Special Olympics North America Softball Championship brings joy to the diamond

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They snatched line drives out of the air, pinned their opponents in the run-down and made close tags at the plate.

They cheered at the great plays, grumbled at the bad ones and danced with the umpires.

“They treat each other like family. Watch the sportsmanship they display,” said Jenni Waters, head coach for the North Stars team based in the North Hills of Pittsburgh. “They have a really unique resilience to bounce back and cheer each other on.”

Hundreds of athletes representing 25 teams competed in the Special Olympics North America softball championship tournament at No Offseason Sports near Russellton this weekend. They represented 13 states and Canada.

“It’s been great,” said Andrew Fee, the vice president of Special Olympics Pennsylvania. “A lot of fierce competition. A lot of joy.”

That joy was nowhere more evident than during the afternoon awards ceremony on Sunday.

As they awaited their medals, the players talked and joked with each other before making their own dance party in front of the stage.

Outfielder Phillip Olson was among those celebrating. He hit three home runs in a row on Sunday to help propel his Florida Stars team to their fifth consecutive championship.

“Being with my family sparked me all the way,” Olson said.

At 32 years old, he has been playing softball since he was a junior in high school.

Head Coach Belinda Brown said this was the team’s seventh national championship appearance, and the core of the team has been together the entire time.

“They’ve grown up together,” she said. “We’re all like family.”

The key to their success, Brown said, is defense.

“Every team can hit. We work really hard on defense,” she said. “If you have a good outfield and a good infield, I think that’s the difference.”

In the Division 1 traditional team championship game pitting the Florida Stars against the Kansas Stars on Sunday, Florida jumped out to a commanding 14 to 4 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth.

But Kansas rallied, scoring five runs before the third out was recorded, and the score final.

This was the first time Pennsylvania has played host to the national championship, Fee said.

The tournament hosted both traditional and unified teams in eight divisions. Unified teams include players with and without disabilities as teammates.

Special Olympics strives for meaningful and equitable play and used games on Friday to help determine the divisions for each team.

Ruth Brashear’s son, Zachary, previously played with Special Olympics in Colorado and this year joined the Florida Stars in right field.

“The teams are amazing how they work together and the sportsmanship,” she said. “They’re all really competitive, but they make friends with all the other players.”

Josh Burke is the regional executive director for Special Olympics Pennsylvania Capital Area Region.

He attended the Lancaster Stormers game Sunday afternoon against the Ontario Newmarket Challengers from Canada.

“These players work so hard to get this opportunity to compete at an international level,” Burke said. “It’s about this, but it’s also the traveling and hotels and camaraderie. They’re playing a team from Ontario — how often are they going to get to do that?”

Lisa Butzer’s daughter, Megan, got two hits for the Stormers and played infield. Megan has been playing softball for 15 years.

She loves being with her teammates.

“They’re my friends and know what to expect of me,” Megan said. “My coaches have been so sweet to me, too.”

It was the first time Lancaster played in a national tournament.

“Watching all the teams and how supportive they are of each other — it’s just been a wonderfully uplifting experience,” Lisa Butzer said.

Markus Sanders, who plays second base and bats lead-off for his North Carolina Tornadoes team hit a walk-off single Sunday afternoon, scoring his teammate, Austin Weikamp.

It secured their team a bronze medal.

“It feels great,” Sanders said. “We did what we were taught. I had a positive feeling at the end.”

Weikamp’s family moved to Illinois, so the weekend’s national championship tournament is his last time playing with the Tornadoes.

“It felt amazing coming up clutch and being able to celebrate on a national stage,” Weikamp said.

The Tornadoes’ coach, Tim Betts, said his team, including his daughter, Zoe, who pitches, was very much an underdog entering the tournament.

“There’s so much they have to do to get to this point,” he said. “These are amazing people, and to be able to help them to have the equivalent of their Super Bowl, you can’t explain how great that feels.”

Beverly Funicelli served as home-plate umpire in the championship game between Florida and Kansas.

In her 28th year officiating Special Olympics games, Funicelli said she was approached by a player on Saturday who remembered her from the championships in Illinois more than a decade ago.

“They are such a joy,” Funicelli said. “It’s a passion. Once you get into it, you can’t get out of it.”

As their team was awarded the bronze medal in their division, the North Stars players congratulated each other and shouted, “We are… North Stars. We are … North Stars.”

Ronnie Metcalf, who played outfield for the team, hit well over the weekend, recording two inside-the-park home runs, two triples a double and a single.

“I enjoyed the first few games. They were really tough battles,” he said.

As Waters, the head coach, led the team in their final huddle of the season, she told them how proud she was.

“I’m sad the season’s over,” she said. “Already, I’m looking forward to the next one.”

Paula Reed Ward is a TribLive reporter covering federal and Allegheny County courts. She joined the Trib in 2019 after spending nearly 17 years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where she was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team. She is the author of “Death by Cyanide.” She can be reached at pward@triblive.com.

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