ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - Senior Softball USA (SSUSA) hosted its Northern California State Championship the weekend of June 26-28 at Bartholomew Sports Complex.

This tournament had a total of 54 teams competing in both the men’s and women’s division at sports complexes in Elk Grove, Lincoln and Davis.                

The winners of the tournament qualified to compete in the 2027 Tournament of Champions, which will be played Jan. 20-24 in Polk County, Florida.  

 

A pitcher throws to a waiting batter.

The format of the tournament started out in a Round Robin where each team played to determine the seeding for when it changed to a double-elimination bracket.           

Games started at 8:30 a.m. on Friday morning for the Round Robin. Then for the double elimination bracket, games started at 8 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.                  

There will be another opportunity for teams to be able to qualify for the 2027 Tournament of Champions in the Elk Grove/Sacramento area: the Western National Championships on July 28 that will go through Aug. 2.

SSUSA not only has qualifying tournaments, but also recreational tournaments. The recreational tournaments are still sanctioned by the SSUSA. These tournaments are more for fun and casual play, while the qualifying tournaments count for post-season eligibility.         

 

Runner and Fielder at Second Base After Ball Gets Thrown Back In

      

There are over 1,500 teams across the country, even spanning into Canada, making SSUSA the world’s largest organization devoted to senior softball players.  

It is only designed for players that are going to be older than 40 years old and even has a division that goes up to 85 years old. The tournaments are formatted by divisions that are split by five-year increments, ensuring safety to each of the players while also balancing the competition.                                       

Whether someone wants to play to stay in shape or competitively, the SSUSA is able to provide that. It allows players to continue to play the sport that they love while also being able to stay active and in shape while getting older.                   

Not only does this allow people to stay healthy and active, but it creates a healthy relationship with the people on the team to build camaraderie that extends to the families. And it builds a relationship with the opposing teams in the division.   

 

Senior Player Throwing Ball to Pitcher