- PoliceSoftball.com - Complete Guide to Police Tournament Softball

Name	Del Pickney
Nickname
Uniform #	Easton
Team	SoCal Alliance
Agency	Tustin PD
Assignment	Special Investigations Sergeant (BJITW)
PS.com Nick	Elpresidente

Nickname: I am still looking for a good one that will stick.

Sports background: Baseball and football since 6 years old all the way into High School. My baseball career ended when pitchers learned to throw a curve ball. My football career ended when I realized colleges did not need a 205 pound offensive tackle. Was introduced to softball when I joined the United States Marine Corps.

Softball History: I have played police softball in one form or another since the early 1990s. Fell in love with the camaraderie of LEO ball and just love being a part of it.

Past Police Teams: Tustin G-Spots (don’t ask), Tustin Sticktime, Tustin Underdogs (Our Tustin PD Teams were/are bad) I played in 2 tourneys with the old Newport Beach Combo team which made me want to be part of a competitive team. What they had accomplished impressed me in that they fielded a good team, ran a major tourney and seemed to bring more to the sport than what they took away.

Proudest Police Softball Moments: Making lifelong friendships as a result of softball. Helping organize the first ever Police World Series. Creating PoliceSoftball.com with Jeff Blair. And most recently, winning the Police World Series in 2007.

Lowest Softball Moment: Anytime I forget that my two little girls cheer for daddy whether I win or lose means I have lost perspective and losing perspective is always a low moment for me. It has happened a few times but hopefully it happens with less frequency.

Future personal goals in Police Softball: First and foremost I want to keep fielding a competitive team and keep promoting our sport in a positive way. My goal is always to leave something better than I found it and I hope to do that with Police Softball.

When the Alliance first started, I was a full time player. As we time went on and we decided to become a team that competes with the big boys, my playing time dropped. I rarely play now but I still enjoy the satisfaction of being part of the team and knowing that my contribution is important.

Where do you see our sport in 5-10 years: I see the sport becoming more competitive but I also see the players on different teams becoming better friends and socializing more as a result of PoliceSoftball.com. They say familiarity breeds contempt but I do not think it is true in this case. I think a national board may be in our future to help organize our sport and if that comes to pass I will support it. I don’t think I would want to be a part of it because there are greater minds than mine out there and I have my plate full with my own team and this website but I think it would be a positive for the sport if it is done right. Key…if it is done right.

MISC: I hope to end my softball career as the San Diego Gray team did by playing on a team with close friendships, enjoying yourself whether you are up or down against a team and still having the ability to take down any team around.