Friday December 29th

Games are on. Two fields available. American League will be playing on Field B. National League will be playing on Field E again.

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Tuesday December 26th

1 Field available for the National League. American League game is cancelled. The National League will play on Field E again. This is the small field. 

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Friday December 22

Games are on. See yesterday's post for details.

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 GAMES ARE ON FOR FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22nd AND TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26th.

Weather permitting, we will be playing softball tomorrow and on the Tuesday after Christmas. However, the City of Winter Haven is supposed to be working on three fields tomorrow. Therefore, there are only two fields available tomorrow and possibly Tuesday. We will adjust our playing fields as listed below:

The American League will hold batting practice on Field A. If enough players show up to play ball in the American League, they will play their game on Field A around 9:30 AM 

The National League will play their game on Field E around 9:30 AM. Depending on the number of players that sign up to play ball, we will have a two team or three-team game on Field E. If the American League does not have enough players to field two teams, the National League may use Field A at 9:30 AM.

Things may change between now and tomorrow morning. Make sure that you look at the website before coming to the ballpark tomorrow. 

Thanks,

Don Witmer, Commissioner

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 HALL OF FAME TICKETS ON SALE

It is time to buy tickets to the Polk County Senior Softball Hall of Fame dinner that is to be held on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. This year we have the privilege to honor Chris Constantine and Loren Fabian from Winter Haven Senior Softball and Mike Cobb and Gerry DeRidder from Lakeland Senior Softball as they become members of the Hall of Fame. 

The Hall of Fame dinner will be in Winter Haven this year. This event will be held at the Frierson Nicholas American Legion Post 8 ballroom. The address is: 300 Avenue M Northeast, Winter Haven 33881. The Social will begin at 5:30 PM with a cash bar at the Legion where you can order and pay for your favorite drinks and help support the Legion. The Dinner will begin at 6:00 PM. After the dinner, the ceremony to induct the new members into the Hall of Fame will commence. The ceremonies should be over by 8:00 PM.

Ticket prices this year have increased to $25.00 per person. This is the first price increase in 15 years. Last year we kept the ticket prices at $20.00 and the Hall of Fame Committee agreed to pay the $3.50 additional cost of each ticket out of the general fund. The price of your ticket includes your meal and paying for the inductee's meal, HOF shirt, HOF hat and plaques. The Legion has graciously agreed to provide the venue at no cost. The Hall of Fame Committee expects this to be a break-even year due to all of the price increases that we have seen of the past year.

You can purchase your tickets from Don Witmer, Joe D'Herin, Ron Thompson, Tommy Hamilton or Steve Hill in Winter Haven. In Lakeland, you can purchase your tickets from JD Davis, Ron Lloyd, Larry Sweet, Regis Finnegan and Marty Martinez. Tickets should be purchased no later than the end of February so we can let the Caterer know how many people will attend.

Please show your support for the Hall of Fame program and for this year's inductees into the Polk County Senior Softball Hall of Fame by coming to the HOF Dinner on March 13, 2024.

Don Witmer, Treasurer

Polk County Senior Softball Hall of Fame  

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Tuesday December 19th

Games are on. It's cold and windy today. Dress warm. 

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Friday December 15th

Games are on. Windy today. 

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Tuesday, December 12th

What a contrast between last Friday's 3 team game and this Tuesday's game. Friday the 3 teams scored 66 runs and there were only 2 goose eggs, both in the open inning. This Tuesday only 23 runs were scored and there was 14 goose eggs and no team reached double figures till the 7th and final inning when the Spitaleri team scored 3 to make the final Spitaleri 12, Ouding/Hill 8 and Zelazny 3.  This IS SENIOR SOFTBALL where anything is possible.  Welcome back Northern friends. We missed y'all. 

The hitters which weren't too many.

3 hits. Gonzalez, Lopez, Knox, Vanderhyde, Nunez,

            Castilleja, Andrews, Spitaleri 

2 hits. Miller, Hill, Muniz, Rivero, B.J., Fleming. 

Al Miller hit a home run to account for 2 of that teams 3 runs and B.J. Kallister struck out the side 1, 2, 3 in the 4th inning. The first 2 looking, the 3rd on a foul 3rd strike. What a game. Welcome to Senior Softball. 

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Write up by Loren Fabian 

American League Update  

On Thursday, December 14, 2023, the Winter Haven Senior Softball League joined forces with the Winter Haven Blue Knights for an epic showdown against the Solivita 60s team at the magnificent Solivita grounds.

