ECBL Takes The Field With ECU
April 21, 2010 | Baseball
April 21, 2010
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Hours after claiming a series sweep over Conference USA foe UAB on Sunday, Apr. 18, the East Carolina baseball team hosted its annual Exceptional Community Baseball League (ECBL) game at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium.
Formerly the Challenger League, the ECBL has three divisions (youth, senior youth and adult) and plays each Saturday from the end of April through mid June.
Roughly 100 participants from ECBL's eight teams batted through their lineups and ran the temporary bases placed along the base paths at Clark-LeClair as Pirate players, coaches and a slew of other volunteers serve d as buddies who assisted with participants.
Pirate coach Billy Godwin roamed the playing grounds, often assisting some of the players with their hitting or fielding and providing a high five when others crossed the plate.
"It's just really important for our kids to give back to the community and give back to people who are not as fortunate as we are," Godwin said. "This was such a great environment for these participants to come out and have an opportunity to play baseball. It's what life is all about, giving back."
With more than just the skills of baseball learned through the experience, the value of the ECBL 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.
