CRANBERRY TWP — On May 16, 2009, 130 special needs children and adults of varying ages, abilities and skill levels took to the baseball field for the first Miracle League game in this region.

A decade later, the Miracle League of Southwestern Pa. has grown into one of the largest in the country. To celebrate that growth, the organization will facilitate its first All-Star Game later this week.

The Miracle League, a national organization focused on building ball fields accommodating children and adults with special needs, was introduced to Western Pennsylvania after Mike Sherry, the president and founder of the region’s Miracle League, was inspired by his daughter.

“In 2007, my daughter was diagnosed with autism, and we decided, after an experience with another little leaguer who needed some assistance hitting a baseball, to design new field similar to one we’d seen in Birmingham, Ala.,” he said.

Growth

Since its first opening day two years later, the MLSWPA has grown to be a community staple with nearly 1,000 participants. Fred Roberts, a team manager, board member and father of a Miracle League player for nine seasons, said the ease of access and acceptance drew his family to the league.

“The beauty of the Miracle League is that its mission is so simple,” he said. “They adapt the game of baseball and make it very accessible for kids and families who have a special need. Running a baseball game isn’t rocket science. We fundraise and organize the league, and that’s our mission.”

MLSWPA has three different leagues: children ages 5-18; an adult league for those older than 18; and a competitive one for kids (5-18) who want to be part of a more structured game in which scoring is tracked. Sherry said the MLSWPA had about 500 players and a little more than 400 volunteers this year.

“We are one of the largest (Miracle Leagues) in the country,” Sherry said.

Additional Miracle League fields have been built throughout the region with the support of Pirates Charities, the charitable arm of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Roberts said that partnership, as well as the dedication of those involved, will allow the organization to grow even larger.

“Through our program and working in conjunction with Pirates Charities, the region has seen a lot of growth with other Miracle Leagues,” Roberts said. “Now the Pirates support Miracle Leagues all over Southwestern Pa.”

Roberts added that while other sports require strategy or more dexterity, the fundamentals of baseball are more adaptable for special needs children. That, in the end, makes it more fun.

“And, by virtue of learning the game of baseball, (my son) liked going to Pirates games or seeing a game on TV,” he said. “He had the same experience becoming a fan of Pittsburgh teams that he might not have if he hadn’t learned to play the sport for himself.”

Acceptance

In addition to being active and learning the game, Sherry said the Miracle League has given participants a place they can come and feel comfortable and accepted.

“I think it continues to show that Cranberry Township is an inclusive community where we offer quality of life to all individuals regardless of what their special needs may be,” Sherry said. “It offers families the opportunity to participate in life’s normal, day-to-day activities — like playing baseball.”

Terry Shulsky, another team manager, said the search for an organized sport for his special-needs son led he and his wife to the Miracle League.

“The typical options did not seem to work well for us,” he said. “At first, we were hesitant because we weren’t certain on how he was going to play the game, but when we started, Chris Sherry and her husband, Mike, who founded the league, made us comfortable from the first day.”

During his son’s first season, Shulsky said he was allowed to be his son’s buddy and help him bat and field during the games. The following year, the team asked him to manage.

“Six years ago, and I haven’t looked back,” Shulsky said.

Shulsky said he has fallen in love with his players, and looks forward to their reactions on the field.

“I make it a practice in my games to greet each of them at home plate when they score to give them a high-five or fist-bump or hug, and it really warms my heart to offer these small gestures of encouragement for my players,” he said.

He added that those small gestures have an impact outside the baseball diamond as well.

“It really excites them and makes their families smile, and really that’s what means the most to me,” he said. “My wife and I want our son to smile and know that, when he’s playing, he’s in a place where he’s embraced and accepted by everyone.”

All-Star Weekend

Shulsky and dozens of others will be there Thursday through Sunday when the league, along with the Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau and Cranberry Township, host the first All-Star Baseball weekend at Graham Park.

“It’s our 10th anniversary, and we wanted to do something unique and special to celebrate all the fields that were built,” Sherry said. “This being our 10th season, we thought that we would host (the) first (All-Star Game) in the country.”

About 130 players and 200 volunteers will participate in the weekend’s events.

“Of those 130, 30 of them will play specifically in the All-Star Game,” Sherry said. “(Those) two teams will play at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.”

The All-Star Game is free and will take place at the Pirates Charities Miracle League Field. Exhibition games will occur throughout the day, with the first game scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., leading up to the evening All-Star Game.

Several Miracle League teams throughout the region and Bradenton, Fla. — the Pirates’ spring training home — will travel with their families to participate in the weekend.

Ten teams will consist of players from Cranberry Township; Murrysville; Blair County; Indiana; South Hills; Moon; Wheeling, W.Va.; Morgantown, W.Va.; and Manasota, Fla., a suburb of Bradenton.

Shulsky said he’s excited for the weekend and the opportunity to see players with whom he usually doesn’t get to interact so he can offer them and their families the same encouragement he gives his own team. He said he hopes the event gives them time to interact and showcase their league and what they’ve accomplished so far.

“(I hope to) let everyone know we’re here if they want to join us and have a good time,” Shulsky said.

Sherry said he was most looking forward to the weekend for “the joy that the kids express.”

“The opportunity to see the kids be part of something that they otherwise wouldn’t is pretty special,” he said.

Roberts said the weekend is shaping up to be extra special for all involved.

“Any time we get to play Miracle League baseball, we have a great time,” he said. “But, I’ve noticed when we do something special — be it bringing in minor league players or a musician or something that kicks it up a notch — it makes it all the more fun and special.”

Want to help out?

The MLSWPA needs a variety of volunteers to organize and facilitate games. A typical game needs about 40 volunteers to be able to play.

Managers, coaches, buddies, umpires, team parents and for general help volunteers are needed. Donations to the Miracle League are encouraged to help with the costs of operating the league, uniforms and equipment.

Every child and adult, no matter his or her level of ability, can participate.

For more information, visit www.miracleleaguebaseball.org.