Right from the get-go, the Winter Haven team burst onto the scene with a vengeance, smacking three jaw-dropping home runs in the first three innings. Meanwhile, Solivita could only muster a measly run. It was a one-sided affair, my friends. The game was cut short to just five innings because, let's face it, Solivita only managed to scrape together two runs compared to the whopping twenty-two runs by Winter Haven. Talk about domination!

With our deceptive victory in the bag, we headed into game two with a comfortable five-run shot in the first inning. The battle was fierce, with both teams trading blows back and forth. But when the fifth inning rolled around, Winter Haven turned up the heat and started piling on the pressure, scoring runs left and right. The score now stood at Solivita twelve and Winter Haven twenty-one. It was only a matter of time, leaving Solivita with a respectable sixteen runs, but Winter Haven soaring high with a triumphant twenty-four.

Today, my friends, we proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that we were the superior team. As we bid Solivita farewell, we couldn't help but wish them a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, knowing full well that we would face them again in the first week of January 2024. Brace yourselves, Solivita, for we shall return!

Let's not forget to mention the incredible hits that left the crowd in awe. Don Fee, Rocco Morris and Rob Aponte, blasted two home runs, while Lou Guzman added one more for good measure. These guys were on fire!

So, my fellow softball enthusiasts, let's raise our glasses to Winter Haven as we were victorious today. 

1. Lonnie Netzel 6/7
2. Lou Guzman 4/6
3. Eddie Hurn 6/8
4. Don Fee 6/8
5. Rob Aponte 3/5
6. Manny Rios 5/6 
7. Rocco Morris 6/6
8. Dana Ferrande 4/6
9. J-Rod Rodriguez 4/5
10. Rad Pcholinski 5/6
11. Al Guzzo 3/5
12. Mike Vaccaro 4/5 

Write up by Lou Guzman

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Tuesday December 12th

Games are on. It's cold. Wear something warm. I have 2 coats that were left at the ballpark last Friday.  If you left your coat come see me. 

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 Friday, December 8th

On this fine day, December 8, 2023, the American League orchestrated a thrilling showdown on the illustrious "C" field. The visitors, none other than the legendary Makie Mark and the Funkee Bunch, faced off against the perplexingly favored home team, Walley's Woopers. How Wally managed to snag that advantage remains a mystery, and an investigation is currently underway to uncover the truth.

Both teams boasted an impressive lineup of players. The Woopers showcased the formidable trio of Don Fee, Don Keller, and Lonnie Netzer. Meanwhile, Markie Mark's squad boasted the talents of Rocco Morris, Bobby Schultheis, J-Rod Rodriguez, and the enigmatic LouG, just to name a few.

The game kicked off with Markie's boys swiftly scoring four runs, leaving the Whoopers trailing with a mere solitary point. As the game progressed, Markie's team clung to a slim lead, with Don Fee unleashing two awe-inspiring over-the-fence home runs. In the fifth inning, Wally managed to walk his way to a run, narrowing the gap to 14-11 in favor of Markie's team. By the sixth inning, the score stood at 16-13, with Markie's team desperately clinging to their slender advantage.

However, the tides turned dramatically in the seventh inning, as Markie's team unleashed an onslaught of five runs, leaving their opponents in the dust. From that point on, there was no looking back. The final score, a resounding 23-15, solidified Markie Mark and the Funkee Bunch as the undisputed victors of the day.

Amid this thrilling contest, let us not forget to give a well-deserved honorable mention to Peter Gutenberger, who managed to score a Little League Homerun in the eighth inning. Bravo, Peter!

With the dust settled and the cheers echoing through the stadium, Markie Mark was the winner. 

Write up by LGG

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Friday December 8th

Games are on. 

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Wednesday, December 6, 2023

The National League Draft was held after the games on Tuesday. There were 72 players that indicated on their application they wanted to be in the draft. We formed 6 Teams of 12 Players. We have quite a few pool players this year. If you do not see your name on one of the teams, you can assume that you are in the pool. If you have changed your mind, and would like to be assigned to a team, just let me or someone from the Board know. You will be placed on a Team based on the Team's needs. The Team rosters are listed below. The rosters are effective today but could change in the future as we add new players. The Rosters will be posted at the ballpark this Friday for everyone to look at. The Managers did a great job selecting these teams and we are looking forward to a very competitive season beginning on Friday, Jan 5, 2024.

