Today’s Lakeland Game Day had all the ingredients of a classic Florida summer: heat, humidity, and a roster that looked like it had been through a blender.
As soon as the temperature climbed, the annual Thursday Migration kicked in — a few of our regulars were MIA. And with the snowbirds still up north enjoying their “cooler weather,” we were left staring at a field that looked more like a practice session than league play.
But Lakeland doesn’t fold. We got creative — three teams of five, rotating three outs or two at‑bats, then six outs in the field. It wasn’t regulation softball… it was Lakeland Summer Softball, which is basically the same thing but with more improvising and more laughing.
We didn’t keep official score, but let’s be honest — everyone who showed up knows exactly who won this little experiment.
To the guys who were MIA: we missed you out there. Summer’s doing what summer does — thinning the roster, scattering players, and leaving us to invent new formats on the fly.
So next week, grab your glove, grab your water, and come help us turn Lakeland back into a full‑strength crew. We’ll keep the field warm for you… but we’d rather have you warming it yourselves.
Lakeland Senior Softball — making it work, even when the summer heat tries to steal our players.