Norcal Oldtimers Baseball Association

NorCal is an association of independent baseball teams who play competitive, but friendly, hardball. Players become eligible to play in the year that they turn 35. Geographically, the league spans the area from Lodi on the northeast to Watsonville on the southwest. Most of the games are played on Sunday afternoons starting in March and ending in September. Each team makes its own schedule. Some teams play about 15 games per year, others play as many as 40.

NorCal baseball is lots of fun! If you’re interested in playing, or just coming out to watch, contact a local team or check out the unofficial schedule. (Use the Schedule link in the Tags section.)

The NorCal Oldtimers Baseball Association was formed in San Francisco around 1941. It initially started as pickup games of former major, minor, and semi-pro league baseball players, especially players from the old Pacific Coast League.

The league is a step up from recreational ball. There are many players with college experience and a few ex-pros. Some of the best players, however, don’t have even high school experience. On the other hand, we’re all oldtimers, so we’re all playing at a level below what we once did.

We encourage family and friends to join us on the road. Every game is followed by a pot luck dinner, hosted by the home team, giving the players, their families, and friends an opportunity to socialize.

All games have 1/2 hour of batting practice and 15 minutes of infield practice before each game.

The league is not formally affiliated with any of the national baseball organizations, but individual teams have joined either Men’s Senior Baseball League or Roy Hobbs Baseball. These organizations conduct national World Series tournaments in October and November. MSBL’s tournament has been held in Phoenix and surrounding communities. It offers competition in many age brackets and ability levels, including a Father-Son division. Roy Hobbs’ tournament has been held in Fort Myers, FL. They also offer a variety and age categories and a Family Ties division. Our league has been well represented at these tournaments.