42 | OCTOBER 3 • 2024 J
N

P

itching and defense usually 
aren’t written in the same 
sentence as championship 
softball team. 
But Temple Beth El No. 1 used 
those skills once again this summer 
to win its third straight Greenberg 
Division championship in the Inter-
Congregational Men’s Club Summer 
Softball League.
“It’s always defense for us,” said 
Temple Beth El No. 1 manager Billy 
Wiseman. 
“And then there’s our ace pitcher, 
Seth Gorback. He’s unbelievable. 
He spins the ball so well and puts it 
where it needs to go on command. 
Even the best hitters in the league 
have problems hitting the ball hard 
against him.”
Another big reason for Temple 
Beth El No. 1’s string of success 
is team chemistry, Wiseman said. 

The same core of players has been 
together for the championship run.
“We love and care about each 
other,” he said.
“We hang out when we’re not 
playing softball. Trying to win 
a third straight championship 
motivated us this season. It was 
a rallying cry. There were a lot of 
smiles when we talked about it 
during the season. Then we went out 
there and grinded out wins.”
Temple Beth El No. 1 is only the 
second team in the league’s 28-year 
history to win three straight titles. 
Temple Shir Shalom won four in 
a row from 2009-12, before league 
teams were divided into divisions.
Temple Beth El No. 1 went 3-0 in 
the double-elimination Greenberg 
Division playoffs in 2022 and 
2023. The team faced post-season 
adversity this season, losing a playoff 

game. 
In showdown games against 
Temple Israel No. 6 on Aug. 11 for 
the division championship, Temple 
Beth El No. 1 lost the first game 5-3, 
but won the winner-take-all second 
game 3-1.
A week earlier in the double-
elimination playoffs in the five-team 
division, Temple Beth El No. 1 beat 
Temple Israel No. 2 11-1 and Temple 
Israel No. 1 10-8 to move into the 
championship round. 
Temple Israel No. 6 was upset 
in its first playoff game, won two 
straight to stay alive, then battled it 
out with Temple Beth El No. 1 for 
the championship.
“Winning your first playoff game 
is huge. If you lose, you have to 
win four straight games to win 
the championship,” Wiseman said. 
“That’s why I always go with our 

best lineup in our first playoff game.”
Gorback pitched all four playoff 
games for Temple Beth El No. 1. He 
allowed Temple Israel No. 1 to score 
eight runs but gave up just seven 
runs in his team’s other three playoff 
games. 
Kevin Jacobs had a huge hit in the 
championship game for Temple Beth 
El No. 1. His two-out, RBI single in 
the sixth inning with his team up 
2-1 gave Temple Beth El No. 1 an 
insurance run. 
Wiseman, who leads Temple Beth 
El No. 1 with bench coach Julian 
Prince, is an outfielder along with 
Jordan Fershtman, Brad Steel and 
Jacobs. Gorback and Jeff Hollander 
are the team’s pitchers and Jared 
Gorback is the catcher.
The infield consists of first 
baseman Max Surnow, second 
baseman Sean Seid, shortstop Brad 
Seid and third baseman Fred Stibor. 
Jared Hocking, Mike Barnett and 

Near Perfect Three-Peat

Temple Beth El No. 1 wins its third straight Greenberg Division 
championship in the Inter-Congregational Men’s Club 
Summer Softball League.

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

LEFT: Temple Beth El No. 1 
celebrates its third straight 
Greenberg Division championship in 
the Inter-Congregational Men’s Club 
Summer Softball League. 
BELOW: Manager Billy Wiseman 
(left), fellow Temple Beth El No. 
1 outfielder Brad Steel, and the 
coveted Kiddush Cup.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

SUBMITTED PHOTO

SPORTS

