Sea Kittens are a coed recreational amateur slow-pitch softball team based in Madison, Wisconsin. Established in 2010, Sea Kittens welcome players of all abilities (except maybe those who are too good for low-level coed rec softball), and play with unbridled enthusiasm regardless of skill. Sea Kittens were long-sponsored by Madison’s Harmony Bar & Grill, a longtime and ardent supporter of local softball.
United in 2010 when during the depths of winter Mama Cat Erin O’Brien said to future husband Joe Hennessy, “let’s put a softball team together.” She had no idea what she’d done, what Sea Kittens would become, or the central place Sea Kitten softball would play in her marriage, for better or worse.
Here’s the full story of the Sea Kittens’ origins: The Sea Kitten Story
The original Cats were a ragtag bunch of players who had either not played the game in 10 or more years or whom had never played it at all. The squad went 7-3 while playing a wildly entertaining and unpredictable brand of softball. As of 2022, five of the original Sea Kittens are still rostered, along with two others who started their careers in 2011.
Hennessy, a baseball junkie, stat geek, and former award-winning sportswriter and Associate Editor for the Loyola University- Chicago Phoenix (1992-1995), started scribbling little game summaries which proved popular with players. The depth, breadth, and consistency of those stories grew, and in 2017 he endeavored to create an online repository for those archives and a platform to grow the Sea Kitten Experience.
This site is intended for the amusement of the Sea Kittens and Sea Kitten fans, and anyone else who stumbles upon it and likes what they find. It’s also a training platform for the webmaster, and is his first blundering attempt at web site design. It’ll change often, stuff won’t work, and things won’t match. Please email if you find glitches!
A few things to know about Sea Kitten softball:
The Schneid– You’ll see frequent reference to The Schneid, which was a 15-game losing streak endured between August 2013 and July 2014.
Sea Kitten Inning– Something that sometimes just happens. One might describe it is a comedy of errors, but it’s more than that. Once in while when Sea Kittens are playing defense the ball, the ability to catch the ball, the ability to throw the ball, and occasionally the ability to even touch the ball eludes all of the Kittens simultaneously. The results can be breathtaking. A fan once described why he preferred watching Sea Kitten games over major league baseball games:
“In major league games, there are a lot of plays where you all but know the outcome before the play even ends. A ground ball to shortstop, a lazy fly to left… sure once in a while something different happens, but 99% of the time it doesn’t. But your games- man- you never know. Things get exciting as soon as someone hits the ball!” -Randy Williams, Sea Kitten
Sea Kittens– are f/~h. But we don’t use the F word. Ever.
Salmon Snacks– Post-game treats doled out by Seamour Sea Kitten to reward good games, plays, and choices, and sometimes to soothe bruised egos.
The Great Fillet of the Game– New in 2019, a seminal moment of each game as chosen by players, fans, and random people who find the website. “Memorable” is just that- maybe good, maybe bad, but definitely one to remember.