Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
At the ripe old age of 92, Barbara Johnson grabbed her bat and shuffled over to home plate in her bright, peach-colored sneakers. Her teammates cheered her on in the dugout, all with varying shades of grey and white hair and amounts of protective gear. As the oldest player, Johnson earned an endearing nickname from them: Mom.
”Batter up, Mom!” her daughter and teammate, Deborah Johnson, called out.
Johnson plays for the Colorado Peaches softball team. In late August, she and her 60 teammates split into four groups for a scrimmage at Addenbrooke Park in Lakewood. The games were part of a big event to celebrate the Colorado Peaches' 35th anniversary.
Johnson’s team — the Salsas — were losing when she stepped up to the plate, ready to hit a run. She gripped the metal bat and took a swing, but the ball landed right by first base. Johnson jogged over but did not get there in time before being tagged out. The crowd backed her up with applause and cheers as she walked back to the dugout.
“ARGH! Shucks,” Johnson said.
The Colorado Peaches were created in 1991 by Chloe Childers, a former physical education teacher in Greeley who wanted to play softball when she was 60. If the name of the team sounds a little familiar, it’s because it was inspired in part by the Rockford Peaches from the movie "A League of Their Own." But the Colorado team claims it truly got its name because the state has the best peaches.
Read the complete story at rmpbs.org/news
Reporting by Adrian O'Farrill and Emma Vanden
At the ripe old age of 92, Barbara Johnson grabbed her bat and shuffled over to home plate in her bright, peach-colored sneakers. Her teammates cheered her on in the dugout, all with varying shades of grey and white hair and amounts of protective gear. As the oldest player, Johnson earned an endearing nickname from them: Mom.
”Batter up, Mom!” her daughter and teammate, Deborah Johnson, called out.
Johnson plays for the Colorado Peaches softball team. In late August, she and her 60 teammates split into four groups for a scrimmage at Addenbrooke Park in Lakewood. The games were part of a big event to celebrate the Colorado Peaches' 35th anniversary.
Johnson’s team — the Salsas — were losing when she stepped up to the plate, ready to hit a run. She gripped the metal bat and took a swing, but the ball landed right by first base. Johnson jogged over but did not get there in time before being tagged out. The crowd backed her up with applause and cheers as she walked back to the dugout.
“ARGH! Shucks,” Johnson said.
The Colorado Peaches were created in 1991 by Chloe Childers, a former physical education teacher in Greeley who wanted to play softball when she was 60. If the name of the team sounds a little familiar, it’s because it was inspired in part by the Rockford Peaches from the movie "A League of Their Own." But the Colorado team claims it truly got its name because the state has the best peaches.
Read the complete story at rmpbs.org/news
Reporting by Adrian O'Farrill and Emma Vanden
