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WEST PITTSTON — Victory Sports will open its ninth baseball season on Friday at the West Pittston Little League field.
The first game between the Yankees and Phillies begins at 5:15 p.m. and the second game featuring the Cubs and Giants begins at 6:30 p.m. The field is located on 6th Street in West Pittston.
In between games, pizza, soda, water and ice cream will be served to the participants, families, volunteers and caregivers.
There are 90 participants signed up for Victory Sports, which features adults with mental and/or physical challenges.
About Victory Sports
Victory Sports Inc. was founded in 2011. In 1991, Challenger Little League came to Northeastern Pennsylvania — the second Challenger league in Pennsylvania — Williamsport being the first.
In 2011, the Challenger chapter was transitioning to a new group, so it was decided to have an Old-Timers Game to celebrate the 20th anniversary and invited back were the participants from the first Challenger League of 1991.
About 35 players showed up — all now in their 20s , 30s and 40s. During the game, Eddie Orlowski, a mentally challenged young man from Duryea, asked a question: “How come we can’t play baseball anymore just because we got older?”
“That question hit us like a ton of bricks,” said Fred DeSanto, Victory Sports president. “By August of 2011, Victory Sports was playing ball. Victory is for adults with mental and/or physical challenges who have aged out of Challenger at 18 and there is no limit to how old a participant can be.”
Victory Sports’ players wear full baseball uniforms and they play on a real baseball field. “Buddies” are utilized to help some of the more involved participants hold a bat and run the bases.
“Nobody ever gets out in Victory, no team ever loses — everybody is always a winner.,” DeSanto said.
Victory participants also play basketball, attend dances, yoga classes, movie nights and much more. In a word, DeSanto said Victory is about “fun.”
And, DeSanto said, the organization would like to do a lot more.
“We have many testimonials from parents and caregivers who have seen remarkable change in their children/loved ones,” he said. “Each Victory participant is a story of courage, perseverance and determination.”
