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High Country Softball League to Swing Away Beginning Thursday, June 1

By Bailey Faulkner

Spring is in the air in the High Country, and that means folks will soon begin the season of warm-weather sports and outdoor activities. High Country Senior Softball will greet the warmer temperatures beginning June 1 when its season of pickup games kicks off.

High Country Senior Softball, instead of being organized as a typical “league” with a set schedule and distinct teams facing off, meets every Tuesday and Thursday for more laid-back pickup games. The friendly pickup games begin at 10:30 a.m. at the Lees-McRae College softball complex on Tuesdays and the Watauga County recreation complex on Thursdays.

The league is open to seniors aged 55 and up, with women under 55 also invited to the season of pickup games. Warmups and batting practice will take place 30 minutes prior to each matchup, so don’t forget to arrive early.

The league will hold pickup games each Tuesday and Thursday from June 1 to August 31. The league will offer the High Country “fun games for all talent levels.”

“We’re just out there to have fun,” organizer Bert Valery said. “It’s not going to be a competitive league; the idea is just to have fun.”

If you haven’t had the chance to play softball or any other organized sports in a while, don’t worry! The league is much more interested in having folks share the fun of softball than in competing against each other.

“The typical person we’d like to get out there might not have played in years,” Valery said.

If you have any questions about High Country Senior Softball, feel free to contact Bert Valery at 727-215-5560 or Holly Gates at 828-264-9511 or holly.gates@watgov.org.

During the offseason, Valery can be most easily contacted at 1-800-330-8445. During the season, be sure to contact him at 727-215-5560.