(calm music continues) - [Narrator] It's time to play some Miracle League baseball.

Get ready, game two coming at you.

(spectators applauding) (calm music) Here they come.

Jazz coming around second.

Jason's moving around third.

Can we get 'em all?

Is it gonna be a big three rush?

The Miracle League is a namesake is an association throughout the country that we're a part of, but we execute that league here with our decisions, our board, our operations with the town of Normal at the front of that.

(calm music) - How this Miracle League got started, my sister was the inspiration for the field.

Amy was a special needs child, my dad at, gosh, he was in his 70s thought, "You know what?

I'm gonna try to build a baseball field for kids with special needs."

And that was in probably 2008, 2009 is when they started.

Her and dad were really tight, and Amy loved baseball, they loved the Yankees and the Cubs.

He went out into the community, found some donors, got a plan together, several folks were with him on the board that continue on the board today, so he had a great group of loyal volunteers for sure.

And it is now morphed into, 2015 we got the field built and we serve about about a hundred kids every year.

(bat thudding) (calm music) - [Narrator] There's a high fly opposite field as it got the last over the fence here, it's a grab roof, double great hit there from- - [Narrator] Our games are two innings, they last about one hour.

Everybody gets a chance to play.

Everybody gets a chance to hit, to go to home plate every inning.

There are buddies associated with every player.

(spectators clapping) - The buddies are for instance, they may have Illinois Wesleyan's volleyball team come and they would pair up with the players because some of the players need help knowing which base to run to and when to stop and when to go.

Or somebody might need to help with their wheelchair, or if, you know, they're blind they might need to be guided.

So, that's the job of the buddies is just to kind of help keep 'em on task, keep the ball in play, keep the game moving.

- Buddy is so much fun to hang out with.

And if other people who does come out play baseball, we have a buddy to just help with other people too.

(spectators applauding) (calm music) - It's very simple but very exciting.

We have an MC, so there's enthusiasm, there's music.

The names are being used for the players and we make them feel just as special as we can possibly make them feel.

- [Narrator] Hit ball all the way to the Centerfield.

My goodness.

- I like the Miracle League because I like to play and I like to bag some home runs.

I like that, and like be out fit with my buddy and enjoy my time with all of us.

- Like doing here with the team here and because we are all the hawks in the way, we making new friends here that are... We have to spray time with with the buddy small.

(calm music) - I think the camaraderie as much as the game itself is what's exciting and what's really cool to see.

- [Narrator] It's hit the plane.

Nobody's there.

He's in there.

- I would like our community to first of all know about our gratitude and how much they have supported not only the vision for this facility, which is a beautiful facility for our players, but the support and the enthusiasm they gave us for this project and they continue to support us through volunteering.

We are doing very well financially.

The town of Normal now is running this program.

So, we have everything that we need because of the support from the community, because of the encouragement from the community, and we will always be grateful for that because it's made such a big difference for a generation of kids.

- [Narrator] I'm overwhelmed really each week about the number of volunteers.

It just really blows my mind.

Even the people who are here every week and running it, everybody's volunteering and it just blows my mind.

(calm music) - [Narrator] Such a positive encouraging environment here with laughter and love.

It's uplifting.

- I'm out just, I'm going to get hype and get pumped.

Do enjoy that so much.

- [Narrator] Out here they can just come have fun.

They're both very, very social.

We generally sit way out in the outfield and just watch from a distance and let 'em have their day and that's great for them too that they can be independent of us and still enjoy the experience.

- Anybody can play, all ages.

Karen started when she was four years old.

She started the second year so she's been playing for a long time, but we have players out here who are in their 30s and 40s as well.

So, anybody can play, nobody's out here judging your child.

Nobody cares out here.

There's no judging.

- Everybody's good now.

- Yeah, yeah.

- So, come on out, we're behind The Corn Crib, a lot of people don't know where we are, but come on out on a Sunday and I can almost guarantee your life will be changed.

- In a world that, you know, sometimes isn't so happy nowadays, you come out here, you can't leave without a smile on your face.

If you do, there's something wrong with you because it's happy.

(calm music) - Nobody wins or loses, it ends in a tie- - It's always a tie - every week.

- Every game ends in a tie so nobody wins or loses.

No player can be doing anything wrong out there.

(calm music) (calm music continues) - [All] One, two, three, strikes you're out at the old ball game.

- Oh, you've been practicing?