E.A. Sports Today

‘It’s just a wonderful thing’

Oxford’s ‘League of Our Own’ facility gives special needs athletes a field to pursue their dreams

Batter up! A League of Our Own player gets an assistant from a "buddy" during the facility's opening weekend. (Photo by Joey D'Anna)

Batter up! A League of Our Own player gets an assistant from a “buddy” during the facility’s opening weekend. (Photo by Joey D’Anna)

“You can see the joy in all of their eyes … This gives them something of their own, something they weren’t left out of again.”

–Tammy Wigington

By Mike Pruitt
For East Alabama Sports Today

OXFORD – What started out as one aunt’s dream to find her autistic niece a place to play ball like all the other kids has grown into an opportunity to get all special needs children in the county into the game.

At Oxford Lake on Saturday mornings a special group of players takes the League of Our Own Field to play baseball – and they do it for the fun of the game. They experience hitting the baseball, running the bases, crossing home plate and making plays in the field.

There’s even a public address announcer who makes sure every player has his or her name called whenever they come to bat or make a big play.

“This league and new facility is a dream come true,” said Tammy Wigington, whose son Peyton is one of the more than 100 children playing in the league. “When Peyton joined the league a couple of years ago, we were thrilled for him to have the opportunity to play baseball. Peyton is capable of playing the sport, but not without supports and low pressure. The regular leagues are way too competitive for him to have ever been able to join. He loves it even more than we could have imagined.”

The idea for A League of Our Own was sparked in 2010 when Ginger Munroe realized her autistic niece, Carly Pilkington, had no opportunity to participate in sports activities like her own children did.

She began talking with Oxford city officials as well as a group of concerned community leaders familiar with the needs of children with disabilities. The local League, patterned after the Miracle League international initiative, began play in 2012 with 18 players and two teams.

In March, the new field, designed by local architect Cal Munroe, was dedicated and now 107 children participate on 10 teams. According to news reports more than $1 million in contributions were raised to bring the project to fruition.

“My niece Carly was my inspiration,” Munroe said. “I talked with Alton Craft to see if the City would let me use a field and their name. After that, God opened every door for me.

“The City, along with Eastman Corporation, approached me about a field. They were great to work with because they let me do it how I wanted (LOL); they knew I knew what was needed for these kids. All they wanted was to make sure it was top of the line. The City wanted these kids to have the best.”

Groups of volunteers turn out every game day to act as “buddies” for the players so parents, grandparents, relatives and friends can sit in the stands and cheer on their players.

On a recent league weekend, the Oxford baseball team served as “buddies.”

“It was one of the greatest experiences I’ve been through,” Yellow Jackets senior Jake Cook said. “It makes you think about baseball in a different way because sometimes you complain about practicing, but these kids look forward all week long to get to play one game on Saturday.”

One of the more heart-warming elements of the League experience is the open recognition and encouragement by the field announcers whenever as a player comes to bat or makes a play, just like in the big leagues.

“It brought tears to my eyes the first game this year when the announcers were calling out the kids’ names and encouraging them,” Tammy Wigington said. “The next week, Peyton asked, ‘Are they going to call my name?’ That’s when I knew how much he loved it as well.

“You can see the joy in all of their eyes and it’s great to see how much the kids have improved just since last year. This gives them something of their own, something they weren’t left out of again. I love living in a place that is willing to give these wonderful children a field of their own.

“When I asked Peyton how he felt about this, he said, ‘I like it. My people (fans) really like me there.’ It’s just a wonderful thing.”

Peyton Wigington looks forward to playing in the weekly baseball games at Oxford's League of Our Own field.

Peyton Wigington looks forward to playing in the weekly baseball games at Oxford’s League of Our Own field. (Photo by Tammy Wigington).

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