The Miracle League is no ordinary baseball league, and the field used by its athletes is no ordinary playing surface.
Based in Conyers, Georgia, the Miracle League allows special needs children and adults to play baseball on custom fields with a rubberized surface to accommodate wheelchairs and players with physical challenges. Volunteers who serve as “buddies” play alongside the league’s athletes.
Shelia Compton, president of the Troy Miracle League, says something as simple as playing baseball means so much to Miracle League athletes. As a parent of an athlete, Compton says seeing them socializing with people who accept them is a blessing for their families.
“It means so much every year to see new players have that experience of being able to physically be involved in a sport that they only get to watch other people play,” she says. “It gives them a moment of feeling like they’re totally like everyone else and that they don’t have challenges to overcome.”
Stepping Up to the Plate
The Troy Miracle League Field opened in 2011 at the Troy Sportsplex. The green and brown field is now worn and there are gaps in the seams of the playing surface creating hazards for the athletes.
South Alabama Electric Cooperative decided to help by giving $5,000 to the field restoration project, along with another $5,000 pledged by PowerSouth Energy Cooperative in Andalusia. On top of those donations, SAEC submitted the project to 1 of its 3rd-party lenders, CoBank, which kicked in an additional $5,000 through its charitable matching program, bringing the total contribution to $15,000.
SAEC and PowerSouth were among the initial donors when the field was built. The local Miracle League holds a special place for SAEC General Manager David Bailey. His grandson, Kristian Prettyman, is visually impaired and a Miracle League athlete. Bailey says he hopes SAEC will be able to budget more donations for the field project.
“We’re community-minded — 1 of our 7 principles we have as a cooperative — but for me, it’s a little more personal,” Bailey says.
The Troy Miracle League has been raising money to cover the estimated $200,000 price tag to resurface the playing field by selling T-shirts for $20 each and seeking donations from supporters, Compton says. The league is nearly halfway to its goal.
If all goes well, Compton says the league hopes work can begin following this fall’s kickball season and be completed prior to the spring 2025 baseball season.
To donate to the Troy Miracle League’s field project, mail checks, payable to the Miracle League Foundation of Troy, to P.O. Box 504, Troy, AL 36081. Donations can also be made at Troy City Hall or Troy Parks and Recreation.
The league plays each Tuesday during its seasons. For more information, visit the Miracle League of Troy’s Facebook page.