Diane Hein is a Fallbrook softball legend

Bob Hein

Special to The Village News

FALLBROOK – Diane Hein and her husband, Bob, moved to Fallbrook in 2000. Before she started unpacking she was on the phone. Diane had to find out if there was softball in Fallbrook. Three days later, she was on the field playing in the Fallbrook Senior Softball League.

Now, Diane is in her 18th year with the Fallbrook Senior Softball League and, at age 76, is still the only woman player in the league and arguably, the oldest player in the league.

During her time with Fallbrook Senior Softball Diane, at various times, played second base, pitcher and catcher. Now, time and some recent medical issues have slowed her down a bit, so she mostly only catches. But she still can snag those high pop-ups behind the plate and hustle down the line to back up first base on those infield hits.

Offensively Diane still swings a pretty big bat as demonstrated in a recent game when she went five for six at the plate, to the delight of her "Softball Wives" fans in the stands!

Typically, Diane plays at least one game a week in Fallbrook and sometimes two.

A self-proclaimed "Softball Nut," Diane has been playing softball for over 50 years. Diane was the first player from California to be elected to the Senior Softball Hall of fame (2010) and was featured in the Village News "A Year in Review" in December of that year.

With a brief timeout in 2016 for heart surgery and a defibrillator/pacemaker implant, then again in 2017 for cataract surgery, she is still playing ball on a national level as well as with Fallbrook's Senior Softball League.

On Thursdays, Diane travels to Orange County to participate in her women's evening recreational league, and her tournament team "California Spirit" still participates in at least four or five national tournaments each year.

Diane is player/manager of the women's softball tournament team which was first organized in 2000 as a 55+ team. Having progressed over the years through 60s and 65s age brackets these days they play in the 70s and sometimes the 75s age brackets depending on the availability of players and the national tournament schedules.

During her tournament playing so far, Diane has earned over 20 All Tournament /All World/MVP awards and more championship rings than she has fingers for.

Diane still works continuously to improve her softball skills as well as those of all players she is in contact with. Over the years she has given unselfishly of her time to assist others individually, in clinics and at team practices.

Diane calls on all her years of softball experience in her self-appointed role as unofficial ambassador of women's senior softball. Always on the lookout for new players to involve in senior ball, she provided moral support, administrative help and on field assistance/practices in forming two local Senior Leagues. One in Menifee, the other in San Diego. The San Diego league has since grown to seven teams including four tournament teams in various age brackets.

And what does this active senior do in some of her spare time? "I play pickleball two or three times a week just to stay in shape and have fun with my neighbors," she said.