Long Beach needs players for Buddy Ball Baseball League

Long Beach seeks players for its Buddy Ball Baseball League.

Buddy Ball's opening day is March 12. Games are usually played on Wednesday about the same time as other Long Beach Youth Baseball League games.

Buddy Ball is for boys, girls and active adults with intellectual and/or physical disabilities who want to play organized, non-competitive baseball. Each player is assigned a "Buddy" that assists with playing the game. Volunteer Buddies help the players to play the game and parents/guardians/care-givers can sit back and watch. All players get a team uniform. All volunteers get a shirt. In Buddy Ball, all players get to play. The games last 2-3 innings long and last an hour. Players usually hit off a tee or the coach softly pitches to them. For those interested in becoming a volunteer, a person must be 18 and older, required to have a background check. Once approved, they must also wear their LB identification badge when interacting with the players. All volunteers will receive training on how the Buddy Ball game is played and how to provide positive interaction with the players. For additional details, visit lbyb.baberuthonline.com to get a registration form or call Mike Crawford, 860-9055 or Stella Wolf, 760-0591.

This story was originally published February 25, 2016 at 11:00 PM with the headline "Long Beach needs players for Buddy Ball Baseball League ."