Co-Ed Softball League held first game last Tuesday in Trafton Park

It’s officially official. Malta’s Co-Ed softball league has held games Last Thursday and last Tuesday night at Trafton Park after the event held its first meeting last Thursday.

“We had some people turn up and we actually played some softball then,” said Jo Tharp the event’s main coordinator. “Then we had some more people register for softball over the weekend.”

As it stands, the league has 22 members, which is big enough for two teams at the moment. Tharp hopes that many more will sign up.

“I just see people saying, ‘there’s not a whole lot to do in Malta,’ so I’m trying to help by getting something going,” Tharp said.

After the meeting, the group decided that games will be at 6 p.m. on Tuesday evenings at Trafton Park.

The league will follow rules from the Amateur Softball Association, which have guidelines for coed softball teams.

“Games will be about 75 minutes or seven innings, whichever comes first,” Tharp said.

The league, though small in numbers, already boasts members from no experience to members that have played in little league or former co-ed leagues. A few members are coaches from Malta’s younger Bambino and Tee-ball Leagues.

Five years ago, Malta had a league similar to this year’s version and a few that played in that league are excited about the opportunity today.

Tharp, a Malta High graduate, just recently moved back to town in April and that’s when the idea for a league hit her.

“I was looking for something to do with friends and there just didn’t seem like a lot of young adults activities,” Tharp said.

Tharp said she heard people asking if there was an adult league during the Bambino League games.

“I asked around and everyone said there wasn’t anything like that for adults, so I just kind of put it out there and asked around and got a group together,” Tharp said. “Hopefully it develops.”

For those who may be struggling to find something to do on a Tuesday, this league may be for you. One of the best parts about this season is there is no entry fee. But it doesn’t hurt to bring your own cleats, glove or a bat.

“This year registration is free because it is in the developmental stages,” Tharp said. “Whether that will change will depend on how many people we get and if we want to go competitive.”

If the league goes competitive there will be fees that the group will have to make up collectively including liability.

There also may be sponsorship for teams in the future, depending on how many can join.

Contact Tharp at 406 390-4608 for more info.