Challenger division coming to Plymouth Youth Baseball

• Plymouth Youth Baseball and Softball is launching a new adaptive co-ed Challenger division in April.
• The league is for children aged 7 to 12 with physical or intellectual challenges from across the South Shore.
• There is no registration fee for the league, which aims to provide an inclusive and accessible baseball experience.

There’s a new brand of baseball coming to Plymouth Youth Baseball and Softball this spring thanks in major part to the efforts of West Plymouth resident John Devito.

The PYBS will open an adaptive co-ed Challenger baseball division in April for children aged 7 to 12 with physical or intellectual challenges. Players in the league will practice once each week with a field day planned for the end of the season. The league promises to provide an inclusive and accessible baseball experience for everyone involved.

Sports are a huge part of the DNA of the DeVito family. John’s grandfather is a member of New York Coaching Hall of Fame and his brother Mike Devito played nine years in the NFL with the New York Jets and the Kansas City Chiefs before retiring in 2016.

The idea behind the Challenger baseball experience hits close to the heart of DeVito and his family.

“My wife Autumn and I are big believers in promoting athletics for children. Our sons, Vincent and Dominic, are involved in different sports in town, but our youngest son Johnny was diagnosed with autism, so he doesn’t have the same opportunities to play sports as his brothers,” explained DeVito. “I brought the idea of opening a Challenger league to town and the PYBS board was all for it. They’ve been incredible about getting this idea off the ground. We couldn’t have done this without them.”

DeVito said Steve Nearman, owner of The Great Blizzards special needs youth hockey program, was also a huge help in pointing organizers in the right direction to getting the new program off the ground in Plymouth.

A unique part of the program is that there is no registration fee. It is also open to players from all over the South Shore.

“We’ll be open to anyone who would like to be involved. It’s a very inclusive environment and we won’t turn anyone away,” said DeVito, who serves as the league’s director. “When we announced we were looking to start a Challenger program earlier this month, the response on social media was tremendous.”

Founded by the Little League organization in 1989, there are more than 35 Challenger baseball leagues operating in the state of Massachusetts at the moment. The closest leagues are in Hanover, Middleboro, and Braintree.

Coaches from the PYBS will run the weekly practices at the Nook Road baseball field. DeVito hopes to get the Plymouth North and Plymouth South baseball teams to be a part of the program, as well.

“We just did about $30,000 worth of renovations at Nook Road and the facility is looking great,” said DeVito.

For more information of the program, contact DeVito via email at challenger@Plymouthybs.org.