The Stone City VFW has been synonymous with softball in the Joliet area since the early 1960's. They sponsored teams for years, beginning with fastpitch, than gravitating to 16-inch and eventually to 12-inch, both men's and women's, but it was in 1975 when Sonny sat down with fellow Post members and hatched the idea of building a softball diamond on the Post grounds. Along with Jim Conroy, Wimpy Schmitt and others, Sonny oversaw the new leagues formed, especially after lights were installed in 1977.

The primary league was the elite league in the area and was home to many top teams over the years, such as the initial champion. Mole's Den, along with Moran AC, Ligon Engineering, Malnar's Tap, Bad News and Burla Construction. At its height, the Friday night games were broadcast on the radio. Originally, the ball diamond was unused on the weekend, except for the picnickers who filled the facility every weekend.

In 1982, the USSSA formed a relationship with Stone City which gave the association a position in Joliet that still endures today. Sonny Vercellotti was "the" contact man for the formative years. He was the publicity man who got the results in the papers. He was out at the crack of dawn to assure that the entire facility was ready for the day, setting the bases himself. He was in charge of the umpire scheduling. A USSSA director said, "When I scheduled a tournament at Stone City, all I had to do was call Sonny with the game times and the tournament almost ran itself."

All of this in addition to organizing and running the leagues, from pre-season planning to scheduling to seeing it come to pass on the field. Without Sonny Vercellotti and the Stone City VFW, the USSSA would not have been able to enjoy the success the Joliet area that it enjoys today.