Don Witmer, Commissioner

Winter Haven Senior Softball

TEAM # 1 RON THOMPSON - MANAGER Boito, John Boswell, Ralph Brock, Rick DeJongh, Jerry Gelinas, Ken Knox, George LoPiccolo, Patrick Meyer, Ken Thompson, Ron Vandenberg, Bob Vining, Jim Zelazny, Bob

TEAM # 2 ROBERT SPITALERI - MANAGER Anderson, Gary Aponte, Nestor Deloach, Fred Denny, Greg King, Richard Peskie, Joe Pinnick, Steve Rivera, Jose Ryan, Gerry Shaffer, Denny Spitaleri, Robert Wells, Larry

TEAM # 3 DON KELLER - MANAGER Castilleja, Bobby Dampier Fred DeRidder, Jerry Don Keller Fleming, Ron Harrell, Sam King, Bill O'Callaghan, Mike Rivero, Enrique Rodriquez, Miquel Waddel, Arvil Witmer, Don

TEAM # 4 WALLY WALLACE - MANAGER Garcia, Pablo Learn, Norman Marino, Richard Miller, Alan Muniz, Herberto Nunez, Ramon Osborn, Kathie Pepin, Ron Rodriguez, Poke Testa, William Vanderhyde, George Wallace, Robert

TEAM # 5 STEVE HILL - MANAGER Andrews, Al Burtner, Gary Fultz, Ed Gibbons, Alf Gibson, John Gutenberger, Peter Hill, Steve Hollowell, Ric Kallister, B J Liberato, Jose Reed, Rob Whitten, Tom

TEAM # 6 DON OUDING- MANAGER Capozzi,Tom Gonzales, Freddy Hicks, Steve Letourneau, Joe Levesque, Raymond Lopez, Sam MacDonald, Cathy Ouding, Don Puma, Julian Shearer, Wayne Stevens, Frederic Tutrani, Mark

Tuesday December 5th

Games are on. Draft is happening today after the games.

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Friday December 1st

Games are on. Great weather today. 

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Solivita Recap

On Thursday, November 30, 2023, the Winter Haven travel team played the formidable Solivita Softball team.

The first game was an intense back-and-forth battle that kept us on the edge of our seats until the seventh inning. With a two-run lead, we were confident in our victory, but Solivita made an impressive comeback, scoring three runs and ultimately snatching the game away from us with a final score of 16-17.

Unfortunately, the second game did not fare any better for us. Solivita's offense remained relentless, while we struggled to muster up a total of 15 runs compared to their impressive 20.

Despite these challenging outcomes, we eagerly anticipate our next encounter with Solivita next month. The fire within us burns brighter than ever as we prepare to face them once again, determined to emerge victorious and reclaim our rightful place at the top.

Jose Rodriguez 4/7

Lou Guzman 5/7

Eddie Hurn 3/8

Don Fee 4/8, HR

Manny Rios 4/8, HR

Rob Aponta 3/7, 2 HRs

Rocco Morris 4/6, 2 HRs

Dana Ferrande 4/6

Rusty Skipper 5/6

Bob Schultheis 5/6

Rawlinson Santaella 3/6

Jeff Stier 2/5

From LGG. This message brought to you by our sponsor Sizzling Grill.

Tuesday, November 27th 

Managers today were Robert Spitaleri, Sam Lopez and Don Ouding, who just got back from deer hunting in Michigan. 

Spit jumped out with 5 in the first and led 5-3-1 after 2 innings. All 3 teams scored in the third. Spit plated 4 in the top and Sam answered with 6 playing catch up and Don plated 3. That was nearly the end of scoring for Don's team as they only scored 2 more to end with 6 as their final. Robert and Sam battled it out the rest of the way with Sam's team coming out on top 21-16-6. It was very cold and windy but we all made it through, even Joyce and Brandi although shivering towards the end.

The hitters. 

5 hits. Castilleja, Ramon

4 hits. Lopez, Testa, Gelinas, Miguel

3 hits. Spitaleri, Shaffer, Capozzi, Gonzalez, 

            Rutan, Vining, Marino

2 hits. Dampier, Alf, Waddell, Henry, Vandenberg, 

            Andrews. 

See y'all Friday and hope it warms up. 

The National League Draft will be held after the games on Tuesday.

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Tuesday November 28th

Games are on. Cold and windy today. It is an ear muff day. 

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 Friday, November 24th

A very close 3 team mixed game today all during a chili breeze. Managers were Wally, Witmer and Spitaleri. Spitaleri jumped out with 5 runs in the 2nd, and led 5-1-2. They got 4 more in the 3rd and kept scoring in every inning but the 5th. Wally and Witmer were always close enough to strike but just couldn't mount a good offensive inning. 

Final was Spitaleri 17, Wally 13, Witmer 9.

Unfortunately, I can't do the hitters as so many that reached base were not recorded how. 

I will say that newcomer Nestor had a HR and Witmer had a triple. 

See y'all Tuesday. 

Write up by Loren Fabian

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