Here in Pasadena, the options for youth recreational sports are plentiful. However, for adults looking for something fun and competitive, there hasn’t been much to choose from. That is, until four years ago, when local resident Brian Griffiths organized Old Line Wiffle Ball, the area’s first league dedicated to the game of Wiffle® ball – a scaled-down version of baseball played with a perforated light-weight plastic ball and plastic bats.
During the pandemic, Griffiths discovered that the Wiffle ball National Championship was occurring that fall. Intrigued by the idea, he signed up to play despite having no prior experience. After recruiting just a few other players, the team played in the 2020 inaugural United Wiffle® Ball National Championship Tournament in York, Pennsylvania.
Since then, Old Line Wiffle Ball has grown from five players to 45, and they’re still accepting new players and teams until March 1. “The OLW season begins with Opening Day on March 16th and plays, roughly, one Saturday morning a month through July 13th, with playoffs following,” Griffiths explained. “Our travel team plays in the Mid Atlantic Wiffle season based out of Pennsylvania, and our travel season will start April 27th and end with the World Championship in October.”
Griffiths, who serves as head coach of the travel team, said that the team plays at a private residence in Long Point. “We have a minimum age of 13, but anybody 13 and up can play. Last year the age of players ranged from 13 to 60,” he noted.
Asked what his favorite part about playing Wiffle ball is, Griffiths emphasized that it’s all about having fun. “Nobody is playing for money. Everybody on that field is there to have fun and to compete.”
Anyone interested in registering for Old Line Wiffle Ball can do so at www.oldlinewiffle.com. The league is also active on Facebook (@oldlinewc), Twitter (oldlinewiffle), Instagram (@oldlinewiffle), YouTube (@oldlinwiffle), and TikTok (@oldlinewiffleclub).
