ECU Baseball To Host Challenger League Game This Saturday
April 25, 2007 | Baseball
April 25, 2007
GREENVILLE, N.C. - The 2007 East Carolina baseball team will host a Challenger League game this Saturday (April 28) at Clark-LeClair Stadium starting at noon and will last until about 1:30 p.m. (EDT).
The Challenger Division is for children with any special needs who are from the ages of 5-18 and plays each Saturday from the end of April through mid June.
The 25th nationally-ranked Pirates (28-13, 6-5 C-USA) will act in a buddy system for the participants helping them with all phases of the game such as hitting, fielding and throwing.
More than the skills of baseball learned through the experience, the value of the Little League Challenger Division is found in the proven therapeutic and socialization benefits of participants' self esteem, the opportunities to mainstream into other divisions of play, and the disciplines of teamwork, sportsmanship and fair play which are hallmarks of the Little League program.
The philosophy of the Little League Challenger Division is to provide the framework so that every Little League program may offer a structured, athletic activity for all youth in the community.
Playing equipment, uniforms, official shoulder patches, and announcers will be available for the Little League Challenger participants as well.
A special group of children, who shun the description "special", can now enjoy all the benefits Little League Baseball has been offering to youngsters worldwide since 1939. Playing with the same equipment on the same fields, Challenger Division participants learn not only the fundamentals of baseball, but also how it feels to be just like other children, pulling together as a team, being cheered, and earning awards for their achievements. Greenville Little Leagues' Challenger Division is co-sponsored with the Greenville Recreation and Parks Department. For general information (registration info., game times and locations, etc.) regarding Challenger Baseball contact Brian Weingartz (252) 341-5680. For more specific information regarding Challenger Baseball call John Harer at (252) 353-5167.
Basic Rules of Challenger Baseball are as follows:
1. Teams can include as many as 6-10 players.
2. Each player has a "buddy" which is usually a Little Leaguer or a service organization volunteer. These "buddies" assist each Challenger player during the course of the game.
3. Every player on the roster gets to bat and play the field each inning.
4. No score will be kept.
After the Challenger League game, the Pirates will play host to Conference USA foe Southern Miss in game two of a three-game series with a first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. (EDT).
