Freedom Park hosts senior softball league

Published 10:56 pm Friday, August 3, 2018

VALDOSTA –– Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation teamed with Freedom Park to host the Senior Softball USA Eastern National Championships this week.

The tournament, which started on July 31, rolls on into the weekend and wraps up Sunday.

With rainy weather tormenting Valdosta and much of South Georgia throughout the week, the skies stayed surprisingly fair for the remaining teams to battle it out on Friday.

“Today’s the first time I’ve been to Valdosta and not seen any rain this time of year [laughs],” S2S .40 Cal team member Hugh Planitz said.

Due to the amount of rain the fields have seen, field conditions have been less than stellar. But as the sun peeked past the clouds on Friday, the heat and humidity helped field conditions find traction heading into the weekend.

“The weather was great today, we’re just gonna hope and pray that it holds out for the rest of the weekend,” TM Force player Laura Mooneyhan said. “But the fields were a little soft when we started this morning in the outfield but the infields were perfect to play in especially as a senior level player. They were absolutely perfect –– you couldn’t ask for better conditions than the fields were (Friday).

Mooneyhan and her TM Force team went 1-1 in two games on Friday, winning the first before dropping its final game of the afternoon. 

In terms of experience, Mooneyhan has played softball for over 40 years after picking up the game at age 9. With a team of players from the Florida Panhandle and throughout Georgia, Mooneyhan says there are few better feelings than playing the senior softball tournaments.

“We love the senior ball tournaments,” Mooneyhan said. “Just the camaraderie and the socialization between the men’s and the women’s teams is just a family affair with the senior tournament.”

Planitz and S2S earned a dominant run-rule victory in six innings on Friday. Based out of Clearwater, Fla., S2S plays in the 40-and-up division on the circuit. Planitz has been playing competitively for about 35 years and admits he still loves taking the field.

With players aging from 40-60 and perhaps older, the spirit of competition burns bright. For many senior players, Planitz points out, softball is a way to stay fit while stoking the competitive flames within.

“It’s all about what you feel as far as your competitiveness,” Planitz said. “Everybody my age usually grew up playing really competitively in all sports. You played all sports. Nowadays, kids play and stick with one sport. We try to keep fit and we come out here and play. Of course, we’ve dwindled down a bit over the years as we get older. I’m 55 –– I play 55 (age division) ball but I’m playing with the 40s team this weekend. I just keep the fire. I just don’t stop playing.”

The Senior Softball schedule began last November in Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Naples, Fla., and has visited as far west as California, Arizona, Nevada and Texas.

Following the Eastern National Championships, the SSUSA will hold the Kansas City Classic in Lee’s Summit, Mo., Aug. 9-12.

Cal Allison, the director of Senior Softball, has manned his post for 12 years. After accepting the invite to play in Valdosta and spending the week at Freedom Park, Allison hopes the beautiful weather on Friday holds until the tournament ends on Sunday.

“(The weather) worked out real well because we woke up this morning and there was rain in the forecast,” Allison said. “But the good Lord just kind of moved it on out and we’re moving, things are moving so it looks like we’re gonna be OK starting (today), it looks like there’s not as much of a percentage for rain and also Sunday looks like a beautiful day.”