September 24, 2020 jlaufer

2019 PBA League Champion Portland Lumberjacks Looking to Defend Elias Cup

Centreville, Va. – After much anticipation, the 2020 PBA League begins this weekend with defending champion Portland Lumberjacks looking to hold onto the prestigious Elias Cup. The competition will air on Fox Sports’ FS1 in six two-hour live telecasts on Sunday, Sept. 27 – Wednesday, Sept. 30.

The Portland Lumberjacks will be led by last year’s Mark Roth MVP Wes Malott and returning players Kyle Troup and Kris Prather. PBA Tour veteran Martin Larsen and Packy Hanrahan, making his first appearance at the PBA League, join the Lumberjacks managed by Tim Mack.

The Lumberjacks will have plenty of competition from 11 other teams, complete with the best male, female, and international athletes which are split into two new divisions, Carter and Anthony. *Complete team rosters noted below. Of the 12 teams, four are expansion teams, including two all-women’s teams, the Miami Waves and the Phoenix Fury, which feature 10 of the top PWBA bowlers.

The PBA League will be contested for the first time at Bowlero Centerville in Centerville, Va., just outside of Washington, D.C. The change was made in conjunction with original host center, Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine, due to the statewide COVID-19 related restrictions.

While the atmosphere will be different with no fans in attendance, the competition will only be more thrilling for viewers who get to see international players return to the lanes for the first time since March.

Australia’s Jason Belmonte will also be returning to PBA competition for the first time since he was last seen winning his 13th major title at the PBA World Championship. Belmonte is in his 8th year as a member of the L. A. X, which has never won the Elias Cup. Will this be their year?

The PBA League kicks off on Saturday, Sept. 26 with the 12 teams competing in their divisions to determine seeds for each divisional elimination bracket, followed by 12 hours of live competition on FS1. The TV schedule is as follows:

PBA League Elias Cup: Anthony Division Quarterfinals – Sunday, Sept. 27, 12 p.m. ET on FS1
PBA League Elias Cup: Carter Division Quarterfinals – Sunday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m. ET on FS1
PBA League Elias Cup: Anthony Division Semifinals – Monday, Sept. 28, 7 p.m. ET on FS1
PBA League Elias Cup: Carter Division Semifinals – Monday, Sept. 28, 9 p.m. ET on FS1
PBA League Elias Cup: Division Finals – Tuesday, Sept. 29, 7 p.m. ET on FS1
PBA League Elias Cup: Championship Finals – Wednesday, Sept. 30, 7 p.m. ET on FS1

After the Elias Cup is awarded, the PBA continues its competition with the Storm PBA World Series of Bowling XI Animal Pattern events, previously scheduled for March. The World Series of Bowling Go Bowling! Cheetah Championship, Chameleon Championship and Scorpion Championship will air on FS1. The TV schedule is as follows:

PBA Go Bowling! Cheetah Championship – Sunday, Oct. 4, 5:30 p.m. ET on FS1
PBA Chameleon Championship – Sunday, Oct. 4, 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1
PBA Scorpion Championship – Monday, Oct. 5, 9 p.m. ET on FS1

Viewers can live stream the PBA on the FOX Sports and FOX NOW apps or at FOXSports.com. Select highlights will be available on @FOXSports social handles across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. International fans can watch live on FloBowling.com.During this uncertain time, the PBA’s main priority is the health and safety of its players and staff, and has significantly modified event procedures for the PBA League. The PBA is taking all necessary precautions and following local and federal COVID-19 guidelines to reduce risks. For a complete list of the PBA’s COVID-19 related standards and procedures, please visit PBA.com.

*2020 PBA League Division Line-Ups and Rosters

Carter Division:

Dallas Strikers
Manager: Norm Duke
Norm Duke
Tommy Jones
Bill O'Neill
Brad Miller
Nick Pate

Philadelphia Hitmen
Manager: Jason Couch
Dom Barrett
Tom Smallwood
Shawn Maldonado
Jason Sterner
Matt Ogle

Brooklyn Styles
Manager: Johnny Petraglia
Walter Ray Williams Jr.
Brad Angelo
Rhino Page
BJ Moore
Thomas Larsen

Silver Lake Atom Splitters
Manager: Mark Baker
Chris Barnes
Jesper Svensson
Tom Daugherty
Chris Via
AJ Chapman

Las Vegas High Rollers
Manager: Amleto Monacelli
Francois Lavoie
Andrew Anderson
AJ Johnson
Richie Teece
Ildemaro Ruiz

Phoenix Fury
Manager: Kim Terrell-Kearney
Shannon O’Keefe
Liz Johnson
Jordan Richard
Stefanie Johnson
Maria José Rodriguez

Anthony Division:

NYC KingPins
Manager: Carolyn Dorin-Ballard
Pete Weber
Marshall Kent
Kyle Sherman
Darren Tang
Osku Palermaa

Motown Muscle
Manager: Del Ballard
EJ Tackett
Anthony Simonsen
Josh Blanchard
Mitch Hupe
Matt McNiel

Portland Lumberjacks
Manager: Tim Mack
Wes Malott
Kyle Troup
Kris Prather
Martin Larsen
Packy Hanrahan

L.A. X
Manager: Andrew Cain
Jason Belmonte
Jakob Butturff
Stu Williams
Patrick Girard
Anthony Lavery-Spahr

Brew City Ballers
Manager: Marshall Holman
Sean Rash
Ryan Ciminelli
Dick Allen
Christopher Sloan
Zeke Bayt

Miami Waves
Manager: Bob Learn Jr.
Danielle McEwan
Dasha Kovalova
Clara Guerrero
Liz Kuhlkin
Missy Parkin

History of PBA League Elias Cup Champions

2013: NYC KingPins
2014: Silver Lake Atom Splitters
2015: Silver Lake Atom Splitters
2016: Dallas Strikers
2017: Dallas Strikers
2018: Silver Lake Atom Splitters
2019: Portland Lumberjacks

About the PBA
The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is the world’s preeminent organization dedicated to the sport of bowling and its professional competition, with thousands of members and millions of fans throughout the world. The PBA plays host to bowling’s biggest tournaments from the Go Bowling! PBA Tour, PBA Regional Tour, and PBA50 Tour. In 2019, the PBA was acquired by Bowlero Corporation, the world’s largest owner and operator of bowling entertainment centers with more than 300 locations throughout North America. For more information, please visit PBA.com.

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