April 5, 2025, presentation: The Colfax Fireballs – Decades of Fast-pitch Softball

Updated location: Mike Ray’s presentation will now be at Colfax City Hall, 33 S Main St, Colfax, California.

Join us Saturday, April 5, 2025, at 4 p.m. for stories, photos, memorabilia, and a film about the Colfax Fireballs, a baseball team that represented Colfax, California, from 1947-1993.

There is no charge to attend. Everyone is welcome.

Mike Ray, former sports editor of the Grass Valley Union and the Colfax Record, will display memorabilia and tell stories about the Colfax Fireballs. The team began as a hardball team in 1947 and switched to fast-pitch softball in 1956. The Fireballs competed against teams from Reno, Tahoe City, Grass Valley, Santa Rosa, Chico, Monterey, Pacific Grove, and other Northern California cities.

Beginning in 1966, the Colfax Fireballs hosted an annual fast-pitch tournament that continued until 2014. It began small, as part of a Recreation Day sponsored by the Colfax Recreation Department, which included activities at the swimming pool, games, softball, and a Saturday night dance.

The annual tournament would begin on Thursday or Friday and continue through Sunday. Over the years the number of teams in the tournament ranged from four to as many as 22.