Baseball Continues Tradition With Miracle League

Sharks baseball gives back to the community, working with the kids at the Miracle League

The Nova Southeastern University Sharks baseball team once again gave back to the community by volunteering with the West Pines Miracle League, in what has become one of the squad’s most anticipated annual events.

The Miracle League presents an opportunity to play baseball to disabled children, who would otherwise be unable to participate with their healthy peers. It started in the metropolitan Atlanta area in 1998, and has since grown to 275 organizations across the nation and the globe, with new chapters in Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Australia. They serve over 200,000 disabled young people and receive support from 22 Major League Baseball clubs and several current and former players and coaches.

Director of Athletics, Mike Mominey, started the partnership nine years ago, at the time of the program’s inception, when he was head coach.

“I had the great privilege to be involved in the early initiatives alongside the founders of this great local community engagement program,” Mominey said. “I was approached by a local mutual friend, local executives from Joe DiMaggio hospital and council members from the city of Pembroke Pines. These relationships converted into action items in order to receive grant funding to build a baseball facility that would house the program at Rose G. Price Park. This was really the birth of the league and the tipping point to establish this now very popular and well-known community program. From there, the program was publicized and today, every Friday night, there can be up to 50 young boys and girls participating in this wonderful baseball program.”

Greg Brown continued the relationship when he was named head coach five years ago and has maintained his role as facilitator ever since.

“Our program has had a great relationship with the Miracle League, dating back nine years,” Brown said. “We are all very proud to be associated with them and be able to share our game with the young boys and girls that play with so much enthusiasm. It is truly a night that we mark on our calendar every single year and look forward to.”

Senior Kavan Thompson (Merritt Island, Fla.) thinks he gets more out of it than they do.

“It’s just really rewarding… getting to see all the kids play baseball,” Thompson said. “I know that’s what they want to do with their lives. They enjoy going out there and seeing them smile goes a long way. It makes you appreciate the game a lot more. Razor gets to go out there, too, and he’s keeping all the kids entertained. It’s just fun teaching kids the game.”

One of Thompson’s favorite aspects is maintaining friendships with the kids they help year after year.

“It’s a great feeling getting to go back every year,” he said. “Seeing the same faces and having a long relationship with these ball players is truly a great experience. I’m looking forward to going back after graduation to keep the relationships we’ve made.”

Though this will be the first Miracle League experience as a Shark for freshman pitcher Anthony DiFede (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), he has been involved with the program since he was on the Bobcats baseball team at West Broward High School, which is located only a mile from the league’s home field.

“When the kids are out there, they’re just laughing the whole time,” DiFede said. “It’s nice to see that. The only thing they’re thinking about is having fun.”

DiFede, who is friends with one of the players, said that it’s a great chance for them to not worry about their disabilities and to feel completely supported.

The West Pines Miracle League is always looking for volunteers from the entire community. For more information, please visit WPPOMiracleLeague.com.