It had been 2 long years since the last Police Softball West Conference Championships were held. A lot has changed since that time, including the venue. West Covina Big League Dreams was no longer an option and Cathedral City in late June generally produces intolerable playing conditions (average daily high temperature 108 degrees). Fortunately, the softball gods must like the PS circuit because the opportunity arose to play in coastal San Diego County at the SportsPlex USA.

The Thin Blue Line Spring National Championship was held this weekend at Grand Park Athletic Complex In Myrtle Beach South Carolina. Grand Park is the premier softball facility in the country and the only thing nicer than the venue might have been the weather. Beautiful clear skies and 75 degrees all day. The Weekends events kicked off for the 19 participating teams with a players party at Nacho Hippos, The taco buffet was almost as big of a hit as the ice cold beers at the open bar. A great time was had by all who attended.

Thanks again to those who supported the 7th Annual Law Enforcement Desert Shootout Tournament on May 7th and 8th at the Golden Eagle Complex in Sparks, NV. A portion of this year’s proceeds again went to the Ofc. John Hege Memorial Fund (OJHMF.org). John gave the ultimate sacrifice on March 21st, 2009. As an organ donor, he lives on through those he was able help after his death. Please check out OJHMF.org and become a donor.

This was a special year for Kyle Scollo. It was his first year to be able to play the full tournament on a team and enjoy the sport, just as his dad had. Kyle is graduating from high school in a month, and the commitment many of us made when John passed, was to run this tournament until he graduated. He now wants to come back and help run it, so we will keep it going.

It’s that time of year, when everyone is excited to see who is playing with who and showing off the new uniforms. However; the past year has been a year like no other. This was the first Police Softball Tournament, on the West Coast, since the 2020 DEA Kickoff. Usually the tourney is held in Palm Springs, but due to COVID restrictions, Socal is still on lockdown. So the venue had to be change to Fresno CA. Instead of 5 fields, there was only 3. There was also time constraints due to the facility wanting league night and Saturday Civi ball. That meant long breaks in between games, and shorter length games. The 15 West Coast teams that showed up, didn’t care about any of that. They were just excited to be playing Police Softball, on the West Coast, once again.

The 2021 season opened up in sunny Tampa Florida on the East Coast. Everyone was anxious to put 2020 behind us and get back out on the field and play ball. It kicked off with the Friday players party at Whisky Joes on the water with a tropical feel welcoming everyone from the North out of the cold and onto the beach.

As everyone is aware, this has been year like no other. Tournament after tournament has been cancelled. There still is no word on whether the World Series will be going on. You won’t be seeing any awards this year. But, every year we have players eligible for the P.S. Hall of Fame.

The 15th Annual Police Softball World Series was completely sold out over two months in advance. This year marked the 10-year anniversary at the Big League Dreams venue in Las Vegas. The park itself is only 10 years old, so Police Softball has been there since its inaugural year. The first 5 years saw the Cathedral City (Palm Springs, Ca.) as the host venue. The event itself has undergone very few changes over the past few years, so there is nothing new to report in regards to the format.