Marco vs. Miami Senior Softball Challenge

It was a very hot and humid Saturday morning in mid-September but this retired group of “senior boys of summer” just don’t know when to quit. According to Tom Polston of the Marco Island Brewery Tournament Team, a group of players were coming down from Miami to play a double header with them at the Winterberry Field. Word got out quickly and at 9:00 AM on September 24th, fans gathered, watched and cheered senior softball players who were “younger and more skilled” play ball!

This is the first time the Marco Island Brewery Tournament Team have ever played the Miami Power Softball team. According to Polston, it all started at basketball with some fun trash talking. Some of the players from Miami own homes on Marco Island and spend their weekends here, so they laid out a challenge: “let’s play a softball game.”

The home team – Marco Island Brewery Tournament Team - is made up of Island Division players 60 to 72 years old. But in tournaments, they play in the 60-age group category.

The Brewery Tournament Team roster is Frank Tedesco, Donald O’Donnell, Paul Nussbaum, Tom Vander Aarde, Jeff Kaczka, Gary Revall, Big George, John Nicholas, Brian Alexander, Tom Polston, Ed Seery, Rod Lashley, Craig Cunningham (1st base coach) and scorekeeper, Judy O’Donnell. 

The Miami roster is Ruben Govea, Alex Morejon, Manny Quiepo, Jerry Durant, Remberto Alvarez, Raul Enriquez, Jorge Rangel, Orlando Benitez, Hernan Orjanvidez, Tony Quintana, and Angel Ruiz. To complete the roster, Jimmy Cuevas of the Marco Island Division joined their team. The Miami Team was of similar age-group and they were hoping to bring a retired major league baseball player. Hearing this – everybody brought their A-game to the Saturday Challenge. 

Regardless of the score, the best part was the camaraderie and lunch at the Brewery. From the looks of it these guys are not ready to hang up their baseball gloves and bats.

I should know - my 78 years old husband is at the Winterberry Athletic Field three mornings a week during the summer and almost every day during the winter regular season. A little rain or mild summer heat or a raging virus is not going to interrupt their routine. Playing softball is essential to their everyday life.

The Marco senior softball players are not alone - this is a nationwide movement. According to the International Senior Softball Association, there are 5,000 teams of players 50 and older in the United States and about 1,800 of them compete in tournaments.

This is the 23rd season for the Marco Senior Softball League for players aged 55 and older (no age limit) and for 2022 they have 240 players registered.