PCSSA team members with Dan Phelka’s jersey
Fred Dresser
The 29th season of the PebbleCreek Senior Softball Association (PCSSA) will finish the first week of April, where the season and tournament champions will be crowned. The 29th fall/winter season of PebbleCreek Softball started in October 2023.
The 29th season saw the league grow to 24 teams spread across three divisions. To accommodate this growth and the number of games played, the Field of Dreams is utilized from Monday to Saturday. The total number of games that will be played this season is a whopping 960 games.
This season also saw the introduction of volunteer umpires. These umpires are also the men and women who play this game. There is a rumor that some of the managers bring a fat wallet and have a lengthy conversation with the umpires before their game. A smart manager, however, should never question an umpire’s call, their eyesight maybe, but not the call.
Next come the public address announcers and their announcing of the players’ names as they come to bat. It’s kind of interesting to hear a player’s name announced along with a superlative, some of which are pretty creative!
The PCSSA is not just 300 players, managers, coaches, and volunteers, it is also a family. Family, as defined in the dictionary, is a group of people united by certain convictions or a common affiliation: Fellowship.
This season also saw quite a few family members experience injuries and health issues. These individuals are not only players, teammates, and friends, but they are also part of the PCSSA family that also feels their pain. We wish them a speedy recovery. Unfortunately, the PCSSA family recently lost a family member, Dan Phelka, who had played for 22 seasons. This loss was felt throughout the league. He will be missed.