ONTARIO — Ontario Youth Sports (OYS) has started a new baseball league, designed for children with physical and intellectual challenges.
OYS director, Kenn Spencer hopes the Ontario Tomahawk League will give all children an opportunity to be active.
“Our youth sports board has a heart for the community. They have a heart to be something for everyone, so when we see kids coming to the park to watch, but not participating, they wanted to something,” Spencer said. “We saw a need, and the more we talked about it, the more we wanted to it.”
The Tomahawk league is open to male and female players ages 4 to 18, or up to age 20, if still enrolled in school. It’s meant for any child who may not feel comfortable participating via the other OYS teams.
“It’s an adaptive league. Everything about it adapts to every individual kid. If we have a kid in a wheelchair we’ll adapt to their needs, and if we have a kid with autism, we’ll adapt to what they need,” Spencer said.
Players will need to register for the Tomahawk league, as is required for all OYS teams, but for this group, there is no registration fee or cost to participate. Spencer explained the OYS’s community sponsors have agreed to cover the costs. Each player will receive a uniform, and each team will receive a team bag with gloves, helmets, balls, bats and a tee.
For now, the registration process is open to everyone in Richland County, but depending on the amount interest, OYS might need to direct some families to similar teams in other communities.
Once established, practices will run once a week, starting in mid to late April. Games will begin in mid-May and continue through late June.
Most games will be played at 6 p.m. Fridays, but some may be scheduled for Thursdays. Games will be played against other similar teams from Clear Fork, Mansfield and Fredericktown. The Tomahawks may also play another OYS baseball or softball team. Games will be played in Ontario’s Marshall Park, Mansfield’s Sterkel Park and the Clear Fork High School softball field.
There are typically eight games in a single season. The teams will play for one hour, which usually equates to three innings. All players will get a chance to bat each inning. If possible, players will have the chance to hit a thrown ball, but after three to four pitches, a tee will be brought out for the player.
Children in the other OYS baseball and softball leagues will act occasionally as “buddies” to assist Tomahawk athletes in the areas of batting, base running and defense, but only as needed. Buddies might help players run the bases or help players in field to make throws to first base.
To register, visit www.oysports.com, and to keep updated with all league news, follow Ontario Youth Sports on Facebook.
Anyone with questions is encouraged to contact Dan Slaughter at onslaught11247@gmail.com or Kenn Spencer at kenn@mypictureday.com or 419-566-8072.
