Spring league champions: kneeling (left to right) Bob Hutchins, Bill Whiteley, Steve Schaider and Manager John Seigla; standing (left to right) Gene Grandquist, Dom Colonna, Bob Zawidski, Billy Kee, Dene Ekholm and Tom Vitolo
Larry Wolfe
Terry and Susan Young’s West USA Realty team, managed by John Seigla, won the spring softball season pennant with a sterling 16-4 record. Kenny Brenden’s Financial Planning squad finished second with a 13-7 ledger.
Our season-ending tournament and social event was held on April 16 and included an awards ceremony and cook-out (recaps of the tournament games are featured in a separate article). Past President Ed Sowney acted as Master of Ceremonies for the awards ceremony. He first presented Certificates of Appreciation to 15 former players for the significant contributions they made to our league and association over the years. He then presented the following annual awards: Most Improved Player, Stan Weiss; Rookie-of-the-Year, Gene Grandquist; and Sportsmanship Award, John Seigla. Lastly, Ed introduced this year’s top 10 hitters. Bill Whiteley won the batting title with a robust .807 average. Bill’s 800 plus average is only the third time in the past 10 years that a player has attained that lofty level. He was followed by Steve Hilby (.797), Larry Kaufmann (.789), Tim Loeffler (.776), Chuck Myrick (.761), Chuck Hamby (.741) Bill Cheney (.694), Dick Bleich (.685), Dave Martin (.684) and Dene Ekholm (.680).
Annual elections were also recently held. Officers and Board members for the 2015-2016 fiscal year are: President Sam Giordano, Vice-President Ken Brenden, Secretary Steve Hilby, Treasurer Larry Wolfe and Members-at-Large Mike Core, Gary Hillabolt and Jesse Washington. Many thanks to outgoing President Ed Sowney for his years of service.
It is with great sadness that we note the passing of long-time player and Board member Dr. Roger Spark; “Sparky,” as he was known by all at the Field of Dreams, loved the game and was a real favorite to all who knew him. He’ll be truly missed. A memorial program was held at the field to celebrate his life. Our condolences go out to his wife, Sandi and all of his family and friends. RIP, Dr. Spark.