GREENACRES, Fla. — On any given Tuesday or Thursday night in the fall, you can expect to see nearly 300 young athletes playing softball at Lake Charleston Park in western Palm Beach County. Two local nonprofits are giving more young athletes the chance to play the sport, with a goal of expanding softball in a way that is affordable and accessible to all.
One of those programs is the VSA Lady Lions, a travel softball program whose under-14s team runs a practice packed full of every element softball has to offer — from the tee to home plate.
"Our normal practice starts with stretching, throwing," Coach Ed Kunzweiler said. "They do a lot of defensive drills. They run a lot of plays. Then we usually do some hitting off coaches, and then we usually try to finish with some live hitting," Kunzweiler said.
Coach Kunzweiler said when he started at the club, they had just two travel teams.
"Now we're at 8 or 9. So it's grown pretty substantially," Kunzweiler said.
He said the VSA Lady Lions are the largest women's travel softball program in South Florida — and interest is still growing.
"I'm really proud about what we built here. It's something that has grown every season," Kunzweiler said.
One of the program's star players is Ari Merklein, who plays shortstop, third base and some outfield. She admits her favorite spot on the field is shortstop.
"I got involved in softball because I just didn't know what sport to pick when I was little and I just couldn't get used to 1 sport. But then I joined softball and I made a lot of friends and I got really good at it and just continued doing it," Merklein said.
She never looked back. Merklein said that whether it's at practice or traveling to tournaments on the weekend, her team is having fun.
"It's really fun. We're all like good friends with each other, so we all hang out outside of softball and inside of softball, and we're good at communicating with each other. So it's just like a lot of good teamwork," Merklein said.
Just a field away are the softball newbies who are part of West Boynton Girls Fastpitch, a recreational softball program that is beginner-friendly and has around 200 participants this year.
"We have kids out here right now that are four or five years old, just learning to pick up a softball for the very first time,” Coach Kunzweiler said. "It's a special program."
A place to start — and a place to grow. For many players, that pathway begins with recreational softball.
West Boynton Girls Fastpitch provides girls across multiple age groups and experience levels an opportunity to learn the fundamentals of the game, compete locally and become part of a softball community.
"What's exciting to me is coming by here and seeing all four fields being used. Whether it's rec or travel, it doesn't really matter, but to me, that's what youth sports is supposed to be like, especially community local sports, and it's exciting. We're giving these kids opportunities,” Coach Kunzweiler said.
From players learning the fundamentals to athletes like Merklein who want to play at the college level, softball in Lake Charleston Park is a team effort.
The West Boynton Girls Fastpitch recreational program and the VSA Lady Lions travel teams are nonprofits and are offered free or at low cost — so that every young girl who picks up a bat can swing for the fences.
To learn more about the VSA Lady Lions visit their website.
