September 13, 2024 Nolan Hughes

After months of anticipation, the wait is over.

The PBA Elite League presented by Snickers Playoffs begin Sunday evening, airing at 5 p.m. Eastern on FS1.

EJ Tackett and Anthony Simonsen’s Motown Muscle square off with Marshall Kent and Packy Hanrahan’s New Jersey KingPins in the opening quarterfinal. The winner advances to face Andrew Anderson and the top-seeded Las Vegas High Rollers in Monday night’s first semifinal.

In the other quarterfinal match, Chris Via and Jesper Svensson’s Akron Atom Splitters meet the L.A. X, featuring Jason Belmonte and Dom Barrett. The Portland Lumberjacks, led by Kyle Troup, Kris Prather and Wes Malott, await the victor on Tuesday night.

The playoffs culminate with the Elias Cup Finals on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. ET on FS1.

Las Vegas High Rollers

  • 2024 season: No. 1 seed, 10-4 record, 211.50 average
  • Elias Cup titles: None
  • Roster: Andrew Anderson (2024 MVP), AJ Johnson, Matt Ogle, Matt Russo, Sean Rash, Thomas Larsen, Amleto Monacelli (manger)
  • Path to Portland: Las Vegas

Andrew Anderson, the regular season MVP, has settled into Las Vegas’ anchor position. The rest of the lineup has been fluid, shuffling around as needed. That philosophy worked to great success in the regular season, but finding the correct order for Bayside Bowl could be the difference between Elias Cup supremacy and a narrow defeat.

Portland Lumberjacks

  • 2024 season: No. 2 seed, 9-5 record, 218.21 average
  • Elias Cup titles: Three (2019, 2020, 2022)
  • Roster: Kyle Troup, Kris Prather, Wes Malott, Graham Fach, Tom Smallwood, Arturo Quintero, Tim Mack (manager)

Tim Mack only knows Wes Malott by one name: “Franchise” and the three-time Elias Cup champion and two-time Mark Roth MVP earned every ounce of the nickname. While Malott is not the authoritative force on the lanes he once was, Mack has built a corps more than capable of filling the role.

Akron Atom Splitters

  • 2024 season: No. 3 seed, 9-5 record, 212.07 average
  • Elias Cup titles: Three (2014, 2015, 2018)
  • Roster: Chris Via, Jesper Svensson, François Lavoie, Tom Daugherty, Dick Allen, Nick Pate, Mark Baker (manager)

While the Atom Splitters’ leaders Jesper Svensson and Chris Via have been weekly title contenders on the tour for many years, the two have struggled to carry corner pins in TV matches over the past couple seasons. If those 7-and 10-pins fall Akron’s way, the Atom Splitters could be poised to hoist the franchise’s fourth Elias Cup.

Motown Muscle

  • 2024 season: No. 4 seed, 8-6 record, 216.07 average
  • Elias Cup titles: None
  • Roster: EJ Tackett, Anthony Simonsen, Sam Cooley, Jason Sterner, Justin Knowles, Zac Tackett, Jason Couch (manager)

The Muscle made their last-season charge largely without Simonsen doing the heavy lifting. While he won three titles on the PBA Tour this season, he produced a pedestrian 47.69% strike percentage in PBA Elite League competition. If Simo is Simo, Motown could be even more powerful than the team that averaged nearly 225 during their 7-2 finish. 

New Jersey KingPins

  • 2024 season: No. 5 seed, 8-6 record, 209.50 average
  • Elias Cup titles: One (2013)
  • Roster: Marshall Kent, Packy Hanrahan, BJ Moore, Chris Barnes, Richie Teece, Cortez Schenck, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard and Del Ballard Jr. (co-managers)

The KingPins not only have two cornerstones in Packy Hanrahan and Marshall Kent, but a lefty-righty tandem that almost guarantees a threat in the anchor position. With their other four players having similar skill sets at this stage of their careers, they can slot them in any order they desire — whether that component is a feature or a bug is yet to be determined.

Lucky Strike L.A. X

  • 2024 season: No. 6 seed, 5-9 record, 210.89 average
  • Elias Cup titles: None
  • Roster: Jason Belmonte (player-manager), Kevin McCune, Dom Barrett, Tomas Käyhkö, Darren Tang, Keven Williams

It’s no secret what Jason Belmonte and Dom Barrett, both future Hall of Famers, bring to the table. L.A. X’s success in the playoffs hinges on what the rest of the team provides, copying the winning formula that Waco utilized to bring home the title last year. If the Kevs, Käyhkö and Tang can keep L.A. in the game, they’ll be confident with the Barrett-Belmo duo against anyone.

PBA Elite League Playoff Schedule

Quarterfinals (Race to Two)
Sunday, Sept. 15 | 5pm ET on FS1
No. 4 Motown vs. No. 5 New Jersey
No. 3 Akron vs. No. 6 L.A. X

Semifinal 1 (Race to Three)
Monday, Sept. 16 | 7pm ET on FS1
No. 1 Las Vegas vs. winner of Motown/New Jersey

Semifinal 2 (Race to Three)
Monday, Sept. 16 | 9pm ET on FS1
No. 2 Portland vs. winner of Akron/L.A. X

Elias Cup Finals (Race to Three)
Tuesday, Sept. 17 | 7pm ET on FS1
Teams to be determined