EVERETT – Baseball has been romanticized and revered in so many ways by American pop culture that few other pursuits ever come close to reaching a similar level of adoration.
The Boys of Summer, The Natural, Field of Dreams, Sandlot, Major League, Bull Durham, Casey At The Bat, Who’s On First?, “Foul Ball” by Jim Bouton, the Little League World Series, The Green Monster, having a catch.
These baseball touchstones are intertwined in the Puget Sound Senior Baseball League, which started in 1989 and now boasts over 1200 local players on 74 teams across 10 divisions, based on age and skill, making it the largest adult baseball organization in the country.
It offers baseball fanatics a chance to keep playing after their school team eligibility expires, allowing their field of dreams to continue at the bat for summers to come.
On July 18, the PSSBL All-Stars play a charity game against the Everett Merchants of the Pacific International League at Funko Field, first pitch at 6:35p. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged to support the Merchants team, which consists of college summer team players.
Since 2008, PSSBL and the PIL have squared off 12 times in such charity events, with the PSSBL holding an 8-4 record against the summer league teams and a 5-3 record against the Merchants.
Tom Evans Krause, PSSBL President, says the All-Stars competing in the fundraiser range in age from their 20’s, quite a few are in their 30’s, and even some are in their 40’s. That makes for a compelling dynamic in the charity game at Funko Field: college age players versus their older, more experienced opponents—some who could be old enough to be their dad’s age.
Evans Krause tells EverettPost.com, the PSSBL players join the league for “Just the love of the game, that’s first and foremost.” In addition to that, he says, “The camaraderie” is a natural factor for the players. “From my personal experience,” he says, “I’ve been at this league,” since “I got drafted in 1995 to an expansion team. I was with the same team for 16 seasons. The vast majority of my friends are through PSSBL. And I would say to an individual, especially anybody that’s been in the league for five years or more, they would say the same thing.”
The size and scope of the league is so major–so immense–Evans Krause cites cases of father-son teammates, “We also will have an occasional father-son combination and that is pretty darn special. I’ll talk to the dads. I’ve talked to the sons and so forth, especially after the fact, and it’s an experience that is unlike any other.” Another common PSSBL occurrence is brothers and cousins playing together as teammates on the diamond.
The commitment to play with family and friends is reflected in how passionate these players are about the game. “One player on my team,” Evans Krause explains, “he and his wife sold their place in Kirkland and built a new house in Port Townsend, and he comes in for every game. He almost never misses a game,” which are scheduled between south King County and Snohomish County.
Most PSSBL players reside between “Everett to Tacoma and anywhere in between”, Evans Krause shares. “We’ll have actually some players that come in from the peninsula, Gig Harbor or even Whidbey Island.”
If those examples of commitment weren’t enough for you, the PSSBL even includes a team of players age 70 and over—some of them involving teammates in the 80s. And that’s no bull, says Evans Krause, “I gotta tell you, having been part of that squad for several years now, both in a managed team of 70 and over as a player and base coach, I know that when we get out on the field, warming up before each game, we will look at each other and comment to each other that, ‘boy, aren’t we lucky to still be able to do this?’”
Some of those PSSBL teams will continue playing into October and November if they advance to national tournaments including the Mens Senior Baseball League (MSBL) World Series in Arizona.
Another tournament in Florida, held in the fall, allows PSSBL players to play at the spring training facilities of MLB teams like Boston and Minnesota, Evans Krause says—a far cry from the sandlot where a lot of baseball inspiration begins.
PSSBL players pay their own freight for uniforms, field time, umpires, cleats, wooden bats, bubble gum and, if the season is successful enough, travel, lodging and fees for those out of state playoff tournaments, which can become a green monster of its own.
As President of PSSBL, Evans Krause does have to maximize every dollar for the players. “From a budgeting standpoint, as a non-profit membership organization, (we’re) always looking to control our costs in every way we can.
“We know that there are certain things that are kind of out of our control. The school district or park district raises their rental rates (for baseball field use). To control our costs, just for example, this year, we’re in year one of a new five-year deal with Baden Sports, which is a local place out of Kent, and we have a five-year deal to purchase their baseballs every year. This year we ordered up 550 dozen baseballs to cover our games.”
Every PSSBL season begins with try-outs for new players—a spring training of sorts—in March. After three days of try-outs, players are drafted to teams as returning players remain on their existing squad. “During the draft,” Evans Krause describes, “let’s say, two friends show up to try out. And they are fairly compatible in terms of their skill level. We’ll do our best to drop them to the same team in the same division,” to enhance the experience for players.
The All-stars are chosen before the fundraiser game by a 3-person PSSBL coaching staff. Last year’s hitting hero in the All Stars 7-6 win was 37-year old Joey Clancy.
Founded in 1992, the Pacific International League is considered one of the premier Summer Collegiate Baseball organizations in the country. In addition to the Merchants and Fish Sticks, other teams in the PIL include the Seattle Cheney Studs, Seattle Blackfins, Redmond Dudes, and the Northwest Honkers.
Evans Krause is pushing for a big show of fan support for the charity game. Over the last two years, the teams traded wins by identical 7-6 scores, the Merchants prevailing in 2024 and the PSSBL victorious in 2025. It shows this charity event can deliver on the dramatic, athletic and philanthropic level to drive home support for all the boys of summer.
Video clip below will show you a key moment for PSSBL last summer at Funko Field.