The girls softball program at Yorktown High School turned 50 years old this spring, and there was a pregame event May 2 to celebrate the anniversary.
Some 30 alumni from past teams were on the field introduced prior to Yorktown’s Liberty District home game against the Marshall Statesmen.
Fittingly, Yorktown defeated Marshall big, 17-7.
Joanna Schneider and Diane Lacklen McCurdy were members of that first team in 1975. They were present, with Schneider throwing out the first pitch — a low strike. Suzy Bohnert and Nancy Raum (coach) were other former team members who were present.
The former players reminisced about the 10-game first season, with the team coached by John Hamill. Home games were played on a field at Jamestown Elementary School, and there were no team uniforms or hats.
“We wore T-shirts, shorts, sweat pants or jeans and whatever shoes we had,” Schneider said.
Schneider said most of the players had experience, having played the sports in various neighborhood youth leagues.
Mary Ellen Flannery and the Yorktown softball boosters and current head softball coach Heather Sutphin helped organized the event, with T-shirts made for the alumni.
“It fun to see so many former players here,” Flannery told ARLnow.
Some of the former players signed in and wrote little notes about their time as Yorktown players with their favorite memories and messages to current players.
In the May 2 victory, Audrey Pocrass had a two-run double and two-run homer; Kaiya Ovando had three hits and three RBI; Kassen Foreman had a hit and three RBI; and McKenna Gurgo had a single and two-run double.
Margaret Flannery-Goodman singled and walked, Sejal Lee had an RBI single and sacrifice bunt, and Lilah Grace Kresse and Samantha Parker did the pitching.
