Knights, Challenger Baseball continue meaningful community partnership
By Paul Miller
Knightly News Co-Adviser
Photos by Alex Foley
Knightly News Photographer
alex.foley@mymail.centralpenn.edu
Three members of the Central Penn College baseball team spent part of their offseason giving back to the community on May 31, volunteering with the Camp Hill Challenger Baseball Senior League at Fiala Field in Camp Hill.
Roniel Morel, Tyler Haynes and Kyle Brent joined Challenger players for an afternoon of baseball activities, helping with warmups, playing catch and assisting throughout the games. Brent served as coach for the Orioles, Haynes coached the Pirates and Morel handled catching duties.
The Camp Hill Challenger Baseball program is a division of Little League Baseball that serves children and adults with special needs throughout Cumberland, Dauphin, Perry and York counties. In addition to its youth program, the organization operates a Senior League for adults ages 21 and older.
The annual partnership between the Camp Hill Challenger league and Central Penn College baseball has now reached its fifth year. Over that time, Knights players have become familiar faces to many of the Challenger athletes, who look forward to their visit each season.
“It was really something special to see the amount of joy the players had,” Brent said. “It really put a lot into perspective for us.”
For Challenger Baseball, the relationship has become one of the highlights of the season. The league currently serves approximately 30 adult players, providing opportunities for competition and social interaction through the game of baseball.
“Having the Central Penn College Knights come out to our events is a game-changer,” said Paul Miller, commissioner of the Camp Hill Challenger Baseball Senior League. “The Challenger players truly look up to the Knights in a way I don’t think the Central Penn players fully understand. This annual partnership between the Senior Challenger League and Knights baseball is something our players look forward to every year.”
While the Central Penn players helped coach and support the games, the impact extended well beyond the field. The afternoon provided an opportunity for friendships to form between the college athletes and Challenger players while reinforcing the community-centered values shared by both organizations.
As the partnership enters its fifth year, both programs continue to demonstrate how baseball can bring people together and create meaningful experiences for everyone involved.
To learn more about Camp Hill Challenger Baseball, follow them on Facebook.