Twin Ports Miracle League Gives Every Child a Chance to Play Baseball
The Miracle League season continues through next Saturday, August 3rd.
DULUTH, Minn. – Whether it’s tee ball, little league, high school or professional, people all over have a passion for baseball, and now the Twin Ports Miracle League is helping fuel that passion. But this isn’t an ordinary league.
“It’s for the kids with any type of disability, they’re able to come out here and play baseball that they might not be able to play somewhere else, and gives them the chance to run around and have a lot of fun,” Miracle League coach Eric Pearson said.
The Miracle League season started on June 15 and they hold games every Saturday morning, and they’ll wrap up the season on Saturday, August 3rd.
Dustin DeSanto and Pearson, a St. Scholastica infielder, are the 2019 Miracle League coaches and managers, working with the kids to give them the best experience possible.
“They’re encouraging. They help these kids a lot and help them encourage what they want to be. They want to be baseball players and be like other kids, and they encourage that. They are two great coaches,” Amanda Fudally, mom of Miracle League player Bailey, said.
The Miracle League welcomes kids ages 9 through 19 years old diagnosed with any physical and/or mental disabilities.
“When they can’t play a sport like that, it’s really tough to see. Seeing them out here is one of the cooler things. The kids, the smiles on their faces is just really cool to see and just seeing them run around and play at full speed,” Pearson said.
And the kids have fun out there, giving it their all and showing just how good they are.
“They are very, very talented. They are good at this sport, it’s fun to watch, you can see how much fun they’re having. They deserve that opportunity. They deserve to show off their talents and show how amazing they are and it’s wonderful that they have this opportunity. Every kid should have this opportunity,” Laura DeSanto said.
After playing three innings, the coaches gather all of the kids and sing “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” to celebrate another successful day of playing ball.
“My favorite part of being involved, I’d say at the end when we get to sing take me out to the ballgame and seeing those kids scream their lungs out and have a huge smile on their face, it’s pretty cool,” Pearson added.
Some kids want to win, some want to get better and some just want to have fun. But at the end of the day, every kid gets the chance to feel included and love the game of baseball.
“They’re just like any other kid running around out there and having fun. You couldn’t tell the difference if you came to watch,” Pearson said.
“It just shows that there’s nothing that can prevent Bailey from doing anything. Even with her health condition she has, she’s still able to participate in sports just like any other individual,” Fudally added.
To learn more about the Miracle League, visit their website.
