Miracle League hits it out of the park at first game of the season
- Kathryn Clark
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Jalen Moultry poses with his buddy Devin Lafayette, a Troy football player.
Football players, local athletes, friends and families gathered on Riddle-Pace Field Monday night for opening night of the Miracle League baseball season.
Miracle League is a foundation that encourages individuals with special needs to participate in sports and be active.
Troy student-athletes from the football team were present to help facilitate the event and act as “buddies” to the players throughout the evening. Many of these student-athletes have participated in Miracle League as buddies for several years.
“It’s fun, and I used to do this event in high school all the time,” said Jywon Boyd, a football player and freshman physical education major from Troy, Alabama. “I know some of the people here, the most notable is Sheldon. Sheldon went to the same school as me, and usually when I do this, I'm always with him.
“This event inspires me to keep going. Hopefully it’ll inspire all of us to keep going. There's still hope somewhere, and you can still have fun no matter what circumstance you're going through.”
Boyd hopes that future Miracle League events draw even larger crowds of supporters.
For Scott Taylor Renfroe, a senior accounting major from Troy, participating in Miracle League is an annual occurrence.
“This is my fourth Miracle League night at Riddle Pace Field,” Renfroe said. “I've been supporting it every year.
“I’m from Troy, and I grew up coming out and supporting the Miracle League program, and it's great just to continue to put back into the community that raised me.”
Renfroe said being a buddy is a great experience.
“It is awesome because it really just brings another level of just appreciation to some of the things that come natural to us and being able to do,” Renfroe said. “It allows us to kind of take a step back and just appreciate what we're given and also lets us take some of that and give it in and invest in some of these people out here, and it's also just a lot of fun.”
The Miracle League players were divided into two teams, the Braves and the Angels. Throughout the two-inning game, each player made a hit and scored a run alongside their buddies.
Smiles were all around, and cheering from all parties resounded as the game ensued.
Jalen Moultry, a player on the Braves team who recently moved to Troy from Savannah, Georgia, both bats and pitches for the team. This game, he was seen playing shortstop.
“I'm a little nervous about this big stadium, but yes, I'm excited,” Moultry said. “Ever since I was new to this team, I never actually had quite fun, so if this is the Braves, then I feel pleased to be on this team.”
Moultry wants people to know a few things about himself.
“I love Pokémon, and my favorite Pokémon is Pikachu, because he's cute and electric type, and he's my absolute favorite,” Moultry said. “I love Nintendo Switch games, and I'm even friendly, smart and creative.
“I'm mostly the creative type, you know, and believe me, I'm just friendly. Plus, I'm enthusiastic and organized, and I'm very, very nice around others, and my favorite food is pepperoni pizza, and that's that.”
Moultry believes being a part of the Miracle League will be a good experience.
“The experience, not to mention being around with your friends helping others . . . I think this is probably good for me,” Moultry said. “It's just the experience that matters.”
Moultry left students with a bit of advice.
“Now, hey, I'm probably new to this place, but if you wanna know one thing about me, it's this, I think I have a motto,” Moultry said. “My motto is no matter what you do, just go for the experience.
“Hey, you might never know until you try it. I mean, who knows? Just do your best and then you'll do great for you, and trust in your heart, and that's that.”