The Shady Ladies Softball team was founded in March of 2008 by a group of friends to play in the Softball Austin League of the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Association (NAGAAA). The team was an immediate hit and attracted large crowds at each game and as an appreciation, the team provided free jello shots and beverages for the fans at all of the games. Despite the team's 2-8 record, fans continued to turn out in record numbers to support the Shady Ladies every week of the inaugural season.
The 4th place finish in the regular season landed the Shady Ladies the last place seed for the end of season playoffs but the team played solid and finished with the 2nd place trophy after defeating the regular season champion Rams twice and barely losing by 1 run in the championship game to the Austin Force. That great performance provided fresh motivation to the Shady Ladies as they continued playing in the City of Austin league against some very competitive straight opponents.
The summer City of Austin league play proved to be just what the Shady Ladies needed to continue to improve. After defeating one straight team 24-1, the Shady Ladies started to get noticed by the Austin sports media and found themselves on AM 1300 The Zone's "Top 25 Most Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Important People in Austin Sports" at position #20!
With the summer season wrapped up, the demand for new players was as high as ever. In September of 2008, the Shady Ladies formally adopted bylaws and became the Shady Ladies Softball Organization. A second team was formed and the organization grew from 17 members to 26 and now features a C-Division team and a D-Division team playing in the Softball Austin League.
Look out for the future as the Shady Ladies have set lofty goals for the Spring 2009 Season and hope to advance to the 2009 Gay Softball World Series to be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Shady Ladies also plan to make appearances at the 2009 Texas Shootout in Austin along with tournaments in Dallas, Houston, and Oklahoma City!