Riverdale Sandlot Softball grows into one of the neighborhood's hottest summer activities

Every Tuesday, players trickle onto Seton Park’s baseball fields for another summer evening of Riverdale Sandlot Softball. Some teammates are strangers, some well acquainted, but all exchange friendly banter across the dugout. When the first pitch is thrown, cheers of encouragement ring out, but not without some playful heckling.

Registration for the weekly, non-committal league opens with 50 slots each Wednesday through a Google Form and typically fills up within minutes. For Riverdale Sandlot Softball founder Mark Wishnia, it’s a sign of just how much demand exists for a free, informal space to stay active and meet neighbors. 

Once the 50 spots fill up, Wishnia splits players across four teams, two innings running at once on two fields. To keep games even, he surveys participants on skill level and their preferred position out on the field. He then adds that information to an online generator to build randomized, but fair teams — a change Wishnia made after realizing captains kept picking the same players last, week after week.

Those who miss out that week’s registration land on a waitlist. But with roughly 400 people subscribed to the league’s email list, many hoping to join one of the area’s most sought-after summer traditions will have to try again the following week.

Wishnia launched the free pickup league in 2023 after finding few opportunities for adults to play recreational sports without leaving the neighborhood, setting out to create something at no cost that emphasized participation over competition.

“I wanted to create something for adults,” he said. “There’s a lot of Little League and stuff. But there’s nothing for adults.”

The first season drew about 75 people, primarily  through flyers taped to telephone poles and Facebook posts in neighborhood groups. They gathered at the one Seton Park baseball field reserved by Wishnia that summer, secured through a two-and-a-half hour permit from the New York City Parks and Recreation Department — at a fee of $28.50 an hour per field, he said.

Since then, the league’s growth has mainly come through word of mouth, resulting in the weekly softball sign-up scramble that player Ken Viola knows well.

Viola joined Sandlot about three years ago, having heard of it from a friend who coached his daughter’s softball team. At 43 years old, he was looking to stay active, he said. It wasn’t long before he realised the league was bigger than just a ballgame.

“It’s great camaraderie, friendship, everybody being so welcoming,” he said from the dugout.

However, meeting demand and the costs that come with it remain among Wishnia’s toughest challenges.

After the league’s inaugural year, he expanded play to both the park’s fields, doubling permit costs to nearly $600 a month. This summer, an expanded 10-week season pushed the league over the threshold for liability insurance, adding roughly $1,200 in additional costs.

Sponsorships, Wishnia said, have helped the league stay afloat, with Apple Bank and Blackstone Bar & Grill covering permits, equipment and other fees, allowing games to remain free of charge.

Jumelia Abrahamson, who learned about Sandlot through a coworker three years ago, said the league has become part of her summer routine. Unlike many adult recreational leagues that require registration fees or weekly commitments, she said Sandlot’s free, flexible format makes it easier for people with changing work schedules to participate.

“It makes it accessible for everyone,” Abrahamson said. “It’s an encouraging atmosphere that is exciting, something to look forward to on a weekly basis.”

The league draws players with a wide range of experience, from lifelong athletes to adults who haven’t picked up a glove in years. That mix of age and skill is part of what stands out to Michael Pinkus, the league’s youngest regular at 18.

A lifeguard at the Riverdale Neighborhood House, he said Tuesday nights have become a release after long shifts in the sun. Reflecting on his time with the league, he said playing alongside people decades older than his usual teammates has changed how he thinks about competition.

“It’s interesting because it’s like I’m used to young guys — we kind of banter with each other — but here people are more respectful, they’re more kind, they’re more helpful,” he said.

E.J. Mauras, who has been with Sandlot since its first season and fills in as commissioner, noted the inclusive energy is not the only feature that sets it apart from other leagues. While Sandlot is co-ed, he said, many adult leagues either aren’t or charge significantly more for mixed teams.

“The competition for the girls here is really good,” he said, adding he would like to see more women sign up.

Looking ahead, Wishnia said he would like to grow Sandlot beyond Seton Park and into a year-round operation with multiple sports.

“My dream one day would be to run a [recreational] sports league full time,” he said. “The best part is just knowing that I created something people want to do. I’m proving something to myself and to the community... that adults of any age, they want to do stuff.”