Picklebacks

Green - Lime

Origins and early years (February 2022 - August 2022)


The Picklebacks are an American amateur co-ed softball team based in Austin, Texas. The Picklebacks compete in Austin Sports & Social Club (ASSC) as a member club of the Michelob Ultra (MU) division. Since 2022, they have played at Havins Fields 1 - 4, which are nooked inside the lovely but overcrowded, Walnut Creek Park in North Austin. Since its establishment as a Fruit-themed franchise in February of 2022, the team has won 0 Division titles, 0 Beer league pennants, and 0 ASSC Series championships (we’re a work in progress, goddammit). Debate amongst players at a recent post-game bar-hang hinted at a drastic change in the club's branding and identity in the future seasons from fruit themed puns to beverage themed names. The team's spring training facility is at Havins Field #2 in Austin, Texas.


The franchise originated in 2022 as the Banana Hammocks, a novel fruit-themed team based in Austin, Texas that played in the Michelob Ultra League. The team relocated to Austin in 2022 and was called the Grapes of Wrath. When the team finished their gut-wrenching April 2022 season just shy of a finals appearance, the Grapes of Wrath decided to turn over a new leaf and rebrand as “Strawberry Fields Forever”, a riff on a song from the legendary English rock band “The Beatles”, and as more fruits...duh. The July 2022 season started off with 2 straight losses but fear not, the Strawberries found their footing to reclaim a spot in the playoff finals by winning 4 straight to finish out the regular season. However, an untimely bye-week stunted their momentum and on September 11th, 2022 (Never forget), they fell to the “2 Legit 2 Hit” powerhouse in the championship game 12-4.


The Rough Patch (September 2022 - March 2023)


With their minds and hearts set on keeping the momentum going, the team rebranded once again for the September 2022 season as the Killer Kiwis. Unevenly (and some might say unfairly) stacked against the upper division teams for the first two games, they once again fell 0-2 to start the season, despite a solid performance from the team's offense and defense. After another midseason rally, the Kiwis once again fell just short of the finals, losing to the aptly named “Sons of Pitches” in the semi-final on November 6th, 2022.


After a too-long softball hiatus for the 2022 winter break, they reclaimed the field as Coconut Crushers for the February 2023 season. This tumultuous season started as the last few had – with two straight losses to teams from the “Why are you even playing rec league softball?” league. Not gonna lie, this season stung a bit but what do they say about hard times? They bring us together and that it did. With 11 returning members, the team looks to the future with their eyes set on the April 2023 championship banner (and of course, those beer mugs that they give out as trophies).


As of the June 4th, 2023, the franchise's overall record is 19–19 – 2 (.475).


The Rebuild (April 2023 - Present)

"The Infamous Pickle of 2023"

After the offseason debates on their identity, they went into their first game of the season still undecided. It was a close battle between Lime Drives, Of Mice & Margaritas and the Granny Smith Smackers. But then, the unthinkable happened -- a pickle!! Nearing the end of their first game, the yet to be named team managed to trap a player into the elusive pickle between 1st and 2nd base ultimately, getting the out to end the inning. In keeping with their plan to use the names of adult beverages instead of fruit themed puns AND to commemorate "The infamous pickle of 2023" they unanimously decided to rebrand as the "Picklebacks".


With the stage set for yet another highly anticipated softball showdown, many questions are still in the air. Will they find a way to smash their way to a finals spot once again? Will they get another chance to claim the ASSC title and celebrate a hard-earned championship by drinking so many Frozen woodies that the machine breaks??? Only time will tell....

Find out… June 2023.