Put them in coach, they're ready to play!
The Abilities Baseball League took to the diamond for their first Opening Day at the new Field of Dreams baseball field, and if anything is for sure it is that there is nothing the players are more excited for than to get swinging.
"My favorite part is hitting and running the bases," says player Nathan Taylor. His opponent Bradley Church agrees, saying he loves hitting and he can hit the ball all the way to the fence.
This 15th season is an especially exciting one because thanks to the support and generosity from the University of Northwestern Ohio, the Lima Rotary Foundation, and so many more, every child will be able to take a crack at the bat.
"You know, it's a sense of their own, that this is a place that is specifically designed for them," says Rachael Staley, the league's founder. "It's designed for all abilities so regardless if they have a wheelchair or walker, it's completely accessible to every child that steps foot on it."
It truly is a place for the players to call their own. Parent Ted Montgomery loves that his daughter Olivia gets a chance to not only be herself but to enjoy herself and excel every time she steps up to the plate.
"It's great because it's an opportunity to do something that children with special needs quite often don't get the opportunity to do," says Montgomery. "It's a chance to hear the applause, it's a chance to take the bow, a chance to run the bases and that's the great thing about programs like this, is it gives them a chance to do something that typical students sometimes take for granted."
So grab your gloves and catch all the action Sunday nights at the Field of Dreams at UNOH now until June 10, 2018.
