Tri-Cities Little League to host exhibition game Sunday featuring Dundee Senior Softball League
WEST DUNDEE, Ill., June 8, 2017 - The Tri-Cities Little League, a nonprofit organization serving boundary communities with youth-based tee-ball, baseball and softball programs, is hosting for the first Parent Exhibition Game, featuring 38 league parents divided in four teams to compete in a friendly game of softball and raise money for the league's "Let There Be Light" fundraising campaign for field lighting at Randall Oaks Recreational Center.
The event starts at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 11. It is free and open to the public. Tri-Cities Little League also invited the Dundee Senior Softball league, which is featuring 30 of their players in a game at the same time on Sunday. Senior Softball players range from 55 through 90 years of age.
"We are aiming to provide our league families with a fun, laid back event with crowds that allows our parents, coaches, managers and our seniors a rare opportunity to showcase their playing skills," said Linda Prestia, league information officer.
"It is expected to be a fun, and competitive game too! And we are having our league kids participate by announcing and umping," said Prestia.
The four parent teams playing include The One Hit Wonders, Who's On First, The Bat-titudes, and the TC Titans.
Three of the Randall Oaks fields will have games played simultaneously at the Exhibition Game, which also will highlight fundraising raffles for baskets of gift cards and items donated by local businesses and free youth shirts donated by the league's Chevrolet Sponsor Al Piemonte in Dundee. Kona Ice also is slated to be on site from noon to 6 p.m. that day and will donate 20 percent of their profits back to the league's fundraising initiative. The first 100 spectators will receive Tri-Cities Little League sponsor bags filled with freebies and coupons from area sponsors.
"Aligning with Senior Softball to put on this event seems natural, since they follow the same mantra as our league-always play for the love of the game. Some of the players in Dundee Senior Softball are Tri-Cities Little League alumni too. Or they have played baseball in their youth. It's very inspiring to see vigorous seniors out using the fields and exercising, socializing and having fun with one another through this great sport that often brings so many people together each year in our area," Prestia said.
She also added that many people who watch the seniors are amazed and impressed with the home-run hitting they consistently display during practices.
TCLL Alumni and current Dundee Senior Softball league player Wayne L. Weber, who retired in 1999, was looking to rekindle his baseball playing days after receiving invites to participate in Senior Softball Leagues in distant communities. He was one of the first Tri-Cities Little League players in the league that launched in Meadowdale in 1953. (He provided a photo of himself at 11 years old in a 1955 team picture with the founding fathers of TCLL.)
"After calling several local park districts, I found that they did not have senior softball as a program. So I joined in Palatine," said Weber, who found the distance to be time consuming.
Weber later met Ken Lavand and discussed the possibility to launch a Senior League in the Huntley area. Together, they sparked the creation of Senior Softball in 2002.
However, it wasn't until 2016 they contacted Dundee Township Park District at Randall Oaks and officially called Dundee their league home base.
Weber reiterated that Dundee Township Park District offered their league players a fair price to use the fields, which they found to be optimal for the hitting they were doing. The fields they previously played on often were too small and resulted in balls being hit out in to traffic sometimes.
"The West Dundee fields at RORC were perfect for us! So here we are," said Weber. He cited the fact that the park district was very accommodating and helpful and that the fields had a skinned infield and fencing with proper distance.
Dundee Senior Softball currently has players from different communities, including Schaumburg, Sycamore, Fox Lake, as well as West Dundee.
"Our league is a drop-in program. We pick new teams every time we play. Just like when we were kids," said Mike Dyrek, an active member of the senior league.
"We also welcome new members regardless of talent. Whether you 're a serious competitor or just out to have fun, our league accommodates everyone," Dyrek said.
Tri-Cities Little League has always appreciated how Dundee Seniors playing on the fields encompass a passion for the game and bring life to the fields when the kids are at school or in the weekday mornings when volunteers are at work.
"Having the fields utilized by our community is very important to our league and maintaining the love of the sport. We are hoping we reach our goal to acquire funding for field lighting at the location within the next few years to further expand the playing programs Tri-Cities Little League offers for youth in the future. And I foresee Dundee Senior Softball, who often battle the heat during the summer months, will also be able to expand their league by having use of the fields at night too when the sun goes down," Prestia said.