California Slingers load up roster for ACL Pro Teams playoff push
Veterans Spencer Fabionar and Tony Forbes anchor a Slingers roster that now pairs singles pop with doubles depth, just as the ACL playoff race tightens.
The California Slingers have built a roster that looks designed for the ACL Pro Teams grind, not just for flash. Franchising Spencer Fabionar and Tony Forbes gave the club its veteran spine, and the 2026 draft added Zack Aiken in the first round before Chris Roybal, Hunter Thorson and Tommy Sliker joined a group that also includes Landen Crabtree and Collin Powers.
That mix matters because Pro Teams is a depth test as much as a star test. ACL rosters must carry at least six players and no more than 10, and the Slingers sit comfortably in that window with enough lineup flexibility to keep doubles pairings fresh while still protecting their strongest singles options. In a format where every point can swing playoff seeding, the ability to rotate without dropping level is a real competitive edge.
The numbers show why the Slingers still have work to do. In the current standings snapshot, California sits at 940 points with an 11-10 record and no signature-event wins, trailing the Vegas High Rollers on 1,000 points and the Carolina Coasters on 971. They are also chasing the Texas Bully Baggers, Chicagoland Spinners and Georgia Sliders, with an asterisk in the standings reserved for teams that have already clinched a Pro Teams Playoff berth.
The broader calendar raises the stakes even higher. The 2025-2026 Pro Teams structure was announced Dec. 12, 2025, and the playoff path runs through Kansas City, Cleveland, Fort Worth, Mesa and a championship event still to be determined. The Pro Teams Playoffs will land at the ACL World Championships, scheduled for July 27-Aug. 2, 2026, at Rock Hill Sports & Event Center in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The money explains the urgency too, with ACL Pro Division payouts listed at $104,000 per Pro Signature event and $280,000 at Worlds.
The recent results hint at why this roster was assembled the way it was. At the June 5-7 Fort Worth Signature Open, Zack Aiken tied for fifth in Pro Singles, one of the clearest signs that the first-round pick can deliver on his own. Collin Powers and Richard Nyberg finished second in Pro Doubles in Fort Worth, while Fabionar and Forbes had already shown their partnership can travel by tying for third in Pro Doubles at the March 22 Kansas City Signature Open.
That blend of proven chemistry and targeted additions is the point. Fabionar and Forbes give the Slingers a dependable core, Aiken adds singles firepower, and the rest of the roster gives the club more possible doubles combinations than many rivals can match. In a Pro Teams race this crowded, California’s best move may already be on the board: a roster built to survive the playoff chase and peak when the brackets finally matter.
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