December 15, 2023 Nolan Hughes

Over 100 of the nation’s top regional players, including 70 PBA and 48 PBA50 players, will compete next month in the 2023 BowlTV PBA Regional Players Invitational.

The tournament will be held Jan. 2-4, 2024 at South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas. First-place finishers will receive $15,000 in the PBA division and $10,000 in the PBA50 division.

Additionally, the champion of each division will receive an automatic entry into their respective 2024 Tournament of Champions field. If the RPI champion has previously qualified for the TOC, the automatic TOC entry will not carry over to the runner-up.

Players were invited to the RPI based on their performance throughout the 2023 PBA Regional Tour season.

Each of the PBA and PBA50’s seven regions awarded three RPI berths to the top finishers in its RPI qualifier tournament. The PBA50 Northwest Region awarded two RPI berths in its qualifier.

Through the season-long points list, an additional seven PBA players and four PBA50 players per region qualified for the RPI.

Players who finished among the top 50 on the PBA National Tour points list and the top 10 on the PBA50 National Tour points list were not eligible for the RPI. However, a top-10 finishing PBA50 player would be eligible in the Regular Division.

PBA Regular Division

PBA East

Points Leaders: Alex Cavagnaro, Massapequa, N.Y.; John Furey, Howell, N.J.; Jake Rollins, Glen Rock, N.J.; Peter Fox, West Hartford, Conn.; Tom Sorce, Blasdell, N.Y.; Arturo Quintero, Mexico; Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa.

RPI Qualifier: Anthony Neuer, Lewisburg, Pa.; Eric Cornog, Cherry Hill, N.J. Tim Foy Jr., Seaford, Del.

Cavagnaro led the East in points, but Sorce found himself atop the region’s earnings list. However, no player could match the former U.S. Open finalist Anthony Neuer’s two titles — and he only competed in five events this season.

PBA Central

Points Leaders: Bailey Mavrick, Whitestown, Ind.; Ryan Liederbach, Northfield, Ohio; Cory Hersha, Larwill, Ind.; Frank Snodgrass, Center Line, Mich.; Ryan Lakota, Minster, Ohio; Zeke Bayt, Westerville, Ohio; Michael Davidson, Versailles, Ohio

RPI Qualifier: Michael Schlabach, Goshen, Ind.; Sam DeWitt III, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Dean Vargo, Willowick, Ohio

Schlabach won a pair of titles in the Midwest this season, including the region’s RPI qualifier. But Mavrick might be the region’s hottest player as he just earned his second title of the season in mid-November.

Additionally, PBA League Elias Cup champion Snodgrass enters the RPI coming off a strong summer and fall season.

PBA Midwest

Points Leaders: Brady Stearns, Saint Augusta, Minn.; Ben Sobel, Columbus, Ohio; Benjamin Martinez, Mexico; Tim Curran, Tim Gruendler, St. Louis, Mo.; Jerry Marrs, Lake in the Hills, Ill.; Russ Oviatt, Sioux Falls, S.D.

RPI Qualifier: Brandon Runk, Milton, Pa.; Nate Purches, Marlborough, Mass.; Phillip Watson, Cahokia, Ill.

Purches led the Midwest in points and earnings while maintaining a 220.68 average across 139 games. He tallied five top-five finishes in his 12 tournaments.

Did we mention he’s a 20-year-old rookie?

PBA South

Points Leaders: Nate Garcia, Port St. Lucie, Fla.; Ethan Fiore, Tampa, Fla.; Matt Taylor, Zebulon, N.C.; Trevor Roberts, Colin Champion, Spring Hill, Fla.; Mathew Woodall, Norfolk, Va.; Connor Pickford, Charlotte, N.C.

RPI Qualifier: Patrick Dombrowski, Parma, Ohio; Zachary Tackett, Virginia Beach, Va.; Scott Anderson, Cooper City, Fla.

By the laws vested in sports competition, defending RPI champion Dombrowski must be discussed first. The veteran right-hander also earned a sixth place finish at this year’s USBC Masters.

Zachary Tackett may not be related to PBA Player of the Year EJ Tackett — though he does share a name with EJ’s actual brother — but Zachary sure lived up to the Tackett name. He led the region in points, earnings and titles (3) all while averaging over 225.

PBA Southwest

Points Leaders: Deo Benard, Roanoke, Texas; Eric Jones, Edmond, Okla.; Beau Peterson, McPherson, Kan.; David Krol, Nixa, Mo.; Dylan Macon, Lubbock, Texas; Cody Meiers, Lubbock, Texas; Andres Villarreyna, Port Arthur, Texas

RPI Qualifier: Kris Koeltzow, Wheat Ridge, Colo.; Ildemaro Ruiz Jr., Venezuela; Dallas Leong, Las Vegas

The southpaws found plenty of success in the Southwest this season. Benard led the region in points and titles (3), while Jones added a title himself.

There will be no shortage of heavy hitters with Koeltzow and Krol also winning multiple titles this season.

