A tall, blonde-haired girl dressed as Princess Peach was the first to show up at Veteran’s Park on a recent Friday night. To say she stood out would be an understatement.

Amongst beer-bellied men’s softball players in dusty uniforms and old hats, Meghan Armstrong donned an all-pink shoes, knee-high socks, mini skirt and tank top ensemble, capped by a shiny tiara.

Armstrong wasn’t alone for long. She was soon “rescued” by the Incredible Hulk, Flash Gordon, Speed Racer and The Incredibles, among others.

This wasn’t the scene of a Halloween party. It’s a summer Friday night, which means Ann Arbor Rec and Ed kickball leagues are in full swing. Rather than uniforms, team “Stat Grapes,” wears different costumes every week.

This week’s theme: super heroes.

“I feel like it makes it more entertaining and we get a good laugh out of everything,” said team captain Jayme Wagner, who on super hero night is dressed as, appropriately, Captain Planet.

Rec sports teams often scramble to fill their rosters every week, but despite being a team of 20-23 year olds who play on Friday nights, the Stat Grapes are never short players.

“We have a lot of fun with it. We all look forward to it, and it keeps people coming back,” said Wagner. “I think that’s what keeps it together. Even people who don’t play like to come and dress up on the sidelines.”

Throughout their two seasons together, the Stat Grapes have changed their theme every week. They've had “dress like a drink,” Christmas and Fourth of July uniforms among other themes. Everybody inserts his or her own bit of creativity. Like Rob Reik, who dressed like a snowman for the Christmas game.

Despite the Stat Grapes’ need for new outfits each week, the team’s uniform budget is surprisingly low.

“You might think that I’m wearing a lot of money, but 10 dollars will go a long way in this country,” said Brian Aldrich, dressed like a “Men In Black” character, in a nice-looking black suit, dress shirt and tie.

Total cost: $10 at Value World.

“Since we go to places like Salvation Army, everything usually is, like, under 10 dollars per,” says Armstrong.

The Stat Grapes are all fun and games before the first pitch is rolled, and clown around a bit during the game. But as soon as -- who else? -- Flash Gordon steps to the plate to lead off, the players’ competitive juices start to flow.

One theme that has remained constant throughout their two-summer history is winning. The team has lost just once in two summers of play, and they have the three-foot trophy to prove it.

“Yeah, we’re actually really good,” said Wagner. “We all grew up in Ann Arbor, either went to Huron or Pioneer, so it’s really a fun way to get together during the summer and we like to win, too.”

Pete Cunningham is a sportswriter for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by e-mail at petercunningham@annarbor.com, or by phone at 734-623-2561. Follow him on Twitter @petcunningham.