Special needs baseball team meets Chukars

A special needs baseball team got the royal treatment at the Idaho Falls Chukars game Tuesday night.

Thanks to the generosity of the Chukars, the children were able to meet a few players and even get autographs. Doug Andrus Distributing gave its company suite to the children and their parents for the night, as well.

The team is a part of the Field of Angels league. It’s a four-team baseball league for physically and intellectually disabled children.

“We have a bunch of fun, and the kids get to play on a team,” said parent and organizer Becky Wagner.

The league caters to children facing a wide range of disabilities.

“From wheelchairs to walkers,” said Wagner. “Everything.”

Robert Pehl, a left fielder for the Chukars, is new to the glory that comes along with professional baseball. He said putting smiles on the faces of children is a perk of the job.

“It’s more than a game, in a sense,” said Pehl. “You can come out and touch someone else’s life, and when you get to do that it’s just that much more fulfilling.”