© Saint Louis
Challenger Baseball
Saint Louis, Missouri
No strikes. No outs. Everybody plays. Everybody wins.
Saint Louis Challenger Baseball is a baseball league for youngsters and adults with developmental disabilities from ages 5 on up. In its 18th season, the league now houses 52 teams total. These teams play in the spring: 16 teams in St. Louis (Tilles Park, at the corner of McKnight and Litzsinger), two teams in Pike County, MO (Bowling Green), 16 teams in the St. Louis City school district, six teams in Madison County, IL (Edwardsville, at Winston Brown Rec. Complex, 1325 Schiller Ave. in Edwardsville (the Rotary and Jaycee Fields)), and two teams in St. Francois County, MO (Farmington). These teams play in the fall: two teams in Franklin County, MO (Pacific, at the Pacific Youth Athletic Park), two teams at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Rehabilitation Hospital (at the corner of Dorsett and Adie Roads in St. Louis), two teams in Bond County, IL (Greenville), and four teams in Perry County, MO (Perryville). Please see the schedule page for location schedules!
The fundamental goal of Challenger Baseball is to give everyone a chance to play. To realize that goal, Challenger has two basic rules: every player bats each inning, and every player plays the field. We don't count strikes, and we don't count outs. Everybody scores, and everybody wins.
Challenger Baseball participants learn not only the fundamentals of baseball, but also experience pulling together as a team, be cheered on by a crowd, and being encouraged by their peers. All players are named all-stars, and all receive trophies at the end-of-the-season picnic.
How it Works
Beyond following basic safety rules, Challenger tailors certain rules to the skill levels of the players. Challenger players play on the same fields, use the same equipment, and wear the same full uniforms as non-disabled teams.
Teams are supported by coaches and by a buddy system in which young volunteers (ages 10 to 20) that don't have a disability assist Challenger players when needed both at bat and in the field. Buddies help by pushing players using wheelchairs around the base paths after a hit or by helping a player retrieve a ball that gets past them. But the biggest thing a buddy does is to be a friend to our players.
Each week, teams play alternate teams within their skill level. All teams play next to each other, on attached fields. Players can either hit from a batting tee or off a pitcher.