TUCSON, Arizona — The name Stacy Iveson is synonymous with Tucson softball.
"I'm a huge fan of Tucson sports," said Iveson. "Growing up here, a native."
And, while she was winning titles coaching college softball at Pima, Yavapai, and Arizona, fast pitch as a recreational sport was striking out.
"To see it slowly kind of fade away was sad to me."
So, when Iveson became program coordinator for Tucson Parks and Rec, she was determined to take action.
"The first thought on my mind was, let's see if we can bring back fast pitch, and women's fast pitch."
Enter the reborn Tucson Parks and Rec Fast Pitch Softball League. They play Tuesday nights during the summer at Lincoln Regional Park on the east side of Tucson.
Iveson was hoping to have enough interest to field four teams. Instead, they are able to field eight teams.
"You always have the itch," said pitcher Estela Pinon.
Pinon pitches for the Los Viejas team. She's a former Sunnyside high school pitcher who also used to pitch for Iveson at Yavapai and the University of Arizona. And, when her former coach called, she dusted off her glove.
"I say that you're going to do this for fun, but when you're out there, your competitive juices come out," said Pinon.
There's no shortage of laughs or comradery in this league, and the quality of play and vary from game to game.
"You'd be surprised that we can still go out there and compete," said Pinon. Maybe not like an eighteen year-old, but I feel like we can compete."
Pinon is joined by several former Sunnyside teammates.
"We play like we did back in our days as a team," Pinon said.
On this night, Pinon and Los Viejas lost to a team called the Ex-prospects, 2-0, but the real winner is softball in Tucson.
"I know there was interest, and I'm just excited to see it take off in its first year," said Iveson.
