Little League World Series Features Special Needs Teams From New Jersey and Texas

Special needs teams play in their own Little League World Series.

ByABC News
August 30, 2010, 11:51 AM

Aug. 30, 2010 — -- For many Little League baseball players, their big dreams can be played out on the field. And for the players of the Friendswood, Texas, Mustangs and the Cherry Hill, N.J., Challenger teams, their journey to the diamond, though different, is just as memorable.

"We got picked out of the whole country ... the world ... to play," said Daniel Vasquez, "because we are one of the best."

Twenty-four World Series players on two special-needs teams competed at the Challenger Game over the weekend. The team members all have a disability, such as muscular atrophy or attention deficit disorder. The game coincided with the Little League World Series on Sunday in which Japan beat Hawaii with a score of four to two.

"It gives you happiness to hit it at least once and just to catch the ball and feel great about yourself," said player Chris Zubrycki.

Even from the bleachers, the camaraderie among the players and their "buddies," or supportive friends and family members, was in evidence.

"These kids can do what other people can too," said "buddy" Chase White. "They just need a chance."

Chase Ruder, whose sister Ashley watched him play baseball for so many years, found seeing her in the dugout a nice turn of events.

"She never really gets to really go anywhere 'cause it's usually me," Ruder said. "It's just cool for her, because she loves playing baseball."

For coach Steve Silverman, the competition is as reciprocal as a game of catch.

"It's a two-way street," Silverman said. "It's not just what the kids learn, it's what the coaches and the adults and buddies learn."