By River Mitchell
@rivermitchell27
The sounds of cheers and clapping could be heard all around Archie Allen Field on the morning of Sunday, Oct. 6. While many people on Springfield College’s campus were still in a deep slumber, participants in the Miracle League of Western Massachusetts were ready to play some baseball
The Miracle League of Western Massachusetts was founded in 2015 by Ernie Fitzell to give kids ages 4-19 navigating physical or cognitive disabilities the chance to play the game. In 2017, the league partnered with Springfield College to design and build an accessible, adaptive baseball field on the far right corner of Archie Allen Field – the diamond the school’s baseball team plays on. The cushioned, rubberized surface makes it accessible for special needs players to get from base to base and was the first-ever collegiate Miracle League baseball field in the country. Since then, the league has made Springfield College its home. The league plays two seasons, with eight games in the spring and six games in the fall.
“It’s great knowing that we always have a place here that we can play [and] that we can schedule all their games,” said Ernie Fitzell Jr.
Each player who participates is set up with a volunteer, or “buddy.” These buddies are here to assist the kids on the field and also hang out with them for the duration of the game.
The league, which is made up of more than 80 kids, is split into different groups with several games throughout the day based on age and experience. The third game, which took place at 11:45 a.m., was filled with people who are about to age out of eligibility. Fitzell said another reason for it was the amount of volunteers they have.
“Our biggest issue at all times is the number of volunteers,” Fitzell Jr. said. “For the third game, it’s very few and far between. A lot of our buddies leave after the first two games. So we have a third game that allows the kids to actually play more of a baseball game.”
It wasn’t long ago that kids didn’t even have this opportunity, period. In 2014, Fitzell ran a baseball league of his own and was forced to tell a child who had had physical and cognitive disabilities that he couldn’t play in his age bracket because he feared the child would get hurt.
“I knew his coach from previous years, I talked with the coach and he said he had taken two [baseballs] in the jaw and one in the chest,” Fitzell said. “If he takes a ball from a 12-year-old in the jaw, now this kid is going to have a whole new set of problems.”
After the child’s mother went to Fitzell’s wife, Tammy, who is a special needs teacher, the idea for the Miracle League was born.
“I said, ‘I’ll tell you what. You find me something where you guarantee me they cannot get hurt, I’ll back you 110 percent,’” Fitzell said.
The league started out in Holyoke in 2015 at William J. Dean Tech High School. Joe Long, who was the Major Gifts Officer for Springfield, got Fitzell on the phone to talk about moving the league to Springfield College. Springfield was redoing Archie Allen Field at the time, and set up the corner in the outfield specifically for the Miracle League. The field consists of a special rubber turf to prevent injuries if kids fall.
Above everything else, the league has been a godsend for the parents who just want to see their kids out on the diamond having fun.
Jennifer Arnold’s 9-year-old daughter has Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a muscular disability that requires her to be in a wheelchair. She has been a part of Miracle Baseball for four years, and even though she’s dealing with a disability that doesn’t allow her to walk, she is able to have fun on the diamond.
“This sport has given her the opportunity to be on a team [and] to feel like she’s part of a community,” Arnold said. “She has gained incredible confidence season over season and over the last two games, she’s been trying to hit the ball without using a tee. She comes home and she’s so proud of herself. It’s really something incredible to see.”
Seeing her daughter go out on the field and have the time of her life has given Arnold and other parents a ton of joy. Fitzell and everyone involved in the organization feel the same way.
“It’s not only the kids or the parents who get something out of it, it’s the volunteers,” Fitzell said. “Especially the ones who come back week after week.”
The Miracle League of Western Massachusetts is always looking for volunteers, according to Fizell. People who want to get involved can contact them through their website (miracleleaguewestma.com)
“It’s amazing,” Arnold said. “There’s not a lot of sporting opportunities for me to feel like she can drive it herself. She’s able to play this with her disability and it doesn’t impact her at all. It’s been remarkable.”
Photo by River Mitchell/The Student