Baserunner Bill McCoy is off at the crack of the bat as first baseman Bob Molter and his teammates react. (Photo by Larry Wolfe)
Larry Wolfe
High heat in baseball and fast-pitch softball parlance is a term that is used to describe a pitch, usually a fastball, that is high in the strike zone. A high heat fastball tends to be a hard pitch to hit, as it is difficult for most batters to swing around quickly enough to catch up to the velocity of the pitch. In slow-pitch softball, we don’t have to worry about hitting a high fastball, since it is slow pitch, but we do have to worry about another type of high heat! The unprecedented Phoenix-area heat wave this summer caused an unprecedented halt in our Summer League program. Even though game time is scheduled for 7:30 a.m., the temperatures were already in the 90s by that time, with temperatures well over 100 by the time our games were scheduled to end. In the interest of the health and safety of our players, the SLSSA Board of Directors and Summer League Coordinator Gary Hillabolt decided to pause league play for several games.
Our Summer League now continues through Sept. 21. League games are played on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, with the first pitch at 7:30 a.m. The Field of Dreams is also open on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday mornings for batting practice. Note that the field will close for overseeding in late September or early October, with practices and pick-up games scheduled for Snedigar Park in Chandler during that time. Go to our website, www.sunlakessoftball.com, for up-to-date news and information, including how you can sign up for our Fall League, which commences in late October. We’re always looking for new players. Our league has expanded from four to eight teams over the past several years, plus as players retire from the sport, “new blood” is required! We have separate divisions based somewhat on age and skill level, plus a purely recreational program and a ladies team, so there’s something for everyone. Come on out and “Play Ball!”