Fabulous Sixties Team Captures World Crown

Enterprise-Record, September 21, 2024

SOFTBALL

Fabulous sixties team captures world crown

Chico-based 60+ senior softball team wins AAA division World Championship

From back left to right: Craig Wagner, Bill Flory, Bob Gilbertson, Randy Harden, Greg Wagner and from left to right: Greg Knight, Pat Napoli, Mark Piland, Bill Napoli pose together with the World Championship trophy after their 24-23 victory against KC Elite in the 60+ year old AAA division Senior Softball USA World Championship on Sunday in Las Vegas. The group is nine of the team’s 16 players from Butte County in Chico, Oroville or Magalia.

BY JUSTIN COUCHOT
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CHICO» The best teams in any sport and at any age group are build on several key factors: team chemistry, focus and determination on a goal, and of course talent.

The Senior Softball-USA division of slow pitch softball gives players an opportunity to stay in shape, and continue camaraderie and competitiveness on a level playing field against people of their same age. It also enables close friends the ability to traveling with their significant others while playing the game they love.

Chico residents Mark Piland and Bob Gilbertson, the captains of North Valley Seniors Softball or NVS, have spent the past nine years putting together a team with the goal of one day winning the Senior Softball World Championships. Competing in the 60+ AAA division, Piland and Gilbertson have built a group of nine players from the Chico area, four from the Grass Valley area, two from Redding and one from Reno.

NVS took first place in the Western Regional tournament in Sacramento, the USA Championship game played in Las Vegas against a team from Indiana that won the Eastern Regional tournament, and then won the World Championship on Sunday.

When you're 60 years old, not often are you considered "young", however this was one of the keys to the NVS team.
North  Valley  Seniors  Softball  team  manager  Bob  Gilbertson  meets  with the  umpires  prior to  the start  of the  60+ year  old AAA  division  Senior  Softball  USA  World  Championship  game on  Sunday  in Las  Vegas.

"One of the coolest things, is every five years you get to be the young guy again," said Bill Flory, a member of the team and teacher/former coach at Pleasant Valley High School. "Last year we were all 58-59 and the old guys in the bracket, and this year we're the young guys in the bracket. You don't often get to be the young guy when you're 60. When you join the 60-65 group and you're mostly 60, it's really cool. We have two 65 year olds and a 64 year old, and most of the rest of us are at 60, 61 and 62 so we're a young team in our 60s."

NVS lost one game in the Western Regional tournament and built their way back through the loser's bracket by winning five straight games, and didn't lose a game in Las Vegas. They capped the World Championship with a walk off hit by their captain, Gilbertson.

"Westerns really brought us together. The loss might have been a good thing," Piland said. "We knew we could do it. We play the national game, win that, and I told everyone we're not done. We have a job to do."

The Chico-based team came into the final inning of the World Championship game trailing 24-21 against KC Elite. Steve Swirsky led off with a triple, Bill Flory doubled, Randy Harden singled, and Jim Guzman hit into a fielder's choice to give NVS a runner at first base now trailing 24-23. Piland doubled to tie the game, Flory went in to run for Piland, Don Forbis was walked to set up a double play, and the captain Gilbertson came up to bat with the winning run at second base and one out. Gilbertson only needed one pitch, as he got a pitch on the outside half of the plate and hit a line drive over the first baseman's head to score the game winning run. NVC defeated KC Elite 24-23 in the come-from-behind victory.

"I got to be the one to score it, and it was magical," Flory said. "We believed in ourselves, confident but not arrogant. We knew it was going to happen, but we waited for that moment to celebrate it. It was terrific. We're world champs."

Piland was so excited he was just looking for someone to hug.

"I was screaming, 'yeah, yeah, yeah' as soon as Bob's hit cleared the 6-foot-8 first baseman, and r looked for somebody to hug," Piland said.

Every victory came down to the little things - valuing each out on defense, trusting teammates to do their job, not being selfish, and it paid off.

While talent no doubt played a key to the success, the camaraderie and positivity in the dugout and at dinners following played a key factor as well. When Piland and Gilbertson search for players to join their team, they don't just factor in skill. They've filled in gaps in talent where the team does not have a weakness if an injury occurs or a substitution needs to be made, but keeping the team's chemistry is important above all.

"That's what Bob and I always talk about first and foremost, is that guy going to fit, not just on the field, but off the field as well," Piland said. "That's one of the most important things for us. We don't want someone coming in and throwing off the mojo. Like with any softball team we always want to win, but when we look to pick players for our team we look at people that are a fit. I can say that I love my guys, and I think every one of them would say the same thing. We not only play on the field together, our wives after the games will always meet up for a full team dinner."

After winning the SSUSA World Championship at the AAA division, the NVS team will now be promoted to the 60+ Majors division next year. As for the future of the team and its goals, Gilbertson said, "We will move up to the 60 major division. We will be competitive and continue to enjoy playing the game we love with people we enjoy spending time with."

A couple of statistics from NVS's weekend in Las Vegas include: the team averaged 23 runs per game, and had an on base percentage of. 750. John Shank led the team in batting average C.943), going 24-for-26 before injuring his hamstring prior to the championship game. Steve Swirsky had a batting average of .897, 15 players had a batting average above .500, eight players had a batting average above .700, two players above .850 and Shank the lone player above .900.

For anyone interested in following the North Valley Senior Softball team and their future endeavors visit them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100054204281143.

From back left to right: Bill Napoli, Chuck Davidson, Taylor Welz, Don Forbis, Bill Flory, Bob
Gilbertson, Steve Swirsky, Craig Wagner, Jim Guzman and front left to right: Doug Ralph,
Pat Napoli, John Shank, Mark Piland, Greg Knight, Greg Wagner, Randy Harden pose
together with the trophy after their 24-23 victory against KC Elite in the 60+ year old AAA
division Senior Softball USA World Championship on Sunday in Las Vegas.

North Valley Seniors Softball team manager Bob Gilbertson
comes into score while Chuck Davidson rounds third and
Greg Knight coaches third base during the Senior Softball
USA World Championship on Sunday.

North Valley Softball team
manager Bob Gilbertson,
left, and GM Mark Piland
stand with the 60+ year old
AAA division Senior Softball
USA World Championship
trophy.

North Valley’s Mark Piland pitches in the USA World
Championship game on Sunday in Las Vegas. Piland, NVS’
main pitcher and owner of the team, was the winning
pitcher in the World Championship game.

THE ROSTER
Mark Piland: Chico
Bob Gilbertson: Chico
Bill Flory: Chico
Pat Napoli: Chico
Bill Napoli: Chico
Greg Knight: Chico
Greg Wagner: Magalia
Craig Wagner: Magalia
Randy Harden: Oroville
Doug Ralph: Grass Valley
Chuck Davidson: Grass Valley
Taylor Welz: Grass Valley
Jim Guzman: Grass Valley
Don Forbis: Redding
Steve Swirsky: Redding