The Poplar Bluff Buddy Ball league is growing by popular demand, and registration for the 2022 season is open through Saturday, April 23.
Buddy Ball is baseball for people with physical, developmental and mental disabilities. The league has operated in Poplar Bluff for seven years.
Previously, teams have been open for children from age 8 through high school.
This year, however, the league has enough players who have graduated and still want to continue to play to have a second older league.
The younger division will be for children ages 8 through junior high, while the older division will be for high school ages and beyond. There will be two teams in each age group.
Board member Dave Elledge, co-pastor for The Bluff church, said, “Having two leagues allows us to grow.”
“Last year, we had six players who were beyond their high school years,” Elledge said. “They would bat around in between the other games and help coach.
“Now our older players who want to keep playing can do so.”
Buddy Ball had more than 40 players in one league last season, and demand continues to grow.
The league was founded by Sonya Osborn, who saw a similar “Miracle League” in Tennessee and brought the idea to Poplar Bluff.
The games use a live pitcher, who the board members refer to as the “all-time pitcher,” Ron Glidewell, who has served in that position for all seven seasons.
Each game lasts two innings in which both teams bat around the whole lineup each inning. No outs are recorded, although fielding is also taught and encouraged.
Player sign-ups are online now at the league’s new website: pbbuddyball.com. Players can register online at no cost through Saturday, April 23.
Volunteers, known as “Buddies,” can sign up in the two-week period after April 23.
Anyone high school aged or older can volunteer. Buddies offer assistance as needed to the players, both on the field, running the bases, or in the dugout.
Elledge said the rewards of being a part of Buddy Ball rival the major leagues.
“When (Albert) Pujols hit that home run (recently), the look on his face and on the faces of the fans is the same look we see every week,” he said.
Alex Tinker, Buddy Ball board member and stay-at-home mother, agreed.
“When they make contact with the ball, they feel like the greatest hitter,” she said. “They are famous.”
Tiechera Samuell, an associate professor of English at Three Rivers College, has a daughter, Emily, who has played for the past four years.
“Buddy Ball is something Emily looks forward to all year,” Samuell said. “She loves the excitement of the crowd and the enthusiasm of the Buddies.”
“She enjoys her turns up at bat the best,” she said. “She really likes getting the chance to hit the ball.”
“We have an announcer who calls each name before they bat, and everyone in the crowd cheers for them,” Elledge said. “They all get a lot of love from the crowd.”
“A lot of them have never experienced this kind of thing before,” Tinker said.
“Our family has always supported our older son, James, as he played baseball and soccer,” Samuell said. “Emily has grown up sitting on the sidelines as we cheered him on.
“Buddy Ball provides our family with the opportunity to support Emily in the same way, only this time, James sits with us and cheers her on as she makes a hit or fields a ball.”
With no cost for players or families, the league receives funds from local corporate sponsors as well as individual donations.
The league provides jerseys for each player. Gloves, helmets and bats are also available to any players who need them.
Anyone wishing to donate can do so at the new website, or they can mail a check to PB Buddy Ball, P.O. Box 301, 1899 N. Westwood Blvd., Poplar Bluff, MO 63901.
The 2022 season begins Tuesday, May 17, at Whiteley Park. Five games total are scheduled, with the season ending on June 14. The younger league will play at 6 p.m., with the older league scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
Buddy Ball’s end-of-season celebration has been a tailgate party in the past, but the league is in the planning stages of holding a dance—the Buddy “Ball”—where the kids can get dressed up and receive their awards and gifts, which include medals and goody bags.
Tinker encourages everyone to be a part of the league experience.
“Seeing these kids with a love and passion for the game is a feel-good experience for everyone,” she said.
Samuell also expressed her gratitude for the program.
“We are so thankful for the organizers and the buddies who make the organization possible,” she said. “If you have never attended a game, you are missing out.”
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