Long-time area amateur baseball player Deron Trovall recently decided to hang up the cleats, retiring from the sport he had pursued since his first game playing for the Luxemburg Brewers in 1983.

“I just thought it was finally time,” said Trovall, who is 60 years old.  

Ironically, Deron’s career came full circle at the end, as he recently played his last game for the Becker Buzzards against the current Luxemburg 35 and older squad.

Trovall was a mainstay for the Clear Lake Lakers from 1984 until he started the Becker Electroz in 1992.  The next year, the franchise was re-named to the Bandits, and he donned his signature #1 jersey for that squad for several seasons.  

After a few years off, Trovall was instrumental in starting up the Buzzards, Becker’s highly successful 35 and older squad that came to fruition in 2008.

“Baseball is all about the people you play with and also the guys you meet from the other teams,” Trovall said as he reflected on his many milestones surrounding the game.  

Some of his favorite memories involved shenanigans that happened on the field, and other traditions, such as the rivalry struck up between the Buzzards and the Des Moines, Iowa Hawks.

While he played with several teams over his career, he said the 17 seasons he spent with the Buzzards produced some of his greatest friendships.

Trovall came to his love for baseball while watching his father, Jack, play for Clearwater.

“We lived right by the field so I would run over there and shag balls,” Trovall said.

Known for his penchant to get beaned by opposing pitchers, his last at-bat was fitting: he took a fastball to his left pectoral muscle.

That’s probably the only thing about baseball that he won’t miss during his retirement.