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Masters slo–pitch looking for players

April 4, 2013   ·   0 Comments

You are never too old to be one of the ‘boys of summer.’

While some sports – football and rugby come to mind – are probably best left to those who are under a certain age, the great thing about baseball is that if you can still swing a bat and run the bases you can play.

The Alliston Masters Slo-pitch League is still looking for a few players for the 2013 season.

The eight team league has seven squads ready to go but is looking to fill the last bench after a team from Violet hill decided not to field a team this year.

“Each team usually carries 12 to 14 players,” said league organizer Dean Cicci. who has been playing in the league for seven years. “We typically have eight teams but right now we have seven after one folded. We play at the McClean diamond behind the fire hall.”

The Masters division is slo-pitch is for players 35 years old and over.

“Typically we go through periods when people retire out and we start recruiting new players,” Cicci said. “The guys on the team will start asking friends to play,” to fill the ranks.

While the Masters division in most leagues has a combination of teams that are very serious and others that view it as a good night out, the league can become quite competitive depending on the line-up.

“As some of the younger guys come up, it elevates the level of the game,” Cicci explained.

The great thing about slo-pitch is that the game is designed to take the play to the field rather than rely on a pitcher’s duel like in hardball.

There is still three strikes and four balls in the count, but the pitcher has to deliver the ball in a high arc and drop it right on the plate for a strike.

Since most batters are going to hit, the play then relies on the field to respond.

Teams also have an extra player – the rover – on the field who fills in some of the open spots in the outfield.

Getting involved is easy. You can start by contacting Dean Cicci by email at DeanCicci@rogers.com to sign up.

By Brian Lockhart

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