What is something new you can see at the Sun City ballpark?
“Take your camera and go to the softball field, and in the box right off the parking lot by the drinking fountain, you will see a new memorial plaque for softball players who have passed away over the years,” advises Barry Cianciarulo, a Sun City Resident and a Veteran player of the Sun City Cougar 16-inch Softball Team.
John Roccosanto, who is on the board of the Softball Club, said, “We started this proposal a while ago. We brought the idea to the board. We had past players listed on a piece of paper pinned onto to the outdoor sign. We wanted something more.”
John Roccosanto, Suncity Softball Board Member (left) and Chuck Hund Softball Club President hold Plaque to Honor deceased members. (Photo by Christine Such/Sun Day)
Chuck Hund, president of the Softball Club added, “We wanted to have more of a tribute to the players and umpires who started this club and kept it going. It’s one of those things I feel everyone needs to know. We want to honor their memory, but also give the family this acknowledgment.”
The process was no small feat.
“It took a lot of research and we hope we got all the names, hopefully, if we forgot someone, family or friends will let us know and we can add them,” Roccosanto said.
The plaque holds the memories of the teammates who once were on the field laughing, hitting the ball, getting them out, and who will be there in spirit.
The plaque has been create just in time for the season to begin.
Hund states, “Our opening games are Saturday, May 4. We wanted the plague up before that and hope everyone pauses to look at it and remember the players.”
The Sun City Softball Memorial Hall of Fame honors “those friends whom we have been fortunate to come to know through Sun City Softball. May they rest in peace as they watch over us from the skybox up above.” The names include Dennis Berg, Richard Pawl, Lloyd Powell, Paul Roche, Jim Anderson, Ken Wolf, Dennis Lynch, Harry Rosenberg, John (Jack) Gilhooly, Gordon Young, Ed Solger, Jim Culotta, Pete Saiger, Frank Gianfortune, Ben Wieclawek, Gus Zimmer, Rich Scott, Walter Roberts, Al Jones, Fred Galicki, Sam Geati, Ed Barnas, and Mike Luciano.
Hund explained that there will be a new, special game added to the season.
“In addition to our regular games, we will again host the Veteran’s game on June 29 in conjunction with Del Webb’s Amazing Race,” he said. “We will have some added fun with that and on July 20 our All-Star game.”
What else is different about this year’s team?
Roccosanto said, “This year we have more woman on the team, six in total that have come out to play. We have 22 teams in total. This includes a morning and evening 16-inch and 12-inch teams.”
Hund is all in.
“We are delighted with some of the upgrades made in the infield and we are ready to play ball,” he said.
The Softball Club invites residents to come and watch their friends and neighbors play the game that was born in the Windy City, 16-inch softball.
