Miracle Field set to open in June

Published 9:29 pm Wednesday, March 16, 2011

In anticipation of the opening of Troy’s Miracle League Field, potential league players will be recognized at a Troy Trojans game this weekend.

“I would like to invite any children that are considering being in the Miracle League in Troy to come to the Riddle-Pace field between 5 and 5:30 p.m. Saturday,” said Dan Smith, director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Troy. “The children will get to go out onto the field prior to the Troy Trojans baseball game, which begins at 6 o’clock.”

The event is a precursor to the opening of Troy’s Miracle Field, set for early June.

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Smith said registration for Troy’s Miracle League is currently underway and that he welcomes any and all potential players to come and be a part of Saturday night’s recognition.

“We’re just trying to blanket all of the schools with registration forms in hopes that, not only will the local children that plan on participating in our Miracle League will receive a registration form, but that other families will receive the forms and get them to children in other areas we may not know about,” Smith said.

Smith said the Miracle League players will be guests of Troy University for the night, will be able to watch the game from the pavilion above the third base dugout and they and their families will be fed hamburgers and hot dogs.

Apart from being recognized at a Troy Trojans baseball game, the Miracle League players look forward to playing on a field of their own soon..

“Construction is well underway on our Miracle Field,” Smith said. “I was told earlier today that asphalt will be laid on the field no later than the end of this week, so that should be down. Then, after the asphalt has cured, the safety surface can be applied and there will be lots of other work, such as laying concrete and putting up chain-link fencing that will need to be done.”

Smith said that crews have experienced some weather delays, and because of the delays he anticipates opening the field sometime in early June instead of the previously projected date of May 20.

The Miracle League Field project, according to Smith, has been a project that has touched the hearts of many Pike Countians.

“This has been a project that a lot of people in Troy have been very excited about,” Smith said. “The motto of the Miracle League is ‘every child deserves the right to play baseball,’ and, for ages five up to 19, this field is tailor-made for children with mental or physical special needs. We hope that every family will allow their children to take a part in it and we know that it has been a very good thing in other cities and we can not wait for it to be finished and open up.”

For more information about the Miracle League of Troy and how to become a Miracle League player, please call Dan Smith at (334) 670-6067.