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LMLL Challenger Baseball Program
Challenger Baseball is part of Lower Merion Little League. Challenger is for 5 to 18 year olds with special physical and developmental needs. It is non-competitive.
Challenger is held in the spring at South Ardmore Park, Sundays 4:15 to about 5:45 pm. We play an hour long game, two innings. A large plastic whiffle ball and plastic bat is used. Some players use a glove although it‘s not necessary. No score is maintained, all players on each team get to bat and advance the bases. All players bat without “outs”, and after each player is up and moves through the bases, the players all “come home”, the side is retired and the teams then switch batting and fielding.
We get "buddies" - student volunteers from middle school or high school to help with the players. Knowledge of baseball is not necessary. Buddies help facilitate the player's involvement in the game, catching a fly ball and assisting with a throw, keep the players busy and engaged on the field, keep them company on the bench while waiting to bat, etc. Some players with wheel chairs need to be pushed around the bases, other players need direction about base running ... we try to match players to buddies based on gender and size. As buddies often can not make every game, they are not always assigned to the same player although this is the ideal situation. Buddies are generally contacted in January about the upcoming season.
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