MERIDIAN, Idaho — The Del Drake Senior Wood Bat League is keeping those over 60 active while fostering new friendships.
- The Del Drake League in Meridian has been around for over 20 years
- It's a city-run softball league featuring players over the age of 60 using wood bats
- For more information or to sign up, click here.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
Mike Storlien has been playing in the Del Drake Senior Wood Bat League for about 6 years now, and is their unofficial spokesperson, among other titles.
"I don't really have a position. I'm just kind of the instigator. Instigator or pot-stirrer," joked long-time league member Mike Storlien.
The league was started somewhere between 20 to 30 years ago by a Meridian resident named Del Drake.
"He was the founder of the league, and I believe we're the only wood bat league in the country," said Storlien.
Why wood bats you might be asking? Well, the league is unique. The only requirement to play is that you must be 60 or older.
"We use wood bats cause it makes for a little bit slower game. Guys in their 60s and 70s use wood bats. Guys in their 80s use whatever bats they like. And we do have a couple of players in their 90s," said Storlien.
The league was run almost entirely by Del Drake up until a few years ago when he physically could no longer participate. Then the City of Meridian stepped in.
"They came to us probably about three years ago and said we're getting to that point where time is wearing out on the end of their life cycle of being able to do it and their family had taken on his children, and so we, at that point said, 'ok, let's help you out and keep this going,'" said City of Meridian Adult Sports Coordinator Maggie Combs.
And it's only gotten more popular.
"There's about 130, maybe 150," said Storlien.
That's enough for several different teams in three different divisions.
"When one of our teams takes the field, that's like 500 years of playing experience," exclaimed Storlien.
And though they love playing in official games, he says many of them enjoy hanging out at practices even more.
"We get to make errors at multiple positions in practice. In the game, you can only make an error at one position," said Storlien.
From an outsider's perspective, the league is so much more than just softball.
"I know that when I sit down and talk with them, it's not a short conversation by any means. I get a history lesson of what's going on and how this has formed, and watching them light up like a little kid on Christmas sometimes is just, it's heartfelt. So you know that this is something they strive for and they're like, 'ok, I'm still playing ball, I still wanna get out there, I still wanna be active.' And they wanna give each other something to strive for and be supportive. It's a community," said Combs.
"First of all, we all feel blessed to be here; to be playing this game at our ages. Amazing. And if you've ever been around a small town where there's a bunch of guys sitting around drinking coffee, there's a lot of that that goes on here," said Storlien.
So if you're 60 or older and want to turn your past prime back to past-time, the registration deadline for the Del Drake Senior Wood Bat League is Wednesday, March 13th. And remember: it's not just about playing ball again.
"I think all of us feel it's important to just stay active and that's mostly what we're doing. We grew up in the sandlot generation. We've been doing this forever, it's just natural. And we just are each other's biggest fans," said Storlien.
