APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A man with down syndrome coached his first baseball game last night.
It’s the story of Noah Van Vooren who played in the Miracle League for people with special needs.
With every hit in Miracle League Baseball, cheers and applause immediately follow.
But on Wednesday, some of those cheers weren’t only for the players.
Noah Van Vooren has down syndrome and it’s his first game as an assistant coach for the Rockies team in the Miracle League.
Miracle League manager Lisa Robbins tells FOX 11…
“Kids age out at age 19, and we do still have kids that want to be apart of the league, but there’s not a lot of opportunities for kids who enjoy sports during summer, so Noah was interested in staying on the team and we decided to make him as an assistant coach.”
And Robbins says Noah is something of a role model.
“I think for the group of our kids, the fact that Noah is an assistant coach, it gives them the ability to see that when they’re finished with their career, when they age out of the Miracle League, that they can possibly continue to participate.”
Noah’s father, Todd Van Vooren, says it’s a source of pride for his son.
“It makes him feel proud; it makes him feel like he’s accomplishing something, and he can give back to other kids, to make sure they’re fulfilling their fun there too.”
Not only did Van Vooren step up as an assistant coach, but he also influenced friends to volunteer.
“Noah actually got me into this league and introduced me to the whole special needs area and I’ve learned so much from him,” said Ariel Schrader of Little Chute.
Schrader has known Van Vooren since 2nd grade and is now the head coach for the same team.
“Noah, he does kind of the pep talk so he gets everyone going, so that’s a good job for him,” explained Schrader.
And with his new position, Van Vooren hopes to get every player a home run.
The Miracle League also has leagues in Allouez and Manitowoc with plans for Fond du Lac in the works.
