Welcome

WELCOME!

There certainly aren’t a lot of RV parks in America where you can play softball, but we are fortunate here at VDO to have our own softball facility. Softball is played at VDO from November 1st through the first week of March. During January & February there are over 150 games played on our field per month!

Valle del Oro is an active Retirement Community located at 1452 South Ellsworth Road in Mesa, AZ

Competition

There are several different levels of play here at VDO. If you are a competitive ball player you can try-out for the Prospectors, which is the highest-level team in the park. Most of the players have played softball most of their adult life and many play on travel teams once they go back home. In any given winter season, the Prospectors play almost 80 games between Jan & March, which amounts to 4-6 days per week. That’s a lot of softball!

The next level of ball is the Gamblers. They are also competitive and play a least 2-4 days per week. As with the Prospectors the Gamblers play some weekend tournaments.

The next 2 levels are also competitive but don’t play as much as the two previously mentioned teams. Many of the players simply enjoy playing a couple of days per week and participating in other activities throughout the park.

VDO also has a women’s softball team, the Valle Girls. They play once or twice a week and occasionally play in tournaments on the weekends.

There are 12 teams at VDO consisting of over 150 players. Most teams require that you be at least 55 years of age (50 years old for the Valle Girls), but this is waived during the fall season.

There are also several teams for those over 70 years of age.

When do you want to play and how much?

This is a really important question to ask yourself before you dive in headfirst! There are three seasons of softball here at VDO with the Fall season beginning November 1st and ending just before Christmas. The Winter season then begins around January 2nd and continues to approximately March 1st. The spring season runs in March. Depending on the team/s you end up playing on you could be playing 1-6 times per week.

Joining a league mid-season

Because all the teams, excluding the Prospectors, play in a structured league there are deadlines for adding players to a roster. If you arrive in the park in December, you will be too late to join the Fall season. The cut-off date for the Winter season is in late February. Don’t get too discouraged if you miss these deadlines as there may be other options for you to join us.

What will it cost me to play softball at VDO?

League fees are relatively inexpensive and run $20-$35 per season. The cost of buying a softball bat, cleats, glove, etc. can be a bit pricey. If you came to VDO well equipped, you will save yourself a fortune!

Do we wear uniforms?

Yes! Uniforms will be provided by the VDO Softball Club, with no cost to you. Yep, we have our own association which consists of hard-working volunteer board members!

Team Managers & Coaches

Each team has a coach and most have a manager that assists with running the team.

Tournament Play

On any given weekend you will find one or two of our teams playing in a tournament here at Valle del Oro. Come down and cheer on the home team!

So do you want to play?

Certainly this information sheet will not provide you with all of the information you may need to play softball here at VDO but it should point you in the right direction and assist you with getting started. Now that you have decided to play softball you will need to Sign Up.

Our Player Development Rep. will contact you and work to get you on the team that best suits your experience level and matches the amount of time you want to play. If you desire to play at one of the upper levels it may be necessary for you to participate in a try-out, just like you may have done when you played Little League. Don’t worry, it’ll be nearly stress free!

Still have questions or need more information?

As friendly as all of our ballplayers tend to be, most of them should be able to answer most of your questions, but if not please feel free to contact our Player Development Representative and he will certainly take the time to answer all of your questions. Thank you for your interest in playing softball here at Valle del Oro!

Email: edmillervdosoftball@gmail.com

Cell: 306-371-3460