SUN CITY – All right, Sun Citians, enough of this “winter ain’t leaving yet” stuff. The Sun City Softball Club opens its 2016 season on May 14. For Sun City, that means the first “official” day of spring. The softballers say so.
“Now that the trees are beginning to bud, the grass is getting greener, and the sound of lawnmowers is in the air, it’s time for more 200 Sun City softball players to get the bat bag out of storage and polish up the old glove,” said Glenn Groebli, club president. “While the season officially begins on May14, the field maintenance crew is beginning to work on (Eakin) field and the teams are beginning to practice. Each night, two 16-inch teams are scheduled to practice, weather permitting.”
The year’s activities will include the three traditional leagues, as well as a lot of new projects and events, he said.
“This year, we will have 12 teams in the evening 16-inch league, eight in the Thursday 16-inch morning league, and four in the 12-inch Wednesday evening league. Our plans are to create a super fun atmosphere for the fans by adding a lot of social events. We are planning on having a pet parade, guest announcers, sponsor nights, giveaways, and special nights for the police and fire departments and their teams.”
The club will also honor veterans, Groebli added. All monies collected through our many crazy methods will be donated to the Huntley Area Veterans Foundation, for its ‘Honor Walk Campaign,’ which is in the process of collecting funds to build a monument in the Huntley Town Square. This memorial to all Huntley-area veterans will be dedicated in a special ceremony at the newly landscaped square on July 2.
Last year, Groebli said, the softball club raised more than $800 for the Grafton Food Pantry.
A major new wrinkle starting this year will be the development of a draft process to spread talent among all the teams and bring parity to the leagues, according to Groebli.
“Back in April, we held a draft of all new players and current active players who wish to change teams. Twenty-five players participated by going through several evaluating steps such as fielding, hitting, and catching. The managers from the three leagues took notes on the players as this went on. Once the players completed all the evaluation steps the managers then drafted the players, with teams that finished in the last four spots in the leagues last year getting the top draft choices. The weather was great and the players that participated had a great time.”
The club’s second annual skills competition will take place this year following the games played on Saturday, July 16. Players will compete in various age groups events such as home run hitting, and hitting accuracy. The top two or three in each age group and event will qualify to compete for top honors at the All Star game festivities.
“This is a great chance for fans to come out and root for their favorite player,” Groebli said.
The annual all-star game will be held on Friday, July 22, featuring selected players from all teams, starting at 6 pm.
“This will be a great night for the fans, because the game will be preceded by the finals of the skills competition. The all-star game will feature ‘the best softball players in Sun City.’ Many surprises are being planned for the all-star night, to be announced. We also want to thank our loyal fans who are there every night rooting on their favorite players and teams,” Groebli concluded. “Your support and cheers can never be repaid.”
The players, fans, field, managers, and the umpires are all ready, Groebli said finally.
“So, let’s play ball!!”
