Some of our LOTO members will be participating in a “Granny Basketball” fundraiser, and seek our support.

The event takes place on Sunday, March 16, starting at 2pm. It will be held at the Valley Home School, 13231 Pioneer Ave., Oakdale.

We start the pre-pre-season with a spread and the Association’s annual General Meeting. Here players (and spouses) visit with buddies they haven’t seen in days/weeks/months, eat, celebrate last season’s award winners and newest Hall of Fame inductees, and generally tell tall tales. It all happens here:

Wednesday, Feb 19, 2025, 6:30 pm
Riverbank Community Center
3600 Santa Fe Ave, Riverbank CA 95367

You can register at the dinner and still qualify for “early-bird” discounts. See you there!

[If you didn’t receive our snail mail, or just need another copy of the registration form, you can download it on our Forms page.]

Registration for the upcoming 2025 SSSA season is now open! Those who were registered last year will receive paper forms in the mail. Your early registration helps our Association meet pre-season expenses (balls, uniforms, etc.); we reward this via discounts. Any questions can be directed to League Commissioners, Board members, or by email via our Contact form (you can also email directly to web@stanssa.com).

Please remember to sign the form to complete the process!

NOTE: Mailing of the forms was inadvertently delayed, but you should have received them by now.

If you did not receive snail mail, or just need another copy, you can download it on our Forms page. There is the form to return there, as well as a separate letter outlining important dates of the season. NOTE: clicking on the registration form may open it in Acrobat Reader on your device. If it does, you may type in all the info; once you’ve done so, print the page–sign the bottom!–then submit it.

We’re holding the line on prices while we can. Please spread the word about our leagues–we need more players! To that end, find a poster you can print and distribute on the Forms page. [That’s just one idea–if anyone has other design suggestions, please help us out!]

Batting practices now start at 11a.m., Monday and Thursday. The pick-up games remain Wednesdays at 11a.m. (all at Beyer Park, subject to weather and field availability).

For those unfamiliar, members of SSSA gather to hold informal batting practices throughout the off-season. Any current–or prospective–member is welcome. Some come to every one; some just come when able. Just show up–and shag your share of balls.

This is NOT an official League-related event, and Stanislaus Senior Softball Association assumes no responsibility for these events.

Who knows–an informal cook-out may even break out afterwards….

Tom LaBarbera left us November 10, 2024. He joined Stanislaus Senior Softball Association in 1998. He quickly established himself as a great outfielder with speed, a good arm, and a pull hitter with power. Tom was always a very high pick in the drafts, not only for his play; he was a great guy, somebody you would want to be around. 

His dedication to God and his family was his priority, softball may not have even been in his top 5. But he was committed to play, he loved the game, he coached, managed, and played with great success.

In 2013 he was chosen for the Mason Kirkpatrick-Terria Banda Award as a person who exemplifies what it is to be a Senior Softball Player. 

Tom was the only person inducted into the SSSA Hall of Fame in 2014, a testament to his popularity. 

Tom had been diagnosed with cancer in 2014, yet many friends and fellow ball players did not know his condition. Tom will be missed and our Association has lost a great member. 

His memorial service is Saturday, December 7^th, at 11am in downtown Modesto at Crosspoint Community Church, 1301 12th Street. 

Traditionally, it would be appropriate for all the Hall of Famers to wear their HOF jackets and the 25- and 30-year members to wear their jackets to the memorial service. 

Our condolences to his wife Dianne and his entire family. 

— Don Angle

The full obituary can be found here.

Fall/Winter opportunity to keep your hand in….

On Wednesday mornings, you’re invited to practice/simulated games. Teams will be randomly chosen from whoever shows up, then teams will alternate batting and playing the field.

We’ve attempted to collect photos of every team in every league. Naturally, attendance varies from week to week, but we’ll try hard to fill in any holes. If you see anything too far amiss, feel free to comment via email to: web@stanssa.com.

See the photos at the top of our Photo Gallery.

Thanks to all who voted, and all who volunteered to run for office.

The results are in, and all incumbents were re-elected. Dave Hansen will serve as Vice President, and Lisa Stout will remain as Secretary. For the three Board of Directors seats, Cindy Cooper, Dan Langhoff, and Dan Yoder were the top vote-getters.

Every year, two Officers and three Board seats are elected by the members of SSSA leagues. Should any resignations occur mid-term, the Board will vote for replacements.

Should you wish to serve in future, please let your Officers know!

Changes have been made to each league’s printed schedules to reflect the two added games, available here.

Click on the schedule pictures for the new print-out, in PDF form.

Nelson Hall tied or set some kind of record on Wednesday, Aug. 21.

He struck out three batters in the 7th inning with just slow (and slower) ball pitches.

Congrats, Nellie!

— Al Sterling