PBA West

Points Leaders: Ramsey Basurto, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.; Tim Cagle II, Hercules, Calif.; Riley Chin, Clovis, Calif; Nickolas Freiberg, Sparks, Nev.; Wesley Low Jr., Palmdale, Calif.; Tim Ursillo, Lakeside, Calif.; Chris Mayes, Mesa, Ariz.

RPI Qualifier: Cortez Schenck, Phoenix; Matt Murtishaw, Menifee, Calif.; PJ Haggerty, Roseville, Calif.

The West Region has not one, but two finalists for the 2023 Harry Golden PBA Rookie of the Year award in Basurto and Schenck, who won the award.

Basurto led the West in points, while Schenck topped the region in earnings and titles (2). The veteran Haggerty rounds out the three-headed monster atop the West Region, all of whom boast tons of experience at South Point Bowling Plaza.

PBA Northwest

Points Leaders: Nick Borgaro, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; Lanndyn Carnate, Redding, Calif.; Payden Stumpf, Puyallup, Wash.; Chris Tuholski, Vancouver, Wash.; Zack Stone, Clay Rees, Johnny Leggett 

RPI Qualifier: Cameron Weier, Seattle; Jordan Jung, Canada; Craig Tuholski, Gresham, Ore.

There are, unfortunately, no sasquatches making the trek from the Pacific Northwest down to Vegas. However, Borgaro’s near-220 average and Washington’s Stumpf can perhaps make up for the mythical beast’s absence.

PBA50 Division

PBA50 East

Points Leaders: Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y.; Sammy Ventura, Syracuse, N.Y.; Jay Boyle, Garnet Valley, Pa.; Andy Rettig, Hamburg, N.Y.

RPI Qualifier: Ray Edwards, Middle Island, N.Y.; David Show, Smock, Pa.; Rick Graham, Elizabethtown, Pa.

Edwards and Boyle were the lone RPI representatives to win in the East Region this year, but Shafer is undoubtedly the man to beat of this crop.

PBA50 Central

Points Leaders: Larry Verble, Mason, Mich.; Dave Johnson, Ashtabula, Ohio; Mark Sullivan, Indianapolis; Eddie Graham, Kettering, Ohio

RPI Qualifier: Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind.; Charles Ferrell, Painesville Twp., Ohio; John Marsala, St. Louis

Verble eclipsed McCune by just a few points to lead the region, though each have a title and two runner-up finishes on their résumé this season.

PBA50 Midwest

Points Leaders: Lyle Kuhlmann, Woodruff, Wis.; Jeff Johnson, Freeport, Ill.; Scott Merritt, Iowa City, Iowa; Gary Alstott, Washington, Ill.

RPI Qualifier: Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill.; Bo Goergen, Sanford, Mich.; Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio

Kuhlmann had a tremendous regional season, winning a title and ranking second in points, while Kretzer earned a fourth place finish in last year’s PBA50 RPI.

PBA50 South

Points Leaders: Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla.; Dan Knowlton, Dade City, Fla.; Peter Dohan Jr., Tampa, Fla.; James Campbell, Vonore, Tenn.

RPI Qualifier: James Winterfeld, Fort Mill, S.C.; Darryl Bower, Middletown, Pa.; Bill Vannoy, Lexington, S.C.

Bower nearly brought home the trophy last year, finishing as the runner-up to Troy Lint. But the great Walter Ray Williams Jr. will surely be motivated to win one of the few PBA trophies not yet in his collection.

Note: Since publication, Walter Ray Williams Jr. has withdrawn from the RPI due to illness. Michael Ritz will replace him.

PBA50 Southwest

Points Leaders: Glenn Smith, New York; Tony Franklin, Frisco, Texas; Robert Lawrence, Austin, Texas; Pete McCordic, Katy, Texas

RPI Qualifier: Mike Bailey, Carrollton, Texas; Rick Benard, Roanoke, Texas; Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore.

McCordic, who was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame earlier this year, seeks to end his 2023 season on a high note. Smith, Franklin and Bailey each captured titles in the Southwest Region this season. 

PBA50 West

Points Leaders: Rich Corwin, Portland, Ore.; Rick Meneley, Santa Maria, Calif.; Eric Adolphson, Concord, Calif.; Skip Pavone, San Jose, Calif.

RPI Qualifier: Scott Critchfield, Canyon Country, Calif.; Steve Smith, San Diego; Jerry Vertigan, Yorba Linda, Calif.

The wild, wild west saw a plethora of players battle for supremacy. No PBA50 player managed to win multiple titles out west this season, but one-time champ Corwin led the region in points.

PBA50 Northwest

Points Leaders: Jeff Polson, Ashland, Ore.; Clyde DeLoach, Culver, Ore.; Blaine Weninger, Happy Valley, Ore.; Shawn Horenberger, Boise, Idaho

RPI Qualifier: Michael Kennedy, Bonney Lake, Wash.; Bob Reed, Weed, Calif.

Kennedy, however, dominated in the Northwest. He captured two titles, a runner-up placement and six top-six finishes in his seven events.

Both the PBA and PBA50 divisions of the 2023 BowlTV Regional Players Invitational begin qualifying on Jan. 2, 2024. All rounds will be livestreamed on BowlTV.

More information on the PBA Regional Tour is available here.