A couple of Salina teams stepped up to the plate to help a Kansas baseball league which lost nearly all of its equipment to thieves.

Last month equipment bags and approximately 175 – 200 baseball bats and were stolen from League 42 out of a storage area at McAdams Park, Wichita.

An equipment drive in Wichita restocked most of League 42’s equipment, but a few things were still needed so Jeffery ‘Hammer’ Bachman of Salina decided to help.

Bachman’s first step was to reach out to his father. The Nebraska team Bachman’s father coaches donated some equipment but, Bachman wanted to make a bigger impact. He decided to ask Kansas Wesleyan Baseball Coach, Bill Neale who donated some used equipment. Neale said he would talk to his players and see if they would like to get involved. Without missing a beat many of the athletes donated their own personal equipment.

Wednesday, March 6, there was an equipment drive at the Salina Liberty Football Office and the community was encouraged to bring in their new/good condition baseball equipment to help League 42 back on its feet.

What started out as a sad story will end happy thanks to the many generous people who stepped up to the plate.

League 42 is a nonprofit organization who strives to provide a low-cost baseball opportunity for children ages 5-14 in urban Wichita. There is a $30 per family fee that provides each child with a full uniform, a baseball glove and additional gear, including catcher’s gear, bats and balls.

Registered League 42 players are invited to clinics led by some of Wichita’s greatest baseball experts throughout the off-season, and off-field activities such as movie days, bowling days, a trip to a Kansas City Royals game and the Negro League Museum for our Dodger and Champions Division Players (ages 11 -12 & 13 – 14).

Not only doe League 42 advocate for kids on the field but also in the classroom. The league stresses the importance of education and want to assure at-risk children can be successful.

“These kids are not just learning Baseball, they are learning respect; not just for the game but for their peers and the adults around them. League 42 is so much more than fields, balls, umpires, and coaches, hotdogs and sunflower seeds…It’s an attitude, a mindset, that being a part of something so great, so tangible can change or shape the lives of everyone involved.” – Michelle Shelton, single mom.