In city parks and makeshift fields around Austin, a different kind of baseball is being played. It’s not a men’s league. It’s not slow-pitch softball. It’s sandlot baseball—real baseball, with wood bats, hardballs and just enough rules to keep it fun.
At its heart is community.
“What we should be doing is encouraging a diverse group of people to play ball together,” said Seth Kessler, one of the founding members of the Cap City Cobras, one of Austin’s original sandlot teams. “And that should be the true goal.”
That spirit has spread. From just three teams in 2014 — the Texas Playboys, the Jardineros, and the Cobras — the sandlot scene in Austin has grown to nearly two dozen teams, each bringing their own culture and character to the field. They play on city park diamonds, old Little League fields and anywhere else they can secure a permit or clear enough space to chalk some lines and hang a backstop.
There’s no league. No trophy. No tryouts. And definitely no standings.
“We don’t keep track of wins and losses,” Kessler said. “No one’s getting a contract. None of us is going to the league. This is about camaraderie and having fun.”
That fun-first ethos shows up in all the right ways. It's not uncommon to see a third-base coach sipping a Lone Star mid-inning or players swapping gear across teams mid-game. After the final out, opponents crack beers together and stick around long after the sun sets.
“It’s a vibe,” Kessler said. “You want to play hard, sure. But it’s not about dominating — it’s about belonging.”
That spirit of inclusion is what keeps people coming back. The dugouts are filled with artists, musicians, service workers, CEOs and first-time ballplayers.
“It’s all walks of life,” Kessler said. “People with different levels of education, different kinds of jobs, from different places. But the common line is that they want to play some baseball and they want to play it in a way that makes them feel good and gives them a sense of belonging.”
Wednesdays are practice days for the Cap City Cobras, and for many, that midweek ritual is just as sacred as any Sunday doubleheader.
“We are, by and large, a practice team,” Kessler said. “If we never played another game, we’d still show up on Wednesdays. That dugout — that’s what it’s about.”
Howard Carey, a longtime player with the Texas Playboys and the founder of SandlotRevolution.com, has helped connect teams across the country and document the national growth of the movement. But for Carey, the most important impact is local.
“Almost everyone I’ve met feels like baseball kicked them out at some point,” Carey said. “Whether it was a bad coach, a toxic league or life just moving on. Sandlot gives them a second chance.”
Carey remembers walking to the plate one evening at The Long Time, the Playboys’ home field, when he overheard a boy tell his father, “I didn’t know adults could have fun like this.”
“That hit me,” Carey said. “It reminded me why this matters. This isn’t just baseball — it’s joy. And it’s a way to show younger generations that joy doesn’t have to end.”
That joy has taken Austin teams to some wild places. The Cap City Cobras played the first-ever sandlot game at the Field of Dreams in Iowa in 2021. In 2023, the Playboys faced off against inmates inside San Quentin State Prison. In 2026, they’re headed to Bhutan to play against a national team that includes Buddhist monks.
And right here at home, teams are giving back. The Cobras partnered with Friends of Patterson Park to revitalize their neighborhood field, building a mound, backstop and base paths. What was once a neglected patch of grass is now a shared space where families, children and neighbors gather daily.
“I’ve seen dads pitching to their daughters out there,” Kessler said. “And a lot of people don’t know the Cobras helped make that happen. We just wanted a place to practice — and we ended up building something for the whole community.”
That’s what sandlot in Austin is about: Playing ball, yes, but also building friendships, stewarding fields, creating inclusive spaces and having fun doing it.
“There’s just one rule,” Kessler said. “Don’t be a jerk.”
That rule keeps the vibe intact. One where music plays between innings, the bleachers are open to anyone, and newcomers are welcomed with high-fives and maybe a borrowed glove. Teams may come and go. Fields may change. But the spirit of Austin sandlot? That’s not going anywhere.
“If we never played another game, we’d still show up on Wednesdays.”