CARY, N.C. (May 22, 2010) – Matt Kulbacki lifted a child in the air in triumph. Jacob Schnee took time to listen to some of words of wisdom from a little girl. Jared Frey allowed one boy to wear his maroon-and-gold KU baseball hat as they strolled the bases together. Brandon Shurr presented an autographed ball to one of the youngsters at the conclusion of one of the most memorable afternoons in the lives of the Kutztown University baseball team. (PHOTO GALLERY) / (ABOUT THE MIRACLE LEAGUE OF THE TRIANGLE)
The Golden Bears spent close to two hours running around bases, encouraging youngsters, shagging fly balls, entertaining the crowd with choreographed routines, laughing and enjoying themselves as they volunteered at the Miracle League of the Triangle's annual season-ending Home Run Derby Saturday afternoon.
“This is a fun event for the kids to bring them out and play baseball,” Schnee said. “It's good to see them happy. It was fun for me and I can tell they had a great time too. I was just happy to be out here and doing something nice for the kids.”
The event was part of the NCAA Division II Baseball National Championship's community service engagement activity. The Division II approach provides growth opportunities through academic achievement, learning in high-level athletic competition and development of positive societal attitudes in service to community.
The balance and integration of these different areas of learning opportunity provide Division II student-athletes a path to graduation while cultivating a variety of skills and knowledge for life ahead. Community Engagement is one of the key components of the “I Chose Division II” initiative.
Although there were overcast skies throughout most of the event, the Golden Bears provided the sunshine as they lit up the lives of the energetic kids by spending plenty of quality time with them. The kids were inquisitive, excited and full of energy as evidenced by Gilbert Vega having to chase one kid around the entire green rubberized field.
The vision of the Miracle League is “Every Child Deserves a Chance to Play Baseball.” The league provides opportunities to all children with special needs to play baseball regardless of their abilities.
“The kids can't play ball if they don't have assistance,” Miracle League staff member Cyndy Vagle said. “Some of them need the guidance to keep them focused on the game while others physically need somebody to help them hit the ball. So we rely on volunteers like the guys who came out today. Without their help, we couldn't do the games or have this opportunity. It's an awesome opportunity not only for the kids to have some baseball players here, but it gives baseball players a perspective on their own game too. So for everybody involved it's a win-win situation.”
As kids in wheelchairs and walkers hit balls off a tee during the derby, the Golden Bear players escorted them around the bases triumphantly. For a few hours, the Golden Bears relived their childhood and temporarily forgot about their baseball game Sunday afternoon against Franklin Pierce. A few kids even sprayed water on a couple members of the Golden Bears to keep them cool during the humid afternoon.
“This is amazing,” Kutztown junior Mike Dugan said. “It's great to come down here to North Carolina for a beautiful tournament and then do something like this. You can tell; this really brightened the kids' day. We're here for the World Series and you think it's supposed to be about us, but it's all about the kids. Having fun with them definitely makes this whole experience better.”
This was truly something that will stay with the Golden Bears for the rest of their lives. True to their nature, the players also gave the fans a brief show by jamming to the tunes that were blaring over the speaker as each kid came to the plate for their one shining moment. Some players did the M.C. Hammer dance when “Can't Touch This” came on. Kutztown baseball coach Chris Blum briefly did the “Cha-Cha Slide” in the outfield. The players even all fell to the ground as one unit during one humorous break in the action.
“I've never seen anything like this before,” Corey Buletza said. “The kids get to come out here and have a great time. It's real neat. To have an opportunity to be a part of something like this means a lot to me. We think going out and having a bad game is something to worry about, but we have nothing to worry about. We were given the ability to go out and play a game that we love everyday of our lives. These kids love the game too and it's just great to come out and see them have a great day.”
Every member of the Kutztown team had smiles on its faces as they interacted with the kids. As they headed to the bus, the players couldn't stop talking about how much fun they had. It gave many players a better appreciation for the gifts and blessings they have to play college baseball at a high level and receive an education.
“Being able to participate in this event says a lot about Kutztown University, what we stand for and the character of our team,” Blum said. “It was a wonderful feeling to be able to have the chance to spend some time here and make a difference.”
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