Jeanette Sanders plans to wear sunglasses on Saturday.
As her 13-year-old son, Jack, takes the field at the Little League World Series, she knows she will become emotional.
“When you have a child with special needs, there are always so many things you focus on that aren’t going to happen in his life,” the Shavertown resident said. “For it to happen and be done in a way that he can actually do it and be part of it, it’s pretty amazing.”
Jack and his teammates in the Wyoming Valley Challenger League will play in the 2025 Little League Challenger Division Exhibition Game at the Little League World Series in South Williamsport on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Admission is free, and the game will be broadcast live on WVIA and picked up by PBS stations nationwide.
Little League founded the Challenger Division in 1989, and more than 30,000 players with physical or intellectual challenges play worldwide. The Wyoming Valley team will play the Woburn Little League Challenger Division of Woburn, Massachusetts.
The expanded audience excites the team that usually plays at a renovated facility at the Bog in Wilkes-Barre. Since moving to the field six years ago, the league has grown from 35 players to about 140.
Larry Wills’ daughter, Jamie, started playing Challenger baseball 16 years ago. Wills serves as the league’s president and sees the friendships, acceptance and confidence that grow with participation.
“Being involved in something bigger than just at the local league, being involved in something on the international stage, and seeing them participate on that field, the smiles it's going to bring… it's just going to be incredible,” he said.
Send-off held in Shavertown, events planned in Williamsport
The team heads to Williamsport on Thursday for four days of activities before and after Saturday’s game, including picnics, pool parties, pin trading and sliding down the iconic hill overlooking Lamade Stadium. Several teammates and their families also participated in the Grand Slam Parade last week.
The Shavertown Volunteer Fire Department hosted the players and their families on Wednesday night for a send-off celebration, offering tours of trucks and dishes of ice cream.
Sense of community
Kristen Evans has two children with special needs. Her 17-year-old son, Jamie, will play on Saturday.
Having children with special needs can feel isolating, but being part of the Challenger team has brought both community and possibilities, Evans said.
“We might not be playing travel baseball or travel softball, but... these dreams are also real," she said. "Look, we have these great families and great friends, and we get to make all these connections.”
Samantha Scholten sees how far her 21-year-old son, James, has come as part of the Challenger team.
"From not being able to be on a typical baseball team because of a possible meltdown... to being able to play on the World Series field now, he's so excited about it," she said. "We're so proud of him."
