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SHELBY TOWNSHIP — The Sterco Refractory Steel Co.’s men’s senior softball team has taken the title in the Shelby-Warren Senior Softball League for 2025.
The group finished in first place on the season with a 17-4 record, and also went 3-1 during the double-elimination postseason that ended with a 11-6 victory in the title game on Aug 20.
“We have several very good players that are in the Michigan USSSA Hall of Fame on the team and we have one guy that’s also in the national Hall of Fame (Chuck Maiorana),” Sterco Refractory Steel co-manager Oscar Zamora said. “The league is very competitive, but we’re all friends at the end of the day.”
Two years ago, Zamora and co-manager Nick Martinico played on a team that was consistently at the top of the league, but due to schedule and field conflicts, the group saw a lot of its players disperse to other teams. This season, the team tried to go back to its roots and get their original squad back together.
“Martinico and I collaborated in the offseason and thought, ‘Why don’t we try to get our old team back together?’ We contacted our players and most of them came back,” Zamora said. “We thought it would be nice to get the band back together. We just enjoy playing with each other so much on the field.”
Bringing in a lot of the team’s previous players also allowed Sterco Refractory Steel to use a lot of different guys throughout the season, which in this league is needed.
“When it comes to senior softball, at some point during the season there’s going to be an injury or two,” Zamora said. “And we were lucky enough to have good players to be able to fill into the different positions when somebody pulled a hamstring, turned an ankle, had a sore arm. It all goes with the territory of being over 55, which is the minimum age for the league.”
Aside from winning on the field, this league means a lot to players and their families, too. The turnout for games is large, and is filled with kids and grandkids to watch family members play.
“It’s such a nice feeling to get out there. The wives come out and watch or the family and grandkids come out and watch,” Zamora said. “Everybody just knows each other and they get along well. We enjoy it so much.”
The league is full of guys that not only know each other, but have played softball or baseball with each other for many years. Part of what makes it such a special environment is the fact that some of these players have competed against or with others for decades.
“We’ve known each other for a long time,” Martinico said. “We’re competitive. Yeah, we want to compete, but the friendship part of it is a big part of it, too.”
The epitome of the competitive-yet-fun atmosphere was the championship game itself. The final score was 11-6 and the game saw a handful of highlight plays from the two best teams in the league.
“What a great game it was. There were diving catches made by the outfielders, and I don’t think there were any errors,” Martinico said. “There were a lot of people there watching. It was a great game.”
Every year, the Shelby-Warren Senior Softball League plays a relaxed and fun game with everyone in the league to mark the end of the season. This year, the game will have over 100 players, and will take place at Jimmy John’s Field in Utica.
“Everything is kind of geared towards having fun and yet still being a little competitive,” Martinico said. “As the league goes, it’s the camaraderie. I got everyone on my team to participate (in the Jimmy John’s Field game).”
The Shelby-Warren Senior Softball League continues to be a great community and the Sterco Refractory Steel men’s team will look to get the band back together next year for another championship run. Games are played at Mae Stecker Park in Shelby Township and Halmich Park in Warren.
