Players needed for KAU Challenger Division team

KAU Little League will sponsor a Challenger League Team again for the 2013 season. The Challenger Division was established by Little League International in 1989 as a separate division to enable boys and girls with physical and mental challenges, ages 4-18, or up to age 22 if still enrolled in high school, to enjoy the game of baseball.

Boys and girls with Down’s syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, mild brain injuries, and similar challenges have played on the KAU team in recent years. KAU’s team is open to boys and girls in Chester and Delaware Counties.

The KAU team plays an 8- or 9-game schedule against other Challenger teams from the area.  All home games are played Sundays at 1 p.m. at the Stoney Marston Complex off Route 82 in Kennett Square. 

Teams can include as many as 15 to 20 players, and are set up according to abilities, rather than age. Challenger games can be played as t-ball games, coach pitch, player pitch, or a combination of the three.

In a Challenger game, each player gets a chance at bat. The side is retired when the offense has batted through the roster, or when a pre-determined number of runs have been scored, or when three outs are recorded. Little League recommends that no score be kept during Challenger games.

The Challenger Division encourages the use of "buddies" for the Challenger players. The buddies—who may be volunteers, older friends, siblings, or parents of the Challenger player—assist the Challenger players on the field, but whenever possible, encourage the players to bat and make plays themselves. However, the buddy is always nearby to help when needed.

For more information on the KAU team, please e-mail rkpyle@zoominternet.net.