OP_041819

OPPrairie.com sports
the orland park prairie | April 18, 2019 | 39
fastbreak
THURSDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK
A special needs diamond in
Orland is still on the horizon
JEFF VORVA/
22ND CENTURY MEDIA
1st and 3
APRIL 9 WAS
TURNABOUT DAY
ON THE SANDBURG
DIAMONDS
1. The bad
Sandburg’s baseball
team (ABOVE)
was beaten 12-1 by
Lincoln-Way West,
while the Eagles
softball team took a
12-2 beating at the
hands of District
230 foes Andrew
to start the week
on April 8 in Orland
Park.
2. The good
Approximately 24
hours later on the
same two diamonds,
Sandburg
whipped D230 rival
Stagg 16-3 and the
softball team took
care of business
with an 11-4 won
over Stagg.
3. The big swing
The combined
deficit-to-advantage
swing for the two
days was an astounding
41 runs.
Jeff Vorva
Sports Editor
On a foggy Saturday
morning a few
weeks ago, Orland
Park Village Clerk John
Mehalek woke up early
and headed to Challengers
Field in Tinley Park.
It was the first time he
had been at the facility.
Not only was he looking
at the recent past — Challengers
Field is five years
old now — he also hoped
he was looking into the
future, as well.
Challengers Field was
built to accommodate
special needs athletes from
all over the south suburbs
who want to play baseball
or softball. The Challengers
organization started
nearly 25 years ago and
many games were held at
a gravel-filled Tinley Park
Bobcats field.
So, Challengers Field
was built at Bettenhausen
Park and last year, 120
players on 10 teams called
it their home field.
A Tinley Park Eagle
Scout candidate, Franklin
Daviau, recently oversaw a
project with solar lights being
installed in the dugout.
That is where Mehalek
came in.
On April 6, he and a
group of co-workers from
the International Brotherhood
of Electrical Workers
installed the lights on a
morning that started out
foggy but eventually became
sunny and warm.
As the sun came out
and showed the field in a
better light, Mehalek was
impressed.
“It’s incredible; it really
is,” he said. “What a
wonderful place. It’s really
neat and it’s an opportunity
for us to partner with these
guys for a project like
this.”
Who knows? In a few
more years, perhaps Orland
Park will have a special
needs diamond of its
own and Mehalek and his
crew will help zap some
electricity or solar power
into that place, as well.
Marist High School
student and Orland Park
resident Zachary Stack is
heading up a group called
Baseball 4 All. The Village
of Orland Park donated
land near the John Humphrey
Complex and the
group is looking to raise
money to build this and
turn it into a reality.
Stack has picked up
some great publicity in
recent years, but things
seemed quiet lately.
I checked the website
and the last event that was
posted was a trivia night
event in the fall.
That got me a little
concerned. I crossed my
fingers that the project was
not being abandoned.
I was able to uncross
my fingers after contacting
Stack.
The website was not
updated because, well, he is
a high school student with a
lot on his plate, with school,
preparing for the ACT and
all that good stuff.
But he assured me the
project is “in full swing in
raising funds to build the
field.”
As a matter of fact, the
group will host two big
events in Orland Park on
May 4.
City Barbeque (14301 S.
LaGrange Road) will donate
10 percent of its sales
all day to the organization.
Starting at 3:30 p.m.,
the Square Celt (39 Orland
Square Drive) will host
a Kentucky Derby watch
party. For 50 bucks (cash
only), you can watch the
race, eat some light appetizers,
and drink beer,
wine, soda and cocktails.
The event is held through
the Orland Fire Protection
District, which named the
Baseball 4 All group its
beneficiary.
Orland Park Vilage Clerk John Mehalek, talking
to workers behind a solar panel to be installed at
Challengers Field in Tinley Park, is looking forward to
seeing two special needs baseball/softball diamonds in
the area. JEFF VORVA/22ND CENTURY MEDIA
Like the Tinley project,
it might take years before
we see the Orland diamond
shine.
Will the Orland field
take away some athletes
from the Tinley field?
Maybe. But that’s not the
issue here. The greater
good is that there are more,
not less, choices for special
needs athletes.
“We’re very excited
about that,” Mehalek said.
“The more we can do, the
better. “
And it’s not just for
children. This is for special
needs players of all ages.
There are adults who have
opportunities to play.’’
Going dancing
Please forgive my selfindulgence
to report that
Fontbonne University’s
men’s volleyball team,
unranked in the NCAA
Division III coaches’ poll,
stunned No. 1 Carthage
in five sets in Kenosha
to win the Midwest Collegiate
Volleyball League
on Saturday, April 13. The
Griffins are in the 14-team
NCAA Tournament for the
first time in school history.
Sandburg grad T.J. Vorva
(yeah, my kid) is one of the
captains on the team.
He was on the 2015
Sandburg squad that finished
fourth in the state and
former teammate Grant
Burden (Stevens Institute
of Technology) is also on a
squad that made the dance.
LISTEN UP
“I’ve always been an energized player. My mom said that
it’s probably because I played with boys growing up. I’m
not sure that’s what it is but I have always been like that.’’
Kylie Hase — Sandburg graduate and Purdue soccer standout
Tune In
Girls soccer
Thursday, April 18 and Saturday, April 20,
TBA
• Sandburg plays in the early rounds of
the Naperville North Invitational.
Index
35 - OYA wins state title
34 - Athlete of the Week
Compiled by Sports Editor Jeff Vorva,
J.VORVA@22ndcm.com