On Wednesday, March 15, more than one hundred forty players took to the baseball fields at the Gulfport Sportsplex to open the fourteenth year of Buddy Ball baseball on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. This year’s spring season has grown to record participation, and leaders with the non-profit host, Mississippi Gulf Coast Buddy Sports, say they are excited about what’s to come.
“After initially starting Buddy Ball in 2010 with twenty players and a handful of volunteers, we have grown to having one hundred forty players and over one hudnred volunteers participating with us each spring,” said Mike Crawford, founder and executive director of Mississippi Gulf Coast Buddy Sports. “We played for nine years on one field in Long Beach before expanding to play on two fields at the Gulfport Sportsplex.”
Volunteers and droves of fans, including the Long Beach High School dance team and Hook, the mascot for the Mississippi Sea Wolves, were on the sidelines to cheer players on opening night. The oldest group of adult players took to the field for the first game that afternoon at 5 p.m., followed by opening ceremonies for all of the league’s players, along with the regularly-scheduled 6 p.m. games for Buddy Baseball’s youngest players and then young adults.
A lot of effort went into the league’s pre-game warm up as family, friends and participants lined up at the Gulfport Sportsplex on March 9 to pick up jerseys for this year’s players. Training was also held for Buddy Ball coaches and volunteers, who were also given league T-shirts.
Crawford says the Sportsplex is ideal for Buddy Ball baseball games and players.
“The synthetic turf fields we play on allows individuals that use wheelchairs and walkers an easier surface to move around on, and the fields dry out quickly in the event of rain,” Crawford said.
The spring season of Buddy Ball baseball has only just begun. Games will run through the month of May, as outlined by Crawford.
“We play one game with our older adults [on these dates] at 5 p.m.,” Crawford said. “Then we play two games with our youngest players at 6 p.m., and one game with our young adults at 7 p.m. on Wednesday nights. We have an eight-game season.”
The remainder of this season’s games will take place on March 29, on April 5, 19 and 26, and May 3 and 10.
There are two Buddy Ball baseball seasons annually on the Gulf Coast, held in the spring and fall, thanks to the efforts of Mississippi Gulf Coast Buddy Sports, a non-profit public charity organization that provides recreational sports and leisure opportunities for youth and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and other special needs.
For more information about Gulf Coast Buddy Sports, visit MSGulfCoastBuddySports.org or their Facebook page.