Larry Wolfe

Rainy and windy conditions played havoc with our winter softball season. Many games were canceled completely and/or rescheduled due to inclement weather in late January and early February. An extra week of play was added at the end of our regular schedule to get in as many games as possible prior to our season-ending tournaments. At press time, the extended season was still underway.

The Redeemed Team, managed by Marty Hobby, had clinched the Sun Division title with a sterling 13-3 record. The Spooner PT-sponsored squad, managed by Joe Commisto, and Camp Hilby, managed by Mike Gloyd, were in a close battle for second place. Manager Hobby and Camp Hilby’s George Siegele were the homerun leaders, with 32 round trippers each. Mike Lebet (23), Brian Denham (21), and Greg Lemmon (20) comprised the remainder of the Top Five power hitters. Siegele also led in batting average with a .833 mark. He was followed by Mike Lebet (.797), Dennis Henderson (.759), Thom Stephens (.750), and Brian Denham (.747).

In the Lakes Division the Young Home Team-sponsored club, managed by Gary Hillabolt, led Manager Dave Kratz’s Skyview Digital Media team by two games. Young’s team sported an 11-3 record, with Skyview at 9-5. Doug Warwick was leading the division with a .717 average, followed by Gary Alexander (.707), Kim Van Nausdle (.697), Joe Matras (.685), and Charlie Alley (.680). Bill Jacobson was the homerun leader.

Final standings and stats for the winter sessions will be in next month’s Splash. You can also go to the Stats page on our website, www.sunlakessoftball.com, to view up-to-date info. We’ll also cover the results of our winter tournaments next month.

We were saddened to learn of the recent passing of former Sun Lakes Senior Softball Association member Mike Sellers. Mike had been “retired” from playing softball for several years, but many of us still remember him as a great teammate. Mike was preceded in death by his wife of 66 years, Eleanor. Condolences to his family and many friends.