanes defeated sixth-ranked Bayou City Heat 20-16.

Houston later edged Tyler Tigers 15-14 in one of the tournament's eight one-run games.

The Hurricanes finished 3-5 but climbed four positions in the final standings.

New Jersey Titans also made a noticeable move.

The Titans entered ranked 10th and finished seventh.

New Jersey went 4-3, including victories over Austin Blackhawks, Chicago Comets and Houston Hurricanes.

Their final game against Houston ended 5-4.

The Titans moved three positions and finished inside the top seven.

Gateway Shows How Much the Bracket Can Matter

Gateway Archers experienced the opposite side of the standings movement.

Gateway entered ranked fifth and finished ninth despite posting a 5-3 record and some of the strongest statistical numbers outside the top four.

The Archers opened with wins over Minnesota and Atlanta before losing 23-12 to Bayou City.

Gateway responded with a 22-16 victory over Tyler.

Then came a one-run battle with Indy Thunder.

Thunder survived 18-17.

Bayou defeated Gateway for a second time, 23-20.

The Archers closed with victories over Chicago and Tyler to finish 5-3.

Gateway scored 157 runs and allowed 119, producing a plus-38 run differential.

Their .447 Spotter Score ranked third in the tournament, behind only San Antonio and Indy Edge.

Despite those numbers, Gateway fell four positions from fifth to ninth.

Austin Blackhawks also dropped four places, from seventh to 11th.

Chicago Comets fell from eighth to 12th.

Tyler Tigers moved from 11th to 10th, while Atlanta Chaos moved from 15th to 14th.

Oklahoma Lookouts slipped one position from 14th to 15th.

Cleveland, Minnesota, SGV, Braille Bandits and St. Louis finished in the same positions in which they entered.

A High-Scoring World Series

The numbers from Norman stand out.

The 75 World Series games produced 2,101 runs.

Players combined for 4,343 at-bats and 2,101 runs, producing an overall tournament batting average of .484.

There were 1,077 strikeouts, giving the tournament an overall contact rate of 75.2 percent.

Indy Thunder led all teams with 208 runs.

Bayou City Heat scored 190.

Philly BSO Fire scored 168.

San Antonio Jets scored 165.

Gateway Archers scored 157.

The highest-scoring game came when Philly defeated Bayou City 42-34.

The tournament featured plenty of offense, but several of its most important games still came down to a single run.

One-Run Games Shape the Championship Race

Eight games were decided by exactly one run.

Five involved at least one of the tournament's top three teams.

Chicago pushed Indy Thunder to a 20-19 finish.

Gateway fell to Thunder 18-17.

San Antonio handed Thunder its first loss, 20-19.

Then came the two games that ultimately decided the championship.

Indy Edge defeated San Antonio 25-24.

Edge defeated the Jets again 16-15 in the championship.

Elsewhere in the bracket, Atlanta Chaos edged Oklahoma Lookouts 14-13.

Houston Hurricanes beat Tyler Tigers 15-14.

New Jersey Titans defeated Houston 5-4.

Only one additional game was decided by two runs, Atlanta's 11-9 victory over SGV Panthers.

Nine of the tournament's 75 games were decided by no more than two runs.

At the very top of the standings, one run repeatedly made the difference.

Jeffares Leads the Offensive All-Tournament Team

Cody Jeffares of Indy Thunder produced the top offensive performance in Norman.

Jeffares scored 34 times in 39 at-bats for a .872 batting average and earned Offensive MVP.

The complete Offensive All-Tournament group was:

• Cody Jeffares, Indy Thunder, Offensive MVP, .872
• David Smith, San Antonio Jets, .809
• Tanner Gers, Bayou City Heat, .788
• Gerald Dycus, Indy Thunder, .786
• Casey Krouse, BSO Philly Fire, .778
• Justin Rhines, BSO Philly Fire, .757
• Ronald Jordan, Tyler Tigers, .757

Rhines and Jordan tied for the final All-Tournament position.

Thunder placed two players among the offensive leaders, while Philly also placed two.

Eric Rodriguez Anchors the Championship Defense

Indy Edge's championship run also produced the top individual defensive performance.

Eric Rodriguez recorded 45 putouts in seven games.

His 6.429 putouts per game earned Defensive MVP honors.

Zach Arambula of San Antonio finished second with 44 putouts in nine games and a 4.889 average.

Casey Krouse of Philly was third at 4.375.

Randy George of New Jersey finished fourth at 4.286.

Gateway's Ethan Johnston was fifth at 4.125.

Stanley Griffin of Cleveland completed the defensive All-Tournament group at 3.875 putouts per game.

Rodriguez also scored 26 runs in 40 at-bats for Edge.

The defending champions had the tournament's best overall run differential, the second-best Spotter Score and the Defensive MVP at the center of their title run.

Rookies Make Their Mark

The host-state Oklahoma Lookouts produced the Male Rookie of the Year.

Mark Ivy scored 23 runs in 37 at-bats for a .622 batting average.

He also recorded 12 defensive putouts during the tournament.

Oklahoma finished 3-5 in its World Series appearance, with victories over SGV Panthers, St. Louis Sirens and Minnesota Millers.

Kaitlyn Overshiner of the St. Louis Sirens earned Female Rookie of the Year.

Overshiner recorded 11 defensive putouts in six games, an average of 1.83 per game.

The rookie awards added two more names to the World Series record book from teams in the lower half of the final standings.

Ten Home Runs in Norman

Ten home runs were hit during the 2023 World Series.

Christian Thaxton of Boston Renegades and David Smith of San Antonio Jets led the tournament with three each.

Four other players went deep once:

• Corey White, Indy Edge
• Justin Holland, Gateway Archers
• Dustin Youngren, Chicago Comets
• William Landrum, Houston Hurricanes

Honoring Service and History

The World Series awards and Hall of Fame ceremonies also recognized contributions that extended beyond tournament statistics.

Liaa Michaels received the Jim Quinn Award.

Roger Keeney was also recognized posthumously with the Jim Quinn Award.

Jadon Price and Chayton Conway received the Dan Tracy Award.

The Hall of Fame ceremonies recognized the 2022 player class of Scott Hudson, Bobby Lakey, John Kibodeaux and Juan Morin.

The 2023 Hall of Fame class included Neal McDonald and David Benney.

The NBBA Memorial Plaque also remembered Roger Keeney, Omar Atin and Kimberly Frederick, members of the beep baseball community who had passed away since the previous World Series.

Norman Welcomes the NBBA

The 2023 World Series brought the league to Norman, Oklahoma, with Visit Norman partnering with the NBBA on the event.

Games were played at Gillis-Rother Soccer Complex.

The week opened with league meetings, elections, opening ceremonies and a skills competition before tournament play began.

The Women of Our League exhibition was held Wednesday evening at the complex.

Hall of Fame ceremonies and the World Series championship took place Saturday, followed by the annual awards banquet.

The City of Norman and local partners also recruited community volunteers to help support teams and tournament operations throughout the week.

Edge Finishes What It Started

Indy Edge entered Norman as the defending champion and the No. 1 ranked team.

Seven games later, nobody had beaten them.

Their final two victories came against second-ranked San Antonio by one run each, with the second securing another World Series championship.

After 75 games and 2,101 runs, the 2023 World Series belonged to Indy Edge.