[Times photo: Scott Keeler]
Nathan Vaccaro's pitch is on target during his Challenge Division practice at Sid Lickton Field in Clearwater.

CLEARWATER -- Lying on the wet grass of a baseball field, 11-year-old Ryan Young looks like any other Little Leaguer.

Wearing a worn, green T-shirt and tennis shoes covered in red ball-park dust, he walks over to his dad, who looks like any other Little League parent. Randy Young loves volunteering for batting drills and wouldn't miss the chance to play catch with his son.

But it's soon apparent Randy and Ryan aren't just out for a day at the ball park.

"Ryan, did you have fun out there today?" Young asks.

Ryan nods.

"What drill did you like best?" Young prompts.

But Ryan doesn't answer. His eyes look into the distance, and he seems unable to conjure the words. Young is quick to explain.

He says that when Ryan was 3 years old, doctors detected a brain injury, which left the toddler with few motors skills and limited communication abilities. It was as if he'd forgotten everything he'd learned, Young says. He couldn't even remember how to crawl.

Doctors diagnosed Ryan with autism, he says. His son's disease, a lifelong developmental disability with no proven cause and no known remedy, has turned life upside down for Young and his wife, Kitty. Ryan's nine-hour, daily physical therapy session takes up most of his time, leaving the family struggling to find a way to make life as normal as possible for their young son.

One of the Youngs' neighbors, Jim Scheuerman, had a suggestion for them: Bring Ryan out to Clearwater's Challenger Division Little League. Started more than a decade ago, the division is designed specifically for kids with disabilities.

Unable to participate in the highly competitive world of traditional Little League, the Challenger Division's players focus on developing basic skills such as batting and catching. The league also gives kids the opportunity to make friends and be part of a team, skills that are often out of the question for kids who spend much of their time working one on one with an aide or parent.

The league managers divide players into four teams and plan a full spring season. Each team plays 12 games, and players get a chance to build their skills by attending six fall clinics.

There is a $60 registration fee for each player, but lack of funds should not stop families from bringing their kids out to play ball, says Scheuerman, who leads the Challenger Division. Because of the league's desire to open its doors to everyone, scholarships are available for anyone who needs financial assistance.

After Ryan was enrolled in the league, Young started bringing his son to Sid Lickton Field each Monday night for the skills clinics. Although there have been only three clinics so far, Young says he already can see a difference in his son's coordination and interaction with other children.

"My son really needed some outside activity," he says. "He's learning better coordination skills."

Equally important, Young says, is the time he gets to spend just having fun with his son.

"This is the first time I've been able to play any kind of sports with my son," he says. "Every father wants to be able to play with his son."

Kids, parents and coaches alike say their lives have been changed by their time out on the field learning and teaching America's pastime.

Standing on the field, Buck King is pelted with rain drops, but he doesn't seem to notice. Tossing muddy baseballs and helping kids practice their pitching skills by throwing balls into a portable backstop, King is a commanding presence on the field.

Joking with the kids while remaining firm about manners and good sportsmanship, the seasoned coach calls out instructions to kids, many of whom have never before held a bat.

King says he's been helping out with the Challenger Division for a couple of years. A former coach in the traditional Little League, he says he was drawn to the Challenger Division because of its emphasis on fostering not only a love a baseball but also a supportive environment for building kids' self-confidence.

"I'd been coaching traditional Little League for years,'" he says. "But I got tired of the system. There, people would snap at you when you go to practice. All you get are hi's and hugs here."

The positive attitudes of the kids, parents and coaches are immediately apparent at practice. The coaches warmly greet each player by name, and most of the parents stay to volunteer or watch their kids from the dugout. But many of the positive comments come from the players.

As they line up for batting practice, they giggle as they pull on the battered blue plastic helmets and get ready to face the pitcher or the T-ball tee.

A grin spreads across the face of 14-year-old Justin Willcher as he talks about baseball.

"I hit a home run today," he says, his brown eyes sparkling. "It was my first try, too."

Justin's dad, Hicks Willcher, says he's seen a big change in his son since he started playing with the league three years ago.

"He knows so much more than when he started," he says and laughs. "When he started, he couldn't bat, couldn't run fast. But now he's getting pretty good."

The league has had such a powerful impact on some kids that they come back to volunteer after they are too old to play in the league, Scheuerman says.

Ian Smith is one of those players.

A 10-year veteran of the league, the 18-year-old with learning disabilities just graduated from high school, making him ineligible to play. But instead of packing up his cleats, Smith chose to come back this year as a coach.

The decision to coach was easy, he says. He wanted to bring his experience full circle, to give something back to the league that gave him so much. As a player, he made new friends and learned to love a sport that would have remained a mystery to him otherwise, he says.

"I think it's a lot of fun to come out here," Smith says. "It just feels good to help out."

Plus, he says, there's no other way for him to play the sport he's grown to love. There is no adult league for people with disabilities in the area.

Smith says he wants to pass on a little bit of advice to the newest Challenger Division players: "Try as hard you can. Don't get too hard on yourself if you don't get something right the first time."

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