SACRAMENTO MEN'S SENIOR BASEBALL LEAGUE
Sacramento's Premier Baseball League since 1984
Home of 72 World Series Championship Teams
Teena grew up on wheat farm in Eastern Washington in the small farming community of LaCrosse population of approximately 450. Teena is the youngest of 6 children. Growing up on a farm taught Teena at a very young age a strong work ethic, the sense of community and what Teena calls the “gift of giving”.
Teena’s mom Eileen was a very active in the community. Whether it was helping to raise money for the 4H, the school or other community events or to help a neighbor she was there to help in any way needed and as Teena became an adult in the same community and raising her children she continued the same tradition.
In late 2002 Teena met the love her life and the country girl made the move to the city of Sacramento in 2003 and started her new adventure with her “Baseballnut.” She married Alan Van Ness on December 31,2004.
Teena has supported Alan and his love and passion for the game of Baseball and the SMSBL
from the beginning. In early 2015 while Teena was employed with UC Davis Health System,
she was part of their Employee Volunteer Giving program and discovered the Sacramento
Blue Star Moms. The Blue Star Moms is a national organization recognized by Congress. They are a group of moms who have raised military children and raise money to send care packages to our service members deployed. Teena realized that she was also considered a blue star mom as her son Levi was at that time active duty with the US Army and deployed in Kuwait.
Teena joined the Sacramento chapter of the Blue Star Moms and in September of 2015 she
was nominated and voted in as President. Alan became President of the SMSBL in 2015 so with both Teena and Alan being Presidents of large organizations life was very busy. Teena’s duties as President included representing her organization at a wide variety of charitable events while organizing fundraising events for her Sacramento Blue Star Moms chapter.
As the SMSBL continued to grow and helping Alan with all of the behind the scenes administrative stuff for the league and both being so busy with both organizations in 2019 Teena resigned her duty as President of the Sacramento Blue Star Moms to be able to support Alan in his duties as President of the SMSBL. 2010 was the first year Teena helped organize a fundraising event during the Father Son tournament and has continued to grow the fundraising raffle throughout the last 15 years and in 2022 the Labor Day Tournament was added to her fundraising efforts.
Teena along with Jim Tygrett-DeNuzzi Hall of Fame committee chairman, is the Hall of Fame
banquet chairperson. She organizes the night’s event set up, creating table settings, and personally creates gifts and mementos for each inductee. Teena is the reason our Hall of Fame Induction nights are so successful and such a great experience. And it shows her complete dedication to SMSBL family and community
