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​​​Tony Wysinger had the first pick in the recent Bill Mastronardi Masters League Draft, held at new league venue Tilted 10.

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He also had the last selection.

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And with those two picks, Wysinger brought two first-time bowlers into the league, selecting Justin Karnats No. 1 and Noah Chase No. 36.

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The two picks couldn't have been more different.

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Wysinger had never bowled with Karnats, although he had watched him compete and liked what he saw. His selection of Chase, meanwhile, came with a little history.

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Fifteen years ago, Wysinger bowled alongside Chase's mother, Lori, and the team won the 2010-11 Masters League championship.

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When the younger Chase was still available with the final pick, Wysinger saw an opportunity to reunite with a member of the Chase family.

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“I had three people in mind, and because the draft had around 40 people, those three might have been gone,” Wysinger said. “And the last time I had a Chase on my team, we won it.”

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Noah Chase wasn't in the room when his name was called. He was in the Chicago area visiting a friend and learned he had been drafted through congratulatory texts from his family.

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“My parents were pretty happy,” he said. “They are excited to come watch wherever they can.”

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The selection came at an appropriate time for Chase, a 22-year-old who been attending St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, for the past couple of years. After spending his college years playing baseball, he was looking for a way to continue in a competitive atmosphere.

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“I put my name in the Masters draft because it's my first-year home from school, and I figured the worst that can happen is I don't get picked,” Chase said. “If I got picked, it can help fill some of the competitiveness that I won't have from college sports anymore.”

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Chase, who uses a powerful two-handed delivery, had only recently returned to bowling. That made the final selection somewhat unexpected, even to him.

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“I was definitely surprised that I got picked, mostly because I just came back to bowling and not many people have seen me outside of a couple summer leagues,” he said.

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Wysinger also liked Chase's athletic background. Chase played college baseball for four years and was recently named a Peoria Sunday Morning Baseball League All-Star and Gold Glove winner. He also rolled his first career 300 game a few weeks ago at Plaza Lanes.

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That gave Wysinger another reason to believe that Chase could adapt to the Masters League.

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With his first pick, Wysinger chose a more familiar name in area bowling circles. Karnats, 24, has been developing into one of the top area bowlers in the past few years. Last season, he averaged 233 for 27 games while subbing in the Masters.

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Still, he had no idea he would be the first name called.

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“I was unsure of where I would fall since it's my first year bowling the league fully,” Karnats said. “I have not talked to Wysinger before, so it was very surprising to be No. 1.”

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Karnats had been considering joining the Masters League for several years. Conversations with fellow bowlers finally convinced him this was the time to make the commitment.

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“When talking with some peers, they have always asked if I could bowl, and I think this year is the year,” he said.

Wysinger had hoped that former Masters bowler Eddie Flanigan would enter the draft. But Flanigan ultimately decided his schedule wouldn't work.

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“I respect that regardless,” Wysinger said. “The fact he even thought about it was cool with me.”

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That left Wysinger considering players including Bob Baker and Karnats for his first selection. Although he had never bowled with Karnats, he had seen enough to make the decision.

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“I was like, you know what? He's pretty good,” Wysinger said. “So we chose him.”

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The selection also gives Wysinger some flexibility with his lineup.

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“I know he can bowl,” Wysinger said. “That doesn't always put me as the anchor, to be very honest. So we can move the lineup around a little bit.”

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Bob Baker was the No. 2 pick in the draft, selected by Pro Shop Tony Schnack. Josh Barnwell then took Gary Robinson at No. 3.

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The other first-round picks were Brad Moore by Rob Johnson, Mike Boogren by Andy Stone, Ryan Driskill by Bill Maher, Zach Lantz by Vince Pollard, Kohlton Calvin by Jason Jones of Bloomington, Demarion Thomas by Tommy Barnwell, Austin Markley by Steve Taylor, Bob Ogle by Tony DeVita, and Kyle Andes by Travis Anderson.

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Robinson, the league's new president, said organizers were still trying to fill the draft field as the deadline approached. There was even discussion about reducing the number of teams before additional bowlers entered the draft.

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The league has lost some established players this season, Robinson said, although he doesn't consider the field weak.

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“The league has been stronger in the past, and not that it's a weak field by any means,” he said. “But we have been stronger in the past, and I'm not sure why some of our notable players aren't back this year. But everybody's got their reason.”

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Scheduling has been another challenge with bowling centers such as Landmark Lanes and Sunset Lanes closing in the area, and Striketown Bowl not being available this season.

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Landmark could reopen in a few weeks, and has already been penciled into the league schedule. The other centers on the schedule are Tilted 10, located in Northwood Mall, Mt. Hawley Bowl, Potter’s Alley in Morton, Plaza Lanes in Washington, Linn Lanes in Canton, and Twin Cities in Bloomington.

 

The league will begin the season on Monday, August 17, at Tilted 10.

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Robinson, who joked that he was “voluntold” to become president, said he is looking forward to the season and would like to see more younger bowlers enter the league.

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“If you look around the room, everybody's getting older, and we just don't have enough young kids to get in this,” he said.

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Karnats and Chase will give the Masters League two new faces this season.

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For Wysinger, they also represent two very different draft decisions: a first pick based largely on what he had seen from a bowler he had never teamed with, and a last pick that carried a little family history.

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Fifteen years after sharing a Masters League championship with Lori Chase, Wysinger will now try to do it again with her son.

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